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

• According to the IQAir’s(Swiss air quality monitoring body) 2023 World Air Quality Report, India was declared as the third-most polluted country, following Bangladesh and Pakistan.
• With an average annual PM2.5 concentration of 54.4 micrograms per cubic meter, India’s air quality is a severe concern. 
• In 2022, India was ranked the eighth-most polluted country.

Top 50 Polluted Cities Feature Indian Metropolitans

• • Out of the report’s list of the top 50 most polluted cities, a staggering 42 cities were located in India. 
• Begusarai in Bihar topped the chart as the most polluted metropolitan area in 2023, followed by Guwahati and Delhi.

Other Significant Findings of the Report

• The report highlighted the air quality data gathered from 7,812 locations in 134 countries.
• The top five most polluted countries in 2023 were Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, and Burkina Faso.
• Seven countries achieved the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline of an average of 5 µg/m3 or less, namely Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand.
• Africa remains deprived of air quality data, with one-third of the population lacking access.
• Nine out of the top ten most polluted cities belong to India.
• China recorded a 6.3% PM2.5 rise in 2023, amounting to 32.5 micrograms after experiencing declines for five consecutive years.
• Canada emerged as the most polluted country in North America for the first time, with the region’s 13 most polluted cities.

• A new study has unearthed evidence of some of the earliest known earthquakes in 3.3-billion-year-old rocks, revealing insights into the early days of Earth’s plate tectonics. 
• The rocks also hint at the conditions present when life first evolved on our planet.

About:

• The study focused on the Barberton Greenstone Belt, a complex geological formation in southern Africa, which holds one of the most extensive records of Earth’s history between 3.2 billion and 3.6 billion years ago.
• Researchers discovered similarities between the Barberton Greenstone Belt and younger rocks in New Zealand that experienced earthquake-triggered submarine landslides along the Hikurangi subduction zone.
• The findings suggest that massive earthquakes shaped the Barberton Greenstone Belt over millions of years, indicating that plate tectonics and associated geological events played a significant role in the early history of Earth.
• While there is no consensus on when plate tectonics began, the researchers believe that earthquakes and the energy they released could have contributed to creating conditions suitable for the emergence and survival of life.

• The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has issued a trade notice highlighting the need for Indian exporters to follow new UK rules under the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) to avail duty concessions on shipments to the UK. 

Key features:

• • The DCTS benefits 65 developing and least developed countries, excluding China. Key features include reduced tariffs on various Indian products and simplified qualification processes with clear origin rules.
  • India is in the “Standard Preferences” category under DCTS, enjoying benefits though not as extensive as those granted to the poorest countries. 
  • Products exceeding a specific export limit to the UK don’t receive lower tariffs and are removed from the scheme. 
• The new 6% limit on the UK’s total imports affects some Indian products like textiles, with £748 million worth of exports now taxed at the regular rate instead of the preferential rate under DCTS.

• Scientists, using data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica, have possibly discovered evidence for astrophysical tau neutrinos, often termed “ghost particles” due to their elusive nature.

Key points:

Neutrinos:

Neutrinos are the most abundant particles that have mass in the universe. Every time atomic nuclei come together (like in the sun) or break apart (like in a nuclear reactor), they produce neutrinos. A neutrino is a fermion that interacts only via weak interaction and gravity.

IceCube Neutrino Observatory:

• The IceCube Neutrino Observatory is the first detector of its kind, designed to observe the cosmos from deep within the South Pole ice. 
• An international group of scientists responsible for the scientific research makes up the IceCube Collaboration.
• IceCube searches for nearly massless subatomic particles called neutrinos. 
• These high-energy astronomical messengers provide information to probe the most violent astrophysical sources: events like exploding stars, gamma-ray bursts, and cataclysmic phenomena involving black holes and neutron stars.

• Sangita Kalanidhi award for T.M. Krishna, Nritya Kalanidhi for Neena Prasad.

About:

• The Sangita Kalanidhi, the most prestigious award in Carnatic music, is bestowed by the Madras Music Academy. 
• Instituted in 1942, it comprises a gold medal and a birdu patra (citation), symbolizing excellence. 
• This award is a significant milestone in the realm of fine arts. 
• The title, which means “music, art, treasure, or ocean,” was conceptualized by the then President of the Academy, KV Krishnaswami Iyer.

Sporadic nesting of endangered Olive Ridley turtles commences at Gahirmatha beaches.

Sporadic nesting:

• Sea turtles are migratory animals, which travel very long distances. 
• In terms of their reproduction, however, two types of behaviors have been observed. 
• One, the most common, is characterized by “philopatry”, i.e. upon sexual maturity the adult female turtles return to the site where they were hatched, to make their own nests. 
• The second is less common and is observed when, during their travels, they find themselves in the need to lay their eggs on a nearby beach. This is the phenomenon of “sporadic nesting”, which leads us to locate some nests of sea turtles on beaches where no significant nesting is observed every year.

Gahirmatha beach of the Bay of Bengal is widely regarded as the world’s largest-known nesting ground of these reptiles. Apart from Gahirmatha, turtles turn up at Rushikulya river mouth and Devi river mouth for mass nesting.

Jayanti Buruda, a tribal woman journalist and social worker from Malkangiri district, featured in 2024 Forbes India WPower list.

She is among India’s top 23 self-made women and the only Odia in the list.

Achievements:

• • She is the first woman journalist of Malkangiri district and the first tribal girl to receive a fellowship from NWMI.
  • She imparts training to tribal women on journalistic practices and technology to ensure news from the remote area reaches everyone.
  • Founded organisations like Jungle Rani and Bada Didi Union focusing on girls’ education and sexual and reproductive health.
  • She started Bada Didi Union in 2017 with about 20 educated young women to raise awareness about menstrual problems and the use of sanitary pads.
• Jungle Rani, a social media-based news platform managed by 50 tribal women from all seven blocks of Malkangiri.

• International Day of Happiness, also known as World Happiness Day or Happiness Day, is observed annually on March 20th. 
• The day aims to promote kindness and happiness worldwide by encouraging people to adopt simple, daily habits that bring joy.

Key points:

• • The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established the International Day of Happiness in 2013 to recognize happiness and well-being as universal goals. 
  • The theme chosen for the International Day of Happiness 2024 is ‘Reconnecting for Happiness: Building Resilient Communities.”
• India has been ranked at the 126th place among 146 countries in the World Happiness Report 2023.

• Pakhala Dibasa, celebrated annually on March 20 since 2015 in Odisha, honors the beloved summer dish of fermented rice, Pakhala, along with its array of accompaniments. 
• This day coincides with World Happiness Day and follows World Sleep Day, reflecting the dish’s association with joy and restful sleep for Odias worldwide.

World Oral Health Day (WOHD) is observed on 20 March every year.

Key points:

• • History: World Oral Health Day was established in 2007. Initially set for 12 September, the date was changed to 20 March in 2013 to avoid coinciding with FDI founder Dr. Charles Godon’s birthday.
• Theme: The theme of World Oral Health Day 2024 is ‘A Happy Mouth is A Happy Body’.

Significance:

• WOHD raises awareness about the importance of good oral health for overall well-being.
• It empowers people with knowledge and tools to care for their teeth and gums.
• Prevents tooth decay, gum disease, and bone loss, which can have serious health consequences.

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