Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 22 April 2024 | Download PDF

• Earth day is dedicated to demonstrating support for environmental protection.

About World Earth Day 2024:

• Date: Earth Day will be observed on April 22, 2024.
• Theme: The theme for 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics“, focusing on reducing plastic pollution and its impact on human and environmental health.
• Goals: The aims include a 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040, phasing out single-use plastics by 2030, and promoting innovative technologies for a plastic-free future.
• Negotiations: Concurrent with Earth Day, the fourth round of negotiations for the United Nations Global Plastic Treaty will take place, aiming for stringent commitments against plastic pollution​.

Think:

• Know about the Global Plastic Treaty.

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the latest global financial stability report.
• The report warns about risks to the global financial system from several factors:
  • Persistent high inflation
  • Rising lending in the unregulated credit market
  • Increasing cyber-attacks on financial institutions.

Key points of report:

• Geopolitical risks, such as the ongoing war in West Asia and Ukraine, could affect aggregate supply and lead to higher prices. This might prevent central banks from lowering rates in the near future.
• In 2023, India was the second-largest recipient of foreign capital after the U.S. However, this could change quickly if western central banks indicate that they could maintain high interest rates for a prolonged period.
• The report also highlights concerns about the growing unregulated private credit market, where non-bank financial institutions lend to corporate borrowers. 

Did you know:

• IMF also publishes World Economic Outlook (WEO) twice a year, typically in April and October.
• It Provides detailed analysis of global economic performance and projections.

• Israeli strikes occurred overnight in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
• The strikes resulted in the death of 22 people.

About Rafah crossing:

• Location and Function: Rafah Crossing is the only border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. It serves as the primary passage for Gazans to access the outside world and for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
• Control: The crossing is controlled by Egypt, following an agreement with Israel made in 2007. 

• The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has announced the launch of a project called the Longevity India Initiative.

About Longevity India Initiative:

• The initiative is aimed at extending the human health span, the period during which a person remains healthy, and tackling ageing-related challenges.
• It is a Multidisciplinary Collaboration.
• It seeks to develop interventions that can effectively manage age-related diseases and promote healthy ageing across India. 
• Research areas include 
  • Identifying biomarkers of ageing, 
  • Early disease indicators, and 
  • Developing new therapeutics and technologies​.

• A study published on April 18 by Nature Communications extensively sequenced the genome of the mpox virus implicated in the 2022 outbreak using advanced genome sequencing technologies.

About Mpox:

• It is a DNA virus.
• Cause: Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus, which is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.
• Transmission: The virus can spread from person to person through close contact with respiratory secretions, skin lesions of an infected person, or recently contaminated objects. Transmission can also occur via droplets during prolonged face-to-face contact.
• Vaccination: Vaccines used for smallpox such as the JYNNEOS (also known as Imvamune or Imvanex) vaccine are effective against Mpox.

Think:

• Know about genome sequencing technologies.

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) regional centre has forecasted thunderstorms with lightning, accompanied by gusty surface winds reaching 40-50 KMPH(yellow alert), in one or two places over several districts of Odisha. 
• Additionally, hailstorms are likely to occur in one or two places over six districts of the state in the next 24 hours.

About India Meteorological Department (IMD):

• The IMD was established in 1875 under the British Raj and is one of the oldest meteorological organizations in the world.
• Its primary function is to provide meteorological observations, weather forecasts, and seismology reports. It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.
• The headquarters of IMD is located in New Delhi, India.

Four Stage warning:

The cyclone warnings are issued to state government officials in four stages. 

• The First Stage warning known as “PRE CYCLONE WATCH” 
• The Second Stage warning known as “CYCLONE ALERT”
• The Third Stage warning known as “CYCLONE WARNING” 
• The Fourth Stage of warning known as “POST LANDFALL OUTLOOK” 
• Different colour codes as mentioned below are being used since post monsoon season of 2006 the different stages of the cyclone warning bulletins as desired by the National Disaster Management.

• A recent bird census conducted at Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha revealed a notable presence of Mangrove Pitta birds.
• The census, conducted across three out of five park ranges, identified a total of 218 Mangrove Pitta birds.

Key points:

• The sightings were concentrated in Mahakalpada, Rajnagar, and Kanika forest ranges, with Kanika range recording the highest count of 32 birds.
• Notably, this census marks the second consecutive year of counting Mangrove Pitta birds in the park.
• In 2023, 179 birds were recorded, showing a significant increase to 218 in the current year, representing a rise of 39 birds.

About:

• The Mangrove Pitta, locally known as the ‘Nabarangi’ bird, derives its name from its vibrant plumage.
• This species, classified as nearly threatened, primarily inhabits the southeastern and southern parts of the Asian continent.
• Bhitarkanika area in Odisha serves as a crucial habitat for these birds, characterized by their distinct black head with a brown crown, white throat, greenish upper parts, buff underparts, and reddish vent area.

• 115 fire points were detected at Odisha’s Similipal National Park and Tiger Reserve till April 20, as per the Forest Department.
• The forest fire has caused extensive damage to Similipal and has led to wildlife straying into human settlements.

India’s Initiative to Tackle Forest Fire:

• Forest fire is one of the major cause of degradation of forests in our country. 
• FSI is using fire detection data generated by NRSC from MODIS (Moderate
• Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and SNPP VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging
• Radiometer Suite – Soumi National Polar-orbiting Partnership) Satellite Sensors. The
• Forest fire alert system is made possible due to NASA-ISRO-FSI scientific collaboration.

• Odisha Forest Department is taking action to combat wildfires, deploying ODRAF units in sensitive divisions due to a surge in incidents caused by the intense heatwave.
• Odisha has reported 14,104 forest fires this season.In April alone, 9,493 fire points were detected.

Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force:

• Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) is the first of its kind in the country is a force of 20 units carved out of the Orissa Special Armed Police (OSAP), Armed Police Reserve (APR), India Reserved (IR) Battalion and Specialized India Reserve (SIR) Battalions. 
• With only about 50 personnel per unit of ODRAF, it is structurally a lean organization. 

• Officials in Similipal Tiger Reserve are addressing the issue of inbreeding and a closed population by welcoming a male tiger that has traveled over 1,000 km from Central India.
• The entry of this tiger could significantly improve the genetic diversity of the reserve, thereby addressing the looming threat to the tiger population.

Location:

• • Situated within Mayurbhanj District, the northernmost part of Odisha.
  • Surrounded by high plateaus and hills, including the twin peaks of Khairiburu and Meghashini (1515m above mean sea level).
• Declared a ‘Tiger Reserve’ in 1956 and included in ‘Project Tiger’ in 1973.
• Recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2009, along with a transitional area of 2250 sq. km.

Terrain:

• Predominantly undulating and hilly, with open grasslands and wooded areas.

Vegetation:

• Diverse forest types and habitats, with Northern tropical moist deciduous forests dominating some semi-evergreen patches.
• Unique for being the only landscape housing melanistic tigers.
• Inhabited by various tribes such as Kolha, Santhala, Bhumija, Bhatudi, Gondas, Khadia, Mankadia, and Sahara.

Flora:

• Rich biodiversity with 1078 species of plants, including 94 species of orchids.
• Sal trees are the dominant species.

Fauna:

Abundant wildlife including leopard, gaur, elephant, langur, barking and spotted deer, sloth bear, mongoose, flying squirrel, porcupine, turtle, monitor lizard, python, sambar, pangolin, etc.

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