Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 23 May 2024 | Download PDF

• Jenny Erpenbeck, a German author, and Michael Hofmann, a translator, have won the International Booker Prize for fiction.
• Their winning work is titled “Kairos”.

About International Booker Prize:

• Overview:
  • An annual award for the finest single work of fiction from around the world translated into English.
  • Originated as the Man Booker International Prize in 2005.
• History:
  • Initially a biennial prize awarded for a body of work, with no requirement for the work to be written in a language other than English.
  • Transitioned to an annual prize focused on a single work of translated fiction.
• Eligibility:
  • Works of long-form fiction originally written in any language.
  • The work must be translated into English.
  • Must be published in the UK and/or Ireland.
  • Open to authors of any nationality.

• The prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Hamas leaders.

About ICC:

• Establishment: 
  • Established on July 1, 2002, by the Rome Statute.
  • Headquarters located in The Hague, Netherlands.
• Purpose: Prosecutes individuals for international crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
• Jurisdiction:
  • Can prosecute crimes committed on the territory of a state party or by a national of a state party.
  • Can also prosecute if a situation is referred to by the United Nations Security Council.
• Membership:
  • 123 member states as of 2023.
  • Notable non-members include the United States, China, India and Russia.
• Functioning: Operates based on the principle of complementarity, meaning it acts only when national courts are unwilling or unable to prosecute.

• Public wifi hotspots under this PM-WANI scheme are nearing the 2 lakh mark in the country.
• Currently, there are 1,99,896 wifi hotspots available in India, according to government data.

About PM-WANI:

• Objective:
  • Enhance broadband internet access across India.
  • Provide affordable and accessible internet services in public areas.
• Key Components:
  • Public Data Office (PDO): Establishes, operates, and maintains Wi-Fi access points.
  • Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA): Manages and authorizes multiple PDOs.
  • App Provider: Develops and maintains an app for users to discover and connect to PM-WANI compliant Wi-Fi hotspots.
  • Central Registry: Maintains details of app providers, PDOAs, and PDOs.
• Implementation:
  • No license fee for PDOs.
  • Encourages participation from small entrepreneurs, ensuring widespread and last-mile connectivity.

• Wildlife authorities have initiated surveys in the high altitude, cold desert district of Lahaul & Spiti in Himachal Pradesh.
• The surveys are part of a census to estimate the population of blue sheep (or bharal) and the Himalayan ibex.
• These animals are the main prey of the iconic snow leopard.

About Himalayan Ibex:

• Scientific Name: Capra sibirica hemalayanus.
• Region: Native to the Himalayan region of India, Pakistan, Tibet, and Nepal.
• Distribution in India: Primarily in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
• Behavior and Social Structure:
  • Herds: Typically found in small herds, sometimes up to 50 individuals.
• Conservation Status: IUCN Red List: Near Threatened.

About Bharal (Blue Sheep):

• Scientific Name: Pseudois nayaur
• Genus: Only member of the genus Pseudois
• Distribution:
  • India
  • Bhutan
  • China (Gansu, Ningxia, Sichuan, Tibet, Inner Mongolia)
  • Myanmar
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
• Behavior: Active throughout the day; alternates between feeding and resting on grassy mountain slopes
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern
  • Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule 1

• A new report by the United Nations reveals a concerning state of the world’s rangelands, with up to 50% estimated to be degraded.
• The report “Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists” is published by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

Key points:

• The degradation of Earth’s extensive natural pastures and other rangelands is occurring due to overuse, misuse, climate change, and biodiversity loss.
• This degradation poses a severe threat to humanity’s food supply and the wellbeing or survival of billions of people.
• Following Symptoms inhibit the growth of plants:
  • Diminished soil fertility and nutrients, 
  • Erosion,
  • Salinization, 
  • Alkalinization, and 
  • Soil compaction.
• These issues contribute to drought, precipitation fluctuations, and biodiversity loss both above and below the ground.
• Cause: 
  • The problem is largely driven by converting pastures to cropland and 
  • Other land use changes due to population growth and urban expansion.
  • Other contributing factors include rapidly rising food, fibre, and fuel demands, excessive grazing, abandonment (end of maintenance by pastoralists), and policies that incentivise overexploitation.

• A recent study by researchers from IIT-Bhubaneswar, published in Nature, reveals that urbanisation has significantly increased warming in Indian cities, including a 60% rise in Bhubaneswar.

Key points:

• The research highlights that tier-II cities in Eastern India experience stronger urbanisation-driven warming compared to metros like New Delhi and Mumbai.
• It was found that cities like Jamshedpur, Raipur, and Patna showed the highest urban contributions to warming, while Bhubaneswar did not rank among the top 20. 
• Factors contributing to the urban heat island effect include reduced evaporative cooling, higher-thermal-inertia surfaces, changes in surface albedo, and increased human activity, affecting other climate parameters such as rainfall and pollution. 
• The researchers emphasize the importance of targeted urban planning and heat mitigation efforts, which could also address issues like extreme rainfall, floods, and air pollution. 

Do you know?

• According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2021, India is the 7th most impacted country by climate-related extreme weather phenomena and is among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts, with its cities at the forefront of this challenge.

• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has reached a significant milestone in constructing a 3.42 km-long, 3-lane twin tunnel on the Raipur-Visakhapatnam Expressway.

Key points:

• The project is part of Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana, with an estimated cost of Rs 16,000 crore.
• Along with the twin tunnels, a 124 km-long road will be constructed under the project.
• Excavation Record: NHAI excavated approximately 750 meters of the tunnel in one month and completed nearly 36.8 meters of face excavation in a single day from four faces, setting a new national record.

• • Safety Commitment: The NHAI reported zero injuries during the 31.5 lakh man-hours of work on the project, emphasizing their commitment to safety.
• This marks the first highway tunnel breakthrough in Odisha’s Koraput district.

• Construction is progressing rapidly, and the project is expected to be completed by 2025.

• The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha has ordered re-polling in two booths within the Kantamal Assembly constituency in Boudh district.
• The decision follows alleged booth rigging and irregularities.

Election commission procedures:

• • India’s election laws establish procedures for managing disruptions to the polling process, including damage to EVMs, booth capturing, natural disasters, or a candidate’s death. 
• These laws ensure that the democratic process remains fair, transparent, and uninterrupted. 

Options available to the Election Commission (EC) in each case:

Intentional destruction, taking away of EVMs:

• Under Section 58 of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), the EC can declare a poll void if:
  • an unauthorized person unlawfully takes away an EVM,
  • any EVM is destroyed, lost, damaged, or tampered with intentionally or accidentally,
  • a mechanical failure occurs in any EVM during the vote recording process.

• The Returning Officer (RO) informs the EC and the Chief Electoral Officer of the state. If the EC declares the poll void, a new poll date is set.

Booth capturing:

• Booth capturing, defined in Section 135A of the RPA, includes various activities like seizing a polling station or intimidating voters.
• It is punishable by imprisonment for lay people and government servants.
• Under Section 58A, if booth capturing occurs, the Presiding Officer closes the EVM and informs the EC, which can declare the poll void or countermand the election.

Natural disasters, other disruptions:

• The Presiding Officer can adjourn the poll under section 57(1) of the RPA in case of natural calamities, loss of essential polling materials, riots, or other serious difficulties.
• After EC approval, the adjourned poll recommences from the stage it was left at.

Death of a candidate:

• As per Section 52 of the RPA, the poll is adjourned only if a recognized political party’s candidate dies.
• The EC orders the adjournment, calls upon the party to nominate another candidate within seven days, and prepares a fresh list of contesting candidates if necessary.

• Despite tuberose cultivation being a lucrative business with the potential for substantial earnings, farmers are struggling due to the absence of proper marketing avenues.

Key points:

• Despite the high demand for tuberose flowers from cities like Aska, Sorada, Bhanjanagar, Bhubaneswar, Bhawanipatna, Puri, and Nabarangpur, farmers face challenges due to the lack of a proper marketing system. 
• The government provides some support, including an annual financial assistance of Rs 6,000 for cultivation, but farmers emphasize the need for the government to address marketing and storage issues promptly.
• Scientific interventions, such as encouraging farmers to cultivate the ‘Prajwal’ variety and providing training on soil testing and organic manure usage, are helping improve yields. 

About:

• Scientific Name : Polianthes tuberosa L.
• Family : Amaryllidaceae
• Common Name : Tuberose
• Hindi Name : Rajanigandha

Origin and History

• Tuberose is a native of Mexico from where it spread to different parts of the world during the 16th Century. 
• It is believed that tuberose was brought to India via Europe in 16th century. 

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