Important Daily Facts of the Day

Tamil Nadu notifies Indias first Slender Loris sanctuary (GS Paper 3, Environment)

Why in news?

• Recently, Tamil Nadu government notified Kaduvur Slender Loris sanctuary covering 11,806 hectares in Karur and Dindigul districts. It is India's first ever Wildlife Sanctuary for Slender Loris.

 

What is Slender Loris?

• Slender Loris is a small nocturnal mammal that spends most of its life on trees.
• They act as biological predators of pests that harm agricultural crops and help farmers.
• The species has a wide range of ecological roles and importance in the terrestrial ecosystem.

 

IUCN status:

• Slender Loris is listed as an endangered species according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• The survival of the species depends on its habitat improvement, conservation efforts and mitigation of threats.

 

About Kadavur Slender Loris sanctuary:

• Realising the need for immediate conservation of this species, the State government identified forest areas measuring 11,800 hectares in Karur and Dindigul districts as important habitats.
• The Kadavur Slender Loris sanctuary is to cover Vedasandur, Dindigul East and Natham taluks in Dindigul district and Kadavur taluk in Karur district.

 

Background:

• Earlier in April, an announcement on the establishment of India’s first wildlife sanctuary for Slender Loris in the State was made in the Legislative Assembly.
• Subsequently, the government has notified 'Kadavur Slender Loris sanctuary' under Section 26 (A)(1)(b) of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

 

Conservation landmarks in Tamil Nadu:

• In significant steps towards conservation of wildlife, Tamil Nadu government notified India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay, Kazhuveli bird sanctuary in Villupuram and Nanjarayan Tank birds sanctuary in Tiruppur and the State’s fifth elephant reserve at Agasthyamalai in Tirunelveli.
• Further, 13 wetlands across the State were declared as Ramsar sites.
• These pathbreaking initiatives in a short span of 15 months have put Tamil Nadu at a pivotal position in the field of conservation.

 

Findings on Jal Jeevan Mission by Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer

(GS Paper 2, Governance)

Why in news?

• Nobel Laureate Michael Kremer finds that Jal Jeevan Mission, launched by Central government, will save lives of 1.36 lakh under 5 children every year. However, this will require that water delivered through JJM is free from microbiological contamination.
• The Jal Jeevan Mission is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.

Key Highlights:

• Nearly 30 per cent infant deaths can be reduced if safe water is made available to families for drinking.
• The new-borns are susceptible to water ailments and survey undertaken during their research concluded that one in every four deaths, pertaining to children can be prevented with provision of safe water. Therefore, ‘HarGhar Jal’ programme plays a crucial role in improving health parameters especially among children.
• The Jal Jeevan Mission was not merely making water available in rural household, but also ensured that water supplied was of prescribed quality.
• Also, regular testing of water sources and end points were carried out through water testing laboratory and community surveillance using Field Test Kits (FTKs).
• Water treatment is cost-effective way to reduce diarrheal disease and child mortality.

 

How water treatment is related to reduction in under-5 mortality?

• As per the latest paper; ‘Potential Reduction in Child Mortality Through Expanding Access to Safe Drinking Water in India’ by Michael Kremer, he said that in 2019, at the inception of JJM, more than 50 per cent of the population did not have access to safe drinking water.
• It stated that Diarrhea is the third most common responsible disease for under-five mortality in India.
• The water treatment is a cost-effective way to reduce diarrheal disesase and child mortality. It adds that a recent meta-analysis of 15 randomised controlled trials conducted by Kremer et al (2022) suggests that the expected reduction in all-cause under-5 mortality from water treatment is around one in four.
• Kremer’s study suggests that water treatment is among the most cost-effective ways to reduce child mortality. Which ultimately means that efforts to reach as many people as possible with safe water are likely to have very large net benefits.

 

About Michael Kremer:

• Michael Kremer, who won 2019 Nobel prize in economics.
• Prof. Michael Kremer is an American development economist who was jointly awarded Nobel prize in Economics in the year 2019 with Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.
• He had visited India in July 2022.

 

Way Forward:

• The study further suggests working with the Ministry and assisting the effort by testing possible solutions to water quality treatment to reduce child deaths in India.

 

Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE)

(GS Paper 2, Governance)

Why in news?

• Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved a new Scheme, Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) for the remaining four years of the 15th Finance Commission from 2022-23 to 2025-26. 

Implementation:

• PM-DevINE, is a Central Sector Scheme with 100% Central funding and will be implemented by Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER).
• PM-DevINEwill be implemented by Ministry of DoNER through North Eastern Council or Central Ministries/ agencies.

 

The objectives of PM-DevINE are to:

1. Fund infrastructure convergently, in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti;
2. Support social development projects based on felt needs of the NER;
3. Enable livelihood activities for youth and women;
4. Fill the development gaps in various sectors.

 

Financial outlay:

• The PM-DevINE Scheme will have an outlay of Rs.6,600 crore for the four year period from 2022-23 to 2025-26 (remaining years of 15th Finance Commission period).
• Efforts will be made to complete the PM-DevINE projects by 2025-26 so that there are no committed liabilities beyond this year. This implies front-loading of the sanctions under the Scheme in 2022-23 and 2023-24 primarily.
• While expenditure would continue to be incurred during 2024-25 and 2025-26, focused attention will be given to complete the sanctioned PM-DevINE projects.

 

Significance:

• PM-DevINE will lead to creation of infrastructure, support industries, social development projects and create livelihood activities for youth and women, thus leading to employment generation.
• Measures would be taken to ensure adequate operation and maintenance of the projects sanctioned under PM-DevINE so that they are sustainable.
• To limit construction risks of time and cost overrun, falling on the Government projects would be implemented on Engineering-procurement-Construction (EPC) basis, to the extent possible.

 

MDoNER Schemes for the development of NER:

• There are other MDoNER Schemes for the development of North Eastern Region. The average size of projects under other MDoNER Schemes is about Rs.12 crore only.

 

Background:

• PM-DevINE, was announced in the Union Budget 2022-23 to address development gaps in the North Eastern Region (NER). Announcement of PM-DevINE is yet another instance of the importance being attached to the development of NE Region by the Government.
• PM-DevINE is an additionality to the quantum of resources available for the development of the NER. It will not be a substitute for existing Central and State Schemes.
• While some of the projects to be approved for 2022-23 under PM-DevINE are part of the Budget announcement, projects with substantial socio-economic impact or sustainable livelihood opportunities for the general public (e.g., basic infrastructure in all Primary Health Care Centres, comprehensive facilities in Government Primary and Secondary Schools, etc) may be considered in the future.

 

Why PM-DevINE?

• The justification for announcement of PM-DevINE is that the parameters of NE States in respect of Basic Minimum Services (BMS) are well below the national average and there are critical development gaps as per the BER District Sustainable Development Goad (SDG) Index 2021-22 prepared by NITI Aayog, UNDP and MDoNER.
• The new Scheme, PM-DevINEwas announced to address these BMS shortfalls and development gaps.

 

Way Forward:

• PM-DevINE will provide support to infrastructure and social development projects which may be larger in size and will also provide an end-to-end development solution instead of isolated projects.

 

Impact Player

(Miscellaneous)

Why in news?

• As a trial for the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced the concept of tactical substitution known as 'Impact Player' in the T20 tournament season, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
• Delhi all-rounder HrithikShokeen became the first Impact Player in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and helped his team register a 71 run-win over Manipur in a group B match in Jaipur.

 

What is Impact Player?

• The Impact Player rule allows a cricket team to make a tactical substitution in the middle of the game in each match.
• Along with the starting XI, teams will mention four substitutes at the time of toss and use one of the four during the match.
• The player can replace any member of the starting XI at any point before the end of the 14th over of either inning and will be able to bat and bowl his full allotment of overs.
• The Impact Player can play any role during the game. For example, the Impact Player can replace a batter who has already been dismissed and still get to bat - as long as the team only uses 11 batters.
• Or, Impact Player can replace a bowler who has already sent down a few overs and still get to bowl his full four-over quota.
• The Impact Player rule is not applicable when the game is reduced to less than 10 over per side.
• It is not mandatory to use the impact player, but before using either captain or head coach or the manager has to inform the on-field umpire.
• The Impact Player can only be introduced at the end of an over, and not during it, with two exceptions: if a batting team sends in the Impact Player at the fall of a wicket, or if the fielding team replaces an injured fielder with the Impact Player in the middle of an over.
• The substituted player can take no further part in the game, not even as a substitute fielder. In a scenario where a bowler is suspended, having bowled two beamers in an over, he can be replaced by the Impact Player, but that player cannot bowl.         

Way Forward:

• The rule of Impact Player will make the T20 format more dynamic and interesting.
• The BCCI would like to introduce the concept of 'Impact Player' wherein participating teams could replace one member of its playing XI during a T20 match based on the context of the game.