September 25 ,2023

by | Sep 25, 2023 | Uncategorized

TUBERCULOSIS

Why is in news?

Enormous task ahead to meet end TB target by 2025, says parliamentary panel

About Tuberculosis :

  • Tuberculosis is an infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
  • It affects mostly lungs, pleura (lining around the lungs), lymph nodes, intestines, spine, and brain.
  • Transmission: Airborne infection

Symptoms:

  • cough with sputum and blood at times,
  • chest pains
  • weakness
  • weight loss fever
  • night sweats.

Treatment:

  • TB is a treatable and curable disease.
  • It is treated with a standard 6-month course of 4 antimicrobial drugs.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) :

  • TB caused by bacteria that do not respond first-line anti-TB drugs.

Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) :

  • TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to the most effective second-line anti-TB drugs.

India’s Efforts to Combat TB:

  • National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis Elimination (2017-2025)
  • The Nikshay Ecosystem (National TB information system)
  • Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY- financial support)
  • TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign
  • Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan

Target of eradicating tuberculosis :

  • India has set a target of eradicating tuberculosis (TB) by 2025
  • global target to end TB : 2030
  • WHO End TB Strategy

INS VIKRANTH

 Why is in news?

Defence Procurement Board discusses Navy’s proposal for a second Vikrant-like aircraft carrier.

About Aircraft Carrier:

An aircraft carrier is “a large ship that carries military aircraft and has a long, flat surface where they take off and land.”

About INS VIKRANTH :

  • Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC)
  • Commissioned in September 2022
  • Manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
  • 262m long and 62m wide.
  • four General Electric LM2500 engines
  • maximum speed – 28 knots
  • Endurance – 7,500 Nautical Miles.
  • Aircraft-operation mode – Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR)

                   UDAN (UDE DESH KA AAM NAGRIK)

Why is in news?

Union Minister for Civil Aviation announced three direct routes from Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar under the ‘Udan 5.0 scheme’.

About UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) :

  • Launched in June 2016
  • Ministry of Civil Aviation
  • Regional airport development and regional connectivity enhancement.
  • It is a part of the National Civil Aviation Policy 2016.
  • Jointly funded by the central government and state governments.
  • The scheme will run for 10 years and can be extended thereafter.

NILGIRI TAHR

Why is in news?

Tamil Nadu, Kerala may join hands to count endangered Nilgiri tahr.

About Nilgiri tahr:

 

  • The species is locally known as Varaiaadu.
  • It is also the state animal of Tamil Nadu.
  • It is endemic to Western Ghats.
  • It is presently found only in small fragmented pockets of Western Ghats.
  • The existing populations are under severe stress due to habitat loss and hunting.
  • Listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
  • It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972.
  • The Eravikulam National Park in Anamalai hills, Kerala, is home to the largest population of the Nilgiri tahr.

Nilgiri Tahr conservation project :

  • The project will be implemented from 2022 to 2027.
  • It seeks to improve present population of Nilgiri Tahr.
  • It also aims to increase the public awareness about the species.
  • This project will be funded by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.
  • October 7 – ‘Niligiri Tahr Day’

NEWS IN SHORTS

  • The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education said Multiple entry, exit option in higher studies may not suit India  (National Education Policy 2020) .
  • The Tirunelveli-Chennai Vande Bharat Express train was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually.
  • Health minister Ma Subramanian on Saturday, inaugurated the Red Run marathon organised by the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society.
  • India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor to become the basis of world trade said PM Modi during his address in the 105th Episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
  • Excavation in Keeladi has yielded two carnelian beads, reaffirming Tamil country’s trade links with the western part of India such as Maharashtra and Gujarat.
  • Indian agriculture scientist Swati Nayak, Fondly called as “Bihana Didi” (Seed Lady) won the prestigious Norman E. Borlaug Award for 2023.She introduced Sahbhagi Dhan’, a drought-tolerant variety rice suitable for hilly uplands, and ‘BINA Dhan-11’, which is flood-tolerant.

INTERNATIONAL CRICKET STADIUM IN VARANASI

  • Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the first international cricket stadium in Varanasi’s Ganjari in Uttar Pradesh.
  • The stadium will be built in a 30-acre area at a cost of Rs.450 crore.
  • The architecture of the cricket stadium proposed at Ganjari in Varanasi will be reminiscent of the holy city’s rich heritage and things related to Lord Shiva.
  • The roofs will be in the form of a crescent that crowns Lord Shiva.
  • the floodlights will be in the shape of trident.

IBSA

Why is in news?

India, Brazil, South Africa seek to amplify the Global South’s voice at IBSA meeting.

About IBSA :

  • The IBSA Dialogue Forum (India, Brazil, South Africa) is an international tripartite grouping
  • It aims at promoting international cooperation among these countries.
  • It represents South–South cooperation and greater understanding between three important continents of the developing world namely, Africa, Asia, and South America.
  • The forum provides the three countries with a platform to engage in discussions for cooperation in the field of agriculture, trade, culture, and defence among others.