Millets

• Millets are small-grained, annual, warm-weather cereals belonging to grass family and most of the millet crops are native to India.
• UN declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
• Nutri-cereals - They are popularly known as Nutri-cereals as they provide most of the nutrients required for normal functioning of human body.
• Less Water intensive - They are rain-fed grains which have low requirements of water and fertility when compared to other popular cereals.
• High tolerance - They are highly tolerant to drought and other extreme weather conditions.
• Low chemical inputs - They can be grown with low chemical inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides.

Major Millets

1. Sorgum (Jowar)
2. Pearl millet (Bajra)
3. Finger millet (Ragi/Mandua)

Minor Millets

• Foxtail Millet (Kanngani/Kakun)
• Proso Millet (Cheena)
• Kodo Millet (Kodo)
• Barnyard Millet (Sawa/Sanwa/Jhangora)
• Little Millet (Kutki)
• Brown top millet

Psuedo Millets

• They are not part of the Poaceae botanical family, to which 'true' grains belong, however they are nutritionally similar and used in similar ways to 'true' grains.
• Example – Buck Wheat (Kuttu), Amaranth (Chaulai)

Significance

• Gluten Free - Millets are highly nutritious, non-glutinous, non- allergenic and non-acid forming foods.
• Gluten is a protein found in wheat and several other grains.
• Cardiovascular disease - Millet consumption decreases triglycerides and C- reactive protein, thereby preventing cardiovascular disease. 
• Dietary fibre - All millets are rich in dietary fibre which has water absorbing and bulking property.
• It increases transit time of food in the gut which helps in reducing risk of inflammatory bowel disease and acts as detoxifying agent in the body.
• Lower Cholestrol - Niacin in millet can help lower cholesterol.
• Anti-oxidant property - Millets with phytates, polyphenols, tannins, anthocyanins, phytosterols and pinacosanols present in it having important role in aging and metabolic diseases.
• All millets possess high antioxidant activities.

Vultures

• Vultures play a very important role in our ecosystem as the primary removers of carrion.
• Vultures constitute the natural animal disposal system and keep our environment clean.
• The decrease in Vulture population may result in an increase in population of rats and feral dogs (main scavenging species in the absence of vultures) and the spread of diseases.

• Drastic decrease of vulture population in the recent decades was notably due to the use of Diclofenac, a drug used to treat livestock which is toxic to vultures.

• When the vultures eat the carcass of an animal recently treated with Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) it causes visceral gout.
• Visceral gout is a disease where uric acid crystals accumulate on organs, particularly the kidneys and resulted in kidney failure.
• After the findings, the government banned the use of Diclofenac in 2008.
• Alternatives - Tolfenamic and Meloxicam were considered safe for vultures.
• Every first Saturday of September is celebrated as International Vulture Awareness Day.

Raman Effect

• In 1986, the Government of India designated February 28 as National Science Day to commemorate the announcement of the discovery of the “Raman Effect”.
• Theme of this year -  “Global Science for Global Wellbeing”
• The Raman Effect refers to the phenomenon in which when a stream of light passes through a liquid, a fraction of the light scattered by the liquid is of a different colour.
• This happens due to the change in the wavelength of light that occurs when a light beam is deflected by molecules.
• The frequency also change as the light scatters through a transparent object.
• It involves scattering of light by molecules of gases, liquids, or solids.
• Raman received Nobel Prize in Physics for this effect in 1930.
• The discovery give birth to a new field known as Raman spectroscopy as a basic analytical tool to conduct nondestructive chemical analysis for both organic and inorganic compounds.

E-Waste Management Rules, 2022

• The first set of e-waste Rules was notified in 2011 and came into effect in 2012, introduced the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
• Under EPR compliance, ‘producers’ are responsible for the safe disposal of electronic and electric products once the consumer discards them.
• E-waste rules 2016, which were amended in 2018, included provisions to promote ‘authorisation’ and ‘product stewardship’.
• Ministry of Environment and Forests notified a new set of e-waste rules, 2022 that includes the provision of an EPR framework- ‘Registration of Stakeholders’ (manufacturer, producer, refurbisher and recycler).
• The informal sector, which plays a crucial role in e-waste handling, draws no recognition.

Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2023

• The GBBC was launched in 1998 and organised by the Bird Count India (BCI).
• It is an annual event that brings bird enthusiasts, students and nature enthusiasts together for counting birds.
• West Bengal reported the highest number of species followed by Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh during the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2023.
• Kerala, on the other hand, recorded the highest number of checklists of birds.
• India holds the second-highest number of checklists after the United States of America and the third-highest species of any country.
• BCI is an informal partnership of organisations and groups working together to increase collective knowledge about bird distributions and populations.