Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 05 June 2024 | Download PDF

• The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has recently concluded the first phase of its longitudinal health monitoring project, Phenome India. 
• To mark this milestone, CSIR organized a special event named “Phenome India Unboxing 1.0.“

About ‘Phenome India’ Project:

• The Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase (PI-CheCK), launched by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). 
• It is a pioneering initiative aimed at developing India-specific risk prediction models for cardio-metabolic diseases, including diabetes, liver diseases, and cardiac diseases.
• Objective: To create risk prediction models tailored to the Indian population for cardio-metabolic diseases.
• Scope: This is the first pan-India longitudinal health monitoring study with a focus on these diseases.
• Importance: The study aims to understand the unique risk and incidence patterns of cardio-metabolic disorders in the Indian population, which may differ from Western populations due to ethnic diversity and varied lifestyle patterns.
• Precision Medicine: This initiative promotes Predictive, Personalised, Participatory, and Preventive (P4) healthcare, specifically tailored to Indian phenotypic and genetic profiles.

• India will host the annual general meeting (AGM) of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) after 42 years.

About IATA:

• Founded: 1945, Havana, Cuba, with 57 founding members.
• Mission: To represent, lead, and serve the airline industry.
• Membership: Represents approximately 330 airlines, covering over 80% of global air traffic.
• Headquarters: Montreal, Canada.
• Members: Includes leading passenger and cargo airlines worldwide.
• Functions and Advocacy:
  • Simplification and Standards: Creates industry standards to:
    • Simplify processes.
    • Increase safety.
    • Enhance passenger convenience.
    • Reduce costs.
    • Improve efficiency.
    • Achieve sustainability goals.
  • Environmental Policy: Addresses environmental concerns.
  • Regulatory Advocacy: Challenges arbitrary laws and charges, holding regulators and governments accountable, and striving for responsible regulation.
  • Cost Reduction: Helps airlines reduce costs and improve efficiency by simplifying operations and boosting passenger convenience.
• IATA Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit: Held in June each year to formalise industry positions on key issues and focus on emerging industry concerns.

• Scientists recently discovered living stromatolites, ancient geological structures formed by algae, on Sheybarah Island in the northeastern Red Sea in Saudi Arabia.

About Stromatolites:

• Stromatolites, also known as stromatoliths, are layered structures formed in shallow waters by the trapping, binding, and cementation of sedimentary grains by biofilms of microorganisms, particularly cyanobacteria (blue-green algae).
• Historical Significance:
  • Stromatolites were common during the Precambrian era, more than 542 million years ago. 
  • Most stromatolites are marine, but some from Proterozoic strata, over 2.5 billion years old, are believed to have inhabited intertidal areas and freshwater ponds and lakes.
• Modern Occurrence:
  • Today, living stromatolites are rare, found only in a few salty lagoons or bays. 
  • Western Australia is internationally significant for its variety of stromatolite sites, both living and fossilized. 
  • Shark Bay in Western Australia is one of only two places in the world where living marine stromatolites exist.

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has commercialized herbicide-tolerant (Ht) basmati rice varieties. 
• These varieties are designed to control weeds in rice crops and promote water-saving practices through direct seeded rice (DSR) techniques.

About Direct Seeded Rice (DSR):

• • Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) refers to the method of sowing rice seeds directly into the field rather than transplanting seedlings from a nursery.
  • Types of DSR:
    • Wet DSR: Seeds are sown in wet fields.
    • Dry DSR: Seeds are sown in dry fields, and irrigation is provided later.
• Benefits:
• Water Savings: DSR requires less water compared to traditional transplanting methods.
• Labor Efficiency: Reduces the need for labor-intensive practices such as nursery preparation and transplanting.
• Reduced Methane Emissions: Lower methane emissions due to reduced anaerobic conditions.
• Early Maturity: Leads to earlier crop maturity and thus allows for timely planting of subsequent crops.

• The inaugural United Nations Global Supply Chain Forum, organized by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Government of Barbados, concluded successfully recently.

About United Nations Global Supply Chain Forum:

• The forum aimed to address critical global issues such as disruptions, geopolitical tensions, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on global trade.
• Decarbonizing Global Shipping: 
  • Focus on developing countries rich in renewable energy resources.
  • Efforts to incentivize low- or zero-carbon fuels.
  • Establishing safety frameworks for new fuels.
  • Enhancing port readiness for handling various fuels.
• UN Trade-and-Transport Dataset:
  • Launch of a comprehensive dataset developed in collaboration with the World Bank.
  • Offers a holistic view of trade and transport costs.
• The next forum is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia in 2026.

• • The declining population of Gharials in Satkosia gorge, despite efforts by the Forest department, has raised concerns among wildlife enthusiasts. 
• Of the 880 Gharials released in the last 46 years, only eight were found during the 2023 crocodile census.

Key points:

• • The Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary spans across Angul, Boudh, and Nayagarh districts, with forest divisions established for tiger and crocodile protection.
• The population of Muggers, another species of crocodile, has remained stable with 39 individuals in 2023, compared to 50 in 2019 and 52 in 2020. 

• • This increase in Muggers has surpassed the number of Gharials in the gorge. 
  • A total of 867 Gharials have been released into Satkosia gorge since 1977. 
  • Some were brought from Nandankanan and released between 1986 and 2014, while others were released into the Tikarpada Crocodile Breeding Centre in Angul. Despite these efforts, seven Gharials brought from Nandankanan have died, highlighting the challenges faced in maintaining their population.
• The crocodile census reports show fluctuations in Gharial numbers over the years. 
• While 25 Gharials laid eggs in 2021, 30 and 35 eggs were laid in 2022 and 2023, respectively. 

• Poachers in the Chilika region of Puri district, near Kanas, have been actively hunting both migratory and indigenous birds using methods such as poisoning and sedating their feed.

Chilika lake:

• • The vast and dream-like Chilika Lagoon is situated on the east-coast of India. 
  • It is the largest brackish Water Lagoon with estuarine character that sprawls along the east coast. 
  • It is the largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl found anywhere on the Indian sub-continent. 
  • It is one of the hotspots of biodiversity in the country, and some rare, vulnerable and endangered species listed in the IUCN Red List of threatened Animals inhabit the lagoon for atleast part of their life cycle.
• Chilika is the largest lagoon along the east coast of India and a Ramsar site.

• Chilika is an integral part of the culture of coastal Odisha.
• Chilika Lake attracts lakhs of migratory and indigenous birds during winter, providing a secure ecosystem with abundant paddy fields and marshy lands.

• Naveen Patnaik resigned as the Chief Minister of Odisha following the defeat of the BJD in the Assembly polls, the results of which were announced on June 04 2024. 
• He submitted his resignation to Governor Raghubar Das.

Key points:

• This marks the end of the 24-year rule of the BJD in Odisha, as the party was reduced to 51 seats from 112 in 2019, which it had improved to 113 by winning the by-elections in Balasore. 
• The BJP secured a majority by winning 78 seats in the 147-member House, an increase of 55 seats since the last polls, while the Congress improved its tally to 14 from 9 in 2019.
• In total, 52 MLAs of the ruling party faced defeat in the recently concluded election to the state Legislative Assembly.
• The BJP’s landmark victory also thwarted the party’s ambition to see Naveen as the longest-serving CM in India, a milestone he would have reached by August this year.

• • On June 5th of each year, the world observes World Environment Day (WED), a significant global event aimed at raising awareness and promoting action towards environmental protection. 
  • Established by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in 1972, this day serves as a platform to highlight pressing ecological issues faced by our planet and foster sustainable practices.
• This year, the theme for World Environment Day is ‘Land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience‘ under the slogan ‘Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.‘ 

• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the 2024 World Environment Day global celebrations, marking a pivotal moment as the world commemorates the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

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