Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 06 December 2023 | Download PDF

• Six exoplanets orbiting around a nearby bright star (HD 110067) in the Coma Berenices constellation has been discovered.

Key points

• HD 110067 is the bright star in the Coma Berenices constellation (around 100 light-years away), which is visible from Earth’s Northern Hemisphere
• The masses of the planets and estimated densities are relatively low
• The low densities could be explained by large, hydrogen-rich atmospheres. 
• All six planets are in resonant orbits, in which the planets exert regular forces on each other as they orbit. 
• This feature suggests that the system remains practically unchanged since its birth, at least four billion years ago.
• Scientific Significance: Enhances understanding of exoplanetary systems.

• Malaysia has become the latest country to extend the advantage of visa-free travel to Indian citizens. 
• The facility will be extended to Indian travellers till December 31, 2024 and will be valid for 30 days from the date of entry.

Key points

•  The initiative is aimed at ensuring hassle-free travel for Indians who have emerged as one of the major tourist groups visiting Malaysia in the recent past. 
• At present there are around 26 countries that extend visa-free entry to Indian citizens for various reasons.

India reported a total of over 1.7 lakh suicides in 2022, nearly one-third of whom were daily wage earners, agricultural labourers, and farmers, according to the National Crime Record Bureau’s (NCRB) Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India (ADSI) 2022 report

Key points

• The suicide data published in the ADSI-2022 report showed that the maximum suicides in the year were reported from Maharashtra (22,746), Tamil Nadu (19,834), Madhya Pradesh (15,386), Karnataka (13,606), Kerala (10,162), and Telangana (9,980).
• Apart from daily wage earners, and agricultural workers and farmers, the ADSI data showed that 9.6% of the suicides in 2022 were of persons who were self-employed or salaried professionals. 
• This was followed by unemployed persons, who comprise 9.2% of all suicides reported in India in 2022. 
• Among all suicides reported in the year, over 12,000 were of students.

At the ongoing COP-28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, a group of well-endowed philanthropic bodies, including the Sequoia Climate Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund, announced that they would collectively invest $450 million in solutions to tackle methane emissions.

About

• Methane is an organic compound. 
• Its molecule consists of carbon and four hydrogen atoms (CH4). 
• It’s in the news of late because of its character as a potent climate pollutant. 
•  Methane has a greater global warming potential (GWP) than carbon dioxide. 
• However, while carbon dioxide lasts for several decades at a time in the atmosphere before breaking down, methane breaks down in a matter of years. That is, it’s a short-lived climate pollutant. 
• Its sources include cattle-farming, landfills, wastewater treatment facilities, rice cultivation, and some industrial processes.

What is GWP?

• The GWP is a measure of the warming caused by a substance relative to that due to the same mass of carbon dioxide; the GWP100 measures this over a century at a time. 
• If carbon dioxide has a GWP100 of 1, methane is 28, nitrous oxide is 265, and sulphur hexafluoride is 23,500.

The Rajya Sabha passed the Post Office Bill , which repeals and replaces the Post Office Act of 1898.

Key points

• The bill will ensure the effective functioning of the postal department as a messenger service and as a provider of banking facilities.
• Section 9 of the Bill gives the power to intercept, open or detain any item or deliver item to customs authority by the post office officials.
• The provisions empowering any officer to intercept, open or detain any postal item in the interest of the security of the State is also a concern that giving such a free hand to officers will harm the right to privacy.

Odisha Regional Specific News

• The state government has decided to provide supplementary online coaching to NEET and JEE aspirants pursuing their studies in government and non-government aided higher secondary schools.
• The supplementary online coaching to the NEET and JEE aspiring students will help enhance their competitive ability. 

 Odisha witnessed modest improvement in its dismal record on crime against women in 2022, yet the state holds the top spot in cases related to cyber offences against women registered under the Information Technology Act in the same year.

Key points

• As per the latest ‘Crime in India’ report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Odisha registered 23648 crime cases against women in 2022 as opposed to 31352 registered in 2021.
• Odisha was among the top five states registering maximum number of cases on the charges of assault on women with the intention to outrage the modesty of a woman victim.

Odisha Cabinet approved an EPC tender for the construction of a Utility Corridor project between Gopalpur Port and TATA Steel Industrial Park at Gopalpur in Ganjam district.

Key points

• The ambitious project is to be executed through IDCO to provide the logistics facilities required for existing and upcoming industries in Gopalpur Industrial Park. 
• This corridor shall provide seamless and effective operational linkages between TATA Steel Industrial Park and Gopalpur Port.

• The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will install a stainless-steel box beam for strengthening the cracked beam inside the Natamandap (dancing hall) of Shri Jagannath Temple at Puri.
• The high court is monitoring repair and renovation inside the Natamandap as part of adjudication on a PIL for conservation of  the 12th century shrine filed by Abhisek Das, a resident of Cuttack in 2016

The maize production in Odisha has increased by around 51% under the Mukhyamantri Maka Mission (MMM).

Key points

• The Mukhyamantri Maka Mission aims to promote maize cultivation, which is important to the state’s food security.
• This program is set to diversify crops, improve maize production, and enhance the value chain for marketing. 
• The program is allocated a budget of Rs 481.94 crore over a span of five years.

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