Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 04 January 2023

::NATIONAL::

Not One Rhino Poached in Assam in 2022

• Assam Chief Minister has informed that not a single one-horned rhino in Assam was poached in 2022. 
• Assam recorded zero poaching of Rhinocerosfor the first time in nearly 45 years in 2022.

About Rhinoceros

• There are 5 species of rhinos in the world:
• White rhino, Black rhino, Sumatran rhino,Greater one horned rhino and Javan rhino.
• Sumatran, Javan and Black rhinos arelisted as critically endangered.
• White rhino is near threatened; andGreater one-horned rhino (Indian rhino)is vulnerable.
• Javan and Indian rhinos have only one horn,whereas all other rhino species have two horns.
• Rhino horn is made up of keratin – proteinwhich forms the basis of our hair and nails.
• Habitat: Tropical and subtropical grasslands,savannas and shrublands, tropical moist forests, deserts and shrublands.
• Threats: Horn poaching for medicinal value,habitat loss.

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Kalasa-Banduri Nala project

• Karnataka’s decision to go ahead with a water diversion project on river Mahadayi has escalated its long-standing dispute on the issue with neighbouring Goa.

About:

• Karnataka Chief Minister informed that the government had received clearance from the Centre for two Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) on the Kalasa-Banduri Nala on the Mahadayi. 
• Goa immediately raised a red flag, announcing that it would take an all-party delegation to Prime Minister and meet other Union ministers to block the project.
• Karnataka has dug in its heels, with Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol Monday announcing that tenders for the project would be floated soon and work begin within a month.

Key findings:

• The KalasaBanduri Nala project aims to divert water from Mahadayi to satisfy the drinking water needs of Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Gadag districts.
• Though the project was first proposed in the early 1980s, it has remained on paper owing to a dispute between Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.

What did the Tribunal say?

• A Tribunal was set up by the UPA government in November 2010.
• The Tribunal in 2018 awarded 13.42 TMC water from Mahadayi river basin to Karnataka, 1.33 TMC to Maharashtra and 24 TMC to Goa.
• In Karnataka’s share, 5.5 TMC was to meet drinking water needs and 8.02 TMC was for hydro-electricity generation.
• Of the 5.5 TMC, 3.8 TMC was to be diverted to Malaprabha basin through Kalasa and Banduri Nalas (canals).
• This was notified by the Central government in February 2020.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

South Asian black carbon aerosols

• A study has found that, black carbon aerosols have indirectly affected the mass gain of the Tibetan Plateau glaciers by changing long-range water vapour transport from the South Asian monsoon region.

About:

• Black carbon aerosols are produced by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass, and are characterised by strong light absorption.
• The South Asia region adjacent to the Tibetan Plateau has among the highest levels of black carbon emission in the world.
• Many studies have emphasised black carbon aerosols from South Asia can be transported across the Himalayas to the inland region of the Tibetan Plateau.
• Black carbon deposition in snow reduces the albedo of surfaces -- a measure of how much of Sun’s radiations are reflected -- which may accelerate the melting of glaciers and snow cover, thus changing the hydrological process and water resources in the region.
• Black carbon aerosols in South Asia heat up the middle and upper atmosphere, thus increasing the North¬–South temperature gradient.
• Accordingly, the convective activity in South Asia is enhanced, which causes convergence of water vapour in South Asia. Meanwhile, black carbon also increases the number of cloud condensation nuclei in the atmosphere.
• These changes in meteorological conditions caused by black carbon aerosols make more water vapour form precipitation in South Asia, and the northward transport to the Tibetan Plateau was weakened.

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World Braille Day

• Every year on January 4is being observed asWorld Braille Day.

About:

• The day remembers as the birth anniversary of French educator Louis Braille, who invented the Braille language in the year 1809.
• Louis Braille developed the Braille system by modifying Charles Barbie’s Night Write system.
• The first Braille system was published in 1829 - and was adopted by the National Institute for Blind Youth.
• It is observed to raise awareness about the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realisation of the human rights of the visually impaired and partially sighted people.
• The day was recognised in 2019 by the United Nations.
• The Braille system, which is based on a series of raised dots that can be read with the fingertips, has given millions of people who are blind or visually impaired the ability to read and write, and has greatly increased their independence and ability to participate fully in society. 

::Economy::

Domestic Systemically Important Banks

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that, State Bank of India (SBI), ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank continue to be identified as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs), under the same bucketing structure as in the 2021 list of D-SIBs.

About:

• D-SIBs are those interconnected entities, whose failure can impact the whole ofthe financial system and create instability i.e., they are ‘too big to fail’.
• Concept of D-SIBs was adopted in aftermath of 2008 financial crisis.
• D-SIBs are designated on basis of their Size; Interconnectedness; Lack of readilyavailable substitutes or financial institution infrastructure; and Complexity.
• RBI first issued the framework for dealing with D-SIBs in 2014.
• D-SIBs framework requires RBI to disclose the names of banks designated as D-SIBs starting from 2015 and place these banks inappropriate buckets depending upon their Systemic Importance Scores (SISs).
• Based on bucket in which D-SIB is placed, additional common equity (CE) requirement has to be applied to it.
• CE Tier 1 requirement for SBI is 0.60% of Risk Weighted Assets, while it is 0.20% for ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank.
• Similarly, in case a foreign bank having branch presence in India is a Global Systemically Important Bank (G-SIB). It has to maintainadditional CET1 capital surcharge in India as applicable by rules concerning G-SIB.

::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

Dieback Disease

• Dieback disease hits neem trees in Telangana again.

About:

• The dieback disease affects leaves, twigs and the inflorescence of neem trees of all ages and it causes almost 100% loss of fruit production in severely infected trees.
• The disease posing a threat to the neem trees has been identified as twig blight and dieback disease and it has reappeared in the state this year on a massive scale.
• The dieback disease was first reported in the country during the 1990s near Dehradun in Uttarakhand, while it was first noticed in Telangana in 2019.
• The dieback disease is mainly caused by the fungi Phomopsis azadirachtae.
• Neem shows antibacterial, antifungal, and other versatile properties, but it does not exempt the neem trees from being attacked by pests and diseases.

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