Special Campaign 3.0 initiative

• Recently, the Special Campaign 3.0 program was launched by the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.
• Background: In order to improve the working environment, efforts are being made in the areas of cleanliness, rule and procedure review and simplification, record management system review, efficient use of space, and waste material disposal. (India’s Water Crisis)

Regarding the Special Campaign 3.0 project:.

• Commenced: October 2, 2023.
• Time frame: October 2, 2023, until October 31, 2023.
• Ministry: Public Grievances & Pensions, Personnel Ministry.
• Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances is the Nodal Agency.
• Background: From September 15, 2023, through September 30, 2023, a preliminary phase was held in front of the Special Campaign 3.0.
• The launch ceremony was attended by nodal officers of Special Campaign 3.0, Nodal Officers of Public Grievances and Appellate Authorities in all the 84 Ministries/Departments of Government of India.

Objectives of the Campaign are:-

• Digitization – Creation of Intra-Ministerial portals
• 100% digital receipts
• Efficient Management of Office Spaces – Use of Compactors
• Clearing of scrap
• Enhancement of Office Spaces – Creation of Wellness 4 Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances Centres
• Improvement of Office Corridors
• Environment-friendly Practices – Automatic power systems
• EV charging stations
• Inclusivity Measures – Enabling washrooms/Elevators/ Ramps for differently-abled persons
• Washroom for ladies

Salient Features:-

• Using a saturation approach, Special Campaign 3.0 is centered on Swachhata and Reducing Pendency in Government Offices.
• It will center on field/outstation offices that have a public interface or are accountable for providing services, in addition to Ministries/Departments and their affiliated/subordinate offices.
• All central ministries, departments, and affiliated or subordinate entities of the Indian government will participate in the Special Campaign 3.0.
• Starting on September 30, 2023, when the Special Campaign 3.0 portal launches, the preparatory phase of the campaign will take place.
• Ministries and Departments will determine the status of certain categories and choose the final campaign locations during this time.
• A dedicated website portal for Special Campaign 3.0 monitoring is https://scdpm.nic.in.

Chilobrachys natanicharum

Chilobrachys natanicharum, a new species of tarantula, was discovered recently. around Thailand’s mangrove forests.

About Chilobrachys natanicharum:-

• Theraphosidae is the family.
• It’s the first known tarantula found in Thailand’s mangrove ecosystem.
• The spider was well-known in the trade of exotic spiders for a while.
• People call it the Electric Blue Tarantula.
• Theraphosidae is a family of huge, hairy spiders that includes tarantulas.
• The color blue is among the rarest hues found in nature, which makes blue animal coloring more intriguing.
• The distinctive structure of their hair, which includes nanostructures that control light to generate this remarkable blue look, is where the Tarantula gets its color instead of any blue melanin.
• The legs, upper shell, and pincer-like mouth appendages of the spider are among the body sections that have these hairs.
• The remarkably versatile electric blue tarantula is truly amazing. (Ant-mimicking and Money Spiders)
• These tarantulas can live in terrestrial burrows in evergreen woods as well as arboreal (within tree hollows).
• In contrast, mangrove forests are limited in their habitat to living inside tree hollows because of the effect of tides.
• Findings like these highlight the value of preserving these natural habitats, where unique species have carved out small but important ecological niches.

Appreciation of currency

Recently, the rupee gained 5 paise to trade at 83.22 against the US dollar.

An Overview:

The rupee began trading at 83.24 versus the dollar at the interbank foreign exchange and reached an early high of 83.22.

About Currency Appreciation:

• In a system with a floating exchange rate, it is a gain in the value of one currency relative to another.
• Reasons: A number of factors, including as trade balances, interest rates, business cycles, and governmental policies, can cause currencies to rise against one another.
• Effect on commerce: A country’s exports are discouraged by currency appreciation since it makes its goods and services more expensive to purchase.

Elements that influence appreciation:

• Demand and appreciation are directly related.
• The demand for a currency increases when its value increases or appreciates.

Currency appreciation’s effects on India

• Export expenses will increase as the Indian Rupee (INR) strengthens, making Indian goods more expensive for foreign consumers who must pay more in INR.
• This implies that there will probably be fewer Indian items exported as a result of the increased price.
• Eventually, this causes the GDP (gross domestic output) to decline.
• Cheaper imports: Foreign goods, or imports, will become less expensive in India if Indian commodities increase in price on the international market.

Regarding exchange rate.

• The rate at which one country’s currency can be exchanged for another is known as the exchange rate.
• Devaluation occurs when a fixed exchange rate regime officially lowers the value of the currency.
• Revaluation is the process of raising the value of a currency within a system with fixed exchange rates.
• Changes in the value of the currency, referred to as currency depreciation or appreciation, are the result of market forces operating under a floating exchange rate system.
• The increase in one currency’s value in relation to another in the forex markets is referred to as currency appreciation.
• A decline in a currency’s value under a floating exchange rate regime is known as currency depreciation. Depreciation of Rupee

Depreciation of currency effects:

• enhances competitiveness for exports.
• could result in a withdrawal of foreign investment.
• A depreciating currency could drive up the cost of consumable and imported oil, resulting in increased food inflation.

Amazon Rainforest

Drought has caused rivers in Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest to drop to historically low levels recently.

An Overview:

• Only slightly more than two years after its most significant floods, the record demonstrates that this region of the largest rainforest on Earth is currently experiencing its greatest drought.

Regarding the Amazon Rainforest:

• Location: South America.
• 20°C and 35°C are the temperatures.
• Francisco Orellana, a Spanish explorer, gave the area the name “Amazon” because he was ambushed by Icamiabas, or “women without husbands,” who were female fighters.
• He likened them to the Greek mythological Amazons.
• About 40% of the continent of South America is covered by the Amazon jungle.
• It is found in nine nations: Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and the three Guyanas.
• These are the biggest tropical rainforests on Earth.
• They live in the northern South American drainage basin that is made up of the Amazon River and its tributaries.
• 9% of the Amazon’s total area was made up of different natural vegetation types as of 2021, with tropical rainforests covering 74% of the region.
• In addition to housing approximately 45 million people, they are home to around 5% of all land species on Earth.
• There are 400–500 native American tribes living in the Amazon rainforest. (Organisation for the Amazon Cooperation Treaty)
• Closed-canopy woods with a canopy found within 28 degrees north or south of the equator are called tropical forests.
• With more than 200 cm of annual precipitation, either seasonally or year-round, they are extremely wet locations.

Importance:

• Twenty percent of the oxygen utilized by the globe comes from this source.
• 25% of all Western medications have components derived from rainforests.
• The Amazon rainforest is the source of more than 80% of the food on Earth.
• An estimated 30% of the world’s species live in the Amazon.
• Around 30% of our carbon emissions come from burning the Amazon rainforest.

Ring of Fire eclipse

The Americas just witnessed the “Ring of Fire” eclipse.

An Overview:

• Crowds that had gathered along the limited path of a rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the Sun on Saturday let out a roar of cheers as the skies darkened and crescent-shaped shadows appeared on the ground.

On the eclipse of the Ring of Fire:

• When the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, it prevents light from the sun from reaching the planet, resulting in a solar eclipse.
• Total, partial, and annular solar eclipses are the three main kinds.
• A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon completely obscures the Sun, enveloping the Earth in darkness and producing a beautiful sight.
• A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon obscures just a portion of the Sun, creating an enthralling display of light and shadow across the surface of the planet.
• An annular solar eclipse produces the mesmerizing “Ring of Fire” phenomena, in which the Sun becomes darker and a gorgeous golden ring is formed around it due to the Moon’s seeming reduced size.
• It happens when the moon seems smaller than the sun at its furthest point from Earth.
• This occurs when the moon partially obscures the sun’s disk, leaving behind a narrow outer ring known as the “ring of fire.”

INDIA-SRI LANKA FERRY SERVICE AFTER 40 YEARS

With the launch of a passenger ferry service from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to Kankesanthural in Jaffana, Northern Sri Lanka, an ancient sea link between India and Sri Lanka has been revitalized. “Cheriyapani” was the ship that was used to introduce the ferry service.

ABOUT THE SERVICE

• The two cities have a long history of maritime connections; from the early 1900s until 1982, Chennai and Colombovia’s Thoothukudi port were served by the Indo-Ceylon express or boat mail.
• The most often traveled route, which took around two hours, was from Dhanushkodi to Talaimannar.
• The Sri Lankan civil war caused the service to end.
• Following the end of the civil war, attempts were made to resume service in 2009.
• A Memorandum of Understanding regarding maritime passenger transportation was signed in 2011, however it was only in effect for six months.

POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE FERRY SERVICES

• Transportation and Connectivity: When there are no direct land routes or when traveling by road is less viable, ferry services offer travelers a another mode of transportation, improving accessibility to many regions and nations.
• Promotion of Tourism: By making it simpler for visitors to explore the island, ferry services can increase tourism. It will specifically encourage religious travel. An inflow of tourists from Sri Lanka is anticipated at Indian pilgrimage sites like Nagapattinam, Nagore, Velankanni, Thirunallar, and temple towns like Thanjavur, Madurai, and Tiruchi.
• People-to-People Connections: Ferry services can promote people-to-people diplomacy and cultural interchange between two nations, assisting in the development of stronger ties.
• Economic Development: By enhancing accessibility and stimulating investment in infrastructure and tourism, it can stimulate economic development in coastal and island regions.
• Reduced Carbon Footprint: Due to their reduced carbon emissions per passenger kilometer, ferries are often seen as being more environmentally friendly than other forms of transportation, such as air travel.

CHALLENGES

• Border Conflicts: In the past, there have been disagreements over the maritime border between Sri Lanka and India. As a result, the ferry route would need to follow international law and give serious thought to these conflicts.
• Maritime Security: It is crucial to guarantee the security and safety of both people and cargo when traveling by ferry. It is quite difficult to deal with possible terrorist or pirate threats in the area.
• Port Infrastructure: As of right now, the largest difficulty is creating and maintaining sufficient port infrastructure in Sri Lanka and India to manage ferry operations. Shipping Corporation of India’s initial schedule calls for three weekly service runs.