Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 19 April 2024 | Download PDF

• The World Crafts Council International (WCCI), based in Kuwait, is considering Srinagar for the World Craft City (WCC) nomination from India this year.
• The team has inspected several clusters where artisans were working on local crafts like Pashmina shawls, carpets, papier mâché, etc.

Key points:

• The annual ceremony to grant WCC status aims at promoting, preserving, and evolving handicrafts and building new market linkages.
• The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage-Kashmir (INTACH-K) is collaborating with the J&K Handicrafts department to map the craft sector ahead of the final nomination.

• Vice-Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi has been appointed as the next Chief of Naval Staff.
• He is currently serving as the Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS).
• He will take over from the current chief, Admiral R. Hari Kumar, on April 30, 2024.

Did you know:

• In India, the chiefs of the armed forces—namely the Army, Navy, and Air Force—are appointed by the President of India. 
• The President acts on the advice of the Government of India, typically following a recommendation from the Ministry of Defence. 
• The appointment is usually made from among the senior-most officers of the respective forces, taking into consideration their service records, experience, and suitability for the highest leadership roles within the armed forces.

• The Election Commission of India (EC) assured that it is impossible to tamper with Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at any stage.
• The court was hearing petitions seeking cross-verification of 100% EVM votes with VVPAT paper slips. Currently, cross-verification of EVM-VVPAT happens only in five randomly selected polling booths in a constituency.

About EVMs: 

• Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are used to record and tally votes in an electronic format, replacing traditional paper ballots and manual counting methods.
• Purpose: To streamline the voting process, enhance accuracy, and speed up the tallying of election results.
• EVM Components: Typically consists of two units, the control unit and the balloting unit, linked by a cable. The control unit is operated by election officials, while voters interact with the balloting unit.
• The Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were first used in India in 1982 during a by-election in the Parur Assembly constituency of Kerala. 

About Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT):

• VVPAT is a system that provides a physical printout of the voter’s ballot as it was cast electronically.
• It serves as a means for voters to verify that their vote has been recorded accurately and to audit the electronic results.
• It was first introduced in India in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. 

• The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has expressed concerns about the presence of ‘forever chemicals’ in Chennai waterbodies.
• The bench took suo motu cognisance of chemical contamination in Buckingham Canal, Adyar River, and Chembarambakkam Lake based on news reports on a study done by Indian Institute of Technology Madras.

Key points:

• The study noted the presence of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), synthetic chemicals that do not degrade in the environment, in surface level waters, groundwater, and even treated water treatment plant near the lake.
• PFAS are known to have adverse health effects such as liver damage, hormonal imbalance, immune system effects, and even cancer.

About forever chemical:

• “Forever chemicals” is a colloquial term commonly used to refer to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
• These are a group of man-made chemicals that are notable for their persistence in the environment and in human and animal bodies, where they can accumulate over time.
• Persistence: PFAS are extremely durable and resistant to typical environmental degradation processes, which is why they are called “forever chemicals.”
• Widespread Use: These chemicals have been used in various industries since the 1940s for their water- and grease-resistant properties.

• A special polling team trekked 18 kilometres inside the deep forest under the Idukki Lok Sabha constituency to record a single home vote.
• The trek was part of the ‘vote-from-home’ exercise meant for senior citizens aged above 85 and differently abled voters.
• The team trekked to the Nooradi tribal settlement under the Munnar forest division.

About Vote-from-home exercise:

• The “Vote-from-home” option is designed to make voting more accessible to certain segments of the electorate who may find it difficult to visit polling stations due to health or mobility issues.
• Targeted Voters: Primarily aimed at elderly voters above the age of 80 and persons with disabilities (PwD).
• Voluntary Participation: Eligible voters can choose to opt for this method voluntarily; it is not mandatory.
• Application Process: Voters must apply in advance to avail themselves of this facility. They need to fill out a form (Form 12D) and submit it to the returning officer.

baby food sold in India 

• A recent report by Swiss NGO, the Public Eye and International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN), revealed higher sugar content in Nestle’s baby food products sold in India, African and Latin American countries compared to those sold in European markets.
• Despite World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations against added sugar in foods for children under three years, Indian regulators allow a limited amount of sucrose and fructose in baby food.

Key points:

• Nestle India ensures that their products manufactured in India are in full and strict compliance with CODEX standards (a commission established by WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organisation) and local specifications pertaining to the requirements of all nutrients including added sugars.
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which regulates the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import of food articles, while also establishing standards to ensure food safety, said that it is looking into the IBFAN report.

About CODEX standards:

• The Codex Alimentarius, or “Food Code”, is a collection of international food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice. 
• These standards are established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), a central part of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme. 
• The main objectives of these standards are:
  • To protect the health of consumers.
  • To ensure fair practices in the food trade.

Think: 

• Know about the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

• White tigress ‘Sneha’ passed away at Nandankanan Zoological Park near Bhubaneswar due to age-related issues aggravated by the summer heatwave.
• She was born on March 1, 2010, to Royal Bengal tiger ‘Nishan’ and white tigress ‘Kusum’. 

About:

• Nandankanan Zoological Park, located 15 kilometers from Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, was inaugurated in 1960. 
• It holds the distinction of being the first zoo in India to be a member of the World Association of Zoos & Aquariums (WAZA), a global alliance dedicated to animal care and conservation.
• The park is renowned for its successful breeding programs, particularly for the Indian pangolin and white tiger. 
• Additionally, it houses various other species such as leopards, mouse deer, lions, ratel, and vultures.
• Notably, Nandankanan was the world’s first captive breeding center for crocodiles, achieving the captive breeding of gharials in 1980.
• In addition to its zoological endeavors, Nandankanan is home to the State Botanical Garden, recognized for its contributions to plant conservation and nature education in Odisha.

White tigers:

• The White Tiger, a rare variant of the Bengal Tiger, is distinguished by its white color, which is the result of a unique recessive gene. 
• Unlike a distinct subspecies, the white tiger is born when two Bengal tigers carrying this recessive gene are bred. 
• On the other hand, Melanistic Tigers are characterized by their black stripes, which result from a genetic predisposition that causes an increased production of melanin pigment in their bodies. 
• These tigers, with their black stripes, are also uncommonly found in the wild.

• Dr. SK Panigrahi, an Odia scientist, recently demonstrated a fascinating project called ‘Surya Tilak’ at the Ayodhya temple on the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami. 
• The process was achieved through a specialized mirror-lens arrangement designed by astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru and installed by a team from the Central Building Research Institute in Roorkee.

Key points:

• Channeling the Sun’s Rays:
  • The IIA team proposed a complex four-mirror-and-four-lens array. 
  • The setup included a pickup mirror positioned to receive sunlight at an angle, which then reflected the light through three other mirrors and four lenses, ensuring the light reached the idol’s forehead at the right intensity.
• Opto-Mechanical System: The system operates like a periscope, with a specially designed 19-gear system to adjust the pickup mirror’s angle annually. This adjustment accounts for the variation in the Sun’s position relative to the mirror each year.

Sukumar Mishra, a native of Odisha, has been appointed as the new Director of IIT-Dhanbad by the Union Education Ministry. 

About:

Mishra, an alumnus of NIT-Rourkela, previously served as the Dean of Research and External Engagement at IIT-Delhi’s Abu Dhabi campus. He has a strong academic background, having been a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT-Delhi, where he also held the position of Associate Dean for Research and Development from March 1, 2020, to March 31, 2023.

Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards and honors, including the Young Scientist Award from the Orissa Bigyan Academy in 1999, the INSA Medal for Young Scientist in 2002, and the INAE Young Engineer Award in 2002, among others.

In addition to Mishra, the Ministry appointed Manindra Agrawal, Avinash Agarwal, Devendra Jalihal, Dhirendra S Katti, and Amit Patra as directors at IIT-Kanpur, IIT-Jodhpur, IIT-Guwahati, IIT-Goa, and IIT-BHU, respectively.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Odisha-cadre IPS officer Sapna Tewari as the Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB).
• On March 7, the Odisha government promoted Tiwari to the rank of Director General (DG) of Police.

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet:

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appoints several top posts within the Government of India.
• The committee is composed of the Prime Minister of India (ex-officio Chairman) and the Minister of Home Affairs. 
• Originally the Minister-in-charge of the concerned Ministry was also part of the committee but since July 2016, those ministers are excluded from this committee.

• World Liver Day is observed annually on April 19th.
• It is a global campaign to raise awareness about liver health and liver diseases. 

It aims to educate the public about:

• The importance of liver function for overall health
• Different liver diseases, including hepatitis, fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer
• Prevention methods like vaccination, healthy diet, and moderate alcohol consumption
• Early detection through regular checkups

About

• In 2010, the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) launched the first ever World Liver Day to commemorate the foundation day of EASL in 1966. 
• Since then, April 19 has been celebrated as World Liver Day every year.

Theme:

• The theme for World Liver Day 2024 is “Be vigilant, get regular liver check-ups, and prevent fatty liver diseases.” 
• This year’s theme emphasizes the importance of taking a proactive approach to liver health.

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