Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

The Union Agriculture Ministry has restricted the use of glyphosate, a widely used herbicide. This comes even as the Supreme Court on November 10 is about to take up a plea seeking a ban on all herbicide-tolerant crops, including transgenic hybrid mustard and cotton.

What is glyphosate?

• It is a herbicide used to kill weeds — undesirable plants that compete with crops for nutrients, water and sunlight. 
• Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide that can control a wide range of weeds, whether broadleaf or grassy. 
• It is also non-selective, killing most plants. When applied to their leaves, it inhibits the production of a protein ‘5enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS)’. 
• This enzyme, produced only by plants and microorganisms, synthesises aromatic amino acids that are necessary for their growth.

Use in India

• There are nine glyphosate-based formulations containing different concentrations of the chemical registered for use under the Insecticides Act, 1968. 
• These are approved largely for weed control in tea gardens and non-crop areas such as railway tracks or playgrounds. 
• Farmers also apply glyphosate on irrigation channels and bunds to clear these of weeds, making it easier for water to flow and to walk through them. 
• Weeds growing on bunds are, moreover, hosts for fungi, such as those causing sheath blight disease in rice.
• In general, though, the scope for glyphosate use is limited for the very reason that it is non-selective. 
• Designed to kill all plants coming into contact with it, the chemical cannot ordinarily distinguish between crop and weed. 
• Hence, it can be used in tea or rubber plantations, but not in fields where the crops and weeds are at almost the same level.

Concerns

• In general, though, the scope for glyphosate use is limited for the very reason that it is non-selective.
• Designed to kill all plants coming into contact with it, the chemical cannot ordinarily distinguish between crop and weed.
• Hence, it can be used in tea or rubber plantations, but not in fields where the crops and weeds are at almost the same level.

What exactly has the government now done?

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, on October 21, issued a notification stating that “the use of glyphosate involves health hazards and risk to human beings and animals”. 
• It has, however, not banned and only “restricted” its use. 
• The spraying of glyphosate and its derivatives shall henceforth only be permitted through “pest control operators”.

Why has this been done?

• The scope for glyphosate is already restricted in normal agricultural crops by virtue of it being a non-selective herbicide. 
• Glyphosate application has increased only with the advent of genetic modification (GM) or transgenic technology.
• In this case, it has involved incorporating a ‘cp4-epsps’ gene, isolated from a soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, into crop plants such as cotton, maize and soyabean. 
• This alien gene codes for a protein that does not allow glyphosate to bind with the EPSPS enzyme. 
• The said GM crop can, therefore, “tolerate” the spraying of the herbicide, which then kills only the weeds.
• In 2019 alone, some 81.5 million hectares were planted worldwide with herbicide-tolerant (HT) GM crops. 
• The global glyphosate market is annually worth $9.3 billion, with over 45 per cent of use on account of GM crops.
• As far as India goes, the only GM crop officially under commercial cultivation today is Bt cotton. 
• This has two alien genes (‘cry1Ac’ and ‘cry2Ab’) from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, that code for proteins toxic to the American bollworm, spotted bollworm and tobacco caterpillar insect pests.
• These seeds harbour both insect-resistance and HT traits, coming from the two Bt genes and the glyphosate-tolerant ‘cp4-epsps’ gene.

How valid are the health concerns over glyphosate?

• The World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), in March 2015, classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans”. 
• But this was based on evidence for cancer in experimental animals from “pure” glyphosate, as opposed to that in humans from real-world exposures through diluted formulations (which is how the chemical is actually sold and used).
• The US Environmental Protection Agency, on the other hand, has held that there are “no risks of concern to human health from current uses of glyphosate” and “no evidence” of it causing cancer. 
• The European Chemicals Agency, too, has concluded that “classifying glyphosate as a carcinogenic, mutagenic (causing DNA changes) or reprotoxic substance is not justified”.
• The Union Environment Ministry’s Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), on October 18, recommended the commercial release of Delhi University’s GM hybrid mustard. 
• This crop can also tolerate the spraying of glufosinate ammonium, a non-selective herbicide similar to glyphosate. 
• GEAC is further set to take a call on approving glyphosate-tolerant Bt cotton, whose illegal cultivation is an open secret.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Prime Minister unveiled the logo, theme and website of India’s G20 presidency. The logo bears a lotus and the message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — One Earth, One Family, One Future’.

India will assume the presidency of the powerful G20 grouping from the current chair, Indonesia, on December 1, and hold the post for a year. The G20 Leaders’ Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10, 2023 in New Delhi.

Significance of the G20 logo

• The logo is not just a symbol, but a message and a resolve.
•  “This G20 logo is not just a symbol, it is a message, an emotion running through our veins. 
• It is a resolve, which is now being included in our thoughts..
• The logo reflects our idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole earth is a family), because of which India has always believed in global harmony. 
• “The lotus flower symbolises our Puranic heritage, our aastha (belief) and boddhikta (intellectualism),”

G20

• The G20 was formed in 1999 in the backdrop of the financial crisis of the late 1990s that hit East Asia and Southeast Asia in particular. 
• Its aim was to secure global financial stability by involving middle-income countries. 
• Its prominent members are: Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US, and the EU. Spain is invited as a permanent guest.
• “G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. 

How does the G20 work?

• The G20 has no permanent secretariat. 
• The agenda and work are coordinated by representatives of the G20 countries, known as ‘Sherpas’, who work together with the finance ministers and governors of the central banks. India has announced that ex-NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant would be the G20 Sherpa after Piyush Goyal.
• On the advice of the G7 Finance Ministers, the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors began holding meetings to discuss the response to the global financial crisis that occurred.
• Since 1999, an annual meeting of finance ministers has taken place.
• The first G20 Summit took place in 2008 in Washington DC, US. 
• In addition to Summits, the Sherpa meetings (that help in negotiations and building consensus), and other events are also organised throughout the year. 
• Each year, the presidency invites guest countries.

G20 Presidency

• India will assume the presidency of the powerful G20 grouping from the current chair, Indonesia, on December 1, and hold the post for a year.
• The G20 Leaders’ Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on September 2023.
• The presidency of the G20 rotates every year among members, and the country holding the presidency, together with the previous and next presidency-holder, forms the ‘Troika’ to ensure continuity of the G20 agenda.
• During India’s presidency, India, Indonesia and Brazil will form the troika.
• This would be the first time when the troika would consist of three developing countries and emerging economies.
• During the course of its G20 Presidency, India will be holding about 200 meetings in 32 different sectors in multiple locations across India.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

The Centre has constituted the Law Commission of India with Justice (retd) Rituraj Awasthi, former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, at its head.

About Law Commission of India

• It is a non-statutory body. The government of India constitutes it, from time to time.
• The commission is established for a fixed tenure. It works as an advisory body to the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Functions

• It identifies obsolete laws. The laws which are no longer relevant, not in harmony with the existing climate and laws which require change.
• It suggests suitable measures for quick redressal of citizens’ grievances in the field of law.
• It enables poors, to take benefit out of the legal process.
• Likewise, it examines the laws for promoting gender equality.
• The recommendations of the commission are not binding on the government. They are recommendations only. The government or concerned department may accept or reject these recommendations.

Establishment of Law Commission

• The first Law Commission was established during the British Raj era in 1834. It was established by the Charter Act of 1833 and was chaired by Lord Macaulay.
• In 1955, the first Law Commission of independent India was established for a three-year term. Since then, twenty-one more Commissions have been established.
• In 2015, The 21st Law Commission of India was established. Its tenure was up to 31st August 2018. In 2020, the Union Cabinet approved the creation of the 22nd Law Commission.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Russia has re-joined the Black Sea Grain deal. The Black Sea Grain deal endeavours to tackle escalating food prices emanating from supply chain disruptions because of Russia’s actions in the world’s ‘breadbasket’. 

What is the Black Sea Grain Initiative?

• The Black Sea Grain deal endeavours to tackle escalating food prices emanating from supply chain disruptions because of Russia’s actions in the world’s ‘breadbasket’. 
• The deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey, was signed in Istanbul on July 22 this year. 
• Initially stipulated for a period of 120 days, with an option to extend or terminate after November, the deal was to provide for a safe maritime humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian exports (particularly for food grains) from three of its key ports, namely, Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi. 
• The central idea was to calm markets by ensuring an adequate supply of grains, thereby limiting food price inflation.
• Ukraine is among the largest exporters of wheat, maize, rapeseed, sunflower seeds and sunflower oil, globally. 
• Its access to the deep-sea ports in the Black Sea enables it to directly approach Russia and Europe along with grain importers from West Asia and North Africa. 
• Russia’s actions in the East European country had disturbed this route which earlier used to ship 75% of its agricultural exports — precisely what the initiative sought to address.

Why is it important?

• As per the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, approximately 10.1 million tonnes of grains have been shipped since the initiative commenced. 
• The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation’s (FAO) Food Price Index, which assesses the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities, fell for the sixth consecutive month in a row during the September assessment period. 
• It was earlier inferred that the supply situation in markets was seen to be easing, with potential for further price drops. 
• People hoarding the grain in the hope of selling it for a sizeable profit owing to the supply crunch were obligated to sell. The initiative has also been credited for having made a “huge difference” to the global cost of living crisis.
• About 44% of the shipments, which include corn, wheat, rapeseed, and sunflower oil among others, reached high-income countries (including Spain, Netherlands and Italy among others), 28% reached low and lower-middle-income countries (Egypt, Iran, Sudan and Kenya among others) and 27% reached upper-middle income countries (China and Bulgaria among others).

Current status of the Black Sea Grain Initiative

• Black Sea Grain deal set to expire on November 19, 2022.
• The renewal negotiations were led by the United Nations throughout October 2022.
• However, Russia pulled out of this agreement on October 29 due to drone attack on its naval ships in the port of Sevastopol.
• Despite Russia withdrawing from the deal, several grain ships continued to depart from ports in Ukraine with support from Turkey and UN.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

The child rights body has received complaint from an NGO which alleged that the All India Mission was involved in ‘illegally converting children in India’

• Amazon India has informed the national child rights body that it had no information regarding funding to the All India Mission which was involved in “unlawful activities” and would get the same from its office in the United States.

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights 

• NCPCR is a statutory body constituted under Section 3 of the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act,2005 to protect child rights and other related matters in the country. 
• The Commission is further mandated to monitor the proper and effective implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012; Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and the Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
• The commission’s mandate is to ensure that all laws, policies, programs and administrative systems conform to the vision of the rights of the child as enunciated in the Constitution of India as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• It strives to ensure that all laws and policies in the country are in consonance with the rights of children as emphasised by the Indian Constitution as well as with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• A child is defined as any person between the ages of 0 and 18 years.
• The Commission acknowledges the universality and inviolability of child rights.
• It focuses on children that form a part of the most vulnerable sections of society.
• The Commission sees every right of the child as equally important and hence, does not grade the rights according to importance

Power and Jurisdiction

• All the powers of a civil court trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 and, in particular, in respect of the following matters, namely:-
• summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath;
• discovery and production of any document;
• receiving evidence on affidavits;
• requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office; and issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses or documents.

The Commission has also the power to forward any case to a Magistrate having jurisdiction to try the same and the Magistrate to whom any such case is forwarded shall proceed to hear the complaint against the accused as if the case has been forwarded to him under section 346 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (2 of 1974).

NCPCR Constitution

• The NCPCR has been constituted by the Government as an act of Parliament as mentioned above. Hence, it is a statutory organisation. It consists of the following members
• Chairperson – Person of eminence and who has an exemplary record of work in child welfare.

Six members:

• A minimum of two women members.
• Should have experience in the following fields:
• Education
• Child health, care, welfare or child development
• Juvenile justice or care of neglected or marginalized children or children with disabilities
• Elimination of child labour or children in distress
• Child psychology or sociology
• Laws relating to children

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court, by a 3-2 majority, upheld the validity of 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019 and held that the 10% EWS quota to “poorest of poor” among forward castes did not pose any danger to the Basic Structure of the Constitution.

Background

• Reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of the society was granted based on the recommendations of a commission headed by Major General (retd) S R Sinho.
• The Commission was constituted by the then Union government in 2005, and submitted its report in 2010.
• To implement this, a Cabinet Note was prepared by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2019.
• Based on this, the Cabinet, in 2019, decided to amend the Constitution (103rd Amendment) to provide reservation to EWS.

About EWS Reservations

• The 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019 added Clause (6) to Article 15 of the Constitution to give the government the authority to make special provisions for the EWS among citizens who are not already eligible for reservation.
• The Act allows up to 10 per cent reservation in public and private educational institutions, whether aided or unaided, with the exception of minority-run institutions.
• The Act also added Clause (6) to Article 16 of the Constitution to make employment reservations easier.
• Article 16 of the Indian Constitution guarantees equal opportunity to all citizens in matters related to employment in the public sector.
• It was enacted to promote the welfare of the poor not covered by the 50% reservation policy for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
• The Act states unequivocally that the EWS reservation will be added to the existing reservation.

Eligibility Criteria

• Candidate’s annual family income must be less than Rs. 8 lakhs per annum,
• Their family must not own more than 5 acres of agriculture land,
• The residential flat area should be below 1000 sq. ft.,
• The residential plot’s area should be below 100 square yards if in a notified municipality sector,
• The residential plot’s area should be below 200 square yards if in a non-notified municipality sector.

Court Judgement

• By a majority of 3:2, a five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court has upheld the validity of the 103rd Constitution Amendment, which came into effect in January 2019.
• The amendment was challenged, and the challenge was referred to a five-judge Constitution Bench in August 2020.
• The challenge was based on the argument that the 103rd amendment violated the “basic structure” of the Constitution.
• The Supreme Court had introduced the doctrine of basic structure in the landmark Kesavananda Bharati case, by which it ruled that certain aspects of the Constitution were inviolable, and could not be changed.
• The primary argument in this case was that the special protections guaranteed to socially disadvantaged groups is part of the basic structure.
• The petitioners argued that the 103rd Amendment departs from this by promising special protections on the sole basis of economic status.

Significance of the judgement

• Reservation was an “instrument of affirmative action by the state” and should not be confined to just SCs, STs, SEBCs, and the non-creamy layer of OBCs, but also include “any class or sections so disadvantaged as to answer the description of ‘weaker section’”
• 103rd Amendment only created “a separate class of EWS without affecting the special right of reservation provided to SEBCs, STs, SCs and OBCs”.
• Even the SC/ST/SEBC/OBC members had been treated as a separate category for the purpose of the 50% reservation. Now, they cannot be treated at par with citizens belonging to the general or unreserved category.
• Article 14: Just as equals cannot be treated as unequal’s, unequal’s cannot be treated equally. Treating unequal’s as equals will offend the doctrine of equality in Article 14.

Concerns

• Existing reservation should not be seen as a “free pass to equal opportunity” for these backward classes, he noted, but as a reparative and compensatory mechanism to level the field for those crippled by social stigmatisation.
• Excluding the SC/ST/OBC/SEBC communities, on the ground that they already enjoy the benefits of a pre-existing 50% reservation based on their caste and class origins, would amount to heaping injustice based on their past disability and struck at the essence of the “Non-Discriminatory Rule” and destroyed the Equality Code of the Constitution.
• Orwellian exclusion: Such an exclusion was simply “Orwellian” as the government’s statistics itself showed that the “bulk of economic deprived section of the society belonged to SC/ST/SEBC/OBC”.
• Narrow scope: The petitioners had argued that the exclusion of SC/ST/SEBC/OBC had left only the “middle class” among the forward castes drawing less than ₹8 lakh as annual family income to reap the benefits of the EWS quota.
• 50% ceiling limit: Permitting the breach of 50% ceiling limit would become “a gateway for further infractions and result in compartmentalisation”.

Current issues in Reservation

• Indira Sawhney judgment in 1992: SC upheld the principle that the combined reservation beneficiaries should not exceed 50% of India’s population. However, with EWS reservation of 10%, the total reservation in India’s population amounts to almost 60%.
• Rohini Commission report: Asymmetrical distribution of reservation – 97% of central OBC quota benefits go to just under 25% of its castes. As many as 983 OBC communities — 37% of the total — have zero representation in both central government jobs and admissions to central universities.
• Data Deficiency: There is hardly any legible data on the socio-economic conditions of varied social groups at State & local level. Also, we do not know what liberalisation has done to castes which remained tied to more traditional sources of income.
• The creamy layer threshold: SC admits plea challenging Rs 8 lakh EWS annual income criteria is the same as that for the creamy layer of Other Backward Classes quota and is unfair.
• Lack of merit-based recognition

Both sides agreed on the state’s power to make special provisions for implementing reservation in private unaided institutions, including professional colleges.

The Amendment cannot be said to violate Basic Structure by permitting the state to make special provisions in relation to admission to private unaided institutions.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

SEWA, the Self Employed Women’s Association set up by Ela Bhatt in 1972, has achieved something that no company, conglomerate, or perhaps even government has achieved in India — the creation of a truly effective employment support programme for women who are among the country’s poorest and most marginalised.

Over 50 years, SEWA has built more than four dozen institutions for the poor and by the poor, and to empower poor women workers — all founded on the principle that “the poor do not need charity, they need an enabling mechanism to strive and come out of the vicious circle of poverty and vulnerability”.

About Ela Bhatt

• She was known as the “Gentle Revolutionary” who changed the lives of lakhs of women through her organisation, providing them with microloans for five decades.
• She founded the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in 1972.
• She also headed the women’s wing of Majoor Mahajan Sangh-the Textile Labour Association founded by Anasuya Sarabhai and Mahatma Gandhi.
• She was the chairperson of the Sabarmati Ashram Memorial and Preservation Trust, also co-founded the Women’s World Banking, a global network of microfinance organisations, of which she was chairperson from 1984 to 1988.
• She was also nominated to Rajya Sabha, and was a member of the Planning Commission.
• She had also acted as an advisor to organisations like the World Bank.
• In 2007, she joined the Elders, a group of world leaders founded by Nelson Mandela to promote human rights and peace.
• She was a prodigious writer who penned in Anasuya, our Gujarati newsletter, a play on street vendors. One of her famous book was “We are Poor but We are Many”.
• She was a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Ramon Magsaysay Award and Indira Gandhi International Prize for Peace among many other awards.

Self Employed Women’s Association

• SEWA was born out of the Textile Labour Association (TLA) — founded by Anasuya Sarabhai and Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 — 
• But it could not register as a trade union until 1972 because its members did not have an “employer”, and were thus not seen as workers.
• In 1981, after the anti-reservation riots in which the Bhatts were targeted for supporting quotas for Dalits in medical education, the TLA broke up with SEWA. “
• At the time of the break from the TLA, SEWA had 4,900 members, a small cooperative bank, an office building, a rural centre, one vehicle, and a few typewriters. 
• As early as in 1974, SEWA Bank was established to provide small loans to poor women — an initiative that was recognised by the International Labour Organisation as a microfinance movement.
• The Unorganised Workers Social Security Act (2008), the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (2011), and the Street Vendors Act (2014), are seen as successes of SEWA’s struggle. The PM Street Vendors Atmanirbhar Nidhi (PM-SVANidhi) scheme is seen as being inspired by SEWA’s microfinance model.
• With an annual membership fee of just Rs 10, SEWA allows anyone who is self-employed to become a member.
• Its network is spread across 18 Indian states, in other countries of South Asia, in South Africa, and Latin America.
• It simultaneously provided employment to women and promoted cooperative production, consumption and marketing of textiles which constituted the core of India’s industrialisation.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

Chhattisgarh celebrates its 23rd State Foundation Day on 1st November 2022 and as a part of the celebrations, Raipur will host the 3rd National Tribal Dance Festival. The National Tribal Dance Festival will be celebrated from 1st November 2022 to 3rd November 2022.

National Tribal Dance Festival

• National Tribal Dance Festival is one of Chhattisgarh’s grand festivals which celebrates diverse tribal communities and their culture not just in India but from across the globe.
• It is organised under the Tourism and Culture Department of Chhattisgarh.
• This festival aims to unite the tribal communities and provides an opportunity to educate about their rich culture for all.
• The first National Tribal Dance Festival was organised in 2019 and second in 2021.
• Men and women perform some dances exclusively, while in some performances men and women dance together.
• In the National Tribal Dance Festival, tribal dance groups from all states and union territories of India will be taking part.
• The highlights of the National Tribal Dance Festival will be the other countries including Mongolia, Togo, Russia, Indonesia, Maldives, and Mozambique participating in the event.
• About 1500 tribal artists will take part in the event of which 1400 will be from India and 100 will be from other countries.
• The festival will have several competitions in two categories and prizes worth ₹20 lakh will be given to the winners.
• The award includes cash prizes of ₹5 lakh, ₹3 lakh, and ₹2 lakh to the first, second, and third winners respectively.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

A team of researchers from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, has developed a nano-biosensor for detecting ‘lycopene’, a phytochemical with high commercial value. 

• The sensor uses a portable smartphone-based upconverting reusable fluorescent paper strip.
• This transparent Upconversion Nanoparticles (UCNP) strip has been found to be sensitive to lycopene with a detection limit as low as 10 nM. 
• A simple smartphone camera can be used for detection.
• Upconversion is a process where light can be emitted with photon energies higher than the light generating the excitation.

Lycopene

• Lycopene is a carotenoid found in tomatoes, grapefruit, watermelons and papaya. 
• It is also synthesised by plants and microorganisms but cannot be synthesised by the human body and can only be obtained via diet.
• It is a potent antioxidant that helps prevent cancer and heart diseases. 
• Several epidemiologic studies have suggested a strong association between a high intake of lycopene-rich foods and a reduced risk of several cancers, notably prostate cancer.
• However, there are not many well-designed clinical trials conducted and the data remain inconclusive. 
• As lycopene has potent antioxidant effects, it may interfere with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. 
• Cancer patients are therefore suggested to use lycopene supplements with caution.

Natural Sources of Lycopene

• Tomato and tomato-based products are the major dietary sources of lycopene and account for approximately 80% of the consumption of lycopene in western countries.
• It is also present in a high amount in watermelon, guava, pink grapefruit, rosehips, papaya, and apricot.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

The 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP14) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands began to discuss the state of wetlands globally. 

• Among the items on the agenda is a draft resolution by China to host an international mangrove centre. 
• The event is being held in two different venues: Wuhan in China and Geneva in Switzerland from November 5-13. 
• Items on the agenda include 
• Waterbird population estimates
• Ramsar Convention criteria
• Lists of wetlands of international importance
• Conservation of small wetlands among others.
• The draft resolution on establishment of the International Mangrove Center in the framework of the Ramsar Convention’ has been submitted by China and is cosponsored by Cambodia and Madagascar. 

Mangroves

• Mangroves are a group of halophyte trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone, in dense thickets or forests along tidal estuaries, in salt marshes, and on muddy coasts – they can tolerate salt.
• Mangroves are typically tropical in nature than temperate because they cannot withstand freezing temperatures. Indonesia alone contains between 26% and 29% of the entire global mangrove stock.
• These trees grow in areas with low-oxygen soil, where slow-moving waters allow fine sediments to accumulate.
• They have a dense tangle of prop roots —i.e., exposed supporting roots that make the trees appear to be standing on stilts above the water. This intricate root system:-
• allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides, which means that most mangroves get flooded at least twice per day.
• Filter salt out of sea water, stay upright in soft, waterlogged soils and give them access to oxygen and nutrients.
• slows the movement of tidal waters, causing sediments to settle out of the water and build up the muddy bottom.
• stabilize the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides.
• makes these forests attractive to fish and other organisms seeking food and shelter from predators.
• Its flowers are pale yellow in colour.

Significance of Mangroves

• Ecological Stabilisation: Ecologically mangroves are important in maintaining and building the soil, as a reservoir in the tertiary assimilation of waste.
• They provide protection against cyclones.
• They play a significant role in promoting land accretion, fixation of mud banks, dissipation of winds, tidal and wave energy.
• The dense tangle of roots allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides.
• Most mangroves get flooded at least twice per day.
• Mangrove forests stabilize the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides.
• Mangroves improve the water quality by absorbing nutrients from runoff otherwise cause harmful algal bloom offshore.
• The mangrove ecosystem also supports an incredible diversity of creatures including some species unique to mangrove forests.
• They provide habitat and refuge to a wide array of wildlife such as birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals and plants.
• Cover just 0.1% of the planet’s surface but store up to 10x more carbon per hectare than terrestrial forests. This means that conserving and restoring mangroves is essential to fighting climate change, the warming of the global climate fuelled by increased carbon emissions, that is already having disastrous effects on communities worldwide.
• Intact and healthy mangrove forests have an  potential for sustainable revenue-generating initiatives including ecotourism, sport fishing, and other recreational activities.

Ramsar Convention

• Wetlands have been subjected to destruction and degradation due to human activities such as agriculture, urban and rural development, industrial and municipal pollution. 
• According to global estimates, the extent of wetland in the world has declined between 64-71% in the 20th century.
• As a result, the ecosystem services that wetlands provide to society have declined drastically. 
• In order to address this issue, the Ramsar convention was put forward to drive international attention to wetland decline and degradation.

About Ramsar Convention

• It is an intergovernmental environmental treaty that calls for international cooperation and national action to safeguard and sustainably use wetlands.
• The official name for the convention is the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat. It is the first and only global treaty for the conservation of a particular ecosystem.
• The Convention was signed on 2nd February 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. This is where it gets its name from-The Ramsar Convention. 2nd February is celebrated as World Wetlands Day every year.
• The Convention entered into force in 1975. As of 2019, it has 171 member states including India.
• It is important to note that the Ramsar Convention is not legally binding i.e. it has no punitive sanctions for violations upon treaty commitments.  It is also not part of the United Nations and UNESCO system of environmental conventions and agreements.