Faculty and staff members from across 24 Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) institutions have written to the Minister of Education expressing concern over the delay in implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission revised pay scales, eight years after the announcement by the Centre.
About Central Pay Commission:
It is a body set up by the Central government that reviews and recommends changes to the salary structure of the employees. It also reviews the bonuses, allowances and other benefits of the employees.
It recommends changes for central government employees and pensioners as well as the defense forces.
Pay commissions are usually constituted every 10 years.
The first pay commission was set up in 1946.
Since Independence, a total of seven pay commissions have been formed.
The latest pay commission was set up in 2014.
It is not mandatory for the government to accept its recommendations. .
The Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance is responsible for the implementation of the recommendations of the Central Pay Commission.
Indian Council of Social Science Research:
It was established in the year of 1969 by the Government of India to promote research in social sciences in the country on the recommendation of Prof. V. K. R. V. Rao Committee.
It is an autonomous organization funded by the Ministry of Education.
It provides grants for projects, fellowships, international collaboration, capacity building, survey, publications etc. to promote research in social sciences in India.
It aims to:
Review the progress of social science research and give advice to its users
Sponsor social science research programmes and projects and administer grants to institutions and individuals for research in social sciences
International Relations
Topic: Oceania
2. Papua New Guinea
Why in the news?
Papua New Guinea has the third-largest rainforest in the world, but it is facing a serious crisis. Illegal logging activities are harming the environment, causing human rights violations, and leading to widespread corruption.
At the just-concluded 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, local environmental groups from Papua New Guinea raised these urgent issues and called for international action to stop illegal logging that is damaging one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.
About Papua New Guinea:
It is an island country in Oceania that lies in the south-western Pacific.
It includes the eastern half of New Guinea (the world’s second largest island) and many small offshore islands.
Its neighbors include Indonesia (west), Australia (south) and Solomon Islands (southeast).
Its capital is Port Moresby.
It has mainly mountainous terrain but there are low-lying plains in southern New Guinea.
The islands that constitute Papua New Guinea were settled over a period of 40,000 years by a mixture of peoples who are generally referred to as Melanesians.
English is the main language of government and commerce. Linguistically, it is the world's most diverse country, with more than 800 languages.
The majority of Papua New Guinea’s people are at least nominally Christian.
Government:
Papua New Guinea achieved independence in 1975.
It is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the Commonwealth.
The British monarch, represented by a governor-general, is head of state, and the Prime Minister is head of government.
Convention on Biological Diversity:
It was opened for signature in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio Earth Summit). It entered into force in December 1993.
The first session of the COP was held in 1994 in the Bahamas.
Its secretariat is located at Montreal, Canada.
It has been ratified by 196 nations, making it one of the most widely adopted international treaties.
The USA is the only UN member state that has not ratified the convention.
It has 3 main objectives;
The conservation of biological diversity
The sustainable use of the components of biological diversity
The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
Its governing body is the Conference of the Parties (COP), which meets every 2 years.
Geography
Topic: Disaster Management
3. Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)
Why in the news?
Glacial lakes and other water bodies across the Himalayan region saw a 10.81% increase in area from 2011 to 2024 due to climate change, signalling a heightened risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), according to a government report of the Central Water Commission (CWC) report. It states that with a 33.7% expansion of the surface area, the lakes in India experienced an even more substantial rise.
About Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs):
These are a type of catastrophic floods that occur when the dam containing a glacial lake fails, releasing a large volume of water.
These are typically caused by rapid melting of glaciers or the buildup of water in the lake due to heavy precipitation or the inflow of meltwater.
In February 2021, Chamoli district in Uttarakhand witnessed flash floods which are suspected to have been caused by GLOFs.
These floods can be triggered by a number of factors, including:
changes in the volume of the glacier
changes in the water level of the lake
earthquakes
According to NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority), glacial retreat due to climate change occurring in most parts of the Hindu Kush Himalayas has given rise to the formation of numerous new glacial lakes, which are the major cause of GLOFs.
Central Water Commission (CWC):
It is a premier Technical Organization of India in the field of Water Resources.
It is presently functioning as an attached office of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India.
Functions:
It is entrusted with the general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation of the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country, for the purpose of flood control, irrigation, navigation, drinking water supply and water power development.
It also undertakes the investigations, construction and execution of any such schemes as required.
It is headed by a Chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India.
Its work is divided among 3 wings namely, Designs and Research (D&R) Wing, River Management (RM) Wing and Water Planning and Projects (WP&P) Wing.
Each wing is placed under the charge of a full-time Member with the status of Ex-Officio Additional Secretary to the Government of India.
Environment and Ecology
Topic: Protected Areas
4. Dudhwa National Park
Why in the news?
The discovery of two rare snake species has underscored the ecological richness of the Dudhwa National Park, exciting conservationists and researchers alike. Among the recent findings is the Painted Keelback, last documented in Uttar Pradesh over a century ago, and a brown vine snake, which had never been seen before in the park's forests.
About Dudhwa National Park:
It is a national park in the Terai belt of marshy grasslands in northern Uttar Pradesh.
It stretches over an area of 490.3 sq. km., with a buffer zone of 190 sq. km.
It is part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in the Kheri and Lakhimpur districts.
The area of today's Dudhwa National Park was established in 1958 as a wildlife sanctuary for swamp deer.
It was designated as a national park in 1977 by the efforts of Billy Arjan Singh.
In 1987, Dudhwa National Park together with Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve named Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.
Like most of northern India, it experiences humid subtropical climate with dry winters.
The area of the park falls within the Upper Gangetic plains.
It is home to one of the finest forests in India, some of these trees are more than 150 years old and over 21 m. tall.
Tigers, hispid hare, Indian rhinoceros, swamp deer, sambar, barking deer, spotted deer, hog deer, sloth bear, honey badger, jackal, jungle cat, fishing cat. leopard cat, barasingha etc. are commonly found here.
Topic: Statutory Bodies
5. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
Why in the news?
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change has constituted a team to investigate the death of ten elephants in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh. The team is conducting an independent enquiry in the matter.
About Wildlife Crime Control Bureau:
It is a statutory multi-disciplinary body established by the Government of India to combat organized wildlife crime in the country.
It was constituted by amending the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
It functions under the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Its headquarter is located at New Delhi.
Under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, it is mandated:
To collect and collate intelligence related to organized wildlife crime activities and to disseminate the same to State and other enforcement agencies for immediate action so as to apprehend the criminals.
To establish a centralized wildlife crime data bank.
To assist foreign authorities and international organizations concerned to facilitate coordination and universal action for wildlife crime control.
In capacity building of the wildlife crime enforcement agencies for scientific and professional investigation into wildlife crimes and assist State Governments to ensure success in prosecutions related to wildlife crimes;
It advises the Government of India on issues relating to wildlife crimes having national and international ramifications, relevant policy and laws.
It also assists and advises the Customs authorities in inspection of the consignments of flora & fauna as per the provisions of Wild Life Protection Act, CITES and EXIM Policy governing such an item.
It has developed an online Wildlife Crime Database Management System to get real time data in order to help analyze trends in crime and devise effective measures to prevent and detect wildlife crimes across India.
This system has been successfully used to analyse trends, helping put in preventive measures as well as for successfully carrying out operations such as Operation SAVE KURMA, THUNDERBIRD, WILDNET, LESKNOW, BIRBIL, THUNDERSTORM, LESKNOW-II
Topic: Protected Areas
6. Gorumara National Park
Why in the news?
Three joint forest management committees (JFMCs), which comprise residents of villages located on the fringes of the Gorumara National Park, have donated a portion of their earnings to the state forest department to hire three SUVs so that additional teams can be formed to mitigate man-animal conflicts in their areas.
Man-animal conflicts are currently controlled by teams composed of personnel of wildlife squads and guards of the forest department’s ranges and beats.
About Gorumara National Park
It is a national park in northern West Bengal, India.
Located in the Dooars region of the Himalayan foothills, it is a medium-sized park with grasslands and forests.
It was established in 1992.
It is primarily known for its population of Indian rhinoceros.
It is located in the Eastern Himalayas' submontane Terai belt.
It is located on the flood plains of the Murti River and Raidak River. The major river of the park is the Jaldhaka river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra river system.
In this regard, Gorumara is a significant watershed area between the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems.
The park is very close to Jaldapara National Park and Chapramari Wildlife Reserve.
Joint Forest Management:
It is a community-based approach to forest conservation and management in India.
In a shift from traditional state-centric forest management in the country, this initiative envisages active participation of the local communities in the protection and sustainable use of forest resources.
It was initiated in the context of the National Forest Policy of 1988 wherein state forest departments support local forest dwelling and forest fringe communities to protect and manage forests and share the costs and benefits from the forests with them.
It gives a definite share with respect to final and intermittent products from the regenerated forest areas.
These shares are much more than what was available to these members under their traditional entitlement under the original forests on revenue settlement.
Village-level Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) lie at the core of the implementation of this initiative.
Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs):
They represent democratic institutions at the village level.
The Forest Departments and the Village Communities are partners in the village-level Committees.
The General Body of the Committee consists of all willing adult members of villages and is chaired by the President who is elected by consensus on majority vote.
They are also known by different names in different States, such as Forest Protection Community (FPC), Village Forest Committee (VFC), Van Sanrakshan Samiti (VSS) etc.
They take up various activities related to conservation, protection, afforestation of different models, nursery raising, soil and moisture conservation work, awareness generation, management entry point activities, forest protection, livelihood improvement and development of forests.
Economy
Topic: Public Sector Undertakings
7. Coal India Limited (CIL)
Why in the news?
Continuing to meet India’s coal requirement and bolstering the energy sector, the state owned Coal India Limited (CIL) stepped into its 50th year of inception on 1st November 2024.
From 89 Million Tonne (MT) production during 1975-76, the year CIL was formed, the Maharatna coal behemoth under the Ministry of Coal ended FY 2024 with 773.6 MT output – an 8.7 fold growth. With 80% of its entire supplies directed to coal based power plants at highly competitive rates CIL plays a key role in enabling the citizens to get power at a just price.
About Coal India Limited (CIL):
It is an Indian public sector undertaking and the largest government-owned coal producer in the world.
It came into being on 1st November 1975 as an apex holding company of the nationalized coking coal (1971) and non-coking mines (1973).
It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Coal, Government of India.
It is headquartered in Kolkata.
It accounts for around 82% of the total coal production in India.
It was conferred the Maharatna status by the Government of India in 2011, making it one of the seven with that status.
As of October 2015, CIL is a PSU owned by the Central Government of India which controls its operations through the Ministry of Coal.
It ranks 8th among the top 20 firms responsible for a third of all global carbon emissions.
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