UPSC Daily Current Affairs - 22nd December 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Red Tide

Subject: Geography

Why in News?

Recently, a three-member committee appointed by the principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) inspected the Kuruchikuppam drain and beach to analyse the cause behind the recent phenomenon of red tide in Puducherry.

About Red Tide:

• It is a common term used for a harmful algal bloom.
• Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae—plant-like organisms that live in the sea and freshwater—grow out of control.
• The name “red tide” comes from the fact that overgrowth of algae can cause the colour of the water to turn red.
• Why does it occur?
  • Chemicals from farming, factories, sewage treatment plants, and other sources can become dissolved in water on the land.
  • This water, called runoff, eventually flows into the ocean and can cause algae to grow faster, leading to red tides.
• Impacts:
  • Some of the algae that cause a red tide produce powerful toxins, which are harmful chemicals that can kill fish, shellfish, mammals and birds.
  • If people eat fish or shellfish that have been in the water with toxic algae, they will also ingest the toxins, which can make them sick.

Source: The Hindu

Ennore Creek

Subject: Geography

Why in News?

Experts from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary (BMAD) are planning to establish feeding stations for birds at the Ennore creek.

About Ennore Creek:

• It is a backwater located in Thiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu.
• It is an arm of the Kosathalaiyar River.
• The Creek meets the Bay of Bengal at Mugathwara Kuppam, while the northern channel of the creek connects to the Pulicat Lake, the second largest brackish water lake in the country.
• For decades, this creek sustained the livelihoods of the residents in the surrounding villages and has been demarcated as CRZ IV (Water Body) in the coastal zone management plan by the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority. 
• The Ennore Creek, along with the Buckingham Canal and the rest of the Pulicat water system has vast importance for the local fisher folk.
• It nurtures a healthy aquatic ecosystem which was once famous for its rich biodiversity.
• This ecologically sensitive ecosystem was home to large swamps of mangroves that not only ensured a sustainable regeneration of fish resources, but also helped mitigate flooding in times of strong rainfall, high tides and cyclones.

Key points about the Wildlife Trust of India

• It is a non-profit conservation organisation, committed to urgent action that works towards the protection of India's wildlife.
• It was formed in November 1998, in response to the rapidly deteriorating condition of the country's wildlife.
• The principal concerns of WTI include crisis management and provision of quick, efficient aid to individuals, species or habitats that require it the most.

Source: The Hindu

What are Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs)?

Subject: Geography

Why in News?

Residents in the Arctic have witnessed an extraordinary atmospheric display of Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs).

Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs)

Source: Indian Express

Winter Solstice

Subject: Geography

Why in News?

India prepares for the longest night of the year on December 22, a phenomenon known as the Winter Solstice.

About Winter Solstice:

• The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year. 
• The Earth is tilted 23.4 degrees on its axis, so if the Earth's pole is pointing towards or away from the Sun during the day, the arc the Sun travels through will rise and fall during the year.
• Winter Solstice happens when one of the Earth's poles is far away from the Sun.
• It falls on December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere.
• The word solstice is derived from the Latin word solstitium, where 'sol' means Sun and 'stitium' means to stop.
• During the winter solstice, the days are the shortest. The duration of daylight will vary across countries.
• The winter solstice is significant in many cultures since it marks the symbolic death and rebirth of the Sun. Ancient monuments like Stonehenge are aligned with the sunrise or sunset on the winter solstice.
• December’s winter solstice:
  • It is when the northern half of the Earth is tilted furthest away from the sun.
  • The northern hemisphere will experience the fewest hours of sunlight, making it the shortest day of the year while the night is the longest.
  • Every day after the winter solstice will grow longer in the northern hemisphere until it's summer solstice, or the longest day of the year, between June 20 and 22.
  • The event will also coincide with the peak of the Ursid meteor shower, an annual display that occurs over the northern hemisphere when the Earth passes through debris left by the comet 8P/Tuttle.

Source: The Hindu

GS-II

PM-AJAY Scheme

Subject: Government Schemes and Initatives

Why in News?

Recently, the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment informed the Rajya Sabha about the PM-AJAY scheme.

About PM-AJAY Scheme:

• Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM- AJAY) is a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• It is a merged scheme of three Centrally Sponsored Schemes, namely Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana(PMAGY), Special Central Assistance to Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCA to SCSP), and Babu Jagjivan Ram Chhatrawas Yojana (BJRCY).
• Objectives:
  • The main objective of the scheme is to increase the income of the target population by way of various income generating schemes, skill development and infrastructure development.
  • To reduce the poverty among the target population and bring them above the poverty lines.
• Eligibility Criteria:
  • The Scheduled Castes persons living below the poverty lines are eligible for getting benefits under this scheme.
  • In case of Infrastructure Development, the villages having 50% or more SC population are eligible for grants under the Scheme.
• It is being implemented since 2021-22 as three components, which are as under: -
  • Development of SC dominated villages into an ‘Adarsh Gram’
  • Grants-in-aid for District/State-level Projects for socio-economic betterment of SCs’
  • Construction of Hostels in Higher Educational Institutions

Source: PIB

GS-III

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

Subject: Defence and Security

Why in News?

The Union Home Ministry has approved the deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in the Parliament complex, according to a government order.

About the Central Industrial Security Force:

• It was established after the recommendation of the Justice Mukherjee Commission.
• It was set up by an Act of Parliament on March 10, 1969.
• It is one of seven Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) under the Ministry of Home Affairs — the other six being the Border Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Sashastra Seema Bal, the Assam Rifles, the National Security Guard, and the Central Reserve Police Force.
• It is headed by an Indian Police Service officer with the rank of Director-General.
• Mandate:
  • Initially, its remit was restricted to protecting government-owned industries, but this was expanded to include joint-ventures and private undertakings in 2009.
  • It also provides consultancy services to the private sector.
  • The force is deployed in over 350 locations across the country, in diversified areas such as atomic energy and space installations, sea-ports, steel plants, coal fields, hydro-electric and thermal power plants, defence production units, fertiliser and chemical industries, RBI’s note-printing mints, heritage monuments such as the Taj Mahal.
• It has the largest percentage of women in its force, in comparison to all other CAPFs.
• Presently, CISF is also providing security to the protected persons classified as Z Plus, Z, X, Y.

Source: The Hindu

Rediscovery of Namdapha Flying Squirrel in Arunachal Pradesh

Subject: Environment and Ecology

Why in News?

The Namdapha flying squirrel, missing for 42 years, has been sighted again in Arunachal Pradesh.

• This rare species was last documented in 1981 in the Namdapha Tiger Reserve.

Namdapha Flying Squirrel

Source: Indian Express