Today Brief 1/08/2024

Youtube: https://youtu.be/EJd7LTma0a0?feature=shared

1. Western Ghats: The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri Hills, are a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of India, spanning six states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
   

Biodiversity and Ecology

• Biodiversity Hotspot: The Western Ghats are one of the world's eight "hottest hotspots" of biological diversity. They are home to thousands of species of plants, animals, birds, and insects, many of which are endemic.

• Rainforest Habitat: The region contains a significant portion of India's tropical rainforest, which plays a crucial role in maintaining regional climate and hydrological cycles.

Geological Significance

1. Ancient Formation: The Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas and were formed during the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana. They are rich in geological features and formations.

2. Unique Soil Types: The region has unique soil types, including laterite soils, which are significant for certain types of vegetation and agriculture
   

Human Settlements:

1. Indigenous Communities: The Western Ghats are home to various indigenous tribes and communities that have adapted to the region's diverse environments.

2. Cultural Heritage: The range has a rich cultural heritage, with numerous temples, forts, and historical sites.

Conservation and Challenges

1. Conservation Efforts: Several parts of the Western Ghats are protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and national parks to preserve their unique biodiversity.

2. Environmental Threats: The region faces challenges such as deforestation, mining, and climate change, which threaten its ecological balance.

The Western Ghats are not only crucial for India's environmental health but also for the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on their resources and ecosystem services.

https://epaper.thehindu.com/ccidist-ws/th/th_delhi/issues/93264/OPS/GGBD4SFDB.1+G1TD4TV39.1.html

2.Supply Chain Council: In a significant milestone, India and 13 other Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) partners have established three supply chain bodies under the landmark Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Agreement relating to Supply Chain Resilience.

The inaugural virtual meetings of the Supply Chain Council (SCC), Crisis Response Network (CRN), and Labor Rights Advisory Board (LRAB) marked a major step forward for cooperation among partner countries for strengthening supply chain resilience in the region.

Through these inaugural meetings, 14 IPEF partners reaffirmed their commitments and collective resolve to facilitate closer cooperation to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of critical supply chains and better prepare for and respond to supply chain disruptions that pose a risk to economic prosperity while strengthening labor rights.

The first-of-its-kind IPEF Supply Chain Resilience Agreement was signed by the Union Minister Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal along with the Ministers from other IPEF partner countries in November 2023 in Washington D.C. with an objective to make IPEF supply chains more resilient, robust, and well-integrated, and contribute towards economic development and progress of the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) is a significant economic initiative launched by the United States in May 2022. It aims to strengthen economic ties and cooperation among countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Key Objectives of IPEF

• Resilience: Building robust and resilient supply chains.

• Sustainability: Promoting clean energy, decarbonization, and infrastructure.

• Inclusivity: Ensuring economic growth benefits all segments of society.

• Economic growth: Fostering economic growth, fairness, and competitiveness.

Pillars of IPEF

IPEF is structured around four key pillars:

1. Trade: This pillar focuses on digital trade, labor standards, and environmental protections.

2. Supply Chains: It aims to enhance supply chain resilience, diversity, and security.

3. Clean Energy, Decarbonization, and Infrastructure: This pillar promotes investments in clean energy, infrastructure, and technology.

4. Tax and Anti-Corruption: It focuses on tax policy, anti-corruption measures, and enforcement.

Significance of IPEF

• Counterbalancing China: While not explicitly mentioned, IPEF is seen as a strategy to counter China's economic influence in the region.

• Economic Growth: It aims to boost economic growth and create jobs in the participating countries.

• Global Standards: IPEF seeks to set high standards for trade, labor, and environmental protection.

Challenges and Criticisms

• Excluding China: Some critics argue that excluding China could limit the framework's effectiveness.

• Ambitious Goals: Achieving the framework's ambitious goals will require significant cooperation and compromise among participating countries.

• Lack of Traditional Trade Benefits: Unlike traditional free trade agreements, IPEF does not focus on tariff reductions, which has raised concerns among some businesses.

3.Landslide Atlas of India: Atlas provides the details of landslide present in Landslide provinces of India including damage assessment of specific landslide locations. Geospatial landslide inventory database consisting of ~80,000 landslides in India mapped by NRSC/ISRO under its DMS programme during the 1998-2022 period is reported here.

The database covers landslide vulnerable regions in 17 states and 02 UTs of India in the Himalayas and Western Ghats.

The database includes three types of landslide inventory - seasonal, event-based and route-wise for the 1998-2022 period. Seasonal inventory contains pan-India landslide database corresponding to the 2014 and 2017 rainy season in India. Event-based inventory contains details of some of the major triggering events such as Kedarnath and Kerala disasters, and Sikkim earthquake as well as few large valley blocking landslides.

Routewise inventory contains details of landslides along selected routes of tourist and pilgrimage importance.Satellite data of high to very high resolution such as IRS-1D PAN+LISS-III, Resourcesat-1, 2 and 2A LISS-IV Mx, Cartosat-1 and 2S, data from International satellites (Sentinel-1&2, Pleiades and WorldView) and Aerial images were used in the mapping of landslides. Some of the mapped landslides were validated in the field using mobile App and news reports.

The database were used to rank 147 districts in 17 states and 02 UTs of India for their exposure to landslides in terms of key socio-economic parameters. Lastly advanced techniques in landslide detection, modeling and prediction are also explained.

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