Prelims pointer 3 August 2021 For PDF : Click HERE Tiger Reserves Context: Environment Minister has announced that 14 Tiger Reserves from India have received the accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS). About- Tiger Reserves that received Global CA|TS recognition: India’s 14 tiger reserves that have received the accreditation of the Global Conservation Assured|Tiger Standards(CA|TS) are: Manas, Kaziranga and Orang Tiger Reserve in Assam Satpura, Kanha, and Panna in Madhya Pradesh Pench in Maharashtra Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh Sunderbans in West Bengal Parambikulam in Kerala, Bandipur Tiger Reserve of Karnataka Mudumalai and Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu The three most popular tiger reserves in terms of tourist visitors: Corbett (Uttarakhand), Ranthambore (Rajasthan), and Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh) do not figure in the list of 14 Tiger Reserves to get CA/TS recognition. About CA|TS: CA|TS was officially launched in 2013. It has been developed by tiger and protected area experts. It is a set of criteria that allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger conservation. It also sets minimum standards for effective management of target species and encourages the assessment of these standards in relevant conservation areas. National Gallery of Australia returns 14 artworks Context: The National Gallery of Australia(NGA) has announced that it would return 14 works of art from its Asian art collection to India. The art collection includes the dancing child-saint Sambandar of the 12th century, belonging to the Chola dynasty. About : Dancing child-saint Sambandar of 12th century belongs to Chola dynasty. Sambandar was one of the nayanmars, a group of sixty-three saints active in South India from the sixth to the ninth century who were instrumental in popularizing the worship of Shiva through devotional poetry and song. About Chola Dynasty: The Chola Dynasty is a Tamil dynasty. It ruled primarily in southern India until the thirteenth century. The Chola Empire was founded by Vijayalaya. He took over the Tanjore kingdom in the 8th century by defeating Pallavas. Tanjore was hence made the first capital of the Chola Empire. Important Ruler: Rajendra Chola was the important ruler of Chola Empire. He succeeded Rajaraja Chola. He was the first to venture to the banks of the Ganges. Furthermore, he was popularly called the Victor of the Ganges. His new empire capital was called the Gangaikondacholapuram where he received the title of ‘Gangaikonda’. The Great Living Chola Temples is a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for a group of Chola dynasty-era Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu. The temples were completed between the early 11th and the 12th century CE. The monuments include: Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur Brihadisvara Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021 Context: The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021,which seeks to amend the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, was recently passed in Rajya Sabha. About: As per the amendments: The District Magistrates have been further empowered under the Act to ensure its smooth implementation, as well as garner synergized efforts in favour of children in distress conditions. It means that DMs and ADMs will monitor the functioning of various agencies under the JJ Act in every district- including the Child Welfare Committees, the Juvenile Justice Boards, the District Child Protection Units and the Special Juvenile Protection Units. The DM will carry out background checks of CWC members, who are usually social welfare activists, including educational qualifications, as there is no such provision currently. The DMs are also to check possible criminal backgrounds to ensure that no cases of child abuse or child sexual abuse are found against any member before they are appointed. The CWCs are also to report regularly to the DMs on their activities in the districts. Serious offences will also include offences for which maximum punishment is imprisonment of more than seven years, and minimum punishment is not prescribed or is less than seven years. Instead of the court, the District Magistrate (including Additional District Magistrate) will now issue adoption orders. UNSC presidency Context: India has assumed the rotating Presidency of the United Nations Security Councilfor the month of August. About : This is India’s tenth tenure. This is also India’s first presidency in the UNSC during its 2021-22 tenure as a non-permanent member of the UNSC. About Security Council Presidency: The presidency of the Council is held by each of the members in turn for one month, following the English alphabetical order of the Member States names. It rotates among the 15 member-states of the council monthly. The head of the country’s delegation is known as the President of the United Nations Security Council. The president serves to coordinate actions of the council, decide policy disputes, and sometimes functions as a diplomat or intermediary between conflicting groups. About UNSC: The United Nations Charter established six main organs of the United Nations, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The Security Council has the power to make decisions that member states are then obligated to implement under the Charter. Permanent and Non-Permanent Members: The UNSC is composed of 15 members, 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent. Each year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members for a two-year term. Integrated theatre commands Context: A table-top war-gaming exercise was held recently among the three services of the armed forces (Navy, Army and Airforce). About integrated theatre commands: An integrated theatre command envisages a unified command of the three Services, under a single commander, for geographical areas that are of strategic and security concern. The commander of such a force will be able to bear all resources at his disposal — from the Army, the Indian Air Force, and the Navy — with seamless efficacy. The integrated theatre commander will not be answerable to individual Services. This will help in better planning and military response and also bring down cost. It will provide a unified approach to fighting the future wars. The need for a unified approach to war fighting was brought out in the deliberations after the 1999 Kargil battle. The Kargil Review Committee and the then Group of Ministers besides the Naresh Chandra Committee had called for structural changes in higher defence management. It was the Shekatkar committee, headed by Lt Gen. (retd) D.B. Shekatkar, which had recommended the creation of the post of CDS and theatre commands. e-RUPI Context: The Prime Minister has launched a digital Initiative named “e-RUPI”. About e-RUPI: e-RUPI is a cashless and contactless instrument for digital payment. It is founded on the Unified Payment Interface(UPI) platform. Purpose: It is designed to be a person and purpose-specific digital payment solution. It seeks to ensure that government schemes reach intended beneficiaries in a targeted and leak-proof manner, with limited touchpoints between the government and the beneficiary. Developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in collaboration with the Department of Financial Services (DFS), the Union Health Ministry, and the National Health Authority (NHA). The e-RUPI system relies on mobile phones. This e-voucher is intended to be a seamless, one-time payment mechanism. A beneficiary will receive a QR code or SMS string-based e-voucher on her mobile phone. The beneficiary, then, can redeem this e-voucher at the service provider without the need for any card, digital payment app, or internet banking access. e-RUPI connects the sponsors of the services with the beneficiaries and service providers in a digital manner without any physical interface. It ensures that the payment to the service provider is made only after the transaction is completed. Being pre-paid in nature, it assures timely payment to the service provider without the involvement of any intermediary.
