• Gujarat government has proposed a second home for Asiatic lions in Gujarat at Barda Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS).
• It is about 100 km away from their present home at Gir National Park (GNP) which is overflowing with big cats.
  • Central government has given in-principle approval to the project.
• A report on “Lion@2047: A vision for Amrutkal” , prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India for Gujarat government, has identified Barda as a potential site where a population of 40 adult and sub-adult lions can be accommodated in the larger landscape of Barda-Alech hills and coastal forests.
  • Barda is home to Maldhari community.
• BWS would protect lion population from extinction in case of diseases like Canine Distemper Virus; unexpected decline in prey; natural calamities or retaliatory killings.
• Project Lion envisages landscape ecology-based conservation of Asiatic Lion in Gujarat by integrating conservation and eco-development.
  • It was launched by PM in 2020 on lines of Project Tiger and Project Elephant.

Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica)

• Asiatic Lions are found only in India, in five protected areas in Gujarat – GNP, Gir Sanctuary, Pania Sanctuary, Mitiyala Sanctuary, and Girnar Sanctuary.
• Conservation status:
  • Schedule I and IV of Wildlife Protect Act, 1972;
  • Appendix I of CITES; and
  • Endangered on IUCN Red List.
• Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions (Vulnerable on IUCN Red list).

• Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who also holds the finance portfolio, tabled the Economic Survey Report for 2022-23 in the Vidhan Sabha.
• The survey report pegged the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate for 2022-23 at 6.4 per cent compared to 7.6 per cent last year, a decline of 1.2 per cent.
• According to advance estimates, the per capita income (PCI) at current prices is estimated at Rs 222,227 in 2022-23 against Rs 201,271 in 2021-22, indicating a growth of 10.4 per cent against 13.1 per cent in 2021-22.
  • However, the PCI of the state is more than the national PCI for 2022-23 by Rs 51,607.

• Every year on March 14, the International Day of Mathematics, also known as Pi Day, is observed to honour the mathematical constant Pi, which expresses the proportion of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. The value for Pi is 3.14.
• At its 205th meeting, the Executive Council of UNESCO declared March 14 to be the International Day of Mathematics.
• The theme for Pi Day 2023 is “Mathematics for Everyone”.
  • The purpose of the holiday is to recognise and celebrate the value of mathematics in our daily lives.
  • Also, Albert Einstein’s birthday anniversary falls on this day.
  • The renowned theoretical scientist Stephen Hawking passed away on this day in 2018.

• National Vaccination Day, also known as Immunization Day or Polio Ravivar, is an annual event celebrated in India on March 16^th.
• The day is observed to promote vaccination campaigns and raise awareness about the importance of vaccines in preventing infectious diseases.
• The first National Vaccination Day was celebrated in India in 1995 to eradicate polio from the country.
  • Since then, it has become an important event in India’s public health calendar.
• The last case was reported in 2011 and WHO declared India to be Polio free in 2014.

• The US Senate Committee has announced the appointment of Eric Garcetti as the new US Ambassador to India.
• Eric Garcetti served as the President of the City Council of Los Angeles for four consecutive terms and is known to be a close acquaintance of President Biden. He has also emerged as a leader within the Democratic Party.

• Researchers have found plastic rocks on Trindade island in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil.
• Trindade island is an important conservation spot for one of the largest sea turtles – Green Turtles (Chelonia Mydas), classified as ‘Endangered’ on IUCN red list.
• Plastic was found in the rocks called plastiglomerates – a mixture of sedimentary granules and other debris held together by plastic.
• This intertwining of plastic with rocks is evidence of humans’ pollution reaching earth’s geological cycles.

• Government has ruled out any duty concessions for gold or easing of intellectual property rights regime for EFTA countries.
  • Switzerland has been demanding a lower or zero import duty regime for gold and concessions on the patent regime.
• EFTA is an intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
• It was set up in 1960 (Stockholm Convention) for the promotion of free trade and economic integration between its members.

EFTA is the ninth largest trader in the world in merchandise trade and fifth largest in trade in services

• Indian Coast Guard Region (North East) is conducting fourth edition of Table top exercise (simulated emergency) under CSC.
• CSC was formed in 2011 as a trilateral maritime security grouping of India, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
• Later Mauritius joined as fourth member and Bangladesh & Seychelles participate as observer countries.
• Conclave underlines regional cooperation and shared security objectives concerning all littoral nations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• It aims to make maritime security, marine pollution response and maritime search & rescue priorities for the region.

• REACHOUT scheme is implemented by Ministry of Earth Sciences for capacity building.
• REACHOUT is an umbrella scheme of the following six sub-schemes-
  • Research and Development in Earth System Science (RDESS).
  • Outreach and awareness.
  • Knowledge Resources Center Network (KRCNet).
  • BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate (BCWC).
  • International Training Centre for Operational Oceanography (ITCOocean).
  • Program for development of skilled workforce in Earth system sciences (DESK).
• Main objective is to
  • support various R&D activities,
  • develop useful collaborations with international organizations,
  • create awareness amongst the public, students, academicians and user communities
  • develop skilled and trained manpower in Earth Sciences etc.

• Every year on March 14, the International Day of Action for Rivers (IDAR) is observed to promote awareness of the importance of the river systems on the planet earth.
• The 25th anniversary of the day was observed recently. The day was earlier known as International Day against Dams, for Rivers, Water, and Life.
• Theme for 2023: Rights of Rivers.
  • It calls for the designation of rivers as a national treasure.
  • It demonstrates how crucial rivers are to sustaining human life.
• Rivers and other freshwater environments are crucial sources of clean water for agriculture and drinking but are being subjected to significant quantities of pollution and contamination by both the general people and industries.
  • The day tries to focus on the uneven access to clean water and the pollution occurring due to human activities.

Related Indian Initiatives

• Namami Gange Programme: It is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as a ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 to accomplish prevention of pollution and conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
  • Ganga was declared as the ‘National River’ of India in 2008.
• Ganga Action Plan: It was the first River Action Plan that was taken up in 1985, to improve the water quality by the interception, diversion, and treatment of domestic sewage.
  • The National River Conservation Plan is an extension to the Ganga Action Plan.
• National River Conservation Plan (NRCP):
  • Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented for abatement of pollution in identified stretches of rivers in the country, excluding those in Ganga basin, by providing financial and technical assistance to the States/Union Territories (UTs) on cost sharing basis.
• National River Rejuvenation Mechanism