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NEXT IAS

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

Time: 45 Min.

Date: 08-05-2021

Disaster Management

Fire Safety Regulations for Public Buildings in India

Syllabus: GS 3/Disaster Management

In Context: Over the past few weeks, there have been deadly fires in hospital buildings, including

those treating COVID-19 patients.

Key Points

● Fires breaking out in buildings, big and small across India is not a new phenomenon. ● The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) says 330 people died in commercial

building fires in 2019, while fatalities for residential or dwelling buildings were much higher at 6,329.

Major Causes of Fires

● Electrical faults are cited as the leading cause of fires but State governments are widely criticised for being lax with building safety laws and for failing to equip public buildings with modern technology.

● Hospital ICUs (intensive care units) are a great fire risk because they are oxygen-suffused, and need to meet high standards.

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Fire Safety Regulations in India

● Constitutional Provisions

○ Fire service is a state subject and has been included as a municipal function in

the XII schedule of the Constitution.

○ The municipal corporations and local bodies are responsible for providing fire services in many states.

● National Building Code of India, 2016

○ At the centre of all standard-setting is the National Building Code of India, 2016 ○ Part 4 of the Code deals with Fire and Life Safety.

■ It recommends the location of buildings by type of use in specific zones to ensure that industrial and hazardous structures do not coexist with residential, institutional, office and business buildings.

■ The code broadly covers the following areas:

● Fire prevention: This covers aspects of fire prevention pertaining to the design and construction of buildings.

○ It provides specifications and guidelines for design and materials that reduce the threat of destructive fires

● Life Safety: This covers life safety provisions in the event of a fire and similar emergencies, also addressing construction and occupancy features that are necessary to minimise danger to life from fire, smoke, fumes or panic.

● Fire Protection: Covers significant appurtenances (accessories) and their related components and guidelines for selecting the correct type of equipment and installations meant for fire protection of the building, depending upon the classifications and type of building.

● State Governments Laws and Regulations

○ Maharashtra, which has been hit by a series of fires, has a Fire Prevention and

Life Safety Measures Act since 2008. Section 3 of the Act makes the provisions of

the NBC mandatory and Schedule I of the State’s law is borrowed from the Code. ○ In Kerala, obtaining a NOC [no-objection certificate] from the fire department

for hospitals that are between 15 metres and 24 metres high, requires furnishing exhaustive information on design and infrastructure.

■ The rules prescribe firefighting equipment and installations that meet “Indian Standards”, but do not contain a direct reference to the NBC. ○ Tamil Nadu’s form for a fire licence, required under the Fire Service Act read with

municipal law, is even broader, and no reference is found for compliance with the NBC Code.

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● Guidelines by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)

○ NDMA has also stipulated requirements for fire safety in public buildings, including hospitals, which incorporate elements of the NBC, besides design guidelines on maintaining minimum open safety space, protected exit mechanisms, dedicated staircases, and crucial drills to carry out evacuations. ● Model Building Bye-Laws, 2016

○ The Ministry of Urban Development has devised a circular called “Model Building By-Laws 2016” which states the regulatory mechanism and engineering parameters to keep in mind before starting any construction project in India.

Concerns

● Negligence of rules and regulation: Fire incidents are common across India due to the country's poor record for workplace safety standards and negligence in the enforcement

of building regulations

○ The dense residential development, entangled wires and lack of implementation of fire safety norms are a few reasons for fire hazard related devastation in the country.

● Lack of Knowledge: There are many offices/high rise buildings/mandir and religious places having fire fighting equipments installed but hardly any person has the

knowledge of using them

● Lack of maintenance: It makes the equipment dysfunctional.

● Lack of unified fire services: Unified fire services provide all the necessary guidelines and instruction in fire fighting but it lacks in most of the states.

● Lack of funding: Adequate funding is not available, which inhibits technological progression for fire fighting.

Way Forward

● In December 2020, the Supreme Court directed all States to carry out fire safety audits of dedicated COVID-19 hospitals.

○ Fire Safety Audit (FSA) is found to be an effective tool to assess fire safety standards of an organisation or an occupancy. Therefore, once in a year a fire safety audit (FSA) by independent agencies should be made mandatory all over India.

● It has become evident that State forces lack the manpower to inspect and ensure

compliance with safety codes, including the NBC, where it is mandatory.

○ One option is to make heavy fire liability insurance compulsory for all public buildings, which would offer protection to occupants and visitors and bring about the external inspection of safety.

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● We should have guidelines/framework to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment for our cities.

● The government should continue to provide financial support and assistance in augmenting and modernising the fire departments

● Building awareness among citizens about fire prevention and protection measures is also of paramount importance.

About National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB)

● It was set-up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals. ● It was established on the recommendations of the Tandon Committee to the National

Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA’s Taskforce (1985).

● NCRB was entrusted with the responsibility for monitoring, coordinating and implementing the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) project in the year 2009.

● This project connects 15000+ police stations and 6000 higher offices of police in the country.

● In August 2017, NCRB launched the National Digital Police Portal, which allows search for a criminal/suspect on the CCTNS database.

● The Bureau has also been entrusted to maintain the National Database of Sexual

Offenders (NDSO) and share it with the States/UTs on a regular basis.

● NCRB has also been designated as the Central Nodal Agency to manage technical and operational functions of the ‘Online Cyber-Crime Reporting Portal.

Source: TH

Indian Economy

Special Kharif Strategy 2021

Syllabus: GS 3/Agriculture

In News: The Ministry of Agriculture has formulated a special Kharif strategy for

implementation in the upcoming Kharif season with an aim to attain self-sufficiency in the

production of pulses. Rationale Behind the Move

● India is still importing around 4 lakh tonnes of pulses to meet its demand.

● This special programme will increase the production of pulses (Tur, Moong and )to a great extent.

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● It will play an important role in reducing the import burden and usher India to become

Atma Nirbhar in the production of pulses. Major Points of Strategy

A detailed plan for both area expansion and productivity enhancement for Tur, Moong and

Urad has been formulated.

● Under the strategy, High Yielding Varieties of seeds that are available either with the

Central Seed Agencies or in the States will be distributed free of cost to increase area

through the intercropping and sole crop.

● For the coming Kharif 2021, it is proposed to distribute more than 20 lakh mini kits of

seeds amounting to nearly Rs 82 crore.

■ It is ten times more than last year.

○ The total cost for these mini-kits will be borne by the Central Government. ○ For effective implementation of the Kharif mini kit programme, a massive

outreach with the concerned district will be held both through a series of webinars by the central government and state governments concerned to ensure

that there are no hiccups.

● The Agricultural Technology Application Research Institutes(ATARIs) and Krishi

Vigyan Kendras will also be roped in for effective implementation and training to the

farmers.

About Kharif Crops

● Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country and these are harvested in September-October.

● Important crops grown during this season are paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soybean.

○ Some of the most important rice-growing regions are Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra, particularly the (Konkan coast) along with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Recently, paddy has also become an important crop of Punjab and Haryana. In states like Assam, West Bengal and Odisha.

Pulses in India

● About: Pulses are annual leguminous crops yielding between one and 12 grains or seeds of variable size, shape and colour within a pod, used for both food and feed.

○ These serve as an important source of protein for a large portion of the global population, pulses contribute to healthy soils and climate change mitigation through their nitrogen-fixing properties.

● Major pulses grown and consumed in India: Bengal Gram (Desi ChickPea / Desi Chana), Pigeon Peas (Arhar / Toor / Red Gram), Green Beans (Moong Beans),

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ChickPeas (Kabuli Chana), Black Matpe (Urad / Mah / Black Gram), Red Kidney Beans (Rajma), Black Eyed Peas (Lobia), Lentils (Masoor), White Peas (Matar).

● Production: India is the largest producer (25% of global production), consumer (27% of world consumption) and importer (14%) of pulses in the world.

○ Pulses account for around 20 percent of the area under food grains and contribute around 7-10 per cent of the total foodgrains production in the country.

○ Pulses are grown in both Kharif and Rabi seasons, Rabi pulses contribute more than 60 per cent of the total production.

○ Gram is the most dominant pulse having a share of around 40 per cent in the total production followed by Tur/Arhar.

○ Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka are the top five pulse producing States.

● Price Support: The policy prescription for ensuring reasonable price to the farmers largely centres around procuring the pulses by providing Minimum Support Prices

(MSP) to the farmers through National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and more recently through Small Farmers Agri

Consortium (SFAC).

Minimum Support Price (MSP)

● It is the minimum price set by the Government at which farmers can expect to sell their produce for the season.

○ When market prices fall below the announced MSPs, procurement agencies step in to procure the crop and ‘support’ the prices.

Source: AIR

Biodiversity and Environment

Global Methane Assessment

Syllabus: GS 2, International Organisations & Groupings, United Nations, its Bodies & Agencies,

Effect of Policies & Politics of Developed & Developing Countries on India’s Interests, GS 3, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

In News: Recently, the Climate and Clean Air (CCA) Coalition and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has released the report titled “Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions”.

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Reasons for Focusing on Methane

● Methane is the second biggest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide. ● It is 84 times more potent than carbon but it does not last as long in the atmosphere

before it breaks down.

● This makes it a critical target for reducing global warming more quickly while simultaneously working to reduce other greenhouse gases (GHGs).

● Most human-caused methane emissions came from three sectors, namely:

○ Fossil Fuels: Oil and gas extraction, processing and distribution accounted for 23 per cent of methane emissions in the fossil fuel sector. Coal mining accounted for 12 per cent of emissions.

■ During mining, fractured coal seams and surrounding strata emit methane into the atmosphere.

○ Waste: Landfills and wastewater made up about 20 per cent of emissions in the waste sector.

○ Agriculture: Livestock emissions from manure and enteric fermentation constituted for roughly 32 per cent and rice cultivation eight per cent of emissions. ■ Methane is produced in the digestive system of ruminant (cows, water

buffaloes, sheep, goats and camels) animals.

■ This gas is then released through these animals’ flatulence, when they belch or through their manure.

● Reduced methane would prevent 260,000 premature deaths, 775,000 asthma-related

hospital visits annually, as well as 25 million tonnes of crop losses.

● Cutting methane emissions can rapidly reduce the rate of warming in the near-term as the gas breaks down quickly.

● India currently has the world’s largest cattle population and is a significant producer of

rice and because of this, methane accounts for approximately 20 per cent of India’s total

emissions.

Major Findings

● Human-caused methane emissions are increasing faster currently than at any other time since record keeping began in the 1980s.

● Methane in the atmosphere reached record levels in 2020, which is a cause of concern as it is an extremely powerful GHG and is responsible for about 30 per cent of warming since pre-industrial times.

○ However, carbon dioxide levels have dropped during the Covid-19 pandemic due to the lockdowns and travel restrictions.

● The mitigation potential varies between countries and regions.

○ Europe has the greatest potential to curb methane emissions from farming, fossil fuel operations and waste management.

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○ India has the greatest potential to reduce methane emissions in the waste sector. ○ China’s mitigation potential is best in coal production and livestock.

○ Africa’s mitigation potential is in livestock, followed by oil and gas.

● Sector wise, the fossil fuel industry had the greatest potential for low-cost methane cuts. ○ Up to 80 per cent of measures in the oil and gas industry could be implemented

at negative or low cost.

○ About 60 per cent of methane cuts in this sector could make money as reducing leaks would make more gas available for sale.

Image Courtesy: CCAC Recommendations and Suggestions

● Human-caused emissions must be cut by 45 per cent as it would prevent a rise in global

warming by up to 0.3 degrees Celsius by 2045 and help limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a goal of the Paris climate accord.

● The waste sector can cut its methane emissions by improving the disposal of sewage around the world.

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● Behavioural changes can reduce methane emissions by 65-80 million tonnes per year over the next few decades.

○ These lifestyle changes include reducing food waste and loss, improving

livestock management and adopting healthy diets (vegetarian or with a lower

meat and dairy content).

● The benefits to society, economies, and the environment are numerous and far outweigh

the cost so there is a need for international cooperation to urgently reduce methane

emissions as much as possible this decade.

Initiatives for Methane Emissions Reduction

● Global Methane Initiative: It is an international public-private partnership focused on reducing barriers to the recovery and use of methane as a clean energy source. It provides technical support to deploy methane-to-energy projects around the world.

● European Union Methane Strategy: It was adopted by the European Commission in October 2020, which outlined measures to cut methane emissions in Europe and internationally.

● India's GHG Programme: It is an industry-led voluntary framework aiming to help Indian companies monitor progress towards measurement and management of GHG emissions.

● India-US Clean Energy Agenda 2030: It was launched at the Leaders Summit on Climate, held in April 2021. At the Summit, Russia, France and Argentina called for curbing methane emissions.

Climate and Clean Air (CCA) Coalition

● It is a voluntary partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society organizations committed to protecting the climate and improving air quality through actions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants.

● Vision for 2030: An atmosphere that enables people and the planet to thrive, a stabilized climate with warming limited to 1.5ºC and drastically reduced air pollution.

● Its operations are supported by a secretariat that sits within the UNEP. ● Headquarters: Paris, France.

● It is financed through a multi-donor trust fund administered through the UNEP. ○ While governments are the core of the Coalition’s funding, contributions from

the private sector and global community are encouraged.

United Nations Environment Programme

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● It sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system.

● Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya.

● Major Reports: Emission Gap Report, Global Environment Outlook, Frontiers, Invest into Healthy Planet.

● Major Campaigns: Beat Pollution, UN75, World Environment Day, Wild for Life, etc.

Source: DTE

Science & Technology

Uranium and Applications

Syllabus: GS1/ Distribution of Natural Resources, Location of Industries, GS3/ Science &

Technology.

In News: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested two persons with 7 kg natural uranium estimated to be worth around Rs 21 crore.

● Both were arrested under the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 for possessing uranium without a licence.

Uranium Element

● Uranium (U) is a radioactive chemical element of the actinide series of the periodic table,

atomic number 92.

○ Uranium is a dense, hard metallic element that is silvery white in colour. It is ductile, malleable, and capable of taking a high polish.

● Occurrence: Uranium occurs naturally in low concentrations in soil, rock and water and is commercially extracted from uranium-bearing minerals.

○ Uranium occurs naturally in several minerals such as uraninite (pitchblende),

brannerite and carnotite. It is also found in phosphate rock and monazite sands.

■ Monazite sands occur on the east and west coasts and in some places in Bihar. But the largest concentration of monazite sand is on the Kerala

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Image Courtesy: Britannica Applications

● Uranium that has a silvery grey metallic appearance is mainly used in nuclear power

plants due to its unique nuclear properties.

○ Naturally occurring uranium consists of 99% uranium-238 and 1% uranium-235. Uranium-235 is the only naturally occurring fissionable fuel (a fuel that can sustain a chain reaction). Uranium fuel used in nuclear reactors is enriched with uranium-235.

● Depleted uranium is also used as a shield against radiation in medical processes using radiation therapy and also while transporting radioactive materials.

● Uranium is also used by the military to power nuclear submarines and nuclear weapons.

Distribution of Uranium Across World

● Over two-thirds of the world's production of uranium from mines is from Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia.

○ Olympic Dam and the Ranger mine in Southern Australia are important mines in Australia.

○ High-grade deposits are only found in the Athabasca Basin region of Canada.

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Uranium 214

● Scientists have developed the lightest form of Uranium, called Uranium-214. It was created at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou, China.

● It is an isotope, or a variant of the element, with 30 more neutrons than protons, one fewer neutron than the next-lightest known uranium isotope.

● The protons and neutrons of Uranium-214 interacted much more strongly than in isotopes with a similar number of neutrons and protons.

● In other words, the nuclear force in Uranium-214 was greater than the nuclear force in other isotopes.

Uranium in India

● India produces about 2 percent of the world’s uranium. The total reserves of uranium are estimated at 30,480 tonnes.

● India has no significant reserves of Uranium. All needs are met through imports. India imports thousands of tonnes of uranium from Russia, Kazakhstan, France.

● India has 22 reactors with an installed capacity of 6,780 megawatts. Of these, eight reactors are fuelled by indigenous uranium while the remaining 14 are under IAEA safeguards and qualify to use imported uranium.

Minings in India

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● Jaduguda in Singhbhum Thrust Belt (in the state of Jharkhand) is the first uranium deposit to be discovered in the country in 1951.

● Apart from discoveries in the Singhbhum Thrust Belt, several uranium occurrences have also been found in the Cuddapah basin of Andhra Pradesh.

● Significant quantities of reserves were recently discovered in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana between Seshachalam forest and Sresailam (Southern edge of Andhra to

Southern edge of Telangana).

● The uranium mining in India made an exciting beginning with the formation of Uranium ● Corporation of India Ltd. in 1967 under the Department of Atomic Energy.

Additional Information

● Radioactivity: It is the phenomenon of the disintegration of heavy elements into comparatively lighter emission in the form of radiations.

○ This was discovered by Henri

becquerel in 1896. It emits radioactive

elements viz- alpha , beta, gamma rays.

● Radioisotopes: Radioisotopes are radioactive isotopes of an element. They are any of the several species of the same chemical element with different masses whose nuclei are unstable.

○ For example: Carbon-14, Arsenic -74, Sodium -24 , Iodine -131 , Cobalt-60 and uranium - 235

○ It has many useful applications like in medicine, for example, cobalt-60 is extensively employed as a radiation source to arrest the development of cancer.

Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL)

● It is a centrally owned Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), under the Department of Atomic Energy for uranium mining and uranium processing.

● It was founded in 1967.

● It is responsible for the mining and milling of uranium ore in India.

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International Relations

India-UK Roadmap 2030

Syllabus: GS 2, Education, Health, India & Foreign Relations, Agreements Involving India &/or

Affecting India’s Interests, Effect of Policies & Politics of Developed & Developing Countries on India’s Interests, GS 3, Defence, Conservation, Science & Technology.

In News: Recently, India and the UK have adopted an ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030’ during the virtual bilateral summit between the Prime Minister of India and his British counterpart.

● The UK and India share many fundamental values since the UK is one of the oldest

democracies and India is the world’s largest democracy. Both are committed members of the Commonwealth.

About the Roadmap

● It will elevate bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and will provide a framework for UK-India relations across health, climate, trade, education, science and

technology and defence.

● Health

○ It will expand the UK-India health partnership to enhance global health security

and pandemic resilience.

■ This includes firming up international supply chains to ensure critical medicines, vaccines and other medical products reach those who need them most.

○ Both discussed the Covid-19 situation and ongoing cooperation in the fight against the pandemic, including the successful partnership on vaccines.

○ Both agreed to expand and enhance the existing UK-India vaccines partnership. ● Climate

○ Agreement on working together to ensure an ambitious outcome at the 2021

United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) and expand the UK-India partnership on tackling climate change.

■ It will include accelerating the development of clean energy and transport and new technology, protecting nature and biodiversity and helping developing countries adapt to the impact of climate change.

● Trade

○ They launched Enhanced Trade Partnership and announced their intent to

negotiate a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

■ It will include consideration of an interim trade agreement to deliver early gains with an ambitious target of more than doubling India-UK trade by

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○ India-UK Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) will facilitate greater opportunities for the mobility of students and professionals between the two countries.

■ It is aimed at reducing illegal immigration into the UK and will make it easier for British and Indian nationals to live and work in each other’s countries

● Science and Technology

○ Both announced a new India-UK Global Innovation Partnership which aims to support the transfer of inclusive Indian innovations to select developing countries, starting with Africa.

■ The UK is India's second largest partner in research and innovation

collaborations.

○ Intentions to cooperate in the fields of Digital Technology and Information and

Communication Technologies (ICTs).

● Defence

○ The UK’s Carrier Strike Group will visit India later in 2021 to boost this work with navies and air forces undertaking joint training exercises to enable future

cooperation on operations in the Western Indian Ocean.

○ They reaffirmed the benefits of closer cooperation in a free and open Indo-Pacific, recognising their shared interest in regional prosperity and stability.

○ They agreed to significant new cooperation on Maritime Domain Awareness, which includes new agreements on maritime information sharing.

■ It was an invitation to the UK to join India’s Information Fusion Centre

in Gurgaon.

○ The two countries are also working to conclude a Logistics Memorandum of

Understanding that will enhance joint ability to tackle shared challenges.

○ Both agreed to work closely together in support of India’s indigenous

development of the Light Combat Aircraft Mark 2.

● Other Areas of Cooperation

○ They also discussed the potential for further industrial collaboration in areas such as maritime propulsion, space and cyber, etc.

○ The two sides also decided to cooperate in the areas of counter-terrorism,

cybersecurity, UN Security Council reforms among other things.

○ The leaders also discussed economic offenders and the issue of extradition of fugitives Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.

○ Both highlighted the need for peaceful negotiation in Afghanistan between the Government and the Taliban and agreed to work together to ensure permanent

and comprehensive ceasefire leading to sustainable peace. Source: IE

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Facts in News

Karen Ethnic Minority

● The term Karen refers to a number of ethnic groups with

Tibetan-Central Asian origins.

● These are indigenous to the Thailand-Myanmar border region in

Southeast Asia.

● They speak Karenic languages ‘12 related but mutually

unintelligible languages’ that are part of the Tibeto-Burman group of the Sino-Tibetan family.

● The vast majority of Karen are Buddhists and a large number

converted to Christianity during British rule.

● The Karen National Liberation Army is the armed wing of the

Karen National Union, the main political organization

representing the Karen minority.

● The Karen and the Kachin in northern Myanmar are the two major ethnic armed organisations that have allied themselves with the movement against the junta that took power in Myanmar.

Image Courtesy: BBC Broadbalk

Experiment

● The Broadbalk field in Hertfordshire county of southern

England has been under continuous scientific experiments for the

past 178 years, making it the world’s oldest and longest running

study.

● It was started by agricultural scientist John Bennet Lawes and

chemist Joseph Henry Gilbert under the Rothamsted Research

institution in the autumn of 1843, when the first crop of wheat was

sown there.

● Every year, researchers sown winter wheat on all or some parts of the field to compare crop yields, when grown using inorganic

fertilisers with those when grown using organic or farmyard manure (FYM). A patch that receives no fertiliser or manure inputs is also maintained for control treatment.

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● Aim: To test the effects of different organic and inorganic

fertilisers on soil fertility and study the optimum nutrition

requirements to improve crop yield.

● In India too, long-term fertiliser experiments are being carried

out at 17 Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) centres since 1970 to study changes in soil quality, crop productivity and

sustainability.

Image Courtesy: DTE Oath

Administration in Legislature

● Article 164(3) of the Indian Constitution states that before a Minister enters upon his office, the Governor shall administer to

him the oaths of office and of secrecy according to the forms set

out in the Third Schedule.

○ The Third Schedule requires the taker of the oath to either “swear in the name of God” or to “solemnly affirm” to “bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution”. ● Article 164 makes it clear that the text of the oath is sacrosanct, and

the person taking the oath has to read it out exactly as it is, in the

given format.

● If a Minister wanders from the text of the oath, it is the

responsibility of the Governor, who is administering the oath, to interrupt and ask the person being sworn in to read it out correctly.

● Once the Governor takes it as read, and the Secretary to the Governor has attested that the oath has been administered, it

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Lumpy Skin Disease

● It is caused by infection of cattle or buffalo with the poxvirus

Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV).

○ The virus is one of three closely related species within the

genus capripoxvirus, the other two species being

Sheeppox virus and Goatpox virus.

● Due to its infectious nature and its implications on the economy, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) declares it as a

notifiable disease.

● According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in some cases (under 10%) the infected animal succumbs to the disease.

Symptoms

● It appears as nodules of two to five-centimetre diameter all over the body, particularly around the head, neck, limbs, udder and genitals.

● The lumps gradually open up like large and deep wounds.

Image Courtesy: IE Transmission

● The LSD virus easily spreads by blood-sucking insects like mosquitoes, flies and ticks and through saliva and contaminated water and food.

Spread

● Globally

○ Historically, LSD has remained confined to Africa, where it was first discovered in 1929, and parts of West Asia. ○ LSD was first reported in Asia and the Pacific region in

2019 in north west China, Bangladesh and India. ● In India

○ In India, which has the world’s highest 303 million heads of cattle, the disease has spread to 15 states within just 16

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○ There is no surety of the origin of the disease in India. It probably happened through mechanical transmission via vectors across the border or through illegal imports of cattle.

Treatment

● No treatment is available for the disease.

World

Thalassemia Day

● World Thalassemia Day is celebrated on May 8 every year to commemorate Thalassemia victims and to encourage those who struggle to live with the disease.

● Theme for 202: Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassaemia Community.

Thalassemia

● It is a blood disorder in which the body has less hemoglobin than

normal.

● The disorder results in the extreme damage of red blood cells,

which leads to a condition where the body doesn’t have sufficient

regular healthy red blood cells. This condition in medical terms is

called Anaemia

● The disorder is primarily inherited by individuals from their parents

● There are two major types of thalassemia alpha and beta. They have been named after the genetic effects in thes (alpha and beta) protein chains.

Symptoms

● Dark coloured urine

○ Slowed body growth and development ○ Extreme fatigue and tiredness

○ Pale or yellow coloured skin

Treatment

● Transfusion of blood

○ Supplements and medications ○ Surgery to remove the affected parts ○ Transplantation of bone marrow

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Image Courtesy: Medlineplus Anamalai Tiger

Reserve (ATR)

● Anamalai Tiger Reserve is carved out of the Tamil Nadu portion of the Anamalais.

● It lies South of the Palakkad gap in the Southern Western Ghats. ○ It falls within the Western Ghats mountain chain of South

West India, a region designated as one of 25 Global

Biodiversity Hotspots.

● It possesses diverse fauna and flora, well representative of the region.

● The Tiger Reserve supports diverse habitat types viz. Wet evergreen forests, semi evergreen forests, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, dry thorn and shola forests.

References

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