Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 20 April 2024 | Download PDF

• India delivered the first batch of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.
• The Philippines concluded a $375-million deal with India in January 2022 for three batteries of the BrahMos, becoming the first export customer.

Key points:

• The delivery comes amid the ongoing showdown between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea.
• Several countries have expressed interest in acquiring BrahMos systems, and discussions are in advanced stages with Indonesia and Thailand among others.

About BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles:

• Type: Supersonic cruise missile.
• Developed by: Joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia.
• Name Origin: Named after the Brahmaputra River in India and the Moskva River in Russia.
• Speed: Mach 2.8 to 3.0 (supersonic speed).
• Range: Approximately 290-450 kilometers, with extended range versions in development.
• Warhead: Conventional and nuclear options, with a payload capacity up to 300 kilograms.
• Launch Platforms: Versatile launch capabilities from land, sea, sub-sea, and air platforms.
• Guidance System: Equipped with an inertial navigation system and a terminal active radar guidance system.
• Stealth Technology: Designed to reduce radar cross-section for stealthier approach.
• BrahMos-II: Development of a hypersonic version of the missile, BrahMos-II, which is expected to travel at speeds of Mach 7+.
• Extended Range: Ongoing efforts to extend the missile’s range beyond 450 kilometers under international missile treaties.

• The Central government has released a curriculum for children aged three to six-years-old, aiming to boost pre-school learning in 14 lakh anganwadis across India.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has released the ‘Aadharshila,’ the National Curriculum for Early Childhood Care and Education 2024.

About Aadharshila:

• Aadharshila is a detailed 48-week curriculum for three to six-year-olds in anganwadis.
• The curriculum aims to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy concepts.
• The curriculum includes a weekly play calendar with activities such as storytelling, singing rhymes, art and craft, and more.
• The curriculum targets at least 48 weeks of learning in the duration of three years.
• The curriculum helps in developing listening skill, vocabulary building, boosting imagination, narration, following instructions, creativity, social development, developing self-expression and self-esteem.
• The national framework will serve as a base for States to develop their own culturally appropriate curriculums.
• Training of anganwadi workers towards providing early childhood education started under the ‘Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi’ scheme by the MWCD.

• The United States vetoed a U.N. resolution that would have allowed full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
• The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favour, the United States opposed, and two abstentions.

Key points:

• The resolution would have recommended the 193-member General Assembly to approve Palestine becoming the 194th member of the United Nations.
• 140 countries have already recognized the state of Palestine, so its admission would have been approved.

Think:

• Know about the process for obtaining full membership of the United Nations.

• The fourth global mass coral bleaching event has been triggered by extraordinary ocean temperatures, as stated by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
• This event could have serious consequences for ocean life and millions of people who rely on reefs for food, jobs, and coastal defence.

Key points:

• The primary reason behind the soaring temperatures is the rising emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere.
• Nearly 90% of the extra heat trapped by GHGs has been absorbed by the oceans.

About Corals:

• Coral Reefs: Coral reefs are large underwater structures composed of the skeletons of colonial marine invertebrates called coral.
• Types: The three main types of coral reefs are fringing reefs, barrier reefs, and atolls.
• Composition: Reefs are built by and made up of thousands of tiny animals called coral polyps, which secrete a hard exoskeleton of calcium carbonate.
• Corals are classified as either hard coral or soft coral. Hard corals are the architects of coral reefs.
• Coral reefs, also referred to as “rainforests of the sea”, have existed on the Earth for nearly 450 million years.
• Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the largest in the world, stretching across 2,028 kilometres.

Did you know:

• Coral Bleaching: The phenomenon where coral colonies lose their vibrant colors due to the expulsion of symbiotic zooxanthellae algae from their tissues, leaving them white or pale. This is usually a stress response.
• Primary Causes: Major factors include increased sea temperatures, solar irradiance, ocean acidification, pollution, and changes in sea level.

• Researchers at IIT Roorkee discovered fossils of one of the largest snakes, named Vasuki Indicus, in Kutch, Gujarat.
• The snake likely lived 47 million years ago during the Middle Eocene period.

Key points:

• Vasuki Indicus belonged to the now-extinct Madtsoiidae snake family but represents a unique lineage from India.
• The researchers found 27 pieces of a well-preserved vertebral column of the snake at the Panandhro Lignite Mine in Kutch.
• The discovery could improve understanding of how the madtsoiid species evolved in different climates and the factors that contributed to large body sizes.
• Much like present-day pythons and anacondas, Vasuki Indicus killed its prey by suffocation.
• The name Vasuki refers to the mythical snake often depicted around the neck of the Hindu god Shiva.

• INTACH recently introduced a project aimed at revitalizing the Kerang fabric of the Gadaba tribe in Odisha’s Koraput region.

Key points:

• The Gadaba and Bonda tribes have a rich tradition of using hand-woven clothes made from Kerang fiber. 
• They collect bark from wild Kerang trees, soak it in water from nearby hill streams, dry it in the sun, and extract the fiber. 
• The extracted fiber is then woven using vegetable dyes in traditional patterns that have been passed down for generations. 
• Gadaba women wear full-length clothes or sarees with colorful stripes that cover their entire bodies, while Bonda women wear a small piece of cloth called Ringa, which wraps around the lower part of their bodies.
• Clothes made from Kerang fabric are known to last for several generations, sometimes up to 100 years.
• A study conducted in 2020 revealed that very few villages had looms, and none of the Gadaba people were involved in making Kerang fabric.
• In response, INTACH launched a project to revive this dying tradition. 
• The project team engaged with Gadaba tribesmen from various villages through workshops and discussions, providing looms and other assistance to tribals in four villages of the Lamptaput block.

INTACH:

• The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was founded in 1984 in New Delhi with the vision to spearhead heritage awareness and conservation in India. 
• Today INTACH is recognized as one of the world’s largest heritage organizations.
• INTACH’s mission to conserve heritage is based on the belief that living in harmony with heritage enhances the quality of life, and it is the duty of every citizen of India as laid down in the Constitution of India. 

• • Four tagged female Olive Ridley turtles that were originally tagged in 2021 at Gahirmatha beach by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have returned after three years.
  • During this year’s mass nesting at Nasi-2 island, these turtles were sighted, where around 3.01 lakh turtles laid eggs.
  • In 2021, approximately 3,000 turtles were fitted with metallic tags on their flippers at Rushikulya and Gahirmatha beaches during mass nesting.
• The species is listed as vulnerable under IUCN.

Read about mass laying of Olive ridley tutles

• • The recent surge in wildfire incidents across Odisha has become a growing concern for environmentalists and nature enthusiasts as summer progresses. 
• According to data from the Forest Survey of India (FSI), approximately 5,375 fire points were detected in various forests of the state over the past seven days.

Key points:

• Any fire hotspot detected by satellite sensors like MODIS and/or SNPP-VIIRS, which is filtered within the forest area of India based on state Recorded Forest Area (RFA) or state Forest Cover Maps (FCM) as per FSI, is classified as a ‘forest fire incident.’
• The increase in wildfires is believed to be attributed to the rising temperatures and dry weather conditions. 
• Notably, between April 7 and April 14, approximately 1,564 fire points were previously detected in different forests of the state, indicating a significant escalation in recent days.

• Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) has joined hands with the prominent e-commerce platform Meesho to implement the recently launched Swakalpa programme, aiming to benefit 10,000 individuals. 

About:

• Vision : To transform Odisha into the “Entrepreneurial Capital of the Country.”
• Under the scheme’s initial phase, 1,000 individuals have been chosen to receive comprehensive mentorship and support for setting up their enterprises. 
• Meesho, in partnership with OSDA, World Skill Centre (WSC), and Palladium Consulting India Pvt Ltd, will manage the Swakalpa programme. 
• This includes providing 104-hour entrepreneurship training followed by a six-month mentorship to assist in setting up enterprises.

Perks of Swakalpa:

• 10,000+ Candidate Participation
• 25% Women Representation
• 100 hours Entrepreneurship Training
• 24 Weeks of Mentoring & Hand Holding
• 1,000+ Micro-Business Set Up

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