Current Affairs 28 October 2021

We are here for you to provide the important Recent and Latest Current Affairs 28 October 2021, which have unique updates of Latest Current Affairs 2021 events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, PTI, Indian Express, Business Standard and all Government official websites.

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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

India launched Action Plan for Dog-Mediated Rabies Elimination by 2030i.The Central Government of India has launched a national action plan under the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) for dog-mediated rabies elimination by 2030, and has also declared rabies a notifiable disease.
ii.In this regard, a ‘One Health’ network has been created which will serve the purpose of strengthening surveillance, and health systems for multiple health risks at the human-animal-environment interface.
iii.It should be noted that notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities.
About Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW):
Union Minister– Mansukh Mandaviya (Constituency- Gujarat)
Minister of State (MoS)– Bharati Pravin Pawar (Constituency- Dindori, Maharashtra)
>>Read Full News

Over 80% of India’s Population Lives in Districts Highly Vulnerable to Climate Risks: CEEW ReportIn October 2021, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) undertook India’s first-of-its-kind district-level climate vulnerability assessment report titled ‘Mapping India’s Climate Vulnerability: A District-Level Assessment’. As per the report, more than 80 percent of India’s population lives in districts that are highly vulnerable to extreme hydro-met disasters.

• CEEW has presented a Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) of States and Union Territories (UTs) by mapping exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.

• Vulnerable Zones: The southern zone of India is found to be the most vulnerable to extreme climate events and their compounding impacts, followed by the eastern, western, northern, north-eastern and central zones.
• Adaptive Capacity: South, North, North-East, West and Central (5 out of 6 zones in India) have a low adaptive capacity to extreme hydro-met disasters, whereas the Eastern Zone has a medium-range adaptive capacity.
• As per CVI, Assam, Andhra Pradesh (AP), Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Bihar are highly vulnerable to extreme climate events such as floods, droughts and cyclones.

About Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW):
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Founder-CEO – Arunabha Ghosh
>>Read Full News

Nirmala Sitharaman Participates in 6th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors of AIIB; UAE Host the MeetingUnion Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 6th annual meeting of the board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) via Video conference. AIIB and Government of United Arab Emirates (UAE) organized the meeting

• The theme of the annual meeting is ‘Investing Today and Transforming Tomorrow’.
• AIIB has financed the project to deal with the pandemic in India

AIIB to support India in improving healthcare infrastructure:
i.It will support India in building up its healthcare infrastructure to meet future health challenges.
ii.The Beijing-based funding institution works with the Indian government to develop climate-resilient infrastructure projects.
iii.AIIB currently estimates its cumulative climate finance approvals to be USD 50 billion by 2030.
iv.India is a Founding Member and the second largest shareholder in AIIB. India also has one of the largest project portfolios within AIIB.
About Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
Headquarters – Beijing, China
Commenced Operation- 2016
President – Jin Liqun (China)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India ranked 9^th in world’s top 10 for Climate Tech Investment, United States Topsi.In accordance with the report ‘Five years on: Global climate tech investment trends since the Paris Agreement’ by London & Partners, and Dealroom.Co, India ranked 9th in the list of top 10 countries for climate technology investment from 2016 to 2021.
ii.Indian climate tech firms received USD 1 billion in venture capital (VC) funding in this period.
iii.The list has been topped by the United States (US) with USD 48 billion which is followed by China USD 18.6 billion investment.
About London & Partners:
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Laura Citron
Headquarter– London, United Kingdom (UK)
>>Read Full News

Dr Bharati Pawar Addresses Leadership Session WHO SEAR High-Level Meeting for Renewed TB ResponseUnion Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar addressed the inaugural session of WHO SEAR High-Level Meeting for Renewed TB Response, which was co-chaired by India.

• The meeting was organized by ministries of health of India, Indonesia, and Nepal and WHO South-East Asia Regional Office.
• Among the six regions, the South-East Asia Region has the highest count of tuberculosis sickness.

Target :India Committed to eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global target.

Participants: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Suman Rijal, Director, WHO, SEARO, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO SEARO were also present in the meeting.
Key points
i.Through the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, nutritional support is extended to all TB patients for the entire duration of their treatment.
ii.TB response is rigorously working towards Airborne Infection Control in hospital wards and outpatient waiting areas.
iii.TB case notifications have declined by 20-40% and outreach activities specifically related to increased case finding, preventive treatment and psycho-social support have been disrupted.
iv.‘TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ – a people’s movement for TB elimination remains committed towards supporting countries in its neighbourhood with possible technical support and assistance.
Significance
i.Launching South-East Asia Region (SEAR), demonstrates the highest-level political commitment towards ending tuberculosis and increasing investments towards ending TB.
ii.Reaching the unreached and reaching them early becomes a great challenge.
iii.The South-East Asia Region (SEAR) should scale up preventive, diagnostic and treatment services and substantially strengthen social protection including undernutrition among the TB vulnerables at the next UN High-level Meeting (2023).
iv.Accelerating the development of new diagnostics, vaccines and drugs, also using digital technology, Artificial Intelligence, and other innovations advances TB response.”

BANKING & FINANCE

India, ADB sign $4.5mn Loan Pact to Support Urban Mobility in Aizawl, MizoramOn October 26, 2021, Government of India (GoI) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $4.5 million Project Readiness Financing (PRF) loan agreement to support Aizawl Sustainable Urban Transport Project.

• The PRF will be utilized towards preparation and designing activities relevant to project for improving urban mobility in Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram.

Signatories:
From India– Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, in the Ministry of Finance
From ADB– Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission
Key Points:
i.The PRF supports the development of long-term solutions for urban mobility in Aizawl by identifying high-priority urban transport investments.
ii.The PRF will develop a Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) outlining the urban transport development strategy, and promote climate and disaster resilience
Need behind this project:
Aizawl is the center of Mizoram’s administrative and service industry. Here mobility is severely constrained due to rapid and unplanned urbanization. This results in traffic congestion on narrow road widths, and adversely impacts road safety, efficiency in movement of people and goods, and environmental sustainability.

• Now, the Aizawl Sustainable Urban Transport Project envisages resolving these transport problems by adopting sustainable urban mobility solutions.

About Asian Development Bank (ADB):
Headquarters– Manila, Philippines
President– Masatsugu Asakawa
Members Countries– 68

SBI General Insurance, Google Pay Partnered to Offer Health Insurance

SBI General Insurance made a technological partnership with Google Pay to enable the users to buy SBI General’s health insurance on the Google Pay app.

• This collaboration marks Google Pay’s 1st partnership with an insurer in India to offer health insurance.
• The users were enabled to buy both individual and family plans under SBI General’s Arogya Sanjeevani policy through Google Pay Spot.
• The partnership was also made to achieve the SBI General’s vision of expanding its general insurance solutions distribution through digital channels.

About SBI General Insurance:
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO – Prakash Chandra Kandpal
About Google:
Headquarters – California, United States
CEO – Sundar Pichai

YES Bank Launched New Family Savings Account – ‘YES Family’YES Bank has launched a new category of value-added family savings accounts named YES Family proposition to enable customers of varying income levels to collaborate and coordinate their spending together with their families.

• The Yes Family accounts include 3 programmes such as, Yes Prosperity, Yes Premia, and Yes First to cater for different customer segments.
• It will create the opportunity for all family members to learn smart spending and fiscal responsibility.

Eligibility: 
i.Yes Prosperity – This Family account is available to customers who maintain a combined Average Monthly Balance (AMB) of Rs 50,000 or a Fixed Deposit of Rs 5 lakh and above at a family level.
ii.Yes Premia – It requires an AMB of Rs 2 lakh or a net relationship value (NRV) of Rs 10 lakh at a family level.
iii.Yes First – It requires an AMB of Rs 8 lakh or an NRV of Rs 30 lakh at a family level.
Benefits:
i.Benefits under the proposition include – the family healthcare benefits, flexibility to maintain minimum balance across family accounts, free domestic ATM withdrawals, fee waivers on digital transactions and YES Reward points on banking transactions.
ii.Other benefits: Discounted locker rentals, competitive interest rates on fixed deposits, recurring deposits, home loans, etc.
Note – Through this proposition, YES bank envisages increasing its monthly retail customer acquisition by 15 percent till December 2021.
About YES Bank:
Establishment – 2004
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
MD & CEO – Prashant Kumar
Tagline – Experience our Expertise

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

NSDC with Global Partners to Launch India’s 1st & Largest ‘Skill Impact Bond’The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in collaboration with global partners launched India’s first and largest ‘Impact Bond for skilling in India.
Objective
To equip women and girls with skills and vocational training to provide access to the wage-employment in Covid-19 recovery sectors including retail, apparel, healthcare and logistics.

• The initiative addresses the youth employment crisis and specifically that for young women.
• The collaboration involves a USD 14.4 million fund which will benefit 50,000 youth by making them employment ready.

About The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)
Founded – 2008 under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956
Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi
Chairman- A.M, Naik
>>Read Full News

OneWeb, Neom Tech Forms USD 200 million JV for Satellite NetworkOneWeb  backed by Bharti Group, and Saudi  Arabia’s Neom Tech and Digital Holding Company, have signed a pact for a USD 200 million Joint Venture (JV) to provide high-speed satellite connectivity to NEOM, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and East African countries.

• The JV firm will look after the deployment of OneWeb’s LEO satellite constellation to provide connectivity to enable Neom’s ecosystem of cognitive technologies.

Key points:
i.Neom Tech and Digital Holding Company is the 1st holding company to be established as a subsidiary of Neom, a region in Saudi Arabia.

• About Neom: The middle east nation is building the Neom region in the northwest part of the country on the Red Sea as a ‘living lab’ that will focus on the development of the latest technologies.

ii.Neom Tech and Digital Holding Co. and OneWeb, the only licensed operator companies in Saudi Arabia, plan to complete the infrastructure by 2022.
iii.Neom Tech and Digital Holding Co. and the new JV entity will have exclusive rights to distribute OneWeb’s services in its target regions for 7 years from the initiation of the LEO satellite network, which is expected to commence in 2023.
iv.The agreement includes a long-term strategic partnership regarding research and development of future connectivity systems.
Note –The UK government and Bharti Global invested USD 500 million each in OneWeb in 2021.
About OneWeb:
CEO: Neil Masterson
Headquarters- London, United Kindom
Founded: 2012

Google, MeitY Startup Hub Tie-up to Launch ‘Appscale Academy’ ProgrammeMeitY Startup Hub, an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and Google partnered to launch ‘Appscale Academy’, a growth and development programme, to train early to mid-stage startups across India.

• The programme focuses on the emerging startup ecosystem in Tier II and Tier III cities of India to provide them with the help needed to build scalable app solutions.

About Appscale Academy:
i.The Appscale Academy will focus on supporting local startups to build and scale a variety of world-class applications across industries such as gaming, healthcare, fintech, edtech, social impact etc.
ii.Under the programme, the top 100 startups will be selected based on quantitative and qualitative parameters by panel experts from the Industry, members of MeitY Startup Hub and Google Play.
iii.They will be trained as part of a 6-month programme that includes sessions on data integrity and security principles, monetization, global market expansion, etc.
iv.They will be provided with access to virtual instructor-led webinars, self-learning materials, and mentoring sessions with local and international industry experts.
About Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
Union Minister : Ashwini Vaishnaw (Constituency – Odisha)
Minister of State: Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Constituency – Karnataka)

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS 

India’s The Kung Fu Nuns of Drukpa Won 1st UNESCO-ICM 2021 Martial Arts Education Prize
The International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement under the auspices of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) (UNESCO ICM) has honoured the Kung Fu Nuns of Drukpa, from India with the inaugural UNESCO-ICM 2021 Martial Arts Education Prize to honour the nun’s acts of service to the community.
The prize carries a cash award of 10,000 USD, a diploma and a medal.
About UNESCO-ICM Martial Arts Education Prize:
i.ICM launched the UNESCO ICM Martial Arts Education Prize in 2021 to collect and promote good practices of martial arts education(MA Edu.). 
ii.The prize honours the outstanding contributions made by individuals or organizations who have made positive changes through MA Edu.
Aim:
To create awareness on the values and importance of MA Edu. to the public across the globe.
Kung Fu Nuns of Drukpa:
i.Kung Fu Nuns of Drukpa are the nuns of Drukpa(dragon) lineage, a 1000-year-old Buddhist tradition that began in the Himalayas. It was founded by Gyalwang Drukpa.
ii.The Kung Fu Nuns has previously received the Atlantic Council’s prestigious Unsung Heroes Award 2020 and Asia Society’s Game Changer Award 2019.
iii.They were one of the 3 finalists of the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize 2020 for their humanitarianism in the Himalayas.
About UNESCO ICM:
The International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO ICM) was established by an Agreement between UNESCO and the Republic of Korea.
Chairperson– Lee Si Jong
Secretary-General– Park Chang Hyun
Established in 2016
Headquarters– Chungcheongbuk-do Province, Republic of Korea.

TVS Motor Company Wins India Green Energy Award 2020

TVS Motor Company has been awarded the ‘Outstanding Renewable Energy User’ at the third Edition of India Green Energy Award 2020 by the Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE).The award was presented by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari.

• IFGE has recognized the efforts of TVS Motor in researching and implementing the use of alternative power sources in the renewable energy domain while ensuring their longevity and stability.

About India Green energy awards
i.It is an Initiative of Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE).
ii.It aims to recognize & highlight the importance of Green Energy for the future of humankind.
About TVS Motor Company
CEO – K.N.Radhakrishnan
Headquarters – Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Founder – T.V.Sundram Iyengar           

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Election Commission of India Launches ‘Garuda App’ for Digital Mapping of Polling BoothsThe Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the ‘Garuda App’ for the digital mapping of all polling stations by using its longitude and latitude.

• Objective: To ensure faster, smarter, transparent, and timely completion of election work and also to reduce the paperwork.
• The longitude and latitude of the polling stations along with photos and location information will be uploaded in the app by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) (using their registered mobile numbers).

Key points
i.The BLO’s were also provided with the authority to add or delete voter names or modify addresses in the electoral roll.
ii.The app will track the installation of facilities at the booths such as toilets, wheelchair, drinking water, electricity, sheds, chairs, and ramps for differently-abled.
Additional information:
i.Due to COVID-19, The number of polling booths has been increased to 24659 from 23211.
ii.Extensive awareness programmes were planned to be conducted in localised areas to ensure that every eligible voter is mentioned in the voter list.

• These programmes would be run under Systematic Voters ‘Education and Electoral Participation’ (SVEEP) to encourage the voters to take part in the election process.

About  Election Commission of India (ECI):
Formed: 25 January 1950
Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi
Chief Election Commissioner of India: Sushil Chandra

SPORTS

Viktor Axelsen wins 2021 Denmark Open Badminton Championship In October 2021, Olympic Badminton Men’s Singles Gold medalist, Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) won the 2021 Denmark Open badminton championship finals which was held in Odense, Denmark. In the finals, he competed with the current World Number 1 – Momota Kento of Japan.

• Viktor Axelsen won the finals scoring 20-22, 21-18, 21-12 in the 3-sets against Momota Kento.

Overview of 2021 Denmark Open:

About Badminton World Federation (BWF):
President – Poul-Erik Høyer (Denmark)
Headquarter – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Established – 1934
>>Read Full News

Netherlands All-Rounder Ryan ten Doeschate retires from International Cricket

Ryan ten Doeschate, 41-year old Cricket all-rounder from the Netherlands, announced retirement from International Cricket after Netherland failed to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup. During the qualifiers, Netherland lost to Namibia and failed to enter the Super 12 stage, which was his last international match.

• Ryan ten Doeschate has scored 2074 runs from 57 international Test matches, 1541 runs from 33 One Day Internationals & 533 runs from 24 T20 internationals, since his debut in 2006.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Former Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Gifts his Book ‘AIIMS Mein Ek Jang Ladte Hue’  to PM Modi 

The former Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ gifted a copy of his book titled ‘AIIMS Mein Ek Jang Ladte Hue’ to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in Delhi. The book was written by him during the COVID-19 pandemic. The book was published by Prabhat Prakashan Pvt. Ltd.

2nd Anthology of Ruskin Bond ‘Writing For My Life: The Very Best Of Ruskin’ Released The 2nd anthology, ‘Writing For My Life: The Very Best Of Ruskin’ by author Ruskin Bond has been released. It is edited by Premanka Goswami and published by Penguin Random House India (PRHI).

• The anthology accounts for Bond’s life with his father, adventure in Jersey and London etc.
• The current one, which is Ruskin Bond’s 2nd anthology, has been released 25 years after his first anthology of “The Best of Ruskin Bond”.
• He was born in 19 May 1934 and won several awards like Sahitya Akademi Award for English(1992), Padma Shri (1999), and Padma Bhushan(2014).

What is anthology?
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage 2021 – October 27The United Nations(UN)’s World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH) is annually observed across the globe on October 27th to honour audiovisual preservation professionals and institutions that safeguard our heritage for future generations.
The day also aims to acknowledge the importance of audiovisual documents and create awareness about the measures to preserve them.

• The WDAH is an initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA).

The theme of the WDAH 2021 is “Your Window to the World”.
Background:
i.During the 33rd session of the UNESCO’s General Conference held in October 2005, the resolution proclaiming the 27th October of every year as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage was adopted.
ii.The first World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH) was observed in 2006.
About Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA):
CCAAA is a global network of nine international nongovernmental organizations dealing with all aspects of audiovisual archiving on a professional level.
Chair (2020-2021)– Toby Seay
Members– 9 members
>>Read Full News

75th Infantry Day – 27th October 2021

Infantry Day is annually observed across India on October 27th to remember the first military event of Independent India that took place on 27th October 1947 against the Pakistan invaders in the Kashmir valley.

• The day also remembers and honours the sacrifices of the infantry soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

The 27th October 2021 marks the observance of the 75th Infantry Day. 
Background:
i.On 22nd October 1947, Pakistan intruders entered Jammu & Kashmir to occupy the state and integrate it into Pakistan.
ii.On 27th October 1947, The first battalion of the Sikh regiment commanded by Lt Col Dewan Ranjit Rai and the 13 Kumaon landed at the Srinagar airbase and fought against the Pakistani invaders and won the battle.
>>Read Full News

Jammu & Kashmir Accession Day 2021 – 26th October Jammu and Kashmir Accession Day or Accession Day is annually celebrated in the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir(J&K) on 26th October commemorates the day on which the last Dogra Maharaja Hari Singh of J&K signed the Instrument of Accession in 1947.

• The Instrument of accession signed on 26th October 1947 made J&K an integral part of India.
• 26th October 2021 marks the 74th Anniversary of the Accession of J&K with the Indian Union.

Accession of J&K:
i.Maharaja Hari Singh of J&K signed the Instrument of Accession in 1947, on 26th October 1947, in which Jammu and Kashmir joined the Dominion of India.
ii.Lord Mountbatten, Governor-General of India approved the accession of Jammu and Kashmir on 27th October 1947.
About Jammu & Kashmir(J&K):
Lieutenant Governor– Manoj Sinha
Tribes– Changpa; Garra; Mon
Dance forms– Hafiza Dance; Bacha Nagma; Bhand Pather
>>Read Full News

World Occupational Therapy Day 2021 – October 27 

World Occupational Therapy Day is annually observed across the globe on October 27th to create awareness about occupational therapists and the global impact of occupational therapy.

• The World Occupational Therapy Day is annually organised by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists(WFOT),
• World Occupational Therapy Day was first launched on 27th October 2010.

The theme of World Occupational Therapy Day 2021 is “Belong. Be You” which promotes the power of diversity and inclusion as we work together to build community and resilience.
What is Occupational therapy?
i.Occupational therapy is concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation.
ii.Occupational therapy aims to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life.
About World Federation of Occupational Therapists(WFOT):
World Federation of Occupational Therapists(WFOT) is the global voice for occupational therapy and sets the standard for its practice.
President– Samantha Shann
>>Read Full News

STATE NEWS

Goa Govt Launches ‘Swasth Mahila, Swasth Goa’ Initiative for Free Breast Cancer Screening for 1 Lakh WomenFormer Cricketer Yuvaraj Singh’s YouWeCan Foundation in partnership with SBI foundation, state government has launched the ‘Swasth Mahila, Swasth Goa’, free breast cancer screening at Goa Medical College and Hospital by the Minister of Women, Health and Child Development, Vishwajit P.Rane.

• YouWeCan Foundation’s project team will facilitate training for the health workers and auxiliary nurse midwives to screen the breast cancer using iBreast devices.
• iBreast Exam (iBE), is a non-invasive, hand-held, fully wireless solution for breast lesion detection.
• Breast cancer screening will be conducted at 35 Health Centres across Goa where 20 iBreast devices will be deployed for the project – 10 in North Goa and 10 in South Goa.

Key points 
i.Funded by the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance and SBI Foundation along with the state Government, UE Life Sciences as the technology partner, free breast screening will be done for 1 Lakh women in Goa over a period of two years using iBreast devices.
ii.The initiative ensures that over 50 per cent of the age-eligible female population in the state is screened and free treatment will be provided for all positive cases.
About Goa
Capital – Panaji
Chief Minister – Pramod Sawant
Governor – P.S. Sreedharan Pillai

Maharashtra Became India’s 1st State to Pass its Own Wildlife Action Plan 2021-30During the 17th meeting of the State Board for Wildlife(SBWL), the government of Maharashtra approved its own Wildlife Action Plan (2021-2030), which will be implemented over the next 10 years.

• Maharashtra became India’s first state to pass its own Wildlife Action Plan.
• Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of Maharashtra released the Wildlife Action Plan during the State Wildlife Board meeting.

Note:
The board has also approved the extension of the boundary of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, in the Chandrapur district of the Vidarbha region, by around 79 sq km.
Maharashtra’s Wildlife Action Plan:
i.The action plan recognises the concerns about climate change impacts on wildlife, coastal ecosystems, marine biodiversity, flora and fauna.
ii.The plan integrates wildlife concerns in other sectors of the state which are involved in infrastructure development, rural development, agriculture, tourism and tribal development.
iii.This also states the importance to investigate, quantify and monitor the impacts of climate change on marine biodiversity and its relationship with invasive species.
Focus areas:
The action plan focuses on 12 areas,

• Conservation of the species,
• Control of Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade,
• Mitigation of Human-Wildlife Conflict and Rescue,
• Wildlife Health Management,
• Conservation of Inland Aquatic System,
• Conservation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems,
• Management of Tourism in Wildlife Areas,
• Conservation Awareness and Outreach,
• People’s participation,
• Strengthening Research and Monitoring,
• Ensuring Sustained Funding for Wildlife Sector and Integrating State Wildlife Action Plan with other Sectoral Programmes
• Strengthening and Enhancing Protected Area Network in Maharashtra State.

Implementation:
i.The committee of concerned government departments, governmental organisations in the area and non-governmental organisations will be established to implement the plan in a timely manner.
ii.Maharashtra’s Environment Minister has suggested establishing a monitoring committee to monitor the implementation of the plan.
About Maharashtra:
Governor– Bhagat Singh Koshyari
Wildlife Sanctuary– Rehekuri Blackbuck Sanctuary(Ahmednagar), Painganga Wildlife Sanctuary (Amravati).
Tiger Reserve– Sahyadri Tiger Reserve; Melghat Tiger Reserve