Current Affairs – 26th Apr 2024

Articles Covered

  1. Tamil Nadu plans to denotify vast tracts of land, Pulicat bird sanctuary area may shrink
  2. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS):
  3. Global food crisis: 1 in 5 people in need of urgent action
  4. Conference organized on ‘Challenges and Prospective Solutions in Inland Waterways and Shipbuilding’ at Kochi emphasizing holistic development of the maritime sector as envisioned in Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047
  5. Nephrotic Syndrome
  6. Strategic Triumph: India’s successful tests of new medium-range ballistic missile and air-launched Crystal Maze 2
  7. Payment Aggregator (PA)
  8. Microsoft unveils Phi-3-mini, its smallest AI model yet: How it compares to bigger models
  9. Indian Air Force ushers in Digital Transformation with DigiLocker Integration
  10. World Energy Congress 2024: IREDA CMD highlights need for Innovative Financing Solutions for New and Emerging Renewable Energy Technologies
  11. National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID):
  12. SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Kazakhstan endorses ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’

Tamil Nadu plans to denotify vast tracts of land, Pulicat bird sanctuary area may shrink

People were asked to submit a written claim for the land in the prescribed form within two months. 

  • The Tamil Nadu government is planning to denotify a sizeable area of the Pulicat bird sanctuary.
  • Patta land in 13 revenue villages located inside the biodiversity-rich area may be excluded from the sanctuary after completing the claim process under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, sources said.
  • Just days before the Lok Sabha elections Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect, the Tiruvallur district collector had issued a draft notification on February 29 regarding settlement of claims for patta lands that are to be renotified
  • People were asked to submit a written claim for the land in the prescribed form within two months.
  • The timing of the move has raised concerns as it would clear major hurdles for the controversial Adani-Kattupalli port expansion whose northern boundary will fall outside the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) when the Pulicat bird sanctuary area is reduced.
  • It may exempt the project from needing clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).
  • Environmentalists and local fishermen have been voicing concerns against the expansion of Kattupalli port because of its potential threat to the bird sanctuary and the proposed acquisition of hundreds of acres of wetlands.
  1. Patta Land Exclusion: Patta land in 13 revenue villages situated within the sanctuary’s boundaries may be excluded from the sanctuary.
  2. Issuance of Notice: The Tiruvallur district collector issued a draft notice Just before the Lok Sabha elections and the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct.
  3. The notice was about settling claims for patta lands that were going to be removed from the sanctuary.

PULICAT BIRD SANCTUARY

This Sanctuary is India’s second-largest bird sanctuary.

  • Migratory birds in winter:The Pullicat Lake Bird Sanctuary welcomes a significant number of migratory birds like gulls, terns, and flamingos each winter.
  • The sanctuary is home to various birds like pelicans, storks, and ducks throughout the year.
  • Location: The sanctuary spans across the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh and the Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu.
  • However, the majority of the sanctuary falls within the borders of Andhra Pradesh.

Legal Status of Pulicat Bird Sanctuary

  1. Establishment: In 1980, the state government included the bird sanctuary under Section 18 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, but it wasn’t a final decision.
  2. However, the sanctuary’s legal status is currently in flux due to the following points:

Current Status:

  • Final Notification Pending: The sanctuary does not have a final notification under Section 26(A) of the Act.
  • According to the Act, a final notification under Section 26(A) must be issued, but this can only happen after the collector settles the claims of affected individuals, which is currently underway.
  • Boundary Clarity: The boundaries of the sanctuary have remained undefined until now.
  • Private Land Status: Private patta lands cannot be designated as part of the sanctuary.
  • Government Action: It requires the government to either acquire these lands or exempt them from sanctuary status.
  • Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ): The final notification with a defined boundary will determine the size of the ESZ surrounding the sanctuary.
  • The current 10 km default ESZ might be recalculated based on the final sanctuary area.

Key Concerns of reducing sanctuary areas

  • Adani-Kattupalli port expansion: The northern boundary of the port expansion project would fall outside the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) once the Pulicat bird sanctuary area is reduced.
  • This might exempt the project from requiring clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).
  • It will allow Kattupalli port expansion to damage the lagoon’s sandbar and change entire hydrology of Pulicat

Environmentalists’ Arguments:

  1. Habitat of migratory birds:The sanctuary provides crucial habitat for migratory and water birds.
  2. Weak environment Protection:Reducing the sanctuary size could weaken environmental protections for the area. Therefore,
  3. The entire Pullicat ecosystem, including the Ennore Creek, backwaters, and Kosasthalaiyar River, needs protection.
  4. Ecological Integrity: They argue that Redefining sanctuary boundaries shouldn’t compromise the ecological integrity of the wider habitat.

Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS):

Due to its vast economic benefits, it is essential to accurately forecast specific oceanographic parameters, says a recent study by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).

Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS):

  1. It was established as an autonomous body in 1999 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences(MoES) and is a unit of the Earth System Science Organization (ESSO).
  2. Mandate: To provide the best possible ocean information and advisory services to society, industry, government agencies, and the scientific community through sustained ocean observations and constant improvements through systematic and focussed research.

Activities:

  • Provides round-the-clock monitoring and warning services for the coastal population on tsunamis, storm surges, high waves, etc. through the in-house Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC).
  • The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO designated ITEWC as a Regional Tsunami Service Provider (RTSP) to provide tsunami warnings to countries on the Indian Ocean Rim.
  • Provides daily advisories to fisher folk to help them easily locate areas of abundant fish in the ocean while saving on both fuel and time used to search for the same.
  • Short-term (3-7 days) Ocean State Forecasts (waves, currents, sea surface temperature, etc.) are issued daily to fisher folk, the shipping industry, the oil and natural gas industry, the Navy, the Coast Guard, etc.
  • Deploys and maintains a suite of Ocean Observing Systems in the Indian Ocean to collect data on various oceanic parameters.
  • Conducts systematic quality checks and archives all observational, satellite, and other oceanic data at the ESSO-INCOIS Data Centre, and then makes such data available to students, researchers, and any other users.
  • INCOIS has been designated as the National Oceanographic Data Centre by the International Oceanographic Data Exchange Programme (IODE) of the IOC.
  • Generates Global Ocean Analysis data using mathematical models and observations on a daily basis to provide the initial conditions to ocean-atmosphere coupled models used for the prediction of the monsoon and to understand oceanic processes.
  • Established a national network (Indian Seismic and GNSS Network (ISGN)) that integrates Seismic and GNSS stations and provides high quality data for research and operational use.
  • It serves as the National Argo Data Centre, Regional Argo Data Centre, and also the regional data centre and clearing house for the Indian Ocean region for the Indian Ocean Global Ocean Observing System (IOGOOS) Programme.

International Involvement:

  1. It is a permanent member of the Indian delegation to the IOC and a founding member of the IOGOOS and the Partnership for Observing the Oceans (POGO), which is actively engaged in capacity building and international exchange of students and researchers.
  2. ESSO-INCOIS houses the IOGOOS secretariat and the Sustained Indian Ocean Bio geochemistry and Ecosystem Research (SIBER) International Programme Office.
  3. Through the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES), ESSO-INCOIS provides ocean information and forecasts to member countries.

Global food crisis: 1 in 5 people in need of urgent action

Over 72 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity because of extreme weather events

  • Nearly 282 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 59 countries in 2023, with extreme weather being the second most significant factor driving food crisis, revealed the 2024 Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC) released April 24, 2024.
  • The overall share of the analysed population facing high levels of acute food insecurity was marginally lower than in 2022, but still higher than pre-COVID-19. In fact, for four consecutive years, the proportion of people facing acute food insecurity has remained persistently high at almost 22 per cent of those assessed, significantly exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels.
  • With food crisis escalating alarmingly in conflict hotspots in 2023, notably Palestine (Gaza Strip) and Sudan, conflict / insecurity became the primary driver in 20 countries, directly affecting 135 million people. The Gaza Strip became the area with the most severe food crisis in the last eight years of GRFC reporting.
  • Recently, the 2024 Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC) has been launched by the Global Network Against Food Crises.
  • Recently, the World Bank said that it was providing $57.6 million in “quick release” grant financing to Malawi to help the country respond to a food crisis.

Food Security Information Network:

  1. A global initiative co-sponsored by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
  2. Aim: To strengthen food and nutrition security information systems for producing reliable and accurate data to guide analysis and decision-making.

GRFC: 

  • It is produced annually by the Food Security Information Network and launched by the Global Network Against Food Crises – a multistakeholder initiative that includes United Nations agencies, the European Union, the United States Agency for International Development and non-governmental agencies working to tackle food crises

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC):

  1. An IPC analysis published in March 2024 warned of a further devastating deterioration, with famine imminent between March and May 2024 in North Gaza and a risk of famine across the rest of the Gaza Strip.
  2. Half of the population (about 1.1 million people) were estimated to be experiencing catastrophic acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 5). 

Global Report on Food Crises:

  • A Reference Document:The GRFC is the reference document for a comprehensive analysis of global, regional and country-level acute food insecurity.
  • Aim: To inform humanitarian and development action by providing independent and consensus-based evidence and analysis.
  • Measurement: When it comes to estimating hunger,there are different measures for different purposes. The GRFC focuses on acute food insecurity in countries experiencing food crises. It is part of an annual suite of products including regional reports.
  • The report analysed a population of 1.3 billion in 2023 across 59 countries.
  • Food Crisis:The GRFC defines a food crisis as a situation where acute food insecurity requires urgent action to protect and save lives and livelihoods at local or national levels and exceeds the local resources and capacities to respond.
  • Acute Food Insecurity:It refers to a situation in which populations face food deprivation that threatens their lives or livelihoods, regardless of the causes, context or duration.
  • A food crisis is defined as ‘major’ if more than 1 million people or more than 20% of its total county population is estimated to be facing Phase 3 Crisis or above, or if at least one area is classified in Phase 4 Emergency or above.
  • Action becomes a matter of life or death when the situation is particularly severe, such as in IPC/CH Phases 3, 4 or 5.
  • Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC):IPC is a standardized scale developed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for improving food security analysis and decision making.
  • The IPC Integrated Food Security Phase Classification System indicates five phasesof Acute Food Insecurity: Minimal, Stressed, Crisis, Emergency and Catastrophe when Famine may be declared.

Crucial Insights of the 2024 Global Report on Food Crisis (GRFC):

  • Rise in Acute Food Insecurity: Overall, 1 in 5 people assessed were in need of critical urgent action.
  • The overall share of the analysed population facing high levels of acute food insecurity was marginally lower than in 2022, but still higher than pre-COVID-19.
  • Since the first report by the Global Food Crisis Network covering 2016, the number of food-insecure people has risen from 108 million to 282 million.
  • Meanwhile, the share of the population affected within the areas concerned has doubled 11 percent to 22%.
  • 36 countries have been consistently featured in the GRFC analyses since 2016, reflecting continuing years of acute hunger, and currently representing 80% of the world’s most hungry.
  • There has also been an increase of 1 million people facing Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) levels of acute food insecurity across 39 countries and territories, with the biggest increase in Sudan.
  • Year-on-year Increase: It was mainly explained by increased analysis coverage, as well as deterioration in some countries / territories outweighing improvements in others.
  • More geographical areas experienced “new or intensified shocks” while there was a “marked deterioration in key food crisis contexts such as Sudan and the Gaza Strip.
  • Acute food insecurity deteriorated in 12 countries with comparable data between 2022 and 2023, where 13.5 million more people needed urgent assistance, mostly in Sudan.
  • Regional Impacts: Food insecurity worsened around the world in 2023, with some 282 million people suffering from acute hunger due to conflicts, particularly in Gaza and Sudan.
  • The Gaza Strip became the area with the most severe food crisis in the last eight years.
  • Sudan is facing one of the worst food crises in the world, with almost a third of the population in need of emergency food aid.
  • Prolonged major food crises are ongoing in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Syria and Yemen.
  • Worsening conditions in Haiti were due to political instability and reduced agricultural production.
  • Interconnection between Displacement & Acute Food Insecurity: In both Sudan and Gaza, the number of forcibly displaced people reached 90 million in the 59 countries, the highest in eight years of GRFC reporting, highlighting the high correlation between displacement and acute food insecurity.
  • Sudan became the world’s biggest internal displacement crisis. 
  • By the end of 2023, almost 80% of the population of the Gaza Strip was internally displaced.
  • Starvation: In 2023, more than 705,000 people were at the Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) level of food insecurity and at risk of starvation, the highest number in the GRFC’s reporting history. 
  • Famine: The current situation in the Gaza Strip accounts for 80% of those facing imminent famine, along with South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Somalia and Mali.
  • Funding: It is not keeping pace with need.
  • Also, the costs of distributing aid have risen.
  • Observed Improvement: The situation improved in 17 countries in 2023, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine, resulting in 7.2 million fewer people facing high levels of acute food insecurity.

Food Security:

  • World Food Summit of 1996: It defined food security as “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active, and healthy life”.

Dimensions:

  1. Availability: This refers to the presence of food within a country, including food produced domestically, imports, and stock stored in government granaries.
  2. Accessibility: It ensures that food is within reach of every individual without discrimination and everyone has the opportunity to obtain the food they need.
  3. Affordability: It means having enough financial resources to purchase sufficient, safe, and nutritious foodto meet one’s dietary requirements.

Need & Significance: 

  1. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal:Food security advances sustainable development by achieving one of its main goals (Goal 2- Zero Hunger) and supporting other related goals, such as poverty reduction, good health, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.
  2. Others:Food Security is required for a good Health and Nutrition, Economic & Social Stability, Environmental Sustainability, National Security, Human Dignity and Equity and other factors.

India’s Taken Initiatives:

  1. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana
  2. Eat Right India Movement
  3. POSHAN Abhiyan
  4. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
  5. Food Fortification
  6. National Food Security Act, 2013
  7. One Nation One Ration Card
  8. Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana
  9. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi
  10. Intensified Mission Indradhanush 3.0 Scheme

Key Drivers of Food Crises: 

  1. Intensifying conflict and insecurity, the impacts of economic shocks,and the effects of extreme weather events are accelerating the acute food insecurity.
  2. Concerning Impacts: These interlinked drivers are exacerbating food systems fragility, rural marginalization, poor governance, and inequality,and lead to massive displacement of populations globally.
  3. The protection situation of the displaced population is additionally impacted by food insecurity.

Key Drivers of Food Crises

Impact Observed

Conflict/Insecurity

  1. It remained the primary driver affecting 20 countries with nearly 135 million people in acute food insecurity, almost half of the global number.
  2. Sudan faced the largest deterioration due to conflict, with 8.6 million more people facing high levels of acute food insecurity as compared with 2022.
Extreme Weather Events
  1. These were the primary drivers (second most significant factor) in 18 countries where over 77 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity, up from 12 countries with 57 million people in 2022.
  2. In 2023, the world experienced its hottest year on record and climate related shocks impacted populations.
  3. The El Nino event and climate change-related weather phenomena made 2023 the hottest year on record.
  4. El Nino conditions, currently prevailing over the equatorial Pacific region, are generally responsible for warmer temperatures in many places around the world, including in India.

Economic Shocks

  1. These primarily affected 21 countries where around 75 million people were facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
  2. It is due to their high dependency on imported food and agricultural inputs, persisting macroeconomic challenges, including currency depreciation, high prices and high debt levels.

India’s Response to Global Food Crisis:

  1. India’s Traditional Belief: India sees the world as one family and that is linked to its Vedic tradition of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam— underlining its relevance not just for global peace, cooperation, environment protection but also for humanitarian response including rising global hunger and leaving no one behind.
  2. India’s humanitarian food assistance to the people of Afghanistan, through the United Nations Food Programme (where half of the population needs urgent food assistance to avert a famine) is an example of its commitment and commendable steps towards humanitarian crises.
  3. India’s Mainstreaming of Millets: India launched the ‘Millets and Other Ancient Grain International Research Initiative’ (MAHARISHI).
  4. It facilitated synergies and collaborations between nations, research institutes and civil society organizations to achieve Zero Hunger (SDG2).
  5. India’s role in declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets by the United Nations General Assembly is expected to create international recognition for these nutrient-rich crops.
  6. Public Stock holdings of Food Grains in the WTO: During the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), India has been vocal about the need for a permanent solution on public stock holding for food security purposes, allowing developing countries to subsidise agricultural production without facing trade sanctions.
  7. India is deeply concerned about the impact of agricultural subsidies and domestic support measures adopted by developed countries on its farmers’ livelihoods and food security.

Conference organized on ‘Challenges and Prospective Solutions in Inland Waterways and Shipbuilding’ at Kochi emphasizing holistic development of the maritime sector as envisioned in Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Government of India, along with Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) recently organized a two-day conference in Kochi, Kerala (23-24th April) on ‘Challenges and Prospective Solutions in Inland Waterways and Shipbuilding’, bringing together various state departments, industry experts and stakeholders to delve into pressing issues within the maritime sector.

  • The conference, which featured four insightful sessions, focused on the imperative of decarbonizing the maritime industry and addressed critical challenges in inland water transport and shipbuilding. Participants actively engaged in sharing key challenges faced by them and suggested possible interventions by the government in order to swiftly achieve the cargo modal shift to waterways, apart from boosting domestic shipbuilding.
  • Shri R Lakshmanan, Joint Secretary, MoPSW said “The two-day conference at Kochi successfully facilitated enriching discussions encompassing India’s key priorities including Green Transition of Inland Waterways, establishment of a dedicated Sectoral Maritime Development Fund, promoting domestic shipbuilding, etc.
  • This is one among many such meetings being conducted by the ministry to identify and address the key challenges faced by the maritime stakeholders in achieving the targets set forth in Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.”

  • The inaugural session brought to the fore MoPSW’s decarbonization efforts in the Inland Waterways sector being spearheaded by IWAI and CSL by deployment of Green Hydrogen Fuel Cell Inland Vessels, aligning with MoPSW’s Harit Nauka Guidelines.
  • Varanasi has been selected as the pilot location for immediate deployment on NW-1, with expansion plans informed by pilot learnings. It was discussed that discussions are ongoing with potential players for facilities such as bunkering, etc.
  • Furthemore, it was informed that due to its low emission qualities, Methanol is also actively considered as one of the key green fuels for EXIM Vessels globally as seen in the recent case of Maersk’s deployment of Methanol Powered Ships.
  • Going forward, it was suggested to explore mechanisms of developing indigenous development of Methanol marine engines in the country as a progressive step towards Green Transition of Inland Vessels.
  • The afternoon session delved into the pressing financing needs of India’s shipping sector, underscoring the mammoth investment requirement of approximately Rs 70-75 Lakh Crore as outlined in the Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
  • Despite this substantial need to support the country’s projected trade and economic expansion, there’s a notable absence of forthcoming finance sources, including bank credit and foreign investment. The discussion illuminated various financing challenges encountered by Indian maritime stakeholders, particularly in the shipping sector.
  • These challenges include the non-availability of long-term funding, which is crucial for sustainable growth, along with lower interest rates.
  • Additionally, the presence of fixed sectoral lending limits as per RBI credit concentration norms poses a significant hurdle, restricting the availability of credit by capping each bank’s exposure to individual companies or networks of companies. Moreover, the lack of asset-based financing by Banks/Financial Institutions (FIs) acts as a deterrent for shipping sector borrowers.
  • In response to these challenges Shri R Lakshmanan, Joint Secretary, MoPSW, shared insights into the ministry’s proactive efforts. The ministry is actively working on establishing a dedicated Maritime Development Fund, akin to established sectoral Financial Institutions such as Power Finance Corp. Ltd, REC, IRFC, etc.
  • This fund aims to cater to the unique and substantial funding requirements of the maritime sector, enabling the implementation of specific initiatives such as shipbuilding, decarbonization, green energy adoption, technology innovation, and manpower training and development.
  • Industry stakeholders warmly welcomed this initiative and provided valuable feedback, recognizing its potential to address the pressing financing needs and propel the holistic development of the maritime sector as envisioned in Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
  • The programme’s evening agenda included a tour of the Kochi Water Metro and projects under the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), highlighting the strategic focus on bolstering river cruise tourism, advancing urban water transport networks along inland waterways, and fostering the growth of coastal shipping.
  • The government recognizes IWT as a more economical and environmentally friendly mode of transportation.
  • In Day 2 of the conference, for the first session, stakeholders from various sectors including inland vessel operators, cruise operators, vessel builders, ship management companies, cargo owners, state water transport departments, and Kochi water metro convened to address challenges and explore possible interventions.
  • Discussions centered on traffic patterns along NW-3, NW-8, and NW-9, alongside initiatives aimed at optimizing cargo movement.
  • These efforts align with the goal of boosting the modal share of Inland Water Transport (IWT) to 5% by 2030 and 7% by 2047, as outlined in Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047.
  • The final session of the two-day conference centered on India’s shipbuilding capacity, highlighting its current global ranking at 22nd with less than 1% of global share. Discussions underscored the nation’s heavy reliance on foreign fleets for cargo movement, resulting in significant foreign exchange expenditure.
  • Stakeholders engaged in dialogues to understand and highlight financing and operational challenges faced by shipbuilders and owners, emphasizing the role of interventions in existing policies and necessary reforms to boost the Indian fleet size and ownership.
  • Key topics included enhancing frameworks, increasing research and development efforts, and advocating for global promotion of MAKV 2047 to attract international investment in Indian shipbuilding.
  • Participants were encouraged to submit their challenges, interventions, and policy suggestions post-conference for further consideration. With aspirations to become one of the top 5 shipbuilding nations by 2047, India is strategically focusing on expanding ship ownership and tonnage responsibly, thereby unlocking significant commercial opportunities within the shipbuilding sector.

Nephrotic Syndrome:

Researchers from Kerala have reported a series of cases where the regular use of fairness creams has been linked to nephrotic syndrome.

Nephrotic Syndrome:

  1. It is a kidney disorder that causes your body to pass too much protein in your urine.
  2. It usually results from a problem with your kidneys’ filters (glomeruli).
  • The kidneys remove waste and excess fluid from your blood through filtering units called nephrons.
  • Each nephron contains a filter (glomerulus), which removes waste and excess fluids from your blood and send them to your bladder as urine.
  • Common waste products include nitrogen waste (urea), muscle waste (creatinine), and acids.
  • In healthy kidneys, the glomeruli filter out waste products.
  • They allow your blood to retain thecells and proteins your body needs to function regularly.
  • Nephrotic syndrome usually happens when the glomeruli are inflamed, allowing too much protein to leak from your blood into your urine.

Causes:

  1. It is not a specific kidney disease.
  2. It can occur in any kidney disease that damages the filtering units in a certain way that allows them to leak protein into the urine.
  3. Some of the diseases that cause nephrotic syndrome, such as nephritis, affect only the kidney.
  4. Other diseases that cause nephrotic syndrome, such as diabetes and lupus, affect other parts of the body as well.

Symptoms: Signs and symptoms of nephrotic syndrome include:

  1. Severe swelling(edema), particularly around your eyes and in your ankles and feet
  2. Foamy urine, a result of excess protein in your urine
  3. High fat and cholesterol levels in the blood. The medical term for it is “hyperlipidemia.”
  4. Weight gain due to fluid retention
  5. Fatigue
  6. Loss of appetite

Nephrotic syndrome can lead to serious complications, including

  1. blood clots that can lead to thrombosis
  2. higher risk of infection caused by the loss of immunoglobulins, proteins in your blood that help fight viruses and bacteria
  3. high blood pressure, also called hypertension
  4. brief or long-lasting kidney problems,including chronic kidney disease and kidney failure

Treatment: It includes addressing the underlying cause and taking steps to reduce high blood pressure, high cholesterol, swelling and infection risks. Treatment usually includes medications and changes to your diet.

Strategic Triumph: India’s successful tests of new medium-range ballistic missile and air-launched Crystal Maze 2

The Ministry of Defence announced that the recent test launch confirmed the missile’s operational effectiveness and its integration with new technologies

Recently, under the aegis of Strategic Forces Command a new version of Medium-Range Ballistic Missile successfully launched in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Crystal Maze 2

It is an extended stand-off range air-to-surface ballistic missile of Israeli origin, also known as ROCKS.

  1. Popeye Missile : The Israeli-built Popeye is a medium-range conventional missilewhich can be fired from a stand-off distance of around 90 km, i.e., the aircraft doesn’t need to be vertically above the target to hit it. 
  2. SPICE: SPICE (Smart Precise Impact and Cost-Effective guidance kit)-2000 is mounted on a standard 2000-pound Mk 84 unguided bomb. This converts it into smart guided air-to-surface munition that can be dropped from a stand-off distance of up to 60 km.
  3. It is a “fire and forget” weapon that automatically goes to its target once launched relying only on its navigation/seeker system.
  • The missile, launched from a Su-30 fighter jet by the
  • This missile inherits many technologies from Popeye and SPICE which was used in the Balakot strike.

Features:

  1. This missile has the ability to strike targets located at distances exceeding 250 kilometers.
  2. It is designed for precision strikes on high-value targets.
  3. It is capable of engaging heavily fortified positions from long distances, ensuring minimal collateral damage.
  4. It is renowned for its accuracy and reliability in combat scenarios, making it a preferred choice for missions requiring surgical precision.
  5. The missile’s integration into various platforms enhances its operational flexibility and effectiveness in diverse combat environments.
  6. It operates effectively in GPS-denied areas like the one India faced during the Kargil War.
  7. It can breach regions secured by air defense systems.
  8. This system allows for the choice between penetration or blast fragmentation warheads, making it suitable for targeting both surface and heavily fortified underground facilities.

Ballistic Missile and Why is it Named So

  1. A Ballistic missile follows a ballistic flight path which comprises three phases of flight:
  2. First phase or the Boost Phase: The solid-fuel rocket engine propels the missile upward, requiring it to swiftly attain velocity and altitude as it penetrates through the dense layers of Earth’s atmosphere.
  3. Second and unpowered phase of flight: It happens in the upper reaches of the earth’s atmosphere or in space, where the missile travels along its pre-determined path, but without the power of its engines.
  4. It is known as the coast phase or mid-course phase and during this time, it travels along a horizontal path.
  5. During the coasting, the missile is either in space or the upper atmosphere, where it faces minimal resistance or drag.
  6. Third and final phase or the terminal phase: The missile descends and gets back into the earth’s atmosphere and flies towards its target, while being guided by its on-board systems.

Strategic Forces Command (SFC):

  1. It is also sometimes known as Strategic Nuclear Command,forms part of India’s Nuclear Command Authority (NCA, which is responsible for command-and-control decisions regarding India’s nuclear weapons programme).
  2. The SFC is in charge of handling the country’s nuclear arsenal, while the DRDO is responsible for developing weapons systems and related military technologies.
  3. It was created on 4th of January, 2003
  4. It comprises personnel from the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. 

The Commander-in-Chief (CinC), a 3-star General, is appointed on a rotational basis from the three services.
Significance for India: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully conducted tests on this missile and aims to procure it in large numbers under the Make in India initiative. This move highlights India’s dedication to achieving self-sufficiency in defense manufacturing.

Payment Aggregator (PA)

  • The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has floated two consultation papers seeking enhanced regulation of payment aggregators carrying out face-to-face transactions.

Payment Aggregator (PA):

  1. A PA (also known as a merchant aggregator) is a third-party service provider that allows merchants to accept payments from customers by integrating it into their websites or apps.
  2. PAs enable their clients to accept various payment methods such as debit cards, credit cards, cardless EMIs, UPI, bank transfers, e-wallets, and e-mandates.
  3. PA provides a stack of multiple payment methods to merchants so that their customers can payusing their preferred mode of payment.
  4. Also, a payment aggregator does fund settlement, i.e., it moves the money from banks and other issuing entities to the merchants.
  5. Similarly, they also enable disbursing payments to various stakeholders, such as partners, employees, suppliers, and authorities.
  6. It allows merchants to accept bank transfers without setting up a bank-based merchant account. It means a merchant need not have a merchant account directly with the bank.
  7. A PA in India is incorporated under the Companies Act 2013.
  8. A PA can be a bank or a non-bank entity.
  9. Since a PA handles funds, it requires a license from the RBI
  10. Only non-bank PAs require unique authorization from RBI as ‘handling funds’ is considered a part of the normal banking relationships for bank PAs.
  11. Examples: Amazon (Pay) India, Google India, Razorpay, Pine Labs, etc.

Payment Gateway

  1. It is a software service that connects your bank account to the platform where you need to transfer your money.
  2. It authorizes you to conduct an online transaction through different payment modes like net banking, credit card, debit card, UPI, or other online wallets.
  3. A Payment gateway plays the role of a third party that securely transfers your money from the bank account to the merchant’s payment portal.
Payment Aggregator v/s Payment Gateway:

  • A payment gateway is a software that allows online transactions to take place, while a payment aggregator is the inclusion of all these payment gateways.
  • While a payment gateway is an intermediary, the payment aggregator is the interface where the payment gateway processes the transactions.
  • Most payment aggregators own payment gateways to offer various exclusive services to their merchant customers.

Microsoft unveils Phi-3-mini, its smallest AI model yet: How it compares to bigger models

Microsoft claims that its latest small language models have outperformed several AI models of its size, as well as bigger ones. It said that India’s ITC also leveraged the new Phi-3-mini.

A few days after Meta unveiled its Llama 3 Large Language Model (LLM), Microsoft unveiled the latest version of its ‘lightweight’ AI model – the Phi-3-Mini.

Phi-3-Mini

  • It is believed to be first among the three ‘small models’ that Microsoft is planning to release.
  • Other Two Models: Phi-3-small (7B) and Phi-3-Medium will be available shortly.
  • It has outperformed models of the same size and the next size upacross a variety of benchmarks, in areas like language, reasoning, coding, and math.
  • Variants:It is available in two variants, one with 4K context window, and another with 128K 
  • Theses model is instruction-tuned, which means that it is trained to follow the different types of instructions given by users.
  • This also means that the model is ‘ready to use out-of-the-box’.

Potential uses:

  • Providing summaries of long documents or trends within market research
  • Also, marketing and sales departments could use it to write product descriptions or social media posts.
  • It could also under pin a customer chatbot to answer basic questions about products and services.

Language Models

  • Language models are the backbone of AI applications like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini,  These models are trained on existing data to solve common language problems such as text classification, answering questions, text generation, document summarisation, etc.
  • Large Language Models (LLMs) : LLMs are large general-purpose language models that can be pre-trained and then fine-tuned for specific purposes.
  • ‘Large’ in LLMs has two meanings — the enormous size of training data; and the parameter count. 
  • In the field of Machine Learning, where machines are equipped to learn things themselves without being instructed, parameters are the memories and knowledge that a machine has learned during its model training.
  • They define the skill of the model in solving a specific problem.
  • Small Language Models (SLMs):  SLMs are more streamlined versions of large language models. 
  • When compared to LLMs, smaller AI models are also cost-effective to develop and operate, and
  • They perform better on smaller devices like laptops and smartphones.
  • SLMs are great for resource-constrained environments including on-device and offline inference scenarios.

Indian Air Force ushers in Digital Transformation with DigiLocker Integration

  • Indian Air Force (IAF) embarked on a transformative digital journey by integrating with the Digi Locker platform, a flagship initiative under the Digital India programme, here on April 26, 2024. In a ceremonial event held at Air Headquarters, Vayu Bhawan, the IAF and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) signed the momentous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to leverage DigiLocker’s secure and accessible document repository services.
  • This pioneering integration will revolutionize the way critical service documents of IAF personnel, both serving and retired, are issued, accessed, and verified digitally. By harnessing the power of cutting-edge technology, the IAF reaffirms its commitment to data security, operational efficiency, and seamless access to information.

Key Highlights:

  1. Authorized IAF departments and divisions will now be able to seamlessly upload digital records, certificates, and vital documents to the national Digi Locker repository, ensuring secure storage and easy accessibility.
  2. IAF officers will have direct access to their crucial documents, such as the Certificate of Service (COS) and Service Book Officers (SBO), through their personal DigiLocker wallets, enabling convenient retrieval and verification.
  3. The integration with DigiLocker will streamline various processes within the IAF, including the Agniveer Vayu recruitment, where candidate’s academic document verification will be conducted digitally, enhancing transparency and credibility.
  4. The MoU was signed between Air vice Marshal Phillip Thomas, ACAS (PO) l, Indian Air Force, and Shri Akash Tripathi, President & CEO, NeGD, MeitY, marking a collaborative effort towards digital empowerment.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, lauded this initiative as “a watershed moment in India’s digital transformation journey, catalyzing governance through technological empowerment of citizens and the armed forces alike”.

With over 269 million registered users and a staggering 6.73 billion issued documents, DigiLocker is rapidly emerging as a national standard for digital document exchange platform.

The IAF’s integration with DigiLocker signifies a significant stride towards comprehensive digital transformation, aligning with the nation’s technological prowess and the armed forces’ modernization efforts.

SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Kazakhstan endorses ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’

  • Defence Secretary reiterates India’s steadfast commitment towards maintaining peace, stability & security in SCO region Calls for adopting zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism
  • Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan on April 26, 2024. During the meeting, a protocol was signed by the Defence Ministers of all SCO Member States.

  • A Joint Communique was issued after the meeting, in which the SCO Defence Ministers agreed, amongst other initiatives, to developing the idea of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, which is rooted in the ancient Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.
  • At the meeting, the Defence Secretary reiterated India’s steadfast commitment towards maintaining peace, stability and security in the SCO region.
  • He emphasised the need to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism in all its forms for prosperity and development of the SCO Member States. Shri Giridhar Aramane mentioned about India’s long-standing proposal of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations.
  • He also highlighted the concept of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)’, proposed by India for the Indo-Pacific.

World Energy Congress 2024: IREDA CMD highlights need for Innovative Financing Solutions for New and Emerging Renewable Energy Technologies

  1. Chairperson & Managing Director of Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA)Shri Pradip Kumar Das participated in a panel discussion on “The New Interdependencies: Trust, Security and Climate Resilience”, at the 26th edition of World Energy Congress in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
  2. During the discussion, the IREDA CMD shared insights into India’s journey towards energy transition and underscored IREDA’s crucial role in advancing renewable energy adoption within the country.
  3. He said that India’s ambitious goal of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil-fuel energy capacity by the year 2030 positions it as a beacon of hope in the global fight against climate change. He also highlighted India’s commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions by the year 2070.
  4. He pointed out that with rapid progress in renewable energy sector, India stands fourth globally in renewable energy installed capacity.
  5. As the largest pure-play green financing NBFC of the country, IREDA plays a pivotal role in expediting energy transition. The CMD emphasized IREDA’s efforts in facilitating financing for energy transition projects, through utilization of innovative financial instruments to mitigate risks and encouraging private sector involvement in the renewable energy sector.
  6. The World Energy Congress panel also discussed the ongoing global energy crisis, with the CMD stressing the importance of diversification and robust infrastructure to ensure energy security. He emphasized the significance of integrating regional markets through strong power networks. He also proposed the mandate of allocating 4%-5% of Assets Under Management (AUM) from domestic pension / insurance funds into renewable energy bonds, to deepen the bond market and increase additional global and local investments.
  7. In conclusion, the CMD reaffirmed IREDA’s constant commitment to a green economy. The company continues to attract investments, foster technological advancements, and advocate for policy reforms. The CMD said that as India progresses towards achieving Net Zero emissions by 2070, IREDA remains at the forefront, guiding the way towards a sustainable and secure energy future.
  8. Senior Vice President, Europe & Head of Country, UK, bp, Ms. Louise Kingham CBE; Global Energy & Resources Strategy Leader, EY, Mr. Andy Brogan; and Administrator, Panama Canal Authority, Mr. Ricuarte Vásquez Morales were the other participants in the panel discussion on “The New Inter dependencies: Trust, Security and Climate Resilience”, held on 24thApril, 2024.

National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID):

The Union government is expected to roll out a new test designed by the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID) to diagnose specific learning disabilities (SLDs) in adults in India.

National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID):

  1. NIEPID (formerly the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped), established in 1984, is an autonomous bodyunder the administrative control of the Deparment of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
  2. It is dedicated to provide quality services to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities(Divyangjan) in the national interest.
  3. It is the apex body functioning for training, research, and surveys in the field of intellectual disability in the country.
  4. The institute is headquartered in Secunderabad, Telangana, and has regional centres in Kolkata, Navi Mumbai, and Noida.
  5. It empowers persons with intellectual disabilities(Divyangjan) to access state-of-the-art rehabilitation interventions, educational, therapeutic, vocational, employment, leisure and social activities, sports, cultural programmes, and full participation.

Objectives

  1. Human Resources Development
  2. Research and Development
  3. Development of models of care and rehabilitation.
  4. Documentation and dissemination.
  5. Consultancy services to voluntary organizations
  6. Community Based Rehabilitation
  7. Extension and Outreach programmes
  • To achieve optimum results, the institute has developed and introduced innovative structured training courses like Early Intervention, Rehabilitation Psychology, Special Education, and Disability Rehabilitation at the Masters level.

The Institute conducts international and national-level Conference/Seminars/Workshops on Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (Divyangjan) in partnership with leading voluntary organizations and parent associations.

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