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UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 13-07-2020

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July 13, 2020

Forest Fires in India

  • According to the report of the Forest Survey of India, between 2003–2017, a total of 5,20,861 active forest fire events were detected in India.
  • About 54% of the forest cover in India is exposed to occasional fire.
  • Most fire prone regions - Northeast India, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
  • Western Himalaya have shown a sharp increase of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and ozone during high fire activity periods.
  • The occurrence of high fire intensity at the low altitude Himalayan hilly regions may be due to the plant species (pine trees) in the area and proximity to villages.
  • Villages make them more susceptible to anthropogenic activities like forest cover clearance, grazing and so on.
  • The sharp increase in average and maximum air temperature, decline in precipitation, and change in land-use patterns have caused the increased episodes of forest fires in most of the Asian countries.

Burn Indices

  • The Normalized Burn Ratio is an effective burn index commonly used to identify burnt regions in large fire zones.
  • In normal conditions, healthy vegetation exhibits a very high reflectance in the near-infrared spectral region and considerably low reflectance in the shortwave infrared spectral region.
  • These conditions get dismantled and reversed if a fire occurs.
  • Remote Sensing Burn Indices - The spectral differences between healthy vegetation and burnt forest areas can easily be identified and highlighted by remote sensing burn indices.
  • Remote sensing based models to measure primary productivity over an area and also looked at burn indices, which help to demarcate the forest fire burn scars using satellite imagery.
  • It can be a promising tool for land resource managers and fire officials.

Zinc Gluconate

  • Element Zinc is vital for maintaining normal bone homeostasis, and its levels are reported to get reduced in rheumatoid arthritis patients and arthritis-induced animals.
  • It is also known that oral supplementation of zinc in the form of zinc gluconate have very low bioavailability in humans.  
  • Institute of Nano Science & Technology (INST) has formulated nanoparticles with chitosan and loaded these nanoparticles with zinc gluconate for reducing the severity of rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Zinc gluconate-loaded chitosan nanoparticles exerted superior therapeutic effects compared to the free form of zinc gluconate.
  • Chitosan is nontoxic, biocompatible, biodegradable natural polysaccharide.
  • It is one of the most abundant biopolymers obtained from the exoskeleton of crustaceans have shown absorption promoting characteristics.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

  • Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints.
  • It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints.
  • Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involved, with the same joints typically involved on both sides of the body.
  • This may result in a low red blood cell count, inflammation around the lungs, and inflammation around the heart.
  • While the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not clear, it is believed to involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
  • Pain medications, steroids, and NSAIDs are frequently used to help with symptoms.

                     

Reservations for Divyangjan

  • The Supreme Court, in a significant decision, confirmed that persons with disabilities are also socially backward.
  • The decision highlighted Divyangjan are entitled to the same benefits of relaxation as Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates in public employment and education.
  • SC upheld a 2012 judgment of the Delhi High Court in Anamol Bhandari vs. Delhi Technological University.

Constitutional provisions on reservations

  • Article 15 (4) empowers the State to make special provision for the advancement of the SCs and the STs.
  • E.g. providing fee concession in admission to any educational institution, building hostels for SCs/STs.
  • Article 15 (5) empowers the State to reserve seats for SCs and the STs in admission to educational institutions including private educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the State.
  • However, it excludes minority educational institutions referred to in Article 30 (1).
  • Article 16 (4) empowers the State to make provisions for the reservation of appointments or posts in favor of SCs/STs.
  • Article 46 - Empower the state to promote educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and, in particular SC & ST and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.

                                                

NATGRID

  • It is the integrated intelligence grid connecting databases of core security agencies of the Government of India.
  • It functions under Ministry of Home Affairs.
  • It was proposed as a counter-terrorism measure after the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in 2008.
  • It is a medium for at least 10 Central agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing to access data on a secured platform.
  • The data will be procured by NATGRID from 21 organizations such as the telecom, tax records, bank, immigration etc.
  • Recently, NATGRID has signed a MoU with the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to access the centralized online database on FIRs and stolen vehicles.
  • The MoU will give NATGRID access to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) database, a platform that links around 14,000 police stations.
  • All State police are mandated to file FIRs in the CCTNS.

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

  • NCRB functions under Ministry of Home Affairs.
  • It was established in 1968 based on the recommendations
  1. National Police Commission (1977-1981)
  2. MHA’s Task Force (1985).
  • It releases the Crime in India report which serves as a statistical tool in understanding the law and order situation across the country.
  • It developed CCTNS in 2009 which aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for effective policing at all levels through adoption of principles of e-Governance.

Himalayan Viagra

  • Ophiocordyceps sinensis, also known as Himalayan Viagra is a fungus.
  • It is known for its aphrodisiac and rejuvenation properties
  • Recently IUCN has placed the fungus, in the ‘vulnerable’ category.
  • According to IUCN its spread has declined by at least 30% over the past 15 years as a result of overharvesting.
  • It is endemic to the Himalayan and Tibetan plateau and is found in China, Bhutan, Nepal and India.
  • In India, it is primarily found in Uttarakhand in the higher reaches of districts like Pithoragarh and Chamoli.
  • It is world’s costliest fungus which sells in international markets for upwards of Rs.20 lakh per.

           

 

Source: PIB, the Hindu

 

 

 

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