Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 07 October 2024 | Download PDF

• The Central government is aligning its state business readiness rankings with the World Bank’s B-READY index.

About B-READY index:

• Successor to Ease of Doing Business: The B-READY index replaces the discontinued Ease of Doing Business rankings.
• Quantified Assessment: It aims to quantitatively assess the business environment across global economies.
• Diverse Factors: The index considers a wider range of factors compared to its predecessor.
• Global Impact: It will be used by financial institutions and multinational companies as a benchmark.
• Annual Publication: The index will be published annually.
• Three Main Pillars: 
  • Regulatory framework, 
  • Public services, and 
  • Efficiency.
• Holistic Approach: Digitalization, environmental sustainability, and gender equality are incorporated into each indicator.
• Lifecycle Tracking: The index covers ten parameters related to a firm’s lifecycle.
• Expansion Plan: The index will expand in three stages, reaching up to 180 countries by 2026.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently launched a global plan to combat dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviruses. 
• The Global Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan (SPRP), aims to improve preparedness, readiness, and response to these diseases.

About GSPRP:

• Key Objectives:
  • Reduce disease burden, suffering, and deaths from dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.
  • Foster a global coordinated response to these diseases.
• Key Components:
  • Emergency Coordination
  • Collaborative Surveillance
  • Community Protection
  • Safe and Scalable Care
  • Access to Countermeasures
• Implementation:
  • The Strategic Plan will be implemented over one year until September 2025.
• It is aligned with the Global Vector Control Response and the Global Arbovirus Initiative.   

• The Indian gray wolf helps to maintain a healthy population of prey species in central Karnataka.

About Indian grey wolf:

• Distribution:
  • Southwest Asia to the Indian Subcontinent
  • India: Approximately 3,000 individuals
• Habitat: Scrub, grasslands, and semi-arid pastoral areas
• Behavior:
  • Nocturnal hunters, active from dusk to dawn
  • Travel in smaller packs compared to other wolf subspecies
  • Less vocal than other variants
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Least Concern
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972: Schedule I
• Threats: Habitat loss, depletion of prey species

• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) announced the completion of the Very Short Range Air Defence System (VSHORAD).

About VSHORADS:

• Development: Indigenously developed by DRDO in Hyderabad.
• Purpose: Neutralizing low-altitude aerial threats.
• Features:
  • Highly portable design.
  • Requires minimal personnel to operate.
  • Incorporates advanced technologies like RCS and integrated avionics.
  • Dual-thrust solid motor propulsion.
• Range: Up to 6 km.
• Deployment: Ideal for mountainous regions near the Line of Actual Control.

• The 7th edition of “EnviStats India 2024: Environment Accounts” has been published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). 

About EnviStats India 2024:

• SEEA Compilation: The report is compiled following the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA).
• Focus Areas: The seventh publication in the series covers Energy Accounts, Ocean Accounts, Soil Nutrient Index, and Biodiversity.
• Protected Area Expansion: A significant increase of 72% in the number and 16% in the area of Total Protected Areas has been observed from 2000 to 2023.
• Mangrove Growth: Mangrove coverage, a crucial part of the ocean ecosystem, has grown by around 8% between 2013 and 2021.
• Biodiversity Assessment: The report includes taxonomic faunal and floral diversity, status of Leopard and Snow Leopard, and genetic conservation efforts.
• IUCN Red List Analysis: Species richness based on the IUCN Red List of Threatened species has been compiled using spatial datasets.

• The Government of Odisha has allocated Rs 855 crore for the restoration of the Hirakud Dam, a significant irrigation and flood control structure in the state.

Hirakud Dam

• Hirakud Dam is a massive earthen dam built across the Mahanadi River near Sambalpur, Odisha. 
• It’s the longest earthen dam in the world. Constructed primarily for flood control, irrigation, and hydropower generation, it’s a vital infrastructure project in the region.   

Key features and benefits:

• Flood control: Regulates the flow of the Mahanadi River, protecting downstream areas from floods.   
• Irrigation: Provides water for agricultural purposes, supporting the livelihoods of farmers.   
• Hydropower generation: Generates electricity through its hydroelectric power plant.   
• Tourism: The dam and its reservoir have become popular tourist destinations, attracting visitors with scenic beauty and recreational activities

• A breakthrough in cancer research has been achieved by researchers at Purdue University and the NIH. They’ve successfully utilized a novel computational method, the pathway ensemble tool (PET), to identify a previously overlooked cancer drug.
• PET is a revolutionary approach that can pinpoint the biological pathways involved in complex diseases like cancer. 
• By analyzing these pathways, researchers can identify potential drug targets. In their study, the team focused on bladder cancer and discovered that a CDK9 inhibitor drug, CCT068127, could effectively slow tumor growth.
• This discovery highlights the potential of PET as a valuable tool in drug discovery. 
• It offers a more efficient and accurate way to identify promising drug candidates, especially for diseases with complex biological mechanisms.

• Researchers of the Department of Food Science Technology and Nutrition of Sambalpur University have developed a nutritional supplement comprising traditional and rare super food which can combat malnutrition, particularly among infants and children.
• The supplement ‘Nutri Nest’ is centred around Kalabati rice (black rice), a nutrient-rich variety of rice native to Odisha. 
• It also comprises other ingredients including peanuts, ragi, soybean, jaggery and milk powder, creating a comprehensive dietary solution.
• Most of the research was conducted at the Centre of Excellence – Natural Products and Therapeutics (COE-NPT), Department of Biotechnology and Bio-informatics of Sambalpur University under supervision of its coordinator Prof Pradeep Kumar Naik.

•  A whopping 756 villages and human habitations are located inside the protected areas of the wildlife sanctuaries in the state, a recent report of the wildlife wing of the Forest department has revealed.
• The report stated that There are 19 wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha and as many as 14 continue to have human settlements inside them.
• Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary has the highest 358 villages followed by 125 in Satkosia and 65 in Kotagarh. 
• The state’s biggest tiger reserve Similipal also has 56 human settlements in its jurisdiction, while Baisipalli in Nayagarh has 62 villages. 
• Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary,a proposed tiger reserve, also has 26 villages, while Badrama has 27 and Karlapat 19.

• Odisha CM has announced that the state government will officially celebrate the birth and death anniversaries of freedom fighter Baji Rout. 
• Rout, a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement, played a crucial role in inspiring and mobilizing people against British rule. 
• The government’s decision to honor Rout reflects a commitment to preserving and promoting the legacy of India’s freedom fighters.

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