• According to World Press Freedom Index 2023, by global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), India has slipped to the 161^st position out of 180 countries from 150^th rank last year.
• Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka have better ranking than India.
• There are more than 100,000 newspapers (including 36,000 weeklies) and 380 TV news channels currently operating in the country.
• The World Press Freedom Index is based on five different factors that are used to calculate scores and rank countries- Political, Economic, Legislative, Social, and Security indicator.
• Scores are calculated for each of these indicators and used to determine the overall ranking of countries in terms of press freedom.

• The suitable habitat for hijol tree to grow in the India-Bangladesh landscape may shrink by 50.5% due to erratic rainfall and temperature changes.

About Hijol

• Hijol, or Indian oak, is a medium-sized evergreen tree.
• Scientific Name: Barringtonia acutangula
• It is native to coastal wetlands in southern Asia and northern Australasia. This species grows on the banks of freshwater rivers, the edges of freshwater swamps and lagoons and on seasonally flooded lowland plains, commonly on heavy soils from the sea level up to about 400 m of altitude.
  • It is commonly found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin.
• Tree grows to about 8–15 m high with thick, smooth and oval in shape leaves.
• Flowers are small, pink to red, sub-sessile, and purple-red with numerous stamens.
• Its bark has tannin, which is useful for heart diseases. Also Tonic is prepared from leaves and roots.

Fish poison is prepared from its roots.

• A Minister in the cabinet recently stated that ‘Mission Karmayogi’ institutionalised the process of capacity building, particularly for the benefit of civil servants, with the aim to shape the Century India of 2047.

About Mission Karmyogi or National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB)

• Mission Karmayogi aims to prepare Civil Servants for the future by making them more creative, constructive & innovative through transparency and technology.
• There will be more focus on ‘on-site learning’ in complementing “off-site learning”.
• Karmayogi seeks to shift the focus from rule-specific to role-specific.
• The Mission will help training the officers to meet the challenges of the society.
• It aims “comprehensive reform of the capacity building apparatus at individual, institutional and process levels for efficient public service delivery”.
• It will improve the Human Resource management practices in the Government and will use scale & state of the art infrastructure to augment the capacity of Civil Servants.
• Mission Karmayogi has the following six pillars:
  • Policy Framework,
  • Institutional Framework,
  • Competency Framework,
  • Digital Learning Framework (Integrated Government Online Training Karmayogi Platform (iGOT-Karmayogi),
  • electronic Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS), and
  • Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.
• Executing Bodies: It will be steered by four new bodies-
  • Prime Minister’s Public Human Resources Council,
  • Capacity Building Commission,
  • Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) that will own and operate the digital assets and technological platform for online training, and
  • Coordination Unit, which will be headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

• Asian Development Bank is launching the Innovative Finance Facility for Climate in Asia and the Pacific (IF-CAP), a landmark program which will help ADB accelerate much-needed climate financing.
• IF-CAP is a multi-donor financing partnership facility with goal of scaling-up finance for accelerated action against climate change in Asia and Pacific.
• IF-CAP is a landmark program of ADB with initial partners being Denmark, Japan, Republic of Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States.
• This is the first time any multilateral development bank has adopted a program of this kind.
• Need
  • Asia and Pacific is uniquely vulnerable to impacts of climate change, such as hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, floods, and sea-level rises.
  • Immense climate financing gap.

About ADB

• Asian Development Bank (ADB) was established in the year 1966, with head office at Manila (Philippines).
• It was established after a resolution was passed at first Ministerial Conference on Asian Economic Cooperation held by United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and Far East in 1963.
• The aim of the ADB is social development by reducing poverty in the Asia Pacific with inclusive growth, sustainable growth, and regional integration. This is carried out through an 80% investment in the public sector.
• Member- 68 members (India- founding member).
• Board of Governors is the highest policy-making body, which comprises one representative from each of 68 member nations.
• Five largest shareholders –Japan, United States, China, India, and Australia.

• Election Commission of India (ECI) recently issued an advisory urging star campaigners to “maintain the dignity of the political discourse”.
• ECI has advised all national and state political parties and their star campaigners to exercise caution and restraint in their utterances and remain within the provisions of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and exercise caution from saying anything that could vitiate the election’s atmosphere.

About Star campaigners

• They are nominated by the concerned political parties specifying their constituencies and duration of the status.
• There is no law governing who can or cannot be made a star campaigner.
• List of star campaigners must be communicated to Chief Electoral Officer and ECI within a week from election notification date under section 77(1) of Representation of People Act (RPA), 1951.
• A ‘recognised’ National or State party declared as such by the ECI can nominate a maximum of 40 star campaigners.
• An unrecognised political party can nominate a maximum of 20 star campaigners.

About Model code of conduct

• MCC is a set of guidelines laid down by Election Commission to govern the conduct of political parties and candidates in the run-up to an election.
• The MCC is operational from the date on which the election schedule is announced until the date of result announcement.
• MCC ensures that ruling party, either at Centre or in states, does not misuse its official position to gain an unfair advantage in an election.
• MCC is not enforceable by law.
  • However certain provisions of the MCC may be enforced through invoking corresponding provisions in other statutes such as the Indian Penal Code 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure 1973, and Representation of the People Act 1951.

• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is undertaking a third-party impact assessment of SISFS.
• SISFS was created by DPIIT, Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 2021.
• Funding
  • An Experts Advisory Committee (EAC) has been created by DPIIT to execute and monitor the SISFS.
  • Up to Rs. 20 Lakhs as grant for validation of Proof of Concept, or prototype development, or product trials. The grant shall be disbursed in milestone-based installments.
  • Up to Rs. 50 Lakhs of investment for market entry, commercialization, or scaling up through convertible debentures or debt or debt-linked instruments

Eligibility

• A startup, recognized by DPIIT, incorporated not more than 2 years ago at the time of application can apply for scheme.
• Individual entrepreneurs are not eligible to apply for support under the scheme.
• There is no minimum education qualification required for founders to apply for SISFS.
• Startups should not have received more than Rs. 10 lakhs of monetary support under any other Central or State Government scheme.
• Shareholding by Indian promoters in the startup should be at least 51% at the time of application to the incubator for the scheme.

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru recently revealed that the Dengue virus in India has evolved dramatically.
• Study found that the cases of mosquito-borne viral disease have steadily increased in the last 50 years, predominantly in South-East Asian counties.

About Dengue Fever

• The dengue virus belongs to the family Flaviviridae and has four serotypes: DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4.
• It is an illness spread by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitos which also carry viruses like Zika and chikungunya.
• The virus is most commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions, including Central and South America, Africa, parts of Asia and the Pacific Islands.
• Mild dengue fever causes a high fever and flu-like symptoms.
• The severe form of dengue fever, also called dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause serious bleeding, a sudden drop in blood pressure (shock) and death.
• It isn’t contagious from person to person except when passed from a pregnant person to their child.
• There is no specific treatment for dengue. The focus is on treating pain symptoms.

Dengue vaccine

• Dengvaxia or CYD-TDV has been approved by the US Food & Drug Administration, the first dengue vaccine to get the regulatory nod in the US.
  • Dengvaxia is basically a live, attenuated dengue virus.

• The Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) above Mount Saraswati captured a rare phenomenon as a geomagnetic storm struck Earth’s magnetic field, creating unique auroras.
  • This was the first time that the aurora was captured on camera in India by the Indian Astronomical Observatory.
• The 360-degree camera atop the IAO in Hanle ,Ladakh captured the mysterious phenomenon, which is triggered by an interaction between the plasma particles hurled by the Sun and Earth’s magnetic field.
• The auroras are normally seen at higher latitudes in parts of Alaska, Norway, and other countries.

About Auroras

• Charged particles ejected from Sun’s corona create solar wind.
  • When that wind slams into Earth’s ionosphere, the aurora is born.
• In the Northern Hemisphere, the phenomenon is called the northern lights (aurora borealis), while in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s called the southern lights (aurora australis).
• The hemispheric asymmetry of the aurora is due in part to the sun’s magnetic field interfering with Earth’s magnetic field.

• India sent INS Satpura and INS Delhi to participate in the first ever ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME 2023) scheduled in May 2023.

About ASEAN-India maritime exercise (AIME-2023)

• AIME-2023 is the first time India has been involved in exercises with the ASEAN though there have been exercises with ASEAN nations separately.
• The maiden exercise will be conducted off the coast of Singapore.
• The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Indian Navy (IN) are co-hosting the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise.
• With AIME-2023 India becomes the 4th ASEAN dialogue partner, after Russia, China and the US to hold the ASEAN+1 maritime exercise.
• Aim: Enhancing interoperability and exchange of best practices among participating navies.

About Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN):

• It is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian countries.
• It was established in 1967 with the signing of the Bangkok declaration.
• Aim: To promote intergovernmental cooperation and facilitate economic, political, security, military, educational, and socio-cultural integration among its members and other Asian states.
• Members:
  • Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand– original 5 members
  • Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam- joined later.
• ASEAN Plus Three: It is a forum that functions as a coordinator of co-operation between the ASEAN and the three East Asian nations of China, South Korea, and Japan.
• ASEAN Plus Six: includes ASEAN Plus Three and India, Australia, and New Zealand.

• A rare melanistic tiger was found dead in the core area of Similipal Tiger Reserve.

About Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR)

• STR is located within the Mayurbhanj District, in the Northernmost part of Odisha.
• It is surrounded by high plateaus and hills, the highest peak being the twin peaks of Khairiburu and Meghashini.
• The terrain is mostly undulating and hilly, interspersed with open grasslands and wooded areas.
• It was declared a ‘Tiger Reserve’ in the year 1956 and included under the national conservation programme ‘Project Tiger’ in 1973.
• The STR, along with a ‘transitional area’ of 2250 sq. km, has been included as a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO in the year 2009.
• It is part of the Similipal-Kuldiha-Hadgarh Elephant Reserve popularly known as Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve, which includes 3 protected areas i.e. Similipal Tiger Reserve, Hadagarh Wildlife sanctuary and Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary.
• It is the only landscape in the world that is home to melanistic tigers.
• Tribes including Kolha, Santhala, Bhumija, Bhatudi, Gondas, Khadia, Mankadia and Sahara live here.
• Vegetation– Similipal has 1,076 flowering species and 96 species of orchids. It boasts of having tropical semi-evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous hill forests, high level sal forests and sprawling meadows.
  • Sal is the dominant tree species here
• Fauna- Leopard, Gaur, Elephant, Langur, Barking and Spotted Deer, Sloth Bear Mongoose, Flying Squirrel, Porcupine, Turtle, Monitor Lizard, Python, Sambar, Pangolin etc.