Newspaper Notes | 8 March 2023 | UPSC CSE

(Important Topics Covered - Team Shashank Sajwan)

1. On Women’s Day eve, Nagaland’s first woman minister assumes office

• Salhoutuonuo Kruse made history by becoming Nagaland’s first woman minister.

• She and Hekani Jakhalu were elected as the first women MLAs of the state.

2. The threat from stray dogs must be framed as a public health issue

• India has a stray dog population of nearly 1.5 crore, which makes it the world’s dog
bite and rabies capital.
• The prevention of cruelty to animals (PCA) act and the animal birth control (dogs)
rules 2001, while aimed at limiting the stray population, do nothing to improve
public safety.
• The proposed animal birth control rules 2022 only put forth procedural changes in
sterilization and vaccination.
• India has committed to eliminate rabies by 2030, but without first framing the
threat from stray dogs as a public health crisis, India’s poorest will suffer.

Static takeaway: The Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying had

released the proposed Animal Birth Control Rules, 2022. It provides
detailed procedures for vaccination, immunization and sterilisation of
pets and street/stray dogs/cats by owners. It also allows the
euthanasia of “incurably ill and mortally wounded” street dogs.

3. The importance of women led digital solutions

• The theme for international Women’s Day 2023 is ‘DigitALL: Innovation and
Technology for Gender Equality.’
• The United nations World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with the
governments of Odisha and Rajasthan, has rolled out technology based training
modules housed in an application, for strengthening the capacity of the community
in ensuring proper hygiene and safety of midday meals.
• A needs assessment conducted by the WFP among urban poor women in Delhi
showed that few had a bank account. Women were however aware of the benefits
of financial and digital literacy in advancing their businesses and incomes.
• India accounts for half the world’s gendered digital divide, given that only a third of
all Internet users in the country are women.
• Less than 32% of women in India own a mobile phone compared to over 60% of
men.

1
 Static takeaway: International Women’s Day was observed by the
United Nations for the first time on 8 March 1975. 1975 was also
declared the International Women’s Year.

4. How did the treaty on the high seas come through?

• The UN member states recently agreed on a historic treaty for protecting marine life
in international waters that lie outside the jurisdiction of any country.
• The treaty is yet to be formally adopted as members are yet to ratify it.
• High seas account for more than 60% of the world’s ocean area.
• They are home to around 2.7 lakh known species. Several thousand of them are at a
risk of extinction by 2100 if current warming and acidification trends continue.
• They are one of the least protected areas with only 1% of it under protection.
• After years of informal discussions, the UNGA decided in 2015 to develop a legally
binding instrument within the framework of UNCLOS.
• Subsequently the intergovernmental conference (IGC) was convened to frame a
legal instrument on marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).
• The draft agreement puts 30% of the world’s oceans into protected areas and
recognises the need to address biodiversity loss and degradation.
• The treaty has agreed to set up an access and benefit sharing committee to frame
guidelines.

Static takeaway: The United Nations Convention on the Law of the

Sea (UNCLOS) is an international agreement, adopted in 1982, that
establishes guidelines for businesses, the environment, and the
management of marine natural resources.

5. India sending 20,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar

• India will send its next consignment of wheat as aid to Afghanistan under the
Taliban regime via Chabahar.
• The decision was announced at the first meeting of the India- Central Asia joint
working group on Afghanistan in Delhi.
• India has used the Chabahar route in the past prior to 2021, to send shipments of
wheat to Afghanistan.
• The consignment will be sent with a partnership with the UN World Food
Programme.

Static takeaway: The JWG meeting was attended by Special Envoys

and senior officials from India and five Central Asian countries, as well
as representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crimes and the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP).
India is yet to recognise the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.