< Daily Current Affairs & Important Editorials

Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP)

GS- II >> Governance>> Government Scheme

Context: Tiriyani Block of Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district, Telangana and Kaushambi Block of Kaushambi District, Uttar Pradesh secured 1st and 2nd ranks respectively in the first delta ranking.

• Delta Ranking captures incremental change in blocks ranked based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) categorized into five themes.

About Aspirational Blocks Programme (ABP):

• Launched in January 2023 by NITI Aayog, ABP is built on the success of the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP).
• It focuses on improving governance to enhance the quality of life of citizens in the most difficult and relatively underdeveloped blocks of India.
• 500 blocks from 7 states and 4 UTs are part of the programme.
• Each block is expected to focus on monitoring key socio-economic indicators categorized under major themes:
  • Health and Nutrition;
  • Education;
  • Agriculture and allied services;
  • Basic infrastructure;
  • Social development.
• Programme strategy includes:
  • Convergence (of Central and state Schemes)
  • Collaboration (between NITI Aayog, Central Ministries, State Departments, District and block Administration)
  • Competition among blocks driven by a spirit of mass Movement
• Programme identifies block officials as ‘leaders of change’, who work under the guidance of their respective state and district administrations to achieve their defined strategies and output.

Source: pib.gov.in

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

GS- II >> International Relations >> International Bodies

Context: 10 December 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

• The chosen theme for the 2023 celebrations is ‘Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All’.

About Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):

• It is a document that acts like a global road map for freedom and equality protecting the rights of every individual, everywhere.
• The declaration isn’t a treaty and isn’t legally binding in itself, but the principles it sets out have been incorporated into many countries’ laws and it is viewed as the basis for international human rights law.
• It was the first-time countries agreed on the freedoms and rights that deserve universal protection in order for every individual to live their lives freely, equally and in dignity.
• UN General Assembly in 1948 approved the UDHR at a meeting in Paris laying one of the foundation stones of the international order that emerged following the horrors of World War II.
• A formal drafting committee was chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, and consisted of members of the new Commission on Human Rights from eight countries, selected to reflect geographical distribution.
• The declaration consists of a preamble and 30 articles setting out fundamental rights and freedoms.
• The declaration says that ‘all are equal before the law’ and that everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal. And it says that everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
• The declaration enshrines the rights to freedom of religion; to freedom of opinion and expression; and to freedom of peaceful assembly. And it says that everyone has the right to education.
• Fundamental Rights, Preamble, Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Duties of the Constitution of India reflects the principles and provisions of the UDHR.

Source:  indianexpress.com

Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)

GS- III >> Environment >> Climate Change

Context: In a significant stride towards sustainable practices, India has ascended to the 7th position in this year’s Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI).

About Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI):

• It is an instrument to enable transparency in national and international climate politics.
• It is published by German watch, the New Climate Institute and the Climate Action Network annually.
• It was first published in 2005.
• The CCPI uses a standardized framework to compare the climate performance of 63 countries and the EU, which together account for over 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The climate protection performance is assessed in four categories: GHG Emissions, Renewable Energy, Energy Use and Climate Policy.

Key highlights of the report:

• Denmark retained the top spot with a score of 75.59 per cent. Estonia and the Philippines occupied the second and third ranks respectively, with 72.07 and 70.70.
• Saudi Arabia was at the bottom i.e., 67^th in the performance list, while the host country United Arab Emirates occupied the 65th position.
• India receives a high ranking in the GHG Emissions and Energy Use categories, but a medium in Climate Policy and Renewable Energy, as in the previous year.
• India is trying to meet its National Determined Contribution (NDC), with clear long-term policies in place that focus on promoting renewable energy and providing financial support for domestic manufacturing of renewable energy components.
• India has relatively high taxes on petrol and diesel, which are intended to act as carbon taxes.

Source: newsonair.gov.in

Seagulls

GS- III >> Environment >> Flora & Fauna

Context: Seagulls fly over the Yamuna on a smoggy winter’s day in New Delhi.

About Seagulls:

• Seagulls are seabirds, typically medium to large in size, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings.
• Gulls nest in large, densely packed, noisy colonies.
• The gulls have a worldwide cosmopolitan distribution. They breed on every continent, including the margins of Antarctica, and are found in the high Arctic as well.
• There is no marked dimorphism among male and female seagulls.
• Gulls are resourceful, inquisitive, and intelligent, the larger species in particular, demonstrating complex methods of communication and a highly developed social structure.
• They not only learn behaviour that proves successful but will educate their young to do so too, especially when it comes to food sources.
• The black-headed gull, a dark-headed bird with crimson legs, breeds in Eurasia and Iceland, winters south in India and the Philippines, and commonly feeds in fields, where its chief food is insects.
• Seagulls are migratory birds that can be spotted in the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary of Andhra Pradesh. The mangrove wetland also known as Krishna mangroves is famous for Seagulls in India.
• Seagulls can drink both fresh and salt water.
• Most animals are unable to do this, but seagulls have a special pair of glands right above their eyes which is specifically designed to flush the salt from their systems through openings in the bill.

Source: www.alamy.com

Green Turtle

GS- III >> Environment >> Flora & Fauna

Context: Rising global temperatures could expand the nesting range of green turtles in the Mediterranean Sea, with a potential increase of over 60% points.

• A study in Scientific Reports suggests that, under the worst-case climate scenario, nesting areas may extend westward, covering much of the North African, Italian, and Greek coastlines.

About Green Turtle:

• Size and herbivorous diet: Green turtles are one of the largest sea turtles and unique as herbivores among various species.
• Color basis: Named for the greenish hue of their cartilage and fat, not their shells. In the Eastern Pacific, those with darker shells are locally referred to as black turtles.
• Habitat: Primarily inhabit tropical and subtropical waters.
• Migration patterns: Like other sea turtles, green turtles migrate extensively, traveling long distances between feeding grounds and their hatching beaches.
• Conservation status: Classified as endangered due to various threats.
• Threats:
• Overharvesting of Eggs: Eggs are targeted and collected excessively.
• Adult Hunting: Adults are hunted.
• Fishing Gear Incidents: Often caught unintentionally in fishing gear.
• Loss of Nesting Sit: Threatened by the diminishing availability of nesting beach sites.

Source: www.thehindu.com