22 April 2023

• Child health: UNICEF's "State of the World's Children 2023" found 67 million children missed vaccinations between 2019 and 2021; India's zero-dose children fell from 3 million to 2.7 million.
• Environment: The First Census of Water Bodies counted 24,24,540 water bodies nationwide; 1.6 per cent were encroached, and South 24 Parganas was the top district.
• Climate: Global mean temperature in 2022 was 1.15 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline; the eight warmest years on record were all in the 2015 to 2022 period.
• Technology: AI applications in environmental monitoring, from deforestation tracking to wildlife protection, were assessed; Rainforest Connection's Guardian devices were highlighted.
• Polity: The Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance Rules 2020 allow non-government entities to use Aadhaar with MeitY approval.

GS area: Health, Society (Child welfare, Government schemes)

The UNICEF "State of the World's Children 2023" flagged that 67 million children missed one or more routine vaccinations globally between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to COVID-19 disruption.

• India's progress: Zero-dose children (children who received no vaccinations at all) declined from 3 million in 2020 to 2.7 million in 2021, indicating a recovery trajectory.
• Vaccine confidence: India has among the highest vaccine confidence in the world: 98 per cent of the population considers vaccines important for children. This contrasts sharply with vaccine hesitancy in some Western nations.
• Mission Indradhanush: India's programme for immunising children and pregnant women against vaccine-preventable diseases. Launched in 2014. Covers 12 diseases including polio, measles, DPT and Hepatitis B.
• eVIN: The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network uses smartphones and sensors to track vaccine inventory in real-time across cold chain facilities. India's vaccine cold chain is the world's largest integrated system.
• Universal Immunisation Programme: India's UIP covers all children under the age of 2. It is one of the largest national immunisation programmes globally.
• The Big Catch-Up: WHO and UNICEF jointly launched the Big Catch-Up initiative in 2023 to restore childhood vaccination rates in 20 high-risk countries affected by COVID-19 disruption.

Static linkage: Health schemes, child welfare, vaccination programmes.

GS area: Environment (Water bodies), Economy (Water resources)

The Ministry of Jal Shakti released findings from the First Census of Water Bodies, covering 24,24,540 water bodies across rural and urban areas.

• Total count: 24.24 lakh water bodies. Of these, 97.1 per cent are in rural areas.
• Encroachment: 1.6 per cent of water bodies had been encroached. Of encroached water bodies, 95.4 per cent were in rural areas.
• Top district: South 24 Parganas in West Bengal had the highest number of water bodies.
• Smallest bodies: Ponds and tanks account for the majority. Over 55 per cent of the total are less than 1 acre in area.
• Why this census matters: Water bodies provide irrigation, groundwater recharge, fisheries and biodiversity support. Encroachment and neglect reduce all these services.
• Ministry of Jal Shakti: Responsible for water resources, river development, Ganga rejuvenation and drinking water. The Jal Jeevan Mission (har ghar jal) and PMKSY (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana) are its key schemes.
• PMKSY connection: PMKSY's Har Khet Ko Pani component links to water body restoration as a source of micro-irrigation. The census data will guide the restoration of defunct water bodies.

Static linkage: Water resources, environment, government schemes.

GS area: Environment (Climate change, Global warming)

The World Meteorological Organisation's State of the Global Climate 2022 report (released in context of Earth Day on 22 April) showed alarming readings.

• Global mean temperature: 1.15 degrees Celsius above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average. The Paris Agreement target of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is within 0.35 degrees Celsius of current levels.
• Eight hottest years: The eight years from 2015 to 2022 were the eight warmest in the 173-year instrumental record. This is an unprecedented cluster of high-temperature years.
• Sea level rise acceleration: The rate of global mean sea level rise has doubled from 2.27 mm per year (1993-2002) to 4.62 mm per year (2013-2022). This acceleration is caused by both thermal expansion and accelerating glacier and ice sheet loss.
• European heat deaths: 2022 European heat waves caused approximately 15,000 deaths. Climate attribution studies link the severity of these events directly to anthropogenic warming.
• India's projection: India was expected to be warmer than 2022 in 2023. The El Nino forecasted for mid-2023 would likely suppress monsoon rainfall and raise temperatures.
• WMO: World Meteorological Organisation, a UN specialised agency established in 1950. It coordinates global weather observations and climate data.

Static linkage: Climate change, global warming, IPCC reports.

GS area: Polity (Governance, Digital technology), Society

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology proposed allowing non-government entities to use Aadhaar authentication with MeitY approval.

• Legal basis: The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act 2016. Post the Supreme Court's 2018 ruling (Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India), private entities were barred from mandatory Aadhaar authentication.
• The 2018 SC judgment: Struck down Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, which allowed private entities to require Aadhaar for service. The Court held this was unconstitutional as it required citizens to prove identity to private bodies without adequate data protection safeguards.
• The new framework: The Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance Rules 2020 create a pathway for non-government entities to apply to MeitY for permission to use voluntary Aadhaar authentication for governance-related purposes.
• Privacy concern: Without comprehensive data protection legislation in place, allowing private entities Aadhaar access raises concerns about data aggregation, profiling and breach risk. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (passed later) was intended to address these gaps.
• Current uses: Banks and financial entities already use Aadhaar under the Know Your Customer framework through UIDAI's authentication API. The new rules would expand this to non-financial sectors.

Static linkage: Aadhaar, digital governance, privacy, data protection.

GS area: Environment (Governance, River pollution)

The Ministry of Jal Shakti launched the PRAYAG Platform (Pollution Reduction And Yielding Accountability in Ganga-Yamuna), a real-time monitoring centre for river quality.

• Rivers covered: Yamuna, Ganga and major tributaries.
• Monitoring mechanism: Real-time water quality sensors at key points transmit data to the platform. The system triggers alerts when parameters (dissolved oxygen, BOD, coliforms) breach standards.
• National Mission for Clean Ganga: Established in 2011 under the Environment Protection Act 1986. Now under the Jal Shakti Ministry. The Namami Gange Programme (2014) with Rs 20,000 crore budget is the operational execution.
• Why the Yamuna is critical: Delhi draws its primary water supply from the Yamuna. Yet Delhi's stretch of the Yamuna (22 km) contributes 70 per cent of its total pollution load through untreated sewage from drains.
• UDAN scheme 5.0: The fifth round of the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) Regional Connectivity Scheme removed the distance restriction between origin and destination airports. Earlier rounds had minimum distance requirements. The scheme offers Viability Gap Funding.

Static linkage: River pollution, Namami Gange, urban governance.

• Indian Skimmers: Rynchops albicollis, IUCN Endangered. First breeding colony recorded at Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha in 2023. The Indian Skimmer is a migratory bird with a distinctive lower mandible longer than the upper, used for skimming fish at water surface.
• Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate: Established in 2009 by President Obama. 20 major economies representing 80 per cent of global GDP and greenhouse gas emissions. India is a member. Focused on credible 1.5 degrees Celsius pathways.
• Kerala water budgeting: Kerala became the first Indian state to formally adopt water budgeting for its municipalities, reviving over 15,000 km of waterways. The model is being discussed for replication in water-stressed states.