News In Short 11-10-2024

Brahmi Inscription

Syllabus: GS1/ Art & Culture

In News

• A Brahmi Inscription found from the 2nd century C.E. in Dharanikota village, Amaravathi mandal in Andhra Pradesh.
  • Engraved on a memorial pillar, the inscription is written in Prakrit language using Brahmi script.

About Brahmi Inscription

• Brahmi is one of the oldest writing systems of the Indian subcontinent, dating back to the Mauryan Period. 
• Early Brahmi inscriptions were typically written in Prakrit, an ancient language, though later inscriptions were written in Sanskrit.
  • It is the precursor of many modern Indian scripts, including Devanagari, Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, and others.
• Brahmi inscriptions have been found in various regions of India, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.
• Brahmi played a key role in spreading Buddhist texts and inscriptions throughout South Asia and beyond, into Southeast Asia and Central Asia.

Source: TH

MLALAD Fund

Syllabus :GS 2/Governance 

In News

• The Delhi Cabinet approved a proposal to increase the annual MLA Local Area Development (MLALAD) fund from ₹10 crore to ₹15 crore to accelerate project implementation ahead of the Assembly elections.

About MLALAD fund

• MLA Local Area Development (MLALAD) fund allows Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to allocate funds for development works within their respective constituencies. 
• Purpose: These funds are meant to address local needs, promote infrastructure development, and enhance the quality of life for residents.
  • They are issued to MLAs for local development such as repairing roads, and streetlights, developing parks, and laying sewer lines in colonies.
• Process: Each MLA has the choice to suggest to the Deputy Commissioner of his/her district, to the extent of allocations given from year to year, to be taken up by his/her constituency.
  • The amount provided under MLALAD Scheme is released in the form of Grant-in-aid for utilisation by the districts or local authorities.
  • The unspent amount from the MLALAD fund does not lapse and is allocated to the MLA in the next financial year.

Source  :TH

National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) 

Syllabus: GS2/Indian Polity

Context

• The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) tenders advice to the Union Government for inclusion of certain Castes/Communities from Maharashtra, in the Central List of OBCs.

National Commission for Backward Classes 

• It was initially constituted by the Central Govt by the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 and so far the Commission had been reconstituted 7 times up to 2016. 
• The present Commission (8th) has been accorded Constitutional Status and constituted through “The Constitution (One Hundred and Second Amendment) Act, 2018”.
  • Article 338B has been inserted, forming a Commission for the socially and educationally backward classes to be known as National Commission for Backward Classes. 
  • It consists of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and three other Members in the rank & pay of Secretary to the Govt of India.
• Article 340 of the Constitution provides for the appointment of a Commission to investigate the conditions of and the difficulties faced by the socially and educationally backward classes and to make appropriate recommendations .

Source: PIB

Climate Risk Information System

Syllabus :GS 3/Economy/Environment

In News

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed the Reserve Bank – Climate Risk Information System (RB-CRIS) to address fragmented climate-related data, which poses risks to the financial system.

Reserve Bank – Climate Risk Information System (RB-CRIS)

• It will be  in two parts, to bridge the gap in climate-related data that is currently available in a fragmented manner.
  • Part One: A web-based directory that will list various publicly accessible data sources, including meteorological and geospatial data, on the RBI’s website.
  • Part Two: A data portal with standardized datasets, accessible only to regulated entities in a phased manner.
• Purpose: It aims to support regulated entities in conducting climate risk assessments to maintain the stability of their balance sheets and the overall financial system.
  • High-quality data on local climate scenarios, forecasts, and emissions is essential for effective risk assessments.

Source  :TH

Coastal Slag

Syllabus: GS1/Geography

Context

• Researchers documented a new kind of sedimentary rock made from coastal slag deposits in the U.K.

About

• Slag is a major component of artificial ground. It is a composite material containing metal oxides and silicon dioxide, and is a by-product of the steelmaking process in the iron and steel industries.
• This rock follows other formations like molten glass and steel in the refuse of nuclear weapon tests and pieces of plastic pieces floating in oceans that disease-causing bacteria have grabbed hold of.
• The lithification process hardens industrial waste, including slag, into sedimentary rocks, creating artificial ground.
  • When these sedimentary rocks weather over time, they release sediments into the environment.
• Because the rocks are infused with industrial waste, their sediments often contain toxic metals that contaminate soil, water, and air.

Source: TH

Anaconda Strategy

Syllabus: GS3/ Defence

Context

• Taiwan’s navy commander recently claimed that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is using an ‘anaconda strategy’ to squeeze the island nation.

What is Anaconda Strategy?

• It refers to a military strategy aimed at slowly encircling and cutting off an enemy’s resources, effectively “squeezing” them into submission without direct confrontation. 
• The strategy was proposed by Union General Winfield Scott during the early stages of the American Civil War.
  • The primary objective of this strategy was to suffocate the Confederacy economically and militarily, similar to how an anaconda snake coils around and asphyxiates its prey. 
• China’s ‘anaconda strategy’ against Taiwan reportedly involves a mix of military maneuvers, psychological tactics, and cyber warfare to eventually weaken Taiwan’s defenses. 

Source: The Economist

150 years of Universal Postal Union

Syllabus: Miscellaneous

Context

• Year 2024, commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

About

• The Universal Postal Union is a United Nations specialized agency and the postal sector’s primary forum for international cooperation.
• Origin: On 9 October 1874, 22 countries signed the Treaty of Bern, creating the General Postal Union.
  • Later it became known as the Universal Postal Union. 
• Member countries: The UPU has 192 member countries.
  • Any member country of the United Nations may become a member of the UPU.
  • Any non-member country of the United Nations may become a UPU member provided that its request is approved by at least two-thirds of the member countries of the UPU. 
• Headquarters: The Swiss capital Berne 
• Consists of 4 bodies;
  • The Congress: It is the supreme authority; meets every four years.
  • The Council of Administration: It supervises its activities and studies regulatory, administrative, legislative and legal issues.
  • The Postal Operations Council: It is the technical and operational mind of the UPU and consists of 48 member countries, elected during Congress.
  • The International Bureau: It provides logistical and technical support.

World Post Day – World Post Day is annually observed across the globe on 9th October. – It was first declared at the UPU Congress in Tokyo in 1969 to highlight the essential role of postal services globally. – Theme for 2024: 150 years of enabling communication and empowering peoples across nations

Source: UPU

Nobel Prize in Literature

Syllabus: Awards/ Miscellaneous 

In News

• The 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to South Korean author Han Kang for her “intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”
  • Also, her breakthrough novel, The Vegetarian (2007), translated into English in 2015, won the Man Booker International Prize in 2016.

About Nobel Prize

• Established by Alfred Nobel in his will, which dedicated the bulk of his fortune to the creation of the Nobel Prizes. Nobel is best known for inventing dynamite. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901.
• The awards ceremony takes place in Stockholm, Sweden, for all categories except the Peace Prize, which is presented in Oslo, Norway.
• The Nobel Prizes are awarded annually in the following six categories:
  • Peace
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Medicine (Physiology)
  • Literature
  • Economic Sciences: This was added in 1968 by Sweden’s central bank in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
• Since 1974, the Nobel Prizes cannot be awarded posthumously, except in cases where the recipient dies after the prize has been announced.

Source: TH

Horseshoe Crab

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment, Species in News

Context

• Horseshoe crabs are in demand for the medical industry.

About Horseshoe Crab

• Horseshoe crabs are marine and brackish water arthropods of the family Limulidae and the only living members of the order Xiphosura.
• They have been around for more than 300 million years, making them even older than dinosaurs. 

• Habitat: The eggs are laid on coastal beaches in late spring and summer. After hatching, the juvenile horseshoe crabs can be found offshore on the sandy ocean floor of tidal flats. Adult horseshoe crabs feed deeper in the ocean until they return to the beach to spawn.
  • Maximum density of Horseshoe crabs is found along the Odisha coast and Balasore used to be the largest spawning ground. 
• Threats: Overharvesting for use as food, bait and biomedical testing, and because of habitat loss from coastal reclamation and development. 
• Medicinal Use: A horseshoe crab’s bright blue blood is used to test vaccines, drugs and medical devices to ensure that they aren’t contaminated with dangerous bacterial toxins.
  • Their blood contains a special clotting agent limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) which detects a contaminant called endotoxin. 
• Every year, pharmaceutical companies roundup half a million Atlantic horseshoe crabs, bleed them, and return them to the ocean after which many will die. 

Conservation Status: The American horseshoe crab is listed as Vulnerable to extinction and the tri-spine horseshoe crab is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

• Horseshoe crabs are listed under Schedule IV of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Source: TH