Daily Current Affairs For UPSC IAS Prelims, 02 February 2023 Current Affairs For Civil Services

Daily Current Affairs For UPSC IAS Prelims 02 February 2023: We bring to you ”Daily Current Affairs For UPSC IAS Prelims” based on the principle of updating UPSC CSE aspirants with Most Important Daily Current Affairs For Civil Services. These Daily Current Affairs are prepared by our team in Bit Form/Abridged Form to save the precious time of UPSC Aspirants without compromising the quality. In Today’s Daily Current Affairs For UPSC IAS Prelims, 02 February 2023, we are covering below mentioned topics: Octane 92 Patrol, MISHTI, PM PRANAM, Amrit Dharohar, Bio-Input Resource Centres.

Octane 92 Patrol

Octane 92 Patrol In News?

Sri Lanka has raised the price of Octane 92 petrol by 30 rupees from 370 to 400 rupees per litre. This was done  because The IMF had asked the island nation to reduce its budget deficit either by increasing revenue or reducing the state spending.

Background

Sri Lanka has been facing inflationary pressure over the last nine months. Inflation in the island had hit a high of 73 percent in September last year and had marginally eased to 54 percent in January 2023.

What Are Octane ratings?

• Octane ratings are measures of fuel stability.
• These ratings are based on the pressure at which a fuel will spontaneously combust (auto-ignite) in a testing engine.
• The octane number is actually the simple average of two different octane rating methods—motor octane rating (MOR) and research octane rating (RON)—that differ primarily in the specifics of the operating conditions.
• The higher an octane number, the more stable the fuel. For Example:
  • Regular (the lowest octane fuel–generally 87)
  • Midgrade (the middle range octane fuel–generally 89–90)
  • Premium (the highest octane fuel–generally 91–94)
• Some companies have different names for these grades of gasoline, such as unleaded, super, or super premium, but they all refer to the octane rating.

MISHTI 

MISHTI In News?

• MISHTI(Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes) is a new programme that is declared in Union Budget 2023-23.
• MISHTI will facilitate mangrove plantation along India’s coastline and on salt pan lands.

Importance of MISHTI Initiative?

• Mangroves are not just some of the most bio-diverse locations in India, they also protect the coastlines from the vagaries of inclement weather.
• As climate change increases the incidence of extreme weather events across the world, mangrove plantations have shown to make coastal lands resilient, preventing flooding, land erosion and acting as a buffer for cyclones.
• Furthermore, they are also excellent carbon sinks.
• Mangrove trees can grow in saline waters, and can sequester up to four times more carbon than tropical rainforests.
• So, the MISHTI program which will be operated through convergence between MGNREGS, Campa Fund and other sources, will be a game changer for protecting Mangroves.

PM PRANAM

PM PRANAM In News?

The Union Government On Feb. 01, 2023, declared PM PRANAM Scheme in Union Budget 2023-24.

What Is PM PRANAM?

• The Full Form of PM PRANAM is ”Prime Minister Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of  Mother Earth”
• This programme will seek to incentivise states and union territories promoting alternative fertilisers and the balanced use of chemical fertilisers.

Amrit Dharohar

Amrit Dharohar In News?

Amrit Dharohar is a Central Government Scheme to protect wetlands, declared in Union Budget 2023-24.

What Is Amrit Dharohar Scheme?

• Amrit Dharohar will be implemented over the next three years to encourage optimal use of wetlands, and enhance bio-diversity, carbon stock, eco-tourism opportunities and income generation for local communities.
• Amrit Dharohar will emphasise on the importance of wetlands and their preservation, with an outlook that is inclusive of local communities as caretakers of the ecosystem.

What Are Ramsar Sites?

• Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance that have been designated under the criteria of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971) for containing representative, rare or unique wetland types or for their importance in conserving biological diversity. These sites sustain a diverse variety of flora and fauna, from endangered aquatic life to migratory birds.
• The total number of Ramsar sites in our country has increased to 75. Whereas, before 2014, there were only 26.
• India’s 75 Ramsar sites are spread across the country, covering 1326678 hectares.
• As many as 49 new sites have been added to the list since 2019, with 19 being added in 2022.

Bio-Input Resource Centres

Bio-Input Resource Centres In News?

• The Union Budget 2023-24 declared that Bio-Input Resource Centres will be developed across the country.
• To further facilitate the adoption of “natural farming,” 10,000 Bio-Input Resource Centres will be set-up, creating a national-level distributed micro-fertiliser and pesticide manufacturing network.
• This will impact over 1 crore farmers over the next three years.

Why Bio-Input Resource Centre matters?

• Chemical fertilisers revolutionised agriculture when they were introduced, more than half a century ago. However, they also pose multiple risks that are increasingly being understood by scientists.
• They are known to be a major source of water pollution – impacting both groundwater and rivers, ponds and lakes.
• Eutrophication caused by excessive use of chemical fertilisers is a death knell for fishes and other aquatic life, often covering lakes and ponds with a thick layer of algae and reducing the oxygen content in the water.
• Over a long period of time, they can also harm the soil, causing acidification, and hence have an impact on the land’s productivity.
• Lastly, studies have found a link between the excessive use of chemical fertilisers and incidence of cancer among farmers.
• The challenge for today’s scientists and policy makers is to slowly wean the agricultural economy of chemical fertilisers while maintaining the high yields that they provide.

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