- Assam: Padma Awards
- Rice Variety in Assam
- Chinar Aadhaar
- Post Tb fungal disease in Assam
- Biodiversity Heritage Sites
- Central Bank Digital Currency
- Wetland Accredited Cities
- Guidance on Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) report
- Prelims Factual
Assam: Padma Awards
Satrriya dance exponent Jatin Goswami has been bestowed with the Padma Bhushan for contributing to the Arts.
- Furthermore, Anil Kumar Boro and Gita Upadhyay have been conferred with the Padma Shri for their contributions to literature and education, respectively.
- Joynacharan Bathari and Reba Kanta Mahanta have also been honoured with the Padma Shri for their exceptional achievements in the art.
- Other awardees from the region include Arunoday Saha (Tripura, Literature and Education), David R. Syiemlieh (Meghalaya, Literature and Education), Jumde Yomgam Gamlin (Arunachal Pradesh, Social Work), and L. Hangthing (Nagaland, Agriculture).
- Additionally, Naren Gurung (Sikkim, Art), Renthlei Lalrawna (Mizoram, Literature and Education), and Thiyam Suryamukhi Devi (Manipur, Art) have been recognised for their contributions too.
This year’s Padma Awards list included a total of 139 recipients, comprising seven Padma Vibhushan, 19 Padma Bhushan, and 113 Padma Shri awards. Among them, 23 are women, while the list also includes 10 individuals from the Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI category and 13 posthumous honourees.
Rice Variety
Salient Rice Varietal Achievements of Assam Agricultural University
High-Yielding Varieties
Semi-dwarf High-Yielding Varieties:
- Sali Rice: Ranjit, Bahadur, Kushal (4500-5500 kg/ha), Prafulla, Gitesh (5000-5500 kg/ha), Mahsuri (3500-4000 kg/ha).
- Ahu Rice: Govind, IR 50, Rasi, IR 36, Banglami, Rongdoria, Alu Joha, Marbee, Dimroo, Inglongkiri, Rongkhang.
- Aromatic and Glutinous Varieties: Ketaki Joha (2500-3000 kg/ha), Bakul Joha, Kola Joha, Aghoni, Bhogali.
Special Purpose Varieties
- Flood Tolerant: Ranjit Sub-1, Bahadur Sub-1, Swarna Sub-1, Bina Dhan 11 (tolerate submergence up to 14 days).
- Deep Water Rice: Padmapani, Panindra, Padmanath, Panchanan, Padumoni, Negheri, Kakua, Dholabadal, Maguri, Panikekuwa (2600-3000 kg/ha).
- Waterlogged Tolerant: Chakra Lahi, Diphlu, Dhansiri, Manah (tolerate up to 50 cm waterlogging, 46.6-51.1 quintals/ha).
- Drought Tolerant: DRR Dhan 44, DRR Dhan 46.
Other Notable Varieties
- Double Cropping: Numoli (130-135 days, 5000-5500 kg/ha).
- Low Input: Gandhari, Sankar.
- Purple Rice: Labanya (high nutritional value, medicinal benefits).
- Fine-grain Rice: Prachur, Shatabdi, Patkai (6000-6600 kg/ha for Prachur and Shatabdi, 5500-6000 kg/ha for Patkai).
- Flood-prone Areas: Luit, Kapilee, Disang (90-95 days, 3000-4000 kg/ha), Surma Dhan (140-145 days, 5500-6000 kg/ha).
Chinar Aadhaar
Kashmir’s majestic chinar trees, long considered a symbol of its cultural and natural heritage, face growing threats from urbanization and infrastructure projects. To preserve and monitor these iconic trees, the Jammu & Kashmir Forest Research Institute (JKFRI) has launched the ‘Digital Tree Aadhar’ initiative, providing each chinar tree with a unique digital identity. This ambitious project integrates technology to protect biodiversity, preserve cultural heritage, and raise awareness about these remarkable trees.
‘Digital Tree Aadhar’ Initiative
- Purpose: To monitor, protect, and manage the health of every chinar tree in Kashmir.
- Concept: Modeled after India’s Aadhaar system, every tree is assigned a unique ID
- Technology Used: Geo-tagging with Geographic Information System (GIS), Quick Response (QR) codes, and metal cards featuring barcodes for public scanning.
Religious Symbolism: Chinar trees are revered by both Hindus and Muslims, forming part of settings at shrines like Hazratbal and temples like Kheer Bhawani.
Origins: Introduced to Kashmir by Islamic preachers from Central Asia and Persia over 400 years ago.
Oldest Tree: A 700-year-old chinar in Budgam district, planted by Sufi saint Syed Qasim Shah, is the oldest recorded tree.
Mughal Legacy: Planted extensively in Srinagar’s Mughal gardens like Naseem Bagh, Nishat Bagh, and Shalimar Garden in the 16th century.
Post Tb fungal disease
TB has been a major public health issue in Assam’s tea belts.
The National TB Prevalence Survey of 2019-2021 showed that 217 per 1,00,000 population in tea belts are affected by TB.
Risk factors for TB in tea workers include poverty, poor nutrition, kitchen smoke, close contact with smear-positive patients, and living in congested environments.
Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CPA):
- CPA is a life-threatening fungal infection that strikes individuals with immunodeficiency.
- It is caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungus that thrives in damaged lungs.
- CPA is a chronic lung disease that often occurs in post-TB or active TB patients.
- CPA shares similar clinical features with tuberculosis.
Study Findings:
- A team of researchers from Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh conducted a study on CPA among tea workers.
- The study involved 128 patients visiting three tea garden hospitals and two referral hospitals in Dibrugarh district.
- The study found a CPA prevalence of 17.18%.
- CPA seropositivity was higher in post-TB patients (48.9%) compared to active TB patients (18.5%).
- The mean age of patients was 41.9, and males were more commonly affected by CPA (80 against 48 females).
Prevalence of CPA:
The study found that Assam’s high CPA prevalence of 60 cases per 1,00,000 people exceeds the global average of 42.
The scenario is worse than in African countries such as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the prevalence ranges from 20 to 50.
Biodiversity Heritage Sites
Tamil Nadu’s first BHS, Arittapatti (Madurai district) is rich in ecological & historical value, featuring megalithic structures, Tamil Brahmi inscriptions, 2,200-year-old rock-cut temples etc.
About Biodiversity Heritage Site (BHS)
- Definition: BHS are well defined areas that are unique, ecologically fragile ecosystems comprising of any one or more of the components (refer Infographic).
- First BHS in India: Nallur Tamarind Grove, Bengaluru (2007).
- Current Status: 47 BHS in India (as of Dec 2024).
- Legal Provision: Under Section 37 of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (BDA), State Government in consultation with local bodies may notify areas of biodiversity importance as BHS.
- State Government in consultation with Central Government may frame rules for management & conservation of BHS.
- Management: Biodiversity Management Committee (BMCs) or other appropriate institution as determined by relevant local body in absence of BMCs.
- Under the BDA, 2002, every local body in State shall constitute a BMC within its area for promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity.
Criteria for identification of BHS
- Natural, semi-natural, and man-made habitats, which together contain significant diversity of life forms.
- Areas that contain domesticated biodiversity component and /or representative agro-ecosystems with ongoing agricultural practices.
- Important cultural spaces such as sacred groves/trees and sites, or other large community conserved areas.
- Areas that provide refuge or corridors for threatened and endemic fauna and flora, such as community conserved areas or urban greens and wetlands.
- All kinds of legal land uses whether government, community or private land.
- Sites which are not covered under Protected Area network under Wildlife Protection Act 1972 as amended.
- Habitats for seasonal migrant species for feeding and breeding.
- Areas that are maintained as preservation plots by research wing of Forest department.
- Medicinal Plant Conservation Areas.
CBDC
- CBDC is the electronic version of the nation’s sovereign currency and is issued by respective country’s central bank.
- Unlike cryptocurrencies which is decentralised in nature.
Types of CBDC
- Wholesale CBDCs: Used by financial institutions & market participants for large-scale transactions, such as interbank transfers, securities settlements etc.
- Retail CBDCs: Used by retail consumers, public & business for making daily transactions. These are of 2 types:
- Token-based: Accessed using private & public keys, allowing for anonymous transactions.
- Account-based: Requires digital identification for users to access & use their accounts.
CBDC initiative in India – RBI’s e-Rupee (e₹)
- Genesis: Launched in 2022 by the Reserve Bank of India.
- Type: it is a digital version of the Indian rupee and is exchangeable one-to-one with the fiat currency.
- e₹ can be held and transacted through e₹ wallets offered by banks and non-banks for person-to-person payments or person-to-merchant transactions.
Wetland Accredited Cities
Indore and Udaipur have become the first two Indian cities to make it to the global list of accredited wetland cities under Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Indore: Sirpur Lake (Ramsar Site) recognised for water bird congregation and is being developed as a bird sanctuary.
Udaipur: Surrounded by five major wetlands, namely, Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Rang Sagar, Swaroop Sagar, and Doodh Talai.
About Wetland City Accreditation (WCA)
It is a voluntary Accreditation system that provides an opportunity for cities that value their natural or human-made wetlands to gain international recognition and positive publicity for their efforts.
It was approved at Uruguay in COP12 of Ramsar Convention (2015).
It is valid for 6 years, after which it must be renewed, providing that it continues to fill each of the 6 criteria (refer image).
Nominated Sites by India
- These are the first three Indian cities for which nominations have been submitted for Wetland City Accreditation (WCA). These three cities have been selected by MoEFCC based on proposals submitted by State Wetlands Authorities in collaboration with Municipal Corporations.
Indore: Founded by Holkars, Indore is the cleanest city in India and the recipient of India’s Smart City Award 2023 for its best sanitation, water, and urban environment.
- Sirpur Lake, a Ramsar Site in the city, has been recognised as an important site for water bird congregation and is being developed as a Bird Sanctuary.
- Yashwant Sagar is a Ramsar site located close to Indore.
- A strong network of more than 200 wetland mitras is engaged in bird conservation and sensitising local community to protect Sarus Crane.
Bhopal:Bhoj Wetland, Ramsar Site is the city’s lifeline, equipped with the world-class wetland’s interpretation centre, Jal Tarang.
Udaipur: Located in Rajasthan, the city is surrounded by five major wetlands, namely, Pichola, Fateh Sagar, Rang Sagar, Swaroop Sagar, and Doodh Talai.
Guidance on Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) report
- Report provides critical guidance on conserving land, water, and coastal areas through OECMs.
- OECMs term was first appeared in 2010 within Aichi Biodiversity Targets established by CBD. At CoP-14 in 2018, CBD adopted its official definition.
About OECMs
Definition: It is a geographically defined area other than Protected Areas (PAs).
- It is governed/ managed to achieve sustained long-term outcomes for in-situ conservation of biodiversity, with associated ecosystem functions and services and where applicable, cultural, spiritual, socio-economic, and other locally relevant values.
- Areas that are already established as PA or lie within PA should not also be identified/reported as OECMs.
- It is an important tool for achieving Target 3 of Global Biodiversity Framework, i.e., to conserve at least 30% of terrestrial, inland waters, and coastal and marine areas by 2030.
- It can be governed by a government agency, private group (e.g. NGO), Indigenous peoples, local communities or in a shared arrangement.
