• World Ozone Day or International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is observed annually on 16 September.
• The Theme: Montreal Protocol: fixing the ozone layer and reducing climate change.
• The day is dedicated to highlight the importance of Ozone layer and its significant contribution in protecting our planet Earth.
• Ozone layer is made up of Trioxygen molecule (O3) and has the potential to absorb harmful Ultraviolet (UV) rays.
• World Ozone Day is recognised to commemorate the Montreal Protocol –an environmental agreement that was established in 1987 against the Ozone depleting substances (ODS) including Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), Halons, Carbon Tetrachloride, and Methyl Chloroform.

• The Government is planning for permanent disability certificates for Sickle-Cell Disease (SCD) patients for age 5+, now stalled for three years.
• The Union government has been publicising its campaign to “eradicate” Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in India by

BACKGROUND

• SCD was included in the list of disabilities under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, patients could only avail disability certificates with one-year validity.
• Later on, the DEPwD eventually increased the validity of disability certificates for SCD patients to three years, requiring a minimum of 25% disability.

ABOUT DISABILITY CERTIFICATE

• Disability certificates in India are official documents issued to individuals with disabilities to provide legal recognition of their disability status.
• These certificates are essential for accessing various government benefits, reservations, and support services aimed at improving the lives of people with disabilities.
• Disability certificates are typically issued by medical boards or committees appointed by the state or central government.
• These boards consist of medical professionals who assess and certify the extent and type of disability.
• Disability certificates are typically valid for a specified period, after which individuals may need to undergo a reassessment to determine if there have been any changes in their disability status.
• They are issued in compliance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, which provides a legal framework for safeguarding the rights and interests of people with disabilities in India.

SIGNIFICANCE:

• Disability certificates play a crucial role in accessing various government schemes and benefits, including reservation in education and employment, financial assistance, transport concessions, and assistive devices.

ABOUT SICKLE CELL DISEASE (SCD)

• SCD is a chronic single gene disorder causing a debilitating systemic syndrome characterized by chronic anemia, acute painful episodes, organ infarction and chronic organ damage and by a significant reduction in life expectancy.
• Symptoms: Symptoms of sickle cell disease can vary, but some common symptoms include:
• Chronic Anaemia: leading to fatigue, weakness, and paleness.
• Painful episodes (also known as sickle cell crisis): these can cause sudden and intense pain in the bones, chest, back, arms, and legs.

TREATMENT:

• Blood Transfusions: These can help relieve anaemia and reduce the risk of pain crises.
• Hydroxyurea: This is a medication that can help reduce the frequency of painful episodes and prevent some of the long-term complications of the disease.
• It can also be treated by bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.

NATIONAL SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA ELIMINATION MISSION:

• The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was announced in the Union Budget 2023-2024.
• It will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 states in the country.

• Scrub typhus, an infectious disease, outbreak in Western Odisha.

ABOUT SCRUB TYPHUS

• It is caused by a zoonotic rickettsial bacterium called Orientia tsutsugamushi, which is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected chiggers (larval mites).
• Mites carrying the disease are generally found in the bush, jungle and paddy areas, so the disease is also called jungle or bush typhus.
• The symptoms of scrub typhus commonly include fever, headache, body ache and sometimes a rash.

ROLE OF CLIMATE IN SPREAD OF SCRUB TYPHUS

• The chiggers that transmit the disease generally live in low temperature and high humidity conditions.
• A 2022 study looked into clustering of scrub typhus cases in South India, found temperature, humidity and rainfall had a major role in the incidence of scrub typhus.
• A 2017 study looking into scrub typhus cases in China also found that a 1°C increase in mean temperature was associated with a 8% increase in the odds of scrub typhus cases during the same week.

DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING:

• Laboratory testing like Elisa tests, which is available almost in all district public health laboratories.

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT:

• No vaccine is available to prevent scrub typhus.
• It is suggested the risk of contracting the infection by avoiding contact with infected chiggers.

If someone gets infected by scrub typhus then it should be treated with the antibiotic doxycycline

• A recent study alarmed that six of nine planetary boundaries have been breached by the world because of human activities.
• The planetary boundaries concept presents a set of 9 planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come.
• It was first proposed by former centre director Johan Rockström and a group of 28 internationally renowned scientists in 2009.
• The nine planetary boundaries identified are:

1. Climate change
2. Change in biosphere integrity (biodiversity loss and species extinction)
3. Stratospheric ozone depletion
4. Ocean acidification
5. Biogeochemical flows (phosphorus and nitrogen cycles)
6. Land-system change (for example deforestation)
7. Freshwater use
8. Atmospheric aerosol loading (microscopic particles in the atmosphere that affect climate and living organisms)
9. Introduction of novel entities

• Net Primary Production (NPP) is equal to the difference between the amount of carbon produced through photosynthesis and the amount of energy that is used for respiration.

• Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) organizes unique event showcasing the products and craftsmanship regular Divyang entrepreneurs/artisans from across the country, ‘Divya Kala Mela’ to continue the efforts Divyakala mela will be organized from 15-24th September 2023 at Varanasi.

Key details:

• It showcases the products and craftsmanship of Divyang entrepreneurs/artisans from across the country.
• This is a unique initiative of DEPwD towards economic empowerment of PwD/Divyangjan.
• The Divya Kala Mela presents a bigger platform for marketing and showcasing the products and skills of Divyangjan (PwD).
• The Divya Kala Mela, Varanasi is the seventh one in series starting from 2022.

• India can now issue the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) Certificates.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF LEGAL METROLOGY

• It is an Intergovernmental organization established in
• The International Organization of Legal Metrology is an intergovernmental treaty organization which:
  • Develops model regulations, standards and related documents for use by legal metrology authorities and industry.
  • Provides mutual recognition systems which reduce trade barriers and costs in a global market.
  • Promotes and facilitates the exchange of knowledge and competencies within the legal metrology community worldwide,
  • Cooperates with other metrology bodies to raise awareness of the contribution that a sound legal metrology infrastructure can make to a modern economy.
• It is Headquartered at Paris, France.
• It is international standard-setting body in the sense of the World Trade Organization’s Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement.
• Members – It has 63 Member States and 64 Corresponding Members. India became the member in
• To sell a weight or measure in the International market an OIML Pattern Approval certificate is mandatory.

INDIA AND THE OIML

• India has now become authority for issuing OIML certificate for selling weights & measures anywhere in the world and Department of Consumer Affairs can issue the certificate now.
• India now joins as a 13th country to issue OIML approval certificates.
• Other countries – Australia, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, and Slovakia, can also issue this certificate.
• The OIML-Certificate System is a system for issuing, registering and using OIML certificates, and their associated OIML type evaluation/test reports.
• Advantages for India – Increase in exports, earning of foreign exchange, and generation of employment.

• The Supreme Court recently onboarded its case data on the National Judicial Data Grid.

ABOUT NATIONAL JUDICIAL DATA GRID:

• The NJDG portal is a national repository of data relating to cases instituted, pending and disposed of by the courts across the country.
• It includes case details of 18,735 District and subordinate Courts and High Courts.
• It has been created as an online platform under the eCourts Project.
• Its key feature is that the data is updated in real-time and has granular data up to the Taluka level.
• The NJDG was built as part of Phase II of the e-Courts project, which is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• The platform has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).

SIGNIFICANCE:

• NJDG works as a monitoring tool to identify, manage & reduce pendency of cases.
• For instance, for the year 2023, the total pendency of registered cases in SC is 64,854.
• But the Cases instituted last month were 5,412 while cases disposed of in the last month were 5,033.
• This shows that the pendency in SC is largely due to legacy cases since the Court is currently disposing of approximately the same number of cases filed on an annual basis.

IDENTIFICATION OF LIMITATIONS IN JUDICIARY:

• It also helps identify specific bottlenecks in judicial processes.
• For example, if the number of land disputes in a particular state shoots up, it helps policymakers look into whether the law needs to be strengthened.
• Referring to the data of year-wise pendency of cases, the CJI said the apex court has less than a hundred cases pending before 2000 and it gives data tools to the Chief Justice to re-organise work and dispose of the oldest cases.

INPUTS FOR SPECIFIC LAWS:

• It also helps generate inputs related to particular areas of law.
• For example, to track cases related to land disputes, Land Records data of 26 States have been linked with NJDG.

• The United Nations climate secretariat made public a ‘synthesis report’ on the results of three meetings held so far to discuss progress achieved by countries in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement of 2015.

WHY IS IT CALLED THE ‘GLOBAL STOCKTAKE’ REPORT?

• The synthesis report ties into a larger exercise called the ‘global stocktake,’ that is expected to take place once in five years.
• In 2015, countries committed in Paris to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century and “as far as possible” below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• Here they also agreed to periodically review, or take stock of efforts, made by individual countries in containing greenhouse gases and transitioning their fossil-fuel dependent energy systems to renewable sources.

KEY FINDINGS

• The report states that the Paris Agreement has galvanised countries into setting goals and signalling the urgency of the climate crisis.
• Governments need to support ways to transition their economies away from fossil fuel businesses and that states and communities must strengthen efforts.
• While rapid change could be disruptive, countries should work on ensuring that the economic transition be equitable and inclusive.
• It stated that much more ambition was needed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 and further by 60% in 2035 and reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 globally.
• Renewable energy has to be scaled up and all ‘unabated fossil fuels’ (for example, coal plants without carbon capture and storage mechanisms) were to be rapidly eliminated.
• Deforestation and land-degradation have to be halted and reversed.
• Agricultural practices critical to reducing emissions and conserving and enhancing carbon sinks have to be encouraged.
• Transparent reporting on adaptation could facilitate and enhance understanding, implementation and international cooperation.
• Averting, minimising and addressing ‘loss and damage,’ requires urgent action across climate and development policies to manage risks comprehensively and provide support to impacted communities.
• Financial flows needed to be made consistent with climate-resilient development to meet urgent and increasing needs.
• Access to climate finance in developing countries needed to be enhanced.

CONCLUSION:

• This document for the first time formally recognises the massive jump in finance necessary for the world to transition to a renewable energy economy.

The Declaration noted the need for USD 5.8-5.9 trillion in the pre-2030 period required for developing countries as well as USD 4 trillion per year for clean energy technologies by 2030 to reach net zero by 2050.

• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) has completed three successful years of implementation.
• The government has recently announced investment of 6,000 Crore as a sub scheme under the PMMSY, taking total investment into fisheries to more than Rs.38,500 crore over the last nine years.

ABOUT PMMSY

• The central government launched the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) in 2020 to bring about the Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of the fisheries sector in India.
• It is implemented by the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

OBJECTIVES

• It is a flagship scheme for integrated, sustainable, inclusive development of marine and inland fisheries sector in the country with an estimated investment of 20,000 crores for its implementation during a period of 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories.
• It aims at enhancing fish production by an additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-25, increasing fisheries export earnings to 1,00,000 crore by 2024-25, doubling of incomes of fishers and fish farmers, reducing post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10%.
• It is designed to address critical gaps in fish production and productivity, quality, technology, post-harvest infrastructure and management, modernization and strengthening of value chain, traceability and establishing a robust fisheries management framework and fishers’ welfare.
• It primarily focuses on adopting ‘Cluster or Area based approaches’ and creation of Fisheries clusters through backward and forward linkages.
• The scheme also aims at generating additional 55 lakhs direct and indirect gainful employment opportunities in the fisheries sector and allied activities.

• In India, the Engineer’s Day is celebrated on September 15 every year, since 1968, to recognise the contribution of engineers’ in the development of the nation.
• The 2023 National Engineers Day theme is ‘Engineering for a sustainable future’.
• Engineers’ Day is observed every year on September 15 across India to celebrate the birth anniversary of M Visvesvaraya and recognise the contributions made by him in the field of science and technology.
• Sir MV was regarded as the “Father of Modern Mysore”.
• He was awarded ‘Bharat Ratna’ for his exceptional contribution to the building of India in
• In 1912, Visvesvaraya was appointed Dewan of Mysore by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV.