Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar appointed new NCW chairperson.
Her contributions to women empowerment have earned her several recognitions, including the National Law Award and the Savitribai Phule Award from a national literary council.
About National Commission for Women (NCW):
The NCW is the statutory body, established in January 1992 under the provisions of the Indian Constitution, as defined in the National Commission for Women Act, 1990.
It was set up to:
represent the rights of women in India and to provide a voice for their issues and concerns.
review the Constitutional and Legal safeguards for women
recommend remedial legislative measures
receive and investigate complaints from women who are victims of violence, discrimination, harassment, or deprivation of their rights
facilitate redressal of grievances
advise the Government on all policy matters affecting women
The subjects of their campaigns have included dowry, politics, religion, equal representation for women in jobs, and the exploitation of women for labour.
It takes up the issue of child marriage, sponsors legal awareness programs, Parivarik Mahila Lok Adalats, and reviews laws such as Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, PNDT Act 1994, Indian Penal Code 1860, and the National Commission for Women Act, 1990 to make them more stringent and effective.
It organizes workshops/consultations, constitutes expert committees on the economic empowerment of women, conducts workshops/seminars for gender awareness, and takes up publicity campaigns against female foeticide, violence against women, etc. to generate awareness in society against these social evils.
International Relations
Topic: West Asia
2. Oman
Why in the news?
INS Trikand and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft, participated in the Indo-Oman bilateral naval exercise Naseem-Al-Bahr with the Royal Navy of Oman Vessel Al Seeb off Goa.
The exercise was conducted in two phases, beginning with the harbour phase, followed by the sea phase. As part of harbour activities, personnel from both Navies engaged in professional interactions, including Subject Matter Expert Exchanges and planning conferences. In addition, sports fixtures and social engagements were also held.
About Oman:
It is a country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia.
It overlooks the mouth of the Persian Gulf.
It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
The capital and largest city is Muscat.
Oman has a population of about 5.28 million as of 2024.
It is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast.
The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by the United Arab Emirates on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.
The peninsula of Musandam, strategically located on the Strait of Hormuz, is an exclave separated from the rest of Oman by the United Arab Emirates.
The gravel desert plain covers most of central Oman, with mountain ranges along the north (Hajar Mountains) and southeast coast (Dhofar Mountains).
Oman's climate is hot and dry in the interior and humid along the coast.
INS Trikand:
It is a Talwar-class guided-missile frigate of the Indian Navy.
It is the third and final ship of the second batch of Talwar-class frigates ordered by the Indian Navy.
It was built by the Yantar shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia.
It was commissioned into the Indian Navy on June 29, 2013.
It is named after the Trikand Fort, which is located near Porbandar, Gujarat.
It is part of the Indian Navy's Western Fleet and operates under the Western Naval Command headquartered in Mumbai.
Features:
The ship is equipped with advanced sensors and weapon systems.
It features various anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, torpedoes, and a 100 mm main gun.
It incorporates stealth technology, including reduced radar cross-section, to enhance its survivability in hostile environments.
It is equipped with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities, including ASW helicopters and torpedo launchers, which make it effective in countering underwater threats.
With a long reach and a state-of-the-art combat suite, the ship is designed to undertake a wide spectrum of naval operations.
Topic: Multilateral Organizations
3. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Why in the news?
Member countries of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Heads of Delegations and partners of the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG), adopted the Rome Declaration on Water Scarcity in Agriculture, aimed at addressing water scarcity, increasingly exacerbated by the climate crisis, particularly in the agriculture sector.
About Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO):
It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.
It is the oldest permanent specialized agency of the UN, established in October 1945.
Its mandate is to improve nutrition, increase agricultural productivity, raise the standard of living in rural populations, and contribute to global economic growth.
It coordinates the efforts of governments and technical agencies in programs for developing agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and land and water resources.
It maintains information and support services, including keeping statistics on world production, trade, and consumption of agricultural commodities.
It carries out research, provides technical assistance on projects in individual countries as well as operates educational programs through seminars and training centres.
Its headquarters are located in Rome, Italy.
It currently has 194 Member States plus the European Union (member organization).
It receives 100 percent of its funding from its member countries.
In case of scarcity or conflict, the FAO usually does not intervene directly with food relief operations. Within the UN system, these activities are generally entrusted to the World Food Program.
Reports published by the FAO include:
The State of the World's Forests (SOFO)
The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA)
The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO)
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI)
World Food Program:
It is an international organization within the United Nations that provides food assistance worldwide.
It is the world's largest humanitarian organization and the leading provider of school meals.
Founded in 1961, it is headquartered in Rome and has offices in 87 countries.
It is present in more than 120 countries and territories.
In addition to emergency food relief, it offers technical and development assistance, such as building capacity for emergency preparedness and response, managing supply chains and logistics, promoting social safety programs, and strengthening resilience against climate change.
It is a major provider of direct cash assistance, and provides passenger services for humanitarian workers through its management of the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS).
It is an executive member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, a consortium of UN entities that aims to fulfill the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), with a priority on achieving SDG 2 for "zero hunger" by 2030.
It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its efforts to provide food assistance in areas of conflict and to prevent the use of food as a weapon of war and conflict.
Environment and Ecology
Topic: Environmental Pollution and Degradation
4. Coral Bleaching
Why in the news?
The ongoing fourth global coral bleaching (GCBE4) event that began in January 2023 is now the most widespread and surpassed the coral bleaching levels of 2014-2017 by over 11 per cent, according to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The record breaking, severe and intense global bleaching event has been recorded in almost half the amount of time than the previous event.
About Coral Bleaching:
It occurs when corals experience stress in their environment due to changes in temperature, pollution or high levels of ocean acidity.
Under stressed conditions, the zooxanthellae or food-producing algae living inside coral polyps start producing reactive oxygen species, which are not beneficial to the corals.
Subsequently, the corals expel the colour-giving zooxanthellae from their polyps, which exposes their pale white exoskeleton, giving the corals a bleached appearance.
This also ends the symbiotic relationship that helps the corals to survive and grow.
Causes:
Change in Ocean Temperature: Increased Ocean temperature caused by climate change is the leading cause of coral bleaching.
Runoff and Pollution: Storm generated precipitation can rapidly dilute ocean water and runoff can carry pollutants, which can bleach near shore corals.
Overexposure to sunlight: When temperatures are high, high solar irradiance contributes to bleaching in shallow water corals.
Extremely low tides: Exposure to the air during extremely low tides can cause bleaching in shallow corals.
Effects:
Bleached corals are likely to have reduced growth rates, decreased reproductive capacity, increased susceptibility to diseases and elevated mortality rates.
Changes in coral community composition can occur when more susceptible species are killed by bleaching events.
Topic: Protected Areas
5. Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve
Why in the news?
Tigress RVT-2 from the Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR) had not been sighted or captured by camera traps for nearly a month. After an intensive 3-4 day search by the Forest Department, her radio collar and skeleton were found.
About Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve :
It lies in the south-eastern part of Rajasthan in Bundi district with representation of both Vindhyan and Aaravalli elements.
It is in continuation with the buffer area of Ranthambore tiger reserve in the North-eastern side and the Mukundara Hills tiger reserve in the southern side.
The Mez River (a tributary of Chambal River) passes through this tiger reserve.
The terrain is mostly rugged and hilly.
The area is confined to biogeographic classification 4A which is the 'Semi-arid' Zone of India.
The habitat is dominated by Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) trees.
It encompasses dry deciduous forest.
Trees like Khair, Ronj, Amaltas, Gurjan, Saler, India ghost tree, Tendu etc. are found here.
It is home to Leopards, Sloth bears, Jungle cat, Golden jackal, Hyaena, Crested Porcupine, Indian Hedgehog, Rhesus macaque, hanuman langur etc.
Topic: Natural phenomena
6. Bioluminescence
Why in the news?
Residents of Thiruvanmiyur and Neelankarai experienced a stunning spectacle on Friday night as stretches of the beach glowed with bioluminescence.
About Bioluminescence:
It occurs due to the presence of some marine planktons called dinoflagellates that produce light when the water is disturbed.
These planktons emit light on the ocean surface at night.
Bioluminescence is widespread among deep sea animals in general.
Many marine creatures like sponges, jellyfish, worms, species of fish, arthropods, echinoderms and unicellular alga exhibit bioluminescence to either evade predators, attract prey or during mating.
This phenomenon is most likely the result of an algal bloom of the dinoflagellate species of noctiluca and ceratium.
This occurs when the luciferase enzyme reacts with the luciferin compound in the presence of oxygen to produce a cold light.
This is widespread in lagoons and sometimes breakwaters and is particularly visible during warm weather conditions
The dinoflagellates follow a circadian cycle (24-hour cycle) and as a result this phenomenon occurs during the night which is visible in low light conditions.
It has been visible in some beaches in India including Havelock Island in the Andamans, Thiruvanmiyur beach in Chennai, Mattu beach in Karnataka and Bangaram Island in Lakshadweep.
Planktons:
These are a group of marine and freshwater organisms that drift along ocean currents because they are too small or weak to swim against them.
They range in size from 2 micrometers to more than 20 centimeters.
There are two types of plankton:
Phytoplankton (which are tiny plants)
Zooplankton (which are tiny animals).
Science and Technology
Topic: Diseases
7. Kala-azar
Why in the news?
India to seek WHO certification for eliminating Kala-azar disease.
India could be at the threshold of eliminating Kala-azar as a public health problem with the country having managed to keep the number of cases under one in 10,000 as per the World Health Organization (WHO) parameters for elimination certification for two consecutive years now.
Kala-azar is the second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria in India. As per figures released by the Health Ministry India registered 595 cases and four deaths in 2023 and this year it has recorded 339 cases and one death so far.
About Kala-azar:
It is also known as Visceral Leishmaniasis or Black Fever or Dumdum Fever.
It is a deadly parasitic disease caused by the protozoa parasite Leishmania and mainly affects the people living in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The disease can cause death, if left untreated.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Kala-azar is the second deadliest parasitic disease in the world.
India contributes more than 11% of total cases of Kala-azar reported globally.
Over 90% of kala-azar cases in India are reported from Bihar and Jharkhand, while Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have achieved their elimination targets at the block level.
It is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected female phlebotomine sandfly.
Its symptoms include fever, weight loss, anemia, and enlargement of the liver and spleen.
Prevention:
It involves measures to reduce the breeding sites of sandflies and to protect people from sandfly bites.
This can be achieved through the use of insecticides, bed nets, and repellents, as well as the improvement of housing conditions and access to clean water and sanitation.
The WHO recommends Mass Drug Administration (MDA) in areas where the disease is endemic.
Treatment:
It involves the use of drugs, such as sodium stibogluconate and meglumine antimoniate.
The WHO recommends a combination of two or more drugs for the treatment of kala-azar, as monotherapy has a higher risk of treatment failure and drug resistance.
Economy
Topic: Capital Market
8. Market Capitalisation
Why in the news?
Market capitalisation of four of the top-10 valued firms jumps ₹81,151 crore.
ICICI, HDFC Bank are the biggest gainers
Reliance Industries continued to remain the most-valued domestic firm, followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, Bharti Airtel
About Market Capitalisation
Market Capitalization, or Market Cap, is a term used to represent the market value of a company based on its current share price and the total number of its outstanding shares.
It can be calculated by multiplying the number of outstanding shares of a company by the current price of its shares.
It represents the market’s perception of a company’s worth and indicates its size and significance in the financial markets.
On the basis of market cap, companies may be classified as large-cap, mid-cap, or small-cap companies.
Large-cap companies are usually stable, reputable, and well-established businesses that have a significant market share. They have market caps of INR 20,000 crore or more.
Mid-cap companies have a market cap ranging from INR 5,000 crore to INR 20,000 crore.
Small-cap companies operate at a smaller scale than large-cap and mid-cap companies. Consequently, their market cap is also lower (less than INR 5,000 crore).
Market capitalization is important as:
It allows potential investors to understand the true value of companies and the size of one company in relation to another.
It helps investors predict the future performance of the stock of a company because it reflects what the market is willing to pay for the stock.
Shares:
The capital of a company is divided into shares.
Each share forms a unit of ownership of a company and is offered for sale so as to raise capital for the company.
Government Schemes
Topic: Disaster Management
9. Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF)
Why in the news?
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today condoled the loss of lives in the road accident in Dholpur, Rajasthan. He assured that under the state government’s supervision, the local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way.
He also announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased in the mishap in Dholpur, Rajasthan. He added that the injured would be given Rs. 50,000.
About Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF):
It was established entirely with public contributions and does not get any budgetary support.
The corpus of the fund is invested in various forms with scheduled commercial banks and other agencies.
Disbursements are made with the approval of the Prime Minister.
It has not been constituted by the Parliament. The fund is recognized as a Trust under the Income Tax Act and the same is managed by the Prime Minister or multiple delegates for national causes.
It accepts voluntary contributions from Individuals, Organizations, Trusts, Companies and Institutions etc.
All contributions towards PMNRF are exempt from Income Tax under section 80(G).
The resources of the PMNRF are utilized to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities like floods, cyclones and earthquakes, etc.
Assists partially to defray the expenses for medical treatment like heart surgery, kidney transplantation, cancer treatment of needy people and acid attack etc.
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