UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 29-06-2024

European Council

Prime Minister congratulates H.E Antonio Costa on being elected as President of the European Council recently.

• The European Council is the European Union (EU) institution that defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union.
• It represents the highest level of political cooperation between EU countries.
• Treaty of Maastricht - Under the Treaty of Maastricht, the European Council acquired a formal status and role to provide the impetus and general political guidelines for the EU.
• Founded in – 1974.
• Headquarters - Brussels, Belgium.
• Members - Heads of state or government of the 27 EU member states, the European Council President and the President of the European Commission.
• Functions
  • It decides on the EU's overall direction and political priorities but does not pass laws.
  • It deals with complex or sensitive issues that cannot be resolved at lower levels of intergovernmental cooperation.
  • It sets the EU's common foreign & security policy, taking into account EU strategic interests and defense implications.
  • It nominates and appoints candidates to certain high profile EU level roles, such as the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Commission.
• Sessions - The Council meets 4 times per year at least. It usually adopts 'conclusions' at its formal meetings. Conclusions set out the EU's position on key policy matters.
• The European Council mostly takes its decisions by consensus. This means that no member opposes the decision.
• However, in certain specific cases outlined in the EU treaties, it decides by taking a vote.

References

1. Press Information Bureau | President of European Council
2. Consilium Europa | European Council

Bhuvan Panchayat portal & National Database for Emergency Management

Union Minister launches 2 Geoportals, “Bhuvan Panchayat (4.0)” portal and “National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM 5.0)” recently.

Bhuvan Panchayat Portal (Space based Information Support for Decentralised Planning at Panchyayat level (SIS-DP))

• It is a national initiative of preparing basic spatial layers useful in planning process at grass root levels.
• Formulated by – National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO.
• Implemented by - In partnership with State Remote Sensing Application Centers in the country.
• Aim - Empowering Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and the Stakeholders with Space-based Information Support for Decentralized Planning and Governance.
• The project's main deliverables include
  • Satellite images - 2.5 m resolution satellite images of the entire country.
  • Thematic maps - 1:10K scale thematic maps on natural resources and infrastructure, such as land cover and settlements.
  • Resource inventories - Inventories of resources like water sources, road networks, drainage, and rail networks.

• These deliverables are useful for planning, development, implementation, and monitoring activities at the Panchayat or Village level.
• The project also integrates data from stakeholder departments into the spatial layer in a GIS environment.

National Database for Emergency Management

• It is to provide space-based inputs on natural disasters and aid in disaster risk reduction In India as well as neighboring countries.
• Developed by - National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), ISRO.
• Ministry - Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• NDEM acts as a geo-portal with the amalgamation of DSS tools and services of disaster forecasting organisations with value addition.
• NDEM will also act as a Disaster Recovery and Data Provider node for the Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response (ICR-ER) being established by MHA, New Delhi.

Reference

Press Information Bureau | Bhuvan Panchayat portal and NDEM

Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence

China is celebrating the 70^th anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, first propounded in the Sino-Indian Agreement of 1954.

• China calls the Five Principles is known in India as Panchsheel agreement.
• The word Panchsheel traces its origin to the Buddhist concept of Pancasila.
  • 5 moral vows of Buddhism - Abstinence from murder, theft, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants.

Panchsheel - The Five Principles

• The Panchsheel Agreement, formally known as The Agreement on Trade and Intercourse with Tibet Region is signed between India and China.
• Signed on - April 29, 1954.
• 5 principles

• The agreement aimed to enhance trade and cooperation between the 2 countries, establishing each country’s trade centres in major cities of the other, and laid out a framework for trade.
• The agreement also listed important religious pilgrimages, provisions for pilgrims, and acceptable routes and passes available to them.
• Importantly, India for the 1^st time recognized Tibet as the Tibet Region of China.
• Badung Conference - In 1955, the Five Principles would feature prominently at the first African-Asian Conference in Bandung, Indonesia.
• 29 countries of Asia and Africa took part in the Bandung Conference and signed a 10-point declaration that co-opted the Five Principles or Panchsheel.
• The Bandung Conference is the precursor to the Non-Aligned Movement.

The Non-Aligned Movement is a forum of 120 countries that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc.

Reference

The Indian Express | China’s Five Principles of foreign policy

Steriphopus wangala

A newly discovered Spider named after Wangala festival of Meghalaya recently.

• The new spider species discovered recently in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya.
• Family - Palp-Footed Spider.
  • Palp-footed spiders, also known as Palpimanidae, are a family of ground-dwelling spiders with large front legs and distinctive features useful for field identification.
• Genus – Steriphopus
  • This discovery added the total number of species in this genus to 5 globally, with 2 found in India.

References

1. East Mojo | Steriphopus wangala
2. Meghalaya Government | Wangala Festival

Motor Neuron Diseases (MNDs)

The 3^rd annual conference on MND 'Awareness, Care and Management’ at Nimhans held recently in Bengaluru, stated that symptomatic and supportive treatments help manage the condition better.

• MNDs are a group of progressive neurological diseases that destroy motor neurons, cells controlling skeletal muscular activities like walking, breathing, speaking and swallowing.
• In MND, these neurons degenerate and die. This causes the muscles to become weaker and weaker. This eventually leads to paralysis.
• The MND disease group includes:
  • Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
  • Progressive muscular atrophy (PMA)
  • Progressive bulbar palsy (PBP)
  • Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS)
  • Kennedy's disease, also known as spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA)
• Affecting age - MND is an uncommon disease. The average age that people are diagnosed with MND is 58 years.
• Symptoms - Usually start on one side of the body before spreading that include
  • Weakness in their hands and grip,
  • Slurred speech
  • Weakness in their legs, and a tendency to trip
  • Weakness of their shoulder, making lifting difficult
  • Cramps and muscles twitching
• Treatment - There's no cure for motor neurone disease, but treatment can help reduce the impact the symptoms have on your life.

Reference

Deccan Herald | Motor Neuron Disease