DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

25^th October 2021

S. No.	Topic Name	Prelims/Mains
1.	About the National Fund to Control Drug Abuse	Prelims & Mains
2.	Mauritius removed from the Grey List of FATF	Prelims & Mains
3.	Appointment of a Liaison Officer at the Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region	Prelims & Mains
4.	About the International Snow Leopard Day	Prelims & Mains
5.	About Ambergris	Prelims Specific

 

1. About the National Fund to Control Drug Abuse: 

GS III

Topic – Internal Security related issues:

• Why in the News:
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has recently recommended that the National Fund against Drug be used to implement anti-addiction programs, rather than only policing services.
• About the National Fund against Drug Abuse:
• It is instituted in accordance with the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs Act and the Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.
• It has a corpus of around Rs 23 crores.
• Under the NDPS Act, the proceeds from the sale of any expropriated property or any grants made by any person or an institution go to the fund.
• Use of the fund: The law states that the fund will be used to combat illicit drug trafficking, rehabilitate addicts, and prevent drug abuse.
• World Drug Report 2021:
• An estimated 275 million people worldwide use drugs.
• More than 36 million people suffer from drug abuse disorders.
• The enhancement in marijuana use during the epidemic has been reported in many countries.
• Non-therapeutic use of some medicinal drugs has also been observed at the same time.
• According to the latest international estimates, about 5.5 percent of people between the ages of 15 and 64 used drugs at least once a year.
• More than 11 million people worldwide are estimated to be injecting drugs – half of them infected with Hepatitis C.
• Opioids continue to account for the heavy disease burden associated with drug abuse.
• Main Reasons for Drug Abuse:
• Peer acceptance.
• Growing economic pressure.
• Changing cultural norms.
• Neurotic addiction.
• Police Inaction.
• Cases of drug abuse in India:
• According to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau’s Crime in India 2020, a total of 59,806 cases were filed under the NDPS Act.
• In 2019, there were 3.1 crore cannabis users and 2.3 crore opioid users.
• The Indian government has adopted a number of policies and programs to address the problem of drug trafficking:
• The ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ or ‘India Drug-Free Campaign’ campaign was announced on 15 August 2020 in 272 regions of the country that were found to be most vulnerable based on data from various sources.
• The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment has embarked on the implementation of the National Drug Reduction Program (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025.
• The government established the Narco-Coordination Center (NCORD) in November, 2016.
• The government has established a fund called the “National Drug Abuse Fund” to cover the costs incurred in the fight against trafficking in Narcotic Drugs; Addiction rehabilitation, and educating the public about drug abuse, etc.
• Prelims Hot-Link:
• About UNODC.
• Overview of the “International Financial Control Drug Assistance” program.
• Structure of the Narco-Coordination Center (NCORD).
• National Drug Abuse Fund.
• About the Narcotics Control Bureau.
• International Day Against Drug Abuse and Trafficking in Persons and Themes this year.
• Source – https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/social-justice-ministry-for-decriminalising-possession-of-small-amount-of-drugs-for-personal-use/article37148042.ece

2. Mauritius removed from the Grey List of FATF:

GS II

Topic – International Relations:

• Why in News:
• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has removed Mauritius from its grey list.
• Why is Mauritius no longer under the additional FATF monitoring system:
• Mauritius has strengthened the effectiveness of its anti-money laundering and terrorist financing programs, and has addressed the related technical shortages to meet its strategic plan obligations regarding the shortcomings identified by FATF in February 2020.
• Why was it listed:
• For several years, there have been fears about Mauritius being the FPI’s money laundering route due to its limited oversight mechanisms.
• Effect of this on India:
• The move will enable Indian non-banking firms and other financial companies to receive foreign direct investment from foreign investors in Mauritius.
• This could indirectly lead to higher investment in India from the Island nation.
• Background:
• Mauritius was listed in the grey list of FATF in February 2020.
• Following the listing, FDI imports from Mauritius dropped from Rs 57,785 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 41,661 crore in 2020-21.
• Source – https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2021/oct/23/mauritius-exit-from-fatf-grey-list-may-boost-indias-fdi-inflow-2374700.html

3. Appointment of a Liaison Officer at the Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region:

GS II

Topic – International Relations:

• Why in News:
• The Netherlands has said it is interested in sending a Liaison Officer (LO) to the Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) to enhance the prospects of Maritime Awareness and Information Sharing.
• About IFC-IOR:
• IFC-IOR was established in 2018 to coordinate with regional countries on maritime affairs and to act as a maritime data repository.
• It currently has contacts with more than 20 non-cooperative countries and agencies from many countries around the world.
• It is located in Gurugram, India.
• Roles and responsibilities of a Liaison Officer:
• The liaison officer will be working directly with the Indian armed forces and other coordinators from the partner countries to improve awareness of maritime resources in the region.
• Prelims Hot-Link:
• What is IFC- IOR
• What is the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Center (RMIFC)
• Who set up Europe-led work on the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH)
• Discover the Persian Gulf and the strait of Hormuz.
• Source – https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/netherlands-keen-to-have-naval-liaison-officer-in-india/article37151774.ece

4. About the International Snow Leopard Day:

GS III

Topic – Conservation related issues:

• Why in News:
• Oct 23 is known as International Snow Leopard Day.
• Background:
• The day began with the adoption of the Bishkek Declaration by 12 countries on the subject of conservation of leopards.
• About Snow Leopard:
• Scientific name: Panthera uncia
• Geographical Location: Snow leopards live in the mountains of Central Asia. The range extends to twelve countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.
• Numbers: There are only 3,920 and 6,390 snow leopards left in the wild.
• Conservation Status: Snow leopards were considered endangered species until 2017 but the situation was changed to vulnerable species later in the year.
• Conservation efforts – National level:
• According to some reports, India is home to about 450-500 snow leopards that can be found in the country’s highest Himalayan regions.
• India has been conserving snow leopards and their habitats through Project Snow Leopard (PSL).
• India has also been part of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) since 2013.
• In terms of conservation, India has identified three major areas, namely, Hemis-Spiti crossing Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh; Inanda Devi – Gangotri in Uttarakhand; and Khangchendzonga – Tawang across Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Snow Leopard is on the list of 22 endangered species prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• SECURE Himalaya Program: Along with Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has funded a project to conserve high-level biodiversity and reduce the dependence of local communities on the ecosystem. The project now operates in four snow leopard regions, namely, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim.
• Community volunteer program “HimalSanrakshak” to protect snow leopards.
• Conservation efforts – International level:
• In 2013, the Bishkek Declaration had set a goal of protecting at least 20 snow leopard ecosystems with a large population of leopards by 2020, and led to the development of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP). Since then, October 23 each year is celebrated as World Snow Crocodile Day.
• The Global Snow Leopard and the Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP) were also launched on the same day to address high-level issues associated with the snow leopard conservation.
• Prelims Hot-Link:
• IUCN status of snow leopard conservation.
• About the Snow Leopard Project.
• Snow Leopards in India- distribution centers and conservation.
• About GSLEP.
• About the Bishkek proclamation.
• Source –  https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/in-depth/international-snow-leopard-day-why-the-apex-predator-of-the-trans-himalayas-is-important-for-our-future/videoshow/87212712.cms

5. About Ambergris:

Prelims Specific Topic:

• Ambergris, which is used to make perfumes, is produced in the stomachs of sperm whales where the undigested parts enter the intestines and bind together.
• Gradually they become a solid mass, growing over many years.
• “When the animal sheds its weight, it floats on the seabed.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/ambergris-worth-8-cr-seized-in-tiruvarur/article37155333.ece