Ingenuity

• Ingenuity is a small robotic helicopter located on Mars since February 18, 2021 that is intended to make the first powered atmospheric flight on a planet beyond Earth.
• Part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission, the small coaxial, drone rotorcraft will serve as a technology demonstrator for the potential use of flying probes on other worlds, with the potential to scout locations of interest and support the future planning of driving routes for Mars rovers.

Indus and Ganges River dolphins

• A Detailed analysis of South Asian river dolphins has revealed that the Indus and Ganges River dolphins are not one, but two separate species.
• The study estimates that Indus and Ganges River Dolphins may have diverged around 550,000 years ago.
• The Indus and Ganges River dolphins are both classified as ‘Endangered’ species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• Indus River Dolphins have adapted to life in the muddy river and are functionally blind and rely on echolocation to navigate, communicate and hunt prey including prawns, catfish, and carp.
• The Gangetic river dolphin can only live in freshwater and is essentially blind and hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey, enabling them to “see” an image in their mind.

Shaphari Scheme

• The scheme was developed by the Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA).
• Shaphari is a Sanksrit word which means superior quality of fishery products suitable for human consumption.
• Frozen shrimp is India’s largest exported seafood item.
• Certified aquaculture products will help exporters to export their consignments to markets under stringent food safety regulations without the fear of getting rejected.
• The Shaphari scheme is based on the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s technical guidelines on aquaculture certification and will have two components — certifying hatcheries for the quality of their seeds and, separately, approving shrimp farms that adopt the requisite good practices.
• The certification of hatcheries will help farmers easily identify good quality seed producers.
• Those who successfully clear multiple audits of their operations shall be granted a certificate for a period of two years.
• The entire certification process will be online to minimise human errors and ensure higher credibility and transparency.

Saturation of Peripheral Oxygen (SpO2)

• The body needs there to be a certain level of oxygen in the blood or it will not function as efficiently.
• In fact, very low levels of SpO2 can result in very serious symptoms, this condition is known as hypoxemia.
• There is a visible effect on the skin, known as cyanosis due to the blue (cyan) tint it takes on.
• Hypoxemia, low levels of oxygen in the blood can turn into hypoxia (low levels of oxygen in the tissue).
• This progression and the difference between the two conditions is important to understand.
• Healthy individuals at sea level usually exhibit oxygen saturation values between 96% and 99%, and should be above 94%.
• At 1,600 meters' altitude (about one mile high) oxygen saturation should be above 92%.
• SaO2 (arterial oxygen saturation) value below 90% causes hypoxia, which can also be caused by anemia.
• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed SpO2 (Blood Oxygen Saturation) supplemental Oxygen Delivery System for soldiers posted at extreme high-altitude areas.

Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC)

• It is an intergovernmental body established in 1963.
• It is constituted jointly by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), within the framework of the Joint Food Standards Programme.
• It is the body responsible for all matters regarding the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.
• The Commission meets in regular session once a year alternating between Geneva and Rome.
• Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) was formed in 2013 with support of more than a hundred countries under Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC).
• It has been successful in developing harmonised global Codex standards for spices and herbs.
• It has developed and finalized standards for four spices, viz. dried or dehydrated forms of  black/ white/ green pepper, cumin, thyme, and garlic.

Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas’ (SVAMITVA) Scheme

• It is central sector scheme launched by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
• It was launched towards the objectives of socio-economic empowerment of the rural mass and making them self-reliant.
• The scheme aims to provide the ‘record of rights’ to village household owners in rural abadi areas and issuance of Property cards.
• The pilot phase of the Scheme was implemented during 2020–2021 in States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh and few border villages of Punjab & Rajasthan.
• Prime Minister will dedicate the Scheme of SVAMITVA to the entire nation on 24th April 2021.
• The Prime Minister will also launch distribution of e-property cards to 4.09 lakh property owners on this occasion. 

• Trade ministers of India, Japan and Australia has formally launched the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) in a virtual trilateral ministerial meeting recently.

Supply Chain Resilience Initiative

• It aims to create a virtuous cycle of enhancing supply chain resilience with a view to eventually attaining strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth in the Indo-pacific region
• It was also seen as a move to counter China’s dominance of supply chain in the Indo-Pacific region.

National Security Act (NSA)

• The former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi brought the National Security Act in 1980.
• The maximum period of detention under National Security Act is:
• A person can be detained for up to 12 months without a charge.
• A person can be held for 10 days without being told the charges against them.
• The person can appeal before a high court advisory board but will not be allowed a lawyer during the trial.
• Article 22 (1) of the Indian Constitution says an arrested person cannot be denied the right to consult, and to be defended by, a legal practitioner of his choice.
• According to Section 50 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), any person arrested has to be informed of the grounds of arrest and has the right to bail.
• Under National Security Act, none of these rights are available to the person detained.
• The government holds the right to conceal information which it considers to be against public interest to disclose.
• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which collects crime data in India, does not include cases under the NSA as no FIRs are registered.

Star Campaigner

• A star campaigner is a celebrity vote seeker in an election for a party.
• They are nominated by the concerned political parties specifying their constituencies and duration of the status.
• Provisions for Star Campaigners
• The expenditure incurred on campaigning by ‘stars’ is exempt from being added to the election expenditure of a candidate.
• It only applies when a star campaigner limits herself to a general campaign for the political party she represents.
• A recognised political party can have up to 40 star campaigners while an unrecognised party (but registered) political party can have 20.
• The list of star campaigners has to be communicated to the Chief Electoral Officer and Election Commission within a week from the date of notification of an election.
• The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) guidelines say when a prime minister or a former prime minister is star campaigner, the expenditure incurred on security will be borne by the government.
• The Election Commission has the right to decide whether a star campaigner can further campaign or not.

• India and Japan has recently participated in a webinar on De-carbonisation: Exploring the Hydrogen Prospects and Innovative Technologies.
• During the event, eminent experts, scientists, and technocrats from India and Japan discussed the most recent innovations, trends, concerns, and solutions adopted in the field of decarbonisation and promotion of Hydrogen based technologies.

Background

• 38% of India’s total installed electricity generation is based on renewables.
• This is about 136 Giga Watts now, and it is expected to reach a target of 175 GW by next year and 450GW by 2030.
• Hydrogen can play a critical role as a clean fuel in achieving this ambitious goal.
• Japan is the first country to formulate a basic hydrogen strategy.
• Hydrogen is included in the fifth Energy plan of Japan.
• The country thus has a good ecosystem for R&D and commercialization, which could be used by the Scientific and Commercial Communities of the two countries.
• India and Japan have strategic relationships, and this has to be elevated to a strategic partnership enabling sharing of knowledge without any inhibition on Hydrogen and utilization of H2 in future.