Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 30th November 2024

Siberian Demoiselle Crane : Longest Migration

A Siberian Demoiselle crane, nicknamed Sukpak, has broken the record for the longest migratory flight to Rajasthan, India, covering over 3,676km.

• Siberian Demoiselle crane is the smallest of crane species which is both solitary and social in behavior.
• This bird is symbolically significant in the culture of India, where it is known as Koonj or Kurjaa.
• These cranes are migratory birds, travelling long distances from their breeding to their wintering grounds.
• It inhabits fields, deserts, steppes, and plains with water in general vicinity.
• They are found in Central Euro Siberia, ranging from the Black Sea to Mongolia and Northeast China.
• They breed in Central Eurasia, from the Black Sea to North East China and Mongolia. In winters, it breeds in the Indian subcontinent and sub-Saharan Africa.
• While Demoiselle cranes typically travel through Himalayan valleys and enter India via Nepal, Sukpak took a different route, flying through Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan before entering India through Jaisalmer.
• Khichan is a key stop for migratory birds in Rajasthan also it has become India’s first reserve dedicated to this species.
• Conservation status : IUCN: Least Concern
• Threats: They are threatened by drainage of wetlands and habitat loss, illegal pet trade and suffer hunting pressure.

Eklavya Digital Platform:

The chief of the Indian Army launched an online learning platform for the Indian Army nicknamed as “Eklavya”.

• Eklavya Digital Platform has been developed under the aegis of Headquarters Army Training Command with Army War College as the sponsor agency.
• The platform has been developed by the “Bhaskaracharya National Institute of Space Applications and Geoinformatics” (BISAG-N), Gandhinagar, along with support from the Directorate General of Information Systems.
• This platform has been hosted on the Army Data Networkand features a scalable architecture.
• This enables Headquarters Army Training Command to seamlessly integrate any number of training establishments of the Indian Army, each capable of hosting an extensive range of courses.
• This initiative aligns with the Indian Army propelling itself into the “Decade of Transformation” as envisioned by the COAS and also with Indian Army’s theme for 2024 as the “Year of Technology Absorption.”
• Student officers are permitted to register for multiple courses simultaneously.
• There are three categories of courses hosted
  • ‘Pre-Course Preparatory Capsules’: It has study material for all offline physical courses being conducted at various Category ‘A’ training establishments. The aim is to shift the “basics” to the online courses so that physical courses have more and more contemporary content with a focus on the “application part”.
  • Appointment or specific assignment-related courses: The courses in this category will also enable the officers to get domain specialisation in the field of their choice, which will further aid their employment planning.
  • Professional Development Suite: It will include courses on Strategy, Operational Art, Leadership, Organisational Behaviour, Finance, Art of Reading, Power Writing, Emerging Technology etc.
• The Eklavya also has the functionality of a searchable “Knowledge Highway”, wherein various journals, research papers and articles etc are uploaded under a single window.
• The platform will go a long way in encouraging continuous professional military education in the officers, decongest and enrich the existing physical course, preparing officers for specialist appointments and encouraging domain specialisation.

Rengma Naga Tribe : Festival Celebration

The Rengma Naga tribe concluded a two-day celebration of the Ngada festival-cum-Mini Hornbill Festival at the Tseminyu RSA ground in Nagaland recently.

• The Rengma Naga are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group inhabiting the Northeast Indian states of Nagaland and Assam.
• According to the 2011 Census of India, the population of Rengmas in Nagaland stands at 62,951 and the population of Rengmas in Assam is around 22,000.
• They call themselves by the names of “Njong” or “Injang”.
• They belong to the Mongoloid racial stock.
• It is believed that Rengmas, along with other Naga tribes, migrated from Southeast Asia across the Yunnan Mountain ranges and settled down in the upper Burma region.
• Slavery used to be practised among the Rengmas, and the slaves were most commonly known by the names menugetenyu and itsakesa.
• By the time the Britishers arrived in the Naga region, slavery was a declining practice, and no Rengma appears to have been a slave during that time.
• The Rengma tribes are agriculturalists.
• They grow paddy through Jhum cultivation and wet cultivation.
• Besides paddy staple crops, seasonal crops and fruits are also grown.
• Traditionally, Rengma tribes are worshippers of supernatural beings.
• Rengma Tribes celebrate a lot of seasonal festivals that are related to the agriculture.
• “Ngada” is the most important festival of Rengma tribes.

Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary:

The Earth Observation (EO) data of Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary revealed that while the settlements increased from 2000 to 2020 at or near the main temple area, a large area of dense forest was converted to open forest during the same period of time.

• Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Junagadh district of
• It spans the rugged terrain of the Girnar hills, which are a part of the Saurashtra region.
• It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2008.
• It is home to several endangered species, including the Asiatic lion.
• It serves as an extension of the Gir National Park’s lion population

Bar-Tailed Godwit : Spotted

Five bar-tailed godwits were spotted by a naturalist at Pulicat lake recently.

• Bar-Tailed Godwit is a migratory shorebird renowned for its extraordinary endurance during migration.
• Scientific Name: Limosa lapponica
• The bar-tailed godwit species is distributed in northern Europe and Asia, western Alaska, Africa, the Persian Gulf, India, southeast Asia, China and Australia.
• These godwit species breed in the Arctic region.
• In India, wintering bar-tailed godwit species are distributed in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Bar-tailed Godwits are the world record holders for non-stop flight.
• They have been recorded travelling 13,500 km from Alaska to Tasmania in only 11 days flying at an average of more than 50 km/h, losing almost half of their body weight along the way.
• They are quite large waders, with females being bigger than males.
• It is mainly mottled brown above and lighter and more uniform buff below.
• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

Biomedical Waste:

HIV epidemic and incidents like the “Syringe Tide” highlighted the hazards of improper biomedical waste disposal, prompting global and national reforms to safeguard public health and the environment.Mandated segregation of waste at the source into distinct categories.Use of color-coded containers (yellow, red, blue, white) for easy identification and handling.

ISKCON:

The Dhaka High Court declined a suo motu order to ban ISKCON in Bangladesh, citing government action already taken.International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Founder:C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Founded In: New York City, USA.Aim is to promote Krishna Consciousness and devotional service to Krishna as the Supreme Godhead.

Commissioner of Railway Safety:

India’s first vertical-lift Pamban Bridge aims to boost connectivity between Rameswaram and Tamil Nadu. However, safety concerns and planning lapses raised by the CRS have drawn scrutiny.Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) ensures the safety of rail travel and operations as outlined in the Railways Act, 1989.

Animal Quarantine and Certification Services:

Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) recently facilitated its first successful import of a pet under the Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) certification. Initiated during the Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969-70) under a central sector scheme by the Government of India.AQCS certification under central animal husbandry department.

Assessing Universal Basic Literacy in India:

the 79th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS), conducted between July 2022 and June 2023, revealed that 95.9% of individuals in India possess basic literacy and numeracy skills.The survey assesses the literacy and basic numeracy skills of Indians aged 15–29, focusing on reading, writing, and arithmetic abilities.In rural areas, 95.3% of individuals have basic literacy and numeracy skills, compared to 97.4% in urban areas.Specifically, 97.4% of rural males and 93.4% of rural females possess these skills, while in urban areas, 98% of males and 96.7% of females meet this standard.States like Mizoram (100%), Goa (99.9%), and Sikkim (99.9%) lead in literacy rates, while Bihar (91.9%) and Uttar Pradesh (92.3%) lag behind.

CCI Imposes Fine on Meta:

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed a penalty of Rs 213.14 crore on Meta for abusing its dominant position through WhatsApp’s 2021 privacy policy update.This ruling prohibits WhatsApp from sharing user data with other Meta companies for advertising purposes and mandates that user consent must be obtained for any data sharing.The CCI found that WhatsApp’s 2021 policy update forced users to accept expanded data collection terms without an option to opt out, constituting an unfair condition under the Competition Act.The new policy may enable commercial exploitation and political micro-targeting.The ruling mandates WhatsApp to provide clear explanations regarding data-sharing practices, enhancing transparency for users.

High-Altitude Sickness:

The recent death of a trekker from Kerala due to high-altitude sickness (HAS) or Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) while attempting to scale a peak in Uttarakhand has brought attention to the dangers of trekking in the mountains.Popular trekking routes often exceed 3,000 meters, increasing the risk of AMS among unacclimatised trekkers.High-altitude sickness occurs when individuals ascend rapidly to elevations above 2,400 meters, without adequate acclimatisation.As altitude rises, both air pressure and oxygen levels drop, causing hypoxia, which is a shortage of oxygen in the body’s tissues.Symptoms include headaches, nausea, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

Red Sea : In News

Seventeen foreign tourists are missing after a yacht capsized in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, amid warnings of turbulent sea conditions.The Red Sea is a major hub for international tourism, known for its diving spots and vibrant marine life. Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia.An inlet is a narrow strip of water that goes from a sea or lake into the land or between islands.Bordering Countries: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti.

OPEC + : In News

Crude oil prices stayed steady after an unexpected jump in US gasoline stock supplies and delaying of the OPEC + meeting on output policy.

• It is a group of 22 oil-exporting countrieswhich meets regularly to decide how much crude oil to sell on the world market.
• These nations aim to work together on adjusting crude oil production to bring stability to the oil market.
• These nations came to an accord towards the end of 2016 “to institutionalize a framework for cooperation between OPEC and non-OPEC producing countries on a regular and sustainable basis.”
• At the core of this group are the 12 members of OPEC(the Organization of the Oil Exporting Countries), which are mainly Middle Eastern and African countries.
• It comprises 12 OPEC countries plus Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mexico, Malaysia, South Sudan, Sudan and Oman.
• OPEC is a permanent intergovernmental organization of oil-exporting countries.
• It was established in 1960 by the five founding members Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.