Evening edition
Daily current affairs for UPSC, BPSC, State PCS and PSC exams.
Why in news?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed a high-level committee on demographic change to study population shifts in border districts, attributing them to illegal migration and other unnatural causes.
Key points
- Committee tasked with assessing demographic changes across India.
- Focus on border districts, metro cities, and industrial towns.
- Investigate population shifts due to illegal migration and other unnatural causes.
- Suggest measures to address challenges posed by these demographic changes.
- Committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar.
Background & context
Demographic change is considered a serious issue linked to national sovereignty, security, law and order, social structure, and tribal society preservation. Previous concerns have been raised about the impact of illegal immigration on the country's population dynamics.
★ Prelims fact capsule
The committee is headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar.
✎ Mains relevance
GS Paper II (Government Policies and Interventions), GS Paper III (Internal Security, Migration)
Why in news?
A central team from ICMR has reached Kozhikode to assess the Nipah infection situation after a 43-year-old man tested positive. Three high-risk contacts have tested negative.
Key points
- ICMR team arrived in Kozhikode to review the Nipah infection.
- Three close contacts of the infected person have tested negative.
- The infected person is on ventilator support and received monoclonal antibody.
- Officials are assessing the spread and considering containment measures.
- No large-scale spread is currently presumed; containment zone unlikely.
Background & context
The Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus that can cause severe illness in humans and animals. It was first identified in Malaysia in 1999. Outbreaks have occurred in India, particularly in Kerala, causing significant public health concern.
★ Prelims fact capsule
The infected person is undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode.
✎ Mains relevance
GS Paper II (Health), GS Paper III (Disaster Management, Science and Technology)
Why in news?
The Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board plans a statewide rollout of Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) outside traditional protected areas.
Key points
- APSBB aims to conserve biodiversity outside reserves and sanctuaries.
- OECMs are managed for other primary goals but deliver conservation as a byproduct.
- This aligns with the global '30x30' target for biodiversity conservation.
- OECMs offer a flexible alternative to formal Protected Areas, avoiding socio-economic conflicts.
- Planned OECMs include industrial greenbelts, urban micro-forests, and marine protection zones.
Background & context
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to protect 30% of the Earth's land and oceans by 2030 ('30x30' target). OECMs are recognized as vital tools to achieve this, complementing traditional protected areas.
★ Prelims fact capsule
OECMs can include industrial greenbelts, micro-forests in cities, and protection of marine breeding grounds.
✎ Mains relevance
GS Paper III (Environment and Ecology, Conservation)