What is the News ?

Recently, scientists suggested rerouting the railway track running through the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary.

Facts About:

The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary was renamed on 25 May 2004, formerly known as the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary or Hollongapar Reserve Forest.

It is an isolated protected area of evergreen forest located in the Jorhat district of Assam.

Vegetation: The upper canopy of the forest is dominated by the Hollong tree, while the Nahar dominates the middle canopy. The lower canopy consists of evergreen shrubs and herbs.

Fauna:

• The sanctuary has a rich biodiversity and is home to the only apes in India, the western Hoolock, as well as the only nocturnal primate found in the northeast Indian states, the Bengal slow loris.
• Also it is home to Stump-tailed macaque, northern pig-tailed macaque, eastern Assamese macaque, rhesus macaque, and capped langur etc

Key facts about Hoolock Gibbon

It is the only ape found in India.

It is native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India, Myanmar, and Southwest China.

Gibbons, the smallest and fastest of all apes, live in tropical and subtropical forests in the southeastern part of Asia.

The Hoolock gibbon, unique to India’s northeast, is one of 20 species of gibbons on Earth.

It is categorised into Western Hoolock Gibbon and Eastern Hoolock Gibbon.

Like all apes, they are extremely intelligent, with distinct personalities and strong family bonds.

Western Hoolock Gibbon

• It has a much wider range, as it is found in all the states of the northeast, restricted between the south of the Brahmaputra River and east of the Dibang River.
• It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Eastern Hoolock gibbon

• It inhabits specific pockets of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India, and southern China and northeast Myanmar.
• It is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red list.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/reroute-railway-track-running-through-assam-gibbon-sanctuary-suggest-scientists/article67247555.ece

What is the News ?

Cauvery Water Authority fixes quantum to be released by Karnataka.

Facts About:

• The current outflow rate into the river is 4,398 cubic feet per second (cusecs), whereas the inflow stands at 2,300 cusecs as of Wednesday.
• The outflow rate was 2,292 cusecs on Tuesday at 8 p.m. but was increased after 11 p.m.
• The Kabini Reservoir in Mysuru district also contributes to the outflow, currently standing at 2,000 cusecs.
• Cumulatively, both reservoirs will release around 6,398 cusecs of water.

Cauvery Water Sharing Dispute: Historical Background

• 1892 Onset: The water dispute originates from 1892 between British-ruled Madras Presidency and the princely state of Mysore (now Karnataka).
• 1924 Agreement: A 50-year agreement mediated by the British aimed to ease tensions but set the stage for future conflicts.
• Post-Independence Battles: Karnataka’s dam constructions in the 1960s-80s triggered Tamil Nadu’s Supreme Court appeal, leading to the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT).
• Interim Measures: The Cauvery River Authority (CRA) implemented interim orders in 1998. Contentious issues persisted despite CWDT’s 2013 award.
• Final Award: CWDT’s 2013 award allocated water quantities for Tamil Nadu (419 TMC), Karnataka (270 TMC), Kerala (30 TMC), and Puducherry (7 TMC).

Water Sharing Criteria

• Monthly Schedule: Karnataka, the upper riparian state, must provide Tamil Nadu a specified monthly water quantity.
• Annual Allocation: In a “normal” year, Karnataka provides 177.25 TMC to Tamil Nadu, with 123.14 TMC during the southwest monsoon.
• Challenges: Monsoon disagreements arise due to varying rainfall during this period.

Constitutional Provisions for Water Sharing

• Article 262: Empowers Parliament to address inter-State river disputes; IRWD Act, 1956 enacted under this article.
• Seventh Schedule: Defines legislative authority over water resources in Entry 17 (State List) and Entry 56 (Union List).

Resolving Cauvery Water Sharing

(A) Supreme Court’s 2018 Verdict:

• Cauvery as National Asset: The Supreme Court declared Cauvery a “national asset,” upholding inter-State river water equality.
• Allocation Adjustments: The Court noted deficiencies in CWDT’s assessment, resulting in marginal relief for Karnataka and reduced allocation for Tamil Nadu.
• Formation of CMB: The Court directed the establishment of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) for effective implementation.

(B) Cauvery Water Management Scheme:

• CWMA Establishment: Formed to regulate water releases with CWRC’s assistance.
• Permanent and Technical Bodies: CWMA oversees regulation, while CWRC ensures data collection and award implementation.

Current Status and Future Implications:

• Ongoing Challenge: The Cauvery water dispute remains a historical and legal challenge.
• Resource Management: CWMA and CWRC aim to address the dispute through effective water management.
• Continued Struggle: The dispute underscores the complexity of water sharing in a federal system and the need for equitable solutions.

Tamil Nadu’s Contention

• CWMA’s Decision: CWMA sought 10,000 cusecs for 15 days from Karnataka, but Karnataka proposed 8,000 cusecs up to August 22.
• Previous Agreement: Karnataka’s refusal to adhere to the earlier agreement of 15,000 cusecs for 15 days at the CWRC meeting angered Tamil Nadu.
• Distress-sharing Formula: Tamil Nadu supports distress-sharing, but Karnataka hasn’t embraced it.

Karnataka’s Perspective

• Rainfall Deficit: Karnataka claims lower rainfall in Cauvery’s catchment areas, including Kerala, leading to reduced inflow.
• Challenging Situation: Karnataka cites reduced reservoir inflow as the reason for not releasing water this year.
• Lack of Consistency: Despite endorsing distress-sharing, Karnataka declined to accept the formula.

Future Scenario

• Tamil Nadu’s Concerns: Mettur reservoir’s critically low storage affects farmers and upcoming kuruvai crop.
• Water Shortage: Current water availability may last only 10 days, considering dead storage and drinking water needs.
• Awaiting Supreme Court: The case’s outcome depends on the Supreme Court’s interpretation and decision.
• Need for Resolution: The need for a mutually acceptable distress-sharing formula is evident.

Ongoing Challenges and Factors Prolonging the Dispute:

• Erratic Water Levels: Flood-drought cycles, pollution, and groundwater depletion cause unpredictable water levels.
• Idealistic Calculations: SC’s verdict relies on favorable conditions often misaligned with reality.
• Dependency and Population: Both states heavily rely on the river, causing conflicting urban and agricultural water needs.
• Inefficient Water Use: Inefficient irrigation methods lead to low crop productivity per unit of water used.
• Hydropolitics and Delays: Water disputes are used for political mobilization. Prolonged tribunal processes contribute to delays.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/cauvery-water-dispute-siddaramaiah-says-tn-causing-unnecessary-nuisance-8934747/

What is the News ?

A total of 48 African countries have now agreed to adopt the Kampala Ministerial Declarationon Migration, Environment and Climate Change (KDMECC) to address the nexus of human mobility and climate change in the continent.

Facts About:

Background: KDMECC was originally signed and agreed upon by 15 African states in Kampala, Uganda in July 2022.

The Declaration is the first comprehensive, action-oriented framework led by Member States to address climate-induced mobility in a practical and effective manner.

The KDMECC-AFRICA is expected to be signed by Member States during the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi on September 4, 2023.

Need:

• Africa is one of the world's most vulnerable continents to the impacts of climate change.
• Climate change, which leads to an increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, has a direct impact on migration.

Significance:

• The Kampala Ministerial Declaration on Migration, Environment and Climate Change gives us the unprecedented opportunity to support Member State priorities in addressing the challenges while also leveraging migration for sustainable development.
• It will ensure that all voices, including those of youth, women and persons in vulnerable situations are the priority of the expanded declaration.

Linkage between Climate change and Human Rights:

• Climate change has indisputable long-term consequences on the environment, which, in turn, seriously undermine the enjoyment of human rights.
• The African continent is projected to be one of the hardest hit by the negative effects of climate change.
• The consequences of climate change are not only disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable and poorest populations; there are also disparities along gender lines.
• The connections between climate change, gender equality, and women’s rightsare complicated and multidimensional.
• In contrast, most existing studies on gender and climate change action offer a narrow conception of what gender equality and women’s rights mean in the context of climate change action.

Other similar declarations:

The Maputo Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources: This Convention shall apply;

• To all areas which are within the limits of national jurisdiction of any Party; and
• To the activities carried out under the jurisdiction or control of any Partywithin the area of its national jurisdiction or beyond the limits of its national jurisdiction.

The Parties shall adopt and implement all measures necessary to achieve the objectives of this Convention, in particular through preventive measures and the application of the precautionary principle, and with due regard to ethical and traditional values as well as scientific knowledge in the interest of present and future generations.

Source: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/kampala-declaration-on-climate-change-human-mobility-now-has-48-african-countries-as-members-91393

What is the News ?

Scientists have fully sequenced the Y chromosome for the first time, uncovering information that could have implications for the study of male infertility and other health problems.

Facts About:

• In the nucleus of a human cell, each DNA molecule is packaged into a long thread like structure called chromosome. 
• Most human cells contains 23 pairs of chromosomes. One half of each pair of chromosomes from one parent, while other half comes from other parent.
• The 23rd pair are X and Y chromosomes, often called as sex chromosomes.  The other 22 pairs called as autosomes.
• Females have a pair of X chromosomes, whereas males have X and Y chromosome.
• The Y chromosome is male-determining because it bears a gene called SRY, which directs the development of a ridge of cells into a testis in the embryo. 
• The embryonic testes make male hormones, and these hormones direct the development of male features in a baby boy.

What is the difficulty in sequencing Y chromosome?

• Repetition - The Y chromosome was a particularly hard nut to crack because it is unusually repetitive.
• While all human chromosomes contain repeats, more than 30 million letters of the Y chromosome — out of 62.5 million — are repetitive sequences, sometimes called satellite DNA or junk DNA.
• Repetitive DNA complicates the assembling of data from genetic sequencing.
• Palindromes - The Y chromosome also contains palindromes — sequences of letters that are the same backward and forward, like radar. 
• Degeneration of Proto- Y - The proto-Y is degenerating at a faster pace, losing about 10 active genes per million years, reducing the number from its original 1,000 to just 27.
• There has been great debate about whether this degradation continues, because at this rate the whole human Y would disappear in a few million years

How the scientists unravelled the complex Y chromosome?

• Sequencing - Advanced "long-read" sequencing technology and computational methods enabled researchers to achieve a complete reading of the Y chromosome.
• This accomplishment added over 30 million repetitive base pairs to the human reference genome.
• The new technology has allowed sequencing of bases along individual long DNA molecules, producing long-reads of thousands of bases. 
• It effectively dealt with repetitive sequences and transformed raw sequencing data into a usable resource. 
• These longer reads are easier to distinguish and can therefore be assembled more easily.
• Findings- Overall, the combined research determined that the Y chromosome has 106 protein-coding genes. 
• 42 were found that were new, but many still appear to be repeats.

What is the importance of the study?

• Advanced diagnostics- The study empowers future sequencing endeavours to explore into health and disease aspects through comprehensive Y chromosome inclusion.
• To study whether loss of the Y chromosome is a biomarker of biological aging or has a direct effect on the health of men.
• Infertility- It will help to study conditions and disorders linked to the chromosome, such as lack of sperm production that leads to infertility.
• Health- Genes have been identified on the Y chromosomes that have been shown to be required for the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
• Dark matter- It represents the ‘dark matter’ of the genome. This analysis will allow us to better understand the regions of the Y chromosome that have regulatory functions and may encode mRNA and proteins.
• Human evolution- Assembling complete sequences of Y chromosomes across space and time not only helps to investigate sex chromosome evolution but also human evolution.
• Gene therapy- It will open up avenues to treat diseases that may linked to Y chromosomes.
• Future studies- The findings provide a solid base to explore how genes for sex and sperm work, how the Y chromosome evolved, and whether as predicted will disappear in a few million years.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/y-male-chromosome-gene-sequencing-sry-gene-sequencing-evolution/article67230274.ece

What is the News ?

According to recent data, the cost of meals rose by 65% in five years, wages by just 37% in the last five years.

Facts About:

• In Mumbai, the cost of a vegetarian thali surged 65% in five years, while income for laborers and salaried workers in urban Maharashtra increased only 37% and 28%, respectively. This discrepancy is making essential food items unaffordable, leading to compromised meals.

What is Thalinomics?

• Thalinomics is a term coined by an Indian economist and former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, Arvind Subramanian.
• It refers to a concept that involves analyzing changes in the cost of a vegetarian thali (a meal consisting of a variety of dishes served on a single plate) to gain insights into the trends and dynamics of food inflation and affordability.
• It involves tracking the prices of key ingredients that constitute a thali, such as cereals, pulses, vegetables, and other essential items.
• This concept is particularly relevant in countries like India, where food affordability and inflation are significant concerns for a large population.

Key insights: A case study of Mumbai and urban Maharashtra

• Rising Cost of Thali: The cost of preparing a home-cooked vegetarian thali in Mumbai has increased significantly by 65% over the past five years. This increase is attributed to rising prices of essential ingredients like rice, dal, vegetables, and other items that constitute a thali.
• Income Growth: Over the same five-year period, the average wage earned by casual laborers in urban Maharashtra increased by 37%, while the average salary of regular salaried workers increased by 28%. These income growth rates reflect the changes in earnings for these two categories of workers.
• Disparity Between Costs and Income: While the cost of a thali increased by 65%, income growth for casual laborers and salaried workers was significantly lower, at 37% and 28%, respectively.
• Affordability Challenge: The disparity between rising costs and income growth has resulted in essential food items becoming increasingly unaffordable for households. This affordability challenge can lead to reduced portion sizes or a compromise in the variety and nutritional quality of meals.
• Impact on Budget Share: The study also analyzes the portion of monthly wages or salaries required to afford two thalis every day for a month. This share increased from 22.5% of a casual laborer’s monthly earnings in 2018 to 27.2% in 2023. For salaried employees, it increased from 9.9% to 12.8% over the same period.

• Incomplete Data: Data limitations, particularly regarding the absence of certain ingredients like spices and ghee in the analysis, This suggests that the actual cost of making a thali could be even higher than the calculated figures.

Key aspects of the relationship between thali prices and inflation

• Inflation and Ingredient Prices: The prices of ingredients like rice, dal, vegetables, and oil can be affected by inflation. If the prices of these essential ingredients rise due to inflationary pressures, the overall cost of preparing a thali would increase.
• Food Inflation: The cost of a thali, which is composed of various food items, is directly influenced by food inflation. If there’s high food inflation, it can significantly impact the affordability of thalis and other meals.
• Supply and Demand Dynamics: Inflation can be driven by supply and demand imbalances. If there’s a shortage of certain ingredients due to supply disruptions (e.g., poor harvests or transportation issues), prices can rise. Similarly, changes in consumer demand patterns can affect the prices of specific ingredients, further impacting thali costs.
• Monetary Policy: Central banks often use monetary policy tools to control inflation. Interest rate adjustments, money supply regulation, and other measures can impact inflation rates. High inflation rates can lead to increased production costs for farmers and manufacturers, which may trickle down to the prices of thali ingredients.
• Income Effects: Inflation can impact consumers’ purchasing power. When inflation outpaces income growth, households might need to allocate a larger portion of their income to cover basic expenses like food. This can particularly affect lower-income households, leading to affordability challenges for items like thalis.
• Regional Variation: Inflation rates can vary regionally and even locally. Different regions might experience different rates of inflation due to factors like supply chain disruptions, local economic conditions, and government policies.
• Government Policies: Government policies such as subsidies, import/export regulations, and agricultural policies can influence ingredient prices and, consequently, the cost of preparing a thali. These policies can impact the supply and availability of key ingredients.

Implications of the higher cost of a thali

• Nutritional Impact: The rising cost of thali ingredients can lead to compromised nutritional intake as households might cut back on certain items to manage expenses. This can result in inadequate diets and potential health implications.
• Affordability Strain: As thali prices escalate, households may face financial strain by allocating a larger portion of their income to food expenses. This can limit their ability to save, invest, and engage in non-essential expenditures.
• Dietary Diversity: Increased thali costs can potentially lead to reduced dietary diversity as households might opt for cheaper, less nutritious alternatives, affecting overall dietary quality.
• Balanced Meals: Higher thali costs might lead to smaller portions or fewer items in the thali, disrupting the balance of a typical meal and potentially impacting satiety and nutritional completeness.
• Quality of Life: Reduced dietary quality due to affordability challenges can have broader implications for individuals’ quality of life, health, and overall well-being.
• Economic Struggles: For households with limited disposable income, the burden of increased thali costs can exacerbate economic struggles and hinder progress.

Way forward

• Policy Interventions: Implement policies to address the widening gap between thali costs and income growth, ensuring that essential food remains affordable.
• Income Enhancement: Focus on raising wages for casual laborers and salaried workers to match the rising cost of thalis.
• Affordability Measures: Establish measures to mitigate the impact of expensive thalis on households, considering subsidies or targeted assistance.
• Nutrition Awareness: Launch campaigns to educate households about maintaining nutritious diets even when faced with affordability challenges.
• Gender-Inclusive Approach: Address gender disparities by formulating policies that empower women economically.
• Data-Driven Approach: Base policies on accurate and up-to-date data on food prices, wages, and consumption patterns.
• Food Security Initiatives: Strengthen food security programs to ensure access to nutritious food despite thali cost increases.
• Policy Evaluation: Continuously assess the effectiveness of policies in addressing thali affordability and overall well-being.

Conclusion

• The shifting dynamics between escalating costs and relatively stagnant income pose a serious challenge to maintaining a nutritionally balanced diet. As prices continue to rise, a more comprehensive approach is crucial to ensuring that affordable nutrition remains within reach for all strata of society.

Source: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/price-of-food-inflation-42483