PIB Summary- 29th July, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

Inland Vessels Bill 2021

Key Features of the Inland Vessels Bill, 2021

• This will be a unified law for the entire country and will supplant the separate rules framed by the States
• The certificate of registration granted under the proposed law will be deemed to be valid in all States and Union Territories, and there will be no need to seek separate permissions from the States
• A total of 4000 km of inland waterways have been operationalised
• As per the bill, a central database will be maintained that shall record each vessel’s details like its registration and crew, all on an electronic portal
• The vessels which are mechanically propelled will have to register themselves mandatorily as per the bill, and the non-mechanically propelled vessels will also have to compulsorily register themselves at district, taluk or panchayat or village level
• It enlarges the definition of ‘inland waters’, by including tidal water limit and national waterways declared by the Central Government

Objectives of Inland Vessels Bill, 2021

• This Bill will promote economic and safe transportation and trade of inland waterways and bring uniformity in the application of the law
• It will also help in reducing the water pollution caused by these inland vessels as this bill directs the Central Government to designate a list of chemicals, substances, etc. as pollutants

Inland Waterways in India

• About 14,500 km of navigable waterways are present in India, which comprises canals, rivers, lakes, etc. 
• India has constantly been taking up initiatives for the development of waterways and water transport in the country. A few of these include:
  • Sagarmala Project – Cabinet approved scheme, launched in 2015 to promote port-led development in India. The project also seeks to boost infrastructure for transporting goods to and from ports quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively
  • Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) – Announced in the Union Budget of 2014, the project is implemented by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) aims to develop the National Waterways of the country. It is financially supported by the World Bank and is expected to be completed by 31st December 2023
• Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), constituted in October 1986, is the body responsible for the development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation in the country. It also assists States in the development of the Inland Water Transport (IWT) sector and provides a subsidy to IWT operators for acquiring a fleet for transportation of cargo and passengers

EOS-03

Details

• EOS-03 would enable near-real time monitoring of natural disasters like floods & cyclones.
• In addition to natural disasters, EOS-03 would also enable monitoring of water bodies, crops, vegetation condition, forest cover changes, etc.

Additional information

• The first developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2021 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
• ISRO’s vast experience in solid propulsion and heritage of proven design practices has enabled the SSLV to be developed as a cost-effective, three stage and all-solid launch vehicle with a payload capability of 500 kg to 500 km planar orbit or 300 kg to Sun Synchronous Polar Orbit.
• The SSLV is ideal for the on-demand, quick turn-around launch of small satellites.
• The major technologies developed as part of the realisation of the SSLV are flexible nozzle control with electro-mechanical actuators for all stages, miniaturised avionics and a velocity trimming module in the upper stage for precise satellite injection.

INS Talwar

Details

• Indian Naval Ship Talwar is participating in the multi-national maritime exercise Cutlass Express 2021 (CE 21), being conducted in Kenya.
• During the course of the exercise, a team of Indian Navy Marine Commandos (MARCOS) conducted training of personnel from the navies of Kenya, Djibouti, Mozambique, Cameroon and Coast Guard of Georgia.
• The MARCOS shared the best practices in executing Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) operations with the participating foreign Navy sailors during the exercise.

About Exercise Cutlass Express

• Cutlass Express is an exercise sponsored by the U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), and conducted by Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF) to assess and improve maritime law enforcement capacity, promote national and regional security in eastern Africa, inform planning and operations, and shape security force assistance (SFA) efforts.
• Exercise Cutlass Express is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness and information sharing practices to increase capabilities between the U.S., East African and Western Indian Ocean nations to counter illicit maritime activity in the Western Indian Ocean.

Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHC) Scheme

• Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) is a sub-scheme under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana- Urban (PMAY-U) to provide affordable rental housing to urban migrants/poor, close to their workplace.
• It aims to create a conducive ecosystem for Public/Private Entities to leverage investment in rental housing.
• The beneficiaries of ARHCs will be varied groups of urban migrants/poor from EWS/LIG categories including industrial & construction workers, migrants working with market/trade associations, educational/health institutions, hospitality sector, long-term tourists/visitors, students, etc.
• It is under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Need for the scheme

• Large scale reverse migration of urban migrants/poor due to COVID-19.
• Urban migrants stay in slums/informal settlements/unauthorised colonies/peri-urban areas to save cost on housing.
• Non-availability of housing close to workplace adversely impacts productivity.
• Requirement of affordable rental housing rather than ownership.

Objectives of the scheme

• To address the vision of ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ significantly by creating a sustainable ecosystem of affordable rental housing solutions for urban migrants/poor.
• To achieve overall objective of “Housing for All” encompassing the need of affordable rental housing for urban migrants/poor. ARHCs will provide them dignified living with necessary civic amenities near their place of work.
• To create a conducive environment by incentivizing Public/Private Entities to leverage investment for creating affordable rental housing stock to take care of their own requirements for workforce and also cater to neighbouring areas, if they have available vacant land.

International Tiger Day

About International Tiger Day

• The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the conservation of the wild cat, which over the last 150 years has witnessed a massive drop of nearly 95% in its population.
• On July 29, 2010, a number of countries became signatories to an agreement at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia.
• The countries pledged to raise awareness about the dramatic fall in the number of tigers and the steps required to preserve the species from going extinct.
• The theme for the 2021 International Tiger Day is “Their survival is in our hands”.
• India accounts for nearly 70% of the world’s total tiger population and has already achieved the target of doubling its numbers.
  • India is home to 51 tiger reserves spread across 18 states.
  • The last tiger census of 2018 showed a rise in the tiger population.
  • India achieved the target of doubling the tiger population 4 years ahead of schedule of the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation.

Additional Information

• India’s 14 Tiger Reserves got Global CA/TS recognition for good Tiger Conservation.
• The 14 Tiger Reserves in India which received the accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured|Tiger Standards (CA|TS) are:
  • Manas, Kaziranga and Orang in Assam
  • Satpura, Kanha and Panna in Madhya Pradesh
  • Pench in Maharashtra
  • Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar
  • Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh
  • Sunderbans in West Bengal
  • Parambikulam in Kerala
  • Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka
  • Mudumalai and Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu

About Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS)

• CA|TS has been agreed upon as an accreditation tool by the global coalition of Tiger Range Countries (TRCs) and has been developed by tiger and protected area experts.
• Officially launched in 2013, it sets minimum standards for effective management of target species and encourages assessment of these standards in relevant conservation areas.
• CA|TS is a set of criteria which allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger conservation.

29th July 2021 – International Tiger Day Facts

Facts about Tigers and their conservation that one must know

1. Tigers are globally listed as ‘Endangered.’ Malayan and Sumatran Tiger Subspecies are critically endangered.
2. They are native to the isolated areas of Asia and East Russia.
3. There are nine subspecies of tiger:
   • Siberian Tigers
   • Indian Tiger/Bengal Tiger
   • South China Tiger
   • Malayan Tiger
   • Indo-Chinese Tiger
   • Sumatran Tiger
   • Bali Tiger
   • Javan Tiger
   • Caspian Tiger
4. There are around 3900 tigers in the wild. The numbers show a 95 percent drop since the 20th century.
5. The World World Fund for Nature (WWF) aims to double the tiger population (around 6000) by 2022 which is also the Chinese Year of the Tiger.
6. The species that was once found all over Asia is now restricted to 13 countries which are also called the Tiger-Range Nations. (Read below to know about these countries).

Characteristics of Tigers

1. The nature of tigers is solitary where they believe in marking their territories and defending these from other tigers.
2. The height of the tiger can be up to 4m and weigh up to 296 Kgs.
3. As the geographical location and subspecies influence the physical characteristics of the tiger; the northern species of tigers are larger than the southern species.
4. An adult male Bengal Tiger can grow up to 3.4 m and can weigh up to 218 kgs; while the adult male Sumatran Tiger can grow up to 2.5 m and weigh up to 120 kgs.
5. The tigers have two types of hair – Longer Guard hair and shorter underfur.
6. Each tiger has an individual pattern of distinct dark stripes on their bodies.
7. Tigers can be white if both their parents have mutated genes.
8. Tigers use their tail to communicate.
9. Of all the big cat species, tigers have the largest canines. Older tigers might die due to starvation as their teeth, which were earlier used to help them catch and kill the prey, fall down.
10. Tigers can climb with the help of paws. The paws of male tigers are larger than female ones.
11. The vision of tigers at night is six times more powerful than humans.

Facts of Tiger Subspecies:

Saint Petersburg Summit 2010

1. India
2. Bangladesh
3. Bhutan
4. Cambodia
5. China
6. Indonesia
7. Laos
8. Malaysia
9. Myanmar
10. Nepal
11. Russia
12. Thailand
13. Vietnam

The summit noted that the population of tigers had decreased from 1 lakh to a mere 3500 from 1910 to 2010. The tiger habitat too had shrunk by 40 percent from 2000 to 2010. Therefore, it was the nations’ aim to double the number of tigers by 2022.

The summit adopted

• National Tiger Recovery Priorities (NTRPs)
• Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP)

The challenges to Tiger Conservation noted by the Tiger Summit in 2010 were:

• Habitat loss
• Poaching
• Illegal wildlife trade
• Human-tiger conflict

Initiatives and Efforts to Conserve Tiger

At the Tiger Summit 2010, the nations acknowledged the following initiatives:

1. Management, preservation, protection, and enhancement of tiger habitats across the ranges.
2. Strengthening regional law enforcement through bilateral and multilateral groupings like:
   • Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN)
   • South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN)
3. Eradication of poaching, smuggling, etc. with the help of international organizations including the CITES Secretariat, INTERPOL, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the World Bank, and the World Customs Organization.
4. Exploring and mobilizing domestic funding, including new financing mechanisms based on forest carbon financing including REDD+, payment for ecosystem services (PES), ecotourism, and private sector, donor, and nongovernmental organization partnerships.

Recently, IUCN has extended its Tiger Programme which was launched in 2014, till 2023.
Several organizations that support tiger conservation are:

• Global Environment Facility
• Save the Tiger Fund,
• Smithsonian Institution,
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Wildlife Conservation Society
• WWF