UPSC Daily Current Affairs| Prelim Bits 27-02-2025

Gharial Crocodiles

Why in News?

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister recently released 10 gharials into Chambal River at the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary in Morena.

• It is a type of Asian crocodilian distinguished by their long, thin snouts.
• Scientific Name - Gavialis gangeticus.
• Place in mythology - Gharials hold sacred significance, often depicted as the divine mount of the goddess Ganga.
• The name 'gharial' comes from the Hindi word ghara, meaning pot or vessel, referring to the bulbous snout tip of adult males, resembles an inverted pot.
• Appearance - Their slender snouts, lined with numerous sharp, interlocking teeth, are adapted to trap fish, the mainstay of their diet.

• Size -Males grow from 3-6 meters, and females 2.6–4.5 meters.
• Breeding - Gharials mate during November, December, and January.
• Habitat - Sandbanks, sandbars, and islands are critical to their ecology, serving as preferred sites for basking and nesting.
• Distribution – India and Nepal.
• Diet – Fish eating (carnivores).
• Gharials do not stalk and lunge at prey like other crocodilians, their snouts contain sensory cells that can detect vibrations in the water.
• Threats
  • Historical - Overhunting for skins, trophies, eggs, and traditional medicine.
  • Modern - Dam construction, irrigation canals, siltation, river course changes, embankments, sand-mining, pollution, and fishing.
  • Specific threat - Gill nets kill gharials of all sizes, even in protected areas.

• Conservation Efforts – Captive breeding to rear and release hatchlings back into the river, monitoring populations, actively managing threats and engaging local communities in preservation.
• Today, the species survives primarily in 5  refuges

• Conservation Status
  • IUCN – Critically Endangered.
  • WPA, 1972 - Schedule I.
  • CITES - Appendix I.

References

1. The Indian Express | Why gharials are endangered?
2. WII | Gavialis gangeticus
3. National Geographic | Gharial

Time Use Survey, 2024

Why in News?

The results of the Time Use Survey, 2024 (second such All-India Survey) was recently released by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

• Time Use Survey (TUS) – It will enable measuring time spent by individuals on different activities.
• The primary objective is to measure participation of men, women and other groups of persons in paid and unpaid activities.
• The survey will be an important source of information on the time spent in unpaid care giving activities, unpaid volunteer work, unpaid domestic service producing activities of the household members.
• This will also provide information on time spent on learning, socializing, leisure activities, self-care activities, etc. by the household members.
• Conducted by - National Statistics Office (NSO).
• Nodal Ministry - Ministry of Statistics & Program Implementation.

Key Highlights of the survey

• Duration - January – December, 2024.
• Major Indicators

• Increasing participation rate, 2024 - 75% of the males and 25% of the females of 15-59 years, participated in employment and related activities during the reference period of 24 hours.
  • Such participation was 70.9% for males and 21.8% for females in the age group 15-59 years during 2019.
• Shift from unpaid to paid - Female participants aged 15-59 years in unpaid domestic services has come down to 305 minutes during 2024 signifying the shift from unpaid to paid activities.
  • During 2019 they spent about 315 minutes in unpaid activities.
• Participation rate in care-giving - 41% of females aged 15-59 years participated in caregiving for their household members, male participation in this age group in such caregiving was 21.4%.
• Also, female participants in caregiving activities spent about 140 minutes in a day, compared to 74 minutes spent by male participants aged 15-59 years.
• This corroborates the Indian social fabric wherein most of the caregiving responsibilities for household members are borne by the females of the household.
• Final goods production in rural areas - 24.6% of the rural population aged 15-59 years participated in producing goods for own final use and they spent 121 minutes a day doing such activities.
• Learning of children - 89.3% of children aged 6-14 years participated in learning activities and they spent around 413 minutes in a day for such activities.
• Leisure activities rate - People aged 6 years and above spent 11% of their days’ time in culture, leisure, mass media and sports practices during 2024, compared to 9.9% of the days’ time spent during 2019.
• Self-care and maintenance rate - 708 minutes in a day was spent on self-care and maintenance activities by persons aged 6 years and above.
• Females of this age group spent 706 minutes while males spent 710 minutes in such activities.

References

1. The Hindu | “Time Use Survey”
2. PIB | TIME USE SURVEY (TUS)
3. Business Today | Time Use Survey

NAKSHA Scheme

Why in News?

Union Rural Development Minister launched the Central government’s new initiative, NAKSHA recently from Raisen in Madhya Pradesh.

• NAKSHA - National geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban Habitations.
• NAKSHA is a city survey initiative under the existing Digital India Land Records Modernization Programme (DILRMP).
• Aim - To create a comprehensive and accurate geospatial database for urban land records.
• Spearheaded by - Department of Land Resources (DoLR), under the Ministry of Rural Development.
• Under the new initiative, maps of towns and cities will be prepared.
• Implementation - The programme has been launched as a pilot across 152 urban local bodies in 26 states.
• The pilot will be completed in a year.
• Eligibility criteria - The cities selected meet 2 criteria
  • Area less than 35 sq km, and
  • Population less than 2 lakhs.
• Funding – The initiative is 100% centrally funded.
• Features - Integrates aerial and field surveys with advanced GIS technology.
• The survey will be done through aerial photography using two types of cameras simple cameras and oblique angle cameras with LiDAR sensors.
• Geospatial data enhances decision-making, land use planning, and property transactions.
• It provides digital urban land records, reduces disputes, aids in faster planning, improves tax collection, simplifies transactions, and improves credit access.
• Need of the scheme - Most urban areas, barring a few states like Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, have outdated or unstructured land records, causing inefficiencies in governance & taxation.

Reference

The Indian Express | NAKSHA Scheme

Effects of Space Travel on Astronaut Health

Why in News?

Recent research published in 2024 reveals the effects on the health of astronauts who participated in SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission (2021), the first all-civilian team to orbit the Earth.

The human body evolved over millions of years to function optimally in the earth’s environment, includes its gravity, atmospheric composition and relatively low levels of radiation.

• Physiological challenges - DNA damage- High-energy radiation can damage DNA.
• Increased cancer risk- High-energy radiation can increase the risk of cancer.
• Neurodegenerative effects- Cosmic radiation may increase the risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
• Gastrointestinal effects - Without gravity to help move food through your GI tract, the intestinal system can decrease motility.
• Vision changes - Without gravity, bodily fluids shift upward, leading to facial swelling and increased intracranial pressure, which can affect vision.
• It can attribute to a condition called Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS).
  • Dysfunction in subcellular structures called mitochondria plays a role in SANS.
• Bone density loss - The lack of mechanical loading on bones and muscles associated with the leads to bone density loss and muscle atrophy.

Astronauts can lose 1-2% of their bone mass every month they spend in space and up to 10% over a six-month period (on Earth, older men and women lose bone mass at a rate of 0.5%-1% every year).

• Cardiovascular changes – The heart and blood vessels struggle to adapt, complicating blood pressure regulation after return.
• Orthostatic intolerance: The changed gravity field can cause orthostatic intolerance.
• Altered heart electrical rhythm: The changed gravity field can alter heart electrical rhythm.
• Psychological challenges - Social isolation - The isolating nature of space travel can have profound effects on the mind.
• Long-duration missions in spaces with limited natural stimuli cause sleep disturbances, mood swings, cognitive decline and interpersonal conflicts.
• Post-mission recovery – Astronauts will undergo physical rehabilitation to help them regain strength, balance and coordination after returning from space.
• Research needed areas - While it is known that space radiation elevates cancer risk, accelerates aging and induces cellular damage, the precise biological mechanisms of following remain unclear.
  • Limited data on lung function in space
  • Role of Mitochondria in cellular energy production and repair.
  • Effects on long-term brain function and neuroplasticity unclear.
  • Reproduction in Space embryonic development and multi-generational effects on human in space unknown.
  • Critical gap for space colonization, a potential topic in geopolitics and future human survival.

Reference

The Hindu | Effects on Human Health Caused by Space Travel

High Court Ruling on Arresting Women at Night

Why in News?

The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court ruled that legal provision which restricts arrest of a woman after sunset and before sunrise, is directory and not mandatory.

• Two safeguards are provided under Section 43(5) of BNSS (which corresponds to Section 46(4) of CrPC) for the arrest of a woman by the police.
  1. No arrest of a woman shall be made after sunset and before sunrise except in exceptional circumstances.
  2. Even in exceptional circumstances, the prior permission of the jurisdictional magistrate must be sought by a woman police officer by making a written report.
• However, the provision does not explain what would constitute an exceptional situation.
• In addition, the provision to Section 46(1) states that the arresting police officer should not touch the person of the woman, unless it is a woman police offer or if the circumstances otherwise require it.
• History of Section 46(4) CrPC – The 135^th report of the Law Commission of India on Women in Custody (1989) recommended no women shall be arrested after sunset and before sunrise.
• Similar recommendations were made in the 154^th report of the Law Commission in 1996, and Section 46(4) of CrPC was inserted with some changes in 2005.
• Madurai high court bench stance – Declared the provision directory, not mandatory and ruled following observation.
  1. The rule isn’t mandatory, but police can’t ignore it completely.
  2. If police break it, they need a good reason, or they’ll face questions.
  3. The rule still aims to keep women safe during arrests.
  4. Police must make a list of what counts as “special situations” to bend the rule.
  5. It’s flexible but not weak if police follow through properly.
  6. If not watched closely, some might misuse it, but it’s still meant to help women.
• Other judgements – In a case, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court that no female persons shall be detained without the presence of a lady constable, and in no case after sunset and before sunrise.
• Supreme Court noted that always following the rule strictly can create real-world problems for police. 

Reference

The Hindu | HC Rule About Arresting Women at Night