ANSWER: C

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: A

ANSWER: B

• One health Priority Reasearch Agenda for Anti-Microbial Resistance was recently released by FAO, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), WHO and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to better advocate for increased research and investment in AMR.
• The One Health Priority Research Agenda identifies three crucial cross-cutting themes:
  • gender,
  • vulnerable populations, and
• Recognizing the interconnectedness of these factors with AMR, the agenda emphasizes the need for research that addresses these themes

ABOUT ONE HEALTH

• One Health is an approach that recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment.
• Its purpose is to encourage collaborations in research and sharing of knowledge at multiple levels across various disciplines like human health, animal health, plants, soil, environmental and ecosystem health in ways that improve, protect and defend the health of all species.

ABOUT AMR

• It occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.

Note

Earlier, WHO also launched a global research agenda for AMR in human health this year.

Agenda presented a five pillar based one health approach to tackle growing threat of AMR including:

1. Transmission- focuses on understanding the transmission, circulation, and spread of AMR across various sectors, including the environment, plants, animals, and humans.
2. Integrated surveillance- enhance technical understanding and information exchange among stakeholders
3. Interventions- concentrates on programs, practices, tools, and activities aimed at preventing, containing, or reducing AMR
4. Behavioural insights and change
5. Economics and policy- addresses investment and action required for AMR prevention and control

ANSWER: A

• India chaired the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of State Council Meeting virtual Summit recently.
• The theme of India’s chairpersonship of SCO is ‘Towards a SECURE SCO’.
  • SECURE stands for S: Security, E: Economic development, C: Connectivity, U: Unity, R: Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, E: Environmental protection.

Major highlights

• Iran officially joined the SCO as the 9^th Member Country.
• New Delhi Declaration was signed by member nations to counter activities of terrorist, separatist and extremist groups, preventing spread of religious intolerance, aggressive nationalism, ethnic and racial discrimination, xenophobia
• India refused to be part of the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) of the SCO members’ economic strategy statement, mentioning “interested member states’.
• Members agreed to declare 2024 as the SCO Year of Environment.
• Statement on Cooperation in Digital Transformation to unlock full potential of digitalization across all sectors of the economy.
• India has created five new pillars and focus area for cooperation in the SCO, which include,
  • Startups and Innovation
  • Traditional Medicine
  • Youth Empowerment
  • Digital Inclusion
  • Shared Buddhist Heritage
• Earlier, Varanasi was declared first tourism and cultural capital of SCO.

ANSWER: C    

• The Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM), in Mizoram, has called for a reunification of the Zo people in view of the continuing ethnic violence between the dominant Meiteis and the Kuki-Zomi tribes in Manipur.
• Zo peoples include all tribes of the Chin-Kuki-Mizo ethnic group spread across Myanmar, India, and Bangladesh.
• They are from same origin which is known as Sinlung.
• The group include many sub-tribes and clans such as the Chin, Kuki, Mizo, Lushei, Zomi, Paitei, Hmar, Ralte, Pawi, Lai, Mara, Gangte, Thadou, etc.
• The tribes are believed to have migrated from China through Tibet to settle in Myanmar.
• They speak a group of Tibeto-Burman languages.
• The Chin Hills, or Indo-Chin hill ranges, is a thickly forested region with an elevation of 2,100-3,000 metres in northwestern Myanmar.
  • The Hills are home to a large number of tribes that come under the Zo umbrella.
• In northeastern India, they are present in Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya and Assam.

ANSWER: D

• World Zoonosis Day is observed annually on July 6^th
• World Zoonosis Day traces its origins back to 1885 when Louis Pasteur administered the inaugural rabies vaccine, marking a groundbreaking milestone in the prevention of zoonotic diseases.
• Zoonoses are infectious diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, either directly or through insect vectors.
• There are more than 200 identified zoonotic diseases, categorized by their causative agents: bacteria, parasites, fungi, and viruses.
• “One World, One Health: Prevent Zoonoses, Stop the Spread” is the focus of this year’s World Zoonoses Day 2023.

ANSWER: D

• India’s first ‘Police Drone Unit’ was recently launched by Greater Chennai City Police (GCP) for aerial surveillance over vast areas and quick detection of criminal activities.
• According to the police, a total of nine drones under three categories are available in this unit: Quick Response Surveillance Drones (6), Heavy Lift Multirotor Drone (1) and Long Range Survey Wing Place (2).
• The drones equipped with advanced surveillance technology will aid in identifying potential threats, monitoring crowd gatherings, and assisting in traffic management.

ANSWER: B

• Tribesmen of Gutti Koya tribe erect stone memorials in the event of death of their three most important service providers—physician, priest and village leader
  • The Gutti Koya tribe appoints only men to these positions.
• Notably, only bodies of these three are buried by the tribe, which normally cremates its dead.
• The Koya population is concentrated in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
• They speak the Koya, which is a Dravidian language.
• They earn a living through animal husbandry and minor forest produce.