TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 18.10.2024

1. ENVIRONMENT

COMMON PRACTICE STANDARDS MUST HAVE INDIA OUTLOOK

• India’s agroforestry sector holds significant potential for integrating with carbon finance projects through Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) initiatives. The sector can expand from the current 28.4 million hectares to 53 million hectares by 2050, contributing to environmental sustainability and economic development.
• Key Statistics: Current Agroforestry Area: 28.4 million hectares.
• Potential Expansion: Up to 53 million hectares by 2050.
• Contribution to Carbon Stocks: 19.3% of India’s total carbon stocks.
• Additional Carbon Sink Potential: Over 2.5 billion tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030.
• Small and Marginal Farmers: 86.1% of Indian farmers have landholdings of less than two hectares.
• Common Practice in Carbon Standards:
• Definition: “Common practice” is a criterion used to assess whether a project is additional, meaning it goes beyond typical regional activities.
• Current Standards: Global carbon standards like Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Gold Standard often reflect large-scale agricultural practices, which may not align with India’s fragmented landholdings.
• Challenges for Indian Farmers: Fragmented Landholdings: Small and scattered plots make systematic agroforestry challenging.
• Perception of Common Practice: Non-systematic agroforestry practices are seen as “common” in India, excluding many farmers from carbon finance projects.
• Financial Constraints: Small farmers face financial pressures and market constraints, limiting their ability to adopt systematic agroforestry techniques.
• Need for India-Centric Approaches: Redefining Common Practice: Adjusting the criterion to reflect India’s unique agricultural landscape.
• Incentives for Systematic Agroforestry: Encouraging small, incremental changes in land management practices.
• Unlocking Carbon Sequestration Potential: Enabling more farmers to participate in carbon finance projects
• Benefits of ARR Projects: Economic Gains: Additional income streams through carbon credits.
• Environmental Benefits: Enhanced soil fertility, improved water retention, and mitigated erosion.
• Sustainable Development: Addressing low productivity, dependence on monsoons, and environmental degradation.

2. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NOT JUST NOTHING, DARK MATTER QUESTS CLOSE IN ON DIRE NEUTRINO FOG

• The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment is a cutting-edge scientific endeavor aimed at identifying the particles that constitute dark matter. Located 1.5 km underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, U.S., the experiment involves around 200 scientists.
• Key Findings: Null Result: The experiment did not identify the dark matter particle but placed the tightest restrictions yet on what the particle could not be.
• Significance: This result helps narrow down the possible identities of dark matter particles, guiding future research.
• Dark Matter: Composition: Dark matter makes up most of the mass in the universe, with stars, gas, and planets contributing only 15%.
• Properties: It does not interact with photons and remains stable for at least the age of the universe (about 14 billion years).
• Neutrino Fog: Definition: A term used to describe the interference caused by neutrinos, which are ghostly particles produced in the Sun’s interior and the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Challenge: As detectors become larger, they also become more sensitive to neutrinos, making it difficult to distinguish between dark matter and neutrino signals.
• Impact: This “neutrino fog” complicates the detection of dark matter, as future detectors will face increased noise from neutrino interactions.
• Significance of the Experiment:
• Narrowing Down Possibilities: By ruling out certain identities for dark matter particles, the LZ experiment helps focus future research efforts.
• Technological Advancements: The experiment drives the development of new detection technologies and materials.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: The hunt for dark matter unites various fields of physics, showcasing the collaborative nature of scientific discovery

3. NATIONAL

PM URGES PARTICIPATION IN CREATE IN INDIA CHALLENGES

• Objective: To promote talent and creativity in emerging sectors such as gaming, animation, reel- and film-making.
• Details: Launched by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
• Comprises 25 challenges focusing on various skills.
• Encourages participation from bands, community radio workers, and other creative professionals. 
• Specific challenges focus on music, education, and anti-piracy.
• Professional organizations are providing support for these challenges.
• Participation can be done through the website wavesindia.org. Mann Ki Baat Programme
• Significance: The programme will complete 10 years on October 3, 2024.
• Impact: It has shown the public’s hunger for positive information and has been a platform for sharing inspiring stories and initiatives.
• Make in India Campaign
• Objective: To turn India into a manufacturing powerhouse.
• Impact: Benefited the poor, middle-class, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
• Led to a spike in foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows.
• Celebrates its 10th anniversary in September 2024. Promotion of Local Products
• Example: Initiative in Maharashtra’s Bhandara.
• Over 50 self-help groups are working to preserve the old textile tradition of Bhandara tussar silk handloom.
• Encouragement: Urged people to promote and buy local products during the festive season.

4. SOCIAL ISSUES

92% OF WORKERS CLEANING URBAN SEWERS, SEPTIC TANKS BELONG TO SC, ST, OBC GROUPS, FINDS SURVEY

• Survey on Hazardous Cleaning of Sewers and Septic Tanks in India
• Demographic Profile:
• Scheduled Castes (SC): 68.9% 
• Other Backward Classes (OBC): 14.7%
• Scheduled Tribes (ST): 8.3%
• General Category: 8%
• Fatalities: Between 2019 and 2023, 377 people have died due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks.
• NAMASTE Programme:
• Objective: To mechanize sewer work and prevent deaths due to hazardous cleaning.
• Target Group: Workers directly associated with sewer and septic tank cleaning, including drivers, helpers, machine operators, and cleaners.
• Progress: 3,326 urban local bodies (ULBs) have profiled around 38,000 workers. § 283 ULBs reported zero SSWs, and 2,364 ULBs reported less than 10 SSWs each. § Estimated 1 lakh SSWs employed by 4,800 ULBs as of 2021.
•  State Efforts: Completed Profiling: Kerala, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir.
• Ongoing Profiling: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra.
• Yet to Begin: Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, West Bengal.
• Independent Programmes: Tamil Nadu, Odisha.
• Capital Subsidies: ₹2.26 crore to 191 beneficiaries for alternative self-employment projects.
• ₹10.6 crore to 413 sanitation workers for sanitation-related projects.
• Previous SRMS Scheme: Identified 58,098 manual scavengers till 2018.
• 97.2% from SC communities.
• One-time cash transfer of ₹40,000 to all identified manual scavengers.
• Skills training and loans provided for alternative occupations.

5. ENVIRONMENT

ONE HORNED RHINOCEROS

• The Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is primarily found in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Assam.
• They are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to poaching and habitat loss.
• Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary: § Located in the Morigaon district of Assam, Pobitora is known for its high density of one-horned rhinos.
• It covers an area of about 38.8 square kilometers and is also home to other wildlife like wild boars, leopards, and various bird species.
• Kaziranga National Park: A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kaziranga is one of the most famous national parks in India, known for its significant population of onehorned rhinos.
• It spans across the Golaghat, Nagaon, and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam.
• The park is also home to tigers, elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.

ONE LINER

1. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently inaugurated the Climate and Health Solutions India Conclave with Asian Development Bank
2. The Researchers at the Hyderabad based Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service (INCOIS) have developed the Integrated Ocean Energy Atlas