UGC NET 2024 December Session Notification Released. Exams Stars from Jan 1st 2025

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has commenced the online application process for UGC NET December 2024. Interested and eligible candidates can apply for the UGC NET December exam at the official website ugcnet.nta.ac.in. The last date to apply for the UGC NET 2024 December session exam is December 10. Candidates can pay the examination fee by December 11, 2024.

The NTA has been entrusted by the University Grants Commission (UGC) with the task of conducting UGC-NET, which is a test to determine the eligibility of Indian nationals for 

(i) ‘award of Junior Research Fellowship and appointment as Assistant Professor’, 

(ii)‘appointment as Assistant Professor and admission to Ph.D.’ and 

(iii)‘admission to Ph.D. only’ in Indian universities and colleges.
 

The National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct UGC – NET December 2024 for 85 subjects in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode, as per Schedule given in table below: 

Steps To Apply For UGC NET December 2024:

Step 1: Visit the official website of UGC NET 2024- ugcnet.nta.ac.in

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the link that reads, “UGC-NET December-2024: Click Here to Register/Login"

Step 3: On the newly opened page, click on the link for new registration

Step 4: Now enter the required details to complete the registration process

Step 5: Log in with the system-generated registration ID and password

UGC NET December 2024: Direct Link To Apply 

Guru Ghasidas - Tamor Pingla(గురు ఘాసిదాస్ - తమోర్ పింగ్లా) Tiger Reserve to be the 3rd largest in the country

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, informed the Nation about the notification of the Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla(గురు ఘాసిదాస్ - తమోర్ పింగ్లా) Tiger Reserve, Chhattisgarh, as the 56th Tiger Reserve of the country. In a post on social media platform ‘X’, the Minister said, “As India continues to touch new milestones in tiger conservation, we have notified Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla in Chhattisgarh as the 56th tiger reserve. Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve is spread over 2,829 sq km.”

Largest Tiger Reserves in India:

• First: Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Andhra Pradesh
• Second: Manas Tiger Reserve, Assam
• Third: Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve, Chhattisgarh

Key Points

• About:
  
  • It is located in the northern part of Chhattisgarh, bordering Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
  • Approval was granted under Section 38V(1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • This will be the fourth Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh, after the Udanti-Sitanadi, Achanakmar and Indravati Reserves.
• Significance:
  
  • Guru Ghasidas National Park was the last known habitat of the Asiatic cheetah in the country.
  • It connects Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh and provides a corridor for tigers to move between the Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh) and Palamau Tiger Reserves (Jharkhand).

Image Source: https://upsccolorfullnotes.com

Keeping in view the landscape approach to conservation as envisaged in India’s National Wildlife Plan, the newly notified tiger reserve is contiguous with the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh forming a landscape complex of nearly 4500 sq.kms. Further, the tiger reserve is connected to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh to the West and Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand to the East. The National Tiger Conservation Authority had accorded final approval for notifying the Guru Ghasidas- Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve in October, 2021.

Biodiversity:

A total of 753 species, including 365 invertebrates and 388 vertebrates, have been documented from Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve by the Zoological Survey of India. The invertebrate fauna is represented mostly by the class insecta. The vertebrate fauna includes 230 species of birds and 55 species of mammals comprising several threatened species from both the groups.

With this notification, Chhattisgarh is now home to 4 Tiger Reserves, which is bound to strengthen conservation of the species with ongoing technical and financial assistance from the National Tiger Conservation Authority under Project Tiger.

 how tiger reserve is declared ?

Tiger reserves are declared in India by state governments, but the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) must advise on the process:

State governments prepare a Tiger Conservation Plan: This plan includes how to manage and plan the notified areas, and how to maintain the staff needed to protect the tiger reserve.

State governments notify the tiger reserve: State governments notify the tiger reserve in accordance with the provisions of Section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

NTCA approves the tiger reserve: The NTCA must approve the tiger reserve as a project.

Tiger reserves have two components:

1. Core area: This area has the legal status of a national park or sanctuary, and an exclusive agenda for tigers is followed.

2. Buffer area : This area is a mix of forest and non-forest land, and is managed as a multiple use area.


State governments can only change the boundaries of a tiger reserve with the recommendation of the Tiger Conservation Authority and the approval of the National Board for Wild Life.

Source: PIB

Global Nature Conservation Index 2024: India ranked 176 out of 180 countries

 India's Global Nature Conservation Index, 2024: Poor Performance

India ranks 176th in the Global Nature Conservation Index, 2024, with a score of 45.5 out of 100.

The index evaluates conservation efforts using four markers: land management, threats to biodiversity, capacity and governance, and future trends.

The index is developed by the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and BioDB.com.

• Observation of the NCI: 
  
  • Sustainable land use is crucial, as 53% of land is converted for urban, industrial, and agricultural purposes.
  • The index highlights high pesticide use and warns about soil pollution,
  • Marine conservation needs improvement, with only 0.2% of national waterways protected and none within India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
  • India ranks as the fourth-largest illegal wildlife trading nation globally, with annual sales totaling approximately 15 billion Euros.
  • Deforestation resulted in the loss of 23,300 sq. km of tree cover between 2001 and 2019.
  • India's ecological wealth is constantly threatened by overpopulation.

India's ranking is attributed to inefficient land management and rising threats to its biodiversity.

The index warns against soil pollution and highlights the need for sustainable land use techniques.

Marine conservation is also a concern with only 0.2% of India’s national waterways covered by protected areas and none within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Threats to India’s biodiversity include habitat loss and fragmentation caused by agriculture, urbanisation, and infrastructural development, and climate change.

Despite 40% of marine species and 65% of terrestrial species located within Protected Areas, significant population decreases continue.

The index's findings align with the most recent global progress report on Sustainable Development, where the country faced major challenges in SDG 14 and SDG 15.

India faces both promising opportunities and serious biodiversity challenges in the years ahead, with one of the highest population densities in the world and a population that has doubled since the late 1970s.