Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PM-JUGA)

• Objective – To ensure saturation coverage and implementation of central schemes aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of tribal communities.
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme for the welfare of tribal families in tribal-majority villages and aspirational districts.
• Target coverage – 63,000 villages across 545 districts in 30 states, benefiting approximately 5 crore tribal people.
• Background – The scheme builds on the learnings from the PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN).
• To know more about PM JANMAN click here .

India has ST population of 10.45 crore as per 2011 census and there are more than 705 tribal communities, spread across the country, living in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

• Components of PM-JUGA:
• Pucca house for eligible Households with other entitlements – Eligible ST household shall have access to pucca housing under the PMAY (Gramin) with availability of tapped water (Jal Jeevan Mission) and electricity supply (RDSS).
• Improving Village infrastructure – To ensuring all weather road connectivity to ST majority villages (PMGSY).
• It provides access to mobile connectivity (Bharat Net) and internet, infrastructure for improving health, nutrition, and education (NHM, Samagra Shiksha and Poshan).
• The Mission consists of 25 interventions which will be implemented by 17 line ministries.
• The Mission targets in respect of 17 Ministries are as under:

Sculptures

• Architecture deals with dwelling places such as homes, palaces, tombs, temples, mosques, monuments and has a functional utility.
• Sculptures are more aesthetic or ritualistic and do not have a functional purpose. (Statement 1 is incorrect)
• Sculptures typically show human, animal and plant figures or supernatural beings standing in isolation or emerging from walls.
• The most ancient sculptures we have come from the Harappan Civilization (2500-1900 BC). Notable examples include:
  • Clay figurines (often female and bejewelled)
  • Bronze works (the 10.5-cm "dancing girl")
  • Stone sculptures (the priest king made of steatite)
• Vedic Period (1900 BC-300 BC) – Notable absence of sculptural evidence. (Statement 2 is incorrect).
• Mauryan Empire (320-185 BCE) – Introduction of royal sculptures atop pillars.
  • Example – Lion Capital of Ashoka.
  • It features four life-like lions and the Dharma Chakra.
  • Incorporates four animals: lion, elephant, bull and horse.
• Early Buddhist Art (100 BC) – Characterized by bas relief or shallow carvings.
• Found on railings of stupas (examples are Sanchi and Bharhut).
• Depicts Buddha's life symbolically and scenes of urban life.
• Shows influence of Greek and Persian artists.
• Kushan Period (100 AD) – Marked by 3 major schools:
  1. Gandhara Art (Swat Valley, present-day Pakistan)
  2. Mathura Art (Gangetic plains)
  3. Amaravati Art (Krishna and Godavari delta)
• Gandhara art uses schist stone or stucco plaster and is characterised by fine Roman grace, drapery and the nimbus. (Statement 3 is correct)
• Features of giant Yaksha and Yakshi images and introduction of early Hindu god imagery (Krishna-Vasudeva, Naga deities).
• Presents earliest Jain sculptures are found in Amaravati Art (Krishna and Godavari delta).
• Uses marble-like limestone.
• Known for extreme ornamentation and the influence spread to Sri Lanka and first sculptural representations of Buddha.

Biosphere Reserves & Protected Areas

• Biosphere Reserves (BR) are protected areas that are meant for the conservation of flora, fauna, plants and animals.
• A BR tries to balance economic and social development and maintenance of associated cultural values along with the preservation of nature.

November 3 is celebrated worldwide as the International Day for Biosphere Reserves.

• The Day aims at highlighting and promoting the activities of Biosphere Reserve (BR) in order to harmonise sustainable development.
• The Day is also significant from the point that with each passing day, the need to tackle environmental issues is growing.
• BRs are nominated by national governments and remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located.
• These are designated under the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme by the Director-General of UNESCO following the decisions of the MAB International Coordinating Council (MAB ICC).
• The MAB Programme is an intergovernmental scientific programme that aims to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environments.
• Biosphere reserves are not conventional protected areas. 
• They are places where over 275 million people live and work and these reserves exist wherever people interact with nature.
• In  these  biosphere  reserves,  people  reset  and  reinvent  their  relationship  with  the  environment in tangible ways.
• The Biosphere Reserve consists of 3 main zone:
  1. Core
  2. Buffer
  3. Transition
• Transition area – Is where communities foster socio-culturally and ecologically sustainable economic and human activities.
• Buffer zones – They surround or adjoin the core area(s).
• They are used for activities compatible with sound ecological practices that can reinforce scientific research, monitoring, training and education.
• Core areas – They comprise a strictly protected zone that contributes to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation
• There are 738 biosphere reserves in 134 countries, including 22 transboundary sites, according to UNESCO.
• In India, at present there are 18 notified biosphere reserves spanning 60,000 sq km.
• The blue mountains of the Nilgiris stretching over Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, was the first biosphere reserve in India.
• Further, the largest biosphere reserve is the Gulf of Kachchh (Gujarat) and the smallest is Dibru-Saikhowa (Assam).
• Other bigger biosphere reserves are the Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu), Sunderbans (West Bengal), and Cold Desert (Himachal Pradesh).

Protected Areas

• Protected areas are those in which human occupation or at least the exploitation of resources is limited.
• There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organizations involved.
• Protected area include:
  1. National Parks
  2. Wildlife Sanctuaries
  3. Conservation Reserves 
  4. Community Reserves 
  5. Marine Protected Areas 
• The term "protected area" also includes:
  • Marine Protected Areas, the boundaries of which will include some area of ocean and
  • Transboundary Protected Areas that overlap multiple countries which remove the borders inside the area for conservation and economic purposes.

• Protected area (PA) network in India has helped to conserve a significant part of the country's biodiversity.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)

• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation came into existence as an Independent Ministry on 15.10.1999.
• It was formed by merging the Department of Statistics and the Department of Programme Implementation.
• The Ministry has two wings, one relating to Statistics and the other Programme Implementation.
• The Statistics Wing is called the National Statistical Office(NSO)
• NSO consists of:
  • Central Statistical Office (CSO),
  • Computer centre and
  • National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).
• The Programme Implementation Wing has 3 Divisions, that include:
  1. Twenty Point Programme.
  2. Infrastructure Monitoring and Project Monitoring.
  3. Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme.
• Besides these two wings, there is National Statistical Commission and Indian Statistical Institute.
• National Statistical Commission was created through a Resolution of Government of India (MOSPI).
• Indian Statistical Institute is one autonomous Institute that was declared as an institute of National importance by an Act of Parliament.
• India is a subscriber to the International Monetary Funds (IMF) Special Data Dissemination Standards (SDDS) and is currently fulfilling the Standards.
• The Ministry maintains an ‘Advance Release Calendar’ for its data categories covered under the SDDS.
• The initiatives of MoSPI include:
  • Monthly periodic labour force surveys (PLFS) for both rural and urban areas.
  • Weekly and monthly basis of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).
  • Quarterly bulletins, that provide details of labour force indicators such as:
    • Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), Unemployment Rate (UR).

Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam Application

• Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam Application combines environmental responsibility with a personal touch, allowing individuals to contribute towards a greener planet.
• Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam Application was recently launched by the Ministry of Communications.
• It is a unique platform where users can plant and dedicate a tree in honour of their mothers.
• This app not only allows users to contribute towards environmental sustainability but also provides a special way to celebrate their bond with their mother.
• Key Features and Functionality of the Apps include:
• Simple App Launch – Users can launch the app by tapping the icon on their device, immediately leading to the home screen with the application logo.
• Capture and Upload Image – The app allows users to dedicate a tree by capturing an image.
• Tree Details – After capturing the image, users can provide details about the tree type, location (state) and occasion for planting the tree.
• Seamless Submission – The app offers the flexibility to submit the image or retake it without losing the previously filled details.
• Location and Timestamp – The app automatically records the location, latitude, longitude and timestamp of the dedicated tree.
• Progress Updates – Users can update the tree’s growth by uploading a new image every 30 days, allowing for continuous tracking.
• Carbon Credit Tracking – Users can track the carbon credits they have earned through their contributions, promoting eco-consciousness.
• Social Media Sharing – The app encourages sharing tree images on social media, spreading awareness and inviting others to participate in this meaningful initiative.