Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 11 May 2024 | Download PDF

• The Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) has adopted a new work plan, which will focus on assessing landscapes of various countries.
• It includes drafting policy frameworks related to biofuels.
• The plan also involves conducting workshops on biofuels.

About GBA:

• The Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) is a multi-stakeholder alliance consisting of Governments, International Organizations, and Industries.
• It was launched on the sidelines of the 2023 G20 summit in New Delhi.
• The GBA is an initiative by India.
• It aims to bring together the biggest consumers and producers of biofuels to drive their development and deployment.
• It also aims to contribute to jobs and economic growth.

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked Assam’s Chief Secretary to provide details of officers, who allowed the construction of polling stations, schools, and other activities in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary and the adjoining Charduar Reserve forest.
• These constructions are in gross violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

About Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary:

• The Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in Assam. 
• It is located along the foothills of the Great Himalayan Range.
• Four rivers flow through the sanctuary: Gabharu, Gelgeli, Sonai, and Rupai.
• The sanctuary is home to a variety of mammals including the tiger, lesser cats, elephant, gaur, wild boar, pygmy hog, swamp deer, and barking deer.
• It also hosts a variety of birds including the white-winged wood duck, hornbill, pelican, and various migratory birds.
• Reptiles such as the python and Russell’s viper can also be found in the sanctuary.

• A new study has been conducted on a huge crater in Siberia’s permafrost.
• The study found that the crater is growing by 35 million cubic feet every year.

About Batagay Crater in Siberia:

• The huge crater in Siberia’s permafrost is also known as the “gateway to the underworld” by some locals in Russia’s Sakha Republic.
• It is located in Russia’s Far East and forms the world’s biggest permafrost crater.
• The crater, also referred to as a megaslump, features a rounded cliff face.
• Scientists believe that the crater is the result of a melting permafrost land, which was frozen during the Quaternary Ice Age 2.58 million years ago.

• India has made a contribution of $500,000 to the U.N. Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund (CTTF).
• The contribution is a voluntary financial contribution from India towards the CTTF.

About CTTF:

• The U.N. Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund (CTTF) was established in 2009 and transferred to the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) in 2017.
• The Fund accepts contributions from various entities including Governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, private institutions, and individuals.
• India’s contribution is intended to support UNOCT’s global programmes, primarily the Countering Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and Countering Terrorist Travel Programme (CTTP).
• These programmes aim to build capacities of the member states of eastern and southern Africa to combat the critical issues of financing of terrorism and prevent the movement and travel of terrorists.

• The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has developed a biocontrol agent named Trichoderma asperellum (2% WP).
• This biocontrol agent has been registered with the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC).

Key points:

• The agent will help farmers in Punjab manage the deadly ‘foot rot’ or ‘bakanae’ disease.
  • It is a fungal disease.
• This disease affects the crops of Basmati rice.
• The biocontrol agent offers a non-chemical alternative to traditional pesticides.
• It aids in disease management for crops.
• It helps in minimizing environmental harm.

• The Poverty and Human Development Monitoring Agency (PHDMA) of Odisha received recognition from NITI Aayog for its narrative-based monitoring and evaluation technique.
• Member Secretary Roopa Roshan Sahoo highlighted PHDMA’s focus on qualitative monitoring, emphasizing people’s experiences over mere statistics.

Key points:

• • PHDMA’s approach involves discussing schemes with beneficiaries, observing their living conditions, and documenting narratives to assess impact.
• Studies like Swabhiman Tales in Malkangiri and a narrative study in Rayagada, Nabarangpur, and Nuapada districts have provided valuable insights for policy-making.

• PHDMA’s qualitative monitoring practice was praised at the NITI Aayog conference for its potential to shape effective policies.

• Health Director Bijay Mohapatra from Odisha cautions pregnant women about rubella after two cases are confirmed in Nabarangpur district.

Key points:

• Pregnant women showing rashes or fever should undergo medical tests to confirm rubella, as the virus can be transmitted to the baby.
• Rubella is not fatal among children but can cause congenital rubella syndrome, heart ailments, cataracts, and other complications in babies born to infected mothers.
• The Health Department’s rapid response teams are monitoring the situation closely, and a measles and rubella immunization drive is underway in the state, focusing on children.

• Odisha is introducing all-women managed Sakhi booths in areas with low female voter turnout to encourage more women to vote. 

Key points:

• • These special booths will have an all-women team overseeing the election process. 
• Previously known as pink booths, they are being rebranded with staff wearing Odisha handloom clothing this year.

• In addition to Sakhi booths, other model polling stations include those managed entirely by youth and those staffed solely by persons with disabilities (PWD).
• District administrations are preparing for emergencies, particularly the heat wave, by equipping polling stations with medical kits and setting up heatstroke rooms in community health centers and polling stations with adequate space.

• Over 5,500 voters in the disputed Kotia region hold dual voting rights, enabling them to participate in both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh elections. 

Key points:

• The dispute, ongoing since 1968, involves 21 villages claimed by both states. 
• Residents benefit from schemes of both states, holding Aadhaar and ration cards from each. 
• The region, comprising 28 villages, is claimed by both states, leading to a unique electoral situation.
• 5,502 voters, including 2,913 women, reside in 21 of the 28 villages of Kotia.
• The main occupation of the villagers is farming, and the region falls under Koraput (ST) Lok Sabha constituency in Odisha and Araku (ST) Lok Sabha seat in Andhra Pradesh.
• The Supreme Court, in 2006, held that inter-state boundaries do not fall under its jurisdiction, leaving the resolution to Parliament.
• Despite objections, Andhra Pradesh conducted rural polls in 2021, leading to ongoing tensions between the two states.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the significance of ‘Akshaya Tritiya’ in Odisha, as it marks the beginning of the chariot making for the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath.
• PM Modi stated that this day holds great importance in the Odia culture, as it is also associated with ‘Akhi Muthi Anukula’, the start of sowing seeds by farmers.

Key points:

• Akshaya Tritiya is an auspicious festival in Odisha, observed in the Vaisakha month of the Hindu calendar.
• The festival includes the ritual of ‘Akhi Muthi Anukula’, where farmers sow seeds in their fields after ploughing.
• It is also a festival celebrating wealth and prosperity, believed to bring good fortune to investments made on this day.
• Farmers in Odisha sow seeds in their fields, and the construction of chariots for the Puri Rath Yatra begins.
• Chandan Yatra, a 42-day festival at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, also begins on Akshaya Tritiya, starting with ‘Bahara Chandana’, a ceremonial procession to the Narendra Tirtha tank.

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