08 Nov 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. India's G-20 Presidency
2. IITM, INCOIS, NCESS, NIOT and NCPOR merged into MoES
3. Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC)

1. India’s G-20 Presidency

Syllabus – GS 2, Global Groupings.

Prelims – Logo, Theme and Website for G20 Presidency.

Context – The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi unveiled the Logo, Theme and Website of India’s G20 Presidency.

Details –

• India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from 1st December 2022 to 30th November 2023.
• Under its presidency, India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings across the country.
• The G20 Leaders’ Summit at the levels of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on 9th & 10th September 2023, New Delhi.
  • The G20, or Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies. It comprises 19 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the USA and the European Union).
  • Collectively G20 accounts for 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade and two-thirds of the world’s population.
• India is currently part of the G20 Troika (current, previous and incoming G20 Presidencies) comprising Indonesia, Italy and India. During our Presidency, India, Indonesia and Brazil would form the troika.

Image Source – PIB

Logo & Theme-

• The G20 logo is inspired by the vibrant colours of India’s National Flag – green, white and saffron.
• It juxtaposes planet earth with the lotus, the National Flower that symbolises growth amidst challenges.
• The Earth reflects India’s pro-planet approach to life, one in perfect harmony with nature. 
• “Bharat” is written below the Logo in the Devanagari script. 
• “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth One Family One Future” is the theme of India’s G20 Presidency. The theme is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad.
• The theme also reflects “LiFE”- Lifestyle for Environment with its associated, environmentally sustainable and responsible choices, both at the level of individual lifestyles as well as national development, leading to globally transformative actions resulting in a cleaner, greener and bluer future.
• The logo and the theme represents India’s approach to the G20 presidency of living in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem. 

Read more about G20 – India’s Role in G20 Summit

2. IITM, INCOIS, NCESS, NIOT and NCPOR merged into MoES

Syllabus – GS 2, Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors.

Prelims – IITM, INCOIS, NCESS, NIOT & NCPOR.

Context – The five autonomous bodies have been merged into a single society of MoES.

Details – 

• Dr Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences, convened the first-ever Joint Society Meeting of the Autonomous Institutions IITM, INCOIS, NCPOR, NCESS & NIOT of the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• The five autonomous bodies – IITM (Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology), INCOIS (Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services), NCPOR (National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research), NCESS (National Centre for Earth Science Studies) and NIOT (National Institute of Ocean Technology) have been merged into a single society of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• The aim of the merger is for greater integration and maximum output. 
• Under the Deep Ocean Mission – SAMUDRAYAAN Programme of MoES – MATSYA 6000, deep water human submersible is designed and developed by NIOT, an autonomous institute under MoES.
  • The MATSYA 6000 shall have the capacity to take three persons up to 6000 m depth of water and carry scientific exploration with a normal endurance of 12 hours & and emergency support of 96 hours. 
• The installation of the NASA-ISRO radar system is at its advanced stage.
  • The NASA-Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Synthetic Aperture Radar, or NISAR satellite is designed to observe and take measurements of some of the planet’s most complex processes, including ecosystem disturbances, ice-sheet collapse, and natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes and landslides.

3. Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC)

Syllabus – GS 3, Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.

Prelims – MAC at COP27 in Egypt.

Context – Launch of MAC at COP27.

Details –

• The launch of the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) for the conservation of mangroves with cross-boundary cooperation to meet the intentional climate goals, was held on the sidelines of the ongoing COP27 at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
• The Union Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Shri Bhupendra Yadav spoke at the launch of the event. He said that India has committed in its NDC to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. Creating new carbon sinks from mangrove afforestation and reducing emissions from mangrove deforestation are two possible ways for countries to meet their NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) targets and achieve carbon neutrality. He further said that the integration of mangroves into the national REDD+, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programs is the need of the hour.
• Mangroves are found in 123 countries, distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
• Mangroves account for 3% of carbon sequestration by the world’s tropical forests.
• Mangrove forests serve as a nursery for several organisms, mitigate coastal erosion, sequester carbon and provide the livelihood of millions of people. 
• To sustain the blue economy, it is necessary to ensure the sustainability of coastal habitats, most importantly mangroves for tropical nations at local, regional and international levels.
• India is home to one of the largest mangrove forests of the world – Sunderbans which supports an exceptional level of biodiversity in both the terrestrial and marine environments, it has a wide range of flora and fauna including the Bengal Tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python. There is a significant increase observed in mangrove cover in India in its Andaman region; Sundarbans region; and Gujarat region. 
  • As per the ISFR (India State of Forest Report) 2021, the mangrove cover in the country has increased by 17 sq. km. in 2021 as compared to the mangrove cover assessed in 2019.

Read the previous PIB articles here.

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