Context: The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry named Indore the best city and Madhya Pradesh the best state in the Smart Cities Mission in its India Smart Cities Awards 2022.

About Smart Cities Mission:

• It is an urban renewal and retrofitting programme launched by the Government of India to develop smart cities and make them citizen friendly and sustainable.
• It was launched in 2015 with the main objective of promoting cities that provide core infrastructure, clean and sustainable environment and give a decent quality of life to their citizens through the application of ‘smart solutions’.
• 100 cities have been selected to be developed as Smart Cities through a two-stage competition.

Smart Cities Award 2022:

• Cities: Indore won the best city with Surat and Agra named second and third best among cities.
• States: Madhya Pradesh won the best and Tamil Nadu second in states, with the third prize being shared by Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
• Union Territories: Chandigarh won the overall award in the Union Territory category.Basis of Ranking: The cities were selected based on their ranking in terms of progress of projects, project outcomes and presentations submitted for the awards.
• Category-wise Awards:
  • Built Environment: Coimbatore’s project of restoration and renovation of lakes.
  • Economy: Jabalpur won the award for its incubation centre in the economy category. 
  • Governance: Chandigarh’s e-governance services.
• Integrated Command and Control Centers (ICCC): It is operational in all 100 Smart Cities and work as the brain and nervous system for city operations, using technology for urban management.
• The urban services have significantly improved in diverse fields like crime tracking, safety and security of citizens, transport management, solid waste management, water supply, disaster management etc.

News Source: The Indian Express

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Global Environment Facility (GEF). 

About Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF): It is created for implementation of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)

• • Under Target 19 of GBF, at least $200 billion per year will need to be raised by 2030.
  • GBFF will support action towards halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030 and putting nature on a recovery path by 2050. 
• Objectives: To support the conservation and sustainability of wild species and ecosystems, whose health is under threat from wildfires, flooding, extreme weather, and human activity including urban sprawl.
• Contributors: GBFF will mobilize and accelerate investment from governments, philanthropy, and the private sector.
• Focus Areas under Funds: 
  • Indigenous Communities: As much as 20% of the funds would support Indigenous-led initiatives to protect and conserve biodiversity.  
  • Support for Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries, which will receive more than a third of the fund’s resources. 
• Canada and Britain together would provide $160 million in seed money to set up the GBFF.

News Source: DTE

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Context:The State of India’s Birds 2023, based on 30 million observations contributed by 30,000 birdwatchers across the country, was released on 25 August, 2023.

Key Findings:

• There is a general decline in numbers in most bird species in the country:
  • Raptors, migratory shorebirds and ducks have declined the most.
  • Vultures: White-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, and Red-headed Vulture have suffered the maximum long-term declines (98%, 95%, and 91%, respectively).
  • Birds that are endemic to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot  such as White bellied Treepie and Wayanad Laughingthrush.
  • Ducks: India hosts eight resident and 35 migratory species, The
    Baer’s Pochard, Common Pochard, Andaman Teal have been found to be most vulnerable.
  • Eurasian Spoonbill, Great Grey Shrike, Sarus Crane etc. has declined over the long term and continues to do so.
  • Woodpecker: Of the 11 species of woodpeckers for which clear long-term trends could be obtained, seven appear stable, two are declining, and two are in rapid decline.
    • The Yellow-crowned Woodpecker has declined by more than 70% in the past three decades.
  • Bustard: While half of all bustards worldwide are threatened, the three species that breed in India, the Great Indian Bustard, the Lesser Florican, and the Bengal Florican have been found to be most vulnerable.
• Increase in Numbers
  • Several bird species such as the Indian Peafowl, Rock Pigeon, Asian Koel and House Crow are not only healthy in both abundance and distribution, but showing an increasing trend.
  • Of the large waterbirds, the Glossy Ibis and Black-headed Ibis have increased dramatically in abundance over the past three decades, by over 130% and 80%, respectively.
  • The Painted Stork and Spot-billed Pelican show a trajectory of increase and then more recent decrease of 2-4% per year to reach historical levels.
• Long-term trends as well as current annual trends could not be established for many of the 942 species.

News Source: The Indian Express

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Context: 

Recently, the Indian Prime Minister presented Indian artworks and traditional items as a gift to world leaders.

News Source: Indian Express

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Context: In the first Prime Ministerial visit to Greece after 40 years, India and Greece have decided to elevate bilateral ties to strategic partnership.Major Decisions:

• Elevate bilateral ties to strategic partnership:
  • By expanding cooperation in the fields of defence and security, infrastructure, agriculture, education, new and emerging technology, and skill development.
  • Both sides are united in the goal of maintaining maritime security and the need for adherence to the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
• Promised to Double Bilateral Trade by 2030:  
  • The two decided to expand cooperation in areas of infrastructure, agriculture, education and new and emerging technologies.
• The discussions covered digital payments, shipping, pharma, tourism, culture, education and people to people ties.
• Both sides agreed to firm up a migration and mobility pact soon.International Challenges: Both sides are ready to walk side by side to deal with various challenges, especially in a period of international turmoil.
  • Stand on Ukraine: Both support diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the Ukraine crisis .
  • They also deliberated on regional and multilateral issues and called for respect of international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
• The two sides also discussed mutual cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism and cyber security.
• An agreement on agricultural cooperation was also inked following the talks.

News Source: The Indian Express

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Context:

A 28-feet Nataraja statue meant to be placed in front of the venue of the G20 Leaders’ Summit scheduled in New Delhi.

About 28-Feet Nataraja Sculpture:

• Ashtadhatu: The statue weighs 19 tonnes and is made of eight metals viz. gold, silver, lead, copper, tin, mercury, iron and zinc.
• Height: The statue is 22 feet in height, and the pedestal is six feet, making the entire structure 28 feet tall. 
• Model: The model of Chidambaram, Konerirajapuram and other Natarajas of the Chola period was followed in making this statue.
• Casting: Sculptors follow the lost-wax casting method. This is a time-tested method, used since the days of the Cholas.

Nataraja Sculpture: Meaning of Postures and Poses

• As a symbol, Nataraja combines in a single image Shiva’s role as creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe and conveys the Indian conception of the never-ending cycle of time.Although it appeared in sculpture as early as the fifth century, its present, world-famous form evolved under the rule of the Cholas.
• Shiva’s dance  is set within a flaming halo.
  • Upper Right Hand: Holds the damaru (hand drum that made the first sounds of creation). 
  • Upper Left Hand: Holds agni (the fire that will destroy the universe).
  • Lower Right Hand: He makes Abhaya Mudra (the gesture that allays fear). 
  • Lower Left Hand and Left Foot: Gestures toward that holy foot in assurance that Siva’s grace is the refuge for everyone.
  • Right Foot: The dwarf-like figure being trampled by his right foot represents Apasmara Purusha (illusion which leads mankind astray).
  • Flying Hairs: The locks of Shiva’s hair stand out in several strands interspersed with flowers, a skull, a crescent moon, and the figure of Ganga.
• The symbols imply that, through belief in Shiva, his devotees can achieve salvation.

News Source: The Hindu

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Context:

• A high level committee has been established by the Defence Minister led by the former Principal Scientific Advisor to review the functioning of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

More about the news:

• Redefining roles in defence domain: The committee is tasked with generating recommendations to review and redefine the department’s role and align it with India’s futuristic technological requirements in the defence domain.

• Parliamentary Committee: In 2019, the Committee noted that the DRDO’s performance fell short of anticipated standards and emphasised the need for a significant restructuring of the organisation.

• • During the period from January 2010 to December 2019, the organization concluded 103 mission mode (MM) projects which were terminated after incurring an expenditure of ₹2,505.23 crore.
• CAG Report: A report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India criticized the DRDO for categorizing 20 mission mode projects as ‘successful,’ despite not accomplishing their intended goals.
• Dr P Rama Rao Committee: Earlier, the DRDO established the committee to evaluate its operations. Although the DRDO endorsed all its suggestions, it did not implement the proposal to establish a Board of Research for Advanced Defence Sciences (BRADS).

Terms reference of the committee:

• Restructuring and redefinition: The objectives include a comprehensive restructuring and redefinition of the roles within the Department of Defence (R&D) and DRDO. 
• State of the art collaboration: This entails refining their interactions with academia and industry. The aim is to boost involvement from academia, MSMEs, and startups in advancing state-of-the-art technologies. 
• Setting Accountability mechanism: The plan involves creating incentives and disincentives within a project-based workforce system, ensuring accountability, and removing underperformers. 
• Leveraging Expertise: The strategy incorporates leveraging the expertise of NRIs and foreign consultants, along with fostering international collaborations to drive the development of cutting-edge and disruptive defense technologies. 
• Infrastructure Modernization: The initiative encompasses modernizing administrative, personnel, and financial systems to expedite project implementation. 
• Streamlining of structures: There’s a focus on streamlining laboratory structures and enhancing the evaluation process for their performance.

Challenges with the functioning of DRDO:

• Working as a government PSU : The DRDO’s operational model resembles a government Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), which often regards the entire defence process – spanning research, development, and production – as its exclusive jurisdiction.

• Impeding defence acquisitions: It often impedes defense acquisitions by considering the entire process as its own domain rather than supporting the private sector and efficient hardware procurement.. Example, anti-tank guided missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
• Insufficient funding: Financial constraints have led to the scaling down of some major initiatives. 
  • It has received around 6% of the defence budget, in stark contrast to the generous funding provided to counterparts in the US and China. 
• Inadequate production output: It was meant to promote indigenous weaponry manufacturing in India, but its production output has been low. 
  • This deficiency is clearly illustrated by India’s continued reliance on imports to fulfill most of its military requirements.
  • India still imports 70 per cent of its defence equipment requiremen ts
  • As per SIPRI Report, India remained the world’s largest arms importer for the five-year period between 2018-22.
• Substandard production: DRDO products frequently do not meet anticipated quality standards, resulting in dismissals by the armed forces. 
  • Armed forces have rejected 70 per cent of the products in the last 15 years because the products did not meet their standard.
• Project delays: Persistent delays plague DRDO projects, resulting in significant budget overages. 
  • These extensions were primarily attributed to frequent alterations in design specifications and delays in executing user trials and procurement orders.
  • Among the 175 projects scrutinised by the CAG, two-thirds encountered challenges in meeting their scheduled timelines, necessitating extensions ranging from 16% to 500%.
  • The HELINA, helicopter launched anti-tank missiles, with December 2010 as the deadline was finally tested successfully in 2022.

Way Forward:

• Defence R&D Council: The council comprising top military leaders and scientists should be the apex decision-making body with a focus on the capability development plans which are in line with the long-term integrated perspective plans (LTIPPS) of the services. 
  • LTIPPS covers a period of 15 years and it identifies the shape and size of the services over the designated time period based on foreseeable strategic trends
• Exclusive focus on research and development: The domain of defense production needs to be removed from DRDO’s scope and entrusted to the private sector. 
• Synergy between DRDO and armed forces:  The complete endorsement of DRDO by the armed forces is very crucial. They must provide clear direction and a well-defined vision regarding their requirements from DRDO.
• Joint ventures with select foreign manufacturers: To stimulate domestic private sector, collaborative ventures could be initiated to enhance manufacturing capacity.
  • BrahMos Aerospace and Multirole Transport Aircraft Ltd are the joint ventures between DRDO and Russia. 
• Decommissioning of redundant projects: By discontinuance of redundant DRDO labs and projects, substantial physical assets could be unlocked and repurposed to establish a fund specifically designated for fostering innovation.

News Source: Hindustan Times

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Context: 

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), India’s ultra-processed food sector witnessed a compound annual growth rate of 13.37% in retail sales value from 2011 to 2021.

More on News:

• A new study from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) revealed that people in rural areas are eating more carbohydrates and sugary packaged foods.
• Why has rural India shifted to sugars and processed foods?
  • Limited access to protein and micronutrient-rich foods in rural areas exacerbates this dietary shift.
  • Reduction in forest areas leads to diminished access to wild fruits and forest foods, further limiting dietary diversity.
  • Urban migration results in dietary changes, as individuals are exposed to promotions of packaged foods, contributing to unhealthy eating habits.
  • The easy availability and extended shelf life of sugary processed foods lead to increased consumption, impacting health.

About Ultra-Processed Food Sector in India:

• Ultra-processed foods are defined as those with a long shelf life and typically contain five or more ingredients, including preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colors and flavors.
• These foods are a significant risk factor for noncommunicable diseases, particularly in young people,such as obesity.
• Popular Categories: The five popular categories of ultra-processed foods in India are chocolate and sugar confectionery, salty snacks, beverages, ready-made and convenient foods, and breakfast cereals.

Key Findings of the Report:

• Obesity Concerns: Concerns about the upward trend in ultra-processed food consumption and call for policy interventions to prevent an obesity epidemic in India, similar to what some Western countries are experiencing.
  • The US obesity prevalence was 41.9% in 2017 – March 2020.
• Health Risks: Ultra-processed foods are identified as a key risk factor for noncommunicable diseases, particularly in young people, as documented by several researchers.
• Beverage Trends:  The retail volumes in 2021, concentrates / squashes accounted for 77 per cent of the market, followed by soft drinks / concentrates at 13 per cent and juices at 9 per cent. 
• Sweet Biscuits and Marketing: Sweet biscuits accounted for a significant portion of the chocolate and sugar confectionery category in 2021. They are popular due to their affordability, ease of storage, and long shelf life. 
• Salty Snacks and Health Risks: Retail sales of salty snacks increased by 16.78% from 2011 to 2021. 
  • These snacks often have high salt content, making consumers vulnerable to health issues such as hypertension and heart and kidney diseases.

Towards a Unified National Nutrition Policy: Addressing Under and Over-Nutrition

• The report recommended that there is a need to strengthen the existing policies and move towards a comprehensive national nutrition policy which covers the dual problems of under- and over-nutrition.

Malnutrition In India:

• Malnutrition is a condition that results from an imbalance between the nutrients an individual’s body needs for proper growth, development, and maintenance and the nutrients they actually receive through their diet. 
• Multiple Dimension of Malnutrition:

• • Undernutrition: This occurs when a person does not get enough essential nutrients, calories, or proteins to meet their body’s needs.It includes stunting (low height for age), wasting (low weight for height), underweight (low weight for age).
• Overnutrition: This occurs when a person consumes more nutrients or calories than their body needs, often leading to obesity and associated health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
• Micronutrient Deficiencies: Malnutrition can also involve a lack of essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, iron, iodine, and zinc. 

Causes of Malnutrition: 

• Inadequate Access to Nutritious Food: A significant portion of the population does not have access to a diet that meets their nutritional needs. 
  • India faces a high prevalence of anaemia. Anaemia can be attributed to factors such as iron deficiency and inadequate dietary intake of essential nutrients.
• Lack of diversity under Public Distribution System (PDS): The PDS lacks more nutritious foods such as coarse grains, pulses, etc.
  • India’s protein consumption falls far below the recommended daily intake of 48 grams per day suggested by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). 
  • The recommended dietary allowance of protein for an average Indian adult is 0.8 to 1 gm per kg body weight.
• Soil Micronutrients Linked to Human Health: As per the report, there is a strong relationship between soil micronutrients and nutritional outcomes of people, with nutrient deficient soil contributing to nutritional deficiency.

• • Over 35 per cent of the soil in the country was estimated to be deficient in zinc and about 11 per cent estimated to be deficient in iron.
• Rural Unemployment and Lack of Income Opportunities: This high unemployment rate exacerbates income insecurity and limits access to adequate nutrition.
  • The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) of 2017-18 reported a concerning rural unemployment rate of 6.1%, the highest since 1972-73. 
• Budget Allocation: The total allocations for the Union budget 2021-22 saw an increase of 14.5 per cent; but the allocation towards child nutrition dropped by 18.5 per cent compared to 2020-21.
• Shortcomings in Implementation: The 2020 Comptroller and Auditor General of India audit of ICDS revealed that out of Rs 1,042 crore allocated, only Rs 908 crore was actually disbursed to state governments. 
  • Of the approximately Rs 4,300 crore released under POSHAN Abhiyaan from March 2018 to December 2019, only around 1,570 crore had been spent.

Way Forward: 

• Investment in Infrastructure: Urgent investment is required to improve the infrastructure and coverage of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Anganwadi centers.
  • These centers play a pivotal role in delivering critical services related to nutrition, healthcare, and education.
• District-Level Interventions: Districts with unique challenges, such as geographically isolated tribal populations, should implement targeted interventions.
  • Grievance redressal camps, like those established in Angul district, Odisha, can be replicated in similar areas to provide ICDS services more efficiently.
• Public Awareness and Community Engagement: Creating awareness and engaging communities are crucial components of addressing malnutrition.
• Strengthening Inter-Departmental Convergence: Effective coordination among various government departments is essential.
  • The successful multi-sectoral convergence strategy employed by Bangladesh can serve as a model for India.
  • The National Plan of Action for Nutrition 2016-2025 of Bangladesh based on a multi-sectoral convergence strategy involving health, education, agriculture, fisheries and livestock, environment, social protection, women empowerment and disaster management to combat child malnutrition.
• Address Soil Micronutrient Deficiency: Implement measures to improve soil micronutrient availability, particularly zinc and iron, through agricultural practices and nutrient management.
• Recommendations Made by  WHO and ICRIER:
  • The report makes recommendations for India to achieve nutritional security and meet UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
  • Definition of High Fat Sugar Salt (HFSS) Foods: The report suggests that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) should define HFSS foods clearly and transparently. 
  • Tax Structure Linked to HFSS Food Definitions: This involves implementing a nutrient-based tax model that imposes higher taxes on products exceeding recommended levels of fat, sugar, and salt and lower taxes on healthier and reformulated options. 

News Source: DTE

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