Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 21 September 2024

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Addapedia Odisha – Daily Current Affairs -14 September 2024

National and International News
International Coastal Clean-up Day	Context: International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD): Observed every year on the third Saturday of September to inspire beach clean-up efforts and raise awareness about ocean preservation. Event Details (2024): Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Sh. Bhupender Yadav, will participate in a Beach Clean-Up Campaign at Juhu Beach, Mumbai on 21 September 2024. Campaign organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Earth Sciences and State Government. Beach cleaning to take place at over 100 beaches across coastal States/UTs. Campaign Background: Beach Cleaning Drive and campaign #IamSavingMyBeach launched on World Environment Day 2018 with the theme “Beat Plastic.” Regular beach cleaning activities have been conducted since 2018, in collaboration with coastal States/UTs.
Global Cybersecurity Index 2024	Context: India attained Tier 1 status in the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2024(5th Edition), with a score of 98.49/100, published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Key points: Role-Modeling Status: India joins the ranks of ‘role-modelling’ countries for its commitment to global cybersecurity. Nodal Agency: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) represented India in the GCI 2024. About: The Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) is a trusted reference that measures the commitment of countries to cybersecurity at a global level – to raise awareness of the importance and different dimensions of the issue. Evaluation Parameters: GCI 2024 assessed cybersecurity efforts based on: 5 Pillars: (i) Legal Measures, (ii) Technical Measures, (iii) Organizational Measures, (iv) Capacity Development, and (v) Cooperation – and then aggregated into an overall score. Questionnaire: 83 questions covering 20 indicators, 64 sub-indicators, and 28 micro-indicators. Important Notes: GCI 2024 uses a new five-tier analysis, a shift that allows a greater focus on each country’s advances with cybersecurity commitments and resulting impacts. Tier 1, the highest of the five tiers, reserved for “role modelling” countries T2 – Advancing T3- Establishing T4- Evolving T5- Building

White Revolution 2.0	Context: White Revolution 2.0 is an initiative launched by the Government of India, led by Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah. Key points: Objective: Empower women and fight against malnutrition through milk dairies and cooperatives. Inclusion of Women: Women engaged in milk procurement will be included in formal employment. Payments will be directly deposited into their bank accounts. Increase in Milk Procurement: Target to increase milk procurement from 660 lakh litres/day to 1,000 lakh litres/day. Cooperatives Expansion: A joint proposal involving 2 lakh PACS (Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies), dairy, and fishery cooperatives has been accepted by all States. Nationwide Coverage: Plan aims to ensure every Panchayat has a PACS, dairy, or fishery cooperative society. Impact on Women: 36 lakh women in Gujarat are involved in dairy, with a business worth ₹60,000 crore, largely through Amul. Fight Against Malnutrition: White Revolution 2.0 will help tackle malnutrition, especially benefiting poor and malnourished children. Land Fertility: Increasing fertility of cultivable land will be addressed through animal husbandry.
Kleptoparasitism	Context: H5N1 virus has caused millions of bird deaths worldwide since 2021. Kleptoparasitism (food theft) by seabirds like frigatebirds and skuas may be a transmission route for the virus. The current H5N1 strain 2.3.4.4b has spread rapidly and reached Antarctica in 2024, making it a panzootic. Key points: Panzootic: An outbreak of an infectious disease that spreads through one or several species of animals over a wide geographic area. Avian influenza: A highly contagious viral infection that occurs naturally in wild aquatic birds and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. H5N1: A highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza virus. Kleptoparasitism: A form of feeding in which one animal takes prey or other food from another that has caught, collected, or otherwise prepared the food.
TRISHNA Mission	Context: Philippe Baptiste, President of the French Space Agency (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, CNES), discussed the longstanding partnership between India and France in space exploration during the Bengaluru Space Expo 2024. About: The TRISHNA (Thermal Infra-Red Imaging Satellite for High-resolution Natural Resource Assessment) mission, a collaborative endeavor between ISRO and CNES. Targets climate monitoring, agriculture, drought forecasting, and urban heat island effects. Scheduled for launch in 2026. Primary Objectives: Monitor energy and water budgets of the continental biosphere. Quantify terrestrial water stress and water use. High-resolution observation of water quality in coastal and inland waters. Secondary Objectives: Assess urban heat islands. Detects thermal anomalies linked to volcanic activity and geothermal resources. Monitor snow-melt runoff and glacier dynamics. Provide data on aerosol optical depth, atmospheric water vapor, and cloud cover. Payloads: Thermal Infra-Red (TIR): Provided by CNES. Four-channel sensor for high-resolution surface temperature and emissivity mapping. Visible-Near Infra-Red-Short Wave Infra-Red (VNIR-SWIR): Developed by ISRO. Seven spectral bands for detailed surface reflectance mapping. Operational Details: Orbit: Sun-synchronous at 761 km altitude, local time of 12:30 PM at the equator. Spatial Resolution: 57 meters for land and coastal areas. 1 km for oceanic and polar regions. Designed for a 5-year operational life. Global Contributions: Supports initiatives like GEOGLAM for agricultural monitoring. Aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals. Outputs will be classified as Essential Agricultural Variables (EAVs) and Essential Climate Variables (ECVs).

Odisha Specific News
New government policy to ensure workplace safety of doctors in Odisha	Context: Odisha government has formulated a new policy for providing a safe workplace environment for doctors, students and medicare persons in healthcare and health education institutions. As per the new policy, health institutions will have to establish a clear incident reporting process, ensure confidentiality and prompt action on reported incidents besides provisioning escort services or safe transportation options for women doctors, employees and students during night shifts. Key Points: Physical Security: Perimeter walls with defined entry and exit gates. 24/7 security guards at OPDs and wards. CCTV surveillance in strategic locations. Separate duty rooms and washrooms for male and female doctors. Access Control: ID cards for all employees and workers. Visitor pass system for indoor patients. Restricted entry of unauthorized persons and vehicles. Incident Reporting: Clear incident reporting process. Confidentiality and prompt action on reported incidents. Police involvement in serious cases. Support Services: Escort services or safe transportation options for women doctors during night shifts. Public grievance redressal mechanisms. Counseling and support services for victims of harassment or violence.
Rule Curve	Context: The Odisha government is considering revising the rule curve for the Hirakund Dam. The aim of these changes is to better manage water resources in the face of increasing demands and changing environmental conditions. A committee has been formed in view of this, led by the Planning and Design Engineer-in-Chief of the department Lingaraj Gouda. About: A rule curve is a graphical representation or a set of guidelines that specify the ideal storage level or empty space to be maintained in a reservoir throughout the year. It helps in optimizing the reservoir’s operation to achieve multiple objectives, such as flood control, irrigation, hydropower generation, and water supply.
Fakir Mohan Das	Context: Noted freedom fighter Fakir Mohan Das of Nuagaon village in Derabishi block died of old-age ailments at age of 102. About: Fakir Mohan Senapati (1843-1918), often referred to as the “Vyasa Kabi” (Vyasa of Odisha), was a prominent Indian writer, poet, philosopher, and social reformer. He played a pivotal role in establishing the distinct identity of the Odia language, primarily spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. Das was arrested in 1942 during the Quit India movement and spent two years in jail. He was a prominent member of the Utkal Sammelan, an organization that advocated for the unification of the Odia-speaking regions into a separate state.
Scrub Typhus	Context: Western Odisha, including Sambalpur, is facing a concerning surge in scrub typhus cases, a bacterial infection transmitted by mite bites. Earlier, three persons have died with Scrub typhus in Bargarh district of Odisha. Key Points: Scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus or mite typhus, is a bacterial infection caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. It’s primarily found in the Asia-Pacific region. Transmission: Vector: Infected chiggers (larval mites) transmit the bacteria through their bites. Habitat: Chiggers are commonly found in scrub vegetation, hence the name “scrub typhus.” Symptoms: Fever Headache Body aches Rash A small, dark scab (eschar) at the bite site Enlarged lymph nodes Treatment: Antibiotic therapy, typically doxycycline, is effective if started early.

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