WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani will shortly tender his resignation, as the government has surrendered to the Taliban forces, which entered Kabul and sought the unconditional surrender of the central government.
• Following this, a new interim government has been announced, which is likely to be headed by Ali Ahmad Jalali, a US-based academic.
• President Ashraf Ghani fled the country as the Islamist terrorists entered the city, he wanted to avoid bloodshed, while hundreds of Afghans desperate to leave flooded Kabul airport.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• World Health Organization (WHO) has created a new advisory group named, The International Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO.
• The function of SAGO will be to systematically study the emergence of future emerging pathogens with pandemic potential, and advise the development in this regard to WHO.
• WHO has made an open call for nominations to SAGO from the member countries, thus providing a transparent foundation for the new scientific advisory group. The group will also work towards finding the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has launched an online portal named TAPAS (Training for Augmenting Productivity and Services) to provide filmed lectures/courses and e-study material in the field of social defence.
• TAPAS is the initiative of the National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The course can be taken up by anyone and is free of cost.
• TAPAS seeks to provide access to lectures by subject experts, study material and more, but in a manner that it supplements the physical classroom without compromising on the quality of teaching.
• The main objective of introducing the course modules, is to impart training and enhance the knowledge and skills for the capacity building of the participants. It can be taken up by anyone who wishes to enhance his or her knowledge on the topics and there is no fee for joining

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The upcoming Tokyo Paralympics will witness the largest ever Indian contingent being sent, with 54 para-sportspersons participating across 9 sports disciplines.
• The 54-member Indian contingents were given a formal and virtual send-off on August 12, 2021, by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur
• The 2020 Summer Paralympics Games are scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan from August 24 to September 05, 2021.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The Indian Navy has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) First Bank to initiate ‘Honour FIRST’.
• ‘Honour FIRST’ is a premium banking solution for serving personnel and veterans of the Indian Navy. Designed especially keeping in mind the needs of the Armed Forces and its veterans, the Honour FIRST Defence Account is supported by a dedicated team of defence veterans.
• The MoU for Honour FIRST was signed at the Naval Headquarters in New Delhi between Commodore Neeraj Malhotra, Commodore – Pay and Allowances, Indian Navy and IDFC FIRST Bank’s senior officials.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The Pakistan Army successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi.
• The Ghaznavi missile can strike targets up to 290 kilometres and is capable of carrying both nuclear as well as conventional warheads.
• The training launch was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of Army Strategic Forces Command (ASFC) and re-validating technical parameters of the weapon system

WHY IN THE NEWS?

In order to boost domestic defence and aerospace manufacturing, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS).

About Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS):

1. Launched by: Ministry of Defence in 2020.
2. Aim: To create a state-of-the-art testing infrastructure in partnership with the private industry. 

Key Features of the Scheme:

1. Target: The scheme aims to set up 6-8 Greenfield Defence Testing Infrastructure facilities that are required for defence and aerospace-related production.
   • A greenfield project is one that is not constrained by prior work. It is constructed on unused land where there is no need to remodel or demolish an existing structure.
2. Funding: The projects under the scheme will be provided with up to 75% Government funding in the form of ‘Grant-in-Aid’.
   • The remaining 25% of the project cost will have to be borne by the Special Purpose Vehicle(SPV). The SPV constituents will be the Indian private entities and state governments.
3. Duration of the Scheme: Five Years.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has inaugurated the world’s second-largest refurbished state-of-the-art National Gene Bank at the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), Pusa, New Delhi.

About National Gene Bank:

1. National Gene Bank was established in 1996. It aims to preserve the seeds of Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) for future generations in the form of seeds, genomic resources, pollen etc.
2. Hosted By: National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi.
3. Capacity: Presently, the Gene Bank is protecting 4.52 lakh accessions, of which 2.7 lakh are Indian germplasm and the rest have been imported from other countries.
   • Germplasm is a live information source for all the genes present in the respective plant. It can be conserved for long periods and regenerated whenever it is required in the future.

About National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources(NBPGR):

1. The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources(NBPGR) was established in 1977 by renaming the National Bureau of Plant Introduction as NBPGR.
2. Parent Institute: It is one of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Institutes.
3. Mandate: To act as the nodal institute at the national level for acquisition, management and genomics-based profiling of indigenous and exotic plant genetic resources (PGR). The PGR is collected for food and agriculture and to carry out related research and human resources development for sustainable growth of agriculture.
4. Headquarters: New Delhi.
5. Significance: NBPGR is meeting the need for in-situ and ex-situ germplasm conservation through Delhi Headquarters and 10 regional stations in the country.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Indian researchers have developed a non-invasive, easy to administer, cost-effective, and patient compliant potential therapeutic strategy against Visceral Leishmaniasis.

About Leishmaniasis:

1. The leishmaniases are a group of diseases caused by protozoan parasites. These parasites are transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected female phlebotomine sandfly, a tiny – 2–3 mm long – insect vector.
2. Types: There are three main forms of this disease: 
   • Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL)
   • Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, and 
   • Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL)
3. CL is the most common form, VL is the most severe form and MCL is the most disabling form of the disease.

About Visceral Leishmaniasis(VL):

1. Visceral Leishmaniasis(VL) is also known as kala-azar. The disease is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, substantial weight loss, swelling of the spleen and liver, and anaemia.
2. It is a neglected tropical disease that affects millions annually, making it the second most common parasitic killer after malaria.
3. If the disease is not treated, the fatality rate in developing countries can be as high as 100% within 2 years.

Treatment of VL:

1. The conventional treatment therapy of VL mainly involves painful intravenous administration. This imposes many treatment complications, including prolonged hospitalization, high cost, and high risk of infection. 
2. On the other hand, Oral drug delivery brings forth massive advantages that can help overcome these barriers. But with oral routes have potential high renal toxic side effects.
   • To overcome this, scientists have developed a method based on nano carrier-based oral drugs coated with Vitamin B12. This method can mitigate challenges and drug-associated toxicity.

WHY IN THE NEWS?

While addressing the nation on 75th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to provide fortified rice to the poor under various schemes.

About:

• This decision was taken in order to address the problem of malnutrition in India.
• Providing nutrition to every poor person in India is a priority of the government.
• This decision was taken in the view that malnutrition and lack of essential nutrients among poor women and poor children is a major hurdle in their development. This, the government will provide fortified rice with nutrition.
• Child Malnutrition is a major threat to the growth and development of children.
• Micronutrient deficiencies or ‘hidden hunger’ also continue to pose significant public health problems in Indian populations.

Significance of the announcement

This announcement is significant because, the government distributes more than 300 lakh tonnes of rice under schemes covered under National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.

What is food fortification?

Food fortification is the simplest and sustainable public health strategy that address the challenge of micronutrient deficiencies. It is a cost-effective, scientifically proven, and globally recognised approach. It also helps in easily reaching wider & vulnerable populations by means of existing food delivery systems.

Why Rice will be fortified?

Because, rice has the highest uptake in government food safety net programmes like public distribution systems, integrated child development services, mid-day meal schemes etc. Further, rice has the potential to reach more than a million people, especially women and children.

NFHS 4 report

According to National Family Health Survey report, India has the largest burden of iron deficiency and anaemia worldwide. About 59% of children and 50% of pregnant women are anaemic in India. Child and maternal malnutrition accounts for 15% of India’s total disease burden.