News In Short 26-10-2024

Lake Erie

Syllabus: GS1/Geography

Context

• Researchers in a lab near Lake Erie study how toxic algae can damage health.

About

• Lake Erie is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and is the fourth largest by surface area. 
• It’s bordered by the United States to the south and Canada to the north.

• It is the 13th largest lake in the world by surface area.
• The 2nd smallest of the Great Lakes by surface area.
• Great Lakes is the chain of deep freshwater lakes in east-central North America comprising Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. 

Source: IE

National Mission for Manuscripts

Syllabus: GS1(Art)/ GS 2/Governance 

In News 

• The Union Ministry of Culture is  planning  to revive the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) , considering creating an autonomous body, potentially named the National Manuscripts Authority, for preserving ancient texts.

About National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) 

• It was launched in 2003 by India’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
• It aims to discover and preserve India’s vast collection of manuscripts, estimated at around ten million, covering various themes, scripts, languages, and artistic styles.
• Its core mandate is to identify, document, conserve, and make accessible India’s manuscript heritage.
• Achievements include creating metadata for 5.2 million manuscripts and digitizing over 300,000 titles, though only one-third have been uploaded.
• Issues noted included mismatches between digitized metadata and manuscripts and limited access, with 70,000 of 130,000 uploaded manuscripts viewable due to lack of an access policy, especially affecting private manuscript owners who hold 80% of manuscripts.

Source : TH 

Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) 

Syllabus :GS 3/Economy 

In News 

• The government has doubled the loan limit under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) to ₹20 lakh to enhance entrepreneurship in India. 

About Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) 

• It was launched by the Prime Minister on April 8, 2015 for providing loans up to Rs.10 Lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises
• It aims to provide financial inclusiveness and support to the marginalised and hitherto socio-economically neglected classes.
• Categories : MUDRA loans are offered in three categories namely, ‘Shishu’, ‘Kishore And ‘Tarun’ which signifies the stage of growth or development and funding needs of the borrowers:-
  • Shishu: covering loans upto Rs. 50,000/-
  • Kishore: covering loans above Rs. 50,000/- and up to Rs. 5 lakhs 
  •  Tarun: covering loans above Rs. 5 lakh and up to Rs. 10 lakh.
• Latest Developments : A new “Tarun Plus” category will be introduced for loans ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹20 lakh, specifically for eligible entrepreneurs.
  • This change, announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the Union Budget 2024-25, aims to support entrepreneurs who have previously taken and successfully repaid loans under the “Tarun category.”
  • The guarantee coverage of PMMY loans for amounts up to ₹20 lakh will be provided under the Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units (CGFMU).

Source : TH 

Mormugao Port

Syllabus :GS 3/Economy 

In News 

• Mormugao Port Authority has received global recognition as an incentive provider on the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) portal, acknowledged by the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH

About Mormugao Port

• Mormugao Port was established in 1885 on Goa’s west coast
• It is one of India’s oldest ports with a natural, protected harbour at the mouth of the Zuari River.
• It supports Goa’s export industry and became a major national port in 1964, contributing significantly to India’s economic growth
• It is India’s first to introduce Green Ship Incentives through the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) with its “Harit Shrey” program, launched in October 2023, offering discounts based on ships’ ESI scores.
• In August 2024, the IAPH Secretary General praised the port’s commitment to green shipping, noting Mormugao’s leadership in Asia alongside Japan and Oman.
  • Many ships have benefited from incentives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the port has submitted the scheme for IAPH Sustainability Awards. 

Source: PIB 

NAFED

Syllabus: GS3/ Agriculture

Context

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by PM has appointed Deepak Agarwal as the new Managing Director of the National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED).

About NAFED 

• It was established on October 2, 1958 with the objective to promote Co-operative marketing of agricultural produce to benefit the farmers.
• It is registered under the Multi State Co-operative Societies Act and comes under the Ministry of Agriculture.

Source: IE

SPICE 2000 Bomb

Syllabus: GS3/ Defence

In News

• Israel launched a SPICE 2000 bomb to destroy a building in Beirut.

About SPICE Bomb

• The SPICE 2000 is a type of guided bomb, often referred to as a “smart bomb.”
• It is made by Israel’s owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. 
• SPICE bombs use advanced guidance systems to accurately target specific locations.
• The system utilizes both GPS and electro-optical sensors to navigate and target specific locations.

Source: TOI

Flue Gas Desulfurisation (FGD) 

Syllabus: GS3/S&T

Context

• The Punjab government might face a penalty for its failure to comply with timely installation of Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) systems in thermal power plants (TPPs) across the state.

About

• Flue Gas Desulphurisation is a set of technologies used to remove sulfur dioxide (SO₂) from exhaust flue gases of fossil-fuel power plants and other industrial processes. 
• This is crucial for reducing air pollution and meeting environmental regulations. 
• The FGD systems — to control sulphur dioxide (SO₂) emissions — was mandated by the Ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF&CC) across India in 2015. 

Source: DTE

Nature Conservation Index (2024)

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

In News

• India ranked 176th (out of 180) with a score of 45.5, signifying poor performance in the nature conservation Index.

Reasons for Low Ranking

• High pressure on natural resources due to growing population density
• Inadequate enforcement of conservation policies

About the Index

• It is developed by Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of Negev.
• The NCI uses four key markers to assess a country’s conservation efforts:
  • Land Management, Threats to Biodiversity, Capacity and Governance, Future Trends
• The NCI report highlights the critical need for India to improve its conservation efforts to secure a sustainable and ecologically friendly future.

Source: DTE

World’s 1st Global Ecosystem Atlas

Syllabus: GS3/Biodiversity and Conservation

Context

• World’s 1st global ecosystem atlas is unveiled at the 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

About

• The tool, developed by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), is the first of its kind to focus on mapping and monitoring ecosystems around the world.
• The Atlas combines existing national ecosystem maps and fills in gaps using advanced techniques, such as Earth observation, artificial intelligence and field data collections.
• It is open-source, it would be freely accessible to all.
• It provides important information about the health and risks facing various ecosystems, which can help governments, businesses, financial institutions and local communities make better decisions for sustainable management. 

Source: DTE

The Mukaab: World’s Largest Building

Syllabus: Miscellaneous 

Context

• Saudi Arabia has officially commenced construction of the Mukaab — if completed, it is set to become the world’s largest structure. 

About

• Located in the capital city of Riyadh, this 400m cube-shaped building will encompass a staggering two million square metres of floor space, equivalent to twenty times that of New York’s iconic Empire State Building.
• The ‘Mukaab’ is part of the ambitious ‘New Murabba’ project, which aims to revitalise downtown Riyadh and contribute significantly to the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative.
• The Mukaab will be built using the modern Najdi architectural style, one of the most prevalent architectural patterns in Saudi Arabia.

Najdi architectural style combines three main factors:

• the need to respond to the hot desert climate,
• the need for privacy in residential buildings, and
• the need to use locally available materials such as mud brick stone and wood.

Source: IE