Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 3 October 2023 | Download PDF

The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó and American physician-scientist Drew Weissman. 

Key points

• They had been feted for “discoveries concerning nucleoside base modification that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19”.
• Medicine Nobel is awarded annually by the Swedish Karolinska Institute
• mRNA stands for messenger RNA
• Messenger is so called because  it carries instructions from the DNA to a cell’s cytoplasm, where those messages are ‘read’ to produce various proteins. 

• • The vaccine was first demonstrated in 1994
• They are also called as messenger RNA

• mRNA vaccines work by introducing a piece of mRNA  directly into the cell
• By using this mRNA, cells can produce the viral protein. 
• As part of a normal immune response, the immune system recognizes that the protein is foreign and produces specialized proteins called antibodies.
• Once produced, antibodies remain in the body, even after the body has rid itself of the pathogen, so that the immune system can quickly respond if exposed again.

Limitation – they need to be stored at extremely low temperatures as they get destroyed when exposed to the outside  environment.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has placed two contracts with Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL) for the indigenous Astra Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missile.

About ASTRA missile

• It is an indigenous Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile.
• It is to engage and destroy highly maneuvering supersonic aerial targets.
• It is designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Research Centre Imarat (RCI) and other laboratories of DRDO.
• The indigenous Astra BVR firing from home grown Tejas fighters is a major step towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

• It is the lightest, smallest and tailless multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft in its class.
• This aircraft is designed to carry a range of air-to-air, air-to-surface.
• It is a precision-guided weapon.
• It has the air-to-air refueling capability.
• The maximum payload capacity of Tejas is 4000 kg.
• Speed: Mach 1.8.

• The Nobel Prizes were created by Alfred Nobel, a 19th-century businessman and chemist from Sweden.
• It is awarded to those who have done the best work for fraternity between nations.
• The prizes are given in physics, chemistry, literature, peace and medicine.
• The first Nobel Prizes were presented in 1901, five years after his death. 
• In 1968, a sixth prize was created, for economics, by Sweden’s central bank. 

• To date, 60 women have won Nobel Prizes, including 25 in the scientific categories. 

Did you know?

• Only four women have won the Nobel Prize in physics and just two have won the economics prize.

The MGNREGA card holders from West Bengal are protesting  in New Delhi  for withholding MGNREGA funds.

About MGNREGA 

• • It is an act  passed in 2005 that guarantees the “right to work” to rural citizens of India.
  • It was introduced through the act of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005.
• It works under the ministry of Rural development

• Aim of the scheme is to provide employment for unskilled workers.
• Under this, the government assures a minimum of 100 days of unskilled manual work to an adult member of an eligible rural household.
• The main objective of the MGNREGA is to provide employment to rural citizens and improve their economic conditions.
• It is a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme i.e. the scheme is jointly funded by the Central government and the State governments.

Bhiwandi in Maharashtra, Kolkata, and Bihar’s Arrah are among the top 10 slowest cities in the world, according to a study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

About NBER

• The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) is a private, non-profit, non-partisan research organization.
• Its aim is to promote a greater understanding of how the economy works. 
• It disseminates economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic community.

Did you know?

Ghana became the first African country which approved the vaccine.

Recently The R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine  was recommended for use by the World Health Organization (WHO)

About R21/Matrix-M

• It was developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India,
• It is the first vaccine to achieve more than 75% effectiveness. (The goal set by the World Health Organisation).
• It has been approved for use in children aged 5-36 months, the age group at the highest risk of death from malaria.
• Matrix-M, a saponin-based adjuvant developed by Novavax, is used in the vaccine to stimulate a stronger and longer-lasting immune response.
• Antigen presentation in regional lymph nodes is improved by the Matrix-M adjuvant, which also encourages the entrance of antigen-presenting cells at the injection site.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s weekly epidemiological record,certain key findings were noted about Cholera

Key findings

• World reported twice as many cholera cases in 2022 as in 2021
• Most cholera cases continue to be reported from Africa and Asia, with Europe accounting for a few “imported cases”
• Between 2021 and 2022, Africa reported 29% fewer cases and 52% fewer deaths.

The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police’s crime branch has arrested a wildlife smuggler and rescued a live pangolin from him

About Indian Pangolin

• It is native to the Indian subcontinent.
• It is one of the eight species of pangolins.
• It is Distributed across India (south of the Himalayas), Bangladesh, Southern Nepal, Sri Lanka.
• Habitat: tropical forests, open land, grasslands, and degraded habitat,
• It is an insectivore feeding on ants and termites.
• It is nocturnal and rests in deep burrows during the day.
• IUCN Red List: Endangered 
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
• CITES: Appendix I

Did you know?

• They are one of the most trafficked mammals in the world.

Odisha stands out with 43 percent  of startups being led by women entrepreneurs, against the national average of 18 per cent

Key facts

• The Odisha government has taken significant steps in this direction.
• The government has provided credit amounting to Rs 11,000 crore to four lakh SHGs as institutional finance in 2022-23  
• The state prepares a separate Gender Budget. 
• The department of Mission Shakti received the highest allocation (41.57 per cent) in this Gender Budget 2023-24.

Did you know? 

• Odisha is  the first state in India to provide a 33 per cent reservation for women in PRIs in 1999.

Bharati Singh, a bank mitra and member of Self Help Group (SHG) from Khunta block in Mayurbhanj district was suspended.

Bank Mitras

• A Bank Mitra acts like an agent in facilitating bank and banking related services, especially in unbanked areas of the country. 
• They help in areas where there are no ATMs and branches of banks.
• They help potential customers in opening accounts by verifying identity and collecting all relevant documents.

Did you know?

• A Bank Mitra acts as a bridge between the bank and the unbanked people in India.

The state government of Odisha has set a target to expand cultivation of the coffee beans by 10 times in the next five years. 

Key points

• This is done as a part of ‘Coffee Mission’.
• The Agriculture department will implement the mission.
• The districts include Rayagada, Gajapati, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Keonjhar.
• The mission will be implemented under a new scheme called ‘Coffee Plantation for Sustainable Livelihoods’. 
• At present, coffee is grown on a large scale in Koraput only.

Did you know?

• As per the Coffee Board of India statistics, coffee is currently planted over 4,339 hectares of land in the state.

Grid Corporation of Odisha Limited (GRIDCO), signed a power purchase agreement with NLC India Limited (NLCIL) for the purchase of 400 MW power each from the Talabira supercritical thermal power station of the Central PSU.

About the project

• It is a Steam Turbine power plant. 
• The power plant can run on dual-fuel. The primary fuel being used to power the plant is coal.
• In case of shortage of coal the plant will run on Light Diesel Oil/ Heavy Fuel Oil. 
• NLC Talabira Thermal Power Project consists of 3 steam turbines with 800 MW nameplate capacity.

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