The Vice President inaugurated the 23rd edition of the Hornbill Festival at Naga heritage village in Nagaland.
Nagaland has celebrated its 60th Statehood Day on December 1st 2022. Nagaland was formally recognised as a separate state on 1st December, 1963, with Kohima being declared as its capital. The State of Nagaland Act, 1962, was enacted by the Parliament to give Nagaland statehood. After India became independent in 1947, the Naga territory initially remained a part of Assam. However, a strong nationalist movement began seeking a political union of the Naga tribes, and extremists demanded outright secession from the Indian union. In 1957, the Naga Hills region of Assam and the Tuensang frontier division to the northeast were brought together under a single unit directly administered by the Indian government. In 1960 it was resolved that Nagaland should become a constituent state of the Indian union. Nagaland achieved statehood in 1963, and a democratically elected government took office in 1964. It is bounded by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the northeast, Manipur to the south, and Assam to the west and northwest and the country of Myanmar (Burma) to the east. The state capital is Kohima, located in the southern part of Nagaland. Nagaland has a Monsoonal (wet-dry) Climate. Annual rainfall averages between 70 and 100 inches and is concentrated in the months of the southwest monsoon (May to September). Flora: Forests cover about one-sixth of Nagaland. Below 4,000 feet are tropical and subtropical evergreen forests, containing palms, rattan, and bamboo, as well as valuable timber species. Coniferous forests are found at higher elevations. Areas cleared for jhum (shifting cultivation) have a secondary growth of high grass, reeds, and scrub jungle. Fauna: Elephants, tigers, leopards, bears, several kinds of monkeys, sambar deer, buffalo, wild oxen, and the occasional rhinoceros live in the lower hills. Porcupines, pangolins (scaly anteaters), wild dogs, foxes, civet cats, and mongooses also are found in the state. Mithun (Gayal) is the state animal of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. Blyth's tragopan is the state bird of Nagaland. Protected Areas in Nagaland: Intanki National Park, Singphan Wildlife Sanctuary, Pulie Badze Wildlife Sanctuary, Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary.
Great Hornbill is also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It is found in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Its impressive size and colour have made it important in many tribal cultures and rituals. The great hornbill is long-lived, living for nearly 50 years in captivity. It is predominantly frugivorous, but is an opportunist and will prey on small mammals, reptiles and birds.
The Supreme Court asked the Union government if there was a “compelling reason” for it to press ahead with the release of GM mustard
GM Crops are the type of plants whose DNA has been modified through genetic engineering by which a new trait is introduced in the plant which does not occur naturally in the plant. Through genetic engineering, an alien gene is introduced in the seeds to get the desired effects. The alien gene could be from a plant, an animal or even a soil bacterium.
Bt cotton has been genetically modified by the insertion of one or more genes from a common soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis. These genes encode for the production of insecticidal proteins, and thus, genetically transformed plants produce one or more toxins as they grow. The genes that have been inserted into cotton produce toxins that are limited in activity almost exclusively to caterpillar pests (Lepidoptera).
Bt brinjal is a crop genetically modified to carry a gene from a naturally-occurring, soil-borne bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which produces a crystal protein that protects the plant against insects and pests. In 2010, a ten-year moratorium had been imposed by the UPA government on the Bt brinjal variety developed by Mahyco, an Indian firm in which United States-based Monsanto had a 26 per cent stake.
DMH-11 is a hybrid variant of mustard developed by researchers at The Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, at the University of Delhi. DMH-11 is a result of a cross between two varieties: Varuna and Early Heera-2. Such a cross wouldn’t have happened naturally and was done after introducing genes from two soil bacterium called barnase and barstar. Barnase in Varuna induces a temporary sterility because of which it can’t naturally self-pollinate. Barstar in Heera blocks the effect of barnase allowing seeds to be produced.
Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee: It is a regulatory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). It is responsible for appraisal of activities involving large scale use of hazardous microorganisms and recombinants in research and industrial production from the environmental angle. The committee is also responsible for appraisal of proposals relating to release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms and products into the environment including experimental field trials.
Benefits of GM Crops: (1) Productivity- Increases production and raises the farmer’s income. It can allow plants to grow in conditions where they might not otherwise flourish.(2) Less input cost- Reduction in the use of pesticide and insecticide during farming that might be great moves for the betterment of the food supply. (3) Food security- It can feed a rapidly increasing population because it shows dramatically increased yields. (4) More from less- It can produce more in small areas of land.
Concerns Related: (1) Threat to Biodiversity: Mustard plants may dissuade bees from pollinating the plant and this could have knock-off environmental catastrophes. India had 5,477 varieties of mustard, which would be at risk. (2) Health Impacts: Consumption of these GM foods can cause the development of diseases which are immune to antibiotics. (3) Expert Opinion: The environmental release of the hybrid mustard variety was cleared despite warnings from the parliamentary committee and the Supreme Court’s Technical Expert Committee report calling for its ban. (4) Lack of Transparency: The government had not placed the biosafety dossier on the GM crop in the public domain. (5) Institutional Inadequacy: There are no enough labs in India capable of doing bio-safety tests. (6) Conflict of Interest: The Department of Biotechnology had funded DMH 11 and was part of the regulatory mechanism.
India's Regulatory Framework for GM Crops: (1)Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1986. (2)Biological Diversity Act, 2002. (3)Plant Quarantine Order, 2003. (4)GM Policy under Foreign Trade Policy. (5)Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
Supreme Court Guidelines: Isolation distance between the GM-planted fields and regular fields to be increased from 20 meters to at least 200 meters. During the field trials of GM crops, a designated scientist should make sure that all the conditions were complied with.
Task Force under the Chairmanship of Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, 2003: It suggested the establishment by an Act of Parliament an autonomous, statutory and professionally led National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority.
Recommendations of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture: The government should assess the research reports and assessment by independent scientists of Bt Brinjal by any agency other than the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to avoid conflict of interest. The government must not allow field trials of GM crops until there is a strong, revamped, multi-disciplinary regulatory system in place. Re-evaluation of all research findings in Bt cotton seeds in the context of studies that highlighted unexplainable changes in the organs and tissues of Bt-cotton seed-fed lambs. Mandatory labelling of products from GM crops.