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Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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PM Modi meets US Defence Secretary in Singapore

News

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi met U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis in Singapore, days after the Pentagon renamed its Pacific Command as Indo-Pacific Command in a largely symbolic move to signal India’s importance to the US military.

Beyond News

  • Prime Minister, of his three-nation tour, held a closed-door meeting during which both sides discussed all security related issues of mutual and global interests.
  • The meeting between the two leaders assumes significance as in his address Mr. Mattis has stressed upon both countries working together and with other nations for ensuring peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • The meeting comes days after the S. renamed its oldest and largest military command – the Pacific Command – to Indo-Pacific Command, amid heightened tensions with China over the militarisation of the South China Sea.
  • The U.S. move came in the wake of a series of measures by China that have raised tensions in the South China Sea. China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area. The U.S. also rejects China’s claims of ownership of the area. The Pentagon’s move is also reflective of the growing importance of India in U.S. strategic thinking.
  • India was granted the ‘Major Defence Partner’ status by the previous Barack Obama Administration, providing for transfer of technology and deeper cooperation in the defence sector.
  • In 2016, India and the U.S. had signed a crucial logistics defence pact enabling their militaries to use each other’s assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies, making joint operations more efficient. Soon after coming to power, the Trump administration had renamed Asia Pacific as Indo-Pacific and identified India as one bookend of the region.

WHO resolution on snakebites flags the highly prevalent hazard at home

Snake bite protocol

News

  • With the World Health Assembly adopting a resolution formally, providing the World Health Organisation (WHO) a strong mandate to develop a comprehensive plan for effective treatment of snakebite, India is now gearing up to tackle this highly prevalent public health hazard.

Beyond News

  • Of the 1,00,000 people who die globally every year from snakebite, one of the world’s most neglected tropical diseases (NTD), at least 46,000 are in India.
  • The resolution that provides the WHO with a clear mandate to work with affected countries, partners, stakeholders and industry, was proposed by several Member States and coordinated by the governments of Colombia and Costa Rica. Aimed at stepping up efforts to reduce the burden of snakebite envenoming, the resolution was strongly supported by more than 31 countries.
  • WHO has already set up a working group to prepare a strategic plan to assess and address the global burden of snakebite envenoming, especially in mid- to low-income countries. The plan, being developed by the 28-member working group of experts, is expected by the end of 2018.
  • In the wake of this, India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare will soon start a process of consultation, and issue advisories to States on management and treatment of snakebite victims. The process will begin after the team that has gone to WHO returns, a top official in the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), in charge of Public Health, told.
  • The onus of tackling the problem rests with the States, who have to procure the anti-snake venom vials depending on their individual requirements.
  • India has been consistently recognised as one of the countries with highest mortality rate from snakebites, largely because of poor access to healthcare. The Health Ministry has framed guidelines to be followed by all State health institutions to tackle and deal with the serious concern about deaths due to snakebites.
  • National Snakebite Management Protocol is also in place.
  • The protocol was framed by the DGHS with technical support from the WHO’s country office in India.
  • It also recognises the fact that the earlier a patient is treated with Anti-Snake Venom (ASV), the better the outcome. Admitting that there was a problem in availability of anti-snake venom injections earlier, the DGHS official said it had been sorted out now.

45 brands of coconut oil banned

News

  • The Department of Food Safety has banned the manufacture, storage, sales, and distribution of 45 brands of coconut oil in the Kerala State with immediate effect.

Beyond News

  • Commissioner of Food Safety issued an order in this regard by invoking Section 36(3)(b) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
  • The brands were banned after the samples collected by food safety officers in Kollam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts were found adulterated and unsafe for consumption.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

India joins move to boost sweet potato production

Sweet potato driveNews

  • India is joining hands with other sweet potato-producing countries in Asia and Africa in an intercontinental initiative to augment production of the root crop for food and nutritional security.

Beyond News

  • The four-day Asia Sweetpotato Breeders and Seed System meeting which concluded at the Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI) decided to establish the network linking institutes in Kenya, Mozambique, China, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Bangladesh and India countries that have achieved progress in sweet potato breeding and cultivation.
  • Assistant Director General, ICAR (Horticulture Science) said the meeting provided a platform to assess the strength of the nations in sweet potato production and bridge the technology gaps in agricultural research.
  • The discussions centred on how the member-states could benefit from the transfer of genetic material and exchange of technology for molecular breeding and value addition.
  • As a climate-resilient crop that can address malnutrition, sweet potato production assumes significance across the world.
  • Director, CTCRI said farmers in many States were switching over to sweet potato because of the short crop duration, low input costs, high yield, disease tolerance and climate resilience.

Whale dies in Thailand after swallowing 80 plastic bagsWhale death in MEXICO-ENVIRONMENT

News

  • A whale has died in southern Thailand after swallowing more than 80 plastic bags, officials said, ending an attempted rescue that failed to nurse the mammal back to health.

Beyond News

  • Thailand is one of the world’s largest consumers of plastic bags, which kill hundreds of marine creatures living near the country’s popular beaches each year.
  • The small male pilot whale became the latest victim after it was found barely alive in a canal near the border with Malaysia, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources said.
  • An autopsy revealed 80 plastic bags weighing up to eight kilograms in the creature’s stomach, the department added.
  • Photos accompanying the post showed a group of people using buoys to keep the whale afloat after it was first spotted and an umbrella to shield it from the scorching sun.
  • The whale vomited up five bags during the rescue attempt before it died.
  • At least 300 marine animals including pilot whales, sea turtles and dolphins perish each year in Thai waters after ingesting plastic.

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