• Barley, Gram, Masur and Safflower are Rabi Crops.

Cropping Seasons

Harvested: April-June

Harvested: September-October

(between Rabi and Kharif)

Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is located in the Ladakhi Changthang plateau in the union territory of Ladakh.
• It is home to the high altitude water lakes, namely, Tso Moriri (which also happens to be the highest lake on earth), Pangong Tso and Tso Kar.
• The Changthang region is inhabited by nomadic pastoral communities, primarily the Changpa tribe, who lead a traditional way of life herding yaks, goats, and sheep across the vast grasslands.
• This region is steeped in Tibetan Buddhist culture and heritage.
• It includes one of the world’s highest villages, Korzok Village, which attracts tourists to the Korzok Monastery.
• Fauna: Tibetan wolf, wild yak, bharal, brown bear and the mormot that seems to be present everywhere.
  • It is important as one of the few places in India with a population of the Kiang or Tibetan Wild Ass, as well as the rare Black-necked Crane.

Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR)

• A region of roughly 22 km radius around Hanle, inside the Changthang Wildlife Reserve, was declared as the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve (HDSR) in December 2022. 
• HDSR is the first dark sky reserve in the country.
• The HDSR is a joint initiative between the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, UT Ladakh, LAHDC Leh, and the local communities, and is spread over 1072 sq. km in Ladakh, centred around the Indian Astronomical Observatory.

Global Hunger Index (GHI)

• India’s struggle with hunger and malnutrition has been underscored by its ranking in the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI), where it stands 105th out of 127 countries with a score of 27.3, categorising it in the ‘serious’ range.
• The GHI is a peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels, reflecting multiple dimensions of hunger over time.
• Created in 2006, the GHI was initially published by the US-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Germany-based Welthungerhilfe. In 2007, the Irish NGO Concern Worldwide also became a co-publisher.
• In 2018, IFPRI withdrew from the project and the GHI became a joint project of Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide.
• The GHI is intended to –
  • Raise awareness and understanding of the struggle against hunger,
  • Provide a way to compare levels of hunger between countries and regions, and
  • Call attention to those areas of the world where hunger levels are highest and where the need for additional efforts to eliminate hunger is greatest.
• Theme: The theme for the 2024 Global Hunger Index (GHI) is “How gender justice can advance climate resilience and zero hunger”.
• The 2024 Global Hunger Index score for the world is 18.3, considered moderate, down only slightly from the 2016 score of 18.8.
  • Little progress has been made on reducing hunger since 2016, and the prospects for achieving Zero Hunger by the target date of 2030 are grim, with 42 countries still experiencing alarming or serious hunger.
• The wars in Gaza and Sudan have led to exceptional food crises. 
• Somalia, Yemen, Chad, and Madagascar are the countries with the highest 2024 GHI scores; Burundi and South Sudan are also provisionally designated as alarming.
• Progress has been notable for example in Bangladesh, Mozambique, Nepal, Somalia, and Togo, although challenges remain.
• India’s performance remains concerning, in comparison to the South Asian neighbours such as Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, which fall into the “moderate” category. 
  • India is listed alongside countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, which also face severe hunger challenges.
• The report reveals alarming statistics: 
  • 13.7 percent of India’s population is undernourished,
  • 35.5 percent of children under five are stunted,
  • 18.7 percent suffer from wasting, and
  • 2.9 percent of children die before their fifth birthday. 

Fully Accessible Route (FAR)

• Non Resident investors can invest in specified government securities without being subject to any investment ceilings.
• This scheme operates along with the two existing routes:
  • The Medium Term Framework (MTF) for Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) in Central Government Securities (G-secs) and State Government Securities (SDLs) was introduced in October 2015
    • FPI consists of securities and other financial assets passively held by foreign investors.
  • The Voluntary Retention Route (VRR) encourages Foreign Portfolio Investors to undertake long-term investments in Indian debt markets.

Benefits of the Scheme

• This will ease the access of non-residents to Indian government securities markets.
• This would facilitate inclusion in global bond indices.
  • Being part of the global bond indices would help Indian G-secs attract large funds from major global investors, including pension funds.
• This would also facilitate inflow of stable foreign investment in government bonds.

• After India government bonds (IGBs) were included in the much-awaited JP Morgan’s emerging markets bond indices, the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have turned cautious and excluded long-term government bonds with 14-year and 30-year tenors from the Fully Accessible Route (FAR). 
• The decision was taken  amid speculation about more unrestricted inflows by foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) which can trigger uncertainties and risks in the future