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

• Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri unveiled Ethanol 100 fuel, offering cleaner emissions and higher efficiency.

Key points:

• Cleaner and Greener Alternative: Ethanol 100 offers a cleaner alternative to traditional gasoline, with lower emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants, contributing to combating climate change and improving air quality.
• High-Octane Rating: With a high-octane rating typically between 100-105, Ethanol 100 is suitable for high-performance engines, ensuring better efficiency and power output while minimizing environmental impact.
• Versatility: Ethanol 100 can be utilized in various vehicles, including flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) designed to run on gasoline, ethanol, or any blend of the two, highlighting its versatility and potential to become a mainstream fuel option.
• Increased Availability: The launch of Ethanol 100 expands its availability to 183 retail petrol outlets across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, and Tamil Nadu, with plans for further expansion.
• Towards Blending Targets: This initiative aligns with the goal of achieving 20% ethanol blending by 2025-26, a target that has seen significant progress with the increased availability of ethanol blends like E20 and now Ethanol 100.

• Location: Silkheda, Sehore district, 50 km northwest of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• Funded by: Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Purpose: Study cloud processes during Indian monsoons in Monsoon Core Zone (MCZ).
• Focus: Understanding crucial cloud processes during monsoon season.

Need for ART-CI:

• Indian monsoon complexity impacts agriculture and economy.
• Lack of comprehensive cloud process data hinders predictions.
• ART-CI addresses need for specialized monsoon research infrastructure.

Madhya Pradesh’s Strategic Importance:

• • Silkheda strategically located along major rain-bearing synoptic systems’ path.
  • Clear environment with minimal pollutants ideal for meteorological research.
  • Suitable for installing sensitive, high-end meteorological instruments.
• Geographical positioning and environmental quality give Silkheda a strategic advantage for meteorological research.

• According to 2018 ICMR guidelines, individuals over 30 should be screened for diabetes due to India’s significant diabetes burden.
• India has around 10.13 crore diabetic individuals and 13.6 crore pre-diabetics, accounting for 17% of global diabetes cases.
• Over 35% of Indians have hypertension, and nearly 40% have abdominal obesity, increasing diabetes risk.
• Prevention and early detection are crucial in managing this health issue.

HbA1C Test Functionality

• Test Principle: Measures the percentage of red blood cells coated with sugar (glycated hemoglobin) to diagnose and manage pre-diabetes and diabetes.
• Test Accuracy and Approval: Discovered in 1955, correlated with diabetes in 1968, approved by the ADA in 2009, and endorsed by WHO in 2011 with improved accuracy from 1993 to 2012.

• Conservationists propose Kazhuveli watershed, Tamil Nadu, for inclusion in World Monuments Fund Watch 2025.
• The historic Eri network in the region, vital for agriculture, is in decline and requires urgent protection.

Significance:

• • Nomination-based initiative linking local heritage preservation with global awareness and action.
• Aims to preserve locations in need, addressing issues like cultural heritage and environmental sustainability.

About World Monuments Fund (WMF):

• A private, global non-profit organization dedicated to protecting historic architectural and cultural heritage sites worldwide.
• Founded in 1965, headquartered in New York City, WMF partners with local communities and governments to preserve significant sites through donations and matching funds.

• In alignment with the established partnership between India and the US, a bilateral tri-Service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise, Tiger Triumph24, is set to take place on the Eastern Seaboard from 18 to 31 March 2024. 

The exercise will involve:

• Indian Navy Ships with integral helicopters and landing crafts embarked
• Indian Navy aircraft
• Indian Army personnel and vehicles
• Indian Air Force aircraft and helicopters
• Rapid Action Medical Team (RAMT)

• The US will be represented by US Navy Ships with embarked troops of the US Marine Corps and US Army. 
• The primary objectives of the exercise include developing interoperability for conducting HADR operations and refining Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to enable rapid and smooth coordination between the forces of both countries.

• A Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) has been spotted in Odisha’s Sundargarh district after nearly twenty years.

Key points:

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) confirmed that the tiger has migrated from Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, as stated by the PCCF.

About:

• Royal Bengal Tiger, is the largest, fiercest, and most powerful member of the Big Cat family in India.
  • Royal Bengal Tigers are also known as Indian Tiger and Bengal Tiger. 
  • They constitute a large population of tiger families in the world.  
  • The Bengal tiger is the National animal of India and is found mostly in India, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Burma.
• IUCN RED LIST STATUS:Endangered
• Average life span: 8 to 10 years

• ‘Mita Didi’ is the mascot for booth-level officers (BLOs) from Odisha and has gained national recognition.
• The Election Commission of India (ECI) featured Mita Didi on the cover page of the 10th edition of its e-Patrika.
• Mita Didi, wearing a blue saree with a Pasapali motif, introduces herself as a representative of BLOs from Odisha.
• She serves as an ambassador to promote electoral literacy and encourage citizens to exercise their voting rights.

Purpose of BLO E-Patrika

• The BLO E-Patrika aims to provide cascading information for well-informed and motivated booth-level officers.
• BLOs play a crucial role in the election management process, starting from the revision of the voter list at the grassroots level.

• • Odisha has surged to the top of the country’s malaria chart in 2023.
• Five districts—Rayagada, Kalahandi, Malkangiri, Koraput, and Kandhamal—have reported the highest number of cases.

Key points:

• Malaria cases in Odisha nearly doubled in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching 41,971 cases and four deaths.
• Odisha accounted for about 18.7% of the country’s total malaria cases, followed by Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Rayagada reported the highest number of cases (9,925), followed by Kalahandi (7,543), Koraput (7,007), Kandhamal (5,062), and Malkangiri (3,888).
• The annual parasite index (API) increased from 0.52 in 2022 to 0.93 in 2023, exceeding four in five districts.

• Anglia Ruskin University, NIWSASS, and Tata Coffee have joined forces with the Agriculture department to implement a project aimed at enhancing the Koraput coffee chain.

Project Objectives:

• Capacity Enhancement: The project aims to empower tribal coffee growers by providing training in value addition, quality management, and market connectivity.
• Market Linkages: Establishing robust connections with markets is a primary focus to overcome the challenges faced by coffee growers.

About:

• Koraput, situated at 3,000 feet above sea level, has an ideal climate and rainfall for coffee cultivation.
• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Koraput Coffee Cafe and an e-commerce platform (Koraputcoffee.org) to promote Koraput coffee globally.

• • Vedanta Lanjigarh inaugurated the Vedanta Mini Science Centre at Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir, Ambadola.
  • Objective: To promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) education among rural students in Odisha.
  • Impact: Aims to inspire students to pursue higher education and careers in STEM fields.
• Supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of Quality Education (4).
• Features: Offers hands-on models, graphic explainers, plug & play systems, and interactive modules in English and regional languages.

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