1. State of the Rhino Report, 2023

Current Context: Recently, the International Rhino Foundation's (IRF) State of the Rhino Report, 2023, has been released ahead of World Rhino Day, an annual global celebration of the five rhino species and their conservation, which takes place on September 22, 2023.

About the Report:

• Every September, the IRF publishes the report, State of the Rhino, which documents current population estimates and trends, where available, as well as key challenges and conservation developments for the five surviving rhino species in Africa and Asia.
• Poaching still threatens all five rhino species and has increased in several regions that had not previously been targeted.
• South Africa continues to battle devastating poaching losses of its white rhinos as poachers target Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve and other reserves within KwaZulu-Natal province.
• Black rhino populations are increasing despite constant poaching pressure.
• The greater one-horned rhino population in India and Nepal continues to grow due to strong protection, wildlife crime law enforcement, and habitat expansion.
• The status and whereabouts of 12 of the approximately 76 remaining Javan rhinos is unknown.
• Signs of Sumatran rhinos are increasingly hard to find, creating more uncertainty about their population in the wild.
• 2,000 white rhinos from “World’s Largest Rhino Farm” will now be rewilded throughout Africa.

2. National Commission for Scheduled Castes submits its Annual Report 2020-21 & 2021-22

Current Context: Recently, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has submitted its Annual Report 2020-21 & 2021-22 on 26th September, 2023 to the President.

Key Points: 

• The reports contain various recommendations on the issues entrusted to the Commission regarding the protection of Constitutional Safeguards of the Scheduled Castes as enshrined in the Constitution of India.
• The reports may include recommendations for the measures required to be taken by the Union and the States for the effective implementation of those safeguards and other measures for the protection, welfare and socio-economic development of the Scheduled Castes.
• The National Commission for Scheduled Castes under Article 338 of the Constitution, is responsible for submitting reports annually to the President regarding Constitutional Safeguards for Scheduled Castes.