UPSC Current Affairs Daily

2021-08-03 11:57:29 New Polyhouse Technology for Horticulture CROPS

Dr. (Prof.) Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute, Durgapur inaugurated a “Naturally Ventilated Polyhouse Facility” and laid foundation stone of “Retractable Roof Polyhouse” at Ludhiana in Punjab.
farmers face number of problems such as excessive or insufficient cold, heat, rain, wind, and other factors associated with insufficient transpiration, and also crop losses in India due to insect pests is about 15% at present and this loss may increase as climate change lowers the plant defense system against insects & pests.
To some extent these problems can be overcome by conventional polyhouse.
Conventional Polyhouse have a stationary roof to reduce the effect of weather anomalies and pests
However, there are still disadvantages due to roof covering which sometimes lead to excessive heat, and insufficient light (early morning).
Besides this, they are also prone to insufficient levels of CO2, transpiration and water stress.
A combination of open field conditions and conventional Polyhouse conditions is a more robust way to deal with the climate change and associates problems in the future.
Retractable Roof Polyhouse Technology” this all-weather structure will have an automatic retractable roof which will be operated based on weather conditions and crop requirements from the conditional database using PLC software.
This ongoing development will help farmers to cultivate both seasonal and off-season crops which can fetch higher yield, firmer and high shelf-life produce by creating optimal indoor micro-climate conditions compared to conventional open field tunnels & naturally ventilated poly houses, and also it is viable technology for organic cultivation.
Retractable roof will be used to manipulate sun light quantity, quality & duration, water stress, humidity, carbon di-oxide levels, and crop & soil temperatures.
This structure is being developed in collaboration with CSIR-IHBT, Palampur and in the process of integrating Artificial Intelligence in automating the Polyhouse based on the crop and weather requirements and providing an IoT enabled farmer friendly user interface.

SOURCE: PIB Open / Comment

2021-08-03 11:56:49 Adverse Effect of Junk/Fast Foods

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has informed that development of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart diseases & liver diseases are multi-factorial in nature and eating of junk food and/ or processed food is one of these factors.
Various studies indicate that products with high content of fat, sugar or salt may increase the risk of overweight, obesity or certain Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
Junk foods are high in calorie but low in nutritional value and lead to an excess metabolic weight leading to obesity.
An obese individual is prone to life-threatening diseases which are not only limited to cholesterol or diabetes but also can cause stroke and other NCDs.
According to the study report "India: Health of the Nation's States"-The India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative 2017, the proportion of Chronic Diseases (NCDs) have increased in India from 30.5% in 1990 to 55.4 % in 2016.
The overall metabolic risk factors / causes attributable to the rise in Chronic Diseases (NCDs) include unhealthy diet as per study.
Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has informed that aFood Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has informed that a nation-wide media campaign titled 'Aj Se Thoda Kam', to encourage consumers to make dietary modifications by gradually reducing the consumption of fat, sugar and salt has been launched.
A series of short videos (with subtitles in 12 languages) have been created for the same.
The campaign is supported with flyers, banners, audio clips and an ‘Eat Right India’ website with useful inputs on gradual reduction in consumption of fat, salt and sugar.
nation-wide media campaign titled 'Aj Se Thoda Kam', to encourage consumers to make dietary modifications by gradually reducing the consumption of fat, sugar and salt has been launched.
A series of short videos (with subtitles in 12 languages) have been created for the same.
The campaign is supported with flyers, banners, audio clips and an ‘Eat Right India’ website with useful inputs on gradual reduction in consumption of fat, salt and sugar.
ICMR-NIN (National Institute of Nutrition) along with FSSAI has recommended guidelines for High Fat, Salt, Sugars (HFSS) Food Labels on all Ready to Eat Foods so that consumption of these foods is moderated
Several awareness initiatives have been undertaken by the Government including use of print, electronic and social media.
In addition, the national Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) supports awareness generation activities to be undertaken by the States.
 
SOURCE: PIB Open / Comment

2021-08-03 11:56:49 Menstrual Hygiene Among Adolescent Girls

UNICEF study conducted in 2011:
Only 13% of girls in India are aware of menstruation before menarche.
60% of girls missed school on account of menstruation,
79% faces low confidence due to menstruation and 44% were embarrassed and humiliated over restrictions.
Thereby, Menstruation adversely impacts women's education, equality, maternal and child health.

Government Schemes To Promote Menstrual Hygiene Management in India

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) (2009) includes standards for drinking water and gender-separated sanitation facilities in schools.

Menstrual hygiene scheme launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Government of India (GoI) for promotion of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls (10-19 years) in rural areas of selected districts in 2011.
From 2014 onwards scheme extended to all districts under Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram to enhance MH knowledge, improve hygiene practices, provide subsidised sanitary absorbents, and raise awareness of MHM at school.

SABLA programme of Ministry of Women and Child Development focuses on nutrition, health, hygiene and reproductive and sexual health (linked to a rural mother and childcare centres).

National Rural Livelihood Mission of the Ministry of Rural Development supports self-help groups and small manufacturers to produce sanitary pads.

Swachh Bharat Mission and Swachh Bharat: Swachh Vidyalaya (SB:SV): Menstrual hygiene management is also an integral part of the Swachh Bharat Mission and the ‘Menstrual Hygiene Management Guideline’ issued by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation(MDWS) involves the support from state governments, district administrations, engineers and technical experts inline departments; and school headteachers and teachers for its implementation.

Guidelines for Gender Issues in Sanitation (2017) 
It have been evolved by MDWS to ensure gender equality and empowerment of women and girls with respect to sanitation.
Safe and effective MHM is a trigger for better and stronger development for adolescent girls and women.
This requires that all state, district and local authorities, including schools, communities and families create an environment where menstrual hygiene management is seen as acceptable and normal.

Menstrual Hygiene Day is an annual awareness day on May 28 to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene management.
It was initiated by the German-based NGO WASH United in 2014 and aims to benefit women and girls worldwide.
In 2018, 310 organizations educated 27.2 million girls across 134 countries, about menstrual hygiene.

The National Guidelines on Menstrual Hygiene Management
It was released by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation in 2015.
It seeks to address every component of menstrual hygiene ranging from, raising awareness, addressing behaviour change, creating a demand for better hygiene products, capacity building of frontline community cadre, sensitization of key stakeholders, convergence needed for effective outreach and intervention, creation of WASH facilities including safe disposal options, etc.

SOURCE: PIB Open / Comment

2021-08-03 10:27:56

Open / Comment

2021-08-03 09:30:05 Q.)Consider the following statements regarding the
"Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)".
1. Academic Bank of Credit is a virtual storehouse that
will keep records of academic credits secured by a
student.
2. It is drafted on
the lines of the National Academic
Depository.
3. ABC will accept any credit course document directly
from the students, and its institutes that will make the
deposits in students' accounts. Open / Comment

2021-08-03 09:30:05 Q.)Consider the following statements regarding the "PM
eVIDYA"
1. The scheme was launched in May 2014.
2. The top 100 universities were permitted to
automatically start online courses via the PM eVidya
scheme.
3. One earmarked Swayam Prabha TV channel per class
from 1 to 12 (one class, one channel) has been started
under the scheme. Open / Comment

2021-08-03 08:44:02 Complete coverage of Current affairs for Prelims 2021
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2021-08-03 06:32:04 Hello Everyone

JV’s IAS is commencing the Geography Foundation (Optional Course) for UPSC CSE 2021-22.

Geography is the study of the diverse environments, places, and spaces of Earth’s surface and their interactions. It seeks to answer the questions of why things are as they are, where they are.

Features of the course
Live and recorded classes.
PDFs of the class notes will be provided with related study material.
Mains-oriented classes.
The classes will be held Monday to Friday.
Weekly practice tests.
Personalized Guidance by the faculty.

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For any queries you can call us at 8882932364 Open / Comment