Current Affairs 30 March 2024 for UPSC And State PSC Exam

Table of Contents

CoViNet

News- Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated a new network dedicated to coronavirus research, named CoViNet.

ABOUT

CoViNet is a global network of laboratories with expertise in monitoring coronaviruses across human, animal, and environmental domains.
Its primary goal is to identify and track emerging novel coronaviruses that pose potential future threats.
The network integrates animal health and environmental surveillance with risk assessments to inform WHO policies and safety measures.
In regions classified as low- and middle-income, CoViNet aims to enhance laboratory capabilities for monitoring MERS-CoV and other significant novel coronaviruses.
Data collected by CoViNet will assist the efforts of WHO’s Technical Advisory Groups on Viral Evolution (TAG-VE) and Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC).
CoViNet currently includes 36 laboratories from 21 countries, spanning all six WHO regions.
Within India, three laboratories are part of CoViNet: the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology in Pune, and the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute.

Key facts about WHO

Established in 1948, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is a United Nations specialized agency aimed at promoting health worldwide.
The agency fosters international collaboration between nations, partners, and individuals to enhance global health.
Membership includes 194 member states, reflecting its global reach and inclusivity.
The World Health Assembly (WHA) serves as WHO’s highest decision-making body, with representation from all member states.
The Secretariat executes the policies and programs approved by the WHA, ensuring operational efficiency.
The Director-General, as the head of the WHA, leads the organization and is supported by a senior management team for strategic guidance.
WHO operates through six regional offices located in Africa, the Americas, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Western Pacific, facilitating localized health initiatives.

Food Waste Index Report 2024

News- The Food Waste Index Report 2024 reveals that in 2022, households worldwide discarded more than one billion meals daily.

About

The Food Waste Index Report 2024 is co-authored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a non-profit organization based in the UK.
Its focus is on measuring food and inedible parts wasted at the retail and consumer levels globally and nationally.
Food waste is defined in the report as food and associated inedible parts removed from the human food supply chain.
Food loss refers to edible commodities from crops and livestock that exit the post-harvest/slaughter production chain before reaching the retail level.
In 2022, the report recorded 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste, equating to 132 kilograms per person, nearly a fifth of all food available to consumers.
Many low- and middle-income countries lack effective mechanisms to track progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which aims to halve food waste by 2030.
Only Australia, Japan, the UK, the US, and the European Union among the G-20 have adequate food waste estimates for monitoring progress.
Higher per capita food waste in hotter countries might be due to increased consumption of fresh foods with significant inedible parts and insufficient cold storage facilities.
Compared to urban areas, rural regions tend to waste less food, often redirecting food scraps to animals or home composting.
By 2022, only 21 countries had incorporated food loss or waste reduction strategies into their climate action plans or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Kalam-250

News- Skyroot Aerospace, a prominent space technology firm, recently achieved a milestone by successfully conducting a test firing of the Kalam-250 at the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) propulsion test facility.

ABOUT

The Kalam-250 is designated as the second stage of the Vikram-1-1 space launch vehicle.
It features a high-strength carbon composite rocket motor.
The motor utilizes solid fuel and incorporates a high-performance Ethylene-Propylene-Diene terpolymers (EPDM) thermal protection system (TPS) for durability and safety.
This stage is equipped with a carbon ablative flex nozzle and high-precision electro-mechanical actuators for effective thrust vector control.
These components are critical for maneuvering the vehicle along its planned trajectory.
The second stage plays a pivotal role in the Vikram-1-1 launch vehicle’s journey, enabling it to ascend from Earth’s atmosphere into the vacuum of outer space.

Key facts about Vikram-1 Rocket

Named in honor of Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India’s space program, the Vikram-1-1 Rocket is a significant multi-stage launch vehicle.
It can deliver approximately 300 kg of payloads into low-Earth orbit.
The rocket is a product of Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace and features an all-carbon-fiber body, enabling the deployment of multiple satellites into orbit.
Utilizing solid fuel and comparatively simpler technologies allows for the Vikram-1-1 to be launched with minimal infrastructure requirements.
Notably, the rocket can be assembled and ready for launch within 24 hours from any location, highlighting its flexibility and rapid deployment capability.

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