UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 14-03-2025

One Liners 14-03-2025

Geography

India's Gully Erosion Crisis

• Widespread Impact - Plagues 77 Indian districts, primarily in the east and south.
• Findings - align with the UN agenda to combat land degradation by 2030
• Defining Gully Erosion: Soil is removed by surface water runoff, forming deep gullies, severely impacting land productivity and contributing to overall land degradation.
• Significant Consequences - Reduces agricultural output, induces water stress and droughts, and forces village migrations, creating badlands hindering farming and causing ecological imbalances.
• Geographic Concentration - Eastern India, notably Jharkhand & Chhattisgarh, experiences the highest gully erosion rates, while western India has more badlands.

Polity & Governance

The Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Act, 2024 Passed.

• Legislative Intent - Seeks to eradicate non-scientific healing methods, protecting citizens from exploitation and promoting public health.
• Defining "Evil Practices - The Act broadly defines "evil practices" as exploitative healing methods, encompassing diverse traditional and religious healing forms, including certain aspects of Ayurveda.
• Potential for Overreach - The wide definition of "evil practices" raises concerns, as it could potentially criminalize established cultural and traditional healing practices.
• Impact on Traditional Healing - The law's broad scope may negatively impact practices integral to various communities, potentially undermining cultural heritage and traditional knowledge.

Maharashtra's Media Monitoring Centre

Recently, Maharashtra establishes a Media Monitoring Centre under Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) to analyze media reports across print, electronic, and social platforms.

• Aims - To monitor media coverage of government policies, categorize reports as positive, neutral, or negative, and track public sentiment to improve citizen communication.
• Key Functions - Daily PDF clippings, media trend monitoring, and sentiment tracking are core functions. Data analysis will generate detailed public opinion reports.
• Data Analysis and Reporting - The centre will conduct in-depth data analysis to produce comprehensive reports on public sentiment and reactions to government initiatives.

International Relations and Issues

Global Maternal Mortality Crisis: 2020 Statistics

• Report reveals a devastating reality - 287,000 women died from preventable pregnancy-related causes, equating to roughly 800 deaths daily, underscoring a critical global health emergency.
• Primary Drivers of Maternal Death- Haemorrhage & hypertensive disorders emerge as the leading causes, demanding targeted interventions.
• Haemorrhage - Accounting for 27% of maternal deaths, it often occurs during or following childbirth.
• Hypertensive Disorders - Contributing 16%, these conditions, including pre-eclampsia.
• Regional Disparities - Sub-Saharan Africa and Western Asia exhibit the highest maternal mortality rates.

PM Modi Receives Mauritius’ Highest Honour

PM Modi received the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean from Mauritius, marking his 21st accolade.

• Nature of Award - Highest civilian honour in Mauritius.
• Purpose – PM Modi’s contributions to strengthening bilateral relations.
• Significance – The Awards is Mauritius’ most distinguished recognition.
• Since Mauritius became a Republic, only 5 foreign dignitaries have been awarded the prestigious honor, with Nelson Mandela being one of them.

Alawites

New Syrian regime rise in December 2024 led to violence  targets Alawite community, historically aligned with Basar-al- Assad.

• Alawites: A Religious Minority in Syria.
• Constitutes - 12% of the population.
• Sect – Shia Islam.
• Originated - In 9th and 10th centuries, influenced by Mohammad ibn Nusayr's teachings.
• Beliefs – use of wine and reincarnation belief.

Environment

World Air Quality Report 2024

• Released by - Swiss organisation IQAir.
• Key Findings
• Global Pollution - Only 17% of cities in 7 countries meet WHO air quality guidelines.
• Cleanest 7 Countries - Are Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Estonia, Grenada, Iceland & New Zealand they met WHO annual average PM2.5 guideline of 5 µg/m3.
• 91.3% of countries exceed WHO's PM2.5 limit such as:-
• Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo , and India.
• Central & South Asia has the most polluted cities.
• In India - Byrnihat, (Assam-Meghalaya border) is the most polluted metropolitan area.
• Delhi remains the most polluted capital city.

Tropic's Engineered Banana: Fighting Food Waste

Recently, the UK-based biotech company Tropic introduced a genetically-engineered banana that resists browning.

• Innovation Against Spoilage - Tropic's genetically-engineered banana resists browning, addressing the 50% annual banana waste and its environmental impact.
• Ripening and Browning Process - Ethylene, a natural hormone, triggers (Produce Polyphenol Oxidase) PPO production, leading to browning when PPO reacts with oxygen. Bruising accelerates this process.
• Genetic Modification for Preservation - Tropic silences the PPO-producing gene, preserving the fruit's appearance without halting ripening, similar to Arctic apples.
• Environmental Impact of Banana Waste - The UK discards 1.4 million edible bananas daily, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Non-browning bananas could increase consumption of older fruit, reducing waste.

Dr. Jayshree Vencatesan Receives Ramsar Award for 'Wetland Wise Use'

• Dr. Jayshree Vencatesan - co-founder of Care Earth Trust,
• Features of Award - It recognizing exceptional contributions to sustainable wetland management, was announced on International Women's Day.
• The Ramsar Awards celebrate individuals and organizations dedicated to wetlands' sustainable management.
• Categories include 'wise use of wetlands', 'innovation', and 'influencing policy'.

Security

China's Yunnan Radar

China's deployment of a Large Phased Array Radar (LPAR) in Yunnan, near Myanmar, significantly boosts China’s surveillance capabilities.

• Range - Exceeding 5,000km.
• Features - Its advanced technology allows for rapid scanning and precise tracking of multiple targets, including ballistic missile launches.
• Objective- Monitoring the Indian Ocean & Indian Territory, including crucial missile testing sites like Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island.
• Challenges for India - Monitoring of India's missile tests, posing a significant threat to national security & missile development program.