19-05-23 Daily-Punjab-PPSC Current Affairs

Punjab governments effort to save groundwater by makingfarmersquit tubewell-based Irrigation in favour of canal water is marred by gaps in the existing Network of irrigation lines. Besides, the farmers reliance on the convenient use of tubewells makes them reluctant to switch over. Canal water usage has picked up in some areas where underground pipes have been laid, instead of temporary concrete irrigation lines.

Despite concerns over depleting groundwater, figures of canal-based irrigation in Malwa region, where there is a sizable network of canals, are not too encouraging. Only 21% water of Bhakra Main Line (BML) canal, 31% of Ghaggar branch and 45% Patiala feeder are being used for irrigation purposes by farmers.

A state-wide drive is underway to restore water courses which had been abandoned or demolished in the past two decades. Concrete and temporary irrigation lines constructed for supplying water to fields from the canal get damaged over time.

A survey has said that around 73 per cent of Women want companies to allow them to take menstrual leave while 86.6 per cent are in favour of a menstrual-friendly workplace where hygiene methods and support are available to women.

The Menstrual Hygiene Survey 2023, conducted by Everteen, a feminine hygiene brand, also pointed out that 71.7 per cent of the participants in the survey do not want the menstrual leaves to be paid, fearing that it may make companies reluctant to hire female employees. Nearly 10,000 women in the age group of 18 to 35 years participated in the survey that was conducted in multiple cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Patna.

Also, 86.6 per cent of women are in favour of the concept of a menstrual friendly workplace where females are not hesitant in discussing the subject openly, and menstrual hygiene methods and support infrastructure is made available to women. Besides, 68.9 per cent of women have taken a leave of absence from work during menstrual periods, the survey stated.

The survey recommended that corporates need to make it a priority to adopt practices for a menstrual-friendly workplace. Researchers from the UVA School of Medicine, Flo Health, University College London, Technische Universitaet Berlin and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine too found menstrual symptoms hurt workplace productivity of many women.

Following the death of six cheetahs, including three newborn cubs, within a period of two-and-a-half months at the Kuno (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh, the Centre has set up yet another high-level panel of national and international experts to oversee and monitor the ambitious Project Cheetah in India.

It will also provide advice on cheetah introduction to the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department and the NTCA. It will open the cheetah habitat for eco-tourism and suggest regulations to further this. It will also provide suggestions on how to involve the community in the projects activities.

In October last year, the ministry had constituted a Cheetah Task Force to monitor Indias cheetah introduction programme.

The World Meteorological Congress has made a groundbreaking decision to approve a newgreenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring initiative, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

This initiative aims to support urgent action in reducing heat-trapping gases that contribute to rising global temperatures. The newly establishedGlobal Greenhouse GasWatch will address critical information gaps, integrating various observing systems, modeling capabilities, and data assimilation under one comprehensive framework.

The unanimous support from WMOs 193 members highlights the growing importance of greenhouse gas monitoring and the need to strengthen the scientific foundation for <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change mitigation efforts.