ANSWER: A

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: B

ABOUT THE MISSION

• It was announced as part of the Union Budget 2023.
• Objective- To eliminate sickle cell disease (SCD) as a public health problem in India before 2047.
• The overall aim is to enable access to affordable and quality health care for all SCD patients and to lower the prevalence through awareness, change of practices and screening interventions.
• The mission will entail awareness creation, universal screening of seven crore people in the 0-40 years age group in affected tribal areas and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.
• Initially, the focus shall be on 17 states with higher prevalence of SCD– Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar and Uttarakhand.

SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA

• Sickle cell anaemia is a genetic disease that means it can easily be passed from parents to children.
• This is a type of blood disorder in which the shape of red blood cells changes. They normally look round but, in this disease, they become crescent or C shaped.
• Due to this, the red blood cells are not able to do their work properly and there is a lack of blood in the whole body. Because of this anaemia becomes a disease.
• These sickle cells also become rigid and sticky, which can slow or block blood flow.
• It is caused by a defective gene called a sickle cell gene.
• A person will be born with sickle cell disease only if two genes are inherited—one from the mother and one from the father.
• Symtoms include extreme tiredness or fussiness from anaemia, painfully swollen hands and feet, and jaundice.
  • In advanced stages it can lead to severe pain, anaemia, organ damage, and infections.
• The only cure for this disease is bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.
• However, there are treatments that can help relieve symptoms, lessen complications, and prolong life.

ANSWER: D

• It is observed on June 30^th every year.
• The day aims to raise awareness about asteroid impact hazards and crisis communication actions in case of a credible asteroid threat to planet Earth.
• The day also aims to educate people about the latest and upcoming asteroid research and technology through numerous events and activities held by organisations across the globe.
• World Asteroid Day was co-founded by astrophysicist and famed musician Brian May, of the rock group Queen, B612 President Danica Remy, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart and filmmaker Grig Richters.
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution in December 2016, designating June 30 as International Asteroid Day.
• The date was chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the Tunguska asteroid’s impact over Siberia on June 30, 1908.

ABOUT TUNGUSKA EVENT

• It is considered the biggest asteroid impact in recorded history when an asteroid exploded a few kilometres above the Tunguska region of central Siberia.
• It flattened more than 80 million trees in seconds, over an area spanning nearly 800 square miles (2,000 square kilometres) — but left no crater.
• The explosion released energy equivalent to 185 times that was released during the Hiroshima atomic bombing.

ABOUT ASTEROIDS

• Asteroids are small, rocky objects that orbit the sun.
• Although asteroids orbit the sun like planets, they are much smaller than planets.
• They are majorly found in Asteroid belt orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
• However many asteroids lie outside the main belt. For instance, a number of asteroids called Trojans lie along Jupiter’s orbital path.
• They are leftovers from the formation of our solar system.
• From being as small as 10 meters across to as huge as 530 km in diameter, asteroids have varied sizes.

ANSWER: C

• International Day of Parliamentarism is observed on June 30^th annually, as the day dedicated to commemorating the formation of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
• Theme for 2023 is – ‘Parliaments for the Planet.’

ABOUT INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION

• IPU is an international organisation of national parliaments.
• It was established in 1889 in Paris.
• It was founded by statesmen Frédéric Passy of France and William Randal Cremer of the United Kingdom.
• It works with close co-operation with the United Nation (UN), regional parliamentary organisations, international intergovernmental organisations and non-governmental organisations.
• Headquarters– Genava, Switzerland
• Members– 179 countries including

ANSWER: B

• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has announced the ‘5G & Beyond Hackathon 2023.
• The primary objective of this hackathon is to identify cutting-edge ideas with an India-focused approach that can be transformed into practical 5G and beyond products and solutions.
• It is open to individuals, students, start-ups, and academic institutions across India.

ABOUT 5G

• It is the next generation cellular technology that will provide faster and more reliable communication with ultra-low latency.
• The peak network data speeds are expected to be in the range of 2-20 Gigabit per second (Gbps).
• 5G mainly works in 3 bands, namely low, mid and high frequency spectrum.

ANSWER: B

• National Insurance Awareness Day is annually observed on 28^th June to raise awareness about Insurance which offers a layer of protection to guard in various situations and about the benefits of investing in an insurance plan.
• The current insurance penetration in India stands at around only 3.2%.

ANSWER: D

• The state government has decided to transfer four small hydro power projects from Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) to Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL).
• The projects that will be transferred are
  • Sai Kothi -1 (15 MW),
  • Sai Kothi-11 (18 MW),
  • Devi Kothi (16 MW) and
  • Hail (18 MW) in Chamba district.