Context: Recently, a report titled ‘BiodiverCities by 2030: transforming cities relationships with nature’ was launched.

• The report was released by the BiodiverCities by 2030 Initiative(WEF), in collaboration with the Alexander von Humboldt Institute and the government of Colombia.

Key findings of the Report

Globally, cities contribute 80% to global GDP and 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

• Around 75% of the population on Earth will be living in cities by 2050 (currently 56%).
• Around 44% of global GDP in cities is estimated to be at risk of disruption from nature loss.

During 1990-2015, the global urban population increased an average of 1.9 times.

• In the same period(19990-2015), the urban footprint increased an average of 2.5 times.
• Urbanization accounts for 11-16% of global biodiversity loss.

Suggestions of the report

• Spatially (re)integrating nature in urban planning.
• Restoring nature as the backbone of cities’ development.
• land-sparing interventions.

Nature-based solutions (NbS): Sustainable use of nature

• By shifting investment to nature-based solutions (NbS) for infrastructure, cities can build a climate-resilient environment, reducing biological impact.
• NbS are 50% more cost-effective than “grey” alternatives. But still, they received just 0.3% of overall spending on urban infrastructure in 2021.
• NbS investments could create more than 59 million jobs by 2030 and will also save the natural ecosystem.

About the BiodiverCities by 2030 Initiative

• BiodiverCities by 2030 is a joint initiative of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Alexander von Humboldt Institute, supported by the Government of Colombia.
• It aims to support city governments, businesses and citizens, to enable cities to live in harmony with nature by 2030.
• BiodiverCities have five characteristics: guiding nature-positive actions on infrastructure, governance, economy, health and wellbeing.

Context: A new yellow revolution has finally taken off, as farmers expand the area under the crop by a quarter, conjuring up visions of endless mustard fields — a popular Bollywood staple.
Yellow Revolution

• The revolution launched in 1986- 1987.
• Aim: To increase the production of edible oil, especially mustard and sesame seeds to achieve self-reliance.
• Yellow Revolution targets nine oilseeds that are groundnut, mustard, soybean, safflower, sesame, sunflower, niger, linseed and castor.
• India came up with the Oil Technological Mission in 1986 to ensure success for yellow revolution.

Features of the Yellow Revolution
Farmers were given facilities like fertilizers and pesticides for the crops, as well as irrigation etc.

• Other facilities included the transportation facility and storage. This was required to make the revolution successful. 
• Boards such as the National Dairy Board (NDB) were given many important responsibilities to enhance the production of oilseed.
• The NDB took the responsibility to increase the production of groundnut oil in Gujarat.
• National Oilseeds and Vegetable Oils Development Board was setup to enhance the production of oilseeds in other areas as well. 
• Oilseeds Production Trust came in India to boost the production of the four oilseeds, mainly, mustard, groundnut, soybean, and sunflower.

Impact of Yellow Revolution

• The Yellow revolution had the implantation of hybrid mustard and sesame seeds which significantly increased the production of edible oil.
• There was use of improved technology for oil production.
• The Revolution gave rise to a new era with blooming sunflowers in the state of Punjab.

Challenges to oilseed production in India

• In the current situation or period it's very difficult to expand the cultivation area. Because of which there is a shortage in edible oil.
• It is difficult to increase production of oilseeds because there are several constraints with these crops. Ex. lack of awareness and change in cropping pattern leading to significant decrease in area under oilseeds production.
• Production also decreases because oilseeds are more prone to pests and disease. Ex. white rust” pests
• Because of the unhealthy environment, unhealthy crops are being produced which leads to decrease in production of oilseeds.

About Mustard

• The mustard plant is an important oilseed crop of India.
• Mustard seed is used as a spice.
• Mustard seeds are a rich source of oil and protein.
• Mature mustard plants grow into shrubs.

Cultivation

• Mustard seeds generally take eight to ten days to germinate if placed under the proper conditions.
• Yellow mustard has a plant maturity of 85 to 90 days.

Climatic Conditions

• Mustard grows well in temperate regions.
• It requires temperatures between 10°C to 25°C.
• The mustard crop is produced in the areas receiving 625 -1000 mm annual rainfall.
• Mustard farm does not tolerate freeze, so it requires a clear sky with frost-free conditions.

Soil Requirements

• Mustard plantations relatively require moist soil.
• It can be raised in wide varieties of soils that range from light to heavy loamy soils.

Context: Recently, the International Labour Organization (ILO) released the World Employment and Social Outlook Trends (WESO Trends) 2022.

About World Employment and Social Outlook Trends (WESO Trends) 2022

• WESO Trends is a comprehensive study on employment data of the world.
• The report provides detailed labour market estimates for 2022 and 2023.

Key findings of WESO Trends 2022

• Global unemployment rate to remain above pre-Covid-19 levels until at least 2023.
• For the year 2022, the unemployment level is estimated at 207 million.
• It was around 186 million in 2019. (Around 1.2% difference)
• The European and North American nations are recovering well.
• But, regions of Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean have shown lenient recovery.

At the national level, high-income Nations are faring the best, while lower-middle-income Nations are faring the worst.

• In 2022, the employment-to-population ratio is estimated to be 55.9%. This is 1.4% below the 2019 level.
• During 2019 and 2020, the global labor force participation rate has fallen by 2%. It is projected to recover only partially to just below 59.3% by 2022.
• In 2022, there will be a working-hour deficit equivalent to 52 million full-time jobs.

Suggestions of WESO Trends 2022
Human-centered recovery from the COVID-19 crisis requires

• Rebuilding the economy to address systemic and structural inequalities. It also includes a sustainable developmental approach.

Implementation of four pillars through Fiscal Policy: inclusive economic growth and development; protection of all workers; universal social protection; and social dialogue.

• Capacities of public administrations and employers’ and workers’ organizations to participate in Social dialogue are required to be strengthened.

About International Labour Organization (ILO)

• Established: 1919 (187 members)
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Objective: Labor Empowerment

ILO is the first and oldest Specialized Agency of the United Nations (UN).

• ILO brings together governments, employers, and workers. ILO is working in the field of labor empowerment. For this, it has framed International Labor Standards.

Flagship reports published by ILO

1. World Employment and Social Outlook
2. World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends
3. World Social Protection Report
4. Global Wage Report

The functions of the ILO are

• The development and promotion of standards for national legislation to protect and improve working conditions and standards of living.
• Provide technical assistance in social policy and administration and workforce training.
• Fosters cooperative organizations and rural industries.
• Compiles labour statistics and conducts research on the social problems of international competition, unemployment and underemployment, labour and industrial relations, and technological change (including automation).
• Protect the rights of international migrants and organized labour.

Three main bodies of ILO

• International Labour Conference sets the International labour standards and the broad policies of the ILO. It meets annually in Geneva. Often called an international parliament of labour.
• The Governing body is the executive council of the ILO. It meets three times a year in Geneva. It takes decisions on ILO policy and establishes the programme and the budget, which it then submits to the Conference for adoption.
• International Labour Office is the permanent secretariat of the International Labour Organization.

Additional Information

• The ILO was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1969.
• Publishes the International Labour Review and the Yearbook of Labour Statistics.

India has ratified six out of the eight-core/fundamental ILO conventions. These conventions are:

• Forced Labour Convention (No. 29)
• Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No.105)
• Equal Remuneration Convention (No.100)
• Discrimination (Employment Occupation) Convention (No.111)
• Minimum Age Convention (No.138)
• Worst forms of Child Labour Convention (No.182)

India has not ratified the two core/fundamental conventions, namely Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87) and Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98).

The Border Security Force, BSF launches Operation Sard Hawa. Under the operation, the BSF increases the surveillance in the Pakistan border. It is usually launched in the Rajasthan border, especially in the Jaisalmer region. It is a regular annual exercise. It is launched in the month of January.

About the operation

• The Operation Sard Hawa is conducted during winters and Operation Garam Hawa is conducted during summers. These operations are held to control the infiltration in the borders. During winters thick fog blocks the vision in the border area. This scenario is highly advantageous for the terrorists to cross the border. It is essential for the security forces to stay alert during this season. The BSF conducts Operation Sard Hawa during winter for this reason. This year, the Operation Sard Hawa is to be conducted between January 23 and January 28.
• The Operation is also launched to keep a hawk’s eye and enhance the security before republic day celebrations.

How is Operation Sard Hawa conducted?

The officers and personnel stay close the border. Frequent patrolling are conducted. The intelligence wing is kept on active mode during the operation. The number of soldiers deployed in the border is increased. The soldiers patrol the areas near police stations with advanced weapons. Also, the Jawans monitor the border areas in camels, foot point trekking. They also check on pedestrian intruders.

Significance

The cease fire violations have dipped in the borders recently. During such times, the Pakistan army uses proxy wars to attack India. Therefore, it is essential for the border security force to stay on high alert. This is why Operation Sard Hawa is important.

The Streets for People Challenge is an online event organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The results of the event were announced recently. The Streets for People challenge along with the India Cycles4 challenge brought in changes to make the roads cycle friendly, walking friendly and child friendly. The streets for people challenge focuses on making the streets walking friendly.

Results

Around eleven cities have won the “Streets for People Challenge Award”. They are Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Kochi, Nagpur, Pimri chinchwad, Pune, Udaipur, Kohima, Ujjain, and Vijayawada. Ten cities have won the “Nurturing Neighbourhood challenge” award. They are Bengaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Indore, Jabalpur, Kakinada, Kochi, Kohima, Rourkela, Vadodara, Warangal.

Nurturing Neighbourhood challenge

The Nurturing neighbourhood challenge focuses on creating a childhood friendly neighbourhood. These cities will now enter into the next level. In the next level, the projects under taken by the cities will be scaled up. Around 60 city agencies participated in the challenge. It aims at improving physical and psychological health of the infants. It created public places such as parks, public toilets, improved the outdoor waiting spaces, amenities for caregivers, nursing cabins, play areas, gardens, etc.

Second season

While announcing the results, the ministry also launched the second season of streets for people challenge and India cycles4change. Also a book titled “Nurturing Neighbourhoods Challenge: Stories from the field” was launched. The book consists of case studies. In the second season, cities that are not in the top eleven winner list can participate. Cities with more than five lakh population shall alone apply.  In season 2, the cities will work and adopt parking policies, healthy streets, on-street parking management.

Smart City Mission

The challenges were anchored by the Smart City Mission. They are in line with the National Urban Transport Policy 2006. It focuses on shifting the trends of city roads from car – centric to people – centric.

What is Streets for People Challenge?

New innovative plans were created by the participating cities. The plans focused on prioritizing pedestrians. More than 1800 designers participated in the challenge. The winning cities received fifty lakh rupees. The Institute for Transportation and Development provided technical support to the participating cities.

The scheme was launched by the Telangana Government. It is a welfare scheme launched for mother and child.

About the Scheme

After deliver, the mother is provided with the KCR kit. The kit consists of 16 items that are essential to keep the new born clean and hygienic. The kit supplies would suffice the needs of the baby for three months. The kit has diapers, napkins, toys, mosquito nets, baby powder, baby oil, baby soaps, and clothes. It was launched in 2017 by the Chief Minister K Chandrasekar Rao. In 2017, the State Government of Telangana allocated Rs 605 crores for the scheme.

Corruption

The scheme has been facing accusation of corruption lately. The implementing officers have fraudulently included private hospital births under the scheme. The scheme is only for babies born in government hospitals and has not been extended to private hospitals.

Why was the scheme launched?

The scheme aims to reduce the Infant Mortality Rate in the state. The current IMR of Telangana is 28 deaths per 1000 live births. The state uses Aadhar based Mother and Child Tracking System to track the health of mother and child. They are tracked at every stage of pregnancy.

On January 27, PM Modi will host India – Central Asia Summit. The five central Asian presidents will attend the summit. They are Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyz republic.

About the summit

• This is first India – Central Asia Summit. The summit is to be held virtually. India has been planning to hold the summit since Modi’s visit to these central Asian countries in 2015.
• During the summit, the leaders re expected to exchange their views on international and regional issues. They are expected to mainly focus on security issues.

Significance of the Summit

• The countries share their boundaries with Afghanistan. Afghanistan was taken over by Taliban after the US left Afghan soil in August 2021. This left Indian developmental works in Afghanistan incomplete. Also, the Indian investments made towards the development of Afghanistan went in vain.
• Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyz republic share their boundaries with China. India is now involved in 21 – month standoff with China.

Inference

The summit reflects the growing engagement of India with the central Asian countries. They are extended neighbourhood of India.

The Reserve Bank of India recently released the Digital Payment Index. According to the index, the digital payments in the country have increased by 40% in September 2021 as compared to March 2021.

Key findings

The index measure of online transactions was 304.06 in September 2021. It was 270.59 in March 2021. In September 2020, the online transaction measure was 217.74. The index is released in the months of March and September.

Base of the index

The base year of the RBI Digital Payment Index is 2018. This means the score of the index for the March period was set to 100. The index value has increased by 2.7 times within three years.

Formulation of the index

The index is formulated based on five parameters. They are payment enablers (25%), consumer centricity (5%), payment performance (45%), supply side factors (15%), and demand side factors (10%). The index is published in semi – annual basis. It was first released in March 2021.

Inference

The payments through digital payments have increased by 39.64%. The Unified Payment Interface in the second quarter has increased by 82%. In Q2 around 19 banks joined the UPI system. The number of Point of Sale terminals increased by 13% in Q2 as compared to the previous quarter.

A group of scientists recently discovered a new planet. The planet is of the size of Jupiter. The new planet is 379 light years away from the earth. It is 105 times denser than the earth. The planet is named TOI-2180 b.

About the planet

It takes 261 days for the planet to orbit its star. Its surface temperature is 76 degrees Celsius. It is not only denser than the earth, but also denser than the Jupiter.  The planet is made of helium and hydrogen. The planet has rings and moons. It dims by half a percent in 24 hour period.

Gas giant exoplanet

The new planet discovered is a gas giant exoplanet. In our solar system, the Jupiter, Neptune, Uranus and Saturn are the gas giants. Now, Uranus and Neptune are classified as ice giants for their heavily volatile materials. The gas giant planets are made of hydrogen and helium. The gas giants do not have any solid matter. It is full of swirling gases.

Why is the new planet unique?

The new planet takes 261 days to revolve around its star. This long period of revolution is not usually found in exoplanets. Also, the revolutionary period is shorted for its size. The planet is three times the size of the Jupiter. Jupiter takes twelve earth years to complete one revolution around the sun! And Saturn takes 29 earth years to complete one revolution. Also, the new planet is warmer than the outer planets in our solar system. However, as compared to the other exoplanets discovered so far, it is abnormally chill.

Who discovered TOI-2180?

Tom Jacobs. He discovered the exoplanet with the help of NASA telescope. Tom also used the help of TESS to discover the planet. TESS is Transitioning Exoplanet Survey Satellite. It is an explorer programme of NASA.