Prelims Bits 16-02-2018

Shell Fish Reef

• Virtually all of Australia’s shellfish reefs have disappeared, making them the country’s most threatened ocean ecosystem.
• Shellfish reefs are made up of oysters & mussels.
• They accrete dead shell material such that the reef grows in size and mass over time.
• Just like coral reefs, they support the growth of important fish species whilst also helping to improve water quality and increase biodiversity.

• The shellfish reef plays a crucial role in water filtration, increased local fish production, bank stabilization and sustaining biodiversity.
• Shellfish reefs have declined by up 99% since British colonization.
• The reason behind the decline are
  1. Early destruction for lime for mortar used in the construction of roads,
  2. Overharvesting of shellfish for food and oysters,
  3. Destructive fishing practices,
  4. Introduction of non-native shellfish and
  5. Habitat loss from coastal development.

Noro Virus

•  The ongoing 23rd Olympic Winter Games at the South Korean city of Pyeongchang, has been hit by an extraordinary outbreak of disease caused by Norovirus.
• Noro virus is similar to rota virus that induces diahorrea.
• It infects people across all age groups and is highly contagious.

World Sustainable Development Summit 2018

• The Prime Minister will soon inaugurate the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS 2018) in New Delhi.
• WSDS is the flagship forum of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
• The theme of the 2018 Summit is ‘Partnerships for a Resilient Planet’.
• The ‘Greenovation Exhibition’ at WSDS 2018 will showcase the latest technological advancements to meet Sustainable Development Goals.
• The summit seeks to bring together on a common platform, global leaders and thinkers in the fields of sustainable development, energy and environment sectors.
• The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is a leading think tank dedicated to conducting research for sustainable development of India and the Global South.
• TERI's key focus lies in promoting clean energy, water management, pollution management, sustainable agriculture and climate resilience.

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)

• PFRDA is a statutory regulatory body established by an Act of Parliament in 2013.
• The mandate of the body is to promote, develop and regulate pension sector in India.
• PFRDA appoints the Board of Trustees that takes care of National Pension Scheme (NPS).
• The amount collected under Atal Pension Yojana (APY) is managed by Pension Funds appointed by PFRDA. PFRDA recently identifies 21 Banks as Makers of Excellence under Atal Pension Yojana Outreach Programme.
• Click here to know about APY.

C-Section

• Over-Medicalization of childbirth is growing problem in the healthcare industry.
• Obstetrician involvement and unnecessary medical interventions in normal childbirth, without evidence of effectiveness, is called Over-Medicalization.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently said it has revised a benchmark used by health professionals worldwide in caring for women during childbirth as there was a surge in interventions in recent times.
• According to National Family Health Survey 2015-16 the total percent of mothers who underwent c-section stands at 17.2% from 8.5% in 2005-06 (NFHS3).
• Especially private facility delivery stands at 40% compared to 11% in the public facility.

5G

• 5G is the fifth generation wireless network with the advanced features such as higher data bandwidth, greater speed and lower latency.
• It made the worldwide debut in the winter Olympics at Pyeongchang, South Korea.
• The 5G devices are 100 times faster than the 4G devices, sending data at 10 Giga bytes per second (Gbps) and will deliver the Internet of things (IOT).

Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business Standard