Relevance IN - Prelims (about coronavirus + about PHEIC declaration by WHO)
What's the NEWS

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as the outbreak continues to spread outside Wuhan, China, the epicentre of the virus.

• According to WHO, there are now 7711 confirmed and 12167 suspected cases throughout the country.
• Of the confirmed cases, 1370 are severe and 170 people have died. 124 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital.
• With the number of cases spreading outside China, the Committee agreed that the outbreak now meets the criteria for a PHEIC and proposed the following advice to be issued as Temporary Recommendations.
• In the past, the WHO declared five diseases as PHEIC i.e. pandemic influenza (H1N1) in 2009, polio resurgence in 2014, the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014, the Zika virus outbreak in 2016 and Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019 .

• The novel coronavirus (a new strain of coronavirus which has not been previously identified in human beings) is one among a large family of coronaviruses that can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to the more serious Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
• The source of the novel coronavirus is not yet known and there is no treatment for it so far.

• PHEIC is declared in the event of some "serious public health events" that may endanger international public health.
• Under the International Health Regulations (IHR), a public health emergency is defined as "an extraordinary event which is determined, as provided in these Regulations: to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease; and to potentially require a coordinated international response".
• The responsibility of declaring an event as an emergency lies with the Director-General of the WHO and requires the convening of a committee of members.
• A declaration of an Health emergency would lead to a boost in public health measures, funding and resources to prevent and reduce international spread.
• There are some implications of declaring a PHEIC for the host country, which in the case of the coronavirus is China. Declaring a PHEIC may lead to restrictions on travel and trade.

• For, three years after the Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Act was passed, the act has finally come into force January 2020.
• The state social welfare department has issued a gazette notification for implementation of the controversial Act and has already prepared the draft rules for implementing the same.
• The bill was passed by both houses of the state legislature in 2017 when the Siddaramaiah led Congress government was in office.

• The act bans performing any black magic, inhumane act and evil practices in search of treasure or bounty, tantric acts which include physical and sexual assault, practices such as parading people naked, ostracising a person in the name of a ritual and encouraging inhumane acts during said rituals, exorcism, assaulting people under the pretext of exorcism, misinformation and creating a panic-like situation under the pretext of ghosts and black magic and others.
• The practice of Vaastu, astrology, pradakshina or circumabulation of holy places, yatras, parikramas performed at religious places were kept out of the purview of the law.
• Practices such as barring menstruating women from entering houses of worship and their homes, coercing people to take part in fire-walks, and beating up people by declaring them evil, are among the irrational practices that have been banned under the 2017 law. A total of 16 practices have been banned under the law.
• The law stipulates "imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than one year but which may extend to seven years and with fine which shall not be less than five thousand rupees but which may extend to fifty thousand rupees", as punishment for violations.
• The law is to implemented by the state police with the appointment of vigilance officers under the law at police stations.
• Those who violate the provisions of the Act will be tried under various section of IPC including Section 302 (murder) and section 307 (attempt to murder) 308 (abetting suicide) if a person dies, gets hurt or commits suicide due to offence under the Act.

• Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank' chaired the meeting of the Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO (INCCU)
• The membership of National Commission consists of members of five Sub Commissions namely, Sub Commission for (i) Education (ii) Natural Sciences (iii) Social Sciences (iv) Communication (v) Culture.

• Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO is a governmental body formed by the Government of India which functions under the Department of Secondary and Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
• The objective of the commission is to advise the Government in matters relating to the UNESCO.
• National Commissions for UNESCO are national organizations which are part of UNESCO and which are the only such bodies in the whole UN system.
• They were established under Article VII of the Constitution of the UNESCO by UNESCO member countries on a permanent basis and are associated with the government bodies of the member countries.
• Currently, there are 198 such National Commissions.
• The Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO was established in 1951, when the constitution was approved.

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris, France.
• Its declared purpose is to contribute to promoting international collaboration in education, sciences, and culture in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom
• UNESCO has 193 member states and 11 associate members
• India has been a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations since its inception in 1946
• UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programs: education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and communication/information.

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Bhuvan Panchayat + about SISDP Project + about Web geo portal) + Mains (GS III awareness in the field of space + GS II e governance)
Know! about Space-based Information Support for Decentralised Planning (SISDP)

• Indian space agency will share high resolution geospatial data it generates from its remote sensing satellites to help in planning across rural parts of the country ranging from e-government services to optimization of schools in the country.
• Indian Space Research Organisation and Ministry of Panchayati Raj have are working on creating an ecosystem for using high resolution thematic data for better planning
• In the second phase of SISDP Project ISRO is generating geospatial products and services unlike in the first phase wherein ISRO created a database.
• These services can be directly assimilated into planning process at grassroot levels and some services related to e-governance
• For the first time thematic database (on 1:10,000 scale) for the entire country is available with integrated high resolution satellite data for planning.

Bhuvan Panchayat V-3.0

• ISRO will use its geoportal - Bhuvan Panchayat V-3.0 - for database visualisation, data analytics, generation of automatic reports, model based products and services for the benefit of gram panchayat members and other stakeholders.
• These initiatives are part of the advanced Space-based Information Support for Decentralised Planning (SISDP) project. The first phase of SISDP was completed in 2016-17.

Know! about Web Geo portal

• The Web Geo portal is an easy to use Geo portal developed for database visualization, data analytics, generation of automatic reports, model based products and services for the benefit of Gram Panchayat members and other stake holders.
• The targeted audience for this portal are Public, PRIs and different stakeholders belonging to the gram panchayats.

Prelims Factoids
Global Traffic Index-2019
Relevance IN - Prelims (about Global Traffic Index and its findings)
What's the NEWS

• Bengaluru emerged as the worst traffic congested city globally in the TomTom Traffic Index of 2019.
• Along with it, three other Indian cities have made it to the top 10 list of the Dutch real-time traffic information and services company.
• Global Traffic Index-2019, conducted by a Netherlands based firm Tom-Tom (vehicle navigation company)
• The annual traffic index has surveyed in 416 cities, in 57 countries and 6 continents. It is the ninth annual edition of TomTom.

Know! more about the index findings

• As per the results of the TomTom Traffic Index, a report detailing the traffic situation in 416 cities in 57 countries, Bengaluru takes the top spot this year with drivers in the southern Indian city expecting to spend an average of 71 per cent extra travel time stuck in traffic.
• Apart from Bengaluru, three other Indian cities are in the top 10 of the traffic index. These include Mumbai (65%), Pune (59%) and New Delhi (56%) at the fourth, fifth and eight position, respectively.

Environment Conservation
Indian environmental economist Pavan Sukhdev wins 2020 Tyler Prize
Relevance IN - Prelims (about tyler prize and green economy + about WWF) + Mains (GS III Environment conservation)
What's the NEWS

• Renowned Indian environmental economist and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Goodwill Ambassador Pavan Sukhdev has won the 2020 Tyler Prize, regarded as the "Nobel Prize for the Environment" for his groundbreaking "green economy" work.

Know! more about it

• Sukhdev, has been acknowledged for his work on bringing the economic consequences of environmental degradation and loss to the attention of corporate and political decision-makers.
• Sukhdev was the Special Adviser and Head of UNEP's Green Economy Initiative, a major project launched by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to demonstrate that greening of economies is not a burden on growth but rather a new engine for growing wealth, increasing decent employment and reducing persistent poverty.
• Sukhdev was also appointed Study Leader (2008-2010) of the landmark initiative on The Economics of Ecosystems & Biodiversity' (TEEB), a global UNEP-hosted study.
• The TEEB report became a foundation for the Green Economy movement - an achievement for which Sukhdev is being awarded the 2020 Tyler Prize.
• The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is one of the oldest international environmental awards, recognizing individuals who have contributed in an outstanding manner to the scientific knowledge and public leadership to preserve and enhance the global environment.
• Often described as the "Nobel Prize for the Environment', the Tyler Prize is administered by the University of Southern California.
• Sukhdev currently serves the World Wildlife Fund as President and Chairman of the Board as well as Board Member for TEEB Advisory Board

Know! about WWF

• The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961, working in the field of wilderness preservation, and the reduction of human impact on the environment.
• WWF aims to "stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.
• The Living Planet Report has been published every two years by WWF since 1998
  
  

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