Daily Current Capsules
07th December 2022

Kanger Valley National Park

What's the NEWS

• Bird watchers and forest department officials counted 200 types of birds in Chhattisgarh's first-ever inter-state bird survey conducted in the Kanger Valley National Park

• The survey was organised by the forest department of and birders from Chhattisgarh, in collaboration with non-profits Birds & Wildlife of Chhattisgarh and Bird Count India.
• The survey revealed that the landscape of Kanger Valley can potentially host species found in the Himalayas, the Northeast, the Eastern and Western Ghats.
• The Kanger Valley National Park is also home to a population of Chhattisgarh's state bird, the hill myna.
• Periodic bird surveys can help monitor the health of the national park's bird populations for conservation and showcase to the world the unique diversity of the region
• All observations have been uploaded to eBird - an online platform to record bird observations - through the eBird Mobile App.

Kanger Ghati National Park

• Kanger Ghati National Park was declared a national park in 1982 by the Government of India.
• It derives its name from the Kanger River, which flows throughout it.
• Kanger Valley National Park is a typical mixed humid deciduous type of forest, in which the Sal, Saugaun, teak and bamboo trees are available in abundance.
• The most popular species in this area is Bastar Maina (The state bird of Chattisgarh). Bastar Maina, is a type of Hill maina (gruncula Dhariosoa), which is capable of emulating the human voices.
• Apart from wildlife and plants, this National Park is home to three exceptional caves - famous for their amazing geological structures of Kutumbasar, Kailash and Dandak- Stellagmites and Stalactitees.
• National Park is known for the presence of underground limestone caves with dripstone and floston.
• The stalegmites and stalactite formation is still increasing.

Startups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme

What's the NEWS

• The government has almost doubled the fees for IP facilitators under startups
• To further encourage IP facilitators to provide quality services to startups in order to increase the number of IP applications filed by startups, the scheme has now been revised and facilitation fees has been notably increased by at least 100 per cent
• For patents, fees at the time of filing of application has been increased to Rs 15,000 from Rs 10,000 earlier.
• Similarly, for trade marks and designs, it has been revised upwards to Rs 3,000 from Rs 2,000.

• To protect and promote IP rights (IPR) of startups and to encourage innovation and creativity among them, the government launched the SIPP scheme in 2016.
• The scheme facilitated startups in filing and processing of their patent, design or trademark application through the assistance of IP facilitators, whose fee was borne by the Office of the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks.
• Start-ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) scheme launched by Government of India, facilitates the start-ups to file applications for patents, designs and trademarks through registered facilitators in appropriate IP offices by paying only the statutory fees.

NRDC as a facilitator

• Providing general advisory on different intellectual property on pro bono basis
• Providing information on protecting and promoting IPRs to startups in other countries on pro bono basis
• Providing assistance in filing and disposal of the IP applications related to patents, trademarks and Design under relevant Acts at the national IP offices under the CGPDTM
• Drafting provisional and complete patent specifications for inventions of start-ups
• Preparing and filing responses to examination reports and other queries, notices or letters by the IP office
• Appearing on behalf of start-up at hearings, as may be scheduled,
• Contesting opposition, if any, by other parties, and
• Ensuring final disposal of the IPR application.

Social Hostilities Index (SHI)

What's the NEWS

• The Washington-based think tank Pew Research Centre has come out with a study that puts India at the top of its index of social hostilities involving religion in 2020 in the context of the impact of Covid restrictions.
• The study has recorded the targeting of minorities in India during the pandemic, including the use of social media
• Of the 198 countries listed in the Social Hostilities Index (SHI), 11 have been clubbed together as "very high" with scores of 7.2 or higher.
• While India is right on top, the other countries in this category in descending order are Nigeria, Afghanistan, Israel, Mali, Somalia, Pakistan, Egypt, Libya, Syria and Iraq.

• AT 9.4 out of a maximum possible score of 10, India's SHI in 2020 was worse than neighbouring Pakistan and Afghanistan, and a further increase in its own index value for 2019.
• A higher score is worse. .
• The SHI measures acts of religious hostility by private individuals, organizations or groups.
• The index comprises 13 metrics, including religion-related armed conflict or terrorism and mob or sectarian violence.
• Questions used to compute the SHI included whether the country saw violence motivated by religious hatred or bias, whether individuals faced harassment or intimidation motivated by religious hatred or bias and whether there was mob violence against those of particular religious groups.
• Among the most populous countries, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Egypt and Bangladesh had "very high" social hostilities involving religion.

National Bamboo Mission (NBM)

What's the NEWS

• The Union Agriculture Minister had approved the formation of an Advisory Group for streamlining the development of the Bamboo sector.

National Bamboo Mission

• Restructured National Bamboo Mission approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 25-04-2018.
• It mainly focuses on the development of a complete value chain of the Bamboo sector to link growers with consumers
• The Restructured National Bamboo Mission is a centrally sponsored scheme (CSS).
• The Mission envisages promoting holistic growth of bamboo sector by adopting an area-based, regionally differentiated strategy and to increase the area under bamboo cultivation and marketing.
• Under the Mission, steps have been taken to increase the availability of quality planting material by supporting the setting up of new nurseries and strengthening of existing ones.
• It is being implemented through the state nodal department which is nominated by the State/UT governments concerned.

Indo-French partnership bears fruit in Kaziranga

What's the NEWS

• Artificial highlands where animals can escape during floods; more than 200 anti-poaching camps; alternate livelihood training for local communities - these measures at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam will form the cornerstone of an Indo-French initiative announced earlier this year.
• With French and Indian technical and financial support, the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership will facilitate partnership activities for interested natural parks of the Indo-Pacific region.
• These activities include biodiversity conservation, wildlife management and engagement with local communities.
• The Kaziranga project is a part of a larger Assam Project on Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC) for which the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has committed funding of €80.2 million for a 10-year period, between 2014-2024.
• The project conceptualised the reforestation of 33,500 hectares of land and the training of 10,000 community members in alternate livelihoods by 2024.
• The project conceptualised the reforestation of 33,500 hectares of land and the training of 10,000 community members in alternate livelihoods by 2024.

Know! about APFBC

• APFBC Society was created by State Government of Assam as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• The Society has the mandate for planning, implementation, monitoring, coordination and management of all the activities proposed under the project.
• With French and Indian technical and financial support, the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership will facilitate partnership activities for interested natural parks of the Indo-Pacific region.
• These activities include biodiversity conservation, wildlife management and engagement with local communities.

Kaziranga National Park

• Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India.
• It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.
• It is inhabited by the world's largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as many mammals, including tigers, elephants, panthers and bears, and thousands of birds.

India Holds 48th Position in Aviation Safety Ranking by ICAO

What's the NEWS

• India is among the top 50 countries with best aviation safety in the latest ICAO rankings and the major breakthrough will help domestic airlines in international expansion
• In the rankings by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), India is now at the 48th position, a "quantum leap" from the 102nd rank it had in 2018.
• ICAO has given the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) the highest Effective Implementation (EI) score of 85.49 per cent.
• India is now among the top 50 countries with best aviation safety according to the latest ICAO rankings.
• With a score of 85.49 per cent each, India and Georgia are at the 48th position.
• Neighbouring Pakistan is at the 100th spot with a score of 70.39 per cent.
• The rankings are topped by Singapore with a score of 99.69 per cent.
• It is followed by the UAE at the second position with a score of 98.8 per cent and the Republic of Korea is at the third place (98.24 per cent).

Know! about ICAO

• ICAO is funded and directed by 193 national governments to support their diplomacy and cooperation in air transport as signatory states to the Chicago Convention (1944).
• Its core function is to maintain an administrative and expert bureaucracy (the ICAO Secretariat) supporting these diplomatic interactions, and to research new air transport policy and standardization innovations as directed and endorsed by governments through the ICAO Assembly, or by the ICAO Council which the assembly elects.

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