 Welcome to the Hindu News Analysis by Shankarae's Academy, displayed on the list of news articles selected for today's analysis and their page numbers in different editions of the newspaper. The link for the handwritten notes in the PDF format and the time stamping of the discussed articles are provided in the description box and it is also provided in the comment section for the benefit of mobile phone viewers. Now let us move on to the analysis of first news article. This editorial article is with reference to RA tree filling issue. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article has been highlighted here for your reference. Recently, on 13th September 2019, the tree authority of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, they have given permission for removing the trees that are in the proposed construction site of Metro Car Depot of Metro 3 project. See this tree authority of MCGM has been constituted under section 3 of Maharashtra Urban Areas Protection and Preservation of Trees Act of 1975. The permission letter has literally given permission to remove almost 2,185 trees in the particular site area in RA colony. The purpose is to construct Metro Car Depot. In addition to removing these more than 2,000 trees, an additional 461 trees will be removed and transplanted in other locations. They are saying that for the construction of this Metro Car Depot, it will require at least 25 to 30 hectares. The tree authority has given permission to Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited. See this Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation is a joint venture special purpose vehicle of central government that is government of India and the state government of Maharashtra. And this MMRC is implementing Mumbai's first fully underground Metro corridor running from Colaba via Bandra to Siebs. Siebs stands for Santa Cruz Electronic Export Processing Zone which is presently a special economic zone. See when we say Metro Car Depot, it is a car depot where the Metro trains can be cleaned, washed, repaired or even maintained. This depot will also serve as the starting point for train operation every day. Here the word car actually refers to trains. So when we say Metro Car Depot, there is a possibility that few among us may confuse it with four wheeler cars. It is not so. It is a depot for Metro trains which are referred as cars. The article you can see a word subway also here the reference in this context the term subway refers to again Metro Rail only. So what happened after the permission was granted to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited. Many environmentalists carried out democratic actions. Many carried out protests and they knocked the doors of High Court where they did not get any favorable result because their petitions are dismissed by Bombay High Court. They knocked the doors of Supreme Court which has passed an entry model asking the state government not to cut any more trees in our colony for this purpose till the date of next hearing that is till October 21 of 2019. While on the one hand there is joint rejoice from the side of environmentalist there is an argument from the state government that the Supreme Court has asked only not to cut the trees for the construction whereas it did not stop us from proceeding to the or it did not stop us in continuing our other works with respect to Metro car depot. And the RA tree protection movement whenever reported a newspaper we could see one of the inspirations of this movement being the Chipko movement of 1974. See the Chipko movement was the first major movement in India to save the environment. This movement started in 1974 when local communities predominantly women participants they organized themselves in two villages in the state of Uttarakhand in rainy and Mandal actually timber contractors came there to fill the trees or cut down the trees but the women participants they prevented filling of trees by embracing or hugging the trees. This movement is therefore called as tree embracing movement because the word Chipko means embracing in Hindi. Now as a result of this movement the government imposed a 15 year ban on cutting trees in Himalayan forest in the year 1980 and after this movement after the success many other local communities they were inspired by the Chipko movement and started environmental friendly activities and campaigns and particularly the campaigns against deforestation. This is the background of this RA tree felling incident. Now let us come into the open editorial article. Here if you see the title of this article it is saying as not green but green wash. Here we should note that the word green wash is somehow opposite to the word green. Generally we say green for environmentally friendly actions but green wash refers to the process of conveying false information to manipulate people so they will think that the government is actually environment friendly or the company is actually environment friendly. So this word green wash is generally used when a company or government is against the environment but provides misinformation to develop a green environmental image. So this is with the title. See in this news article the author has discussed about the defense taken by few supporters of this tree felling incident which was carried out by Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation. They are defending the tree felling in RA. They are saying that building a metro car depot will prevent increase in emissions or increase in carbon emissions. They are telling this on the basis that anyway when metro trains are to be operated they are expecting that there will be a considerable drop or reduction in the use of cars and buses by people. So because of the decreased use of cars and buses there will be a reduction in carbon emissions and this reduction in carbon emissions will be more than the carbon emissions absorbed by the trees that are to be filled in RA colony. So they are saying that there is nothing wrong in cutting down these trees because they actually prevent increase in emissions. But the author says that this defense is a narrow view or a parochial view. This is because these persons who are defending with this reason they think that trees serve only one purpose. That is they only act as carbon sinks. That is trees will absorb carbon dioxide or carbon emissions. But actually trees do more functions for the well-being of humans, plants and animals and for the environment as a whole. They provide habitat to microorganisms and birds. They play a very important role in the recharge of groundwater. See research studies are saying that by having a moderate tree cover and by following appropriate tree planting and various tree management options the groundwater resources can be improved. There are some of the parameters such as the root system of trees that play a very important role in this scenario. In addition the trees are also playing the role of safeguarding the soil particularly from erosion. And they also improve air quality. How do trees improve air quality? See the pollutant gases for example nitrogen oxides or ammonia or sulphur dioxide. These pollutant gases they settle on the leaves of the tree. Trees absorb these toxic chemicals through their stomata or through their pores. Thereby they help in filtering and removing these chemicals from the air. So this is how trees improve air quality. Also trees absorb carbon emissions. That is one way of improving air quality. Trees also mitigate the greenhouse gas effect. By trapping the heat and they also reduce levels of ground level ozone and more importantly they release oxygen by which human beings thrive in this earth. So when we say loss of trees it means loss of all these things. Loss of biodiversity. Loss of freshwater or groundwater. Loss of soil. Loss of tree cover. Loss of air quality. All these things. So by this Arthur is conveying that filling more than 2000 trees in RA is bigger than the math of mere carbon emissions. Therefore the author identifies the threat to the trees in RA as an ecological crisis. So the author mentions that these are the bigger reasons why the trees should not be cut and there has to be some other mechanisms to build the metro train depot without affecting environment. Then the author discusses about this statement. Does the metro really replace cars? That is does the metro trains really replace cars or car usage? First the author says no because those people who own cars mostly do not use metro trains and most of the metro users are those who are unable to afford and buy and maintain cars. So metro train cannot replace cars and he is also saying that there is not much evidence that when a metro arrives in a city or when public transport system improves there is a reduction in sales of cars. So then how can we say that by the introduction of metro there will be reduction in car usage particularly in a material minded society that is in an acquisitive society. In normal times there will be demand for cars and the demand for cars will not take much time to catch up with the supply. The authors are of the opinion that even if the argument metro will replace cars has to be correct. Then metro infrastructure should take up the space taken by cars in the city. They should not take the space that are taken by trees in the city. Then finally the author mentions about the role of people behavior with respect to carbon emissions and also the role of demand and supply with respect to increasing carbon emissions. See trees are natural solution for carbon absorption whereas say metro rail transport or any public transport another example could be fuel efficient cars. These are technological solutions. These technological solutions they work by increasing the supply of goods and services. Why author is saying this statement see even if metros are constructed there will be more demand for metros that will lead to more and more construction of metros with or without filling of trees. If metros are not constructed to meet the demand then more and more flyovers has to be constructed to meet the demand and also to reduce traffic congestion. Why more flyovers has to be built because in the long run there will be consumption of cars or consumption of public transport. Then the author talks about the argument with respect to having technologically efficient fuel efficient cars. They argue that by having fuel efficient cars carbon emissions can be controlled but these authors are of the opinion that car owners who own such fuel efficient cars they will take many more trips than before. As a result this will lead to nullifying the fuel savings because of the technical innovation. The contention of authors is that nature is nature and one cannot grow all these two thousand hundred and eighty five trees once they are cut in some two three days it will take years to grow these trees. And technological solutions are no match to natural solutions such as trees which plays various roles with respect to environment and one cannot be as friendly as trees to the environment by the use of technological solutions. So as a result natural resources such as trees they should not be destroyed in having the argument for technological solutions. Rather people should find other means you know any other means other than destroying forests so as to satisfy the rising need for metro trains or public transport system. So this rising need who are part of this need who are demanding metro how many car owning people demanding metro see the numbers are expected to be less only. So therefore consumption increases in a long run and this consumption shall not be satisfied or carried out at the cost of environment that is the crux of this article. With this we come to the end of analysis of this news article. Now let us move on to next article. This news article states that Chennai city is witnessing rise in the number of patients who are reporting the symptoms of conjunctivitis. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article is highlighted here for your reference. See according to the director of regional institute of ophthalmology and government ophthalmic hospital of Chennai they are saying that conjunctivitis usually occurs during October and November and then in April and May. Two days ago while we are discussing about the national blindness and visual impairment survey of India we talked about ophthalmology and ophthalmic. Ophthalmic means relating to eye and eye diseases whereas ophthalmology means the branch of medicine that is concerned with the study and treatment of disorders and diseases of the eye. So now let us discuss about this conjunctivitis. It's a general term that is used to refer a diverse group of disorders which are characterized by inflammation of the conjunctiva. So what is conjunctiva? See it is a mucus membrane that covers front of the eye and it lines the inside of eyelids. We can say that it covers white part of the eye or the white of the eye as we have shown here in this picture. So it is a condition where the conjunctiva which is covering the white part of the eye becomes inflamed, becomes red and becomes irritated. That is why people often call this condition as pink eye or red eye because it can cause the white of the eye to turn into pink or red color. In USA the terminology used is pink eye. Here in India we use Madras eye. One of the reasons why it is called as Madras eye is because they are saying that one of the viruses that causes conjunctivitis which is known as adenovirus. It was first identified in then Madras in the year 1918. So from that they have associated the term Madras eye with this conjunctivitis. So just because we said adenovirus we do not think that it is caused only by viruses. It is not so we will discuss in this discussion in the later part. See this conjunctivitis is a highly contagious disease. But know that not all forms of this disease are contagious. It can occur worldwide both sporadically or epidemically. In USA sporadically it means occurring occasionally not frequently occasionally at irregular intervals. Epidemically means it can spread rapidly and extensively by infecting and affecting many individuals living in a particular area at the same time. But it is said that this conjunctivitis is most frequently occurring in the developing nations not developed nations. And see most varieties of this infection they are self-limited. That is it ultimately resolves itself without any treatment. But some variety of conjunctivitis may progress and even cause severe ocular and some extra ocular complications. Ocular means connected with eyes or connected with vision. So we can say some conjunctivitis can cause severe complications to the eye and vision. And even in self-limited conditions it can cause a significant period of ocular morbidity or ocular disease. And it leads to loss of workplace efficiency and other things. It affects all ages and all social strata. There is no discrimination. And it is said that approximately 2% of visits to hospitals in our country are with respect to or related to conjunctivitis. So appropriate prevention strategies are required to prevent this condition from spreading and affecting large number of people. As it is a highly contagious disease in certain forms. So now let us see the symptoms. One is congestion of eye. That is the eye is congested with blood. Then there will be pain and there will be discharge from the eye. And then there will be swelling of the eye which is called as lid edema. And there will also be gritty sensation in eye. You can feel gritty sensation which is an uncomfortable feeling like having some sand particles in eye. Like that there will be uncomfortability. So what causes conjunctivitis? We will see most common causes and we will also see less common causes. Most common causes are because of viruses, bacteria and allergens. Less common causes include you know chemicals, wearing of contact lens, then foreign bodies in eye. For example an eyelash could fell into the eye layer and it could lead to Madras IR conjunctivitis. And then indoor and outdoor air pollution that are caused by smoke, dust, fumes or even chemical vapours can also cause this infection. And fungi, amoeba, parasites can also cause Madrasi. So literally everything is here but when it is caused by a virus it is called as viral conjunctivitis. It can be caused by a number of different viruses but most commonly or most popularly known as adenoviruses. In temperate climates they are most active during spring or early summer and mid-winter. And in these seasons viral conjunctivitis spreads faster. This viral conjunctivitis is very contagious. It can lead to large outbreaks depending on the virus. Most cases here are mild only. The infection will clear up in 7 to 14 days without treatment and without any long-term consequences. Generally antiviral medications are prescribed. When the complication is serious. And note that antibiotics will not be used for dealing with viral conjunctivitis because antibiotics are for bacterial infections. Next we will discuss about bacterial conjunctivitis which is caused by certain bacteria for example Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia. And there are few other bacteria that can cause this infection. Similar to viral conjunctivitis, bacterial conjunctivitis is also contagious. It can spread easily especially with certain bacteria and also in certain settings. This disease is more common in kids than in adults. That is bacterial conjunctivitis is more common in kids and observed more frequently in the month of December till April. For serious complications antibiotics will be prescribed. For example bacterial conjunctivitis eye drops are there and ointments are there. Next to form of conjunctivitis is allergic conjunctivitis. This is caused because of the result of body's reaction to allergens. Now what are these allergens? Say for example pollen from trees, pollen from plants, grasses and weeds. And allergens by dust mites, molds, dander from pits. When we say dander it means flakes of skin that is present in animals fur or animals hair. And allergens in medicines or cosmetics they can also cause this form of disease. See these are substances that can cause allergic irritating reaction. That is why they are called as allergens. One thing we have to note that unlike bacterial or viral conjunctivitis, conjunctivitis by allergens is not contagious. But it is said that it occurs more frequently among people having other allergic conditions. Say for example asthma. So when can it occur frequently or what is the ideal condition for allergic conjunctivitis whenever pollen counts are high. Whenever indoor allergens such as dust mites and animal danders are high it can occur. Generally it is treated by removing the allergen from the person's environment. For relief they are using allergy medications. The next to form of conjunctivitis is caused by irritants. Here irritation could be from a foreign body. Irritation is because of presence of a foreign body in the eye. For example smoke dust fumes or chemicals. This form is also not contagious. And it can also occur when contact lenses are worn longer than the prescribed or recommended time. Or whenever contact lenses are not cleaned properly using the lens solutions. So we saw some of the forms of conjunctivitis. Say viral, bacterial, allergic and conjunctivitis by irritants. Now we will see about the transmission of this disease. We saw that several viruses and bacteria can cause this infection and also allergens. Each of these types of germs can spread from person to person in different ways. Usually spread from an infected person to others by way of close personal contact. For example touching hands or shaking hands. It also spreads through air due to coughing or sneezing by the infected person. And it can also spread say for example there is an object having germs on it. You have touched the object but you did not wash your hand. And before washing your hand if we touch our eye back then it will be spreading. So see these are some of the ways of transmission of this disease or infection. So these are some of the information with respect to this disease called as medrasae or conjunctivitis or pink eye. And before going to the next article we would like to mention one correction with respect to the facts presented by us on 15th October news analysis. That day with respect to the discussion of the national program for control of blindness and visual impairment. We have mentioned it as a 100% centrally sponsored scheme or a central sector scheme. Here the correction is that this program when it was launched it was launched as a 100% centrally sponsored scheme in the year 1976. But as of now it is not a central sector scheme it is a centrally sponsored scheme where for northeastern states the share contributed by the central government is 90% with respect to financial resources and 10% will be funded by the states. For other states that is for states other than northeastern states the central government state government ratio is 60 is to 4. So that day we mentioned as central sector scheme. So as of now it is not a central sector scheme rather a centrally sponsored scheme. When the total financial contribution comes from the central government we call it as central sector scheme. But here at present we find it is on the basis of sharing between central and states. Therefore it is called as centrally sponsored scheme. Now let us move on to next news article. This news article is about the recent development in the Kartarpur corridor which is being jointly developed by India and Pakistan in their respective territories. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article has been highlighted here for your reference. We have discussed several facts with respect to Kartarpur corridor previously in our news analysis particularly on July 10 and August 1 of 2019. Today we will be discussing those issues which we have not discussed in relation to Kartarpur corridor. We know that India has decided to celebrate 550th birth anniversary of Shri Guru Nanak Devji both at national and international level for a period of one year. This period of one year has started from November last year and will conclude by the November end of this year and this corridor will connect the Derababa Nanak town in Gurdaspur district in Indian side in state of Punjab with the Kartarpur Saheb in the Pakistan side. So it is expected that by October 31 works will be completed in Indian side and soon works will be completed in Pakistan side also. So that pilgrims mostly irrespective of the faith they may be allowed to visit the holy shrine of Kartarpur Saheb without visa. So now let us see this news article. The news article talks about the Land Port Authority of India. It states that border security force will provide security to the corridor under the Land Port Act. See we know India is having around 15,000 kilometer long international land border with seven countries. These are Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Nepal. There will be several designated entry and exit points with these nations for cross border movement of persons or goods and vehicles. So to coordinate the activities in these border points, entry or exit, integrated check posts were set up at major entry points on India's land borders. These check post house regulatory agencies like immigration, customs and also border security with support facilities in a single complex. Now these integrated check post they act as a single window facility at land ports. We will define what is land port later. And these integrated check post will be equipped with facilities for trade facilitation with border countries. So facilities may be you know cold storage, warehouses, banking services, currency exchange counters, vehicle scanners, etc. So all these functions in integrated check post and land ports will be coordinated by Land Port Authority of India. See this Land Port Authority of India was established in 2012 under the legislation Land Ports Authority of India Act of 2010. Since it is established based on a statute or an act, it is called a statutory body and it functions as a body corporate under the admin control of Department of Border Management of Ministry of Home Affairs. Now it's mandates include you know to plan and develop, construct, manage and maintain integrated check post and to regulate functions of various agencies working in these posts and to coordinate with concerned ministries and departments of India and also to coordinate with other agencies for regulating the entry and exit of passengers and goods and also to provide necessary service facilities in check post and land ports. So when we say Land Port Authority of India for land ports, it is similar to Airport Authority of India for airports. So what is a land port? See it is an area on the international borders of India. It includes portions of national highways, portions of state highways or other roads notified as land custom station or other roads that are notified as immigration check posts under the Customs Act of 1962 or also under the Foreigners Act of 1946. And the land port also includes railway stations or railways where there will be facilities for clearance and transport of passengers and goods across the land borders of India. Now let us discuss section 12 of Land Ports Authority of India Act of 2010. It states that respective border guarding forces deployed at borders of India shall be responsible for security around an integrated check post and Land Port Authority of India can also receive and seek the assistance of armed force, central paramilitary force or even state police force whenever it is necessary to ensure peace and security at an integrated check post. And we know that India-Pakistan border is manned by border security force. And that is why the news article mentions that BSF is responsible to provide security to the part of the Kartarpur Corridor on Indian side. And even with respect to Kartarpur Corridor, we'll have an integrated check post. Now let's come to the news article. It states that India has built an alternative road to facilitate the Indian pilgrims who may visit the Kartarpur Corridor in the Pakistan side. After completing the immigration formalities, they might be taken to border gates through golf carts in these corridors. And from there, Pakistan will take through buses to the Kartarpur Shrine. And it is mentioned that passport will be the only required valid document for pilgrims to travel to Kartarpur. And with respect to fees to visit Kartarpur Corridor, it is not yet finalized because Pakistan demands leaving a $20 fee which will be around 1400 rupees for one pilgrim. However, India's stand is that leaving a fee to visit a pilgrim location will be repugnant to the ideas and teachings of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. So India is demanding and requesting Pakistan to allow a visa free, a fee free access to Kartarpur Shrine. They are also seeking relaxation in security norms so as to ensure normal mobile connectivity in the Kartarpur Corridor. So that the pilgrims during the visit shall not feel any inconvenience and they must be able to communicate the security forces if at all there are some problems. Now two days before we have seen that national investigation agency has announced that there is increase in Kalistani activities. Now Kalistan is the name of the state that is proposed by the separatists in Indian side of Punjab and also in Pakistan side of Punjab who want to make it an independent state free from India and Pakistan. So this means insurgency to India. It means separatism to India. So India has to undertake security arrangements so that these increase in Kalistani activities shall not increase and has to be appropriately contained and it shall not block the way of genuine pilgrims in visiting the Kartarpur Corridor and it shall not affect India-Pakistan bilateral relations with respect to Kartarpur Corridor. These are some of the information with respect to the analysis of this news article. Now let us move on to next article. This news article is about China leasing a particular island in Pacific region for a period of 75 years. We also know that even in our neighbour country of Sri Lanka China has taken the entire Hambanthota seaport for a 99-year lease just because Sri Lanka could not pay the loan obtained from China in the prescribed time. The syllabus relevant for the analysis of this news article has been given here for your understanding. We will be discussing about the geographical location of Pacific islands and their classification and also the strategic importance. It is said that with respect to Thulagi Island a particular Chinese company reported as state company has secretly received some developmental rights from the provincial government of the nation called as Solomon Islands. So they are saying that a state enterprise of China has signed a secret deal with Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands is one of the South Pacific nations because it comes under the equator line. It is said that the company has secured exclusive development rights for the entire Thulagi Island which is estimated to have a population of over 1000 people and the time frame for leases 75 years. See the Pacific Ocean is known for numerous islands. These islands are grouped into Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. This is based on physical geography and about based on local inhabitants and the location. And together these islands with Australia they are called as Oceania continent or Oceania region. First let us have a look at Melanesia group of islands. See it is a region in the Pacific that is north of Australia that borders Indonesia in its western direction. The name Melanesia is originally because of the reason that people here are with darker skin because of the presence of melanin pigment in them. Some of the important islands in this Melanesia group of islands are Fiji Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. In case of Micronesia, see this region is located north of Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea or we can also say this region is located north of Melanesia. Now the name micro is because of the fact that many islands in this group are smaller in size, mostly to you know one square mile of physical area. These islands are said to be composed of corals and many islands are below the sea level and even if they are above sea level they are not to any large extent and in Micronesia we can see that there are more number of low islands than the number of high islands and high islands in Micronesia they are usually of volcanic origin and they reach elevations to around thousands of feet. Important islands in Micronesia we can say Marshall Islands, Giribati Islands. Now let's come to Polynesia. See this is the largest region of the Pacific. Here we can see large distance between the islands in this group. Here poly means many. The name is because of numerous groups of islands here and many islands have come together under separate political arrangements. Importantly this region includes Hawaiian islands in north, in east you can see Easter Island and in south it includes New Zealand Island. Those islands that have sufficient elevation to condense moisture from clouds, they require adequate precipitation and therefore they have enough freshwater resources but those islands with low elevations they cannot condense moisture, there is no possibility of local rainfall. As a result these islands that are with low elevations they have shortage of fresh water thereby making habitation or human development difficult in the low islands. And if you see the pollination culture it stems from island resources. For example fishing, farming and these are the basis for livelihood and also they have their own identity because of an understanding of the seas that has created a way of life for them. For example pollinations created innovative maps by which sailing across large expanses of open seas was made easier and using these maps it was also possible to connect with distant islands. And Polynesia has warm climate that is the average annual temperature will be around 18 degrees Celsius throughout the year and because of their location these islands also witness destructive storms and we can also see lack of freshwater resources in Polynesia. And all these group of islands meet Melanesia or Polynesia or Micronesia they are known for rich natural resources. Now let's come to the news article. See the news article talks about the growing influence of China not just in South China Sea but also in other Asia Pacific regions. Here after occupying this Tulagu island even though China may not openly agree that they will be using for military purposes there is many a chance that this could be one of the point of military infrastructure for China in the future. And this is how China is expanding its military assets into the South Pacific region and it is in constant look for friendly ports and friendly airfoils in these regions. These actions are now disturbing United States and Australia and they are expressing the concern of regional instability in Asia Pacific region because of Chinese policies in this region. These are some of the information with respect to the analysis of this news article. Now let us move on to next article. This news article is about the recently released livestock census called as 20th livestock census 2019. This census was released on 16th October 2019 that is yesterday. See as we know livestock is a general term for domesticated animals that are used to produce labor say for example camel and also to produce commercial commodities for example milk, wool, meat for example cattle for milk and livestock rearing is one of the important economic activities particularly in the rural areas of the country. It contributes significantly to the national economy it is said that around four percent of the Indian GDP comes from livestock sector and India is home to 10 percent of the livestock in the world and livestock sector provides supplementary income to most of the families that are dependent on agriculture even it provides supplementary income for many landless families. And we have been seeing that government is continuously trying to bring improvements in livestock sector so as to develop this livestock sector itself as a separate whole sector. So for proper planning and for formulation of any program with respect to livestock sector and also for its effective implementation data regarding livestock is required and the most important official data source with respect to enumeration of livestock in India is given by this livestock census. Usually the livestock census is conducted quinquennially that is usually it is conducted once in five years and in our country this livestock census has started way back in 1919-1920. Since then it has been conducted once in every five years. The last census prior to 20th livestock census was the 19th livestock census covers the period of five years from 2007 to 2012. Here we have to note that the 20th livestock census 2019 is not for a five-year period rather it is for seven-year period since 2012. So if there is a statement that all livestock census in India has been conducted once in five years only the statement is incorrect. This census was conducted for breed-wise number of animals that is livestock and also for poultry that is domesticated foals for example hen ducks etc with respect to their age and sex composition of various species all over the country. This census is released by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Daring under the ministry of animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries. Now let us discuss some important findings of this 2019 census. Note that this census will serve as official data for at least next five to seven years. So it is better to keep some facts so that you can utilize if there is some questions that may come in Maine's exam GS3 paper with respect to economics in animal rearing. So as of now the total livestock population in the country is around 53.57 crores or 535.7 million and the livestock population has increased by 4.6 percent over the livestock census 2012 and when we say livestock census it includes various species of animals such as cattle, buffalo, mithun, yak, sheep, goat, pig, horse, donkey, camel and it also includes some of the poultry birds for example duck or hen. Coming to cattle the total number of cattle in our country in 2019 is 19.25 crore in terms of million we can say 192.49 million and the number of cattle has seen very marginal increase of less than 1 percent over the previous census that is 0.8 percent but within cattle if you see female cattle there we can see an increase of 18 percent over the previous census. So as of now the census tells that female cattle population is around 14.51 crore or 145.12 million and one very important factor is that the total population of exotic or crossbred cattle this has increased at a rate around 25 times higher than the rate in which there is increase in the population of desi varieties or indigenous varieties. Here when we say exotic animals these are animals that are having foreign origin for example jersey cattle breed or Holstein frecian cattle breed and when we say crossbred animals these are animals that are born by crossing indigenous animals with exotic breeds or by crossing indigenous animals with those indigenous animals that are known to have exotic inheritance. So according to census 2019 the exotic or crossbred cattle population in India is around 5.04 crore or 50.42 million their population has increased by around 27 percent with respect to the previous census. Now the population of indigenous or non-descript cattle population in India is 14.21 crore or 142.1 million. They are saying that there is a decline of 6 percent in the indigenous or non-descript cattle population over the previous census. So when we say non-descript breeds we are referring to those indigenous breeds which cannot be classified as a particular recognized breed and these indigenous breeds have 50 percent or more than 50 percent dissimilarities with any of the recognized indigenous breeds or we can say that they do not have more than 50 similarities with any of the recognized indigenous breed. Now the news article talks with respect to milch cows. A milch cattle refers to those cows that are kept for the purpose of milk production. So there are around 4.85 crore native milch cows and this native milch cows have increased compared to previous census but less than 1 percent only. But whereas if you see the milch population of exotic or crossbred cattle such as Jersey or Holsteins there the growth is around 32 percent over last seven years which is around 30 times more than the growth of desi milch cattle varieties. So the author is mentioning that according to the census data livestock census 2019 the much push and initiatives taken by the central government to increase indigenous breeds of cattle do not have any significant impact or it has very little impact. So in this regard the article mentions about Rastriya Gokul mission. This mission was launched in 2014 and it is a focused project under national program for bovine breeding and dairy development. And when we say bovine we are referring to cattle, buffalo, mithun and yak and this mission was launched by the ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy. They are implemented via the state implementing agencies say for example livestock development boards with the participation of various stakeholders such as for example Indian council of agricultural research, universities, colleges, cooperative societies, NGOs etc. The objectives of the mission is to develop and conserve indigenous breeds and then there has to be breed improvement program for indigenous cattle breeds to improve their genetic makeup and to increase the stock of indigenous cattle breeds with better genetic makeup or with improved genetic makeup. Then enhancement of milk production and productivity and then upgradation of non-descript cattle using elite indigenous breeds for example Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi, Redsindi and others. Now let's see some important components of the mission one is Gokul gram because this mission aims to establish integrated indigenous cattle centers. These centers are referred as Gokul gram. Then strengthening of bull mother farms to conserve high genetic merit indigenous breeds. An establishment of Gopalan sangh that are nothing but breeder societies and then distribution of disease free high genetic merit bulls for natural mating or natural service. Then they have also instituted a component of award to farmers and breeder societies. Award for farmers is called as Gopal Ratna and award for breeder societies called as Kamatheno. These are some of the important components of this mission. So we saw about the livestock census 2019 called as 20th livestock census and we saw few information with respect to the findings of the census and also Rashtriya Gokul mission. We have come to the last session the practice questions discussion session. Now the first question is with reference to conjunctivitis during the discussion we saw that conjunctivitis is also known as pink eye in the western world particularly USA. In our country it is also called as Madras Eye. They have given two statements and are asking which of the above statements are correct. First statement all forms of conjunctivitis are contagious in nature. Now this statement is incorrect because only bacterial conjunctivitis and viral conjunctivitis are contagious in nature but there are also other causes of Madras Eye. For example loose eyelash that falls in eye and then improper management of contact lenses and then allergens smoke dust all these things also can cause conjunctivitis and these are not contagious in nature. Therefore the first statement is incorrect. Now the second statement conjunctivitis is caused by both viruses and bacteria. Now this statement is correct because during the analysis we saw that it could be caused by both viruses and bacteria. If the second statement was given as conjunctivitis is caused by both viruses and bacteria only then the statement would have been incorrect. So overall for this question only the second statement is correct therefore the correct answer is option b 2 only. Now this question is with reference to Rashtriya Gokul mission. This mission was launched in 2014 under national program for bovine breeding and dairy development. One of the objectives of the mission is upgradation of non-descript cattle using elite indigenous breeds. Now this statement is correct and the second second statement it was launched by ministry of agriculture and farmers welfare. Now this statement is incorrect because this mission comes under the ministry of fisheries animal husbandry and dairying. Some of the other objectives are development and conservation of indigenous breeds enhancement of milk production and productivity breed improvement program for indigenous cattle breeds. So only the first statement is correct second statement is incorrect so the correct answer for this question is option a 1 only. Now this question is with reference to land port authority of India. Two statements are given they are asking which of the above statements are correct. First statement it's objective is to plan develop construct manage and maintain integrated check posts in the border areas. Now this statement is correct and second statement it is a statutory body under ministry of road transport and highways. It is a statutory body yes because it was established by the land ports authority of India Act of 2010 but it is under the admin control of department of border management of ministry of home affairs. Therefore the second statement is incorrect so the correct answer for this question is option a 1 only. Here they have given island group and islands they're asking which of the above pairs is or are correct. We know that on the eastern side it is Polynesia on the west above north australia and northeastern australia we could see Melanesia and north of Melanesia we can see Micronesia. An important islands in Melanesia we saw Fiji New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. And today in our analysis we saw only two important islands in Micronesia. They are Giribati and Marshall Islands. So Marshall Islands comes in Micronesia. First pair is correct. We also saw Solomon Islands is in Melanesia. One of the island under the provincial government of Solomon Islands is Tulagi Island. So Tulagi Island is also a part of Melanesia. We saw three important islands in Polynesia. They are Hawaii Island, New Zealand and Easter Island. So the given pair with respect to Hawaiian islands is also correct. So the correct answer for this question is option a all the above. With this we come to the end of today's the Hindu News Analysis. If you like the video click the like button, comment, share and subscribe to Shankar Ayes Academy YouTube channel for more updates and content on civil service exam preparation.