Chhattisgarh to provide free training, loans to farmers for lac cultivation (GS Paper 3, Economy)
Why in news?
- The Chhattisgarh government will provide free training and loans to farmers to promote the cultivation of lac.
What is Lac?
- Lac dye has been used since ancient times in India and neighbouring areas as wood finish, lacquerware, skin cosmetic, and for wool and silk.
- In China, it is used as traditional dye for leather goods. Synthetic dyes are seen as replacement for lac in dye though it still remains in use in some juices, carbonated drinks, wine, jam, sauce, and candy for colour.
- Lac is used in folk medicine as a hepatoprotective and anti-obesity drug.
Lac producing belt:
- India is the largest producer of lac in the world, catering to over 70 per cent of the global demand.
- Lac is found in the belt that stretches from Maharashtra to West Bengal with Jharkhand as the top producer, followed by Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra.
Scheme in Chhattisgarh:
- In Chhattisgarh, traditionally lac is cultivated with nearly 50,000 farmers rearing it on kusum and plum trees and rangini lac on palash and plum trees.
- At present, nearly 4,000 tonnes of lac are produced in the state, and its estimated value is Rs 100 crore.
- Under the scheme, a loan limit of Rs 5,000 per tree has been set for the nutritious kusum tree, Rs 900 for the plum tree, and Rs 500 for the palash tree that helps in rearing lac.
- A training centre has been opened in Kanker by the State Minor Forest Produce Federation.
Way Forward:
- The target is to help farmers generate Rs 250 crore by increasing lac production to 10,000 tonnes in the state. If the state government achieves the target, it would be the largest producer of lac in the country.
LeadIT Summit 2022 hosted by India and Sweden at COP27
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- Recently, India and Sweden hosted the LeadIT Summit, on the side-lines of COP27.
- The LeadIT (Leadership for Industry Transition) initiative focuses on low carbon transition of the hard to abate industrial sector.
Key Highlights:
- The event included roundtable discussions that focussed on finance and other cross-sectoral issues.
- The LeadIT members that include countries and companies, shared their initiatives in the industry sector and views on the requirements for successful low-carbon transitions.
- The summit concluded with the adoption of the summit statement which re-emphasized the commitment to continue pursuing the low-carbon transition of the industry. The members also committed to providing technical assistance to new members and emerging economies.
- The importance of de-risking investments in the transition of heavy industries in emerging and developing countries was also highlighted.
About LeadIT:
- The Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) gathers countries and companies that are committed to action to achieve the Paris Agreement.
- It was launched by the governments of Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 and is supported by the World Economic Forum.
- LeadIT members subscribe to the notion that energy-intensive industry can and must progress on low-carbon pathways, aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions.
Exercise “YUDH ABHYAS 22”
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
Why in news?
- The 18th edition of Indo - US joint training exercise “YUDH ABHYAS 22” is scheduled to be conducted in Uttarakhand in November.
About Exercise YudhAbhyas:
- Exercise YudhAbhyas is conducted annually between India and USA with the aim of exchanging best practices, Tactics, Techniques and Procedures between the Armies of the two nations.
- The previous edition of the exercise was conducted at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Alaska (USA) in October 2021.
Key Highlights:
- US Army soldiers of 2nd Brigade of the 11th Airborne Division and Indian Army soldiers from the ASSAM Regiment will be participating in the exercise.
- The training schedule focuses on employment of an integrated battle group under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate.
- The joint exercise will also focus on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. Troops from both nations will practice launching of swift & coordinated relief efforts in the wake of any natural calamity.
Way Forward:
- The exercise will involve exchanges and practices on a wide spectrum of combat skills including combat engineering, employment of UAS/Counter UAS techniques and information operations
- The exercise will facilitate both Armies to share their wide experiences, skills and enhance their techniques through information exchange.
Global warming slowly devastating Boreal forest a.k.a. Earths second lung
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Context:
- Burning, drifting, and being devoured by insects, Canada’s Boreal forest is shrinking and climate change is to blame.
Details:
- Second only to the South American Amazon forest, the Boreal forest is vital to ensuring the future of planet Earth.
- The forest which encircles the Arctic and stretches across Canada, Scandinavia, Russia and Alaska has in recent times been weakened by forest fires, the melting of permafrost, an insect infestation, warming temperatures and drifting trees.
Impacts of climate change on boreal forests:
- The forest is encroaching on the tundra, and the prairies are slowly taking the place of the trees.
- With the rising temperatures “drunken trees” have become a common phenomenon; trees are tilted sideways due to the melting permafrost. Eventually, the soil will completely erode and the fauna will tumble down.
- The degradation of permafrost is behind this “buckling and sinking”, ground which for the past two years has remained frozen is thawing.
- With it, bacteria are eating away at the biomass collected over thousands of years, generating carbon, and methane emissions which are then contributing to the acceleration of global warming.
Extreme weather conditions:
- Data collected by Global Forest Watch, the World Resources Institute, and the University of Maryland also revealed that extreme heat waves are five times more likely today than 150 years ago.
- The higher temperatures have also brought on another problem: insect infestations, which are quickly eating away at the trees.
- Fauna, already weakened by the droughts brought on by heatwaves struggle to fend off bugs that exploit the longer summers and warmer winters.
