Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 12 September 2024 | Download PDF

• NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope recently unveiled a stunning image of the Red Spider Nebula, a planetary nebula located around 3,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius.

Hottest Star: 

• At the core of this nebula is one of the hottest known stars. 
• The intense heat from this star energizes the surrounding gas, creating shockwaves that extend up to 100 billion kilometers (62 billion miles) in height.

Nebula:

• A nebula is a vast, diffuse cloud of gas and dust in interstellar space. 
• Nebulae are often associated with the life cycle of stars, serving as nurseries for new stars and as remnants of dead stars. 
• They come in various shapes, sizes, and colors, and their appearance reveals important information about their composition and the processes occurring within them.

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved ‘Mission Mausam’ with a budget of Rs. 2,000 crore over two years.

Key points:

• Mission Mausam is a comprehensive initiative aimed at enhancing India’s capabilities in weather and climate science.
• The mission will focus on addressing the challenges posed by extreme weather events and climate change by equipping citizens and various stakeholders with better tools and information.

Key Features of Mission Mausam:

• Research and Development: Expansion in research related to atmospheric sciences, including weather surveillance, modelling, and forecasting.
• Advanced Technologies: Integration of next-generation radars, satellite systems with advanced sensors, high-performance supercomputers, artificial intelligence, and machine learning for precise weather prediction.
• Comprehensive Forecasting: Focus on improving weather and climate predictions for monsoons, extreme events, air quality, cyclones, and weather interventions like managing fog, hail, and rain.

Implementing Agencies:

Primary Institutes: The mission will be led by three major institutes under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES):

• India Meteorological Department
• Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
• National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting

• Paralympic archery champions, Ms. Sheetal Devi and Shri Rakesh Kumar, have been appointed as national icons for voter awareness, specifically focusing on Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
• This recognition by the Election Commission of India (ECI) aims to inspire voter participation across the nation, particularly among PwDs.

Key points:

At just 17 years old, Ms. Sheetal Devi has become an inspirational figure for youth and PwDs alike. She hails from Jammu & Kashmir and is celebrated for her numerous achievements, including:

• Becoming India’s youngest Paralympic medalist.
• Winning gold medals in Individual and Mixed Team events at the 2023 Asian Para Games.
• Earning a silver medal at the 2023 World Archery Para Championship.
• Garnering multiple accolades at the Asian Para Championship.

Achievements of Shri Rakesh Kumar

Shri Rakesh Kumar has represented India twice at the Paralympic Games, showcasing his exceptional skills in archery. His notable achievements include:

• Winning a gold medal in the mixed team event at the 2023 World Archery Para Championship.
• Earning gold, silver, and other accolades in various events at the Asian Para Games 2022-23.
• Representing India at both the Tokyo and Paris Paralympics.

The Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT), under the Union Education Ministry, has introduced a new website to provide technical terms in all 22 official Indian languages.

Key Features of the Website:

• Name of the Portal: ‘shabd.education.gov.in’.
• Purpose: The website serves as a central hub for all scientific and technical terminologies in Indian languages.
• Available Resources: It hosts glossaries from the CSTT and other institutions or agencies that have prepared similar dictionaries, making them accessible in digital form.

Current Availability:

• Number of Glossaries: Currently, the portal provides access to 322 glossaries, featuring approximately 22,00,000 words.
• Future Goals: Officials aim to increase the number of glossaries to 450.

CSTT’s Role and History:

• Established: CSTT was founded in 1961 with the mission of evolving and standardizing scientific and technical terms in Hindi and other Indian languages.
• Publications: CSTT publishes textbooks, monographs, and quarterly journals such as ‘Vigyan Garima Sindhu’ and ‘Gyan Garima Sindhu’.
• Glossaries for Government Use: It also develops glossaries for government departments, research institutions, and public sector units.

• The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) has introduced the Air Quality Management Exchange Platform (AQMx) following a resolution passed at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6).

Purpose of AQMx:

• The platform is designed to help city and national air quality managers with strategies to improve air quality.
• It provides access to the latest tools and guidance for air quality monitoring, inventory development, and health impact assessments.
• AQMx addresses air quality management capacity gaps, allowing decision-makers to make informed policies that reflect public health needs.

• Khiching Temple has been included in the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme.
• This initiative aims to enhance the tourism infrastructure and pilgrim amenities at significant religious sites across India.

PRASHAD scheme:

• The PRASHAD scheme, launched by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, aims to revitalize and enhance pilgrimage sites across the country. 
• Its primary objectives include:   
• Infrastructure Development: Improving facilities like transportation, accommodation, and basic amenities at pilgrimage destinations.
• Spiritual Augmentation: Preserving and promoting the cultural and spiritual significance of these sites.   
• Sustainable Tourism: Encouraging responsible and environmentally friendly tourism practices.
• Local Economic Development: Generating employment opportunities and boosting the local economy.

About:

• Khiching Temple is a significant Hindu temple complex located in Mayurbhanj district, Odisha. 
• The temple complex dates back to the 9th and 10th centuries, during the rule of the Bhanja dynasty.
• The complex houses several shrines dedicated to various Hindu deities, including Shiva, Vishnu, and Ganesha.

•  In a major push to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) in the country by 2025, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is all set to roll out a new BCG vaccination programme for adults in Odisha this month.
• The initiative will be launched in 15 districts – Balasore, Balangir, Boudh, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Rayagada and Sundargarh.
• Odisha is among the high burden TB states where the new vaccine is being launched in collaboration with ICMR to assess its efficacy in the vulnerable adult population
• Six-target groups, as indicated in the national prevalence survey, have been planned to be included in the campaign. 
• Contacts of TB patients, previously treated TB individuals, adults with BMI less than 18 kg/sq m, people aged above 60 years, self-reported smokers and self-reported diabetes will be vaccinated.

About:

• BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccination is a crucial tool in the fight against tuberculosis (TB). 
• It’s a vaccine made from a weakened form of the Mycobacterium bovis bacteria, which is closely related to the TB-causing bacteria.
• While BCG doesn’t provide complete protection against TB, it significantly reduces the risk of developing severe forms of the disease, especially in children.

• The Odisha Assembly has passed the Appropriation Bill of Rs 2.65 lakh crore for the financial year 2024-25. 
• This is the largest budget in the state’s history, and it allocates significant funds to various sectors such as education, health, agriculture, and infrastructure development.
• This budget aims to achieve the dream for the creation of a ‘Bikashit Odisha’ by 2036 when the state will celebrate 100 years of formation of Odisha as a separate province.

About:

• Appropriation bill is introduced in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) after the Union Budget is presented.
• Articles 114 and 204 of the Constitution of India outline the procedure for passing Appropriation Bills and the requirements for withdrawing money from the Consolidated Fund of India:  

Article 114

• This article states that the government cannot withdraw money from the Consolidated Fund of India before the bill is passed by Parliament and the State Legislature, and the President has given his assent within 75 days. 
• Once the President’s assent is received, the Appropriation Bill becomes the Appropriation Act. 

Article 204:

• This article outlines the procedure for passing Appropriation Bills, including the following: 
• Expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State.
• The amount of expenditure cannot exceed the amount shown in the statement previously laid before the House or Houses.
• No amendments to the Bill can vary the amount of any grant or alter the destination of any grant.
• The decision of the person presiding is final on whether an amendment is inadmissible

• Recently, three persons have died with Scrub typhus in Bargarh district of Odisha. 

Key Points:

• Scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus or mite typhus, is a bacterial infection caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi.
• It’s primarily found in the Asia-Pacific region.

Transmission:

• Vector: Infected chiggers (larval mites) transmit the bacteria through their bites.   
• Habitat: Chiggers are commonly found in scrub vegetation, hence the name “scrub typhus.”   

Symptoms:

• Fever   
• Headache   
• Body aches   
• Rash   
• A small, dark scab (eschar) at the bite site   
• Enlarged lymph nodes   

Treatment:

• Antibiotic therapy, typically doxycycline, is effective if started early. 

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