• 11 Dec 2024

The 6th Capacity Building Program in Mussoorie

Why in News? 

Recently, The 6^th Capacity Building Program for the Civil Servants of the Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka commenced at National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) in Mussoorie.

Key Points 

• Program Duration and Participants: 
  • The Program is organized from 9th to 20th December 2024. 
  • The program is hosting 40 mid-career civil servants from Sri Lanka, including Divisional Secretaries, Assistant Divisional Secretaries, District Secretaries, and officers from key ministries like Public Administration, Home Affairs, Agriculture & Livestock, and Health. 
  • Participants also include officials from the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA). 
  • The program aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of governance and administration. 
• Sessions will focus on: 
  • Basic administration. 
  • Policy frameworks in healthcare and public administration. 
  • Technology's role, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), in governance. 
  • Successful governance models, including waste management systems, with insights into urban and non-biodegradable waste handling. 
• Topics covered include: 
  • Changing Paradigm of Governance. 
  • E-Office, Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana. 
  • Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Climate Change impacts, Aadhaar. 
• Field visits to significant institutions like: 
  • Forest Research Institute (FRI), District Administration Ghaziabad, and Cyber Security Cell Noida. 
  • Global Robotics Company, PM Gati Shakti Anubhuti Kendra, Bharat Mandap, and Pradhanmantri Sanghralaya. 
  • A visit to the Taj Mahal. 
• NCGG’s Global Training Role: 
  • NCGG, established in 2014, has trained 214 senior Sri Lankan officers. 
  • It has provided governance training to officers from 34 nations, including Malaysia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Kenya, South Africa, and Fiji.

Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY

• PM-JAY is the world’s largest health insurance scheme fully financed by the government. 
• Launched in February 2018, it offers a sum insured of Rs. 5 lakh per family for secondary care and tertiary care. 
  • Health Benefit Packages covers surgery, medical and day care treatments, cost of medicines and diagnostics.

First Validation Flight Landing at Jewar Airport

Why in News? 

Recently, the Noida International Airport (NIA) achieved a major milestone as its first validation flight successfully landed, bringing it closer to operational readiness.

Key Points 

• Successful Landing of Validation Flight: 
  • The validation flight was operated by IndiGo. 
  • Special acknowledgement was given to the site workers for their critical role in the project’s progress. 
• Flight’s Objectives: 
  • The flight tested and confirmed the airport’s approach and departure procedures, accuracy of navigational aids, and air traffic control systems. 
• Ministerial Remarks and Vision: 
  • The Union Civil Aviation Minister commended the team’s efforts and emphasized: 
    • The airport’s potential to transform air travel and regional connectivity. 
    • Its design reflects Uttar Pradesh’s cultural heritage. 
    • A terminal capacity of 12 million passengers annually at its 2025 opening. 
  • With this development, Uttar Pradesh will have its 17th operational airport. 
• Sustainability Focus: 
  • The Minister emphasized sustainability through: 
    • Solar energy utilization for powering the airport. 
    • Eco-friendly infrastructure development aligned with government priorities. 
• Economic and Developmental Impact: 
  • The project is expected to create thousands of jobs. 
  • It is also expected to boost tourism and drive regional development in Western Uttar Pradesh and serve as Asia’s largest airport upon completion.

Noida International Airport (NIA)

• The Noida International Airport at Jewar is developed as the country’s first transit hub with aspirations to develop it into an Asia-Pacific transit hub, a first for India. 
• It is developed based on the Zurich Airport model in Switzerland, with the goal of enhancing passenger and flight handling capabilities to world-class standards. 
  • The greenfield airport is being constructed in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district in western Uttar Pradesh.  
  • It will be the second international airport in the National Capital Region, alongside Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. 

Bihar Khel Pratibha Khoj Pratiyogita

Why in News? 

Recently, the Chief Minister of Bihar launched ‘Bihar Khel Pratibha Khoj Pratiyogita’, the largest talent search competition in the world of sports, lighting the torch at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna.

Key Points

• Participation and Scope: 
  • Approximately 60 lakh children from 40,000 government secondary and higher secondary schools will participate. 
  • The competition will also welcome children from outside schools to compete. 
  • Total prize pool is set at 10 crore rupees. 
• Promoting a Sporting Ecosystem: 
  • It aims to build a robust sporting culture in Bihar. 
  • Follows the success of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Hockey held in Rajgir, where India defended its title. 
  • Designed as a step toward nurturing future sporting talent. 
• Olympic Aspirations: 
  • One of the long-term goals is to identify and prepare potential medal contenders for the 2032 and 2036 Olympic Games. 
• Competition: 
  • Participants will compete at three stages, Block, District, and State level. 
  • Key sports in the competition include Athletics, Kabaddi, Football, Volleyball. 
  • Winners will be awarded sports kits and certificates as part of the recognition and encouragement package. 

Bima Sakhi Yojana

Why in News? 

Recently, the Prime Minister launched the ‘Bima Sakhi Yojana’ of Life Insurance Corporation in Panipat, Haryana. During the occasion, he also laid the foundation stone of the Main campus of Maharana Pratap Horticultural University, Karnal.

Key Points

• Bima Sakhi Yojana: 
  • It is designed for women aged 18-70 years, focusing on financial literacy and insurance awareness. 
  • It includes training and a stipend for three years, with opportunities to become LIC agents or Development Officers and create employment for 2 lakh women. 
  • It will strengthen the mission of "Insurance for All," promoting social security and eradicating poverty. 
• Maharana Pratap Horticulture University: 
  • It is spread over 495 acres, featuring research stations, a College of Horticulture, and five schools. 
  • It aims to diversify crops and promote world-class horticulture technologies. 
• During the event the PM also highlighted: 
  • Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign launched from Panipat, contributed to saving the lives of thousands of daughters in the last decade. 
  • Highlighted various initiatives for women, including: 
    • Training women as Bank Sakhis, Insurance Sakhis, and Krishi Sakhis. 
    • Increasing maternity leave to 26 weeks. 
    • Introducing programs like Jan Dhan Yojana for financial inclusion, with 30 crore women benefitting. 
  • He emphasized Self Help Groups (SHGs) as a cornerstone of rural economic transformation, with over 10 crore women associated. 
  • Highlighted achievements like the Lakhpati Didi Campaign which has enabled 1.15 crore women to earn over Rs 1 lakh annually. 
  • He highlighted the transformation brought by Jan Dhan Yojana, ensuring direct transfer of benefits from schemes like: 
    • Kisan Kalyan Nidhi. 
    • Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana. 
    • Funds for housing and small businesses.

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Scheme

• About: 
  • The Scheme was launched by the Prime Minister on January 22, 2015 to address the declining Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and related issues of women’s empowerment over a life-cycle continuum. 
  • It is a Tri-ministerial effort of the Ministries of Women and Child Development (MW&CD), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MH&FW), and Ministry of Education. 
• Main Objectives: 
  • Prevention of gender-biased sex-selective elimination. 
  • Ensuring survival & protection of the girl child. 
  • Ensuring education and participation of the girl child. 
  • Protecting rights of Girl children.

Marbled Duck

Why in News? 

Recently, bird enthusiasts were thrilled to spot a marbled duck, a rare winter migrant, at Sultanpur National Park. Last recorded sighting of this species in Sultanpur was in 1990. 

Key Points 

• Physical Characteristics: 
  • Medium-sized duck with grey-white plumage. 
  • Distinguished by a large head and light eye patches. 
  • Feeds on fish and aquatic plants. 
• Global Conservation Status: 
  • Classified as "vulnerable" globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 
  • Population decline attributed to habitat destruction and hunting. 
• Geographic Range and Habits: 
  • Native to Europe, where it breeds during the summer months. 
  • Known to breed in three distinct regions: the eastern Mediterranean, western Mediterranean, and Iran. 
  • Prefers lowland, shallow freshwater habitats for breeding. 
• Occurrence in India: 
  • Rarely spotted in Delhi-NCR; last recorded at Bhindawas wetland in 2022. 
  • Limited sightings in Haryana, with records in Gurgaon during the 2000s. 
  • Previous observations include Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Sultanpur National Park 

• About: 
  • Sultanpur National Park is a bird paradise for bird watchers. It is famous for its migratory as well as resident birds. 
    • Migratory birds start arriving in the park in September. Birds use the park as a resting place till the following March-April. 
    • During summer and monsoon months the park is inhabited by many local bird species. 
  • In April 1971, the Sultanpur Jheel inside the park (an area of 1.21 sq. Km.) was accorded Sanctuary status under section 8 of the Punjab Wildlife Preservation Act, 1959. 
  • The status of the park was upgraded to National Park under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in July 1991. 
• Location: 
  • It is situated in Gurgaon district of Haryana. The distance of the park is around 50 Km from Delhi and 15km from Gurgaon. 
• Important Fauna at the Park: 
  • Mammals: Blackbuck, Nilgai, Hog deer, Sambar, Leopard etc. 
  • Birds: Siberian Cranes, Greater Flamingo, Demoiselle Crane etc.

Leopard Strays Into Residential Colony in Jaipur

Why in News? 

Recently, Panic spread in the Vidhyadhar Nagar area after a leopard strayed into a residential colony and attacked three people. The wildcat was later tranquillised and rescued by a forest department team. 

Key Points 

• About Leopards: 
  • Its scientific name is Panthera pardus. 
  • The leopard is the smallest of the Big Cats of genus Panthera namely the Tiger, Lion, Jaguar, Leopard, and Snow Leopard. It known for its ability to adapt in a variety of habitats. 
  • A nocturnal animal, the leopard hunts at night. 
  • It feeds on smaller species of herbivores found in its range, such as the chital, hog deer and wild boar. 
  • Melanism is a common occurrence in leopards, wherein the entire skin of the animal is black in colour, including its spots. 
    • A melanistic leopard is often called black panther and mistakenly thought to be a different species. 
• Habitat: 
  • It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in small parts of Western and Central Asia, on the Indian subcontinent to Southeast and East Asia. 
  • The Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is a leopard widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. 
• Population in India: 
  • As per a recent report ‘Status of leopards in India, 2018’ released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, there has been a “60% increase in the population count of leopards in India from 2014 estimates’’. 
  • The 2014 estimates placed the population of leopards at nearly 8,000 which has increased to 12,852. 
  • The largest number of leopards have been estimated in Madhya Pradesh (3,421) followed by Karnataka (1,783) and Maharashtra (1,690). 
• Threats: 
  • Poaching for the illegal trade of skins and body parts. 
  • Habitat loss and fragmentation 
  • Human-Leopard conflict 
• Conservation Status: 
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable 
  • CITES: Appendix-I 
  • Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule-I