09.11.22 Daily [Assam] APSC Current Affairs

Assam Chief MinisterHimanta Biswa Sarmaon Sunday asserted that the Rs 1,000 crore-Assam Skill University will upskill youths of Northeast. Performing ‘bhumi pujan’ for the institute at Darrang district headquarters Mangaldai, around 70 km from Guwahati, Sarma said that the institute will harness the demographic dividend of Assam, which has a very young Population.

“The Rs 1,000-crore institute will have multiple schools and centres of excellence that will play a huge role in upskilling the youths in Northeast. The university will have various campuses across Assam,” he said.

Sarma said a target has been set to complete the construction of the entire campus by August 2025 but an interim complex is expected to start functioning from 2024 itself.

The skill university, first-of-its-kind in Assam and third such institute in the country, will impart Education for Skill development in different sectors such as and innovation, life skills and languages, and design and creativity, through its various schools and courses.

It is being partially funded by the Asian Development Bank.

MANGROVES on Indian coasts that act as coastal guards have considerably shrunken due to <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change. By 2070, the Indian Mangroves will reduce and shift by around 50%, especially in southern India, due to decline in suitable habitats along the east and west coasts of India, revealed a research conducted by Birbal Sahni Institute Palaeosciences (BSIP).

Mangroves in the southwest and southeast of the country that covers four states: Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, Kerala andAndhra Pradeshwill be in the most vulnerable condition. These coastlines will submerge and the mangroves in the area will degrade more as compared to other areas.

Certain regions like Chilika and Sundarbans along the east coast and Dwarka and Porbandar along the west coast of India is likely to see less reduction and landward shift by 2070 due to the differential response to Precipitation and sea level change in different parts of the Indian coastline, said the study.

In a significant development and recognition to the countrys efforts in improving access to modern family planning methods, India is the only country to have received the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 in the ‘country category’ at the International Conference on Family Planning held in Pattaya city, Thailand.

India has made outstanding progress not only in improving access but also adoption of modern contraceptive methods enabling couples to make informed choices about family planning. These are reflected in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 5 data. As per NFHS-5 data, overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has increased substantially from 54 percent to 67 percent in the country, from NFHS-4. Similarly, unmet needs of family planning have witnessed a significant decline from 13 per cent to 9 per cent. The unmet need for spacing has also come down to less than 10 per cent.

The total ‘demand satisfied’ for family planning among currently married Women aged 15-49 in India increased from 66 percent in 2015-16 to 76 percent in 2019-21 which has already crossed the SDG target of 75 set globally for 2030. The governments focus on improving easy and affordable access to modern contraceptives are reflected in the fact that 68% modern method contraceptive users obtain their method from the public , as per NFHS-5 data. Mission Parivar Vikas, one of the governments flagship programmes, to reduce unmet needs in family planning, has also been a critical factor in the overall improvement.

Indias efforts in improving family planning demonstrate the progress the country is making towards achieving the SDG targets on women and maternal health.

TheState of the Climate in Asia 2021 reporthighlighted how impacts are wreaking an ever-increasing human, financial and environmental toll, worsening food insecurity and POVERTY and holding back Sustainable Development.

The report also painted a worrying scenario for future water Stress. High Mountain Asia, including the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, contains the largest volume of ice outside of the polar region, with approximately an area of 100,000 km2 of glacier coverage. The rate of glacier retreat is accelerating and many Glaciers suffered from intense mass losses as the result of exceptionally warm and dry conditions in 2021. These so-called water towers of the world are vital for freshwater supplies for the most densely populated part of the planet and so glacier retreat has major implications for future generations.