• The Odisha government begun its own tiger estimation in a vast area comprising 16 ranges of Similipal Tiger Reserve and Baripada, Rairangpur and Karanjia forest divisions even as experts continue to debate the Union environment ministry’s report showing a decline in the state’s wild cat population.
• The state government is hopeful that the number of tigers in Similipal will increase from 16 to 35 once the estimation process is over.
• According to the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) report released by the Government of India in July, the total number of tigers in Odisha’s forests is 20, down from 28 in 2018.
• Out of 20, 16 tigers are there in Similipal and the rest four live in the area adjoining the Similipal tiger reserve.

ABOUT SIMPLIPAL TIGER RESERVE

• Similipal Tiger Reserve falls within the tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district.
• Spreads over 2,750 square kilometres.

• It was formally designated a tiger reserve in 1956 and brought under Project Tiger in the year 1973.
• It was declared a biosphere reserve in 1994.
• It has been part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserve since 2009.
• Tribes – Erenga Kharias , Mankirdias, Sahara, Santhal, Bhumija etc.
• Vegetation– semi-evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous hill forests, high level sal forests and sprawling meadows.
• Fauna- Langur, Barking and Spotted Deer, Sloth Bear, Mongoose, Leopard, Gaur, Elephant, Flying Squirrel, Porcupine, Turtle, Monitor Lizard, Python, Sambar, Pangolin

• Lok Sabha Speaker referred a complaint against TMC MP to the House Ethics Committee.

ABOUT ETHICS COMMITTEE

• The Speaker appoints members of the committee for one year.
• It consists of 15 members.
• Genesis
  • Rajya Sabha- Upper House’s Ethics Committee was constituted on March 4, 1997 — it was officially inaugurated two months later in May — to oversee the moral and ethical conduct of members and examine cases of misconduct referred to it.
    • The Rules applicable to the Committee of Privileges also apply to the ethics panel.
  • Lok Sabha- The Committee of Privileges recommended the constitution of an Ethics Committee during the 13th Lok Sabha.
    • Late Speaker G M C Balayogi constituted an ad-hoc Ethics Committee in 2000 and it became a permanent part of the House only in 2015

WORKING

• Any person can complain against a member through another Lok Sabha MP along with all evidence of misconduct and an affidavit stating that the complaint is not “false, frivolous or vexatious”.
• A member, too, can complain against another member with evidence without any need for an accompanying affidavit.
• The Committee does not entertain complaints based only on media reports or on sub-judice matters.
• The Speaker can refer to the committee any complaint against an MP.
• The committee makes a prima facie enquiry before deciding to examine a complaint and after the evaluation of the complaint makes its recommendations.
• The committee report is presented to the Speaker who asks the House if the report should be taken up for consideration.
  • There is also a provision for a half-an-hour discussion on the report.
• Difference from Privileges Committee
  • While MPs can be examined for breach of privilege on corruption charges, a person who is not an MP can also be accused of breach of privilege for actions that attack the authority and dignity of the House.
  • In the case of the Ethics Committee, however, only an MP can be examined for misconduct.

• A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court declined to legalise same-sex marriage, placing it upon the Parliament and State governments to decide if non-heterosexual unions can be legally recognised.

Important points

• The judgment has refused to recognise queer marriages or civil unions.
• Marriage, according to the court, is an institution set up under law — and same-sex couples do not have a right to participate in it unless the law permits them to do so. The fact that it does not permit them at this moment, according to the court, is not unconstitutional.
• The Special Marriage Act, 1954 — a legislation that was enacted to enable inter-faith marriages, and the challenge against which formed the foundation of the hearings — was upheld in its current form, i.e., permitting marriages only between a ‘man’ and a ‘woman’.
• The verdict poses the marriage equality question for the legislature. In the absence of any central law, the judgment holds that State legislatures can enact laws recognising and regulating same-sex marriages; the Constitution under Articles 245 and 246 empowers both the Parliament and the State to enact marriage regulations.
• Court cannot mandate the state to recognize a civil union.
  • A “civil union” refers to legal status that allows same sex couples specific rights and responsibilities normally conferred upon married couples.
• Since a same-sex couple cannot marry under Indian law, it follows that they cannot also adopt children as a couple.

JUDGEMENTS RELATED TO LGBTQ RIGHTS IN INDIA

• Suresh Koushal v Union of India– upheld the constitutional validity of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.
• Navtej Johar v Union of India– struck down IPC Section 377 to the extent that it criminalised homosexuality.
• NALSA v Union of India– upheld the right of transgender persons to decide their gender and directed the Centre and state governments to grant legal recognition to their gender identity
• KS Puttaswamy v Union of India– recognised the right to privacy as a fundamental right under the Constitution.
• Shafin Jahan v Union of India– recognised the right to choose one’s partner as a facet of the fundamental right to liberty and dignity.

• Arindam Bagchi has been appointed as India’s next Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva.
• Arindam Bagchi is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer from the 1995 batch and has a rich and diverse background in the foreign service.
• He is set to succeed the incumbent Indian envoy to the UN in Geneva, Indra Mani Pandey, who assumed the role in July 2020.

• Kati Bihu is an Assamese festival.
• It marks the relocation of rice sapling and is known as Kongali Bihu.
• It is one of the three Bihu festivals celebrated in Assam, all connected to agriculture.
• During Kati Bihu, people light earthen lamps and candles to celebrate, with a special focus on lighting a diya near the Tulsi plant.
• Rituals include waking up early, cleaning the house, offering water to the Tulsi plant, and lighting lamps called “Akash Banti” in paddy fields.

• Rafah crossing is the southernmost post of exit from the Gaza Strip (Palestine) and borders with Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.
  • It is the only crossing point for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip right now.
• Two other border crossings from and into the Gaza Strip are-
  • Erez- a crossing for people with Israel in northern Gaza.
  • Kerem Shalom– it is a solely commercial goods junction with Israel in southern Gaza.

• The Iron Beam air defence system that Israel may deploy, can fire powerful beams of light that can destroy fast-moving projectiles.
• It was earlier planned to enter service in 2025. However, following the outbreak of war, the Israeli Ministry of Defence may consider deploying it sooner.
• It was first unveiled in 2014.
• Built by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the Iron Beam system is a directed-energy weapon air defence system that fires powerful beams of light.
• The Iron Beam was considered as a cheaper and flexible alternative to work alongside the Iron Dome missile defence system.
• Instead of the interceptors fired by Iron Dome, which can cost $60,000 each, one could send a laser beam that costs just a few dollars
• The Iron Beam is also smaller and lighter than Iron Dome, which makes it easier to move and to hide.
• Challenges
  • It cannot operate effectively in wet conditions. Even in optimum conditions, the laser loses 30 to 40 percent of its potential energy to atmospheric moisture before hitting the target.
  • It requires a direct line of sight between the system and its target.
  • The Iron Beam also has a much slower rate of fire, requiring five seconds or so to transmit sufficient energy to destroy its target.
  • As of now, the functionality of the Iron Beam on the battlefield is down to speculation.

• The text in an ancient scroll that was badly burned in a volcanic eruption Mount Vesuvius of nearly 2,000 years ago has been read by artificial intelligence (AI).
• The papyrus scrolls, still rolled up, were turned into charcoal erupted and reached the Roman town of Herculaneum in 79AD – the same one that buried the city of Pompeii and killed around 16,000 people.

ABOUT MOUNT VESUVIUS

• It is located in southern Italy near the coastal city of Naples.
• The 4,203-ft tall Vesuvius is the only active volcano in mainland Europe.
• It has been classified as a complex volcano (or a compound volcano), one that consists of a complex of two or more vents.
• It is part of the Campanian volcanic arc, a line of volcanoes that formed over a subduction zone created by the convergence of the African and Eurasian plates.
• Vesuvius typically has explosive eruptions and pyroclastic flows –– defined as a high-density mix of hot lava blocks, pumice, ash and volcanic gas.
• It is considered among the most dangerous volcanoes in the world due to its proximity to Naples and surrounding towns.

• Prime Minister recently applauded the success of organ donation drive as over 80,000 People have taken the pledge to donate their organs, under the Ayushman Bhav campaign.

ABOUT AYUSHMAN BHAV

• The ‘Ayushman Bhav’ campaign, initiated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, is a comprehensive nationwide healthcare initiative that aims to provide saturation coverage of healthcare services, reaching every village and town in the country.
• This initiative builds upon the success of the Ayushman Bharat program.
• It unites government sectors, civil society organizations, and communities under a common mission to ensure that every individual receives essential health services without any disparity or exclusion.
• It is a collaborative effort spearheaded by Gram Panchayats in coordination with the Department of Health, other government departments, and local elected bodies in rural and urban areas.
• It has three components-
  • Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0– This initiative aims to provide Ayushman cards to remaining eligible beneficiaries enrolled under the PM-JAY scheme, ensuring that more individuals have access to essential health services.
  • Ayushman Melas at HWCs and CHCs- These Melas at Ayushman Bharat- HWCs and CHCs will facilitate the creation of ABHA IDs (Health IDs) and the issuance of Ayushman Bharat Cards. They will also offer early diagnosis, comprehensive primary health care services, teleconsultation with specialists, and appropriate referrals.
  • Ayushman Sabhas- These gatherings in every village and Panchayat will play a pivotal role in distributing Ayushman cards, generating ABHA IDs, and raising awareness about vital health schemes and disease conditions, such as non-communicable diseases, tuberculosis (Nikshay Mitra), sickle cell disease, as well as blood donation and organ donation drives.

• Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI 5.0), the flagship routine immunization campaign of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare concluded all 3 rounds recently in all States/UTs except Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Punjab.
• IMI 5.0 was targeted to ensure that routine immunization services reach the missed-out and dropped out children and pregnant women across the country.
• For the first time the campaign was conducted across all the districts in the country and includes children up to 5 years of age (Previous campaigns included children up to 2 years of age).
• IMI 5.0 campaign aimed to enhance immunization coverage for all vaccines provided under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) as per the National Immunization Schedule (NIS).
• Special focus was laid on improvement of Measles and Rubella vaccination coverage with the aim of Measles & Rubella elimination by 2023
• IMI 5.0 has been conducted in three rounds.
• As on 30th September 2023, over 34,69,705 children and 6,55,480 pregnant women were administered vaccine doses during the first 2 rounds of IMI 5.0 campaign across the country.
• It leverages the U-WIN digital platform for Routine Immunization in a pilot mode.

VACCINES UNDER UIP

• The Universal Immunization Programme provides life-saving vaccines to all children across the country free of cost to protect them against Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis B, Pneumonia and Meningitis due to Haemophilus Influenzae type b (Hib), Measles, Rubella, Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Rotavirus diarrhoea. (Rubella, JE and Rotavirus vaccine in select states and districts).
• Also, Mission Indradhanush was launched in 2014 as a special catch-up campaign under the UIP, to cover the partially and unvaccinated children.
  • A total of 06 crore children and 1.25 crore pregnant women have been cumulatively vaccinated till date.