rawan239

Coral Reef and Coral Bleaching

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Coral is actually a living animal.

has a symbiotic relationship (each gives something to the other and gets something back in return) With ‘zooxanthellae’ microscopic algae which live on coral [i.e. instead of living on the sea  floor, the algae lives up on the coral which is closer to the ocean surface and so that the algae gets lots of light.

The tissues of corals themselves are actually not the beautiful colors of the coral reef, but are instead clear (white). The corals receive their  coloration from the zooxanthellae living within their tissues.

  • There are two types of corals: hard corals and soft corals, such as sea fans and gorgonians. Only hard corals build reefs.
  • The builders of coral reefs are tiny animals called polyps. As these polyps thrive, grew, then die, they leave their limestone (calcium carbonate) skeletons behind. The limestone is colonized by new polyps.
  • found in tropical and sub-tropical water, there are also deep water corals in colder regions
  • The United Nations Environment Programme reports that there are more cold water coral reefs worldwide than tropical reefs.
  • There are only about 6 different coral species associated in building with these reefs.
  • The largest cold-water coral reef is the Rost ‘Reef off Norway occur in shallow tropical areas where the sea water is clean, clear and warm.
  • one of the most productive and complex coastal ecosystems with high biological diversity classified depending on their locations into fringing, patch, barrier and atoll.
  • The fringing reefs are contiguous with the shore and they are the most common – by occurring reef form, found in Andamans.
  • Patch reefs are isolated and discontinuous patches, lying shoreward of offshore reef structures as seen in the Palk bay, Gulf of Mannar and Gulf of Katchchh.
  • Barrier reefs are linear offshore reef structures that run parallel to coastlines and arise from submerged shelf platforms. The water body between the reef and the shore is termed as lagoon. Barrier reefs are seen in Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
  • Atolls are circular or semi-circular reefs that arise from subsiding sea floor platforms as coral reef building keeps ahead of subsidence. The examples are the atolls of Lakshadweep and Nicobar.
  • Among the four major reef areas of India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands are found to be very rich in species diversity followed by the Lakshadweep Islands, the Gulf of Mannar and finally the Gulf of Kachchh.

Coral Bleaching

Bleaching, or the paling of coral colour occurs; when (i) the densities of zooxanthellae decline and (ii) the concentration of photosynthetic pigments within the zooxanthellae fall.

Ecological causes of coral bleaching

  • Temperature (Major Cause)
  • Sub aerial Exposure-Sudden exposure of reef flat corals to the atmosphere during events such as extreme low tides, ENSO-related sea level drops or tectonic uplift can potentially induce bleaching.
  • Sedimentation
  • Fresh Water Dilution
  • Inorganic Nutrients(e.g. ammonia and nitrate)
  • Xenobiotics -Zooxanthellae loss occurs during exposure of coral to elevated concentrations of various chemical contaminants, such as Cu, herbicides and oil.
  • Epizootics

Buddhist Councils

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I Buddhist Council 500 BC at Ajatsataru . Record the Buddha’s sayings (sutra) and codify
Rajgaha Presided by monastic rules (vinaya). Rajgaha is today’s
Mahakasyapa Rajgir
II Buddhist Council 383 BC at Kalasoka The conservative schools insisted on monastic
Vaishali rules (vinaya). The secessionist Mahasangikas
argued for more relaxed monastic
rules.Rejection of the Mahasanghikas
III Buddhist Council 250 BC Ashoka.. Purpose was to reconcile the different schools of
Pataliputra Buddhism. Presided by Moggaliputta Tissa
IV Buddhist Council 100 AD Kanishka Division into Hinayana & Mahayana. Theravada
Kashmir Presided by Buddhism does not recognize the authenticity of
Vasumitra & this council, and it is sometimes called the
Asvaghosha “council of heretical monks”.
V Buddhist Council 1871 King Mindon recite all the teachings of the Buddha and
Myanmar examine them in minute detail to see if any of
them had been altered
VI Buddhist Council 1954 P.M. U Nu
Yangoon

 

 

 

Biosphere

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Biosphere is a part of the earth where life can exist.

represents a highly integrated and interacting zone comprising of atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water) and lithosphere (land) Life in the biosphere is abundant between 200 metres (660 feet) below the surface of the ocean and about 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) above sea level. absent at extremes of the North and South poles. Living organisms are not uniformly distributed  throughout the biosphere

23.01.18 Meghalaya(MeghalayaPSC) Current Affairs

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NORTH-EASTERN STATES

 

  • Centre to focus on silk sector in NE

 

  • Union minister of state for textiles Ajay Tamta on Monday said the ministry has accorded high priority to develop the silk sector as a viable option for livelihood in the northeast. The region makes up about 21% of the country’s total silk production.

 

  • Muga, known for its golden colour, is found only in the northeast and Assam owns the geographical indication (GI) tag for muga.

 

  • Nearly 3.1 lakh families in Assam are associated with the silk sector. A 60,000-acre area is involved in silk production and plantations for plants for silkworms.

 

  • In the past few years, the Centre has sanctioned about 24 projects in silk sector worth Rs 809 crore for the northeast. Silk production sector can be one of the most effective poverty alleviation tools. 

     

    INTERNATIONAL

     

    • Malta’s Valletta becomes Europe’s Capital of Culture

     

    • Valletta has been officially inaugurated as the European Capital of Culture.

     

    • Over 140 projects and 400 events have been planned in 2018 around three main themes: Island Stories, Future Baroque and Voyages.

     

    • With about 6,000 inhabitants, Valletta is the smallest capital in the European Union.

     

    • It is located in a fortress and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

     

     

    ·        China adds 24 GW in just two months making it biggest producer of solar energy

     

    • Renewable energyuse is increasing day by day almost everywhere.
    • Prime Minister Narendra Modi also weighed on the increase in the use of solar power and also brought ‘Suryaputra’ nations together for better and cleaner future.
    • Solar energy use was noted by China when the country managed to add 10.52 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity to its national total over the course of July 2017, in addition to the 24.4 GW of capacity that was installed over the first six months of the year.
    • The country is already the biggest producer of solar energy in the world, and that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.
    • In the last two months alone, China has added 24.02 GW of solar capacity.
    • To put that into context, figures from earlier this year put Australia’s total capacity at around 6GW, a figure that’s projected to double by 2020. The US currently has a total capacity of 44.7 GW.
    • Meanwhile, China already cleared its goal of reaching a capacity of 105 GW by the end of 2020.

    ·        Sri Lanka bans import of non-airbag equipped vehicles from July 1

    ð  Sri Lanka restricted the import of the vehicles which do not carry airbags for driver and front seat passenger, Anti-Locking Breaking System standards (ABS) and three-point seat belts for driver and passengers traveling front and rear seats.

    ð  This decision after considering the representations made by motor vehicle importers and manufacturers for a lead time to make required adjustments to comply with the proposed emission standards and safety measures.

    ð  Accordingly, the importation of motor vehicles, which are below emission standards of the Euro IV or its equivalent and not complied with the following safety standards, will totally be prohibited effective from 1st July 2018.

    ·        West Indies to Host 2018 Womens World T20

     

    • The International Cricket Council (ICC)announced the 2018 edition of the Women’s World T20 will be hosted by West Indies in November 2018.
    • Hosts Windies will defend the title they won over Australia in Kolkata in 2016.
    • The three venues were selected by Cricket West Indies through a bidding process and have been ratified by the ICC.
    • The November event in the Caribbean will be the first stand-alone ICC Women’s World Twenty20 after the past five events were played alongside the men’s event.

     

    NATIONAL

     

    ·        India is the 5th Most Attractive Market for Investments: PwC Survey

     

    • India emerged as the fifth most attractive market for investments and the optimism over global economic growth is at a record level, as per the survey of CEOs by global consultancy PwC.
    • The US remains the top spot for global investment. Around 46% of global CEOs consider the US as one of the three most important countries for growth, followed by China (33%) and Germany (20%) at second and third places, respectively. India (9%) bumps Japan (8%) as the fifth most attractive market in 2018.

     

    • Centre bans import of pet coke for trading purpose in Delhi and NCR

     

    • As part of measures to control air pollution, the Union environment ministry has banned import of pet coke for purpose of trading in Delhi and its neighbouring states.
    • It has notified do’s and don’ts for its sale and use in cement plants and other end user industrial units, including refineries.

     

    • The ministry listed 13 points to regulate use of pet coke which is one of the key sources of air pollution in the region.

     

    • The notification was issued in compliance with the 2017 Supreme Court order

     

    Gk bit- Pet coke

     

    • Petroleum coke, or petcoke, is a byproduct from the refining of crude oil. It consists mostly of carbon, with variable amounts of sulfurs and heavy metals. It has many industrial uses, including the production of batteries, steel, and aluminum. Lower grade petcoke, which contains higher concentrations of sulfur, is used as fuel in coal-fired power plants and cement kilns. Lower grade coal is estimated to represent 75% to 80% of all petcoke produced.

     

    • The increased demand for coal to replace petcoke, which will largely have to be met by imports, coincides with increasing coal consumption in India for power generation.

     

    • India is the world’s second-biggest buyer of foreign coal even though imports have held steady in the last two years because of rising local output.

     

    • RIL becomes India’s first firm to cross Rs 6-lakh crore market cap

     

    • Reliance Industries (RIL) become the first Indian company to cross the Rs 6-lakh crore mark in market capitalisation as its shares touched a 52-week high of Rs 974.5.

     

    • RIL is owned 40% by its chairman Mukesh Ambani, making him the richest Indian with personal wealth of $40.7 billion and the 20th richest globally.

     

    • India’s largest software exporter, Tata Consultancy Services follows RIL with market capitalisation of Rs 5,95,946 crore.

     

    • HDFC Bank become the first bank to cross market capitalisation of Rs 5 lakh crore recently.

     

    ·        Union Government Announces List of 9 New Smart Cities

     

    • Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced the list of nine new Smart Cities, which have emerged winners in Round 4.
    • These nine cities are, Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Erode in Tamil Nadu, Diu in Daman and Diu, Bihar Sharif in Bihar, Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Kavaratti in Lakshadweep.

Climate Change

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  • It is the long term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods of time
  • Though it has been happening naturally for millions of years, in recent years it has accelerated due to anthropogenic causes and has been causing global warming.
  • UNFCCC defines climate change as – “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods”

BT Brinjal & Risk assessment

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BT Brinjal

  • In 2006, Maharashtra Hybird Seeds Company submitted biosafety and efficacy data to the GEAC and applied for permission to conduct large-scale trials
  • At the same time SC imposed a ban on the on-going field trials
  • An expert committee was constituted by GEAC to look into the concerns raised by several civil society actors
  • SC later lifted the ban on field trials
  • After a series of reviews the environment ministry declared a moratorium on Bt Brinjal in Feb 2010

Risk assessment

  • Civil society has demanded that the science of risk assessment be made rigourous, independent and peer-reviewed

TYPE OF SETTLEMENT OF INDIA

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Settlement can be defined as any form of human habitation which ranges from a single dwelling to large city. The word settlement has another connotation as well as this is a process of opening up and settling of a previously uninhabited area by the people. In geography this process is also known as occupancy.

Settlements can broadly be divided into two types – rural and urban. Before discussing about meaning and types of rural and urban settlement in India, we should know some basic differences between rural and urban areas in general. (i) The major difference between rural and urban areas is the function. Rural areas have predominantly primary activities, whereas urban areas have domination of secondary and tertiary activities. (ii) Generally the rural areas have low density of population than urban.

Types of Rural Settlements:

Geographers have suggested various schemes of classification. If we group settlements found all over the country, these can broadly be grouped under four categories:

  1. Compact/clustered/nucleated settlement
  2. Semi-compact/Semi-clustered/fragmented settlement
  3. Hemleted settlement
  4. Dispersed settlement

 

Compact Settlements:

  • As the name suggests, these settlements have closely built up area. Therefore in such settlements all the dwellings are concentrated in one central sites and these inhabited area is distinct and separated from the farms and pastures.
  • Maximum settlements of our country comes under this category. They are spread over almost every part of the country.
  • These settlements are distributed over the entire northern Indo-Ganga plain (from Punjab in the north-west to West Bengal in the east), Orissa coast, basins of Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh, coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, cauvery delta of Tamil Nadu, Maidaus of Karnataka, lower Assam and Tripura, in the valleys of Siwaliks etc.
  • Sometimes people live in compact settlement for security or defence purpose. The greatest example of this type is in Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
  • In Rajasthan also people live in compact settlement because of the scarce availability of cultivable land and water body. Therefore, they want to make maximum use of available natural resources.

Semi compact Settlement:

As the name suggests, the dwellings or houses are not well-knitted. Such settlements are characterized by a small but compact nuclears around which hamlets are dispersed.

  • It covers more area than the compact settlements.
  • These settlements are found both in plains and plateaus depending upon the environmental conditions prevailing in that area.
  • Such settlements are situated along streams in Manipur Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, and Rajgarh district of Chhattisgarh. Different tribal groups inhabit such settlements in the Chhota Nagpur region. In Nagaland, such settlements may be in the form of blushing villages.

Hamleted Settlements:

These type of settlements, are fragmented into several small units. The main settlement does not have much influence on the other units. Very often the original site is not easily distinguishable and these hamlets are often spread over the area with intervening fields. This segregation is often influenced by social and ethnic factors. The hamlets are locally named as faliya, para, dhana, dhani, nanglay etc. These settlements are generally found in West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and coastal plains. Geographically it covers lower Ganga plain, lower valleys of the Himalayas and central plateau or upland region of the country.

 Dispersed Settlements:

This is also known as isolated settlements. Here the settlement is characterized by units of small size which may consist of a single house to a small group of houses. It varies from two to seven huts. Therefore, in this type, hamlets are scattered over a vast area and does not have any specific pattern. Such type of settlements are found in tribal areas of central part of India covering Chhota Nagpur plateau, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, etc. Such patterns are also common in the hills of north Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

 

There are three factors that influence the type of settlements in India. These factors are (i) Physical (ii) Ethnic or cultural and (iii) Historical or defence. Let us discuss these factors one by one.

Physical Factors:

These include relief, altitude, soil capability, climate, drainage, ground water level, etc. These factors influence the type and spacing of dwelling or instance, in dry regions of Rajasthan, water is a crucial factor and, therefore, houses are situated along a pond or well which guides the compactness of the settlement.

Ethnic and Cultural Factors:

These include aspects like caste, community, ethnicity and religion. In India it is commonly found that the main land owning caste resides at the centre of the village and the other service providing castes on the periphery. This leads to social segregation and fragmentation of a settlement into several units

Historical or Defence Factors:

In the past, mostly border areas of northwestern plains were conquered or attacked frequently by outsiders. For a long time, apart from attack from outsiders, there had been continuous fight between princely states and kingdom within the country therefore, security concerns favoured the evolution of nucleated settlements.

 

Type of urban settlement:

Like rural settlements, urban settlements are classified on various bases. However, classification based on size and function are most common. Let us discuss them one by one

Classification based on Population Size

According to population size, census of India classifies urban centres into six classes. Classwise urban settlements and their population

Class                              Population

Class I                            1,00,000 and above

Class II                          50,000 – 99,999

Class III                          20,000 – 49,999

Class IV                          10,000 – 19,999

Class V                            5,000 – 9,999

Class VI                          less than 5,000

 

There is another classification of urban settlements. The classification is as follows:

Town                                   Places which have less than one lakh population

City                                     Urban centres having population between one lakh to one million.

Metropolitan Cities          Cities having population in between one million to five million

Mega cities                         Cities having more than 5 million population

SECOND GREEN REVOLUTION

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SECOND GREEN REVOLUTION

The main objectives of the second Green Revolution are:

(i) To raise agricultural productivity to promote food security

(ii) More emphasis on bio-technology

(iii) To promote sustainable agriculture

(iv) To become self-sufficient in staple food, pulses, oil seeds, and industrial raw material

(v) To increase the per capita income of the farmers and to raise their standard of living.

 

economy

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here are the books, articles and notes for following topics

  • Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth,
  • development and employment.
  • Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
  • Government Budgeting.
  • Effects of liberalization on the economy,changes in industrial policy and their effects
  • on industrial growth.
  •   Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads,Airports, Railways etc.
  •   Investment models.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_FR6Jkv0z2cMFVIcEJCNGJkcnM&usp=sharing

subsidies, MSP, PDS, FOOD SECURITY

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yojna managing inflation aug 2010 here read FOOD INFLATION IN INDIA: CAUSES AND REMEDIES
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_FR6Jkv0z2cNDFuTDdBRnA5YkE/edit?usp=sharing 

 krukshetra tribal development nov 2010here read sucsess stories how farmer get a better prise
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_FR6Jkv0z2cU3diSVlkVmNKOTA/edit?usp=sharing 

 yojna monsoon july 2012 here read monsoon and fool inflation
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_FR6Jkv0z2cZENhRERWMkJhdHc/edit?usp=sharing

rest there are certain article reports and no doubt ignou booklets there links are
  FOOD SECURITY- TPDS
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_FR6Jkv0z2cSTlVcXQ3dDVEV0k/edit?usp=sharing 


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