Why in News:

Recently, India participated in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM) and shared plans for research and long-term cooperation in the Arctic Region.

Arctic Region:

The Arctic region comprises the Arctic Ocean and parts of countries such as Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, USA (Alaska), Finland, Sweden and Iceland.

These countries together form the core of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum.

Headquarter: Tromso,Norway.

Why in News?

• Recently, Foreign Ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries (USA, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan) held a meeting in London, UK.
• The 47th G7 Summit will be held in June 2021. The UK is the host country.

Key facts:

• Invited Guests: Australia, India, South Korea, South Africa and the Chair (Brunei Darussalam) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
• Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa will also join the G7 Summit in June.

About:

• It is an intergovernmental organisation that was formed in 1975.
• The bloc meets annually to discuss issues of common interest like global economic governance, international security and energy policy.
• The G7 does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters. The decisions taken by leaders during annual summits are non-binding.
• The groundwork for the summit, including matters to be discussed and follow-up meetings, is done by the “sherpas”, who are generally personal representatives or members of diplomatic staff such as ambassadors.
• The leaders of important international organizations like European Union, IMF, World Bank and the United Nations are also invited.

Why in news?

The Managing Director of TRIFED recently highlighted the role played by Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana in changing the rural forest-dwelling tribal economy.

About Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana:

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana in 2018, under the Forest Rights Act of 2005.

• Aim: To provide remunerative and fair prices to tribal gatherers of their Minor Forest Produces. It could be almost 3 times higher than what would be available to them from middlemen,
• Components: The scheme is a key component of the ‘Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) & Development of Value Chain for MFP’ Scheme.

Implementation:

• At the National Level, TRIFED acts as the Nodal Agency.
• At the State level, the State Nodal Agency for MFPs and
• Lastly, at the grass-root level, the District collectors will play a pivotal role in scheme implementation.

Key facts:

• Firstly, under the scheme, Van Dhan Vikas Kendras are set up. These centers cater to 10 Self Help Groups and each group consists of thirty tribal gathers.
• Secondly, Vikas Kendras provides skill up gradation and capacity building training and helps in setting up of primary processing and value addition facility
• Thirdly, they are also provided with working capital to add value to the products which they collect from the jungle.
• Fourthly, working under the leadership of Collector these groups can then market their products not only within the States but also outside the States. TRIFED provides training and technical support.

Why in News?

• The research and consulting firm, Rhodium Group, has released a report on Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Key Findings of the report:

• Global Greenhouse gas emissions including emissions of all six Kyoto gases have reached 52 gigatons of CO2-equivalent in 2019. This is an 11.4% increase over the past decade.

The six main gases under Kyoto Protocol are:

• Carbon dioxide (CO2);
• Methane(CH4);
• Nitrous oxide(N2O);
• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs);
• Perfluorocarbons(PFCs);
• Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

• China alone contributed more than 27% of total Global Greenhouse gas emissions. Further, China’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 exceeded the combined emissions of the US and other developed nations.
• However, China’s history as a major emitter is relatively short compared to developed countries. Since 1750, members of the OECD bloc have emitted four times more CO2 on a cumulative basis than China.
• The United States is the second-highest emitter. The US alone contributed 11% of the total Global Greenhouse gas emissions.

Why in News?

INTERPOL has launched an app called ‘ID-Art’ to better protect cultural heritage.

 About ‘ID-Art’ App:

• ‘ID-Art’ App aims to help identify the stolen cultural property, reduce smuggling. The app also increases the possibility of recovering stolen works and artefacts.

Key facts:

• INTERPOL’s database: The app enables users to get mobile access to the Interpol database of stolen works of art. Further, the user can be a law enforcement agency or a general public
• Create an inventory: The app allows museums and private collectors to capture images and record features of their works of art on the App. This will also help to keep track of their collections.

Why in News?

The Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) has released the World Food Price Index.

According to the index, world food prices have increased for the 11th consecutive month in April. Further, the prices also hit their highest level since May 2014.

About World Food Price Index:

• The index was introduced in 1996 to help in monitoring the developments in the global agricultural commodity markets.
• Purpose: The index is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities.
• Commodities: It consists of the average of five commodity group price indices. Such as cereal, vegetable, dairy, meat and sugar. Also, these five indices are given weightage based on the average export shares.
• Base Year:  2014-16.

About Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
• It was established in 1945. The FAO is headquartered in Rome, Italy.
• Reports published by FAO:
  • World State of Forest Report
  • State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture(SOFIA).
  • State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI)

• Every year the World Thalassemia Day is celebrated on May 8. The day is celebrated to encourage the patients suffering from Thalassemia.
• Theme: Addressing Health Inequalities across the Global Thalassemia Community
• Thalassemia Disease: The disease is an inherited blood disorder that is passed from parents to children. When a person gets infected with the disease, his or her body loses the ability to produce haemoglobin. Eventually the red blood cells count reduces. Red Blood Cells are the carriers of oxygen. Thalassemia can cause anemia, leaving the person fatigued. The disease is most common in South Asian, African and Mediterranean countries.

Why in News?

IIT Madras supported start-up Modulus Housing has developed a portable hospital unit called ‘MediCAB’.

About Project MediCAB:

• Project MediCAB is an initiative of the Office of principal scientific advisor and IIT Madras.
• Purpose: It is a portable hospital unit that has been developed to boost healthcare infrastructure by assisting states to set up COVID-19 extension hospitals.

The project is a decentralized approach to detect, screen, identify, isolate and treat COVID-19 patients in their local communities through these portable microstructures.

Why in News?

The Ministry of Ayush has launched a massive nationwide campaign to distribute two key products. One is the Ayurvedic drug AYUSH 64. The other is the Siddha drug Kabasura Kudineer. Both will provide benefit to the vast majority of out of hospital Covid-19 patients.

About Ayush 64:

• Ayush-64 is a polyherbal Ayurvedic Drug (i.e. use of more than one herb).
• The drug was developed by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS).
•  CCRAS is the apex body for research in Ayurveda under the Ministry of Ayush.
• The drug can be useful for the treatment of asymptomatic, mild, and moderate COVID-19 infection cases.

About Kabasura Kudineer:

• Kabasura Kudineer is a Siddha formulated drug. It has been found to be useful in the treatment of asymptomatic, mild, and moderate COVID-19 infection cases.
  • Siddha is a traditional medicine originating in South India. It is one of the oldest systems of medicine in India.

Why in News?

The Drugs Controller General of India recently approved an oral drug to treat COVID-19 called the 2-DG. The 2-DG was developed by the Defense Research Development Organization for Emergency Use. 2-DG is 2-Deoxy – D – Glucose. It was developed in collaboration with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories.

About 2-DG drug
• The drug ensures faster recovery of hospitalised patients and will reduce supplemental oxygen dependence during clinical trials.
• It accumulates in infected cells and stops viral synthesis. This accumulation makes the drug unique.
• The drug comes in a powdered form in sachets. It is consumed orally after dissolving in water.
• It was developed by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS). INMAS is a laboratory operating under DRDO.
• The DGCI has granted permission for emergency use of the drug in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients.
• 2-DG is a generic molecule and thus can be easily produced and made available in plenty in the country.