DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
1 – Details of the New Species and New Records 2023: GS III – Environmental Conservation-related issues
Context:
- Recently, Animal Discoveries – New Species and New Records 2023 was published by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
Discovered species include:
- Miniopterus phillipsi, a long-fingered bat, and Glischropus meghalayanus, a bamboo-dwelling bat, are two different species of bats that originate from the Meghalaya region.
- The Sela Pass inspired the name of the Sela monkey (Macaca selai), a new monkey species found in western and central Arunachal Pradesh.
- White-cheeked macaque Macaca leucogenys, first discovered in Modog, southeast Tibet, was first seen in India in West Siang, Arunachal Pradesh, in 2022.
- The yellow-rumped flycatcher, Ficedula zanthopygia, was discovered on Narcondam Island in the Andaman archipelago last year after being previously recorded from Mongolia, Transbaikal, southern China, Korea, and western Japan.
Regional Distribution:
- Kerala was the state with the most new discoveries, accounting for 14.6% of all new species and records.
- Karnataka came in second place with 13.2%.
- Tamil Nadu’s share was 12.6%.
- 4% came from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- West Bengal contributed 7.6% of the findings.
- From Arunachal Pradesh, 5.7%.
About the Indian Zoological Survey:
- By order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) was established in 1916.
- It is a leading body in India for zoological research and studies to support the cataloguing, exploring, and investigation of the fauna in the nation.
Source – The Hindu
2 – Lord Lansdowne and Jaswant Singh: GS I – Modern Indian History
Context:
- The charming hill town in Uttarakhand will now be known as Jaswantgarh in honour of Rifleman Jaswant Singh, Maha Vir Chakra, who won the war in 1962. This decision was made by the Lansdowne Cantonment Board.
Regarding Lord Lansdowne:
- Fifth Marquess of Lansdowne Henry Charles Keith Petty-Firzmaurice, also known as Lord Lansdowne, was a British politician who led India as Viceroy from 1888 until 1894.
- Later on, Lord Lansdowne held the position of Governor General of Canada.
- In the UK, he also held the positions of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Secretary of State for War.
- The Manipur Rebellion of 1891 and the perpetuation of the Hindu-Muslim division through the divide and rule strategy are what made Lord Lansdowne more well-known in India.
About Jaswant Singh:
- For his participation in the Battle of Nuranang on November 17, 1962, in the North-East Frontier Agency (now Arunachal Pradesh) against the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China, Rifleman Jaswant Singh received the Maha Vir Chakra.
- Jaswant Singh fought at a position known as Jaswantgarh, and a monument honouring his valour has been built there.
Source – The Hindu
3 – About In–Fn Maritime Partnership: GS II – International Relations
Context:
- Recently, India and France took part in the Maritime Partnership Exercise.
Key information:
- The guided missile destroyer INS Rana and the offshore patrol ship INS Sumedha of the Indian Navy participated in a maritime partnership exercise (MPX) with the French Navy in the Bay of Bengal.
Source – The Hindu
4 – Ashadha Purnima: GS I – Indian Culture
Context:
- The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) will commemorate Ashadha Purnima at the National Museum tomorrow under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.
About Ashadha Purnima:
- According to the Indian lunar calendar, the holiday, also known as Guru Purnima, occurs on the full moon day of the Ashadha month every year.
- The day is also observed in Thailand’s Asanha Bucha and Esala Poya in Sri Lanka.
- The day is honoured for the first lesson Gautam Buddha gave to his first five ascetic followers (pancavargiya) at Risipatana Mrigadaya’s “Deer Park” in modern-day Sarnath, close to Varanasi.
International Buddhist Confederation information:
- The largest confederation of Buddhists is the International Buddhist Confederation, which has its headquarters in Delhi.
- Lama Lobzang is the creator of the International Buddhist Confederation.
- This association is referred to as the first one to bring together Buddhists from all around the world.
Source – The Hindu
5 – Maize Cultivation in India: GS III – Indian Agriculture
Context:
- In Punjab, kharif maize is still being sown, but no significant growth in the area under the crop is anticipated.
Regarding Maize:
- One of the most adaptable new crops, maize can grow in a wide range of agro-climatic situations.
- It is grown on about 150 million acres in about 160 nations with a diverse range of soil types, climates, biodiversity, and management techniques.
- It makes up 36% of the world’s grain production.
- The world’s highest productivity (> 9.6 t ha-1) and double the average (4.92 t ha-1) are both found in the USA.
- 43 t ha-1 is the average productivity in India.
Indian maize:
- In India, maize makes up around 9% of the country’s total food supply.
India’s principal wheat-growing states are:
- With 20.9%, Andhra Pradesh.
- 5%) Karnataka.
- Gujarat (9.9%).
- 1%) Maharashtra.
- Bihar (8.9%).
- (6.1%) Uttar Pradesh.
- Maldives (5.7%).
- (4.4%) Himachal Pradesh.
Uses:
- staple food for people.
- animal feed of high quality.
- Starch, oil, protein, alcoholic drinks, food sweeteners, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, film, textile, gum, packaging, and paper industries, among others, are only a few examples of the basic raw materials used as ingredients in hundreds of industrial goods.
Soil:
- Loamy sand to clay loam are only a few of the several types of soils where maize can be cultivated successfully.
- Higher production is thought to be possible with soils that have strong organic matter content, a high water-holding capacity, and a pH that is neutral.
- For the growing of maize, fields with adequate drainage should be chosen.
Production:
- In 2022–2023, maize production is anticipated to be 35.91 million tonnes (3rd Advance Estimate).
- 4% of the world’s maize is produced in India.
Exports:
- In 2022–2023, the nation exported 3,453,680.58 MT of maize to other countries.
Important exporting countries (2022-23):
- Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Nepal, and Malaysia.
Major states that produce maize:
Nutritive worth:
- Depending on the variety, maize has between 10% and 15% protein.
- Fibre is present in adequate amounts in maize.
- Ubiquinone, vitamin E, and phytosterols are present in sufficient amounts in maize.
Climate:
- As a tropical plant, maize thrives in hot, humid conditions.
- The germination temperature for maize is 21 °C.
- The ideal amount of rainfall for its growth is between 500 and 750 mm.
Season:
- In India, maize is farmed during all three seasons.
- The seasons of Rabi and spring are when agriculture produces its best results.
How will the current situation be improved by growing maize during the kharif season?
- This is due to the fact that maize is regarded as one of the greatest substitutes for the water-intensive paddy crop.
- In Punjab, maize is grown twice a year:
- In June and early July, the spring crop is harvested, and
- The kharif crop, which is thought to be the primary maize crop in the state, is planted at the same time as paddy and lasts for a similar amount of time.
- Kharif maize requires a lot less water than spring maize because it is sown in the rainy season as opposed to the long, hot, and dry days of May to June when spring corn needs a lot of water.
Problems with increasing the area planted with maize:
- Compared to rice, maize produces less crop per unit of land.
- Compared to paddy, farmers realise a lower price.
- Since maize cannot compete with paddy in terms of yield, price, and procurement, there is no compelling reason for farmers to expand the area planted with the crop.
Moving ahead:
- If the government approves the plan, sunflower and summer moong can be grown during the summer.
- The ideal substitutes for spring maize as the third crop are summer moong and sunflower because Punjab requires both pulses and oilseeds.
- These crops should be promoted since they use less water and enhance soil health.
The area planted with maize should be expanded throughout the kharif season by:
- creating high-quality seed.
- offering a greater MSP than paddy.
- supporting the use of state-produced maize by the maize industries in Punjab.
- Because farmers themselves desire to migrate away from paddy, even if the government purchases maize for a year, the area under the crop will grow automatically.
Source – The Hindu
