TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 18.4.2024

1. KARNATAKA TO CAPTURE ROGUE WILD ELEPHANTS AND FIX RADIO COLLARS

• Radio Collars: These are specialized collars equipped with a transmitter that emits radio signals
• The signals can be tracked by receivers, allowing wildlife officials to monitor the elephant’s location
• This helps understand elephant movement patterns, home ranges, and potential conflicts with human settlements Uses of Radio Collars in Elephant Conservation:
• Monitoring movements: Tracks elephant movements in realtime, helping predict potential interactions with humans.
• Mitigating conflict: Early detection of elephants approaching villages or agricultural lands allows authorities to warn residents and take preventive measures. Habitat studies: Studying movement patterns helps identify important elephant corridors and protected areas.
• Understanding social behavior: Tracks interactions between herds, providing insights into social structures and breeding patterns.
• Translocation: The process of capturing and releasing an animal in a new habitat
• In elephant conservation, translocation might be used for:
• Managing problem herds: Moving elephants away from areas with frequent human-elephant conflict
• Habitat restoration: Reintroducing elephants to historically suitable habitats
• Population management: Managing elephant populations within a specific area’s carrying capacity (sustainable number of animals)
• Points to note – Translocation is a complex and stressful procedure for elephants
• It’s considered a last resort after exploring other conflict mitigation strategies
• Successful translocation requires careful selection of a new habitat with adequate food, water, and space
• Monitoring through radio collars after translocation is crucial to ensure the elephant adapts to the new environment Overall, radio collars and translocation are valuable tools for elephant conservation

2. INDIAN ECONOMY PROJECTED TO GROW 6.5% IN 2024: UNCTAD

• UNCTAD stands for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
• It is an intergovernmental organization established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1964
• UNCTAD’s primary goal is to promote the interests of developing countries in world trade and help them integrate into the global economy
• Key functions: Provides technical assistance: Helps developing countries improve their trade policies, develop their export capacities, and participate more effectively in the global trading system.
• Conducts research and analysis: Analyses trends in international trade, investment, and development, and provides policy recommendations to governments.
• Facilitates consensus-building: Provides a forum for dialogue between developed and developing countries on trade and development issues.
• Offers training programs: Helps developing country officials build their capacity to negotiate trade agreements and implement trade policies. So, in the context of the news, UNCTAD is the UN body that issued the report on India’s economic growth and the positive impact of multinationals setting up manufacturing bases in India International
• Israel reserves the right to protect itself, says Netanyahu
• Russian troops start to withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh
• Dubai roads and airport reel from floods after record rain
• UAE recorded up to 259.5 mm of rainfall, the most since records began 75 years ago

3. INDIA – HEAT ACTION PLANS

• Heatwave Definition: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines a heatwave based on location:
• The IMD will declare a heatwave if the maximum temperature recorded at a station is 40 degrees Celsius or more in the plains, 37 degrees Celsius or more in the coast, and 30 degrees Celsius or more in the hills
• Plains: 40°C or more
• Coast: 37°C or more
• Hills: 30°C or more
• Heat Action Plans (HAPs): These are strategies developed by various government levels to manage heatwaves. They include:
• Early warning systems and public education campaigns
• Building heat shelters and cooling centres
• Equipping hospitals and providing clean drinking water
• Long-term measures like urban planning with heat-resistant materials and tree planting
• Weaknesses of Current HAPs: Limited Scope: National thresholds may not reflect local variations (e.g., humidity, urban heat island effect)
• Doesn’t consider factors like warmer nights or “humid heat.”
• Needs a heat index that goes beyond just temperature ○ Inconsistent Vulnerability Assessments: HAPs don’t fully consider:
• Socio-economic differences (e.g., informal workers most affected)
• Infrastructure that worsens heat for specific populations Resource Allocation: Implementation depends on local government priorities and budgets
• Needs dedicated funding and financial plans for informal workers
• Silos and Integration: HAPs are standalone with limited resources
• Integrating them with broader climate adaptation plans could improve effectiveness
• Long-Term Measures: Focuses more on building infrastructure than on:
• Nature-based solutions like green and blue spaces for cooling Overall, while HAPs are a positive step, they need improvement to effectively address the diverse challenges of heatwaves across India

4. GREEN CREDIT PROGRAMME

• The Green Credit Program (GCP) aims to encourage environmental restoration by allowing organisations to invest in afforestation projects on degraded forest lands and earn “green credits.”
• However, concerns exist about prioritising profit over ecological health
• Program Goal: Encourage investment in restoring degraded forest lands
• Process – States identify degraded forest areas
• Individuals/companies pay ICFRE to “restore” these forests through planting
• After successful planting and evaluation, each tree earns one green credit (after two years)
• Green Credit Uses – Compliance with forest land diversion laws.
• Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting.
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Concerns and Clarifications
• Profit Over Restoration: The program might incentivise planting trees solely for credits, neglecting overall ecosystem restoration
• Ministry’s Response – Emphasis on restoring ecosystems, not just planting trees
• States have flexibility to determine suitable plant types (trees, shrubs, grasses) for each area
• Minimum tree density requirement removed to allow for diverse ecosystems
• Unresolved Issue – The article doesn’t mention how the program ensures longterm maintenance of planted areas, crucial for a healthy ecosystem. Overall, the Green Credit Program has the potential to promote forest restoration. However, ensuring a balanced approach that prioritizes ecological health alongside credit generation remains crucial.

5. EXERCISE LAMITIYE – 2024

• The exercise involves the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF).
• It’s the tenth edition of the joint military exercise, held biennially since 2001.
• Name and Meaning: The exercise is called “LAMITIYE”, which translates to ‘Friendship’ in the Creole language.
• Duration: It will be conducted in Seychelles from 18th to 27th March 2024.
• Participating Personnel: Each side will contribute 45 personnel from the GORKHA RIFLES of the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF).
• Objective: Enhance interoperability in Sub-conventional Operations in Semi-Urban environment under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter on Peace Keeping Operations.
• Focus: Developing cooperation, interoperability, and bilateral military relations, as well as exchanging skills, experiences, and good practices.
• Training Activities: Include field training exercises, combat discussions, lectures, demonstrations, and a validation exercise.
• Key Emphasis: Neutralization of likely threats in a Semi-Urban environment using new-generation equipment and technology.
• Mutual Understanding: Enhance mutual understanding and jointness between the troops of both armies.
• Collaborative Partnership : Foster collaborative partnership and sharing of best practices between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces.
• Contribute immensely to developing mutual understanding and magnifying jointness between the troops of both armies.

ONE LINER

1. Chandrayan 3 team receives 2024 John L.Jack Swigert Jr. Award for Space Exploration
2. Indian Army successfully conducts fields trails of indigenously developed MPATGM (Man Portable Anti Tank Guided Missile) weapon system