Current Affairs – October 05, 2024

{Prelims – A&C} Sahibi River

Context (DTE): Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has successfully traced the flow of the Sahibi River using satellite imagery.

About the Sahibi River

Also called the Sabi River is an ephemeral, rain-fed river flowing through Rajasthan, Haryana & Delhi.
The river course used to join the Yamuna via the Najafgarh. Indian Archaeological Society (IAS) article suggests that the Sahibi is an older geological formation than the Najafgarh jheel.
Origin: Eastern slopes of the Saiwar Protected Forest hills in Sikar (Rajasthan).
Rigveda and Manusmriti mention its existence as the Drishadvati River.
Important wetlands and sanctuaries along the current and paleochannels of the Sahibi River include Masani Barrage Wetland (Haryana), Khaparwas Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary (Haryana), Sultanpur National Park (Haryana), Basai Wetland (Haryana).

Najafgarh jheel got its name from Mirza Najaf Khan, the commander-in-chief of the Mughal Army under Emperor Shah Alam II. He built a strong fort (Najafgarh fort) on its banks.

Ancient sites: Several Ganeshwar–Jodhpura culture sites are found on its banks. A red stone statue of Vamana Dev was unearthed on the Sahibi riverbed near Bawal.

{Prelims – Agri} National Agriculture Code (NAC)

Context (IE): Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has formulated a National Agriculture Code (NAC).

Purpose: Comprehensive standards for the entire agricultural cycle, similar to the National Building Code and National Electrical Code.
Structure of NAC
- General Principles: Applicable to all crops.
- Crop-Specific Standards: For crops like paddy, wheat, oilseeds, and pulses.

Coverage of NAC

Category	Details
Agricultural Processes	Crop selection, Land preparation, Sowing/transplanting, Irrigation/drainage, Soil & Plant health management, Harvesting/threshing, Primary processing, Post-harvest operations, Sustainability, Record maintenance
Input Management	Use of chemical fertilisers, Pesticides, Weedicides
Storage and Traceability	Standards for crop storage, Traceability mechanisms
Emerging Areas	Natural farming, Organic farming, Internet-of-Things (IoT) in agriculture

{Prelims – Envi} Golden Jackal (Canis aureus)

Context (TH): Researchers have recorded the 1^st expression of erythrism in golden jackals in Nilgiris.

Credits: Animalia

Erythrism is characterised by a deficit of melanin but an abundance of reddish pigmentation, resulting in a lighter and redder appearance compared to the normal phenotype.

A golden jackal is a medium-sized wild canid (member of the dog family).
Distribution: North and East Africa, Southeastern Europe and South Asia to Burma.
Habitat: Dry open country, arid short grasslands and steppe landscapes.
Its coat varies in color from a pale creamy yellow in summer to a dark tawny beige in winter.
Golden jackals are strictly nocturnal in areas inhabited by humans but may be partly diurnal elsewhere.
Diet: They are omnivores feeding on various animal species and fruits.
Threats: Diseases like rabies and distemper, hunted and persecuted as livestock predators and pests, etc.
Conservation Status: IUCN: LC

{Prelims – IR} EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)

Context (TH): The EU proposes an extension of the deadline to implement deforestation regulation.

The EUDR was adopted in 2023, and seeks to prevent the import of specified goods contributing to deforestation and forest degradation on the EU market.
Scheduled to apply to large and medium-sized businesses from December 2024 and to small and micro-enterprises (SMEs) from June 2025.
Objective: Minimise EU’s contribution to global deforestation & forest degradation & reduce the EU’s contribution to GHG emissions and biodiversity loss.
Products covered: Coffee, leather, oil cake, wood furniture, paper, and paperboard. It applies not only to raw materials but also to finished goods that may contain these materials.
As per the regulation, a company will only be authorised to place these products on the European market or export them provided they are:
- deforestation-free,
- produced in accordance with relevant local legislation,
- covered by a due diligence statement.

{Prelims – IR} Tripartite Agreement between Nepal, India and Bangladesh

Context (IE): Nepal , India & Bangladesh signed a Tripartite Agreement to facilitate cross-border electricity trade, allowing Nepal to export hydroelectricity to Bangladesh via Indian transmission lines.

Electricity Export: Nepal will export 40 megawatts (MW) of hydroelectricity to Bangladesh annually.
Significance: This is the first time Nepal will sell electricity to a third country.

{Prelims – S&T} Pluto’s Moon Charon

Context (NDTV): Scientists have detected carbon dioxide on Charon’s frozen surface for the first time using the James Webb Space Telescope.

About Charon

It was discovered in 1978 at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.
It resembles Pluto, whose nickname is “Pluto’s smaller twin”. It is the largest of the five known natural satellites of the dwarf planet Pluto.
Charon neither rises nor sets but hovers over the same spot on Pluto’s surface, and the same side of Charon always faces Pluto.

{Prelims – S&T} Tripledemic

Context (IE): Healthcare experts in the UK warn of ‘tripledemic’.

‘Tripledemic’ refers to the simultaneous circulation of three respiratory viruses: COVID-19, influenza (the flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Distinguishing features

COVID-19	Influenza	RSV
Loss of Taste or Smell: A distinctive symptom, though not present in all cases.	Sudden Onset: Symptoms often appear suddenly and are more intense.	Wheezing: Particularly common in young children.
Respiratory Symptoms: Can lead to severe respiratory distress, especially in older adults or those with underlying conditions.	Chills and Sweats: Commonly reported.	Cough: Often more pronounced in infants and young children.
Duration: Symptoms may last longer than with influenza or RSV.	Muscle Aches: Often more pronounced than in COVID-19 or RSV.	Congestion: More likely to cause nasal congestion and runny nose.

{Prelims – Schemes} PM Internship Scheme

Context (TH): PM’s Internship Scheme announced during the Budget speech was recently launched.

About Scheme

Objective: To provide internships to 1 crore youth in the top 500 companies over five years.
Managed by: Managed through an online portal by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
Stipend: Interns will receive a monthly stipend of ₹5,000, with ₹4,500 from the central government via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and ₹500 from the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund.
Additional Benefits: A one-time grant of ₹6,000 upon joining and insurance coverage under PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and PM Suraksha Bima Yojana.

Eligibility Criteria

Age: Candidates aged between 21 and 24 years who are not engaged in full-time employment.
Education: Open to those who have passed class 10 or higher.
Exclusions:
- Individuals from families with government jobs.
- Post-graduates and graduates from premier institutes like IIT, IIM or with CA or CMA qualifications.
- Households with an income of ₹8 lakh or more in 2023-24.

{Prelims – Space} Small Rocky Planet detected orbiting Barnard’s Star

Context (TH): The finding of the first verified planet circling Barnard’s star excites astronomers.

Instrument used: ESPRESSO on European Southern Observatory’s Chile-based Very Large Telescope.
The confirmed planet, called Barnard b, has a predicted diameter about three-quarters that of Earth.
The rocky planet’s mass is about 40% of the Earth’s total mass. While this planet, orbiting very close to Barnard’s star, has a surface temperature too high to be suitable for life.
Barnard b orbits Barnard’s star in three Earth days.

Barnard Star

Barnard’s star is a red dwarf, the smallest type of regular star. It is much smaller and less luminous than our sun and lies a mere six light-years from our solar system. It has a mass of about 16% of the sun’s, a diameter of 19%, and is far less hot. It also is estimated to be more than twice as old as the sun.
Being so cold and small, it is quite faint, making its habitable zone much closer to the star than in the case of the sun.