दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स 27 मई 2023
Important News: International
The European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO)
Why in news: The European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) recently showed an encoded message to Earth from its orbit around Mars.
A.TGO is the first in a series of joint missions between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Gain a better understanding of methane and other atmospheric gases that are present in the Martian atmosphere in small concentrations (less than 1% of the atmosphere).
B.The orbiter's sensitivity to hydrogen has also allowed it to search for water buried beneath the shallow layers of Martian soil. It is also meant to test the technology for future missions.
C.It was launched in March 2016 and started operations after entering the Martian orbit on October 19, 2016. TGO took the Schiaparelli lander with it to Mars. However, it crashed during landing. The spacecraft itself is a 3.2 m by 2 m by 2 m box, with one antenna mounted to communicate with Earth and the other to communicate with the spacecraft on the surface of Mars.
D.It is powered by a pair of solar arrays that protrude from its edges like wings, along with two small batteries to keep it running during an eclipse, when it receives no sunlight.
E.It has a number of tools including,
-Nomad (Nadir and Occult for MARS Discovery);
-ACS (Atmospheric Chemistry Suite);
-CASIS (color and stereo surface imaging system);
-FREND (Fine Resolution Epithermal Neutron Detector);
(SOURCE – LIVEMINT)
WMO approves Global Tracker for GHGs
Why in news: According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the World Meteorological Congress has taken an important decision to approve a new greenhouse gas (GHG) monitoring initiative.
A.The initiative aims to support urgent action in reducing heat-trapping gases that contribute to rising global temperatures. The newly established Global Greenhouse Gas Watch will address critical information gaps, integrating different observation systems, modeling capabilities and data assimilation under a comprehensive framework.
B.The unanimous support of the WMO's 193 members highlights the growing importance of greenhouse gas monitoring and the need to strengthen the scientific foundations for climate change mitigation efforts.
C.Filling information gaps and providing an integrated framework Overcoming limitations in the international exchange of integrated surface-based and space-based observation, greenhouse gas observation and modeling products Supported by the World Meteorological Congress Recognizing the social importance of greenhouse gas monitoring Supporting scientific understanding of the Earth system Strengthening the basis of mitigation actions for climate agreements.
D.Components of the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch
- Comprehensive overview: Surface-based and satellite-based monitoring of CO2, CH4 and N2O
- Forecasting of GHG emissions:- Using activity data and process-based models to estimate emissions
- Global Earth System Model:- Developing high-resolution models representing GHG cycles
- Data assimilation system:- combining observations with model calculations for high accuracy
(SOURCE – NEWS ON AIR)
Important News: National
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar
Why in news: Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has invited nominations for the Prime Minister's National Child Award.
A. The government organizes the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar every year to give due recognition to children with exceptional abilities who have achieved exceptional recognition in bravery, sports, social service, science and technology, environment, and other fields.
B. Age Limit: 5 years to 18 years (as on 31st August of the respective year).
C.It is given under two categories-
The Bal Shakti Puraskar will be given in recognition of children with exceptional abilities and outstanding achievement in the fields of innovation, scholastic, sports, art and culture, social service and bravery.
D. Individual: For individuals who have made outstanding contributions to service to children in the field of child development, child protection, and child welfare for at least 7 years.
E.Institutions: For institutions that have done exceptional work for the interest of children in any field of child welfare.
F.Selection: A National Selection Committee headed by a Minister or Minister of State in the Ministry of Women and Child Development will finalize the names of the awardees.
G. These awards are given by the President at a special ceremony held in January every year. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, a medal, and a certificate.
(SOURCE – INDIAN EXPRESS)
NITI Aayog’s ‘State Health Index’
Why in news: NITI Aayog's 'State Health Index': Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana top states in Covid year, Delhi worst Union Territory
A.According to niti aayog's annual 'State Health Index' (5th edition) for the Covid year of 2020-21, three southern states Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana emerged as the top performing states among the 'large states'.
B. It was launched by NITI Aayog in 2017 to measure the performance of states and union territories on a weighted composite score incorporating 24 health performance indicators added under three domains. The Commission releases the index (annually) in collaboration with the Union Health Ministry and the World Bank. The objective of this index is not only to look at the historical performance of the states but also to look at their incremental performance.
C. The index encourages healthy competition and cross-learning among states and UTs and motivates states/UTs to build robust health systems and improve service delivery through their policy formulation and resource allocation.
D. As a result, MoHFW had linked the index to incentives under the National Health Mission. It plays an important role in focusing on outputs and outcomes from budget spending and inputs. This index is an example of both competitive and cooperative federalism.
E.'Health outcomes include indicators such as neonatal mortality, total fertility rate, the sex ratio at birth, vaccination coverage, the proportion of institutional deliveries, etc. The main inputs/processes are a measure of the available health infrastructure, which includes a ratio of functional 24x7 Primary Health Care Centres etc.
F. The 'Governance and Information' domain includes the average occupancy of three key posts at the state level, the average occupancy of the chief medical officer, the days taken for fund transfer, etc.
Top performers: Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have secured the top three spots in the case. Worst performance: Bihar, UP and MP are ranked 19th, 18th and 17th respectively. Incremental performance from 2019-20 to 2020-21: Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Odisha have emerged as the top three performers among the large states.
G.In the small states category: Tripura has performed the best overall, followed by Sikkim and Goa. On the other hand, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur occupy the bottom three positions.
H.Among the Union Territories: Lakshadweep has secured the top spot in terms of overall performance, while Delhi has been placed at the bottom.
(SOURCE –NEWS ON AIR)
Important News: State
Mumbai gears up to host first ever ‘Mining Start-up Summit’ on May 29
Why in news: Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi will inaugurate the first Mining Start-up Summit in Mumbai on May 29.
A. The summit is being organized by the Ministry of Mines in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
B. The summit will primarily focus on innovation and technologies that will support and improve performance, and safety and help build autonomy in the field of mining and metallurgy.
C. The summit will also focus on interactions with leading industries, financial institutions, and banks in the mineral exploration sector. More than 120 start-ups and 20 leading industries will participate in the summit.
D. During this event, the Ministry of Mines will interact with start-ups in the field of mining and metallurgy and how these start-ups equipped with various technologies can contribute to the activities of the mining sector
(SOURCE – TIMES OF INDIA)
REWARD program with World Bank
Why in news: Reward is a World Bank-assisted watershed development program being implemented from 2021 to 2026.
A. The development objective of the award program is to "strengthen the capabilities of national and state institutions to adopt better watershed management to enhance the resilience of farmers in selected watersheds of participating states and support value chains".
B. The program is being implemented by the Department of Land Resources in the Ministry of Rural Development and to introduce modern watershed practices in the states of Karnataka and Odisha.
C. The total budget outlay of the awards program is USD 167.71 million over a program period of 4.5 years. This includes USD 115 million from the World Bank (USD 60 million), Odisha (USD 49 million) and DOLR (USD 6 million), two partner states (Karnataka (USD 25.71 million) and Odisha (USD 21 million) and USD 6 million from the DOLR. The funding pattern is 70:30 between the World Bank and the states, while it is 50:50 between the World Bank and the DOLR.
D. At the central level, the scope of the reward program includes management, monitoring, communication and knowledge-sharing functions by the DOLR. At the state level, the award program will be aligned within the ambit of WDC-PMKSY 2.0 and will support the implementation of key science-based activities and demonstrations, which ultimately aim to coordinate the broader perspective of WDC-PMKSY 2.0 to other states in India.
E.As a part of the 3rd Implementation Support Mission (ISM), the World Bank team headed by Smt. Preeti Kumar visited the DoLR and Reward States for the 3rd ISM to review the progress and discuss about the action plan for the next 6 months.
F.Other points discussed during the debriefing meeting included strengthening the Centre of Excellence on Watershed Component set up in Bengaluru under the awards program, organizing a national-level workshop on science-based watershed management, development of protocols for expansion of Land Resources Inventory (LRI) across the country on a pilot basis, providing LRI based digital advisory services to farmers and exposure visits of reward officers, etc.
(SOURCE –The Hindu)
Meri LiFE Mera Swachh Shehar
Why in news: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched the mega campaign 'Meri LIEFE, My Clean City' to promote waste management principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (RRR).
A.It aims to establish pro-environmental behavior change in daily life in line with the mission of Life (Lifestyle for the Environment)
B. Implementation: The campaign aims to set up RRR centers where citizens can contribute items like clothes, shoes, books, toys and plastic for reuse or recycling. The campaign will last for three weeks and will conclude on World Environment Day with a pledge for a clean and sustainable environment.
C.Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for the Environment) (launched in October 2022) is a global movement launched by India to promote environmentally conscious lifestyles.
D.The need to address environmental degradation and climate change at the individual and community level
E. It aims to replace mindless consumption with careful use and encourages individuals and communities to take climate-friendly actions in their daily lives.
F.Aim:-
- Promote environmentally conscious lifestyles, -motivate individuals to act climate-friendly,
-Creating a Global Network of Pro-Planet People (P3)
-India's track record: the success of Swachh Bharat Mission and other national schemes
G.Other related initiatives are Glasgow Climate Meeting (COP26), Panchamrit Strategy, International Solar Alliance, National Action Plan on Climate Change, National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), National Biofuel Policy
(SOURCE – INDIAN EXPRESS)
Important News: Day
World Schizophrenia Awareness Day, 2023
Why in news: The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPWD) celebrated schizophrenia to raise awareness and reduce stigma about mental illness.
A. It uncovers the challenges that thousands of people with schizophrenia around the world face on a day-to-day basis.
B.With a vision to create awareness about schizophrenia among the public, the department celebrated World Schizophrenia Day, organizing various events at more than 30 locations across India through institutions associated with it.
C. Awareness and sensitization sessions special audio-video and radio programs and panel discussions by experts, street plays, poster making and quiz competitions.
D.Webinar on early intervention in schizophrenia—TLM delivery to children with a psychological and psychiatric perspective ID. Short-term training program on "Early Symptoms of Schizophrenia and its Management"
E.Demonstration of commercial stalls through which products are made by individuals with schizophrenia, a drama therapy camp about awareness on schizophrenia.
(SOURCE – ECONOMIC TIMES)
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