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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

Monthly DNA

26 Jan, 2024

29 Min Read

Year End Review of the Department of Sports

GS-II : Governance Sports

  1. India achieves historic milestone at Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China clinching 107 Medals including 28 Gold Medals
  2. Historic triumph of the Indian contingent at the Asian Para Games with 111 Medals including 29 Gold Medals
  3. Exceptional performance of Indian Athletes at the World Athletic Championship
  4. India organized FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023, Bhubaneswar – Rourkela
  5. The First ever MotoGP Bharat organized in India
  6. India hosted 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Mumbai: Hon’ble Prime Minister announced India’s interest in hosting the Youth Olympics 2030 and the Summer Olympics in 2036
  7. First ever Khelo India Para Games held in Delhi
  8. 37th National Games successfully held in Goa
  9. Two portals for National Sports federation and for Khelo India infrastructure projects launched on National Sports Day 2023
  10. 5th Edition of Khelo India Youth Games and 3rd edition of Khelo India University Games organized successfully

The Year 2023 saw commendable performances of Indian Sportspersons in several International Events

  • India achieved a historic milestone at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China, clinching a total of 107 Medals (28 Gold, 38 Silver, 41 Bronze Medals). The Indian contingent shattered country’s previous record of 70 medals in the 2018 edition. Notably, athletics contributed 29 Medals, while archery and shooting accounted for 9 and 22 medals respectively.
  • The success in Asian Games was followed by the triumph of the Indian contingent in the Asian Para Games which finished with historic 111 Medals including 29 Gold Medals, surpassing all previous records. The biggest haul for India came from athletics, with the Indian contingent securing 55 Medals including 18 Gold Medals.
  • Indian Athletes showed exceptional performance in August, 2023, with Neeraj Chopra winning India’s first-ever Gold Medal in the prestigious World Athletics Championship. The Indian 4X400 m Relay Team had a spectacular run in the World Athletics Championship, finishing 5th in the Finals and breaking the Asian Record on road to the finals. In chess, Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa finished second in the FIDE World Cup after a well-fought final against the World Number-1, Magnus Carlsen.
  • At the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2023, Berlin, held between 17th and 25th June, 2023, the 280-member strong Indian contingent finished their campaign with 202 medals, including 76 Gold, 75 Silver and 51 Bronze.
  • Satwiksairaj Reddy and Chirag Shetty became the first-ever Indian pair to win the prestigious Swiss Open Badminton Championship. Moreover, in the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup 2023 held in Bhopal, India, the hosts won 7 Medals (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 5 Bronze), finishing 2nd in the overall medal tally.

International Events hosted by India in 2023 :

  • In the run-up to the prestigious FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023, Bhubaneswar – Rourkela, a nationwide Trophy Tour was kicked off in Bhubaneswar on 5th December by the Chief Minister of Odisha. The coveted trophy traversed 13 states and 01 Union Territory before concluding its journey in Odisha on 25th December. The world cup commenced on 13th January 2023 and the finals was played on 29th January, 2023. Germany won the tournament and Belgium won the silver.
  • In a breakthrough moment for the development of motorsports in India, the first-ever MotoGP Bharat, one of the races of the prestigious MotoGP series was organized at the Buddha International Circuit, Noida. MotoGP is the top-tier motorcycle road racing event in the world where 22 riders representing 11 teams contested for the coveted title with Marzo Bezzecchi of Italy winning the inaugural MotoGP Bharat title.
  • India hosted the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championship 2023 held in New Delhi during March 23, where Indian women pugilists (Lovlina Borgohain, Nikhat Zareen, Nitu Ghanghas and Saweety Boora) bagged 4 gold medals in different weight categories, and India was crowned the best team of the tournament.
  • With India Chairing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) this year, a 3-Day Sports Ministers’ Meeting and the Meeting of the SCO Expert Working Group was hosted by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports between 13th & 15th of March, 2023 at New Delhi, which had participation from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, China and Tajikistan. The representatives of the Member States reaffirmed their commitment towards clean sports, a collaborative platform for the development of sports education and sports science.
  • India hosted 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in Mumbai, after a gap of 40 years. The IOC Session is the annual general meeting of the IOC, the apex global governing body of the Olympic Movement. The Session was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 14th October 2023. An important decision taken by the IOC General Body was the approval for the inclusion of Cricket in the Los Angeles Olympic Games 2028. In addition to this, the Hon’ble Prime Minister announced India’s interest in hosting the Youth Olympics 2030, and the Summer Olympics in 2036.

National Games successfully organized in Goa:

The 37th National Games were inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on 26th October 2023. This edition marked a significant milestone, with participation from over 10,000 sportspersons, coaches, and officials representing all States and Union Territories. Maharashtra topped the Medal tally with 228 Medals, followed by Services and Haryana.

The National Sports Day 2023 was celebrated throughout the country with the active participation of various stakeholders, including the Ministries and Departments of the Government of India, State Governments, Indian Missions abroad, educational Institutions etc. Various important initiatives were launched by this Department on the National Sports Day including the launch of the 3rd edition of Fit India Quiz, two portals, one for the National Sports Federations and another for the Khelo India infrastructure projects.

Events under Fit India Campaign:

  • After the success of 2 editions of the Fit India Quiz, the 3rd Khelo India Quiz was launched on 29th August 2023.
  • The National Finals of the annual Fit India Quiz were organized between 23rd and 30th July 2023 in Mumbai, and the State/UT winners were felicitated by Hon’ble Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports. The Fit India Quiz is an embodiment of the Government’s commitment to the “Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat” motto, fostering unity and excellence.
  • To commemorate the Swacch Bharat initiative, the 4th edition of Fit India Freedom Run was rechristened as the FIT India Swacchata Freedom Run 4.0 and was launched on 1st October 2023 at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, New Delhi. The FIT India Swachhata Freedom Run 4.0 was organised between 1st October and 31st October 2023, and culminated with the Unity Run on 31st October 2023, commemorating the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel. During this period, citizens were encouraged to dedicate 30 minutes to physical fitness in any form and adopt an active lifestyle and commit towards making India a healthy, clean and hygienic country.

Events organized under Khelo India Scheme:

  • With a vision to identify talent and create an opportunity for young and aspiring para athletes to shine, the first-ever Khelo India Para Games were held in Delhi from 10th December to 17th December, 2023. Haryana came first with a total of 105 medals while Uttar Pradesh finished second and Tamil Nadu came third.
  • The third edition of Khelo India University Games (KIUG) 2022 was successfully organized from 25th May to 3rd June, 2023 in Uttar Pradesh. The event saw participation of around 4700 athletes from over 200 Universities across the country. This edition of the KIUG had 21 sporting disciplines organized in four cities namely, Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Noida. Punjab University finished at the top of the Medals tally with 69 Medals including 26 Gold Medals, followed by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and Jain University, Karnataka. The debut of water sports made this edition of KIUG more significant.
  • The “Khelo India Dus Ka Dum” event organized to commemorate the International Women’s Day 2023, saw a massive participation of over 1 lakh women in 1500 plus sporting events organized across the country. The event enabled broad-basing the success of the Khelo India Women’s Leagues organized earlier for various sporting disciplines which saw the participation of 23,000 women athletes in 240 sporting at the zonal and national levels.
  • The 5th edition of Khelo India Youth Games was successfully concluded on 11th February, 2023 at Upper Lake, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Maharashtra topped the Medal Tally with 161 Medals (including 56 Gold), followed by Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, in the Games.
  • The 3rd Khelo India Winter Games were inaugurated on 10th February, 2023 at Gulmarg. Over 2000 players participated in the event. The Games were concluded on 14th February, 2023, with Jammu and Kashmir topping the medal tally with 76 medals (including 26 Gold) followed by Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh. On this occasion, 40 Khelo India Centres were also e-launched by the Hon’ble Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports.

Revision in the norms of international exposure:

  • The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has been supporting athletes in every possible way to prepare for the major competitions. The ceiling amount for boarding and lodging of athletes in international competitions to provide high-quality accommodation for the athletes had recently been raised in keeping with the current norm. The athletes traveling abroad for approved competitions will now be entitled to USD 250 per day from the previous entitlement of USD 150 per day. In addition to that, the athletes are being supported holistically to ensure that they have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure, equipment, best-in-class training and support staff.

Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023

  • In an effort to strengthen the Anti-Doping environment in the country, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, Hyderabad (NIPER Hyderabad) to create nutritional supplement testing capacity in India and increase awareness about the risks associated with use of nutritional supplements, increase research opportunities in the clean sport & anti-doping domain and provide options for safe and dope-free nutritional supplements for sportspersons.
  • The meeting of the South Asia Regional Anti-Doping Organization (SARADO) was organized by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on 3rd July, 2023 in Delhi to promote clean sports and strengthen the anti-doping landscape at the global level. An MoU was also signed between NADA, India and SARADO to increase regional cooperation in anti-doping in sports.

Web portal and mobile application ‘Know Your Medicine’ launched

  • To promote clean sports and create awareness on the usage of nutritional supplements, a national conference was organized by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on 13th of April, 2023 at New Delhi. To further strengthen the drive towards clean nutritional supplements, a web-portal and mobile application namely ‘Know Your Medicine’ was launched. This app will enable the athletes to make an informed choice about the use of medicines and supplements, and India has now joined the select group of nations with such digital infrastructure available to its athletes.

Five years of Khelo India

India has the largest youth population in the world, with approximately 65% of its population being under the age of 35.

The youth, aged between 15-29 years, make up 27.5% of the population and represent a dynamic and vibrant segment.

To encourage mass participation in sports and ensure effective implementation, the existing schemes of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA), Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS), and National Sports Talent Search Scheme (NSTSS)were proposed to be merged into a single scheme called “Khelo India: National Programme for Development of Sports.

About:

  1. Khelo India is a scheme envisioned by Prime Minister Modi in 2017-18 to give a platform to grassroots athletes and build sports infrastructure across India, resulting in turning India into a sporting nation.
  2. The Khelo India Scheme is the flagship Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
  3. With a view to achieving the twin objectives of mass participation and promotion of excellence in sports, the Government has decided to continue the Scheme of “Khelo India – National Programme for Development of Sports” over the 15th Finance Commission Cycle (2021-22 to 2025-26) at an outlay of Rs 3165.50 crore.

Competitions Under Khelo India

Under this movement, the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) and the Khelo India Winter Games were set up as annual national sports competitions where youngsters, representing their states and universities, respectively, showcased their skills and competed for medals.

Components of the Programme

It has been divided into 12 verticals:

    • State Level Khelo India Centres
    • Annual Sports Competition
    • Talent Search and Development
    • Utilization and Creation/Upgradation of Sports
    • Support to National/ Regional/State Sports Academics
    • Physical fitness of school children
    • Sports for Women
    • Promotion of Sports amongst people with disabilities
    • Sports for Peace and Development
    • Promotion of rural and indigenous/ tribal games

The components of the Scheme have been rearranged and rationalized by merging/subsuming some of the similar components with the larger ones, thus condensing the twelve existing components into following five components:

    • Creation and Upgradation of Sports Infrastructure
    • Sports Competitions and Talent Development
    • Khelo India Centres and Sports Academies
    • Fit India Movement
    • Promotion of Inclusiveness through Sports
  • Khelo India Winter Games have been included under the ‘Sports Competitions and Talent Development’ component. The Fit India Movement has been introduced as a separate and dedicated component.

What are the Achievements of the Programme?

  • Various Events Organized Under the Scheme: From 2017 to 2021, three editions of Khelo India School and Youth Games, one edition of KIUG and two editions of Khelo India Winter Games have been hosted, giving talented young sportspersons a chance to win their way to a Khelo India Scholarship and be trained for higher levels of competition by the best coaches and in state-of-the-art sporting complexes.
  • Mass Participation of Athletes: The Games have seen a participation of over 20,000 athletes, with close to 3,000 athletes identified as Khelo India Athletes (KIAs) who are currently training at Khelo India Academies, revamped Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centers, and are given an Out-of-Pocket Allowance of ?10,000 per month, besides being supported for training, equipment, diet and education.
  • Infrastructure Upgradation and Fund: Grants-in-aid have also been given for construction as well as upgradation of sports infrastructure projects under the “Utilization and Creation/Upgradation of Sports Infrastructure” vertical of the Khelo India Scheme.
    • Fund is allocated and released scheme wise and not state or sport wise.
  • Creating Elite Sportspersons: There are several Khelo India athletes who have been inducted in the elite Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)over the years based on their performance and are today making the country proud in multiple international competitions.
  • Financial Assistance to Players: Talented players identified in priority sports disciplines at various levels by the High-Powered Committee will be provided annual financial assistance of INR 5 lakh per annum for 8 years.
  • Spillover Effect/Psychological Effect: The programme has impacted Sports Authorities and schools in India through annual National Sports competitions and support for Sports training facilities.
  • Promotion to Indigenous Sports: Khelo India initiative focuses on promoting indigenous sports in every district of India. Some of them are Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta, and Mallakhamba.
  • Promotion to Traditional Sports: Traditional games are becoming more popular, with many people taking them up and coaches and gurus emerging to support them, offering the potential for them to become global like yogasana.
  • Inculcating Sense of Fitness in the Country: Fit India movement is an essential aspect of Kelo India, which focuses on promoting fitness among the masses. This includes the Fit India mobile app, which helps individuals track their fitness goals, provides dietary guidance and promotes a healthy lifestyle.
  • Special Focus on the Girl’s Participation in Games: Khelo India games are being held throughout the year with a special focus on girl athlete more than 1.25 lakh girls have participated in these leagues to ensure Sports infrastructure availability in remote corners of India.

Source:

6th Edition of Khelo India Youth Games

GS-II : Governance Sports

The 6th edition of Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) is currently underway, happening from 19th January to 31st January 2024, across four cities in Tamil Nadu: Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, and Coimbatore.

About: KIYG is a national-level, multi-disciplinary sports competition for school and college students in India.

    • The games are held annually in January or February and are part of the government's Khelo India initiative.
    • It aims to promote sports culture and identify sporting talent at the grassroots level.
    • The previous 5 editions of the Youth Games have been held in Delhi, Pune, Guwahati, Panchkula and Bhopal.

Format: It is held in two categories, namely under-17-year-old school students and under-21 college students.

    • It operates in a team championship format, wherein the medals earned by individual athletes or teams contribute to the overall medal tally of their respective state or Union Territory (UT).
    • Upon the event's conclusion, the state or UT securing the highest count of gold medals is declared the winner.
    • No other team barring Maharashtra and Haryana have won the KIYG title to date.

6th edition of KIYG: A total of 933 medals (278 gold, 278 silver and 377 bronze) are up for grabs across 26 sports at KIYG, Tamil Nadu.

Squash is making its KIYG debut this year, while Silambam, a form of indigenous martial arts, is featured as a demonstration sport.

Mascot: Veera Mangai.

Rani Velu Nachiyar, fondly called Veera Mangai, was an Indian queen who waged a war against British colonial rule.

Also, the logo for the games incorporates the figure of poet Thiruvalluvar.

The Khelo India Winter Games 2024 will take place in Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. The recently unveiled mascot, a Snow Leopard named 'Sheen-e She' or Shan, adds a unique touch to the event.

Recently, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar((RKPP)2023. Odisha Mining Corporate Limited has been awarded in the category of Encouragement to Sports through Corporate Social Responsibility. Jain Deemed to be University, Bengaluru has been awarded for identifying and nurturing budding and young talent.

  • RKPP introduced by the government in 2009 is given to corporate entities (both private and public sector), Sports Control Boards, NGOs, including sports bodies at the State and National level, who have played a visible role in the area of sports promotion and development.
  • The Other five core awards that constitute India’s National Sports Awards are the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award,the Arjuna Award, the Dronacharya Award, the Major Dhyan Chand Award, and the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy.

Source:

Qanat system- Water Conservation

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Conservation

Some of Africa’s dry areas face serious water shortages due to minimal rainfall. An ancient system of drawing water from aquifers, the “qanat system”, could help.

Qanat system

It is an ancient type of water-supply system, developed and still used in arid regions of the world.It taps underground mountain water sources trapped in and beneath the upper reaches of alluvial fans and channels the water downhill through a series of gently sloping tunnels.

  • The qanats have been used for centuries in arid and semi-arid parts of north Africa, the Middle East and Asia, where water supplies are limited.
  • It’s known by a variety of names, “foggara” in north Africa, “falaj” in Oman and “qarez” in parts of Asia.
  • Many old qan?ts are still used in Iran and Afghanistan, chiefly for irrigation.
  • It’s a system that’s managed by everyone and its benefits are shared.
  • Some of the region’s qanat systems, like those in Iran, are protected under heritage status.
  • Significance of the system
    • The qanat is sustainable as it works with gravity and no electricity is needed. It can even be used to create clean energy.
    • Water lost to evaporation is minimal in comparison to surface water supplies.
    • It can have a wide scale impact. Qanats are multiple kilometres long and once this water hits a floodplain, it can irrigate multiple hectares of land.
    • It fosters social cohesion. Many people, with different skills, are involved in maintaining the system.
    • The lifespan of the system extends beyond that of a deep water well, which is only about 20 years. Tunnels do not clog as easily as wells.
    • The quality of water coming from the mountains is much better than water on the plains. It’ll have lower salinity and be better for crops and people.

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National Essential Diagnostics List

GS-III : S&T Health

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has begun the process of revising the current National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) and invited relevant stakeholders to offer suggestions on adding or deleting diagnostic tests to the current list by the end of February.

National Essential Diagnostics List

The NEDL lists the essential and most basic tests that should be available at various levels of healthcare facilities in the country, including at the village level, in sub-health centres, health and wellness centres, and primary health centres.

  • The ICMR had released the first NEDL in 2019 to make the availability of diagnostics an essential component of the healthcare system.
  • The list includes general laboratory tests for a broad range of common conditions for the diagnosis of communicable and non-communicable diseases, disease-specific tests for HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, dengue, malaria, and area-endemic diseases.
  • India is the first country to release the NEDL.
  • Since 2018, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends the development and implementation of a National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) to facilitate the availability of In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVDs) across the various tiers of the healthcare pyramid, facilities with or without a laboratory onsite.

What are Essential diagnostic tests?

  • These are defined as those "that satisfy the priority healthcare needs of the population and are selected with due regard to disease prevalence and public health relevance, evidence of efficacy and accuracy, and comparative cost-effectiveness”.
  • The test should focus on conditions with a high disease burden or having significant public health relevance, where the introduction of a diagnostic test will have a clear impact on disease diagnosis and management.

Source:

Vulture Facts

GS-III : Biodiversity & Environment Animals

The crash in their population from estimated 4 crores in the early 1980s to less than a lakh by 2007 in India is unprecedented in the animal world. Outside of the oceans, vultures are the only known obligate scavengers.

  • The ecological, social and cultural significance of vultures in India may be summed up as: scavenging on animal carcasses and thereby helping keep the environment clean.
  • There are nine species of vultures in India out of which three have been on critically endangered list of IUCN and also listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
  • Slender billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
  • Indian Vulture/long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus)
  • Himalayan Griffon – closely related to Indian Gyps – Near Threatened
  • Egyptian Vulture – Endangered
  • Red-headed vulture is on the critically endangered list of IUCN but not listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. (Schedule IV)

Threats

A major threat to vultures is the painkiller diclofenac used by veterinarians to treat cattle.

Effects

  • When vultures consume these carcasses, diclofenac enters their system, but they are unable to metabolize it.
  • It results in uric acid accumulating in the birds’ blood and crystallizing around their internal organs, a condition called visceral gout.
  • Accumulation of diclofenac results in gout-like symptoms such as neck drooping(Thanatosis), kidney failure and ultimately leading to death.

Aceclofenac

  • Indian Veterinary Research Institute has demanded a ban on using aceclofenac in cattle.
  • Aceclofenac is a veterinary painkiller.
  • It metabolises into diclofenac in water buffaloes and cows which eventually threatens vulture populations in the country.

Drugs Toxic to Vulture

  • Diclofenac has long been established as the prime reason for wiping out 99 percent of the vulture population in India in the 90s.
  • Later two more veterinary drugs, aceclofenac and ketoprofen, were found to be toxic for vultures.
  • As per the new study, nimesulide appears to act similar to diclofenac in exerting toxic effects on vultures.
  • Flunixin
  • Carprofen

Safe Drugs for Vultures

  • Meloxicam
  • Tolfenamic acid

Conservation Measures

  • First Vulture Care Centre (VCC) was set up at Pinjore, Haryana in 2001. (to know the cause of decline)
  • Later in 2004, the VCC was upgraded to being the first Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centres (VCBC) in India.
  • At present there are nine Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centres (VCBC) in India, of which three are directly administered by Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
  • The main objective of the VCBCs was to look after the vultures and breed them in captivity and also release them into the wild.
  • The Bombay Natural History Society and the RSPB (UK) are working as part of Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction (SAVE).
  • Every four years, they set out on a survey of epic proportions, covering 15,500km of road in 13 states across India, counting individual vultures of each of the three species.

Vulture census

  • Vulture census was conducted in 2022.
  • The last such census was carried out in 2015.
  • The census would be conducted by scientists at the Bombay Natural History Society (a conservation NGO), along with teams from the 13 states and the MoEFCC.
  • Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

Vulture Safe zone

  • Establishment of at least one vulture-safe zone in each state for the conservation of the remnant populations in that state.
  • Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2020 – 2025
  • The action plan was approved by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) in 2020.
  • An earlier one was formulated in 2006 for three years.
  • The new plan has laid out strategies and actions to stem the decline in vulture population, especially of the three Gyps species:
    • Oriental white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
    • Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
    • Long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus)
  • This would be done through both ex-situ and in-situ conservation.
  • The plan has also suggested that new veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) be tested on vultures before their commercial release.

International Efforts

  • SAVE (Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction) – It includes fourteen organisations involved and committed to helping the vultures to date, and this number is steadily growing.
  • Bombay Natural History Society works with SAVE.

International Vulture Conservation Awareness Day

The initiative is run jointly by the Birds of Prey Programme of the Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa and the Hawk Conservancy Trust in England.Through IVAD, both the organisation try to raise awareness about the threats that vultures are facing today and promote a coordinated international effort to publicise the conservation of vultures to a wider audience.

Recent News

First in many years, a vulture was spotted in the skyline of Thane which has not been spotted over two decades in the city.

Indian vulture

  • The Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) is an Old World vulture native to Asia.
  • They are also known as Indian long-billed vultures due to their comparatively longer beak.
  • It is a medium-sized and bulky scavengers feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead animals.
  • Females of this species are smaller than males.
  • Distribution: These are native to India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
  • Habitat: They are usually found in savannas and other open habitats around villages, cities, and near cultivated areas.
  • Threats: The Indian vulture has suffered a 97-99% population decrease due to poisoning caused by the veterinary drug diclofenac. This drug is toxic for vultures; it was given to working animals as it reduced joint pain and so kept them working for longer.
  • Conservation status
    • IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

Source:

International Purple Fest 2024

GS-I : Art and Culture Festivals

  • The International Purple Fest 2024 is a global celebration of inclusivity and empowerment that is being held in Goa.

The festival aims to promote the rights of people with disabilities and create a platform for them to showcase their talents and abilities.

Source:

Countries of Particular Concern

GS-II : International Relations International issues

  • U.S. designates China, Pakistan and North Korea and some other countries as 'Countries of Particular Concern' recently.
  • Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) are countries where the government engages in or tolerates “particularly severe” violations of religious freedom.

The U.S. Department of State designates CPCs under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Source:

Vellayani Lake

GS-I : Indian Geography Water resources

  • Vellayani Lake of Punchakkari wetland is the largest freshwater lake in Trivandrum, Kerala.

The Vellayani Devi Temple, dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali, is located on the eastern banks of the lake.

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2 Telugu inscriptions of 16th century found in Nallamala forest in Andhra Pradesh recently. One of the inscriptions records the construction of cradle pillars (uyyala-kambalu) to Goddess Poleramma. The other inscription seems to refer to a hero fighting with a tiger.

Soligas & Yeravas – Indigenous people

A recent book has looked into the diets of Soligas and Yeravas communities, who have been living in the Cauvery Basin and the surrounding hills of peninsular India for thousands of years. The book Forgotten Trails: Foraging Wild Edibles was authored by Malemleima Ningombi and Harisha RP. Solig

Panama Canal-Facts

Scientists recently stumbled upon a lost forest in the Panama Canal, dating back around 22 million years. Panama Canal It is an artificial waterway that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit for ma

Yen Denominated Green Bonds

Ministry of Power, has achieved a significant milestone by issuing its inaugural Japanese Yen (JPY) 61.1 billion green bonds under Global Medium Term Notes Programme. Yen Denominated Green Bonds It is REC Limited’s eleventh venture into the international bond market and inaugural

Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival

The 9th edition of the Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival (PPHF), a state festival of Arunachal Pradesh, will take place at Seijosa in the Pakke Kessang district from January 18-20, 2024. Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival The first-ever PPHF was held in 2015. The aim was to recognise the role played

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)-FACTS

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) succeed the incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lamps of previous centuries as the world’s light-source of choice. About Light-Emitting Diodes A diode is an electronic component which has two points of contact, or terminals, called its anode and ca

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