Daily Current Affairs UPSC 16 April 2024

Pink Bollworm (PBW)

• Cotton farmers in North India facing severe PBW infestation may consider shifting to paddy, maize, and guar crops.
• PBW, or Pectinophora gossypiella, is a common disease in cotton crops where larvae burrow into developing fruits and damage affects both weight and quality of harvested bolls.
• Pink bollworms have developed resistance to genetically modified pest-resistant Bt cotton over time, posing a challenge for farmers.
• Management strategies include adopting highly productive short-duration hybrids to escape PBW, crop rotation to break the lifecycle of PBW, and using PB Knot technology to disrupt the mating prospects of the pest.

Jiadhal River

Impact of Climate Change on Jiadhal River

• Disruption in Flow.
• Increased frequency of floods.
• Changes in sediment load and debris.

Characteristics of Jiadhal River

• North-bank tributary of Brahmaputra.
• Originates in lower Himalayan ranges in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Flows through Assam and meets Brahmaputra near Majuli Island.
• Flashy river with sudden, high discharge during floods.
• Frequently changes course during flash floods.

Chagas Disease (American trypanosomiasis)

World Chagas Disease Day

• World Health Organisation observed World Chagas Disease Day on April 14.
• Life-threatening illness caused by protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi.
• Found mainly in Latin American countries, where it is mostly vector-borne.
• Transmitted by triatomine bug (vector-borne), orally (food-borne), during pregnancy or birth (congenital), through blood/blood products, organ transplantation.
• Often called "silent disease" due to lack of symptoms during acute or chronic phases until irreversible damage occurs.
• Disease is clinically curable if treatment is started early.

Gray Slender Loris

Rescue of a Gray Slender Loris in North Goa.

• Gray Slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus).
• Geographic Range: Found in India and Sri Lanka.
• Habitats: Tropical rainforests, scrub forests, semi-evergreen forests, swamps.

Characteristics

• Nocturnal animal Lean and lanky appearance with longer and slender limbs, larger ears, pointed snout, and eyes circled with black or dark brown.
• Slow movers and foragers, nest near large insect colonies for easy meals.
• Viviparous (producing living young instead of eggs).

Threats

• Habitat Loss.
• Electrocution on power lines.

Conservation Status

• IUCN: Near Threatened.

Exercise Dustlik

The Indian and Uzbekistan armies participate in a joint military exercise annually.

Bohag/Rongali Bihu 

1. Assam celebrates Rongali Bihu.

2. About Rongali/Bohag Bihu.

• Celebrated in middle of April.
• Marks the beginning of Assamese New Year and onset of spring.
• 3 Bihu festivals in Assam, including Kati Bihu and Magh Bihu.
• 7 day festival with different names for each day like Goru Bihu, Manuh Bihu, Guxai Bihu.

3. Similar festival in other states

• Baisakhi in Punjab.
• Puthandu in Tamil Nadu.
• Vishu in Kerala.
• Pohela Baisakh in West Bengal.

Lake Kariba

Lake Kariba water levels at 13% capacity due to El Nino drought

• El Nino causes warming of surface waters in eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

Lake Kariba background

• Located between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
• Formed by damming Zambezi River in 1955.
• Provides electric power to both countries.

Meningitis

Nigeria introduces Men5CV vaccine, recommended by WHO

• Offers protection against five strains of meningococcus bacteria in one shot
• Meningococcal ACWY Vaccine available in India.

Meningitis Overview

• Inflammation of tissues surrounding brain and spinal cord.
• Caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.
• Mostly transmitted person to person.
• Young children most at risk.
• Symptoms include neck stiffness, fever, confusion, headaches, nausea.

Kandukuri Veeresalingam (16 April 1848 - 27 May 1919)

Birth Anniversary Commemoration

• Remembered on his birth anniversary.
• Born in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh.
• Social reformer and nationalist.
• Considered as Father of Telugu Renaissance movement.

Contributions

• Worked for upliftment of Harijans and remarriage of widows.
• Started a girl's school in Dowlaiswaram.
• Constructed temples known as 'Brahmo Mandir' and 'Hithakarini School' in Andhra Pradesh.
• Wrote the novel Rajasekhara Charitramu, considered the first novel in Telugu literature.
• Started the Viveka Vardhini journal.

Values

• Compassion.
• Justice.
• Courage.
• Humanism.

SC concerned about states approaching court over fund disbursal by Centre

National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for drought management

• Tamilnadu approached SC for non-disbursal of funds by centre under NDRF for calamities of cyclone Michaung and floods.

Status of State Finance

• States finance only 58% of their revenue expenditure from their revenue sources
• Debt-GDP ratio of states stands at 27.5% (March 2023).

Reasons for State's dependency on Centre

• GST compensation for states ended in June 2022.
• Revenue collected under SGST is lower than revenue from taxes subsumed under GST.
• Increased use of cesses and surcharge by Centre not shared with states.
• Strain on states finances due to measures like farm loan waivers.

Measures taken to improve State Finance

• Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure provides 50-year interest-free loans.
• 15th Finance Commission recommended performance-based additional borrowing space of 0.50% of State GDP to States in power sector.

Way Forward

• Foster business-friendly tax administration to strengthen states revenue collection.
• Revise user charges on electricity, water, and other public services to increase non-tax revenue.

Constitutional Provisions related to States’ finances

• Article 275: Parliament may provide grants-in-aid charged on Consolidated Fund of India to certain states.
• Article 282: Enables Union (and states) to make discretionary grants for any 'public purpose'.
• Article 293: Confers power on States to borrow money within limits prescribed by State legislature.

India Achieves Record 18 GW Renewable Energy Capacity in FY24

India's Renewable Energy (RE) Growth

• India's RE increased by 21% from the previous year, driven by solar installations of 12.78 GW and wind energy of 2.27 GW.
• Installed RE capacity has increased from 76.37 GW in 2014 to 178.98 GW in October 2023, around 2.34 times.
• India has made significant progress in increasing its renewable energy capacity, with ambitious targets set for the future and various initiatives in place to promote RE adoption. However, challenges such as variability, high costs, and infrastructure development need to be addressed to achieve these targets effectively.

RE Targets in India

• India aims to reach a non-fossil fuel energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030.
• India aims to fulfill at least half of its energy requirements via RE by 2030.

Steps Taken to Promote RE

• Setting up Ultra Mega Renewable Energy Parks to provide land and transmission to RE developers.
• Implementing schemes like PM-KUSUM, PLI Scheme under the National Programme on High Efficiency Solar PV Modules, and the National Bioenergy Programme.
• Promoting RE through Green Energy Open Access Rules 2022 and the Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy 2018.

Challenges in RE Adoption

• Variability and unpredictability of RE sources.
• High costs associated with RE projects.
• Need for developing new infrastructure to support RE growth.
• Poor financial condition of power distribution companies.
• Transmission and grid integration issues.
• Unequal geographical adoption of renewables.

Installed Capacity for Renewables in India

• Wind power: 45.15 GW.
• Solar Power: 75.57 GW.
• Biomass/Co-generation: 10.2 GW.
• Small Hydro Power: 4.99 GW.
• Waste To Energy: 0.58 GW.
• Large Hydro: 46.92 GW.

RBI imposes restrictions on UCBs

RBI's Cap on Withdrawal Limit for UCBs

• RBI has imposed a withdrawal limit on National Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd and Sarvodaya Co-operative Bank.
• Eligible depositors can claim up to Rs 5 lakh from DICGC in case of bank failure.

Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs)

• UCBs are primary cooperative banks in urban and semi-urban areas.
• They are registered under State or Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act.
• RBI categorizes UCBs into 4 tiers based on regulatory framework.

Issues and Steps Taken for UCBs

• UCBs face issues like inadequate capital base, high NPAs, and political influence in management.
• Steps taken include Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020, Supervisory Action Framework, and establishment of National Federation of Urban Co-operative Banks.

Dual Regulation of UCBs

• RBI regulates banking functions under Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
• State/Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies supervises managerial and administrative matters.

 Gujarat High Court Inquires About Crowdfunding Regulations

• Crowdfunding is the act of raising small amounts of money from multiple investors through online platforms for a specific project, business venture, or social cause.
• Traditional fundraising involves asking for a sum of money from a limited number of sources.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) regulates crowdfunding in India.

SEBI guidelines state that only "Accredited Investors" may invest, including companies with a minimum net worth of Rs 20 crore, high net worth individuals with a minimum net worth of Rs 2 crore, and eligible retail investors with a minimum annual gross income of Rs. 10 Lacs.

Benefits of Crowdfunding:

• Promotes funding for new ideas and startups.
• Increases credit flow to Small and Medium Enterprises.
• Helps raise funds during natural disasters.
• Provides financial assistance to individuals who cannot afford medical expenses.

Risks of Crowdfunding:

• Retail investors may not fully understand the risks of investing in startups.
• Possibility of fraudsters using genuine websites for fraudulent activities.
• Lack of monitoring on web-based platforms can lead to risks such as terror financing and money laundering.

"Space Weather Causes Loss of 38 Starlink Satellites"

Factors for Satellite Loss:

• Space Weather Conditions.
• Satellites in High-Density Low Earth Orbit.
• Enhanced Drag Due to Orientation Changes of Satellites.

Space Weather:

• Environment around Earth controlled by Sun's activities.
• Influenced by solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and other particles from Sun.
• Solar flares are intense explosions of energy on Sun's surface.
• CMEs are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from Sun's corona.

Impact of Space Weather on Earth:

• Radio blackout storms disrupt radio signals in Earth's upper atmosphere.
• Geomagnetic storms affect power grids, pipelines, railways, and cause auroras.
• Solar radiation storms endanger astronauts, spacecraft, satellites, and aircraft.

Starlink:

• Constellation of satellites in LEO created by SpaceX.
• Provides global internet coverage, especially for remote regions.
• Plans to have 42,000 satellites at altitude of 550 km.
• Offers reduced latency and increased bandwidth due to proximity to Earth.

"Soil Acidification Threatens Carbon Loss in India: Study"

Key findings:

• More than 30% of cultivable land in India has acidic soil, which can negatively impact plant growth.
• Acidic soils have a pH value of less than 5.5.
• Soil acidification can result in the loss of Soil Inorganic Carbon (SIC) from the topsoil, which includes mineral forms of carbon like calcium carbonate.

Factors Accelerating Soil Acidification:

• Leaching of nitrogen from ammonium-based fertilizers.
• Organic residues release organic acids during decomposition.
• Roots release CO2 into the soil during active growth stages, leading to the formation of carbonic acid.

Impacts of Soil Acidification:

• Loss of SIC, which is mostly carbonate, due to dissolution at low pH levels.
• Bacteria cannot survive in acidic conditions, leading to a loss of microbes.
• Soluble aluminium increases in soil solution at lower pH levels, causing toxicity to sensitive plant roots.
• Other impacts include an increase in pathogenic fungi and decreased nutrient availability.

Managing Acid Soils:

• Liming: Incorporating lime, gypsum, or dolomite into the upper cultivable soil layer.
• Using industrial by-products like press mud from sugarcane industry, basic slags from iron and steel industries, and flue dust from cement plants.
• Growing acid-tolerant crops such as sugarcane and bananas.