 Good evening, aspirants. Welcome to the Hindu News Analysis by Shankar A. Sakadami. Today, I will be covering articles from yesterday's newspaper and today's newspaper. The articles that we are going to see today are displayed here. And I request you all to subscribe to our YouTube channel so that it will be a boost to our initiative. Now, let's start the discussion. Look at this article. The government has launched a special program called Green Credit Program. The program aims to encourage various entities to meet their environmental obligations under the existing laws in India. In our discussion today, we shall see about this green credit program in detail. See, the green credit program allows individuals as well as entities like companies and industries to earn green credits for their environmentally positive activities. They can also trade them on a dedicated exchange. In simple words, green credit is an incentive provided for specific activities that have a positive impact on the environment. Note that this program is voluntary, meaning participants can choose to engage or not engage in environmentally friendly actions to earn green credits. Now, what are the activities covered under the program? This green credit program covers eight types of activities. They are tree plantation, water management, sustainable agriculture, waste management, air pollution reduction and mangrove conservation and restoration. Now, how to earn green credits? To earn green credits, individuals or entities need to register their environmental activities on a dedicated website. These activities then will be verified by a designated agency and based on the verification report only, the participants will receive green credit certificate. Now, how are the green credits calculated? The calculation of the green credits is based on various parameters. The parameters include resource requirement, scale and environmental outcomes. A green credit registry and trading platform will be established to facilitate trading of the green credit certificates. Now, what is the difference between green credits and carbon credits? Note that green credit program is separate from carbon credits, which is provided under the carbon credit trading scheme. The green credit program is just complementing the domestic carbon market. While the domestic carbon market focuses exclusively on CO2 emissions, the green credit scheme or the green credit system aims to meet other environmental obligations as well. So, overall, the green credit program incentivizes positive environmental actions through a market-based mechanism. This allows participants to earn and trade carbon credits for their eco-friendly efforts. Similar to the green credit program, Indian government have introduced a new mission called LIFE. This is to promote environmentally sustainable practices. First of all, know that the term LIFE, which stands for lifestyle for environment, the mission LIFE was established or introduced by our Prime Minister on the 26th COP in Glasgow. Mission LIFE is an India-led global movement which inspires people to take action to protect and preserve the environment. Now, we will see the objectives of the LIFE mission. The primary objective of the LIFE mission is to shift from the prevalent use and dispose economy to a circular economy. I hope you all know what a circular economy is. In a circular economy, the main motto is Recycle. Now, let us see how the LIFE mission works. The mission intends to establish a global community of individuals known as P3, that is pro-planet people. These P3 members share a commitment to adopting and advocating eco-friendly lifestyles. Through the P3 community, the mission aims to create an ecosystem that encourages and supports sustainable environmental behaviors. These are some important points about LIFE mission. So, that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw some points about the green credit program and also some points about the LIFE mission. Now, with this, let us conclude this and take up the next news article. Look at this editorial article. This article is talking about the effects of climate change on water resources. See today, that is October 16th is celebrated as World Food Day Annually. The theme for this year's World Food Day is Water is Life, Water is Food. This theme highlights the importance of water in a human being's life. The theme also advises us to take suitable measures to manage water resources. Because of this theme only, the article here is written. See, this article highlights the link between water and crop production. In addition to this, this article also advocates the need for climate change adaptations to improve water use efficiency. Finally, the article suggests some measures to improve crop productivity and water management. This is the overall essence of this editorial. So, in our discussion today, we will understand the importance of water resources in India. We will also see the steps that can be taken to safeguard water resources from climate change. We will approach this topic in the mains answer rating format. Now, first, we will look into the syllabus. In Prelims, this topic comes under two headings. That is, Indian and World Geography, physical and the geography of India and the world. It also comes under general issues of environmental ecology. In the mains, this topic falls under GS Paper 1 and GS Paper 3. In GS Paper 1, it comes under changes in critical geographical features including water bodies and ice gaps. And in GS Paper 3, it comes under conservation, environmental pollution and degradation. This is all about the syllabus. Now, let us start. Let us first look into the mains question. Let me read with the question. There is increasing evidence of climate change impacting water resources in our country. In this context, write about the importance of water resources in our country. Suggest some strategies to safeguard our water resources from the impacts of climate change. See, this is a simple and a direct straightforward question. If you look at the statement, it says that there is increasing evidence of climate change impacting water resources in our country. So, in the introduction, we can provide some explanation about how climate change is impacting our water resources. And in the body, we have to write two things. One is we have to write about the importance of water resources in our country. Then we have to write about the steps that can be taken to safeguard our water resources from the impacts of climate change. Finally, we have to give the summary of the answer in the conclusion part. This is how I plan on approaching this question. Okay, now let's start with the introduction. As I mentioned earlier, in the intro part, we will write a simple explanation about how climate change is impacting water resources. To substantiate our points, we can also use some data from some reputed organizations. The intro can be like this. See, water is the most crucial resource of all life on earth. Fresh water is crucial for human health, agriculture, industry and domestic consumption. 70% of earth is occupied by water and of that only 3% of the water is fresh water. And in that 3%, only 1.2% is available to use and the rest are locked up in glaciers and ice caps. To sum it up, of the total water resources present in earth, only 0.5% of water is directly usable for human consumption. Day by day, these usable freshwater resources are getting depleted or affected by climate change. Severe climate change induced evens like floods, melting of glaciers, drought and uneven rainfall affects the freshwater availability. According to the 2021 World Meteorological Organization report, over the past 20 years, the terrestrial water storage has dropped at a rate of 1 cm per year. This is mainly due to climate change associated events like heat waves. The WMO highlighted that this phenomena will have a serious implication on water security. So overall, climate change is having a deep and serious impact on water resources all over the world. See, this can be a reasonably good introduction for this question. If you see, we have also provided data to substantiate our point in the introduction itself. So it will be a value addition for your answer. Now moving on to the main body of the answer. In this first, we will try to address the importance of water resources in India part. In this first, let us take up agriculture sector. Traditionally, India has been a agriculture-based economy. In the financial year 2020-23, the share of agriculture and allied sector in India's GDP was 18.2%, which is nearly one-fifth of the total GDP of our country. See, the contribution of agriculture sector to GDP may seem low. However, the number of people engaged in agriculture is much higher than any other sector. According to 2021 World Bank estimates, nearly 44% of India's population is engaged in agriculture and allied sector. So agriculture is providing employment for nearly half of our country's population. Now, if you take irrigation facility for agriculture in India, out of the total irrigated area in India, 40% of the area is irrigated through canal networks. And the rest 60% of the area is irrigated through groundwater network. These data shows the importance of water resources to Indian agriculture. The water resources are directly linked to the crop production in our country. And half of the population in India that is engaged in agriculture are depending solely on the water resources. So the water resources are very crucial to safeguard the livelihood of Indian farmers. This is the first point. Moving on, let us take up the domestic sector. Data shows that on an average, nearly 140 litres of freshwater per head per day is needed for an urban area in India. This is for a variety of purposes like drinking, cooking, bathing, washing clothes and vessels, etc. So continuous water supply is essential to meet the demands of the urban people. Apart from this, in the rural area also, the need for freshwater is rising day by day. Earlier, the rural people were mainly dependent on common wells to meet their domestic needs. But over-utilization of water from the wells resulted in the contamination of water with other harmful materials like fluoride and arsenic. So, better water resources are essential to feed the rural population. Thirdly, let us take up the industrial sector. According to the World Bank, Indian industries currently use about 13% of the total freshwater in our country. The freshwater is critically important for industries to carry out various processes like fabricating, washing and processing of the product. Apart from this, water is also needed for cooling purposes in the industries. See, in India, nearly 85% of water that are going to the industries are tapped by the thermal power plants alone. According to the Ministry of Coal, in India, around 57% of the electricity is generated from thermal power plants. So, water resources are very essential for power production in our country. Like this, many other critical industries like food processing, iron and steel, etc. are depending upon freshwater resources. So, better water resources are essential for a good Indian industrial sector. Now finally, let us take up the hydroelectric power sector. See, India has more than 100 hydro power plants and it accounts for nearly 11% of the India's electricity generation. So, continuous flow of water is essential to generate power in the hydroelectric power plants. India is trying to speed up the electricity generation from renewable and clean resources to meet the climate requirements. India also set a target to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2070. So, to meet these objectives, hydro power will play a major role. So, sustainable water resources are essential for hydro power plants to generate renewable electricity. These are all the importance of water resources in a country like India. This is the first part of the answer. Now, coming to the second part. In this part, we have to write about the strategies that can be adopted to safeguard our water resources from the impacts of climate change. Now, let us see some strategies. First one is afforestation. Large scale afforestation is needed to secure water resources from climate change. Planting the trees will minimize the effects of climate change. As we all know, trees have the capability to absorb more carbon. By doing this, it will also act as a carbon sink and minimize the greenhouse gas emission. This in turn reduces the impact of climate change and also reduces the melting of glaciers. Apart from this, the presence of more trees will also help in safeguarding groundwater from evaporation or drought-like condition. The trees act as a cap to safeguard the groundwater table. So, large scale afforestation practices should be encouraged to safeguard the water resources in our country. This is the first strategy. Second strategy is adopting climate-smart agriculture. See, adapting climate-smart agricultural practices will help to safeguard the water resources. For example, developing seeds that will be able to grow in moderate drought condition will help the farmers to reduce the water usage. Apart from this, extending sustainable irrigation facilities like drip water irrigation and sprinkler irrigation, even in water abundant areas will minimize the excess use of water. In addition to this, continuous monitoring of groundwater table with the help of smart devices will also reduce the over usage of groundwater. By doing all these, we can conserve water irrespective of climate change. This is the second strategy. Third one is promotion of rainwater harvesting. See, according to data available on the internet, only 8% of rainwater is harvested in India and the remaining ends up in the sea. So, the government has to create suitable policies to tap the rainwater. For example, the government with the help of NGOs and local governments can implement a mandatory rule to establish rainwater harvesting facilities in each and every household. Apart from this, the government can also create separate authority to monitor the rainwater harvesting facilities in bigger buildings and industries. This will minimize the depletion of water resources and in the same way, it will safeguard the water resources from climate change. The next one is recycling of wastewater. According to the report by the Observer Research Foundation, India recycles only 30% of its wastewater. On one hand, wastewater causes pollution to the surrounding water body. On the other hand, it increases the use of freshwater as the wastewater is not recycled for further use. So, Indian government should take adequate measures to ensure the recycling of all wastewater. This will help to contain water pollution and associated climate extremes. And it also safeguard the water resources from climate change. Finally, the Indian government should set up more desalination plants to secure existing freshwater. See, desalination plants will treat sea water and give us freshwater. In India, we have only less than 10 desalination plants. So, the government has to take adequate steps to set up more desalination plants. These plants will help us obtain freshwater from the abundant sea water that is available to our country. This will reduce the burden on the depleting water resources like groundwater. Also, it will safeguard water resources from getting depleted due to climate change. These are all some of the strategies that the government can adopt to counter or safeguard the water resources of our country from the impacts of climate change. Okay, this is the body of the answer. Now finally, we have come to the conclusion part. In the conclusion part, we can summarize the points that we have mentioned in the answer. A conclusion can be like this. See, water resources are very crucial for any country to meet the demands of the people, the household and the industries. The increasing climate change and the resulting extreme events have put pressure on the existing freshwater resources. So, the practice like recycling of water, climate smart agriculture and making rainwater harvesting mandatory will safeguard the water resources from climate extremes. This is a model conclusion for you. Okay, now we have satisfactorily answered the question. I hope this discussion was helpful. Now, let me conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this article. According to this article, Tilapia Parvo virus has been reported for the first time in India in Tamil Nadu. The virus is affecting farm bred Tilapia fishes, which is a freshwater fish species. This has caused significant fish mortality ranging from 30 to 50% mortality in affected farm ponds. This is about the article here. In this context, let us look at some of the important facts about Parvo virus and Tilapia fish. First, let us take up Parvo virus. Parvo viruses are a group of single standard DNA viruses that can infect various host including humans, animals and plants. These virus were discovered in 1967 and are often associated with diseases in pets, livestock and wildlife. This virus is dangerous because it is hard to kill and it can live for a long time in open environment. For example, canine Parvo virus is a highly contagious and it can cause severe disease in dogs. Now, let us see whether Parvo virus can transmit to humans or not. Generally, Parvo virus do not affect humans. One of the varieties of Parvo virus which is called Parvo virus B19 causes fifth disease or slapped cheek syndrome. It primarily affects children and it can cause rash on the face and body. Some Parvo virus affect plants and can cause diseases in agricultural crops. This can lead to economic loss as well. Now, coming back to the news. The Parvo virus which has affected the Tilapia fish is named as Tilapia Parvo virus. Now that Tilapia Parvo virus was first reported in China in 2019 then in Thailand in 2021. India is now the third country to report this virus. This virus has reported a 90% mortality rate in Tilapia fishes. Currently, there is no specific cure for this Tilapia Parvo virus. Now, with this information about Parvo virus, let us see some facts about the Tilapia fish. This fish species comprises various types like Nile Tilapia and Mosambic Tilapia. Here, the Mosambic Tilapia is often referred as the poor man's fish and it was introduced in the Indian subcontinent in the 1950s. It has become an invasive species due to its ability to survive in low oxygen environment. Tilapia is important in aquaculture because it is the most productive and internationally traded fish in the world. It is also called as aquatic chicken due to its quick growth and low maintenance cultivation. Tilapia farming is largely done in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. It is also carried out in states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. These are some points that you have to know about the Tilapia fish. Now, with this, let us conclude this discussion. In this discussion, we saw a few prelims related points about Parvo virus and Tilapia fish. Now, moving on to the next news article. Look at this article from Science page. It talks about why some people are more sensitive to certain types of pain. A new study has found that individuals who carry specific gene variants which are inherited from Neanderthals are more sensitive to particular type of pain. This gene variant is found in the SCN9A gene and this gene plays an important role in sensory neurons. This research highlights how interbreeding with Neanderthals has influenced the genetics of the modern humans. This is about the article given here. So, in our discussion today, we will see some important information about Neanderthals. First of all, who were the Neanderthals? Neanderthals were an old human species that lived in Europe and parts of Asia. They existed approximately between 400,000 to 40,000 years ago. They occupied places from Belgium in North to Mediterranean Sea in South. Note that they were replaced or assimilated by the modern human population that is the Homo sapiens. Neanderthals were our closest extant relatives. Similar archaic human population like Denisovians lived in the same time in the East Asian region. Now, let us see some of the notable characteristic features of the Neanderthals. Their bodies were shorter than modern humans because they were adapted to living in colder environment. But their brains were just as large as the modern humans and they have a distinctive long nose. Their bones revealed that they were extremely muscular and strong. Neanderthals are known to have used tools, created arts and buried their death. This signifies that they had a cultural sophistication. These are some of the notable features of Neanderthals. Now, let us see their relationship with the modern humans. See, there is evidence of interbreeding between Neanderthals and early humans that is the Homo sapiens. Because these two species coexisted in Europe and Asia. Studies have shown that many people of the non-African descent have a Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. Until the 20th century, Neanderthals were regarded as genetically and morphologically distinct from modern humans. However, more recent discoveries have revealed an overlap between Neanderthals and modern humans. See, the Neanderthal sites are given here for your reference. You can have a glance at it. Now finally, let us see how did they go extinct? The reason for the extinction of Neanderthals are still debated. But there are many factors that attributed to their extensions. Factors like climate change, competition with Homo sapiens and environmental pressures are some of the reasons why Neanderthals might have went extinct. Studying Neanderthal is important because it helps us give valuable insights about human evolution, adaptation and the diversity of human species in the past. These are some prelims related facts about Neanderthals. Now with this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Take a look at this article from the FAQ page. This article came in the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. This article talks about the implication of the recent attack. So in our discussion today, we will first understand the reasons for the attack of Hamas. Then we will see the implications of the ongoing conflict. First, let us have a brief idea of the territories. Now look at this map here. Here, the green marked areas are the areas that is under the control of the Palestinian government. And as we all know, Palestine is composed of West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since 2005, the entire Gaza Strip has been under the control of the Hamas Group. And this is fighting for the liberation of Palestine. But if you take the West Bank, most of the areas are under the control of the Israeli military. And only some areas are governed by Palestinian Authority. This Palestinian Authority was created as a result of the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords. This Authority was granted powers to control the West Bank area. However, as we can see in the map, only limited areas in the West Bank are governed by the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority is currently run by the Palestinian Nationalist and the Social Democratic Party. And this party is famously called the Fatah. This party is more secular and it has accepted the fact that there should be a coexistence of Jewish and Arab people. And Fatah is also not much aggressive like the Hamas. This soft corner of Fatah angered the Hamas. So there is no unified Palestinian movement between the Hamas and Fatah to liberate Palestinians. Also, there is no international push for the two-state solution. This is the current situation that is existing in the area. Now, we will see why Hamas attacked Israel. As we saw just now, most of the landlocked West Bank areas are under the control of Israeli military. So, there are extensive checkpoints and barriers in the West Bank area. This allows Israel to keep check on the West Bank Palestinians. So, mostly the Palestinians in the West Bank don't raise their voice against Israel as it would threaten their existence. Historically, most of the Arab countries surrounding the Israel supported the Palestinian Arabs and opposed to Israel. But when the problem in the West Bank continued to decline, Israel started establishing ties with the Arab countries. Currently, six Arab countries have normalized their ties with Israel. For example, Israel and UAE has signed a normalization agreement in 2020. Apart from this, recently, Saudi Arabia and Israel were engaged in talks for normalizing their ties. See, these activities angered the Hamas. So, to change the prevailing condition and to stop Israel getting closer to the Arab nations, Hamas made the attack on Israel. As a result, Israel is now carrying out counter-strike against Hamas. So again, some Arab countries started supporting the Palestinian liberation movement and the normalized ties have went back to the status quo. This is the main reason for Hamas' attack. This also strengthened the Hamas' objective of Palestinian liberation. And it also put additional pressure on Israel. Now, let us see the implications of the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. In Israel's history, the recent Hamas' attack was the largest terror attack. In the attack, thousands of Israeli people were killed in the attack. Apart from this, Hamas took some 150 Jewish people as hostages. This angered the Israeli government. So, they started attacking the Gaza Strip which is occupied by Hamas. And this has put the lives of Palestinian Arabs into danger. Hamas is also carrying out counter-attacks on Israel which further adds threat to the lives of the Israeli people. Apart from this, the ongoing conflict is also destroying the infrastructure on both sides. The damages would account for billions of dollars. And this is the main implication of the Israeli-Hamas conflict. Now, coming to the question. Will this conflict turn into a regional war? See, there is no war between Arab countries and Israel since 1973. And as I said earlier, many of the Arab countries have reached normalization agreement with Israel. So, we can say that there is no immediate danger of regional war. But note that there was no improvement of ties between Israel and Iran. Currently, Iran is indirectly supporting Hamas. Recently, Iran has issued a statement saying that it supports Palestinian resistance. This is a indirect support. But if Iran starts supporting Hamas directly, then there will be a potential for regional war. As of now, the chance of this is very low because of international pressure. Apart from this, the Hezbollah which is the militant political party based in Lebanon is also supporting Hamas indirectly. Hezbollah said they are ready to fight Israel when the time comes. But Hezbollah doesn't show any immediate inclination to join the Hamas' war. So, the overall chance for regional war currently is very minimal. So, that's all regarding the discussion. In this discussion, we saw about the present status in the Israel-Palestinian region. Then we saw about the implication of the war. And we also saw whether this war will turn into a regional war. So, that's all regarding this discussion. Now, let us conclude this and take up the next news article. Look at this article. This article talks about the Israeli missile defense system which is also called as the AYENDOM. This missile defense system shot down many rockets which was fired by Hamas on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. It also plays an important role in the defense of the Israeli cities. This is about the article given here. Now, in our discussion today, let us see some important problems related facts about the AYENDOM system. First of all, what is the AYENDOM or AYEDOM defense system? AYENDOM is a short-range ground-to-air missile defense system. It consists of a radar and Tamir interceptor missile. Its main aim is to track and utilize any missiles which are aimed at Israeli targets. AYEDOM is not only used to counter rockets, artillery and motors. It can also intercept aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. Now, let us see the history of AYENDOM. It goes back to 2006 Israeli-Lebanon war. In this war, the Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets into Israeli territory. This led to loss of life. So, in 2007, Israel's Rafale advanced system started developing a new air defense system which is called as AYENDOM. This was developed to protect Israel's cities and people. It was deployed in 2011. Now, let us see the working of AYENDOM. AYENDOM has three main components. They are the radar, weapon control and missile fire. The main function of the radar is to detect and track the incoming threat that is the missile. In case of weapon control, it consists of a battle management and weapon control system. The weapon control's main function is to connect the radar and the interceptor missile. The last one is the missile fire. Its main function is to launch the missiles on the incoming targets. These are the three main components of the AYENDOM system. Now, let us see the unique features of the AYENDOM. Firstly, it can be used in all weather conditions. That is, during summer and in the winter. And it can be used both during night and day. The other important unique feature of this AYENDOM is the proximity fuse. See, the missiles launched through the AYENDOM has proximity fuse employed in each one. As we all know, it is not always possible to hit the incoming missiles very accurately. So, when the missile is passing within 10 meter radius of the incoming target, this component that is the proximity fuse activates, thereby blasting the missile and destroying the target. These are the two unique features of the AYENDOM. That's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw what is AYENDOM and its unique features. Now, with this, we have come to the end of the news article discussion session. Now, let us take up the practice problems questions. We have four practice problems questions today. Let us see the Mumbai one. Let us take up the first question. Let me read out the question. What is the purpose of green credits program which is recently initiated by the union government? From our decision, we know that the correct answer here is option D, which is inciting environmentally positive actions through a market-based approach. Okay? Now, moving on to the second question. Fifth disease, which is also referred as slapped cheek syndrome, primarily affects children and it is characterized by a rash on face and the body. It is caused by which group of pathogens? From our discussion, we know that the correct answer here is option C, virus. The exact virus is parvovirus B19. And it is this virus that is responsible for causing fifth disease, which is also referred as slapped cheek syndrome in children. Okay? Moving on to the third question. Neanderthals are species of archaic humans closely related to modern humans. Which region is known to be a significant area of Neanderthal habitat? See, the correct answer for this question is option D, Levant. Actually, Levant is the region in the eastern Mediterranean. It consists of modern-day countries such as Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. This area has been a significant hub for Neanderthal habitation. And it has been confirmed by the archaeological discoveries. Okay? So once again, the correct answer here is option D, Levant. Moving on to the last question. Here six countries are given. We have to find which of these countries share a land border with Israel. Of the six countries given here, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan have a land border with Israel. So the correct answer here is option B, only four. So that's all regarding the discussion. If you like today's discussion, like, comment and share it with your friends. For more updates regarding UPSC preparation, subscribe to Shankara IS Academy's YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.