Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• The World Health Organization (WHO), about six months after tightening its guidelines on air quality, issued an update to its database on air quality that draws on information from a growing number of cities, towns and villages across the globe, now totalling over 6,000 municipalities.
• The database, which has traditionally considered two types of particulate matter known as PM2.5 and PM10, for the first time has included ground measurements of nitrogen dioxide. The last version of the database was issued in 2018.

Key Points

• The UN health agency says nearly everybody in the world breathes air that doesn’t meet its standards for air quality, calling for more action to reduce use of fossil-fuel, which generates pollutants that cause respiratory- and blood-flow problems and lead to millions of preventable deaths each year.
• Around 99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds its air-quality limits and is often rife with particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the veins and arteries and cause disease.
• Air quality is poorest in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, followed by Africa.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• Nearly two decades ago, when scientists published the map of the human genome for the first time, it was hailed as a breakthrough. That was incomplete, however: about 8% of the human DNA was left unsequenced.
• Now, in a series of papers published in Science, a large team has accounted for that 8%, completing the picture of the human genome for the first time.

Why does it matter?

• A complete human genome makes it easier to study genetic variation between individuals or between populations.
• A genome refers to all of the genetic material in an organism, and the human genome is mostly the same in all people, but a very small part of the DNA does vary between one individual and another.
• By constructing a complete human genome, scientists can use it for reference while studying the genome of various individuals, which would help them understand which variations, if any, might be responsible for disease.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

Near-field communication (NFC) is a wireless connectivity technology that allows NFC capable devices to converse and transmit information with a single touch. Aside just driving payment services, NFC technology offers a wide range of uses. It is utilised in contactless banking cards and to produce contactless public transportation tickets.

Background

• Near-field communication technology is based on Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID), which merchants have used for decades to tag and monitor merchandise within stores.
• Near-field communication technology gained traction in 2004 with the formation of the NFC Forum, a non-profit organisation dedicated to extending the ease of NFC technology to many parts of life.
• The Forum publicly detailed the architecture for NFC technology in 2006, and its standards continue to provide a road map for all interested parties to construct strong new consumer-driven products.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context

• Chief Justice of India said CBI’s credibility has come under deep public scrutiny with the passage of time as its actions and inactions have raised questions in some cases.

About Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

• It is the premier investigating police agency in India.
• It has its origin in the Special Police Establishment set up in 1941 to probe bribery and corruption during World War II.
• It was set up by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1963 after Santhanam committee recommendation.
  • It functions under the Department of Personnel, Ministry of Personnel, Pension & Public Grievances, Government of India.
• It is an elite force playing a major role in preservation of values in public life and in ensuring the health of the national economy.
• It is also the nodal police agency in India, which coordinates investigations on behalf of Interpol Member countries.
• The Supreme Court, the High Courts, the Parliament and the public, holds CBI as an organisation in high esteem. 

Power and Functions 

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• Microplastic pollution has been detected in human blood for the first time. The study, published in the journal Environment International, tested 22 anonymous blood samples.

About microplastics

• Microplastics are tiny bits of various types of plastic found in the environment. The name is used to differentiate them from “macroplastics” such as bottles and bags made of plastic. There is no universal agreement on the size — the U.S. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the European Chemical Agency define microplastic as less than 5mm in length.
• The researchers have an upper limit on the size of the particles as 0.0007 millimetre.
• Microplastics are divided into two types: primary and secondary.
  • Primary microplastics are tiny particles designed for commercial use, such as cosmetics, as well as microfibers shed from clothing and other textiles, such as fishing nets.  Microbeads(used in personal care products), plastic pellets, and plastic fibres are some of the examples.
  • Secondary microplastics are created when bigger plastics, such as water bottles, degrade. Exposure to external stimuli, namely the sun’s rays and ocean waves, causes this disintegration.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• The Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Rameswar Teli in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha informed that the Government is promoting Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme with broader objectives of providing boost to domestic agriculture sector, environment benefits, reducing import dependency and savings in foreign exchange.
• Government has also notified the National Policy on Biofuels – 2018 which laid out indicative target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol and 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel by 2030 in the country.
• Based on the encouraging initiatives on supply side of ethanol, Government has advanced the target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol from 2030 to 2025-26.

About Ethanol

• Ethanol, an anhydrous ethyl alcohol having chemical formula of C2H5OH, can be produced from sugarcane, maize, wheat, etc  which are having high starch content. 
• In India, ethanol is mainly produced from sugarcane molasses by fermentation process. 
• Ethanol can be mixed with gasoline to form different blends.
• As the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel, resulting in fewer emissions and thereby reducing the occurrence of environmental pollution.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context

• The Supreme Court has directed the Rajasthan and Gujarat governments to file their status reports on converting overhead electric cables into underground power lines, wherever feasible, within a year to protect the endangered Great Indian Bustard from extinction.
• In April last year, the top court, in a bid to save the GIB, directed the Gujarat and Rajasthan governments to convert overhead electric cables into underground power cables, wherever feasible, within a year to prevent death of the birds due to collision and electrocution.

About GIB

• Great Indian Bustard (GIB) is one of the heaviest flying birds endemic to the Indian subcontinent.
• Protection Status: IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered; CITES: Appendix I; Wildlife Protection Act (1972): Schedule I.
• Historically, the great Indian bustard was distributed throughout Western India, spanning 11 states, as well as parts of Pakistan. Today, its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Small populations occur in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context

• The National Commission for Women has launched an Anti-Human Trafficking Cell to improve effectiveness in tackling cases of human trafficking, raising awareness among women and girls, capacity building and training of Anti Trafficking Units and to increase responsiveness of law enforcement agencies.
• The Cell has been set up with an aim of increasing awareness among law enforcement officials and to facilitate their capacity building. 
• The Cell will conduct Gender Sensitization Trainings and Workshops in combating human trafficking for police officers and for prosecutors at regional, state and district level.
• The complaints related to human trafficking received by the Commission will be addressed by this cell.
• The Cell will also help survivors of trafficking in rebuilding their lives by providing them with need-based training and by organizing capacity building programs for them to prevent re-traumatization of victims.

About NCW

• The National Commission for Women (NCW) is a statutory body formed in 1992 under the National Commission Act 1990. It is the apex national level organisation of India with the mandate of protecting and promoting the interests of women.
• It provides the government with advice to make policies and laws that are more prone to protect and safeguard the rights of women. The commission also has the powers that are vested upon with a civil court.

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context

• Assam and Meghalaya signed a draft resolution on January 29, partially resolving a 50¬ year ¬old dispute along their 884.9 km boundary.
• An agreement in this regard, termed historic, was signed between Assam Chief Minister and Meghalaya Chief Minister in the presence of Home Minister.
• The agreement is expected to pave the way for resolving disputes in the remaining sectors of the Assam ­Meghalaya boundary and similar areas of difference between Assam and three other north-eastern States.

Existing Inter-State Boundary Disputes arising out of Demarcation of Boundaries:

• Andhra Pradesh-Odisha
• Haryana-Himachal Pradesh
• Union Territory of Ladakh-Himachal Pradesh
• Maharashtra-Karnataka
• Assam-Arunachal Pradesh
• Assam-Nagaland
• Assam-Meghalaya
• Assam-Mizoram

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 2

Context

• The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has reviewed the SMILE scheme recently.

About the Scheme

• The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has launched the Central Sector Scheme “SMILE- Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise”.
• The umbrella scheme is designed to provide welfare measures to the Transgender community and the people engaged in the act of begging.
• The Ministry has allocated 365 crore rupees for the scheme from 2021-22 to 2025-26.
• It includes two sub-schemes – ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons’ and ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of Begging.
• It aims to strengthen and expand the reach of the rights that give the targeted group the necessary legal protection and a promise to a secured life.
• The Sub-scheme – ‘Central Sector Scheme for Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons’ includes the following components-
  • Scholarships for Transgender Students;
  • Skill development/vocational training will be provided to attain capacity, capability and desirability so that they can sustain and live a life of dignity by engaging in self-employment;
  • Composite Medical Health supporting Gender-Reaffirmation surgeries through selected hospitals;
  • Housing in the form of ‘GarimaGreh’ where food, clothing, recreational facilities, skill development opportunities, recreational activities, medical support etc. will be provided;
  • Setting up of Transgender Protection Cell in each state to monitor cases of offences and to ensure timely registration, investigation and prosecution of offences;