Geography Current affairs 2021

Following the current events and news in the area of geography is very very important for the general studies paper in the UPSC exam. In recent times questions are set on only those topics that have made news. Regular study of Geography from NCERT books or otherwise is no longer required. The idea is to follow the current affairs news related to Geography and understand the Geography behind those issues. This is true for all levels of teh IAS exam - prelims, mains and also the interview.

Current Affairs in Geography - July 2019

• Urban Haats: It is an initiative of the Ministry of Textiles of the Government of India. The objective of the scheme “Infrastructure and Technology Support” is to setup a permanent marketing infrastructure in big towns/ metropolitan cities to provide direct marketing facilities to the handicraft’s artisans/handloom weavers. The scheme is implemented through State Handicrafts/Handlooms Development Corporations/Tourism Development Corporations/ Urban Local Bodies with sufficient financial resources and organizational capacity to implement the project. The financial ceiling for Urban Haat is Rs. 300 lakh for each unit. 80% of the admissible amount is borne by the Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and 20% contributed by the implementing agency.

• 29th July:It was recently celebrated as Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, which is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit. The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues. On the eve Global Tiger Day, a census report of tigers in India-‘The Tiger Estimation Report 2018’- was released according to which 2967 tigers are present in India. Highest numbers of tigers have found in Madhya Pradesh (526), after that Karnataka has 524 and Uttarakhand is accommodating 442 tigers.
• DOM:It stands for Deep Ocean Mission is a mission of Ministry Of Earth Sciences under which Rs 8000 Crore will be spent to Boost India’s Sea Exploration Capabilities. The mission proposes to explore the deep ocean similar to the space exploration started by ISRO about 35 years ago. The focus of the mission will be on deep-sea mining, ocean climate change advisory services, underwater vehicles and underwater robotics related technologies. Two key projects planned in the ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ report include a desalination plant powered by tidal energy and a submersible vehicle that can explore depths of at least 6,000 metres. The ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ plan will enable India to develop capabilities to exploit resources in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB). India has been allotted 75,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by UN International Sea Bed Authority for exploration of poly-metallic nodules. CIOB reserves contain deposits of metals like iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.

Current Affairs in Geography - June 2019

• Mount Agung: It is the volcano located on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali which erupted recently. Mount Agung or Gunung Agung is a currently active volcano in Bali, Indonesia, southeast of Mt Batur volcano, also in Bali. Gunung Agung stratovolcano is the highest point on Bali. It dominates the surrounding area, influencing the climate, especially rainfall patterns.

Current Affairs in Geography - May 2019

• Kappaphycus alvarezii:It is an invasive, which smothers and kills coral reefs. It has spread its wings to coral reef areas in Valai island in the Gulf of Mannar (GoM) and set to invade new coral colonies in the marine national park. It has already invaded Shingle, Kurusadai and Mulli islands in Mandapam cluster of the GoM, the red algae invaded Valai island along Kilakarai coast following its cultivation in south Palk Bay.