National
10th Scientific Community on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Open Science Conference
⇒ Union Minister of State (I/C) Science & Technology; Minister of State (I/C) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh addressed the 10th Scientific Community on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Open Science Conference in a virtual mode on 01 August 2022.
» Union Minister called for building strong global collaboration for scientific research and logistic endeavours in Antarctica as the continent is the largest “refrigerator” that needs to be sustained in its pristine conditions for generations to come.
- India, being an active member of Antarctic Treaty System, Committee for Environmental Protection, and Convention on Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and SCAR reaffirms its commitment to conserve and preserve the Antarctic continent including the surrounding ocean through scientific studies and actions.
- He also added India has extended support for protecting the Antarctic environment and for co-sponsoring the proposal of the European Union for designating East Antarctica and the Weddell Sea as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
SCAR 2022: Antarctica in a Changing World was held from 1 August to 10 August, 2022.
Host:
The conference was hosted by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India.
Theme:
The theme of the SCAR Open Science Conference, “Antarctica in a Changing World,” reflects not only the significance of ongoing changes in Antarctica and their impact on the Earth System, but also symbolizes the interconnections of global earth system processes.
The 2022 version of the biennial science conference provided a platform for the Antarctic science community to share the latest outcomes of Antarctic research and foster new paradigms of collaborative research as our planet witnesses accelerating climate change that is often first expressed in the cryosphere, especially in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
About Conference:
- The SCAR Open Science Conferences are held every two years to draw attention to Antarctic issues. They provide an opportunity for scientists from a variety of disciplines and countries to present their work, to network and become more involved in SCAR science activities.
- The Open Science Conference, established 20 years ago, has in many ways become the premier activity of SCAR that supports its mission to promote and facilitate international Antarctic and Southern Ocean science.
First Gaj Gaurav award
⇒ World Elephant Day 2022 was celebrated at Periyar, Kerala in the presence of Shri Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (EF&CC), Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey, and among others.
The Union Minister also released “Elephant Reserves of India: An Atlas”, “Elephant Reserves of India: Land Use Land Cover Classification”, “Caring for elephants: Managing health and welfare in captivity” and the Special edition of “Trumpet”.
Gaj Gaurav award:
For the first time, Gaj Gaurav award was conferred for the commendable efforts of local communities, frontline staff and mahouts working at grass root level to conserve elephants in wild and captivity.
This year the Malasar Community belonging to the Anamalai of Tamil Nadu and mahouts of Kerala and Assam were awarded the Gaj Gaurav award.
Malasar tribesmen from Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in the district received first ‘GajGaurav Award’ from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change for their outstanding contribution in the field of elephant conservation on 12 August 2022.
Three mahouts – Palanisamy, Kumar and Prasath and cavadis (assistants to the mahouts) Mani and Kannan attached to the Kozhikamuthi and Varakaliyar elephant camps in the ATR, received the award from MoEFCC minister Bhupender Yadav during the ‘World Elephant Day’.
Instituted by:
‘Gaj Gaurav Award’ has been instituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
International
Indian and French Navies Exercise
⇒ INS Tarkash, on her long-range overseas deployment, conducted a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX) with French Naval Ships in the North Atlantic Ocean on 29 and 30 July 2022.
Replenishment at sea was exercised between Tarkash and the French Fleet Tanker FNS Somme. This was followed by joint air operations with the maritime surveillance aircraft Falcon 50 participating in multiple simulated missile engagements and air defence drills.
Successful conduct of these surface and aerial exercises symbolise the high degree of professionalism and interoperability that exists between the two navies.
Sports
1st Khelo India Fencing Women’s League
⇒ The 1st Khelo India Fencing Women’s League started on July 25 at the Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi. To be held over three phases (Phase 1 and 2 in New Delhi, final phase in Patiala), the first of its kind national fencing competition for women took place until July 29, 2022.
- Over 300 women across 20 States registered to participate in the event in the Cadet (U-17), Junior (U-20) and Senior (13 and above) categories.
Organized by:
- The tournament has been organized by the Fencing Association of India under the aegis of Sports Authority of India & Khelo India.
- The tournament was hosted by Delhi State Fencing Association from July 25th to July 29th, 2022.
About Tournament:
- The Khelo India Women’s Fencing League is an open national level ranking tournament for women and fencers registered with the Fencing Association of India (FAI) portal and nominated by their respective State Associations are also participating.
- A total of Rs 1.54 Crore was sanctioned by the Sports Authority of India over the conduct of the league across the three phases.
Important Day
World Elephant Day
⇒ The World Elephant Day is celebrated every year on 12 August, to spread awareness towards conservation of the species.
Objective:
World Elephant Day is dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world’s elephants.
The goal of World Elephant Day is to create awareness on elephant conservation, and to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better protection and management of wild and captive elephants.
World Elephant Day is being celebrated to bring attention of various stakeholders to support various conservation policies to help elephants.
It includes improving enforcement policies to prevent the illegal poaching and trade of ivory, conserving elephant habitats, providing better treatment for captive elephants and reintroducing some captive elephants into sanctuaries.
History:
Initiated by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark in 2011, the first international Elephant Day was celebrated on August 12, 2012.
Other Points:
- The current population estimates indicate that there are about 50,000 – 60000 Asian elephants in the world.
- India has the largest and the most stable population of Asian elephants. In fact, more than 60% of wild Asian elephants are in India. The population of 29,964 elephants was recorded in the last elephant census conducted in 2017.
- India has 31 Elephant Reserves. In the last 3 years, Dandeli Elephant Reserve has been notified by the state of Karnataka, Singphan Elephant Reserve by Nagaland and Lemru Elephant Reserve in Chhattisgarh.
- Indian Elephant has also been listed in the Appendix I of the Convention of the Migratory species in the recently concluded Conference of Parties of CMS 13 at Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat in February 2020.