• NEWS: SEBI to form panel to review conflict of interest provisions
• GS-3 Indian Economy INDIAN ECONOMY and issues relating to Planning
• ISSUE
• the decision to form a committee (high level committee) to look into conflict of interest of its board members
• People within and outside need to know things are fine with the regulator, says chairman
• “The HLC will comprise eminent persons and experts with relevant background and experience in constitutional/statutory/ regulatory bodies, government/public sector/private sector and academia
• The names of the committee members will be announced shortly and within three months from the date of its constitution
• the HLC is expected to submit the recommendations, which would be placed before the board for consideration
• “The objective of the HLC is to comprehensively review and make recommendations for enhancing the existing framework for managing conflict of interest, disclosure and related matters towards ensuring the high standards of transparency, accountability and ethical conduct of members and offcials of the board,”
• accountability was important in a democracy,
• SEBI chairman said the code of conduct framework was about the nuances of responsibility.
• He added that there was a need to balance privacy of officers with the transparency that would come from disclosures.

SEBI

• SEBI is a statutory body established on April 12, 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992
• The headquarters of SEBI is situated in Mumbai. The regional offices of SEBI are located in Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi.

Structure of SEBI

• SEBI Board consists of a Chairman and several other whole time and part time members.
• SEBI also appoints various committees, whenever required to look into the pressing issues of that time.
• Further, a Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) has been constituted to protect the interest of entities that feel aggrieved by SEBI’s decision.
• SAT consists of a Presiding Officer and two other Members.
• It has the same powers as vested in a civil court. Further, if any person feels aggrieved by SAT’s decision or order can appeal to the Supreme Court

NEWS: India Navy announces maiden India African exercise IOS Sagar

GS-2 INTERNATIONAL RELATION (Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.)

• Against the backdrop of massive inroads by China in Africa, the renewed threat of piracy and the continued threat from Houthi rebels to global shipping
• the Indian Navy has announced initiatives for bolder cooperation with the continent and the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• This includes a large-scale multinational exercise titled “Africa India Key Maritime Engagement”, or “AIKEYME”, scheduled to be held with 10 African countries
• Another cooperation initiative with Africa is the Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar under which the offshore patrol vessel INS Sunayna is set to be deployed to the Southwest IOR
• with a combined Indian crew and 44 personnel from 9 African countries
• “IOS Sagar is an initiative towards continued cooperation with IOR nations.
• INS Sunayna is being deployed to the Southwest IOR with a combined crew of India and nine Friendly Foreign Countries (FFC) – Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, South Africa.
• With the announcement of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Regions (MAHASAGAR) by Prime Minister during his recent visit to Mauritius
• the maiden initiatives of IOS Sagar and AIKEYME are aimed at consolidating Indian Navy’s stature as the ‘Preferred Security Partner’ and ‘First Responder’ in Indian Ocean Region,

NEWS:Cheetah mother cubs pelted with stones in M.P. village

GS-3 ENVIRONMENT (Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment)

ISSUE:

• A female cheetah and her four cubs were pelted with stones on Monday as they tried to hunt a calf on the outskirts of a village in Madhya Pradesh
• raising concern among conservationists and wildlife activists over the implementation of Project Cheetah.
• the incident occurred around near a village in Sheopur district,
• They where cheetahs from Africa were introduced under the project.
• All five cheetahs are healthy and safe.
• Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Project Cheetah Director urged people not to panic and allow the animals to move freely

Project Cheetah:The Phase-1 of the project started in 2022, to restore the population of cheetahs, which were declared extinct in the country in 1952.

• It involves the translocation of cheetahs from South Africa and Namibia to Kuno National Park.
  • The project is implemented by the NTCA in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, and Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• Under Phase-2 of the Project India is considering sourcing cheetahs from Kenya due to similar habitats.
• Cheetahs will be translocated to Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh)

NEWS: Sequencing of 10,000 TB genome samples completed

GS-2 GOVERNANCEWelfare Schemes for Vulnerable Sections of the population

• ‘Dare2eraD TB’ initiative aims at using genome sequencing to detect drug-resistant TB and capture unique features of the TB bacterium
• The Department of Biotechnology, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, has completed the genomic sequencing of a third, or 10,000 samples, of the target of 32,500 samples of Mycobacterium tuberculosis — the bacterium behind tuberculosis (TB) — in a bid to improve the understanding of drug-resistant TB and capture unique genomic features of the bacterium in India
• Of the sequenced samples, 7% are said to be resistant to a single drug

Dare2eraD TB

• The Union Government has announced the launch of Data-Driven Research to Eradicate TB- “Dare2eraD TB”.
• It was launched under the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology.
• The initiative was announced on the occasion of World TB Day (24th March).
• Dare2eraD TB will be the umbrella TB program comprising of following key initiatives;
  • InTGS – Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance Consortium.
  • InTBK Hub- Indian TB Knowledge Hub- Webinar Series.
  • Host Directed therapies against TB and developing an evidence-based regimen for treating extra-pulmonary Tuberculosis.
• MAINS QUESTION

  causes of cheetahs extinct from INDIA .success probability of project cheetah