Each Monday, UPSC Present Affairs Pointers in UPSC Necessities purpose to transcend the headlines and supply content material related to your UPSC Prelims, State PCS, and different aggressive examinations.
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Polity
— Just lately, the Delhi Excessive Court docket has directed the Union Authorities to ascertain the Nationwide Fund for Uncommon Ailments (NFRD) and allocate a sum of Rs 974 crore to the NFRD for the monetary years 2024-25, and 2025-26.
— The Court docket additionally stated that the Nationwide Uncommon Ailments Committee ought to proceed for 5 extra years.
— On Could 15, 2023, the Delhi Excessive Court docket constituted a five-member ‘Nationwide Uncommon Ailments Committee’ to effectively implement the Nationwide Uncommon Illness Coverage-2021.
— The Ministry of Well being & Household Welfare has launched the Nationwide Uncommon Illness Coverage-2021 to decrease the incidence and prevalence of uncommon illnesses based mostly on an built-in and complete preventive technique.
— At present, 63 uncommon illnesses are included beneath the Nationwide Coverage for Uncommon Ailments on suggestion of the Central Technical Committee for Uncommon Ailments (CTCRD).
— The Nationwide Cooperative Shopper’s Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) is a cooperative physique beneath the Ministry of Shopper Affairs, Meals and Public Distribution.
— It was established on 16 th October 1965 to perform because the apex physique of client cooperatives within the nation.
— It’s registered beneath the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002.
— The headquarters is in Delhi.
(Supply: nccf-india.com)
— The Authorities has accepted the continuation of the common provide of fortified rice beneath all central schemes from July 2024 as much as December 2028.
— The rice fortification initiative was initiated in April 2022 by the Cupboard Committee on Financial Affairs to implement it all through the nation in a phased method by March 2024.
— The Meals Security and Requirements Authority of India (FSSAI) defines fortification as “intentionally growing the content material of important micronutrients in a meals in order to enhance the dietary high quality of meals and to supply public well being advantages with minimal threat to well being”
— Coating, dusting, and extrusion applied sciences are used so as to add micronutrients to common rice. In extrusion, fortified rice kernels (FRK) are produced from a mix utilizing an ‘extruder’ machine.
— FRK has a shelf lifetime of not less than 12 months and they’re blended with common rice to provide fortified rice. Underneath the ministry tips, 10 kg of FRK have to be blended with 1 kg of standard rice.
Worldwide Cooperation
— The twenty first ASEAN-India Summit was held in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on 10 October 2024.
— Taking part within the summit, PM Modi introduced a 10-point plan to strengthen India-ASEAN relations.
— The ten-point included ASEAN-India Cyber Coverage Dialogue, 2025 because the ASEAN-India 12 months of Tourism, doubling the variety of scholarships at Nalanda College amongst others.
— The theme was “Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience”.
— The ten member states of ASEAN are Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos.
— Laos is the present chair of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) based in 1967.
— The nineteenth East Asia Summit (EAS) was attended by Prime Minister Modi on eleventh October 2024 in Vientiane, Lao PDR.
— The EAS course of was initiated in 2005 with the convening of the first East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
— At its inception, it comprised 16 taking part international locations, specifically ASEAN Member States, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea. The USA and the Russian Federation joined on the sixth East Asia Summit in Bali, Indonesia on 19 November 2011.
— France and India can be organising an aeronautics cluster in addition to creating an Indo-French campus for skilled coaching in aeronautics and house in India.
— The eighth version of India-Kazakhstan Joint Army Train KAZIND-2024 is going down at Surya Overseas Coaching Node, Auli, Uttarakhand.
— The Joint Train has been held yearly since 2016.
— The final version of the Joint Train was held at Otar, Kazakhstan from thirtieth October to eleventh November 2023.
Surroundings
— The Amazon rainforest is reeling from an intense drought. Quite a few rivers important for journey have dried up.
— The Rio Negro the most important left tributary of the Amazon Forest has fallen to a document low degree.
— The Amazon Rain Forest is unfold throughout Brazil and Peru, and in addition components of Guyana, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Suriname, French Guiana, and Venezuela.
— The Amazon River Basin is the world’s largest drainage system.
— There may be rise of 26.14% within the inhabitants of untamed asses as per the tenth Wild Ass Inhabitants Estimation (WAPE) performed by the Gujarat authorities.
— Wildlife Safety Act: Schedule I
— IUCN: Endangered
— In India, they’re discovered solely within the Little Rann of Kutch and Nice Rann of Kutch.
— Shankar, aged round 27, has been the Delhi Zoo’s sole African elephant since 2001. Now Delhi Zoo has determined to get two feminine elephants, one every from Botswana and Zimbabwe, as companions for Shankar.
— Shankar, a diplomatic present from Zimbabwe in 1996 to then Indian president Shankar Dayal Sharma, arrived in Delhi in 1998 with Vimbai, a feminine African elephant. However Vimbai died in 2001 and a younger Shankar was left on their lonesome.
— India has two male African elephants, one is in Delhi and the opposite is in Mysuru Zoo, named Richie.
— Underneath the IUCN Pink Listing of threatened species, the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is listed as Critically Endangered, and the African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) as Endangered.
— Asian elephants’ ears are smaller, and just some male Asian elephants have tusks, whereas African species have giant fan-shaped ears. and each female and male African elephants develop tusks.
— Northern lights, or aurora borealis, had been noticed in components of the world together with the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, and even Hanle village in Ladakh, India.
— Auroras are primarily pure lights that seem as brilliant, swirling curtains within the night time sky and could be seen in a variety of colors, together with blue, pink, yellow, inexperienced, and orange. These lights primarily seem close to the poles of each the northern and southern hemispheres all 12 months spherical however typically they increase to decrease latitudes.
— When witnessed close to the North, these brilliant and vibrant lights are referred to as Aurora Borealis, whereas these within the South are referred to as Aurora Australis.
— India’s first dark-sky protect is the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO), a high-altitude astronomy station in Hanle (Ladakh) operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics.
— Just lately, in January 2024, Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Maharashtra was designated as India’s first Darkish Sky Park in India.
— Just lately, union Commerce Minister, Piyush Goyal has slammed the European Union for “unfair guidelines” resembling Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).
— The BASIC group, comprising India, China, Brazil, and South Africa, has opposed the carbon border taxes coverage on the COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh.
— The CBAM is a plan from the European Union (EU) to tax carbon-intensive merchandise, resembling iron and metal, cement, fertiliser, aluminium, and electrical energy technology, from 2026.
— Hurricane Milton, which made landfall close to town of Siesta Key in Florida on Wednesday night time, triggered intense rainfall, flooding, tornadoes, storm surge, and robust winds within the space.
— Milton exploded from a Class 1 storm (they bring about winds of 119 to 153 kmph) to a fierce Class 5 storm (they’ve winds of 252 kmph or larger) over the course of 12 hours between October 6 and October 7 morning.
— By afternoon, it had sustained winds of a whopping 285 kmph, turning into one of many strongest hurricanes ever recorded within the Atlantic.
Occasions
— Indian Air Drive Day is well known yearly on October 8 to recognise the servicemen and pilots who’ve given their lives for the nation and commemorate the institution of the Indian Air Drive (IAF).
— The theme for this 12 months is ‘Bharatiya Vayusena: Saksham, Sashakt aur Aatmnirbhar’ (Potent, Highly effective, and Self-Reliant).
— The occasion was organised on the Air Drive Station, Tambaram in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
— The World Psychological Well being Day is noticed yearly on October 10.
— It was established on October 10, 1992, by the World Federation for Psychological Well being.
— The official theme is ‘It’s Time to Prioritize Psychological Well being within the Office’.
Indices
- Nationwide Statistical Workplace (NSO)
— In 2019 the federal government determined to merge the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) and Nationwide Pattern Survey Organisation (NSSO) right into a single entity referred to as the Nationwide Statistical Organisation (NSO).
— It comes beneath the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
— The Statistics Wing – Nationwide Statistical Workplace(NSO)- consists of the Central Statistical Workplace (CSO), the Pc middle, and the Nationwide Pattern Survey Workplace (NSSO).
– Ongoing surveys of MoSPI
(Supply: mospi.gov.in)
Studies
— Just lately, the World Wildlife Fund launched the biennial Dwelling Planet report.
— In response to the report, world wildlife populations have declined by 73 per cent within the final 50 years, owing to habitat loss, degradation, impacts of local weather change, and invasive species.
— In India, the decline of three vulture species – white-rumped vulture, Indian vulture, and slender-billed vulture, has been alarming.
Ailments
(Simply FYI: UPSC has persistently included questions on well being and illnesses in its examinations over time. As an example, in 2014, a query concerning the Ebola virus appeared within the Prelims, and in 2017, a query concerning the Zika virus was featured. Subsequently, it’s essential to remain up to date on illnesses which might be presently within the information.)
— Marburg virus illness (MVD), earlier often known as Marburg hemorrhagic fever, is a extreme, usually deadly hemorrhagic fever, based on the WHO. It has led to the demise of 12 folks up to now in east African nation of Rwanda.
— Marburg is among the many deadliest pathogens identified to people, with Marburg virus illness (MVD) case fatality charges starting from 24% to 88% in previous outbreaks, relying on virus pressure and case administration.
— Marburg belongs to the filovirus household, like Ebola. Each pathogens are clinically comparable, and though uncommon, could cause outbreaks with excessive fatality charges.
— Rousettus fruit bats are thought-about the pure hosts for the Marburg virus. Nonetheless, African inexperienced monkeys imported from Uganda had been the supply of the primary human an infection, the WHO factors out.
— It was first detected in 1967 after simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany; and in Belgrade, Serbia
— The interval between an infection and onset of signs varies from 2 to 21 days. Preliminary signs, based on the WHO, embody excessive fever, extreme headache, muscle ache, extreme watery diarrhoea, belly ache and cramping, and vomiting.
— Many sufferers develop haemorrhagic signs (bleeding), usually in lots of locations together with the digestive system, the nostril, gums, and vagina. Haemmorage results in most MVD fatalities, with demise in deadly circumstances occurring 8 to 9 days after the onset of signs, often of extreme blood loss and shock.
— At present, there aren’t any accepted vaccines or particular remedies for MVD.
Individuals in Information
— Tennis participant Rafael Nadal introduced his retirement from the game on tenth October.
— He has gained 22 Grand Slam singles titles and was dubbed the “King of Clay” for profitable a document 14 French Open titles.
— Ratan Naval Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons and beloved philanthropist, handed away on the age of 86 at Breach Sweet Hospital in Mumbai on ninth October 2024.
— He was honoured with the second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008. In 2000, he was honoured with Padma Bhushan.
— He was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Most Glorious Order of the British Empire and the Rockefeller Basis had conferred him with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Awards
— Yearly, in October, the Nobel Prize is awarded to completely different classes Drugs, Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace, and Economics.
— Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, engineer, industrialist, and the inventor of dynamite, in his final will in 1895, gave the most important share of his fortune to a collection of prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology/Drugs, Literature, and Peace, to be referred to as the “Nobel Prizes”.
— In 1968, the sixth award, the Prize in Financial Sciences was began by Sweden’s central financial institution, the Sveriges Riksbank.
Winners of this 12 months’s Nobel Prize
| Class | Winners | Awarded For |
| Nobel Prize for Drugs | Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun | the invention of microRNA and its function in post-transcriptional gene regulation. |
| Nobel Prize in Chemistry | David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M Jumper | To David Baker “for computational protein design” and collectively to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper “for protein construction prediction.” |
| Nobel Prize in Physics | John J Hopfield and Geoffrey E Hinton | Foundational discoveries and innovations that allow machine studying with synthetic neural networks. |
| Nobel Prize for Peace | Japanese organisation Nihon Hidankyo | Its efforts to realize a world freed from nuclear weapons and to show by witness testimony that nuclear weapons mustn’t ever be used once more. |
| Nobel Prize for Literature | South Korean writer Han Kang | Her intense poetic prose that confronts historic traumas and exposes the fragility of human life |
— The seventieth Nationwide Movie Awards ceremony was held on the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday. President Droupadi Murmu introduced the awards to the winners.
| Winners of the seventieth Nationwide Movie Awards | |
| Dadasaheb Phalke Award | Mithun Chakraborty |
| Finest Function Movie | Aattam |
| Finest Function Actor | Rishab Shetty, Kantara |
| Finest Function Actress | Nithya Menen in Tiruchitrabalam, and Manasi Parekh in Kutch Specific |
| Finest Function Director | Sooraj Barjatya, Uunchai |
| Finest Hindi Movie | Gulmohar |
| Finest Critic | Deepak Dua |
| Finest Ebook on Cinema | Kishore Kumar: The Final Biography |
| Finest Non-Function Movie | Ayena |
Phrases making buzz
— Blue Line border: The 120-km Blue Line is a UN-recognised demarcation line to point that Israel had withdrawn its navy from southern Lebanon. It separates Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights, however it isn’t an official worldwide border.
Check Your Data
(Be aware: One of the best ways to recollect information for UPSC and different aggressive exams is to recall them by MCQs. Attempt to remedy the next questions by yourself.)
A. Periodic Labour Drive Survey (PLFS) is performed by
(a) Niti Aayog
(b) Nationwide Pattern Survey Workplace
(c) Ministry of Finance
(d) Ministry of Labour and Employment
B. Contemplate the next statements:
1. The vector of Marburg virus illness (MVD) is Culicoides flies.
2. R21/Matrix-M vaccine is the brand new vaccine accepted by WHO for the therapy of MVD.
Which of the next statements is/are appropriate?
(a) 1 solely
(b) 2 solely
(c) Each 1 and a pair of
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
C. Who among the many following found the microRNA?
(a) John J Hopfield and Geoffrey E Hinton
(b) Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman
(c) Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun
(d) Ardem Patapoutian and David Julius
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