Prelim Bits 22-09-2023 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

Nadi Utsav

The fourth 'Nadi Utsav' on Riverine Culture will commence at IGNCA New Delhi.

• ‘Nadi Utsav’ is an attempt to document riverine culture, its tradition, rituals and water wisdom.
• Aim - To create awareness and sensitize people about their ecology and environment.
• Founder - This noble initiative was conceived by Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi.
• The 'Nadi Utsav' was first celebrated in the year 2018.

• Fourth Nadi Utsav is organized by the National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM) of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and the Janapada Sampada Division.

IGNCA is an institution dedicated to art and culture, under the Ministry of Culture. IGNCA has been organizing the 'Nadi Utsav' for the last few years.

References

1. PIB | Nadi Utsav Three-day festival on Riverine Culture
2.  The Print | 4th ‘Nadi Utsav’ to be held on Yamuna

Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP)

The Government of India has come out with a new set of National Awards in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation known as Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar.

• Aim - To recognize the contribution made by the scientists, technologists, and innovators individually or in teams in various fields of science, technology and technology led innovation.
• Eligibility

1. Persons - Scientists/ technologists/innovators working in government, private sector organizations or any individual working outside any organization.
2. Field - Person who have made distinguished contributions in terms of path-breaking research or innovation or discovery in any field of science, technology, or technology- led innovation.
3. Residence - People of Indian Origin staying abroad with exceptional contributions benefiting the Indian communities or society shall also be eligible for the awards.

Categories

• Selection Committee - Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar Committee (RVPC) to be headed by the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to Government of India and comprising Secretaries.
• Announcement - These awards shall be announced on 11thMay (National Technology Day) every year.
• Award Ceremony - The Award Ceremony for all categories of awards will be held on 23rd August (National Space Day).

Recognizing the achievement of Chandrayaan – 3’s soft landing on moon every year 23^rd of August will be celebrated as National Space Day.

Reference

PIB | Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar’

Monoclonal antibodies

India reached out to Australia to procure monoclonal antibody doses to combat the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala.

Monoclonal antibodies

• These are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the behaviour of antibodies produced by the immune system to protect against diseases and foreign substances.
• An antibody attaches itself to an antigen, a foreign substance, usually a disease-causing molecule and helps the immune system to eliminate it from the body.
• Monoclonal antibodies are specifically designed to target certain antigens.

Niels K. Jerne, Georges J.F. Köhler and César Milstein were awarded the medicine Nobel Prize in 1984 for their work on the the principle for production of monoclonal antibodies.

Nipah Virus

• About - It is a zoonotic disease that spreads primarily between animals and humans.
• Transmission - Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (such as bats or pigs), or contaminated foods and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human.
• Symptoms - Fever, headache, cough, sore throat, difficulty in breathing, and vomiting.
• Treatment - There is currently no specific treatment available for the Nipah virus.
• No drugs or vaccines specific to Nipah are currently available, as per WHO.

References

The Hindu | What are monoclonal antibodies?

Mithuns

Northeast’s Mithun gets ‘food animal’ tag recently.

• Scientific name - Bos frontalis. Family – Bovidae.
• Endemic to - It is a ruminant (large group of herbivores with a 4-chambered stomach) species found in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
• State Animal - It is the state animal of both Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
• Recognized by - Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recognising the bovine as a ‘food animal’.
• Objective of recognition - To help farmers and tribal village communities benefit commercially from the sale and processing of mithun meat.

• Habitat - The mithun is semi-domesticated and is reared in a free-range forest ecosystem.
• Since the soil in these parts is acidic and low in salt content, mithuns have an affinity for salt.

‘Soulung’ festival is observed annually by the Adi tribes of Arunachal Pradesh to commensurate the birth and arrival of mithun on this earth.

• Food Animal Tag of FSSAI - Food animals are those that are raised and used for food production or consumption by humans.
• Other animals having food animal tag - Himalayan yak.

References

1. The Indian Express | Mithun gets ‘food animal’ tag
2. ICAR | Mithun

Climate Ambition Summit (CAS) 2023

China, U.S. and India absent at U.N.’s Climate Ambition Summit that was held in New York, as part of the United Nations General Assembly.

• The summit took place to display leaders who are movers and doers and have credible actions, policies and plans to keep the 1.5°C degree goal of the Paris Agreement alive.
• Venue – UN Headquarters, New York.
• 3 tracks - Ambition, Credibility and Implementation.
• Ambition - Government leaders (especially major emitters) will be expected to present:
  1. Updated pre-2030 Nationally Determined Contributions
  2. Updated net-zero targets
  3. Energy transition plans with commitments to no new coal, oil and gas
  4. Fossil fuel phase-out plans
  5. More ambitious renewable-energy targets
  6. Green Climate Fund pledges
  7. Economy-wide plans on adaptation and resilience
• All main emitters and notably all G20 governments will be asked to commit to presenting, by 2025, more ambitious economy-wide NDC featuring absolute emissions cuts and covering all gases.
• Credibility - Leaders of businesses, cities, regions and financial institutions are expected to present transition plans aligned with the UN-backed Integrity Matters report.
• Implementation – All entities come together by addressing challenges and opportunities related to accelerating the decarburization of high-emitting sectors or delivering climate justice.

China, United States and India collectively account for about 42% of Global Green House Gas (GGHG) emissions and are the top three emitters of GGHG.

References

1. The Hindu |  Climate Ambition Summit (CAS) in New York
2. UN | Climate Ambition Summit 2023