India records highest number of Internet shutdowns globally in 2023.

• According to Access Now, India has accounted for 773 (53%) shutdowns of the 1,458 shutdowns in globally since 2016.
• In 2023, the number of internet shutdowns rose by 41% from 201 in 2022 to 283 in 2023.
• This is the sixth straight year India has topped the list.
• Shutdowns reportedly cost the country about $1.9 billion and a loss of $118 million in foreign investment in the first half of 2023
• A total of 13 States and Union Territories imposed shutdowns in 2023, where seven of them disrupted Internet services five or more times.
• In 2023, 39 countries saw internet shutdowns.
• Myanmar followed India with 37 internet shutdowns followed by Iran with 34.
• Pakistan had 7 shutdowns while Iraq had 6.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) is an Indian digital rights organisation that advances liberty, equality, fraternity and social justice in the digital age.
• IFF has three verticals of work that include strategic litigation, policy engagement and civic literacy.
• Established on August 15, 2016 as a Charitable organization.

Current Context : NISAR satellite will be able to monitor tectonic movements accurately.

• The satellite can fully map the earth twice a month, measure water bodies, greenery, snow cover, monitor agricultural changes, desertification, and aid in the study of climate-related issues.

ABOUT NISAR :

• NISAR is a joint Earth-observing mission between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
• Aim : To make global measurements of the causes and consequences of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.
• The mission is targeted to launch in 2024.
• NASA is providing the mission’s L-band synthetic aperture radar, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder and payload data subsystem.
• ISRO is providing the spacecraft bus, the S-band radar, the launch vehicle and associated launch services.

Current Context: The Army is all set to begin receiving another set of Russian Igla-S very short-range air defence systems (VSHORAD) by the end of May or early next month which is partly assembled in India.

• A VSHORAD is the soldier’s last line of defence against enemy combat aircraft, helicopters and UAVs in the multilayered air defence network.
• The Igla-S systems were contracted last year under the fourth tranche of Emergency Procurements (EP) and are being assembled by Adani Defence Systems And Technologies Limited (ADSTL) in India under technology transfer from
• Under deal Army contracted 48 Igla-S launchers, 100 missiles, 48-night sights and one missile testing

ABOUT IGLA-S

• It is a man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) developed by Russia that can be operated by an individual or crew.
• It comprises the 9M342 missile, the 9P522 launching mechanism, the 9V866-2 mobile test station, and the 9F719-2 test set.
• Range: 500 metres to 6 kilometres and attack targets up to an altitude of 3.5 kilometres.
• Speed : 400 metres per second and the deployment time is 13 seconds.

Current Context : Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) on BIMSTEC Meets in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

• The 3rd Meeting of the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) on Future Directions of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) was held on 12-13 May 2024.
• The meeting was chaired by Soonthorn Chaiyindeepum of Thailand.
• Thailand is the current Chairman of BIMSTEC.
• The EPG has been tasked by the BIMSTEC to make a recommendation for reforming, revitalizing, and finding a new purpose for BIMSTEC so as to foster a prosperous, resilient and developed Bay of Bengal region.

BIMSTEC(Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).

• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian nations comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
• It was set up to prepare a roadmap for BIMSTEC’s future.

Establishment: 6 June 1997

• The State highways department is undertaking the stabilisation of slopes around the Nilgiris’ major roads at five locations by growing grasses to prevent soil erosion.
• The project is known as ‘slope stabilisation using soil nailing and Hydroseeding method,’ is being undertaken in Ketti, Kattabettu, Perar, Kudah and Udhagamandalam of Tamil Naidu.
• Around five species of grasses, including a few local species native to India will be grown along the slopes in the five locations.

ABOUT SOIL NAILING:

• Soil nailing is a geotechnical engineering technique that involves the insertion of reinforcing elements into the soil in a specified area to strengthen it.”

ABOUT HYDROSEEDING METHOD:

• It is a technique used for controlling erosion and promoting vegetation growth on bare or disturbed soil surfaces.
• It involves a process where a mixture of seed, mulch, fertilizer, and water is sprayed onto the soil surface using specialized equipment.

Current Context: Over half million displaced from natural disasters and violent conflict in India in 2023.

• Floods, cyclones, earthquakes and other disasters triggered over half a million internal displacements in India in 2023.
• Report released by : Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).

RELEVANT FACTS:

• Nearly 4 million displacements occurred in 2023 due to natural disasters such as floods, storms, earthquake, the third-highest annual total in the past ten years.
• Internal displacements by natural disasters in 2023 was 528,000 was declined from 2.5 million due to natural disasters in the country in 2022.
• An, additional 67000 were displaced due to conflict and violence mostly in Northeast state of Manipur in 2023. However, the number was 1000 in 2022.
• 105,000 people were displaced in Gujarat and Rajasthan after cyclone Biparjoy.
• Flood displacement figure for India was the lowest since data became available in 2008 at 352,000 movements.
  • The largest flood event, which triggered about 91,000 people’s displacement, occurred in the state of Assam in June of 2023 when heavy rains hit 20 districts in the state.

Current Context : Richard Slayman was the first human recipient of pig kidney transplant died.

• He got the first modified pig kidney transplant in March this year.

ABOUT:

• “Xenotransplantation is any procedure that involves the transplantation, implantation or infusion into a human recipient of either (a) live cells, tissues, or organs from a nonhuman animal source, or (b) human body fluids, cells, tissues or organs that have had ex vivo contact with live nonhuman animal cells, tissues or organs.”
• Essentially, it is the use of animal cells and organs to heal humans.
• Xenotransplantation involving the heart was first tried in humans in the 1980s.
• Pig heart valves have been used for replacing damaged valves in humans for over 50 years now.
• The pig’s anatomical and physiological parameters are similar to that of humans, and the breeding of pigs in farms is widespread and cost-effective.

WHO approved TAK-003 (Qdenga) as 2nd dengue vaccine for children aged between 6 – 16 years.

• Developed by Japanese pharma giant Takeda can be administered in a two-dose schedule with a three-month interval between doses.
• The first dengue vaccine to be approved by WHO was Sanofi Pasteur’s Dengvaxia.
• Both dengue vaccines are at present not available in India.
• Panacea Biotec and Serum Institute of India are collaborating to conduct human trials of an indigenous dengue vaccine that has already successfully completed initial trials.

ABOUT DENGUE:

• Dengue is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people.
• It is more common in tropical and subtropical climates.
• Symptoms: High fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash.

• Celebrated on May 17 to honour the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• Theme for 2024 : Digital Innovation for Sustainable Development.
• Innovative tech can help tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, from fighting climate change to eliminating hunger and poverty.
• Significance: The day provides a platform to discuss the successes that development and application of Information and Communication Technology have achieved and the challenges faced.

BACKGROUND:

• In the year 1865 International Telecommunication Union was founded after the signing of first Indian Telegraph Convention.
• First World Telecommunication Day was celebrated on 17 May 1969.
• First combined World Telecommunication and Information Society Day was celebrated on 17 May 2007.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully tested portable hospital cubes Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri (BHISHM) for the first time in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra.

Objective : To assess the capability of portable hospitals to be deployed across the country during emergencies.

ABOUT :

• These parachutes (portable hospital) are designed by the Air Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) in Agra.
• The Aid Cube is equipped with several innovative tools designed to enhance disaster response and medical support during emergencies.
• It integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to facilitate effective coordination, real-time monitoring, and efficient management of medical services in the field.”
• It hosts medical amenities like an operation theatre, X-ray machines, blood testing devices, ventilators, and equipment to treat injuries like gunshot wounds, burns, fractures, as well as severe bleeding.