NGT 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-2-Polity

Why in News? 

NGT panel has regulated tourist influx at Mussoorie 

 About: 

· It is a specialized body established under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.

 · New Delhi is the Principal sitting of the NGT. 

 · While it also has four other places of Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai. 

 Structure: 

· It consists of Chairperson, Judicial Members and Expert Members 

 · The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the CJI.

 · A selection committee will be formed by the Central Government to appoint the Judicial Members and Expert Members. 

 · There should be at least 10 and maximum 20 full time Judicial and Expert Members.

 Tenure: 

· The chairperson and the members of the NGT can hold the office for the term of 5 years or till the age of 65 whichever is earlier.

 · They are not eligible for the re-appointment. 

 Powers & Jurisdiction:

 · It has jurisdiction over all civil cases relating to the environment. · It has appellate jurisdiction to hear appeal as a court.

 · It is not bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908.

 · An order/decision given by the NGT is executable as a decree of the civil court.

NDMA & SDMA 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-2-Polity 

 Why in News? 

Both NDMA & SDMA are playing an important role in floods of different states in our country. 

 National Disaster Management Authority: 

 · It is a statutory body which is created under Disaster Management Act in the year 2005. 

 Composition: 

 · It consists of chairperson and other members.

 · The members of NDMA should not exceed nine. 

 · Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson who designates one of the members as vice-chairperson.

 · The vice-chairperson should have the status of Cabinet Minister.

 · Other members are also nominated by the chairperson only. 

 · The other members have the status of Minister of state. 

 · The NDMA works under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. 

 Purpose:

 · The main purpose of NDMA is to coordinate the response for the disasters (either natural or man-made) 

 · It lay down policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management.

 · It encourages mitigation measures based on technology and traditional wisdom. 

 · It lay guidelines to be followed by SDMA while planning the State Plan. 

 SDMA and DDMA:

· Every State Government must contain SDMA.

· It consists of a chairperson and other members whose count should not exceed nine.

 · Chief Minister is the ex-officio member of SDMA. 

 DDMA:

 · Every State government should establish DDMA in every district of the state. 

 · It consists of a chairperson and other members whose count should not exceed seven. 

 · District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner of the district is qualified as the ex-officio chairperson of DDMA.

Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-2-Important Policies 

Why in News?

Mera Gaon Meri Dharhor has been launched yesterday at Qutub Minar 

 Mera Gaon Meri Dharhor: 

 · It is initiated to create a comprehensive virtual platform. 

 · The platform will connect people with diverse cultural heritage of the India’s villages.

 · It is headed by the Ministry of Culture under the National Mission on Cultural Mapping.

 · Ministry of Culture will further work in coordination with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.

· IGNCA is expert in cultural mapping and preservation.

 · IGCNA plays an important role in ensuring the accuracy and authenticity of the information. 

 Objectives:

· Its main objective is to culturally map the India’s vast network of villages. 

 · To showcase and preserve the rich cultural diversity and vibrant traditions present in the rural communities. 

 · It wants to show the hidden treasures of Indian culture and heritage. 

 · The above-mentioned objectives will be achieved with three interlinked programmes. 

They are: a) Sanskritik Prathiba Khoj b) Hamari Sanaskriti Hamari Pahachan Abhiyan c) National Cultural Workplace

Important Points:

 · The cultural mapping will function at three levels. They are: 

 1. National Directories of artists and living human treasures of cultural industries. 

 2. Creation of National Digital Inventories

 3. Evolve policies towards the preservation of art practices and develop welfare schemes for their practitioners.

International Tiger Day 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Environment & Ecology

Why in News?

· July 29^th is celebrated as the International Tiger Day

· It was celebrated for the first time in the year 2010. 

 · It was initiated during the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit.

 · Its main purpose is to bring attention of the drastic decline in wild tigers population.

 · This year International Tiger Day will be celebrated without any specific theme.

 Tigers: 

 • IUCN: Endangered

 • CITES: Appendix I

 • WPA: Schedule I 

 Government Initiatives:

 • Establishment of National Tiger Conservation Authority. 

 • Launch of Project Tiger in 1973. 

• India is among the 13 countries with Tiger Reserves which aimed to double the population of tigers by 2022. 

 • India has achieved the doubling of the Tiger population by the year 2018, 4 years ahead of the target. 

 • There are 51 Tiger reserves and 2,967 tigers approximately in our country. 

 Project Tiger: 

• It was initiated in 1973 from the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.

• It is a centrally sponsored scheme which works under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

 • National Tiger Conservation Authority is the implementing Authority.

Batagaika Crater

Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Environment & Ecology

Why in News?

The Batagaika Crater has been expanding due to the thawing of the permafrost.

 Batagaika Crater:

 · It is the world’s largest permafrost crater which is one kilometer long

 · It is located in Sakha Republic, Russia.

 · Scientists believe that the crater is formed as a result of the melting permafrost land.

 · That permafrost land was frozen during the Quaternary Ice Age 2.5 million year ago. 

 · This crater was started to form when the surrounding forests was cleared in the year 1960. 

 · Then the permafrost began to melt which caused the land to sink. 

 · It is also known as the gateway to the underworld. 

 · It is produced by: a) Raising Air Temperatures b) Warming Climate c) Anthropogenic Impact 

 Important Points:

 · This crater holds clues to the prehistoric life on the Earth.

 · The exposed ice and soil along the crater could hold up to 200,000 years of both geological and biological history. 

 Permafrost:

· It is nothing but any ground that stays frozen.

 · Its temperature should be zero degrees or lower for at least two years. 

 · They are permanently frozen ground which is composed of soil, rocks and sand that are held together by ice.

 · They are found in the Arctic regions like: a) Greenland b) Alaska c) Canada d) Russia e) Eastern Europe

· Permafrost areas are not always covered with snow but the ground remains perennially frozen

Conjunctivitis 

 Syllabus: GS Paper-3-Science & Technology 

Why in News?

AIIMS has been witnessing 100 conjunctivitis patients in a day 

 Conjunctivitis: 

· It is also known as Pink Eye.

 · It is an infection or inflammation of the transparent membrane which cover the eye lid and eye ball. 

 · This membrane is known as Conjunctiva. 

 · Whenever a small blood vessels in the conjunctiva has swollen or irritated the whites of the eye will appear in pink colour.

 Causes:

· It is caused by viruses, bacteria or even by allergies.

 · The bacterial and viral conjunctivitis are contagious.

 · The allergic conjunctivitis are not contagious.

 Transmission: 

 · It is transmitted through direct or indirect contact. 

 · Direct transmission includes cough, sneeze, hand-to-eye contact. 

 · Indirect transmission includes shared personal items like towels, makeup, pillows etc.

 Symptoms: · Redness · Swelling · Itching · Watery eyes etc.

Questions

1.Consider the following statements regarding NGT:

 Statement-I: The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the CJI.

 Statement-II: The tenure of chairperson is 3 years or till the age of 65 whichever is earlier. 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

2.Consider the following statements regarding NDMA and SDMA: 

 1. It is an executive body which is formed in the year 2005. 

 2. Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of NDMA 

 3. NDMA lay guidelines to be followed by SDMA while planning the State Plan 

 How many of the above statements are correct?

 a) Only One 

 b) Only two 

 c) Only three

 d) None

3.Consider the following statements regarding Meri Gaon Meri Dharhor: 

 1. It works under the Ministry of Culture 

 2. It creates a virtual platform which connects people with diverse cultural heritage of the India’s villages

 Which of the above statements are incorrect?

 a) Only 1 

 b) Only 2 

 c) Both 1&2

 d) Neither 1 nor 2

4.Consider the following statements regarding Tigers:

 Statement-I: July 29^th is celebrated as the International Tiger Day

 Statement-II: The theme of the International Tiger Day, 2023 is Their Survival is in our hands 

 Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? 

 a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I. 

 c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect 

 d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

5.Consider the following statements regarding Permafrost: 

 1. The temperature of the Permafrost should be zero degrees or lower for at least two years. 

 2. Permafrost is always covered with the snow 

 Which of the above statements are correct? 

 a. Only 1 

 b. Only 2

 c. Both 1&2

 d. Neither 1 nor 2

6.Consider the following statements regarding Conjunctivitis:

 1. It is caused by virus and bacteria only. 

 2. The bacterial and viral conjunctivitis are contagious. 

 3. It is also known as Red Eye 

 How many of the above statements are correct? 

 a) Only One

 b) Only two 

 c) Only three

 d) None

Comment the answers below.