628 Tigers Died in India
According to government data, a total of 628 tigers died in India during the past five years due to natural causes and other reasons, including poaching.
Key Points
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
- According to the NTCA, 96 tigers died in 2019, 106 in 2020, 127 in 2021, 121 in 2022, and 178 in 2023.
- 349 people were killed in tiger attacks during this period, with Maharashtra alone recording 200 deaths.
- Uttar Pradesh recorded 59 human deaths in tiger attacks while Madhya Pradesh reported 27.
Project Tiger
- India launched Project Tiger on April 1, 1973, to promote tiger conservation.
- Currently, India has 55 tiger reserves covering more than 78,735 square km, nearly 2.4% of the country’s geographical area, of tiger habitat.
Venkateshwara University's Agreement with Brazil
Venkateshwara University in Meerut has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Brazil. This agreement aims to enhance educational and research collaborations between students from both countries.
The focus of this partnership will be on student and faculty exchange programs in various fields, including:
- Dairy
- Agriculture
- Biotechnology
- Tourism
- Health
Additionally, both nations will work together on advanced technologies and innovations through joint seminars, workshops, and regular classes. This collaboration is seen as a significant step towards providing students with high-quality higher education and international experiences.
Professor from IIT Kanpur Discovers Exoplanet
An international team of astronomers, including an assistant professor from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, has made a remarkable discovery of a large exoplanet orbiting a star similar to our Sun. Discovery of Epsilon Indi Ab
- The exoplanet, named Epsilon Indi Ab or Eps Ind Ab, is classified as a "super-Jupiter" because its mass is at least six times greater than that of Jupiter.
- This discovery marks Eps Ind Ab as the first mature exoplanet identified using the direct imaging technique.
Role of James Webb Space Telescope
- The international team used the Mid-Infrared Instrument of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to directly image the exoplanet orbiting the K5V-type star Epsilon Indi A, also known as HD 209100 or HI.
- This achievement represents a significant milestone in space exploration, showcasing the capability of directly imaging nearby mature exoplanets.
Characteristics of Epsilon Indi Ab
- Epsilon Indi Ab is located 12 light-years away from Earth and has a frigid temperature of around -1°C (30°F).
- Its orbit is also remarkable, as it revolves around its star at a distance 28 times greater than the distance between Earth and the Sun.
Industrial Gains for Uttar Pradesh
Union Budget 2024
The Union Budget 2024 has been well-received by entrepreneurs, industrialists, and businessmen in Uttar Pradesh. They see the finance minister’s decisions as bold and promising. There is confidence that Uttar Pradesh will benefit significantly, becoming a manufacturing hub with a skilled workforce and increased support across various sectors.
Urban Housing Projects
- The allocation of Rs 10 lakh crore for urban housing projects aims to tackle the shortage of affordable housing in key cities of Uttar Pradesh.
- The PM Awas Yojana will benefit low and middle-income families and promote rental housing through private partnerships, helping to alleviate urban slums.
Gender Equality Initiatives
- Prioritizing initiatives targeted at women is a commendable step towards promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.
- The nine key focus areas covering agriculture, innovation, reforms, and other domains provide a clear roadmap for sustainable progress.
MUDRA Loan Increase
- Raising the MUDRA loan limit from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh will provide significant support to small business owners in Uttar Pradesh.
- The credit guarantee scheme for the manufacturing sector will encourage investment in new technologies and equipment.
GST and Income Tax Streamlining
- Streamlining Goods and Services Tax (GST) and income tax compliance processes will benefit start-ups and young business owners in Uttar Pradesh.
Agricultural Sector Support
- The allocation of Rs 1.52 lakh crore to the agriculture sector and the introduction of a new cluster scheme to boost vegetable production will enhance the production of pulses and oilseeds through certification and branding in the nation.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)
- Launched on June 25, 2015, the PMAY aims to provide housing for all in urban areas by 2022.
- Implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the scheme addresses the urban housing shortage among the urban poor, including slum dwellers, by ensuring a pucca house to eligible urban poor.
- The mission covers the entire urban area, including statutory towns, notified planning areas, development authorities, and other authorities entrusted with urban planning and regulations.
- All houses under PMAY(U) are equipped with basic amenities such as toilets, water supply, electricity, and kitchen facilities.
- The mission promotes women’s empowerment by providing house ownership in the name of female members or joint names.
- Preference is given to differently-abled persons, senior citizens, SCs, STs, OBCs, minorities, single women, transgender individuals, and other vulnerable sections of society.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY)
- Launched in 2015, PMMY provides loans up to Rs. 10 lakh to non-corporate, non-farm small and micro enterprises.
- MUDRA, standing for Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Ltd., is a financial institution set up by the government to provide funding to the non-corporate small business sector through various last-mile financial institutions like banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), and Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs).
- MUDRA does not lend directly to micro-entrepreneurs or individuals but provides funding through these last-mile financial institutions.
Increasing Farmers' Income Through Carbon Credits
The Uttar Pradesh Government is working to enhance farmers' income by promoting carbon credits through a large-scale plantation initiative. On July 20, an impressive 35.5 crore trees were planted as part of this effort.
Understanding Carbon Credits
- Farmers earn carbon credits based on the reduction of carbon emissions achieved by the trees they plant. For every ton of carbon dioxide emissions prevented, farmers receive financial rewards as an incentive.
- One carbon credit usually represents one ton of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) that has been reduced, removed, or offset from the atmosphere.
Types of Trees for Planting
- Planting fast-growing trees such as poplar, melia, dubia, and semal allows farmers to generate additional income from carbon credits.
Credit Purchase and Beneficiaries
- Carbon credits are purchased every five years at a rate of six US dollars per credit.
- In the initial phase, farmers from six divisions—Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Bareilly, Meerut, Moradabad, and Saharanpur —will benefit from carbon credits.
Incentives for Farmers
- Between 2024 and 2026, a total of 25,140 farmers will receive incentives amounting to Rs 202 crore.
- Division-wise distribution of incentives includes:
- Gorakhpur : 2,406 farmers receiving Rs 34.66 crore.
- Bareilly : 4,500 farmers receiving Rs 24.84 crore.
- Lucknow : 2,512 farmers receiving Rs 21.26 crore.
- Meerut : 3,754 farmers receiving Rs 21.67 crore.
- Moradabad : 4,697 farmers receiving Rs 38.05 crore.
- Saharanpur : 7,271 farmers receiving Rs 61.52 crore.
Estimated Carbon Credits
- A total of 42,19,369 carbon credits are anticipated from this initiative.
Future Phases of the Initiative
- The second phase will expand to include seven more divisions, and the third phase aims to cover the entire state under carbon financing.
- Second Phase : Divisions such as Devipatan, Ayodhya, Jhansi, Mirzapur, Kanpur, Varanasi, and Aligarh will be included.
- Third Phase : The goal is to implement carbon financing across the entire state.
- Carbon financing involves assigning a monetary value to carbon emissions, creating a financial incentive for reducing and offsetting carbon footprints.
UP Government's Initiative to Plant 3.72 Crore Saplings Along Riverbanks
The Uttar Pradesh government has launched the "Ped Lagao, Ped Bachao Jan Abhiyan-2024" campaign, which aims to plant 3,72,66,000 saplings along riverbanks throughout the state.
Riverbanks Covered
- Ganga: Approximately 77.5 lakh saplings will be planted on 5,096.42 hectares of land along the Ganga river.
- Yamuna:98.47 lakh saplings will be planted at 534 locations along the Yamuna river, covering 6,581.32 hectares.
- Hindon:Four lakh saplings will be planted along the Hindon river, covering 270.13 hectares.
- Incentive Scheme: In forest divisions along the Ganga, an incentive scheme funded by the National Mission for Clean Ganga is being implemented. Forest divisions involved include Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Kashi wildlife, and Ballia.
- Tree Varieties: Various tree species will be planted along the riverbanks, including Neem, Drumstick, Tamarind, Arjun, Jamun, Bel, Mango, Mahua, Teak, Sheesham, Guteel, Bamboo, Peepal, Pakkad, and Banyan.
- Medicinal Plants: The initiative also promotes the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants on 2,500 hectares of private land, supported by nurseries. This effort aims to enhance the state's green cover and contribute to environmental conservation.
Kanwar Yatra
IntroductionKanwar Yatra is a Hindu pilgrimage that takes place in the month of Shravana. During this time, devotees of Lord Shiva travel to various pilgrimage sites, such as Haridwar, Gangotri, Sultanganj, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Varanasi, and Deoghar, to collect holy water from the Ganga River. They carry this water in kanwars and offer it to Shiva temples and other shrines as a form of worship known as Jal Abhishek.Supreme Court Intervention Recently, the Supreme Court intervened in the Kanwar Yatra by halting controversial orders issued by the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh. These orders mandated the display of shop and hotel owners’ names along the pilgrimage route. The court's intervention aimed to address concerns related to privacy and the display of personal information during the yatra. Jyotirlingas A Jyotirlinga is a sacred site dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva in the form of a Jyotirlingam. Each Jyotirlinga represents a unique manifestation of Lord Shiva. There are 12 main Jyotirlingas in India, which are:
- Somnath Jyotirlinga in Gir, Gujarat
- Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
- Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
- Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh
- Baidyanath Jyotirlinga in Deoghar, Jharkhand
- Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga in Maharashtra
- Ramanathaswamy Jyotirlinga in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
- Nageshwar Jyotirlinga in Dwarka, Gujarat
- Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
- Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga in Nasik, Maharashtra
- Kedarnath Jyotirlinga in Rudraprayag, Uttarakhand
- Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Saushrutam 2024
Introduction Recently, the Department of Shalya Tantra at the All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) organized the Second National Seminar SAUSHRUTAM Shalya Sangoshti on the occasion of Sushruta Jayanti-2024. This event is part of the celebration of Sushruta Jayanti, which honors Sushruta, the ancient Indian surgeon known as the "father of surgery."Sushruta Jayanti is celebrated on July 15th each year to pay tribute to Sushruta, who lived around the 7th century BC in Kashi (now Varanasi). He is renowned for his contributions to surgery and medicine, particularly through his work called the "Sushruta Samhita."Sushruta Samhita The Sushruta Samhita is a foundational text in medicine and surgery, written by Sushruta. It is divided into five main sections: Sutrasthana : Covers fundamental principles of medical sciences and pharmacology. Nidana : Focuses on pathological concepts and understanding diseases. Sarirasthana : Deals with human anatomy and the structure of the body. Chikitsasthanam : Discusses medical and surgical management of various conditions. Kalpasthanam : Addresses toxicology and the management of poisons. Significance The seminar and Sushruta Jayanti highlight the importance of Sushruta's contributions to medicine and surgery, emphasizing the relevance of ancient knowledge in contemporary healthcare practices.
Early Lightning Detection System
The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to set up an early lightning detection and warning system to prevent casualties caused by lightning strikes, especially during the monsoon season. Currently, Uttar Pradesh has one of the highest rates of lightning strike casualties in India, as reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
- The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), under the direction of the chief minister, has decided to implement a state-of-the-art lightning detection system using time of arrival (ToA) technology.
- This technology is more accurate in terms of time and location compared to the existing radar-based systems and satellite data used by the IMD. The current methods provide warnings about potential lightning strikes, but not in real-time. In contrast, the ToA-based system can detect and warn about the possibility of lightning in a specific area at least 30 minutes in advance.
The Uttar Pradesh Lightning Alert Management System will be rolled out in three phases:
- Phase 1: Implementation in 37 districts.
- Phase 2: Expansion to 20 additional districts.
- Phase 3: Further extension to 18 more districts.
Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) is a technology used to detect the location, altitude, intensity, and movement of objects using electromagnetic waves in the microwave range. The IMD, established in 1875 and headquartered in New Delhi, is the National Meteorological Service of India and operates under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It is responsible for various meteorological activities and is one of the six Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres recognized by the World Meteorological Organization.
New User Interface for Blind
Experts from the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Allahabad, in collaboration with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, have developed a tool to aid blind and visually impaired individuals in creating and accessing chart images. This tool leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate alternative texts (Alt-text) for images, making them more understandable for users.
- The research, presented at an international conference in Linz, Austria, addresses the challenges of manually crafted Alt-text, which often leads to oversimplification or overcomplexity.
- By using AI technology for Alt-text generation, the tool enhances the writing process, making it more engaging and effective. AI, in this context, refers to the capability of machines to acquire and apply knowledge, as well as exhibit intelligent behavior. The term "Artificial Intelligence" was introduced by John McCarthy, a pioneer in the field.
Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC)
Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD)
- The Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (PWD) is planning to collaborate with IIT-Kanpur to develop Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) after conducting research and development.
- Currently, most civil works in the state use M60 cement grade.
Carbon Footprint
- UHPC has a longer shelf life and is 4-6 times stronger than M60 grade, which can significantly reduce the department's carbon footprint.
- This reduction will be achieved by using thinner sections and lower deck heights in the construction of bridges, flyovers, elevated roads, railway overbridges, and other concrete-intensive infrastructure projects.
- UHPC is being developed using nanotechnology and is expected to be ready in three years.
World Health Organization (WHO)
- A carbon footprint measures the impact of human activities on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced through the burning of fossil fuels, expressed as a weight of CO2 emissions in tonnes.
- It is usually measured as tons of CO2 emitted per year, supplemented by tons of CO2-equivalent gases, including methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases.
- Carbon footprint can be applied to individuals, families, events, organizations, or entire nations.
Uttar Pradesh Government Eases Pruning Regulations for Mango Trees
- The Uttar Pradesh government has recently made a decision to exempt state farmers from the requirement of obtaining permission from any government department for pruning mango trees.
- This means that mango producers can now prune their trees and reduce their height without any bureaucratic hurdles, aiming to enhance the productivity of their orchards.
- This decision simplifies canopy management for old mango orchards, allowing them to be rejuvenated and made as productive as new ones.
- In older orchards, the growth of new leaves and branches, which is crucial for flowering and fruiting, has declined, leading to thick and tangled branches that block sufficient light from reaching the interior.
- This situation results in greater insect and disease infestations and complicates effective pesticide application, as the sprayed pesticides often fail to reach the inner parts of the trees.
- To address these issues, the Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) has developed an effective pruning technique for rejuvenating mango trees, known as pruning of tertiary branches or table-top pruning.
- This method involves opening the tree’s canopy, reducing its height, and fostering a healthier environment, enabling trees to yield up to 100 kg per tree within just 2-3 years while also reducing the need for excessive pesticide use.
The Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) was established as the Central Mango Research Station on September 4, 1972, under the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bangalore. It was later renamed the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) on June 14, 1995, and is headquartered in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. CISH conducts research on all aspects of subtropical fruit horticulture.
Increase in Sarus Crane Population in Uttar Pradesh
Sarus Cranes Overview
- Scientific Name: Grus Antigone
- Description: The Sarus crane is the tallest flying bird in the world, standing between 152-156 cm tall with a wingspan of about 240 cm. They have predominantly grey plumage, a naked red head and upper neck, and pale red legs.
- Lifespan: Sarus cranes are known to mate for life with a single partner. Their breeding season aligns with the monsoon season when heavy rains occur.
- Habitat: They thrive in well-watered plains, marshlands, ponds, and wetlands, which are suitable for their foraging and nesting needs.
- Conservation Status: Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List and listed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Recent Population Census
- A census conducted by the State Forest Department in Uttar Pradesh has shown a remarkable increase in the population of Sarus cranes.
- Etawah Forest Division: This division recorded the highest number of Sarus cranes, with a count of 3,289, which is an increase of 500 from previous counts.
- Mau Forest Division: For the first time in a decade, six Sarus cranes were spotted in this division.
Yearly Population Growth
- The number of Sarus cranes in Uttar Pradesh has been steadily increasing over the years:
- 2021: 17,329 cranes
- 2022: 19,188 cranes
- 2023: 19,522 cranes
- 2024: 19,918 cranes
In the last 25 years, the number of people with Parkinson's disease has doubled. India is responsible for about 10% of the global cases of this disease.
Schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness that causes major disruptions in a person's thinking, language, perception, and sense of self. It affects over 21 million people around the world.
- Researchers think that both genetic and environmental factors, like exposure to viruses, along with life stressors, may trigger this disorder and influence its progression.