• The CSK HP Agriculture University here has been making efforts to get a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for important crops of the state.
• After getting the GI tag, growers will get special rights over these distinct crops and farm products and reap rich dividends by selling these.
• According to Vice Chancellor Prof HK Chaudhary, the crops selected for the GI tag are Japonica red rice, Bharmour, Barot and Kinnaur ‘rajmash’; Karsog, Shillai and Chamba ‘urdbean’; Karsog kulthi; Kullu, Kangra and Mandi red rice; and Chamba’s ‘chukh’, antique jewellery, animal breeds and their products.
• He said there were a good number of field crops such as rice, barley, ‘rajmash’, ‘kulthi’, mash, and potential crops such as buckwheat, amaranthus, chenopodium, millets, ‘kala zeera’, orchids, bamboo, forages, garlic, ginger, red ginger, ‘jimikand’, cucumber, ‘kakadi’, ‘ghandiyali’, radish, ‘kakora’, ‘tardi’, ‘lingroo’; and animals — Pahari cattle and buffalo, Spiti horse and donkey; Rampur Bushair and Gaddi sheep; Chegu and Gaddi goats; Himachali yak; snow trout; Golden Mahseer, carps and hill stream fish — had drawn the attention of the university for the GI tag.
• The VC further said unique traditional jewellery of Gaddi women such as ‘chak and chiri’, ‘chandan har’ and ‘champakali’, ‘loung’, ‘koka’, ‘tilli’ and ‘balu’, ‘bunde’, ‘jhumke’, ‘kante’, ‘latkni’; ‘tungni’ and ‘kanphuls’, ‘gojru’, ‘toke’, ‘kangnu’, ‘snangu’, ‘singhi’ and ‘pari’, and medical products such as white honey from Bharmour; aphids honey dew from Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur, wild mushroom (Kira jari), and woollen products such as ‘charkhani pattu’, ‘dohroo’, ‘pude’ and pashmina from Chegu goat had also been shortlisted for the GI tag.
• “The university is collaborating with the HP Council for Science, Technology and Environment, HP Patent Implementation Centre, Shimla, for its efforts to get the GI tag as scientific and technical data has to be generated for each and every crop, animal or other distinct products.”
• The VC said in the recent past, the university made successful efforts and got certain research projects sanctioned, which would help in determining the distinct traits of the selected crops.

• Indonesia’s Mount Semeru volcano has erupted, sending ash billowing into the sky and sparking evacuations on the country’s main island, Java.
• Authorities raised the volcano’s warning status to the highest level, meaning its activity had escalated. No injuries have been reported but nearly 2,000 people were evacuated from the area around the volcano.
• Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic activity as well as earthquakes.
• Semeru – also known as “The Great Mountain” – is the highest volcano in Java at 3,676 meter (12,060ft) and one of the most active.
• Semeru’s last major eruption was in December 2021.
• Semeru, also known as Mahameru, has erupted numerous times in the past 200 years.

• Paris Club creditor nations are proposing a 10-year moratorium on Sri Lankan debt and another 15 years of debt restructuring as a formula to resolve the Sri Lankan debt crisis. The Paris club is a group of officials from 22 countries who find sustainable solutions for challenges faced by debtor countries.
• The Paris club has also called upon the Global north and south to take a similar haircut in restructuring of Sri Lankan debt. So far no official proposal has been made by Paris club to China or India.
• Meanwhile, the island nation is yet to initiate any formal dialogue with China. The delay has reduced chances of making the December deadline for getting extended fund facility from IMF executive board. The next likely IMF meeting is possible only in March 2023. Given the delays, Sri Lanka will require bridge funding for the period upto the finalisation of IMF package.
• Earlier this year, Sri Lanka had defaulted on its 51 billion dollar external debt in the midst of spiralling political and economic crisis. India has provided emergency aid to the tune of four billion dollars to the Island nation to tide over its economic crisis this year.

• The second volume of Jataka Tales audio book in Sinhala was released at Swami Vivekananda Cultural centre in Colombo.
• Speaking at the release event, High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay described the audio book as a ‘dhamma daana’ from the people of India to the people of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan Pirivena education minister Vijitha Berugoda expressed gratitude towards Indian support for ‘Pirivenas’ and ‘Dhamma education’.
• The release function was to commemorate the arrival of Sanghamitra Theri to Sri Lanka. The audio book which contains 50 Jataka tales selected under the theme of ‘good advice’ represents more than two millennia old cultural ties between the two countries.
• The project is a joint collaboration between Swami Vivekananda Cultural centre and the Centre of Contemporary Indian studies of the University of Colombo.
• The first volume of the audio book was released in June this year on the occasion of 75th anniversary of India-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations.
• As part of strengthening of the bilateral relations, India has committed to a 15 million dollar grant for promotion of Buddhist ties between the two countries.

• Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar has approved the formation of an Advisory Group for streamlining the development of the Bamboo sector.
• The Advisory Group has a representation of various stakeholders including academicians, researchers, innovators, progressive entrepreneurs, designers, farmer leaders, marketing specialists, and policymakers.
• The inter-ministerial and public-private consultation is envisaged to help revamp the developmental architecture of the sector by incorporating synergy between all the sections related to the bamboo value chain.
• The restructured National Bamboo Mission was launched during 2018-19 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme. It mainly focuses on the development of a complete value chain of the Bamboo sector to link growers with consumers.
• The bamboo industry is witnessing a phase change by the opening of multiple avenues of resource utilisation.

About World Soil Day

• World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources.
• An international day to celebrate Soil was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002. Under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand and within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership, FAO has supported the formal establishment of WSD as a global awareness raising platform.
• The FAO Conference unanimously endorsed World Soil Day in June 2013 and requested its official adoption at the 68th UN General Assembly. In December 2013 the UN General Assembly responded by designating 5 December 2014 as the first official World Soil Day.
• FAO, within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership (GSP), has received the official mandate to facilitate the implementation of the World Soil Day.
• The date of 5 December for WSD was chosen because it corresponds with the official birthday of H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the King of Thailand, who officially sanctioned the event.
• In 2016 this day was officially recognized in memory and with respect for this beloved monarch who passed away in October 2016 after seven decades as head of state.
• 2012 to 2016 with links to the related communication toolkits.

Theme of the year: World Soil Day 2022: Soils, where food begins.

• World Soil Day 2022 (#WorldSoilDay) and its campaign “Soils, where food begins” aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, increasing soil awareness and encouraging societies to improve soil health.

• Air pollution was the second largest cause of death and disability in Bangladesh and cost about 3.9 to 4.00 percent of the country’s GDP, said Danden Chan, the acting World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.
• According to a World Bank report released on Sunday, December 4, air pollution caused the death of between 78,000 to 88,000 thousand people in Bangladesh in 2019.
• The report finds that major construction sites and persistent traffic have the highest level of pollution in Dhaka. At these sites, the fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is considered most hazardous to health, is on average 150 percent above the WHO Air Quality Guidelines (AQG), which is equivalent to smoking about 1.7 cigarettes per day.
• The second highest concentration of PM2.5 levels is found near brick kilns in Greater Dhaka, which is 136 percent above the WHO AQG – equivalent to smoking 1.6 cigarettes per day.
• In Bangladesh, Dhaka is the most polluted division while Sylhet is the least polluted. From 2018 to 2021, Dhaka was ranked as the second most polluted city in the world. The western regions (Khulna and Rajshahi) are more polluted than the eastern ones (Sylhet and Chattogram).
• In the Dhaka division, in addition to local pollution sources, up to one-fifth of the total PM2.5 concentration comes from transboundary sources, says the report.
• Air pollution also affects mental health. Depression is most reported in locations with major construction and persistent traffic. The study finds that a one percent increase in exposure to PM2.5 above the WHO AQG is associated with a 20 percent higher probability of being depressed.
• Exposure to high levels of air pollution significantly raises the risks of breathing difficulties, cough, lower respiratory tract infections, as well as depression, and other health conditions. Children under five years, the elderly, and people with comorbidities such as diabetes, heart or respiratory conditions, are most vulnerable, says the World Bank report.
• Addressing air pollution is critical for the country’s sustainable and green growth and development. Through analytical work and new investments, the World Bank is helping Bangladesh reduce air pollution, said Dandan Chen, Acting World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.

• The National Stock Exchange’s subsidiary NSE Indices has said it has launched one more index under the Nifty Bharat Bond Index series.
• The Bharat Bond Index series follows a target maturity date structure wherein each index in the series measures the performance of a portfolio of ‘AAA’ rated bonds issued by government owned entities maturing in a specific year.
• Nifty Bharat Bond Index — April 2033 – has been launched within the Nifty Bharat Bond Index series, a release said on Thursday.
• In December 2019, NSE Indices launched the first two indices in the Bharat Bond Index with maturities in April 2023 and April 2030, and in July 2020, further two indices with maturities in April 2025 and April 2031 were launched.
• “The upcoming Bharat Bond ETF which is sixth in the Bharat Bond ETF series will track the newly launched Nifty BHARAT Bond Index maturing in 2033. The first Bharat Bond ETFs tracking the Nifty Bharat Bond indices were launched in December 2019.

• 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.
• But it is the 457 sq km Kaziranga National Park that remains the heart of the programme.
• Chief Conservator of Forests and Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve Director Jatindra Sarma says that the population of animals in the park is the healthiest it has ever been. With the aid of AFD funding, conservation has been ramped up with few poaching cases recorded in the past five years.
• “There was just one case of poaching this year, one in 2021 and two cases the year before that. We have successfully stopped poaching in the area,” says Sarma.
• Sarma adds that what the AFD programme has been most effective in is the skilling of communities in the area, particularly forest-dwelling communities.
• Assam officials say that many of the community members would sometimes be engaged in illegal tree felling by middlemen for illegal timber trade, and would also give shelter to poachers, which no longer happens.
• The illegal timber trade is one of the main reasons for the degradation of forests around the reserve. The Assam government has now begun a massive reforestation drive with the help of the AFD.
• Divisional Forest Officer, Kaziranga Park, Ramesh Gogoi says that the “protection strategy” adopted by Kaziranga involves setting up 223 anti-poaching camps across the park.
• “We ensured that the concentration of camps is higher in areas where there has traditionally been a poaching pressure. The AFD funding has helped us equip the camps as well as build the requisite infrastructure,’’says Gogoi.
• There are 35 six-seven foot tall embankments or highlands that have been constructed in various areas around the park, that animals can climb on to and seek refuge during the annual flooding. The project has also developed infrared-based early warning systems, triggered by elephant footfall, to either scare off herds from human habitat or to warn villagers.

• Residents could be inhaling cleaner air as the air quality index (AQI) of Himachal has improved from 81 to 61 over the past four years, besides Sundernagar and Nalagarh being ranked second and third, respectively, in the latest Swachh Vayu Survekshan-2022.
• The improvement in the air quality since 2017 is being attributed to the effective enforcement of pollution control and environmental laws by the State Pollution Control Board. Seven cities Baddi, Damtal, Kala Amb, Nalagarh, Paonta Sahib, Parwanoo and Sundernagar, majorly industrial town, had been placed in the non-attainment cities and towns categories (NAC/Ts) with high particulate matter, leading to poor air quality.
• Now, Sundernagar and Nalagarh will be excluded from the list of NAC/Ts as the two have got the second and third ranking in terms of the cities which have improved their air quality levels. The award was received by Manoj Chauhan, Chief Scientific Officer, State Pollution Control Board.
• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, conferred the awards under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). A cash award of Rs 25 lakh and 12.50 lakh were awarded to Sundernagar and Nalagarh.
• Apoorv Devgan, Member Secretary, Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, said the problem to tackle was higher concentration of PM 10 in the ambient environment which had led to the categorisation of these seven cities/towns under the category of non-attainment.
• “The state has adopted a multi-pronged strategy by involving all stakeholder departments and prepared an action plan for mitigation the air pollution in all NAC/Ts,” said Devgan. The board has upgraded the air monitoring capability in all NAC/Ts along with effective periodic review in the implementation of the action plan by the Air Quality Monitoring Committee, headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Environment, Science and Technology).
• He said the efforts of the State Pollution Control Board as well as city-level implementation committee, headed by the District Magistrates, had been succeeded in the reduction of more than 40 per cent PM10 concentration in the ambient environment.
• The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2018 for the containment of air quality in 131 NAC/Ts in India. Various components of the action plan include containment of vehicular emissions, suppression of road dust and other fugitive emissions, control of air pollution from bio-mass burning, construction and demolition activities and industrial air pollution.