India ranks 132nd out of 191 in UNDPs human development index (GS Paper 3, Growth and Development)
Why in news?
- Recently, the 2021 Human Development Index (HDI) was released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
- The world over, nine out of 10 countries have slipped in their human development performance due to multiple crises such as COVID-19, the war in Ukraine and environmental challenges, indicating that human development globally has stalled for the first time in 32 years.
Global decline:
- For the first time on record, the global Human Development Index (HDI) has dropped for two years in a row, taking the world back to just after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.
- Every year a few countries face declines on the HDI, but over 90 percent of countries saw their HDI value drop in either 2020 or 2021.
- Furthermore, while only a third of very high HDI countries saw a decline in 2021 (compared with over 90 percent in 2020), about 60 percent of low and medium HDI and high HDI countries did in 2021.
India’s rank:
- India ranks 132 out of 191 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) 2021, after registering a decline in its score over two consecutive years for the first time in three decades.
- The drop is in line with the global trend since the outbreak of COVID-19 during which 90% of the countries have fallen backward in human development.
India was ranked 131 out of 189 countries and territories in the 2020 report.
HDI value of India:
- India's latest HDI value of 0.633 places the country in the medium human development category, lower than its value of 0.645 in the 2020 report.
- The report attributes the drop in HDI from 0.645 in 2019 to 0.633 in 2021 to India’s falling life expectancy from 69.7 years to 67.2 years during the survey period.
- India's expected years of schooling stands at 11.9 years, down from 12.2 years in the 2020 report, although the mean years of schooling is up at 6.7 years from 6.5 years in the 2020 report.
- Although India retained its 132nd position in the Gender Development Index, the female life expectancy dropped from 71 years in the 2020 report to 68.8 years in the 2021 report.
- The mean years of schooling for females also declined from 12.6 to 11.9 years in the corresponding period.
- India scored 0.123 in the Multi- Dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) with a headcount ratio of 27.9 per cent, with 8.8 per cent population reeling under severe multidimensional poverty. Over the last decade, India has lifted a staggering 271 million out of multidimensional poverty.
Positive steps taken by India:
- The report lauds India’s efforts through pilot projects to ensure a minimum guaranteed income.
- Compared to 2019, the impact of inequality on human development is lower. India is bridging the human development gap between men and women faster than the world. This development has come at a smaller cost to the environment.
- India's growth story reflects the country's investments in inclusive growth, social protection, gender-responsive policies, and push towards renewables to ensure no one is left behind.
India’s neighbours:
- Among India’s neighbours, Sri Lanka (73rd), China (79th), Bangladesh (129th) and Bhutan (127th) are ranked above India, while Pakistan (161st), Nepal (143rd) and Myanmar (149th) are worse off.
Rising insecurities:
- The report notes that people across the globe are feeling more distressed and insecure about their lives and the future, in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
- While perceived insecurity is higher in low and medium HDI countries, some of the largest increases in feelings of insecurity are in very high HDI countries.
- Ethnic minorities of both sexes were severely affected in the United Kingdom, with the largest increase in mental distress among men with a background from Bangladesh, India or Pakistan.
About HDI:
- The Index is part of the Human Development Report 2021-2022 released by the United Nations Development Programme.
- The HDI measures average achievement of a country in three basic dimensions of human development — a long and healthy life, education and a decent standard of living.
- It is calculated using four indicators — life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
Chinas first solar-powered, semi-satellite drone
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
Why in news?
- In a big step toward green development, China has built its first solar-powered large unmanned aerial vehicle.
- The drone successfully carried out its maiden flight from an airport in Yulin, northwest China’s Shaanxi province and landed smoothly after 26 minutes airborne with all systems operating normally.
How does the drone use solar energy?
- The Qimingxing-50 (Morning Star) is the country’s first major unmanned aerial vehicle platform that is all-electric and solely powered by solar energy.
- It is also the first high-altitude, low-speed drone with an ultrahigh aspect ratio produced by the Chinese aviation sector.
- The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the developer of the drone, said that it could stay in the air for an extended period using efficient, clean, and environmentally friendly solar energy.
- With a wingspan of 164 feet, the drone is designed to fly at altitudes of more than 20 km above the Earth’s surface where there is stable airflow with no clouds. As a result, it can make the maximum use of solar equipment to stay functional for longer durations.
The UAV can keep flying even during periods of overnight darkness.
What can the Qimingxing-50 drone be used for?
- The drone is referred to as a quasi-satellite, noting that it will be used for high-altitude surveillance, forest fire monitoring, atmospheric environmental inspection, aerial mapping, communication signal relay, and other tasks.
- The Qimingxing-50 can conduct very long endurance flights near space.
- It can be used for reconnaissance, monitoring, surveying and communications relay missions when satellite services are not available in emergencies – for time-sensitive operations and during conflicts.
- Satellite services are not always available because of limited numbers and relatively fixed schedules of overhead passes.
- For time-sensitive missions, near-space drones can offset those disadvantages, the satellite services could also get sabotaged in wartime, so near-space drones can replace them in that scenario.
- An aerial drone is also cheaper than a satellite.
How will it give an edge to the Chinese army?
- The People’s Liberation Army has in the past displayed the WZ-8 high-altitude reconnaissance drone capable of near-space flight at high speed. However, it has limited endurance.
- The Qimingxing-50's long endurance and low-speed characteristics could be good complementation.
- The successful flight of the Qimingxing-50 will encourage China to develop more large solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles, thus increasing its ability to perform tasks in near space and over far oceans and seas.
Do other nations have similar drones?
- The United States and the United Kingdom are among the nations that have built solar-powered drones that can soar as high as 20,000 metres.
- In July, the US army helped test a solar-powered, near-space Airbus Zephyr S drone that set a new record by being airborne for 42 days.
- In August 2001, the US Helios mode set a new record for the highest altitude a solar-powered drone has ever reached – 29,524 metres.
- The Helios Prototype is a remotely controlled flying wing aircraft developed under NASA’s Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology programme.
Invasive south red-eared slider turtle poses threat to Indian biodiversity
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- The presence of invasive and non-native south red-eared slider turtles would lead to the extinction of native species of their own kind, according to experts.
India is home to 29 freshwater turtles and tortoise species of the 356 turtle species recognised worldwide and around 80 per cent of them are threatened.
Habitat of red-eared slider:
- The red-eared slider are native to south-eastern USA and Mexico, but have found their way across the globe including India through trade of exotic animals.
Why red-eared slider are a threat in India?
- In India, keeping indigenous turtles as pets is prohibited under the wildlife protection act.But the foreign breeds are not restricted and are kept as pets in many families across India.
- It is also not mentioned in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
- The small and easy-to-maintain species is a hit in the pets market. The species breeds faster compared to other local turtle varieties. As their size increases, they no longer fit in small tanks or ponds. The owners release them in the wild or nearby waterbodies and once released, they become a threat to the local fauna.
- The species has a wide set of diet and eats almost all vegetation, unlike native species.
- The red-eared slider is also aggressive, it drives away the native species. Its paws are also lethal.
Red-eared slider in India:
- The species is already spread across many Indian states and poses a threat to all species of its kind, including soft-shell and hard-shell turtles.
- It is widely found in urban wetlands, such as Sukhna lake in Chandigarh, temple ponds of Guwahati, lakes of Bengaluru, Sanjay Gandhi national park in Mumbai, Yamuna river in Delhi — among other water bodies.
- These turtles should be restrained, captivated and sent to local zoos.
Worst invasive non-native species:
- The species is considered as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive non-native species. Also, the populations are observed in every continent except Antarctica and at least 73 countries.
- These turtles cannot be culled for sentimental value and other reasons but could be kept captive until their lifespan. These animals can be used for research and teaching purposes.
Laws in India:
- The Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change has only an advisory in place to streamline the import and possession of exotic live animals in India.
- The government advisory demands registration and declaration of progenies of the imported exotic live species.But there should be more rules to prevent the species from entering our environment and negatively impacting the environment.
Similar to water hyacinth:
- The turtle species, if unchecked, may become a nuisance like water hyacinth.
- The native plant species of South America was brought to India during the British era. Initially introduced in Kolkata, the plant is now present across the waterbodies in the country, choking them and affecting the local biodiversity.
Way Forward:
- It is imperative to prevent more red-eared slider turtle from entering water bodies and take mitigation steps by government officials and environmentalist to address the issue.
India, China begin disengagement at Gogra-Hot Springs in eastern Ladakh
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Why in news?
- On 8th September 2022, according to the consensus reached in the 16th round of the India China Corps Commander Level Meeting, the Indian and Chinese troops in the area of Gogra-Hotsprings (Patrolling Point 15) have begun to disengage in a coordinated and planned way, which is conducive to the peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
Background:
- The announcement came ahead the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Uzbekistan which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping among other leaders of the grouping.
- There is speculation about a possible meeting between Modi and Xi on the sidelines of the summit though there is no official word on it from either side.
Details:
- The high-level military talks started in July and the decision to disengage was an outcome of the same.
- India and China have been engaged in a standoff along the LAC since May 2020.
- Chinese encroachment was recorded in the Finger area, Galwan Valley, KongrungNala and hot springs. June 2020 even recorded a violent clash between both armies in the Galwan Valley.
- Over the years, the Ministry of External Affairs has maintained that the Chinese position at 'friction points' will decide and conclude bilateral ties with China.
Eastern Ladakh standoff:
- The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.
Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the LAC in the sensitive sector.
Disengagement process:
- As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.
- The disengagement in the Pangong Lake area had taken place in February 2021 while the withdrawal of troops and equipment in Patrolling Point 17 (A) in Gogra took place in August 2021.
Buffer zone:
- There is a possibility of both sides creating a ‘buffer zone’ or ‘no-patrolling’ area, a mechanism that was created following disengagement in other friction points.
- A thorough verification process to examine the implementation of the disengagement process will be carried out by the Indian Army at PP-15.
What’s next?
- The high-powered China Study Group, comprising NSA AjitDoval, the three service chiefs and a number of other top national security planners, is expected to meet in the next few days to review the overall situation in eastern Ladakh.
India will keep pressing for the resolution of pending issues in the remaining friction points of Depsang and Demchok.
