Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 15 February 2024 | Download PDF

• • 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14) is set to take place as mentioned below:
• Dates: February 12 to 17, 2024
• Location: Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Theme and Significance

• Theme: “Nature knows no borders”
• Significance: Highlights the need for international collaboration in conserving migratory species, emphasizing that their survival depends on efforts beyond political boundaries.

Global Significance: 

• One of the most significant global biodiversity gatherings since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (Biodiversity Plan) in 2022.

Focus Areas:

• Habitat conservation and restoration
• Addressing threats such as overexploitation, habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, and climate change

Initiatives:

• Support implementation of the GBF
• Launch of major new report State of the World’s Migratory Species and guidelines.

Do you know?

• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species is also known as the Bonn Convention.
• It was signed on 23 June 1979, in Bonn, Germany.
• It is an Environmental treaty under the United Nations Environment Programme for conserving and sustainably using migratory animals and their habitats.

• Recently, a prototype of an advanced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was successfully flown by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in Bengaluru, marking a significant technological advancement.

About:

• Definition: Solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operating in the stratosphere (20 km above ground) without needing a rocket launch.
• Design: Full-scale version has a 30-meter wingspan, weighs 150 kg, operates at 80-100 km per hour, and can stay airborne for 90 days at 17-20 km altitude, carrying up to 15 kg payloads.

Benefits of HAPS

• Cost-effective: Lower costs in building, launching, and operating compared to satellites.
• Maneuverability: Can be easily moved to different locations unlike satellites with predetermined paths.
• Coverage: Can cover large areas (around 500 km diameter) and link to multiple ground stations.
• Speed and Latency: Closer proximity to the ground allows for greater transmission speeds and lower latency.
• Refurbishment and Reutilization: Payloads can be reconfigured periodically.

• Consumer Affairs Secretary highlights the potential of AI in the ‘e-Jagriti’ portal for reducing pending cases in consumer courts.

About:

• • Initiative of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution.
  • Serves as a portal for consumer commissions.
• Aims to enhance customer experience.

• • Offers a simple, fast, and cost-effective consumer dispute redressal software solution.
  • Envisions integration of various consumer grievance platforms onto a single platform, including OCMS, E-Daakhil, NCDRC Case Monitoring System, CONFONET website, and mediation application.
• Features include case filing, online fee payment, and case monitoring modules for seamless disposal of cases by all Commissions.

• Utilizes AI technology for Smart search facility on archived consumer complaints/cases/judgements, metadata and keyword creation, and Voice-to-text conversion of judgements, case history, and other details.
• It will integrate Virtual court facility for convenient and accessible resolution of consumer complaints.

A 2023 study by the University of Oxford stated that about 10% of the population they had studied had autoimmune diseases of which 13% were women and 7% were men.

Key points:

What is Autoimmune Disease?

• • Autoimmune disease occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells, tissues, and organs.
  • It can affect any part of the body, weakening bodily function and can be life-threatening.
• There is no cure, but treatments can help manage symptoms, and most cases are not fatal.

Susceptibility of Women

• • Women are more susceptible to autoimmune diseases than men.
  • Factors such as environmental factors, genetics, hormonal imbalance, and lifestyle habits play a role.
  • Scientists previously thought it could be related to sex hormones or faulty regulation of the X chromosome.
• A molecular coating found in half of women’s X chromosomes might be the reason for this susceptibility.

• India marks the 5th anniversary of the Pulwama terror attack.
• February 14 is considered ‘Black Day’ due to the attack by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in 2019.
• The attack resulted in the death of at least 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel.

Balakot airstrike

• • Indian security forces conducted a counter-attack named ‘Operation Bandar’ on February 26, 2019, in the Balakot region of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. 
  • This operation involved airstrikes on Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camps, located approximately 50 km from the Line of Control (LoC). 
  • The Indian Air Force (IAF) used Israel-made “smart bombs” and 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets in the attack, reportedly resulting in the deaths of numerous terrorists. 
• This operation marked the first time since the 1971 war that India conducted an aerial assault in Pakistan.

The CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) in Lucknow has entered into an agreement with the Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha, to assist in the cultivation of special flowers such as lotus, Gandhraj, and other aromatic plants used in rituals.

Key points:

• Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU), NBRI will provide expertise to help grow these flowers on approximately 13 acres of temple land.
• This initiative builds on NBRI’s previous work, including the development of the 108-petaled ‘Namoh’ lotus.

Odisha’s Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, inaugurated the commencement of two significant projects centered around green hydrogen and green ammonia in Gopalpur, Ganjam district.

Key points:

• ACME Cleantech Solutions Private Limited is investing Rs 27,000 crore in establishing a green ammonia plant with a capacity of 1.10 MMTPA, which is anticipated to create job opportunities for 3,700 individuals.
• Similarly, Avaada Green H2 Private Limited is investing Rs 8,000 crore to set up a green hydrogen/ammonia production facility with a capacity of 0.5 MTPA, expected to provide jobs for at least 1,500 people.
• Additionally, the Chief Minister initiated the construction of a ‘Utility Corridor’ connecting Gopalpur port and Tata Steel SEZ, with an allocated budget of Rs 128.88 crore.

• Gadkari virtually inaugurated two projects: a 79 km 4-lane road between Bharagoda and Singhra on NH 49 costing Rs 1203 Crore, and a 78 km 6-lane road between Chandikhole and Bhadrak on NH 16 costing Rs 2035 Crore.
• He also laid the foundation stones for 26 projects, including road widening, construction of bypasses, and bridge construction, with costs ranging from Rs 135 Crore to Rs 512 Crore.
• Additionally, 13 more National Highway projects are planned for the state.

• The Odisha government has launched the Mukhyamantri Baristha Bunakar O Karigar Sayahata Yojana, a scheme designed to offer financial support to women weavers, their assistants, and handicraft artisans.

About:

• Under this scheme, the state government will provide a 
  • monthly financial allowance of Rs 2,000 to female beneficiaries aged 40 to 80 years and 
  • male beneficiaries aged 50 to 80 years. 
• Weavers and artisans above 80 years old will receive Rs 2,500 per month.
• Previously, the government provided Rs 500 to senior weavers and Rs 700 to those above 80 years old, but there was no provision for handicraft artisans.
• Odisha has approximately 1.25 lakh weavers and 1.5 lakh artisans in the handicrafts sector.
• To qualify for the scheme, weavers and artisans must be registered with the Directorate of Handicrafts and Handlooms. 
• Only one member per family is eligible, and the applicant’s annual income must not exceed Rs 1 lakh.

• • Odia author Rojalin Mohanty has been chosen to participate in the PM-YUVA 2.0 Mentorship Scheme for 2022-23, organized by the National Book Trust (NBT).
  • She is one of 44 young writers under 30 selected to create books that promote Indian heritage, culture, and knowledge.
• Rojalin’s selection was based on her manuscript in Odia about Mayurbhanj King Maharaja Sriramchandra Bhanj Deo. 

About:

• The PM-YUVA Mentorship Scheme, a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the NBT, aims to help young people express themselves in their native language and represent India globally. 
• Selected authors will receive a monthly scholarship of Rs 50,000 for six months.

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