News In Short 02-11-2024

WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2024

Syllabus: GS2/Health

Context

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted both progress and ongoing challenges in India’s fight against tuberculosis (TB) in its latest Global TB Report.

About

• Global TB Cases: TB remains the leading infectious killer, surpassing COVID-19, with 8.2 million new cases in 2023.
• India’s TB Burden: India, with the highest TB burden globally, recorded 2.8 million cases in 2023. India alone accounted for 26% of global cases and 29% of global TB deaths (315,000 deaths).
  • India is followed by Indonesia (10%), China (6.8%), the Philippines (6.8%), and Pakistan (6.3%).
• Multidrug-Resistant TB: India represents 27% of the world’s multi-drug-resistant TB cases, underscoring the need for specialized treatment approaches.

What is Tuberculosis?

• Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that most often affects the lungs and is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis.  
• It spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze or spit.
• Symptoms: prolonged cough (sometimes with blood), chest pain, weakness, fatigue, weight loss, fever, night sweats.
  • While TB usually affects the lungs, it also affects the kidneys, brain, spine and skin.
• Treatment: It is preventable and curable with antibiotics.
  • TB Vaccine: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine remains the only licensed vaccine against TB; it provides moderate protection against severe forms of TB (TB meningitis) in infants and young children.
• India’s goal is to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030.

Source: IE

State Formation Day

Syllabus: GS 2/Governance 

In News 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings on the formation day of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh, highlighting each state’s unique qualities.

Independence and Formation of states 

• On Independence Day, British rule ended, creating two dominions, India and Pakistan.
• Over 550 princely states had the choice to join either nation, with most joining India.
• Integration of Princely States: The Indian National Congress had envisioned a union of states, and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led efforts to integrate princely states. Hyderabad and Junagadh were incorporated after military action, and Kashmir joined India under pressure.
• Early Linguistic Underpinnings: The Indian National Congress accepted the idea of linguistic provinces in 1920. The S.K. Dhar and JVP committees initially rejected linguistic reorganization.
• First Linguistic State (1953): Andhra Pradesh was created for Telugu speakers after Potti Sriramulu’s protest. This triggered the formation of the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), leading to the States Reorganisation Act of 1956.
• States and Union Territories in 1956: The Act formed 14 states and six union territories, based primarily on linguistic lines.
• Bombay Reorganisation (1960): Due to linguistic movements, Maharashtra and Gujarat were formed from Bombay State.
• Punjab Reorganisation (1966): The Punjabi Suba movement led to Punjab for Punjabi speakers, Haryana for Hindi speakers, and the creation of Himachal Pradesh.
• Integration of Goa, Daman, and Diu (1961): Indian troops captured these Portuguese territories, making Goa a state in 1987 and Daman and Diu a Union Territory.
• North-East Reorganisation: Post-independence, Assam was initially the only northeastern state. Movements led to statehood for Nagaland (1963), Meghalaya (1972), Manipur, and Tripura. Arunachal Pradesh gained statehood in 1982.
  • Sikkim’s Merger (1975): Sikkim transitioned from a protectorate to an Indian state, with the monarchy abolished.
• 2000s State Formation for Development: Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Uttarakhand were formed to address underdevelopment in specific regions of larger states.
• Creation of Telangana (2014): Long-standing demands led to Telangana’s formation out of Andhra Pradesh due to perceived neglect of the region’s infrastructure and resources.
• Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (2019): Special status was revoked, creating the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, aiming for economic and security benefits.

Source: TH 

Asset Recovery Interagency Network-Asia Pacific (ARIN-AP)

Syllabus: GS 3/Economy 

In News 

• India, through its Directorate of Enforcement (ED), has joined the Steering Committee of the Asset Recovery Interagency Network-Asia Pacific (ARIN-AP).

About ARIN-AP

• ARIN-AP, with 28 member jurisdictions and nine observers, enables cross-border collaboration for asset tracing, freezing, and confiscation through a network of contact points. 
• It is part of the Global CARIN Network dedicated to combating the proceeds of crime across Asia-Pacific. 
• It facilitates intelligence-sharing, helping agencies trace and recover assets linked to crimes across borders.
• India is set to assume the ARIN-AP presidency and host its Annual General Meeting in 2026, reinforcing its leadership in asset recovery
• This role will enhance India’s involvement in ARIN-AP’s decision-making and administrative processes, supporting global asset recovery efforts.

Source:TH 

First ‘black hole triple’ System Discovered

Syllabus: GS3/ Space

In News

• Astronomers have found a rare triple black hole system called V404 Cygni that changes our understanding of how black holes form.

About

• Located about 8,000 light-years from Earth, V404 Cygni has a black hole with two orbiting stars—one very close, circling every 6.5 days, and a second much farther away, around 100 times the distance of Pluto from our Sun.
• Insights from V404 Cygni
• This V404 Cygni system suggests a different formation method called “direct collapse,” where a black hole forms quietly without a supernova explosion. Thousands of simulations confirmed that this was the most likely way V404 Cygni’s black hole formed, sparing the second, distant star from being ejected by a violent explosion.

What is Black Hole?

• It is a region in space with such strong gravity that nothing, not even light, can escape from it. According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, a black hole is created when a large mass becomes very compact, bending spacetime. The boundary of no return is called the event horizon.
• Types: There are four main types of black holes:
  • Stellar Black Holes: Formed by collapsing stars.
  • Intermediate Black Holes: Larger than stellar but smaller than supermassive.
  • Supermassive Black Holes (SMBH): The largest type, found at the centers of galaxies, like Sagittarius A* in our galaxy.
  • Micro Black Holes: Very small, hypothetical black holes, proposed by Stephen Hawking in 1971.
• Black holes form when a massive star runs out of fuel. Stars shine because of nuclear fusion, which pushes outward against gravity. But when a star exhausts its fuel, this outward pressure stops, and gravity takes over, causing the star to collapse.

Source: TH

LiDAR

Source: GS3/Science and Technology

Context

• Scientists have detected a lost Mayan city, hidden for centuries by the dense Mexican jungle, using LiDAR.

About

• LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, is a  remote sensing technology that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges of a sensor, usually mounted aboard an aircraft.
  • Data can be used to create high-resolution 3-D models of ground elevation.
• Working: LiDAR instrumentation comprises a laser, a scanner, and a GPS receiver. 
  • The rapidly firing laser travels to the ground where it hits vegetation, building, and various topographic features. 
  • This light is reflected or scattered, and recorded by the LiDAR sensor.
• Significance: LiDAR is used to generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics.
  • This is useful information for geographers, policy makers, conservationists, and engineers. 

Source: IE

Durgesh Aranya Zoological Park

Syllabus: GS3/Biodiversity and Conservation

Context

• Himachal Pradesh is set to introduce India’s first IGBC-certified zoological park in Kangra’s Dehra constituency.
  • The Durgesh Aranya Zoological Park, located in Bankhandi, will feature sustainable and eco-friendly infrastructure, making it a pioneer in green-certified wildlife parks.

Indian Green Building Council

• It is a part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and was established in 2001. 
• Its primary goal is to promote sustainable building practices in India and to facilitate the development of green buildings.
• IGBC develops various rating systems for different types of buildings, including residential, commercial, and institutional projects. 
• These ratings help in assessing the environmental performance of buildings and encourage the adoption of green practices in construction.

Source: HT

Air Quality Index (AQI)

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment Pollution

In Context

• The air quality in many places in India took a hit, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching more than 300, which is categorized as “very poor.”

About Air Quality Index (AQI)

• The AQI is a measure launched in 2014 as part of the Swachh Bharat campaign to help people understand air pollution levels. The AQI condenses pollution data into a single, easy-to-read score and color code:
  • Good (0-50)
  • Satisfactory (50-100)
  • Moderately polluted (100-200)
  • Poor (200-300)
  • Very Poor (300-400)
  • Severe (400-500)
• The AQI score is based on several pollutants, including PM 2.5, PM 10, nitrogen dioxide, and others.

Health Impact of PM 2.5 and PM 10

• Smaller pollutants like PM 2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometers) are particularly harmful as they can enter the lungs and bloodstream, potentially causing asthma, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.

Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)

• The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a framework designed to combat air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region. It was introduced as an emergency response mechanism, and its implementation is triggered when the AQI reaches “poor” levels. 
• The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas oversees the implementation of GRAP. It collaborates with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• The GRAP for Delhi-NCR is divided into four stages of air quality — Stage 1 for “poor” Air Quality Index (AQI) ranging between 201 and 300, Stage 2 for “very poor” AQI of 301-400, Stage 3 for “severe” AQI of 401-450 and Stage 4 for “severe plus” AQI more than 450.
• This plan enforces emergency measures to reduce pollution, such as banning coal use in eateries, restricting diesel generators, and other actions to curb emissions.

Source: IE

Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR

Syllabus: GS 3/Defence

Context

• The 15th edition of India-US joint Special Forces Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR commenced at Orchard Combat Training Centre in Idaho, USA.

About

• Initiated in 2010, the exercise will enhance combined capabilities in executing joint Special Forces Operations in desert/ semi desert environment.
• Aim of Exercise VAJRA PRAHAR is to promote military cooperation between India and the US through enhancement of interoperability, jointness and mutual exchange of special operations tactics.

Other Military Exercises involving India-USA

• Bilateral Military Exercises: Yudh Abhyas (Army), Cope India (Air Force), Tiger Triumph (Tri-Service) and Sangam (Naval Special Forces).
• Multilateral Military Exercises: Malabar (Navy), Rim-of-the-Pacific (RIMPAC, Navy), Milan (Navy), La Perouse (Navy), Pitch Black (Air Force), and Red Flag (Air Force).

Source: PIB

Exercise GARUD SHAKTI

Syllabus: GS 3/Defence

Context

• The 9th edition of India-Indonesia Joint Special Forces Exercise GARUD SHAKTI commenced at Jakarta, Indonesia.

About

• The first edition was conducted in the year 2012 in India. 
• Aim: To acquaint both the sides with each other’s operating procedures, enhance mutual understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the Special Forces of both armies.

Do you know?

• Exercise Samudra Shakti and the IND-INDO CORPAT (India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol) are conducted between the Indian Navy and the Indonesian Navy. However, no regular bilateral air exercises are held between the two powers.

Source: PIB