06.04.23 Daily [Assam] APSC Current Affairs

TheAssam forest departmenthas denied allegations of “manipulation” of rhino census data at the Kaziranga and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) – a UNESCO world heritage site, flagged by an RTI activist who accused the park authorities of jacking up the total rhino count from 2,042 to 2,634.

Calling the charges baseless, Assam principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and head of forest force (HOFF) MK Yadava wrote to the Union forest and Environment ministry to take “suitable action” against RTI activist Rohit Choudhury, who he accused of sharing compartment-wise presence of rhinos in the park, despite restraint by the park director.

The 14th rhino census was carried out at the KNPTR in March last year, which counted 2,634 one-horned rhinos in the park. The final computation of data was carried out on March 28 and 2,613 was the total number of rhinos arrived at during computation.

Choudhury said that in the final computation, the enumerators data of March 26 and 27, 2022, pertaining to 22 blocks was deleted, and the increased numbers of the sample survey of March 28, 2022 were substituted, to jack up the total count from 2,042 to 2,634.

The Ministry of New and has granted Miniratna Category-I Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) status to the state-owned Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI), according to a statement. SECI, which was established in 2011, is the primary implementing agency for renewable energy schemes/projects of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy aimed at fulfilling Indias international commitments. SECI has played a Central role in the rapid increase of RE generation capacity in the country and has contributed towards the nations Climate commitments, Carbon Emission reduction strategies and sustainable energy transition

SECI has awarded more than 56 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) project capacities to date. It also plays an active role in establishing projects through its own investments and as a Project Management Consultant (PMC) for other public sector entities. SECI has received a top credit rating of AAA from the domestic rating agency ICRA

Of the 200 tigers added to the 2,967 estimated in 2018, taking the count to 3,167 as per the latest Status of Tiger Report, 128 are from the Central India Landscape (CIL). This makes it clear that Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh (MP) have played a big role in increasing the tiger numbers in the country.

This means, Central India has largest Population of tigers in the world, said Bilal Habib, Wildlife Institute of India scientist. As per the 2018 estimates, there were 1,033 tigers in Central India and the Eastern Ghats Landscape, which comprises in Maharashtra, MP, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha andRajasthan. However, the latest report estimates 1,161 tigers, an increase of 128.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) officials say the addition to the national figure of 3,167 tigers must be from Maharashtra and MP and Shivalik Landscape, which have done well.

Tiger signs were detected in 1,049 grids and 1,161 unique tigers were photo-captured. As per the distribution of tigers in Central India and Eastern Ghats Landscape, the big cats have occupied several territorial areas of MP and Maharashtra that were not occupied in 2018, the report states.

The Rajya Sabha approved the Competition Amendment Bill, 2023, aimed at modernizing the two-decade-old anti-trust law to align with changes in the economy. The Competition Amendment Bill, 2023 aims to modify the Competition Act, 2002, which authorizes the Competition Commission Of India (CCI) to prevent practices that adversely impact competition and consumer interests.

Under the new bill, mergers and acquisitions exceeding Rs. 2,000 crores in value must be notified to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), provided that the party being acquired has substantial business operations in India.

The Asian Confluence, a think tank from Northeast India, will organize the event in collaboration with Indias Ministry of External Affairs. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam will represent Bangladesh, while Indias deputy foreign minister and the Japanese ambassador to India will also attend

The Asian Confluence, a think tank from Northeast India, will organize the event in collaboration with Indias Ministry of External Affairs. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam will represent Bangladesh, while Indias deputy foreign minister and the Japanese ambassador to India will also attend.

A recent study conducted by the Asian Confluence recommended scaling up multi-modal connectivity between Northeast Indiaand Bangladesh to enhance competitiveness and narrow the development gaps in the region