Current Affairs – October 02-03, 2024

{GS2 – Governance – Initiatives} SARTHIE 1.0 Initiative

• Context (PIB): The Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) and the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) jointly launched the SARTHIE 1.0 initiative.

• It seeks to align with the UN SDGs, primarily concerned with ending poverty, reducing inequality, and advancing social protection programs.
• Additionally, it will empower the following groups: transgender people, senior folks, victims of alcoholism and other drugs, SC, ST, OBC, Denotified and Nomadic tribes, beggars, etc.

Features

• As part of this collaboration, State Legal Service Authorities (SLAs) and District Legal Service Authorities (DSLAs) will organise public awareness campaigns across the country.
• It will raise awareness of five significant Acts such as:
  1. Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955.
  2. Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
  3. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
  4. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
  5. Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

{GS2 – MoHUA – Initiatives} Jal Hi AMRIT Initiative

• Context (PIB): Jal Hi AMRIT initiative was launched under AMRUT 2.0.

• Objective: Incentivise States and UTs to manage used water (sewage) treatment plants (UWTPs/STPs) efficiently to ensure recyclable, high-quality treated water.
• Key aspects:
  • Clean Water Credit System: It will be awarded to STPs in terms of a star-rating (between 3 stars to 5 stars) certificate (valid for six months) to build competition among the cities, develop capacities and incentivise them to attain the best quality of used treated water at the treatment facilities.
  • Incentives to the STPs based on clean water credits.

Credits: PIB

{GS2 – MoPSW – Initiatives} Cruise Bharat Mission

• Context (PIB): The Ministry for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways launched ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’ to establish India as a global hub for cruise tourism and create 4 lakh jobs in the Cruise Sector in India.

• Goals:
  • Double cruise passenger traffic to 9.2 lakh by 2029 (from 4.6 lakh in 2024).
  • Increase cruise calls from 254 in 2024 to 500 by 2030.

Phase-wise Implementation

• Phase 1 (2024-2025): Form cruise alliances with neighbouring countries.
• Phase 2 (2025-2027): Develop new cruise terminals and destinations.
• Phase 3 (2027-2029): Integrate all cruise circuits across the Indian Subcontinent.

Key Cruise Segments

• Ocean & Harbour Cruises: Includes deep-sea, coastal, and harbour-based yachting and sailing cruises.
• River & Inland Cruises: Focuses on cruises on rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks, and lakes.
• Island Cruises: Highlights inter-island cruises and lighthouse tours.

{GS2 – Social Sector – Health} Food safety laws in states

• Context (IE): The UP government made it mandatory for food establishments to display the names of the owners and employees’ identity. In July, SC stayed directives passed by the UP and Uttarakhand governments requiring all eateries to display their owners’ and employees’ names and addresses.

Regulations for selling food in India

• Under the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Rules, 2011, anyone who intends to operate a food business (both petty food manufacturers and large businesses) is required to register their business with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• Once the registration is approved, the food business receives a registration certificate and a photo identity card, which it shall display within the premises. Thus, the owner’s identity and the establishment’s location must be displayed (through the photo ID and the licence issued).

States’ power to make rules on food safety

• State government appoints Commissioner of Food Safety under FSSA to ensure “efficient implementation” of the FSSA and its accompanying rules and regulations. S/He can conduct surveys and training programmes, approve prosecution for offences, etc.
• Further, the state government can make rules for “any other matter which is required to be, or may be prescribed or in respect of which provision is to be made by rules by the State Government”.

{GS3 – Envi – Conservation} National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plans

• Context (DTE): NBSAP tracker is a tool developed by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature. It monitors countries’ progress in developing their NBSAPs in line with Global Biodiversity Framework goals.

About National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)

• They are blueprints for countries to outline their strategies to tackle biodiversity loss and meet international targets.
• It is a principal instrument for implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Each signatory country has to develop an NBSAP per its particular conditions and capabilities.  
• 194 out of 196 (99%) Parties to CBD have developed NBSAPs in line with Article 6 (January 2024).

{GS3 – IE – Industry} Annual Survey of Industries

• Context (IE): The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) for 2022-23.

Highlights of the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) for 2022-23

Main Drivers of Manufacturing Growth

• The primary growth drivers were key industries such as basic metals, coke and refined petroleum products, food products, chemicals, and motor vehicles.
• Collectively, these industries contributed about 58% of the sector’s total output, with an output growth of 24.5% and a gross value added (GVA) growth of 2.6% compared to 2021-22.

State Performance

• GVA: Maharashtra ranked first, followed by Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh. These top five states contributed over 54% of the total manufacturing GVA in 2022-23.
• Employment: Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka were the top five states, contributing about 55% of total manufacturing employment in 2022-23.

{GS3 – IE – Securities} SEBI’s New Rules

• Context (IE): SEBI has introduced measures to curb the frenzy in the Futures and Options (F&O) market. These new rules protect small investors from excessive speculation and potential losses.

What is the Futures and Options (F&O) Market?

• It is a financial market segment where participants can trade contracts to buy or sell assets at predetermined prices on future dates.
• Futures contracts obligate the buyer to purchase and the seller to sell the asset at the set price, while options give the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to do so.

{GS3 – S&T – AI} BharatGen

• Context (PIB): Recently, GoI launched BharatGen, a pioneering initiative in generative AI designed to revolutionise public service delivery and boost citizen engagement.

• Agency: IIT Bombay under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Features

• Multilingual: It can generate high-quality text and multimodal content in various Indian languages.
• Bhartiya data set-based building: It uses selected datasets on India’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
• Open-source platform: Using AI not only for industrial and commercial purposes but also to address national priorities like cultural preservation and inclusive technology development.
• Data efficient learning ecosystem: It will develop effective models with minimal data.

{Prelims – Bio – Diseases} Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

• Context (TH): WHO Maternal Vaccine and Antibody Shot to Prevent RSV in Infants.

About Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

• Infects the lungs and respiratory tract.
• Symptoms: Mild, cold-like symptoms. It can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis in severe cases.
• Transmission: The virus spreads through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also spread by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus and touching the face.
• Risk Groups: It can be severe for infants, especially premature babies, older adults, and individuals with chronic heart or lung disease or weakened immune systems.

Available Vaccines and Antibodies

• Pfizer’s Abrysvo: Only available RSV vaccine for pregnant women in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Canada.
• Sanofi and AstraZeneca’s Beyfortus: The only approved antibody shot for infants and toddlers in the U.S., U.K., and other countries. However, its supply has been limited.

{Prelims – Envi – Species} Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis)

• Context (DTE): Honey Badger has been captured for the first time on camera in Uttarakhand.

• Also known as Ratel, it belongs to the weasel family.
• Distribution: Native to areas of Africa and Asia, from southern Morocco to Africa’s southern tip, and western Asia’s Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, and western India.

Credits: DTE

• Known for their solitary nature and ability to twist and turn to escape predators. It exhibits sexual dimorphism, with the males being larger than the females. They are good swimmers and can climb trees.
• Diet: They are omnivorous mammals with a diet consisting of small animals, fruit and honey.
• Conservation status: IUCN: LC

{Prelims – In News} Herpetofauna Survey

• Context (NIE): Four new species were discovered in a herpetofauna survey at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

About Herpetofauna Survey

• Purpose: Identify and catalogue all reptiles and amphibians, including frogs, within a designated area.

Species Found

• Cave dancing frog, Indraneil’s night frog, striped coral snake, king cobra & Nilgiri burrowing snake.

Read More > Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

{Prelims – PIN World – SA} Coastal Erosion in Brazil

• Context (TH): Brazil’s coastline (Atlantic Ocean) faces unprecedented Coastal erosion. This phenomenon, driven by climate change and human activities, is causing significant damage to coastal communities, ecosystems, and economies.

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that sea levels are rising faster than ever, more than doubling in the past ten years.

What is Coastal Erosion?

• It is the process of land or sediment along the coastline being worn away due to natural forces such as waves, currents, tides, and wind-driven water.

{Prelims – S&T – Defence} Israel’s multi-layered air defence system *

• Context (IE): Israel’s multi-layered air defence system was in news.

Credits: TOI

Iron dome

• It is a short-range, ground-to-air, air defence system that includes radar and interceptor missiles, which track and neutralise rockets or missiles aimed at Israeli targets.
• It is used for countering rockets, artillery & mortars, aircraft, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
• It is capable of being used in all weather conditions, including during the day and night.

David’s Sling

• It is a two-stage missile and has no warhead. It uses sheer force to destroy incoming ballistic missiles and is therefore known as a “hit-to-kill” because it is like hitting a bullet with a bullet.
• It is designed for medium to long-range missile interceptions (longer range than the Iron Dome). It is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles fired from 100 km to 200 km away.

Arrow 2 and Arrow 3

• Arrow family is the long-range tier of Israel’s air defence system and can intercept missiles that fly outside the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Arrow 2 can destroy incoming ballistic missiles in their terminal phase in the upper atmosphere by exploding near a missile. Arrow 3 uses hit-to-kill technology and can intercept incoming ballistic missiles in space itself. It has a range of 1,500 miles and can reach an altitude of 100 miles.

Iron Beam

• Officially known as “shield of light,” it is a 100 kilowatt-class High-Energy Laser Weapon System.
• It is designed for short-range rockets of up to 10 km. It uses laser beams to destroy a target.

{Prelims – Sci – Physics} Fluorescent Nanodiamonds (FNDs)

• Context (TH): Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs), when levitated and spun at incredibly high speeds, emit light of different colours in different directions.
• Levitated FNDs are sensitive to acceleration and electric fields; hence, they can be used as sensors in many high-value industries and strategic sectors.

• FNDs are nanometre-sized diamonds made of carbon nanoparticles. They are produced in a high-temperature and high-pressure process. They contain dense nitrogen-vacancy defects as colour centres with exceptional photostability and unique quantum properties.
• Properties: High biological compatibility, infinite photostability, absence of photoblinking (unlike many other nano-scale fluorescent materials), long fluorescence lifetime, i.e. >10 nanoseconds (making them better than quantum dots), and ease of biofunctionalisation.
• Applications: Used in high-resolution imaging, microscale temperature sensing, and correlative microscopy. FNDs can penetrate into cells and be used as a marker of the cell’s structures.