Current Context : Senior IAS officer Amardeep Singh Bhatia has assumed the charge of Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

ABOUT DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE (DPIIT)

• It is a central government department under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in India.
• It is responsible for formulation and implementation of promotional and developmental measures for growth of the industrial sector, keeping in view the national priorities and socio-economic objectives.
• Established in 1995, and was reconstituted in the year 2000 with the merger of Department of Industrial Development.
• It was earlier known as the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP).
• The department was renamed as DPIIT in January 2019.

Current Context : Government has cleared decks for the construction of Unity Mall in the Dagwar area of Kangra district.

• The state government has transferred 3 hectares for the project in the name of the Industries Department.
• Unity Mall was expected to become a tourist point in Kangra district.

ABOUT UNITY MALL

• Unity Malls are part of the Central Government’s initiative to promote local products
• These malls are expected to encourage the sale of local handloom products, GI products and handicrafts of different states.
• Handicraft and handloom products from different states will be on display in the Mall
• The model for these Malls has been inspired by the Ekta Mall built near the Statue of Unity in Gujarat.

Current Context : Governor of Himachal Shiv Pratap Shukla visited Shimla Bypass Tunnel 1 Portal 2 at Shungal near Kaithlighat.

ABOUT TUNNEL  

• The tunnel is part of the four-laning of 28.5 km stretch of the Shimla bypass being undertaken under package 1 and 2 where a total of 10 tunnels of 10.6 km length will be constructed.
• Length of the tunnel is 1,410 meters and the tunnel was likely to be completed by January 2025.
• Distance from Kaithlighat to Dhalli will be reduced by about 15 km and one hour of travel time.

Current Context : Recently, a severe landslide in Sikkim has destroyed the Teesta-V hydropower station of the state-owned National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited.

• The project was under restoration following the glacial outburst in October 2023, which had caused significant damage.

ABOUT TEESTA-V HYDROPOWER STATION

• Location: Mangan district, Sikkim, India,
• River : built on the Teesta River.
• Type: Run-of-river hydroelectric power plant.
• Capacity: 510 megawatts (MW).
• Developed and owned by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).

ABOUT TEESTA RIVER

• Origin: Originates from the Teesta Kangse Glacier in the eastern Himalayas, specifically from the Kangchenjunga range in Sikkim, India.
• Course: The river flows southward through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal before crossing into Bangladesh. It eventually merges with the Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh.
• It is a major right bank tributary of the Brahmaputra (known as Jamuna in Bangladesh)
• Hydropower Projects: Teesta-V Hydropower Station and Teesta-Dam-I
• Major Tributaries of Teesta River
  • Left-bank Tributaries : Lachung Chhu, Chakung Chhu, Dik Chhu, Rani Khola and Rangpo Chhu.
  • Right-bank Tributaries : Zemu Chhu, Rangyong Chhu and Rangit River.
• Major barrages constructed on Teesta –
  • Gajoldoba in West Bengal, India
  • Duani in Bangladesh.

Current Context : The Centre has launched a pilot project to transform 60 ration shops in 4 States as “Jan Poshan Kendras” or public nutrition centres to increase their viability and improve public access to nutritional food.

• The pilot will cover states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.

FPSs are shops licensed to distribute essential commodities issued under the Essential Commodities Act (1955) to the ration card holders under Targeted Public Distribution System.

ABOUT JAN POSHAN KENDRAS

• These are community-based nutrition centers
• Established under India’s Poshan Abhiyan (National Nutrition Mission).
• It will offer a diverse range of nutrition-rich food items to consumer as well as provide an additional source of income to the FPS dealers.
• They have to store 50% products under the category of nutrition while the rest for keeping other household items.
• Aim to provide comprehensive nutritional support and health services at the grassroots level.

Current Context : Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar Launched Portal for Online Monitoring of power to Boost Power Sector Efficiency & Transparency

• The portals are named as Portal for Online Monitoring of Projects – Thermal (PROMPT), Disaster Resilient Infrastructure for Power Sector (DRIPS) and JAL VIDYUT DPR.

ABOUT THE PORTALS

• Portal DRIPS (Disaster Resilient Infrastructure for Power Sector): To serve as a single point of contact for all stakeholders for managing inventory of specific Power System equipments and critical supplies. It would allow for rapid identification and deployment of necessary resources in a disaster situation.
• Jal Vidyut Detailed Project Report Portal: for Monitoring Survey and Investigation Activities of Hydro Electric Projects and Pumped Storage Projects.
• Portal for Online Monitoring Of Projects – Thermal (PROMPT): offers real-time tracking and analysis of thermal power projects.

Current Context : Recently, super blue moon, an occurrence that happens on average every 10 years, was observed.

ABOUT SUPER BLUE MOON

• A super blue moon combines three lunar phenomena: a full moon, a blue moon, and a supermoon.

Supermoon occurs when a full or new Moon coincides with the Moon’s closest approach to Earth, known as perigee.

• This proximity makes the Moon appear larger and brighter than usual, capturing public attention.

Blue Moon: A blue moon, contrary to its name, does not refer to the moon’s color; instead, it signifies the occurrence of two full moons within a single calendar month.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF BLUE MOON. 

• Monthly blue moon occurs when full moon seen twice in a single month.

Seasonal blue moon occurs when there are four full moons in a single season instead of the usual three.

Current Context : Recently, a case of Vaccine-derived Polio Virus (VDPV) infection has been reported from Meghalaya.

• Earlier, WHO declared India polio-free in 2014 after the last case of wild poliovirus was reported in 2011.

ABOUT VACCINE-DERIVED POLIO VIRUS (VDPV)

• It  is a rare condition that occurs when the weakened (also called attenuated) strain of poliovirus used in the oral polio vaccine (OPV) mutates and regains the ability to cause paralysis.

THREE TYPES –

• Wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1)
• Wild poliovirus type 2 (WPV2)
• Wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3)

ABOUT POLIO

• Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly viral infectious disease that affects the nervous system.
• It primarily affects young children but can also impact adults.

POLIO VACCINES:

• Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) : OPV is a live attenuated vaccine that has been instrumental in reducing polio cases globally. It contains weakened but live poliovirus strains.It is given orally as a birth dose for institutional deliveries, then primary three doses at 6, 10 and 14 weeks and one booster dose at 16-24 months of age.
• Injectable Polio Vaccine (IPV) : IPV is a killed-virus vaccine administered by injection. It does not cause VDPV.
• The first polio vaccine was made by Jonas Salk in the early 1950s.
• World Polio day is celebrated every year on 24 October.

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES FOR POLIO MANAGEMENT:

• Pulse Polio Programme : It was started in 1995 with an objective of achieving 100% coverage under Oral Polio Vaccine.
• Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0 : It was a nationwide immunisation drive to mark the 25 years of Pulse polio programme (2019-20).
• Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) : It was launched in 1985 with the modification to ‘Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI).

Current Context : Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport  (RGIA) has once again clinched the prestigious title of Best Airport at the India Travel Awards, marking its third consecutive win.

• RGIA was also honored with Skytrax’s ‘Best Airport Staff in India & South Asia 2024’ award in Frankfurt, Germany.

ABOUT INDIA TRAVEL AWARD

• The India Travel Awards is a prestigious annual event that recognizes and celebrates excellence in the Indian travel and tourism industry.
• Organized by ETC Networks, the awards honor the best performers in various sectors of the travel industry, including airlines, hotels, tour operators, and other travel-related services.

Current Context : Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) developed a new FOSS-based Operating System suite, KITE GNU Linux 22.04.

• It enables better learning of Artificial Intelligence (AI) modules introduced in the curriculum from Class VII.
• It will be used in three lakh computers available in public schools in
• It is an educational software tailored for teaching and learning, including tools for subjects like mathematics, science, and languages.
• This OS suite can be used freely as a complete computing platform not only for ICT learning in schools but also for students and teachers, as well as for general purposes on computers used in homes, govt offices etc.