DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
1 – Olive Ridley Turtles: GS III – Environmental Conservation related issues
Context:
- Olive Ridley pairs The annual mass nesting of this endangered marine species has started, with sea turtles first appearing in the waters around Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary on the coast of Odisha.
Olive Ridley Turtles: What Are They?
About:
- Of all marine turtles found worldwide, Olive ridleys are the smallest and most prevalent.
- Because of their olive-colored carapace, these turtles are carnivores.
- The Arribada mass nesting, in which a large number of females congregate to lay their eggs on the same beach, is what makes them most distinctive.
Habitat:
- They can be found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian seas’ warm waters.
- The largest sea turtle rookery (colony of breeding animals) in the world is thought to be located in Odisha’s Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
Defendant Status:
- Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972; vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
- Appendix I of CITES
Threats:
- They are frequently poached for human consumption in order to obtain their meat, eggs, shells, and leather.
- Marine Pollution and Waste: The habitats of sea turtles are being harmed by an ever-growing detritus of plastics, fishing nets, discarded nets, polythene, and other garbage dropped by visitors and fishery employees.
- Fishing Trawlers: The prohibition against fishing within 20 kilometres of a marine sanctuary is frequently broken by the overexploitation of marine resources through employment of trawlers.
- Many of the dead turtles had damage signs, suggesting they may have been caught in trawls or gill nets.
Measures taken to Preserve Olive Ridley Turtles:
Project Olivia:
- Initiated in the early 1980s, the Indian Coast Guard’s “Operation Olivia” assists in safeguarding Olive Ridley turtles each year as they gather along the coast of Odisha for breeding and nesting from November to December.
- Additionally, it stops illegal trawling operations.
Use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) is required:
- The Odisha government has made it essential for trawls to utilise Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), a net specially built with an exit cover that allows the turtles to escape while preserving the catch, in order to avoid accidental killing in India.
Tagging:
- In order to safeguard the species and its ecosystems, scientists tag endangered Olive Ridley turtles with non-corrosive metal tags. This allows them to track the turtles’ travels and identify the locations they frequent.
Source The Hindu
2 – Mumbai Trans Harbour Link: GS III – Infrastructure-related issues
Context:
- Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, recently examined the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link.
About MTHL:
- The 21.8 km, 6-lane, access-controlled Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, also known as the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour Link, is currently under development and will link Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, a satellite city of Mumbai.
Characteristics of the bridge:
- It will be the longest sea bridge in India when it is finished, ranking as the tenth longest sea bridge in the world.
- It is anticipated to ease traffic congestion, encourage economic growth, and cut the distance between Sewri and Chirle’s travel time to about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Savings on fuel, transportation expenses, and one hour of travel time.
- India’s first project with an open road tolling system.
- In India, orthotropic steel deck technology was employed for the first time.
Regarding the Open road toll system:
- It alludes to a technique for obtaining tolls from automobiles on roadways without having them to stop or slow down. Open-road tolling uses electronic sensors and cameras to recognise vehicles as they pass through designated tolling sites rather than conventional toll booths.
The technology used in orthotropic steel decks:
- It is a technique used in the construction of bridges and other constructions. Steel plates that are specifically made to be rigid and strong in one direction yet flexible in another are used. Due to its small weight, the steel deck can withstand heavy loads like cars.
Source The Hindu
3 – Shift to Cash Transfer: GS III – Indian Economy
Context:
- Due to difficulties retirees were having accessing their monies and technological concerns with the MBPY portal, the Odisha government decided to switch its Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY) from direct bank transfers to cash payouts at the Panchayat level.
- Dharmendra Pradhan, a Union Minister, has criticised the action and called it a step backward in the battle against corruption. Pensioners find it challenging to withdraw their funds in rural Odisha due to a weak banking infrastructure.
Source The Hindu
4 – Atal Bhujal Yojna: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions
Context:
- The Atal Bhujal Yojana’s National Level Steering Committee, which is led by the secretary of the Department of Water Resources, has chosen to extend the programme for an additional two years, until 2027, beyond 2025.
The Atal Bhujal Yojana’s (ABHY) main attributes are:
About:
- The Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY) is a government programme that aims to manage groundwater sustainably while including the local population.
Objective:
- It calls for citizen participation through the creation of “Water User Associations,” water budgeting, the creation and implementation of water security strategies at the gram-panchayat level, among other things.
- It encourages demand-side initiatives for water conservation and intelligent water management with the goal of bringing about behavioural changes in communities. It places a focus on using efficient water practises and lowering irrigation’s water demand.
Ministry:
- Department of Jal Shakti.
Funding:
- World Bank and the Indian government split the cost equally.
States taking part:
- Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
State selection criteria:
- Exploitation, degradation, tools of law and regulation, institutional preparation, and expertise in groundwater management programmes.
Areas of Focus:
- Places that are overused and water-stressed.
Interventions for water conservation:
- Demand-side measures, lowering irrigation water demands, and promoting efficient irrigation practises (mulching, drip/sprinkler irrigation, irrigation through pipelines, etc.).
Performance-based Rewards
- States that perform well may be given more incentive money.
Monitoring and Assessment:
- DLIs, or Disbursement Linked Indicators, are predetermined goals.
Source The Hindu
