• A recent study shows that the public is in favour of the development of phage therapy i.e bacteria-killing viruses as an alternative to antibiotics.

BACKGROUND

• There has been an increase in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) due to improper and over use of antibiotics.
• Antibiotics, while removing harmful bacteria, simultaneously decimates the microbiota.
• As per some estimates, AMR will result in death of 10 million people from drug resistance diseases every year by 2050.

ALTERNATIVE

• Bacteriophage therapy or simply phage therapy holds promise as an alternative treatment option.
  • Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect and replicate only in bacterial cells.
  • Bacteriophages were discovered by Frederick Willian Twort in 1915 (Great Britain) and Felix d’Herelle in 1917 (France).
• Each phage targets only a particular bacterial strain or species.
• Advantages
  • The most striking advantage of bacteriophage therapy is the ability to tailor treatment accurately to kill the pathogenic bacteria — provided the diagnostic procedures are highly accurate.
  • Phages are unlikely to damage human cells due to significant differences in bacterial cells and human cells.
  • Since they can replicate, initial dosage can be relatively small.
  • Inherently nontoxic as they are made up of nucleic acids and proteins.
• Issues
  • Lack of clinical trials,
  • time consuming process of finding right phages,
  • it will also require re-training of medical professionals to focus on accurately diagnosing specific pathogens.
  • difficulties in patenting phages as they are natural entities etc.

• Nyaya Vikas Portal was launched recently by Ministry of Law and Justice for monitoring the implementation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) Nyay Vikas.
• It provides four fast methods of logging in, providing stakeholders with easy access to information on funding, documentation, project monitoring, and approval.
• The portal provides a dashboard that shows the progress of the scheme on various parameters such as the number of court halls and residential units available, the number of projects sanctioned, the number of projects completed, the number of projects under construction and the number of projects pending.
• The portal also provides a map view that shows the location and status of each project across the country.
• The portal generates various reports such as state-wise reports, district-wise reports, project-wise reports and progress reports that can be downloaded by the users.

ABOUT NYAYA VIKAS SCHEME

• The Department of Justice (under the Ministry of Law & Justice) has been implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for the Development of Infrastructure Facilities for Districts and Subordinate Judiciary since 1993-94.
• Under the Scheme, central assistance is provided to the State Government / UT Administrations for the construction of court halls and residential units for Judicial Officers / Judges of District and Subordinate Courts.
• The funds-sharing pattern under the scheme is 60:40 for states other than North Eastern and Himalayan states, 90:10 for North Eastern and Himalayan states, and 100% for union territories.

• On the eve of World Environment Day (June 5), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has launched Amrit Dharohar and Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) initiatives.

ABOUT AMRIT DHAROHAR SCHEME

• Amrit Dharohar aims at promoting the unique conservation values of Ramsar Sites through active public participation.
  • India currently has 75 Ramsar sites that are wetlands of international importance and designated under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
• It aims to encourage optimal use of wetlands for enhancing biodiversity, carbon stock, ecotourism opportunities and income generation for local communities.

• The scheme intends to achieve sustainable ecosystem development and will be implemented over the next three years (2023-26).

Note- This is not to be confused with Amrit Sarovar Mission

ABOUT MISHTI SCHEME

• MISHTI: “Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes” was announced in the Union Budget 2023-24 to promote and conserve mangroves.
• The Programme will cover approximately 540 sq km area across nine (9) coastal States and four (4) UTs in five years (2023-2028).
• It will create around 22.8 million man-days with estimated carbon sink of 4.5 million tons of Carbon.
• It will also create potential areas for nature tourism and livelihood potential for local communities.
• It will operate through convergence between MGNREGS, CAMPA Fund and other sources.
• The Government of India covers 80% of the project cost, while the State Governments contribute the remaining 20%.

ABOUT MANGROVES

• Mangroves are unique, natural eco-system having very high biological productivity and carbon sequestration potential, besides working as a bio-shield.
• They are found in tropical and sub-tropical intertidal regions characterized by high rainfall (between 1,000 to 3,000 mm), temperature range (26^o C- 35^o C) and calm water with sufficient sediments to set down roots.
• West Bengal has the highest mangrove cover, followed by Gujarat and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

• IIT-Mandi among engineering institutes, got the 33rd rank this year.
  • In the engineering category, only three institutions from the state could make it to the top 150.
  • While IIT-Mandi is ranked 33rd, Shoolini University and the National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, have been placed in the 101-150 rank band.
• IIM-Sirmaur got 98th position among management institutes.
• Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, secured the 17th position among agricultural institutes.
• Shoolini University secured the 73rd rank among all the universities.
• In the discipline of pharmacy, Shoolini University has achieved the 41st rank
• CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University (HPAU) has been ranked eighth among the State Agricultural Universities (SAU) in the country.

• Max Verstappen from Red Bull team emerged victorious at the Spanish Grand Prix, clinching the pole position.
• Lewis Hamilton, secured the second spot for Mercedes. Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell, won third spot.

• CSIR- Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM) is supporting farmers in the cultivation of Lavender in the Bhaderwah, Doda district, J&K under CSIR-Aroma Mission.
  • In India, the term purple revolution is generally associated with Lavender production.
• Aroma Mission aims to promote the cultivation of aromatic crops for essential oils that are in great demand by aroma industry for fuelling the growth of aroma industry and rural employment.
• Under it, Lavender cultivation is being promoted in the temperate regions of J&K.

• A sonic boom rattled US’s Washington and Virginia after two F-16 fighter jets chased an “unresponsive aircraft” through the sky.

ABOUT SONIC BOOM-

• A sonic boom is a thunderous noise caused by an object, like an aircraft, moving faster than the speed of sound.
• Mechanism– As the object zooms through the sky, the air molecules around it are pushed aside with tremendous force, generating shock waves along its flight path.
  • The release of pressure, following the shock waves’ buildup, is heard as the sonic boom.
• The intensity of the sonic boom is determined by
  • the distance between the craft and the ground,
  • size and shape of the aircraft,
  • types of maneuvers that it makes, and
  • atmospheric pressure, temperature, and winds.
• Generally, a larger aircraft will cause stronger shock waves, and therefore, a louder sonic boom.
  • Double sonic booms can be detected if the aircraft is of extra length, one emanating from the leading edge of the plane and one from the trailing edge.

• Farmers have reported “foot rot” disease on the saplings of Basmati variety of paddy that are in the nurseries.

ABOUT FOOT ROT DISEASE

• It is also known as Bakanae Disease.
• It is a soil and seed-borne deadly fungus which is seen only in the Basmati variety of paddy.
• It is caused by ‘Fusarium verticillioides’ fungi.
• The infected saplings turn pale yellow and become elongated and later, the saplings start drying and usually die.
• Symptoms sometimes appear after transplantation and the infected plants first grow way taller than the normal plants and die after a few days.

• Ministry of Home Affairs has notified a 3-member Commission of Inquiry under Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952, to inquire into incidents of violence in Manipur.
• The Commission of Inquiry aims to thoroughly examine the incidents of violence in Manipur and shed light on their underlying causes.
• It consists of Justice Ajai Lamba, former Chief Justice of Guwahati High Court, Himanshu Shekhar Das (IAS Retd.), and Aloka Prabhakar (IPS Retd.)

ABOUT COMMISSIONS OF INQUIRY ACT, 1952

• It authorises central and state governments to appoint inquiry commissions to make inquiries in definite matters of public importance.
• The commissions of inquiry act gives powers to the central government to appoint a commission of inquiry, to make inquiry into any matter relatable to any of the entries enumerated in List I and III.
• The Act empowers the state governments to appoint inquiry commissions, to make inquiry into any other matter relatable to any of the entries enumerated in List II or III of Schedule VII.
  • The Central government can appoint a commission of inquiry to inquire into a matter falling within the purview of a state government if it falls within its plenary legislative power, but a state government cannot appoint a commission of inquiry, to inquire into matters falling within the purview of the central government.
• A Commission set up by the government shall have the powers of a civil court, while trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.

• Recently PM placed the Sengol or sceptre presented by head of Thiruvavaduthurai Math to India’s first PM, in the new Parliament building.
• It was established by Namasivaya Murthy, a Saivite saint and scholar, in 16th century, and is a non-Brahmin Math.
• The Math, foremost among the 18 Saivite Maths, has made unparalleled contributions to the Tamil language, music and Saivite philosophy.
• It is one of the richest religious institutions, owning thousands of acres of land across the State, managing over 50 temples, 69 branches of the Math and educational institutions.
• The Heads of Math were also patrons of Tamil scholars and musicians.
• Thirumoolar, Siddhar and one of the Saivaite saints and author of Thirumanthiram, attained enlightenment under a Peepal tree in Thiruvavaduthurai.
• Thiruvavaduthurai gets its name from the legend that Goddess Parvathi worshipped Lord Siva as a cow. ‘Aa’ means cow and ‘thurai’ means the riverside.
  • Math is on the southern banks of river Cauvery.