Dolphin boom in Odisha’s Chilika lake

Syllabus subtopic: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Prelims and Mains focus: about the census and its findings; about Irrawaddy dolphins and why they are important; about Chilika lake

Dolphin boom in Odisha’s Chilika lake

• The population of dolphins in Chilika, India’s largest brackish water lake, and along the Odisha coast has doubled this year compared with last year.
• The wildlife wing of the State Forest and Environment Department released the final data on the dolphin census conducted in January and February this year, indicating a spectacular growth in numbers.
• Divided into 41 units, wildlife activists, academicians, Forest Department officials, NGO members, boat operators and researchers from the Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai, participated in the estimation exercise.
• The population estimation exercise for dolphins and other cetacean species covered almost the entire coast of Odisha.
• Three species were recorded during the census, with 544 Irrawaddy, bottle-nose and humpback dolphins sighted this year, compared with 233 last year.
• Wildlife activists are elated over the sizeable growth in the population of endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, which are mostly found in Chilika lake, jumping from 146 in 2020 to 162 this year. Apart from Chilika, 39 Irrawaddy dolphins were sighted in the Rajnagar mangrove division, though their number has come down from 60 in 2020.
• The highest growth has been noticed in the case of humpback dolphins. Only two humpbacks were sighted in the Rajnagar mangrove in 2020. In 2021, however, this population grew astronomically to 281.
• “In 2020, the weather conditions were really bad. This year, our teams came across some large groups of humpback dolphins near Ekakula and Habelikhati areas, close to the Gahirmatha Olive Ridley nesting ground,” said Bikash Das, Divisional Forest Officer, Rajanagar (Mangrove) Division.
• “These humpback dolphins were not part of any riverine systems, so they cannot be identified as residential mammals. They were spotted travelling along the Odisha coast and the number is likely to fluctuate in the next census,” Mr Das added.

About Irrawaddy dolphins

• About Irrawaddy Dolphin is not a true river dolphin, but an oceanic dolphin that lives in brackish water near coasts, river mouths and in estuaries in South and Southeast Asia.
• It is slaty blue to slaty gray throughout, with the underparts slightly paler. It is identified by a bulging forehead, a short beak.
• It has established subpopulations in freshwater rivers, including the Ganges and the Mekong, as well as the Irrawaddy River from which it takes its name.
• Its habitat range extends from the Bay of Bengal to New Guinea and the Philippines. They do not appear to venture offshore.
• Protection Status: The status has been raised from “Vulnerable” to “Endangered” according to the latest Red List of threatened species produced by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• Threats: fishing nets, developmental projects like the construction of dams, tourism and diseases.
• The total population of these aquatic mammals in the world is estimated to be less than 7,500. Of these, more than 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins have been reported from Bangladesh, while the dolphin distribution in Chilika is considered to be the highest single lagoon population.

Why are they important?

• If you see a lot of dolphins in an area, then it generally means that the local ecosystem is healthy enough to support them.
• They are apex predators that make sure that the populations of their prey remain healthy and do not grow too big, which can disrupt the food chain.
• They help maintain their ecosystem by having a diet of fish, molluscs, and aquatic crustaceans such as crab and shrimp.
• Irrawaddy dolphins provide income for coastal communities through ecotourism.
• They are well recognized for their “smiling” faces and are known for their ability to spit water which is thought to be used as a way to herd fish.

About the dolphin census and its findings

• The dolphin census was simultaneously taken up in Chilika and off the Odisha coast.
• The Chilika Development Authority (CDA) is elated that the direct sighting of 146 dolphins meant that its population in the lake would stabilise well above 150. According to last year’s census, the Irrawaddy dolphin population in Chilika was 151.
• The CDA does the counting of dolphins round the year using hydrophones. According to hydrophone monitoring carried out around the year in Chilika, the highest number of Irrawaddy dolphins (20-25) was moving around Rajhans, followed by the Magarmukh and Malatikuda areas, where dolphins numbering between 17-20 were expected.
• The dolphins were colonising new areas, which had been freed from encroachments by prawn farming cherries.
• The officials expressed hopes that the population is likely to increase in the next couple of years as there are enough signs of dolphins migrating from the Satpada (town in Puri district, Odisha) side to other areas.

About Chilika Lake

• Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha state on the east coast of India, at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km.
• It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest brackish water lagoon in the world after The New Caledonian barrier reef. It has been listed as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site.
• It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent.
• The lake is home to a number of threatened species of plants and animals. The lagoon hosts over 160 species of birds in the peak migratory season. Birds from as far as the Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Kazakhstan, Central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas come here.
• These birds travel great distances; migratory birds probably follow much longer routes than the straight lines, possibly up to 12,000 km, to reach Chilika Lake.
• The lake is an ecosystem with large fishery resources. It sustains more than 150,000 fisher–folk living in 132 villages on the shore and islands.
• In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
• According to a survey, 45 percent of the birds are terrestrial in nature, 32 percent are waterfowl, and 23 percent are waders.
• The lagoon is also home to 14 types of raptors. Around 152 rare and endangered Irrawaddy dolphins have also been reported. Plus, the lagoon supports about 37 species of reptiles and amphibians.
• The highly productive Chilika Lagoon ecosystem with its rich fishery resources sustains the livelihood for many fishermen who live in and near the lagoon.
• The water spread area of the lagoon ranges between 1165 and 906 km2 during the monsoon and summer respectively. A 32 km long, narrow, outer channel connects the lagoon to the Bay of Bengal, near the village Motto. More recently a new mouth has been opened by CDA which has brought a new lease of life to the lagoon.
• Microalgae, marine seaweeds, sea grasses, fish and crabs also flourish in the brackish water of the Chilika Lagoon. Especially the recovery of seagrass beds in recent years is a welcoming trend which may eventually result in re-colonization of endangered dugongs.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021

IBC (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021

• Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 promulgated on 4th April, 2021 provides for pre-packaged insolvency resolution process (PPIRP) for corporate debtors classified as micro, small and medium enterprises.
• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) notified the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (Pre-packaged Insolvency Resolution Process) Regulations, 2021 (PPIRP Regulations) today to enable operationalisation of PPIRP.
• The PPIRP Regulations detail the Forms that stakeholders are required to use, and the manner of carrying out various tasks by them as part of the PPIRP.

These provide details and manner relating to:

1. Eligibility to act as resolution professional, and his terms of appointment;
2. Eligibility of registered valuers and other professionals;
3. Identification and selection of authorised representative;
4. Public announcement and claims of stakeholders;
5. Information memorandum;
6. Meetings of the creditors and committee of creditors;
7. Invitation for resolution plans;
8. Competition between the base resolution plan and the best resolution plan;
9. Evaluation and consideration of resolution plans;
10. Vesting management of corporate debtor with resolution professional;
11. Termination of PPIRP.

NITI Aayog’s Draft National Policy on Migrant Workers

NITI Aayog, along with a working subgroup of officials and members of civil society, has prepared a draft National Migrant Labour policy. It puts forward several radical ideas including the adoption of a rights-based approach and creating an additional layer of institutions to create a more enabling policy environment for migrants.

Highlights of the Draft policy

• It proposes a new National Migration Policy and the formation of a special unit within the Ministry of Labour and Employment to work closely with other ministries
• The new structure would bring about much-needed convergence across line departments and would be a huge step towards a universal understanding of the causes and effects of migration as well as the interventions needed.
• The policy calls for improving the record on the implementation of the country’s many labour laws that have, by and large, failed to make a difference to the lives of labour migrants.
• The draft policy is clear in highlighting the vulnerability of migrants to such crises and describes the experience of migrants during the lockdown as a “humanitarian and economic crisis”.
• The draft contains several radical recommendations that build on those made in 2017 by the working group on migration appointed by the then Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, as well as recent research and policy analyses by leading thinkers in the field.
• It seeks to take a rights-based approach and discusses the importance of collective action and unions to help migrants bargain for better conditions and remuneration.
• The draft policy makes efforts to bring together different sectoral concerns related to migration, including social protection, housing, health and education.
• In doing so, it will lay the foundations for the ministries and line departments overseeing these sectors to work together in a more harmonious fashion, speaking the same language and operating on the same underlying assumptions.
• The draft mentions the need for convergence across different line departments and proposes the establishment of a special unit at the Ministry of Labour and Employment which will work closely with other ministries.
• It proposes new management bodies for interstate migration and stresses the need to improve the data on migration, especially data on seasonal and circular migration.
• The draft policy also conveys a willingness within the government to recognise that the numerous laws and legislation that are in existence have not succeeded in protecting migrants as intended and recommends better implementation.

Positives from the Draft Policy

• Due Recognition: Intent to better recognise migrants’ contribution to the economy and support them in their endeavours.
• Radical Ideas: It puts forward several radical ideas, including the adoption of a rights-based approach and establishing an additional layer of institutions to create a more enabling policy environment for migrants.
• Dedicated Unit: It proposes a new National Migration Policy and the formation of a special unit within the Labour Ministry to work closely with other ministries.
• Helps bring Convergence across departments: The new structure would bring about much-needed convergence across line departments and would be a huge step toward a universal understanding of the causes and effects of migration as well as the interventions needed.
• Focus on implementation: The draft policy calls for improving the record on the implementation of the country’s many labour laws that have, by and large, failed to make a difference to the lives of labour migrants.
• Multiple laws considered: It discusses at length the provisions under the Equal Remuneration Act, The Bonded Labour Act, the Building and Other Construction Workers Act and the Interstate Migrant Workmen Act, among others.
• International Responsibilities addressed: It invokes the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda as well as the Sustainable Development Goals which aim to protect labour rights.
• Significance of data realized: It acknowledges the challenges of welfare provision to a highly fragmented migrant workforce due to recruitment patterns and the lack of data. It refers to the importance of collective action and unions and there are detailed plans for improving the data on short-term migration, especially seasonal and circular migration.

Concerned Issues

• The policy needs to delve deeper into the causes underlying the poor implementation of labour laws that are linked to the political economy of recruitment and placement
• There is a reference to unfair recruitment practices in the document, but virtually no analysis of why the system persists and how it is enabled by the employment structure of businesses and enterprises.
• Another area where the draft needs to be strengthened is addressing gender differences in employment.
• Domestic work is one of the most important occupations for migrant women from relatively disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Although the new policy aims to be inclusive of all kinds of marginalised migrants, it could do more to explicitly mention the challenges faced by the workers in such circumstances.
• Yet another miss is the apparent ambivalence about the ability of tribal migrants to think for themselves and decide how they access the opportunities offered by migration.

Conclusion

The draft policy is a good start which could, with a few adjustments, reduce the vulnerability and risks faced by labour migrants and ultimately build a more sustainable model of development.

Tika Utsav to begin on Jyotirao Phule’s Birth Anniversary

• The 'Tika Utsav (vaccination festival)', started on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule (11^th April) will continue till the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar on 14^th April 2021.
• The aim of the four day festival is to vaccinate as many people as possible for the priority groups and zero wastage of Covid-19 vaccine.
• Jyotirao Phule was an Indian social activist, thinker, anti-caste social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. He is also known as Jyotiba Phule.

Profile

• Phule was born on 11^th April 1827 in present-day Maharashtra and belonged to the Mali caste of gardeners and vegetable farmers.
• In 1841, Phule was enrolled at the Scottish Missionary High School (Pune), where he completed his education.

Ideology

• His Ideology was based on Liberty; Egalitarianism; Socialism.
• Phule was influenced by Thomas Paine’s book titled "The Rights of Man" and believed that the only solution to combat the social evils was the enlightenment of women and members of the lower castes.
• Major Publications: Tritiya Ratna (1855); Powada: Chatrapati Shivajiraje Bhosle Yancha (1869); Gulamgiri (1873), Shetkarayacha Aasud (1881).
• Related Association: Phule along with his followers formed Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873 which meant ‘Seekers of Truth’ in order to attain equal social and economic benefits for the lower castes in Maharashtra.
• He was appointed commissioner to the Poona municipality and served in the position until 1883.
• He was bestowed with the title of Mahatma on 11^th May, 1888 by a Maharashtrian social activist Vithalrao Krishnaji Vandekar.

Social Reformer

• In 1848, he taught his wife (Savitribai) how to read and write, after which the couple opened the first indigenously run school for girls in Pune where they both taught.
• He was a believer in gender equality and he exemplified his beliefs by involving his wife in all his social reform activities.
• By 1852, the Phules had established three schools but all of them had shut by 1858 due to the shortage of funds after the Revolt of 1857.
• Jyotiba realised the pathetic conditions of widows and established an ashram for young widows and eventually became an advocate of the idea of Widow Remarriage.
• Jyotirao attacked the orthodox Brahmins and other upper castes and termed them as "hypocrites".
• In 1868, Jyotirao constructed a common bathing tank outside his house to exhibit his embracing attitude towards all human beings and wished to dine with everyone, regardless of their caste.
• He started awareness campaigns that ultimately inspired the likes of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi, stalwarts who undertook major initiatives against caste discrimination later.
• It is believed by many that it was Phule who first used the term ‘Dalit’ for the depiction of oppressed masses often placed outside the ‘varna system’.
• He worked for the abolishment of untouchability and the caste system in Maharashtra.
• 28^th November 1890. His memorial is built in Phule Wada, Pune, Maharashtra.

Achieving Paris Agreement- the key to save endemic species: Study

According to a study published in the journal Biological Conservation, 90% of the endemic species will face extinction unless the goals of the Paris Agreement are met. For example, Kolar Leaf Nose Bat is endemic to India and endemic to only one cave in Hanumanahalli village in Kolar district, Karnataka

About the Study Conducted

• The scientists analysed almost 300 biodiversity hotspots — places with exceptionally high numbers of animal and plant species — on land and at sea.
• Many of these hotspots contain endemic species that are unique to one geographic location.

Findings in the Study

• Endemic species are 2.7 times more likely to go extinct due to an unchecked increases in temperature than other species. This is because they are only found in one place. Climate change alters their only habitat. So, they are at risk of permanent extinction.
• According to this study, If the planet heats by over 3 °C, then one-third of endemic species living on land will face extinction.
• Similarly, about half of the endemic species living in the sea will also face extinction. On mountains, 84% of endemic animals and plants face extinction at these temperatures. On islands, the number rises to 100%. It means no endemic species at all.
• Overall, 92% of land-based endemic species and 95% of marine endemics face negative consequences.
• Some endemic species threatened by climate change include:
  • Lemurs: unique to Madagascar
  • Snow leopard: unique to the Himalayas.
  • Medicinal plants such as lichen Lobaria pindarensis (this is used to alleviate arthritis).
• In Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean islands, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats will lose most of their endemic plants and animals by 2050.
• However, remaining within the climate goals of the Paris Agreement (keep global heating well below 2 °C, ideally at 1.5 °C) will save the majority of the species.

Government launches “Madhukranti portal” and “Honey Corners” of NAFED

Union Agriculture Minister has launched the “MadhuKranti portal” and “Honey Corners” of NAFED.

MadhuKranti portal:

• It is an initiative of the National Bee Board under the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission.
• It is developed for online registration to achieve a traceability source of Honey and other beehive products on a digital platform.
• The portal will enable the consumers/public to know about the source of honey and assure the quality of the products.

Honey Corners

• They are special spaces for the sale of honey. They are operated by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED).
• NAFED has developed 14-15 honey corners. NAFED will also develop more honey corners in future. This will promote market support for honey.