Prelim Bits 14-03-2018

Fight against plastic pollution

• A study stated that krill could prove to be a potent  weapon in the fight against the growing threat of plastic pollution in the world's oceans.
• The tiny zooplankton are capable of digesting microplastics – under 5 millimetres (0.2 inches) – before excreting them back into the environment in an even smaller form.
• On average, the excreted fragments are 78 % smaller than the original beads with some reduced by 94 %.
• Every year, more than eight million tons of plastics ends up in the ocean.
• It costs billions of dollars in damage to marine ecosystems and killing an estimated one million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals and untold numbers of fish.
• Click here to know more about Antarctica krill.

Bauxite

• India with an estimate 3.48 billion tons of bauxite has 11 % ownership of the world bauxite resources.
• Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with relatively high aluminum content.
• Bauxite is found in two varieties- the metallurgical and non-metallurgical.
• Aluminum is widely used by automobile industry, for making aircraft, among others.

• The metallurgical grade is refined into alumina and the smelted into aluminum.
• The non-metallurgical grade is used in abrasives, cement and refractories.
• Orissa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh are the main bauxite producing states in India.

Fisheries to get less productive by 2300

• Global fisheries to be 20% less productive due to the increase in mean surface air temperature.
• The future climate condition will be characterized by 9.6 degrees Celsius increase in mean surface air temperature.
• The extended climate warming will drastically alter wind patterns, boost ocean surface temperatures and melt nearly all the sea ice in Polar Regions
• Resulting in changes in the phytoplankton growth and ocean circulation around Antarctica, with the net effect of transferring nutrients from the upper ocean to the deep ocean.
• Therefore, marine ecosystems to the north will be increasingly starved for nutrients, leading to less primary production (photosynthesis) by phytoplankton, which form the base of ocean food chains.

Curbing Population Growth

• Among the various reasons for most problems associated with providing healthcare and employment, social security etc., population growth is one of the factors.
• As per the 2017 revision of United Nations World Population prospects, India’s population is projected to be 1.50 billion by 2030 only.
• Government of India has taken various steps to curb the population growth such as Mission Parivar Vikas, new Family Planning media campaign , scheme to ensure spacing of births by ASHAs etc.,
• As a result of Governments initiatives, the decadal growth rate has declined significantly from 21.15% in census 2001 to 17.64% in census 2011.

• Click here to know about Mission Parivar vikas

PM’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN) Abhiyan

• POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched by the Prime Minister recently in Jhunjhunu ,Rajasthan.
• The abhiyan may include the following nutrition strategies and interventions

1. supplementary nutrition,
2. IYCF(Infant and Young Child Feeding)immunisation,
3. food fortification,
4. adolescent nutrition,
5. dietary diversification
6. maternal health

• Behavior change communication is the key component of POSHAN Abhiyaan for converting it into Jan Andolan (People’s movement).
• The Executive Committee is the Apex body for all Nutrition related activities under the POSHAN Abhiyaan.
• National Council on India’s nutritional challenges under chairmanship of Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, has been set up under the POSHAN Abhiyaan.

Strategic Partnership Model in Defense Acquisition

• The policy on Strategic Partnerships in Defense sector was approved by Defence Acquisition Council last year.
• The policy is intended to institutionalize a transparent, objective and functional mechanism to encourage broader participation of the private sector n the manufacture of defense platforms and equipment.
• The following four segments have been identified for acquisition under Strategic Partnership (SP) route
  1. Fighter Aircraft
  2. Helicopters
  3. Submarines
  4. Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) / Main Battle Tanks (MBTs).

• The Strategic Partnership Model (SPM) is a different category of Capital Acquisition in addition to the existing categories such as  ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’, ‘Buy (Indian)’, ‘Buy & Make (Indian)’, ‘Buy & Make’ and ‘Buy (Global)’.
• Click here to know more about SPM

Map of the Day

Europe

• Greenland and Faroe Islands are autonomous constituent countries within the Kingdom of Denmark.
• Norway, Sweden and Denmark are called Scandinavian Countries.
• Scandinavia along with Finland and Iceland including Greenland and Faroe Islands are called Nordic Countries.

• Balkan Peninsula is comprised of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia with portions of Greece and Turkey.
• Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are called Baltic Countries.

Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business Standard