Current Affairs – 8th Feb 2024

Articles Covered:

  1. Kokborok Script Row: Students’ group stage protest in Tripura
  2. Equity concerns in banning fossil fuel extraction
  3. Rs 4,797 cr PRITHVI to boost atmosphere, polar and ocean research, says Rijiju
  4. Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS):
  5. Hindu Kush Himalayas biosphere at risk: Facts on the 3,500 km mountain range
  6. iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence):
  7. 7th Indian Ocean Conference
  8. India-China trade in 2023
  9. National Green Tribunal:

Kokborok Script Row: Students’ group stage protest in Tripura:

The President of Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE), announced today that students will have the choice to write the Kokborok subject exams in either Bengali or Roman script for the upcoming board exams.

Kokborok Language:

  1. Kokborok is the language spoken by the Borok peoplebelonging to the State of Tripura.
  2. The term kok means “verbal”, and borok means “people” or “human”.
  3. It is a Sino-Tibetan language and can be traced back to at least the 1st century AD when the historical record of Tripuri kings started to be written down in a book called the
  4. The dialect belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group of languages,and its root can be traced to the Sino-Tibetan speech family.
  5. Kokborok got the written form in the year 1897 as Doulot  Ahammad, a Muslim scholar, wrote the first Kokborok Grammar named “ KOKBOROMA ANG TRIPURA – VYAKARAN GRAMMAR.”
  6. It is one of the state languagesof Tripura, notified on January 19, 1979.

Equity concerns in banning fossil fuel extraction:

There is a proposal in academic literature for a coal elimination treaty by 2030 with the aim of phasing out the mining and the burning of coal.

  • The inadequate response from governments to climate change is leading to a surge in climate change litigation globally, with proposals for treaties aiming to eliminate coal by 2030. However, aligning these proposals with key climate change principles poses challenges, including Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Nationally Determined Contributions.

Phasing Out Fossil Fuels:

  • Global Momentum for Action: Growing awareness of climate change risks has spurred calls for phasing out fossil fuels, highlighted in international climate conferences such as COP26 and COP28.
  • Proposals for treaties and agreements: They aim to eliminate coal by 2030, driven by concerns over the Production Gap Report’s projections and their misalignment with the Paris Agreement’s temperature goals.
  • Net zero emissions by 2050: COP28 in Dubai in 2023, in Dubai, also adopted a decision relating to the transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, so as to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in keeping with the science.

National Green Tribunal:

  1. The National Green Tribunal has been established under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
  2. New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai shall be the other four places of sitting of the Tribunal.
  3. NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of the filing of the same.

composition of NGT

  1. The Tribunal comprises the Chairperson, the Judicial Members, and Expert Members.
  2. They shall hold office for a term of 5 years and are not eligible for reappointment.
  3. The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
  4. A Selection Committee shall be formed by the central government to appoint the Judicial Members and Expert Members.
  5. There are to be at least 10 and a maximum of 20 full-time Judicial members and Expert Members in the tribunal.

Powers & Jurisdiction 

  1. Established for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
  2. It has appellate jurisdiction to hear appeals as a Court.
  3. The Tribunal is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, but shall be guided by principles of natural justice.

Rs 4,797 cr PRITHVI to boost atmosphere, polar and ocean research, says Rijiju:

The PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI) will be an umbrella scheme spearheaded by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) to help continue many of the ongoing research projects and efforts in the areas of atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, geosphere and biosphere till 2026 Rijiju said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

The Union Cabinet recently approved the comprehensive scheme “PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI)” by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

This initiative spans five sub-schemes, aiming to enhance Earth System Sciences and provide crucial services for societal, environmental, and economic well-being.

  • The Cabinet also approved an agreement between the ISRO andMauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC)to jointly develop a “small satellite.”

India and Mauritius have a history of cooperation since the 1980s when ISRO established a ground station in Mauritius for tracking and telemetry support for ISRO’s launch vehicle and satellite missions.

“PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI)” Scheme:

  • It is an overarching scheme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) for the period from 2021 to 2026.
  • It encompasses five ongoing sub-schemes, namely:
  1. ACROSS- ATMOSPHERE AND CLIMATE RESEARCH – MODELLING OBSERVING SYSTEMS AND SERVICES
  2. O- SMART- OCEAN SERVICES MODELLING APPLICATION, RESOURCES AND TECHNOLOGY
  3. PACER- POLAR SCIENCE AND CRYOSPHERE RESEARCH
  • SAGE:Seismology and Geosciences – The scheme includes six activities, including seismological monitoring and microzonation. SAGE aims to strengthen earthquake monitoring and research on the Earth’s solid components.
  • REACHOUT-RESEARCH EDUCATION TRAINING AND OUTREACH
  • PRITHVI scheme comprehensively addresses the five components of Earth System Sciences:atmosphere hydrosphere, geosphere, cryosphere and biosphere.
  • This holistic approach aims to enhance understanding and deliver reliable services for the country.

Objectives:

  • To augment and sustain long-term observations of the atmosphere, ocean,geosphere, cryosphere and solid earth to record the vital signs of the Earth System and change
  • Development of modelling systems for understanding andpredicting weather, ocean and climate hazards and understanding the science of   climate change.
  • Exploration of polar and high seas regions of the Earthtowards discovery of new phenomena and resources;
  • Development of technology for exploration and sustainable harnessing of oceanic resources for societal applications.
  • Translation of knowledge and insights from Earth systems science into services for societal, environmental and economic benefit.

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS):

  • It is a NASA mission to discover exoplanets around nearby bright stars.
  • Launch: It was launched on April 18, 2018, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket out of Cape Canaveral.
  • Orbit: TESS circles Earth in a unique high Earth orbit of 12 to 15 days, which is inclined in a way that the telescope’s sky view is largely free from obstructions by our bright planet and the Moon.
  • The prime mission ended on July 4, 2020, and TESS is now on an extended mission.
  • TESS is finding planets ranging from small, rocky worlds to giant planets, showcasing the diversity of planets in the galaxy.

TESS find exoplanets

  1. It uses the transit method to detect planets.
  2. It looks for periodic dips in stars’ brightnessas planets cross in front of them along our sightline.
  3. The larger the planet, the further the drop in brightness during the transit.
  4. How long it takes a planet to pass in front of the star and come back tells us the shape of its orbit.
  5. This method reveals the diameter of the planet and the size of its orbit. Orbits within a certain range lie in the “habitable zone”, where liquid water can exist on the surface of an Earth-like world.

Hindu Kush Himalayas biosphere at risk: Facts on the 3,500 km mountain range:

  • A total of 130 global experts have declared the Hindu Kush Himalayas as a biosphere on the brink of collapse, urging bold action and financial support to preserve it. Here are a few facts on the mountain range stretching over 3,500 kilometers and across eight countries.

Hindu Kush Himalayas:

  1. The Hindu-Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region encompasses Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
  2. It is considered the Third Pole(after the North and South Poles) and has significant implications for climate.
  3. It contains the largest volume of ice and snow outside of the Arctic and Antarctica.
  4. The ice and snow from this region are an important source of waterfor 12 rivers that flow through 16 countries in Asia.

GEOGRAPHY OF HINDU KUSH HIMALAYAS

  1. The Hindu Kush is a great mountain system of Central Asia, some 500 miles (800 km) long and as much as 150 miles (240 km) wide.
  2. The range forms the western section of the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region (HKH) and is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains near the point where the borders of China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan meet.
  3. The range has numerous high snow-capped peaks, with the highest point being Tirich Mir or Terichmir at 7,708 meters (25,289 ft) in Chitral, Pakistan.
  4. The Hindu Kush may be divided into three main sections: the eastern Hindu Kush, the central Hindu Kush, and the western Hindu Kush, also known as the Bābā Mountains.
  5. The inner valleys of the Hindu Kush see little rain and have desert vegetation.

BIODIVERSITY OF HINDU KUSH HIMALAYAS

  • The Hindu Kush Himalayas is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, with a rich variety of flora and fauna.
  • The region is home to over 240 million people, and 1.7 billion people live in the river basins downstream, while food grown in these basins reaches three billion people.
  • The glaciers in the region feed at least 10 major river systems, which have bearings on agricultural activities, drinking water, and hydroelectricity production.

Key facts about International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD):

  • It is an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centreworking on behalf of the people of the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).
  • It is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.
  • It works for eight regional member countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Functions:

  1. It serves the region through information and knowledge generationand sharing to find innovative solutions to critical mountain problems.
  2. It bridges science with policies and on-the-ground practices.
  3. It provides a regional platform where experts, planners, policymakers, and practitioners can exchange ideas and perspectives towards the achievement of sustainable mountain development.

iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence):

  1. It is the flagship initiative of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), launched in April 2018.
  2. Aim: To achieve self-reliance and foster innovation and technology development in Defence and Aerospace by engaging Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes and academia.
  3. iDEX has partnered with leading incubators in the country to provide handholding, technical support and guidance to the winners of iDEX challenges.
  4. iDEX will be funded and managed by a ‘Defence Innovation Organization (DIO)’ which has been formed as a ‘not for profit company as per Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013 by the two founder members, i.e. Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) – HAL & BEL.
  5. iDEX will function as the executive arm of DIO, carrying out all the required activities, while DIO will provide high-level policy guidance to iDEX.
  6. Under iDEX, financial support is provided to Start-ups/MSMEs/individual innovators and Partner Incubators through DIO.

Mission DefSpace:

  1. It was launched by the Prime Minister during DefExpo in October 2022.
  2. The goal of Mission DefSpace is to make India Atmanirbhar in defence technologies in the space domain.
  3. It will encourage technology development in space for defence applications by startups and young entrepreneurs through 75 Defence Space Challenges launched across various Department for Defence Production (DDP) initiatives viz iDEX, ‘Make 1’, and ‘Make 2’.
  4. The challenges are classified into five buckets, viz. Launch System, Satellite System, Communication & Payload System, Ground System and Software System provide a holistic 3600 overview of space.

India-China trade in 2023:

  1. The bilateral trade between India and China has reached record levels in 2023, surpassing the figures in 2022.
  2. In 2022, despite the continued bilateral tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), bilateral trade had reached a record $135.98, with imports from China surpassing $100 billion driven by a 21% rise in inbound shipments.
  3. In 2023, China- India relations have shown a positive momentum of improvement,”
  4. The bilateral trade volume reached $136.2 billion with a year-on-year growth of 1.5%.
  5. India’s exports to China also increased by 6%.

Understanding what we import and what we export to China:

  1. India’s exports to China have risen and imports have fallen over the last few years and a closer look at the items traded between the two countries shows the unequal bilateral trade.
  2. Trade numbers between 2014-15 and 2019-20 show that export of low-value raw materials and import of high-value manufactured goods has characterised India’s trade relationship with China, akin to the ties the country had with its colonial ruler Britain in the years before Independence, said trade experts.
  3. This “colonial pattern” of trade has meant that India’s exports to China over the last six years have been only fifth in value of India’s imports from China.
  4. While average exports from China have been around $13 billion in the six years 2014-20, the average value of imports from China has been $66 billion in the period.
  5. India’s exports have ranged from food items like fish and spices to essential inputs like iron ores, granite stones, and petroleum products.
  6. India’s major exports to China in the last six years were iron ore, petroleum fuels, organic chemicals, refined copper and cotton yarn. Among food items, some of the other major items exported were fish and seafood, pepper and vegetable oils and fats. Blocks of granite and other building stones and raw cotton were also among exports.
  7. Its imports from China have been dominated by electrical machinery and equipment, and other mechanical appliances. India’s major imports from China have been of items like automatic data processing machines and units, telephone equipment and video phones, electronic circuits, transistors and semiconductor devices, antibiotics, heterocyclic compounds including nitrogen, fertilisers, sound recording devices and TV cameras, automobile components and accessories and project goods.

India’s Dependence on Chinese Imports:

  • India must remember that even though its widening trade deficit with China remains an eyesore for policymakers, dependence on Chinese products has only grown year after year.
  • In 2019, Chinese imports alone accounted for 34% of all the foreign value-added in India’s exports, data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development shows. In 2009, this figure was just 1.8%.
  • Over the last decade, India’s dependence on China for inputs for the manufacture of drugs and consumer goods has shown a marked increase. All this will matter even more in this time of crisis after the coronavirus.
  • A strengthening anti-China sentiment and louder calls for self-reliance could actually go against India’s interests and economic logic.

7th Indian Ocean Conference:

  • India’s External Affairs Minister will address the inaugural session of the 7th Indian Ocean Conference to be held in Perth, Australia on February 9.
  • It is a flagship consultative forum for countries in the Indian Ocean Region, organized annually by the Ministry of External Affairs since 2016, in association with the India Foundation.

Theme: “Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean”:

  • The Conference will feature Ministers from over 22 countries and senior officials from 16 countries and 6 multilateral organizations.

Indian Ocean Conference:

  1. The Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) is an annual event that has been held since 2016, serving as a crucial platform for regional countries to engage in discussions on matters pertaining to the region. Here are the key points about the IOC:
  2. Focus and Objectives:
  3. The IOC concentrates on fostering regional cooperation under the framework of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
  4. It brings together key states and maritime partners in the Indian Ocean region to address pertinent issues.

Participants:

  1. While the primary focus is on coastal countries of the Indian Ocean, the conference has expanded its scope to cover important global issues.
  2. Dignitaries attending the conference include the President of Mauritius, Vice President of Maldives, and India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar.
  3. Foreign Ministers from Bhutan, Nepal, Bahrain, and Singapore, along with ministerial representatives from Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar, are also expected to participate.
  4. Around 150 foreign guests, including representatives from D8, SAARC, and BIMSTEC, are anticipated to attend.

Significance of the IOC:

  1. The IOC holds significant importance in terms of strengthening partnerships with Indian Ocean countries, promoting regional political engagement, and facilitating decision-making during crisis situations.
  2. It provides a platform for participating countries to discuss global events and make informed decisions regarding future actions.
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