Current Affairs

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The research wing of the Uttarakhand forest department has established India’s first Gymnosperm garden, hosting diverse endangered conifer species, spanning one hectare at Radi Top in Uttarkashi district at an elevation of 8,000 feet. It will open for public visit from March 2024.

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Venezuela has agreed to provide oil to India’s ONGC Videsh (OVL) as a form of compensation for a pending dividend amounting to approximately $600 million. This decision follows the easing of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, allowing Indian refiners to resume the purchase of Venezuelan oil. ONGC Videsh, the overseas investment arm of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, holds a 40% stake in the San Cristobal field located in eastern Venezuela’s Orinoco Heavy Oil belt. The agreement to allocate crude cargoes in lieu of the accrued dividend is part of OVL’s continuous dialogue with PdVSA, Venezuela’s state oil company, to recover the dividend through various mechanisms, including the allocation of crude oil.

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The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) mandated all medical device licensees to report adverse events on the Materiovigilance Programme of India (MvPI). Launched in 2015, MvPI aims to enhance patient safety by systematically analyzing adverse events. The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission serves as the National Coordination Centre. Medical devices, regulated by the CDSCO, include electronics, implants, and in-vitro diagnostics. India, heavily reliant on imports for medical devices, oversees regulations through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

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NASA’s Perseverance rover, nicknamed “Percy,” recently made a discovery that could reveal insights into Mars’s ancient history and potential past microbial life. Part of NASA’s Mars 2020 Mission, Perseverance is a semi-autonomous rover launched on July 30, 2020, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and landed in Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021. Its primary mission is to seek signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples for future return to Earth. The rover, about the size of a small car, is powered by a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) and features a robotic arm, drill, cameras, and scientific instruments.

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India’s second 700 MW nuclear reactor at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS-4) in Gujarat began full-capacity operation on August 21, 2024. KAPS-4, an indigenous design, reached full power after operating at 90% capacity. The successful operation of KAPS-4 follows its twin unit, KAPS-3. India plans to build 14 more reactors of the same design by 2031-32. Currently, NPCIL operates 24 reactors and has eight more under construction. By 2031-32, India’s nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 22,480 MW.

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The Sambhal riots in Uttar Pradesh raise concerns about the relevance of the Places of Worship Act, 1991. The Act aims to prohibit the conversion of religious places and maintain their character as of August 15, 1947. It bans altering places of worship between religious denominations or sections within the same denomination. Court interventions on issues concerning the religious character of such places are prohibited. The Ayodhya site was exempted, allowing the trial to proceed despite the Act. The Act also provides specific exemptions besides Ayodhya.

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Prime Minister Modi will hand over 5.8 million property cards to owners in 50,000 villages across 12 states, four years after the Svamitva scheme’s launch. Svamitva (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) was launched by Ministry of Panchayati Raj in 2020. It was launched to provide rural property owners with official property records. It grants access to loans, reduces disputes, and improves village planning. The scheme has issued 20.19 million property cards and completed 92% of drone mapping in 317,000 villages. It empowers women, strengthens land rights, and promotes community development.

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Kavach 4.0 is an advanced automatic train protection system developed by Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) of Indian Railways to enhance safety and efficiency in train operations. This system aims to prevent accidents by minimizing human error through technology-driven solutions. All locomotives with the previous Kavach version will be upgraded to the new 4.0 version. The North Frontier Railway network, covering 1,966 kilometers from Malda Town to Dibrugarh, is the first area for Kavach 4.0 implementation.

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The Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment chaired a meeting on the PM-AJAY scheme. Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana (PM-AJAY) is a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme. It aims to reduce poverty among Scheduled Caste (SC) communities through employment generation and socio-economic development. It focuses on income generation, skill development, and infrastructure improvement. The goal is to uplift SC communities above the poverty line and improve their overall living standards.

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A Brazilian surfer recently used the pororoca tidal wave on the Mearim River to spread awareness about climate change and ecological damage. The Mearim River is around 800 kilometres long and flows through Maranhão state in northern Brazil. The Mearim River is known for its pororoca, a strong tidal bore where ocean tides rush upstream into the river. The word “pororoca” comes from the Tupi Indigenous language and means “great roar”, due to the loud sound made when sea and river waters collide. A tidal bore forms when rising ocean tides push against the river’s flow, often during spring tides and supermoons.