Hindu Notes from General Studies-01
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Climate change threatens 2 of Ecuador s 7 glaciers
News
Ecuador could lose two of its seven glaciers over the next few years, a phenomenon that worries experts because it would alter the paramo ecosystem and its effect on the nation’s water supply and humidity, media reported.
Findings
- The most imminent threat concerns the glaciers of Carihuairazo, in Chimborazo province, and the southern Iliniza, between those of Pichincha and Cotopaxi.
- Ecuador has seven glaciers: Antisana, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, Cayambe, the Ilinizas (north and south), El Altar and Carihuairazo, all located on volcanic craters affected by the greenhouse effect.
- In the case of Carihuairazo, 96 per cent of the glacier surface has melted, which means it could disappear in just five years, and while no exact forecast has been made for the southern Iliniza, the thaw there has also been noteworthy.
- Up to the end of 2018, an average nationwide loss of 53 per cent of glacier coverage was recorded, it is hard to predict the glaciers’ future because climatic conditions change at random.
More than 4 lakh children are inhalant addicts: survey
News
- Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Chattisgarh and Arunachal Pradesh have emerged front runners in alcohol abuse and health complications arising due to the addition, according to a survey conducted by the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi.
Findings
- The survey,noted that 7 crore people in the country suffered from alcohol related problems. Also of the 16 crore people who consumed alcohol across the country, prevalence of alcohol consumption was 17 times higher among men than among women.
- More than four lakh children and 1.8 million adults needed help for inhalant abuse and dependence, the report said.
- The survey, conducted to ascertain the magnitude of substance abuse in the country. It covered 4,73,569 individuals in the 10-75 age group. High prevalence of consumption of alcohol was also reported in Tripura and Chhattisgarh.
- The survey also revealed that about 3.1 crore individuals consumed cannabis, with 72 lakh of them needing help for cannabis use problems. Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Odisha registered maximum cannabis dependence.
- The most common opioid used was heroin. The current use of heroin was 1.14%, followed by pharmaceutical opioids (0.96%) and opium (0.52%). Here, the abuse was found most prevalent in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.
The Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment maintained that a national guideline would be formulated after detailed consultation with all stakeholders to counter the drug menace in the country.
Climate change could make food less safe, experts warn
News
- As the planet warms, governments must pay more attention to food safety, and address the issue in their action plans to tackle climate change, officials and researchers said this week.
- Food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins or chemicals causes more than 600 million people to fall ill and 420,000 to die worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Findings
- Unsafe food costs low- and middle-income economies about $95 billion in lost productivity each year, as U.N. agencies and the African Union met in Ethiopia for the first international conference on food safety.
- Women and children, people affected by conflict, and migrants are especially vulnerable to unsafe food.
- Climate change and the globalisation of food production, coupled with a rising world population and increasing urbanisation, pose new challenges to food safety.
Causes
- A study found that fly populations would increase with warmer conditions in the Canadian province of Ontario, raising the risk of diarrhoeal disease caused by Campylobacter bacteria when it is carried from animals to humans by flies that land on meals.
- Another key food safety concern is that climate change could lead to a hike in mycotoxins, compounds produced by fungi that can cause acute effects, including death, as well as chronic illnesses such as cancer from long-term exposure.
- It is estimated that a quarter of the world’s annual crop production is contaminated with mycotoxins, which occur more frequently in areas with a hot and humid climate.
- Extreme weather associated with climate change, such as more drought and flooding, is expected to reduce crop yields, limiting food supplies – and making communities more likely to eat contaminated food.
Hindu Notes from General Studies-02
Cabinet approves new National Electronics Policy
News
- The Union Cabinet approved the National Electronics Policy 2019 aimed at achieving a turnover of $400 billion (about ₹26 lakh crore) for the electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM) sector by 2025, while generating employment opportunities for one crore people.
Beyond News
- The policy has introduced “easier to implement” incentive schemes, including an interest subvention scheme and credit default guarantee, to replace some of the existing ones under the National Electronics Policy 2012.
- It proposes to provide interest subsidy of 4% on loans up to ₹1,000 crore on plant and machinery, in case of larger loans, the subsidy would be limited to ₹1,000 crore.
- The government proposes to create a fund to provide default guarantee of up to 75% to banks for plant and machine loans of up to ₹100 crore.
- To help create an ecosystem, the policy has pitched for 2.0 version of the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster Scheme, under which infrastructure support will be provided for a group of industries that are part of the product supply chain rather than individual industries.
- It has also proposed a sovereign patent fund to acquire intellectual property for chips and chip components.
India, Saudi Arabia agree on need to increase pressure on countries supporting terror: Narendra Modi
News
- India and Saudi Arabia agree that there is a need to increase all possible pressure on countries supporting terrorism, Prime Minister said after holding talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Beyond News
- Prime Minister and the Saudi Crown Prince explored ways to further deepen strategic ties against the backdrop of escalating tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack.
- The barbaric terror attack in Pulwama on February 14 is a cruel symbol of the scourge spread over the world by this anti-humanitarian danger.
- Prime Minister also called for a strong action plan for combating extremism and so that the powers spreading violence and terror cannot mislead the youth.
- The Saudi Crown Prince, said his country will cooperate with India in tackling terrorism, including by intelligence sharing.
- The Crown Prince arrived in New Delhi on February 19 night, a day after concluding his high-profile tour of Pakistan where he said dialogue was the only way to resolve “outstanding issues” between India and Pakistan. The Crown Prince will be in India for less than 30 hours.
- In a joint statement, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia called for avoiding “politicisation” of the U.N. listing regime at a time when India was stepping up efforts to brand the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group’s chief Masood Azhar a global terrorist.
Indo-Russian military meet in city
News
- The 25th meeting of the Indo-Russian Intergovernmental Committee on Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-MTC) will be under way in the city till February 21.
Beyond News
- The Russian delegation comprises over 120 delegates from the Russian Navy, Russian government department, the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation (FSMTC), and JSC Rosoborn export.
- Both sides focused on product support aspects of Russian-origin equipment with special emphasis on the manufacture of spares and their repair in India, with the involvement of the Indian industry under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
- The discussions were on providing speedy support for aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, refits of EKM (Sindhughosh) class submarines and enhancing product support mechanisms for aircraft and missile systems on board ships and submarines.
- The two sides will also be discussing a number of aspects related to enhancing operational availability and life cycle support of the naval acquisitions from Russia.
- The IRIGC-MTC Sub-group (Navy) is a forum to discuss various aspects related to acquisition and product support of military equipment on board Indian naval ships, submarines and aircraft acquired from Russia.
Cabinet approves Phase II of rooftop solar programme
News
- The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved Phase-II of the Grid Connected Rooftop Solar Programme that aims to achieve a cumulative capacity of 40,000 MW from rooftop solar projects by 2022.
Beyond News
- The programme will be implemented with a total central financial support of ₹11,814 crore.
- The Phase II programme provides for central financial assistance (for residential rooftop solar installations) up to 40% for rooftop systems up to 3kW and 20% for those with a capacity of 3-10kW. The second phase will also focus on increasing the involvement of the distribution companies (DISCOM).
- In a separate decision, the Cabinet approved the launch of the Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan aimed at providing financial and water security to farmers.
- Through the scheme, farmers will be given financial assistance to set up solar panels in their unused or fallow land.
Hindu Notes from General Studies-03
7 islands in Andamans, Lakshadweep identified for seaplane operations
News
- Four islands in the Andamans and three in Lakshadweep have been identified for seaplane operations, while private sector participation has been invited for tourism-based projects.
Beyond News
- The 5th meeting of the Island Development Agency, also reviewed the progress made towards the programme ‘Holistic development of islands’.
- Swaraj Dweep, Shaheed Dweep, Hutbay and Long in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Kavaratti, Agatti and Minicoy in Lakshadweep have been identified for seaplane operations.
- Key infrastructure projects such as operationalisation of the Diglipur airport for civilian aircraft and the construction of a new airport on Minicoy Island have been accorded high priority by the government, while Coastal Regulation Zone clearance (CRZ) has been accorded for ‘Middle Strait Bridge’ on Andaman Trunk Road.
- The Ministry of Commerce has issued a notification extending tax incentives for investments made in manufacturing and service sector in islands of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
- In order to sustainably utilise the potential of Tuna fish, 10 deep-sea modern fishing vessels are being procured by the Lakshadweep administration from Cochin Shipyard Limited.
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