22-Sep-2023-Daily-Current-Affairs

1.GS1-INDIAN HISTORY-ART AND CULTURE-THE HINDU

ADI SHANLKARACHARYA

• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Thursday unveiled a 108-foot-tall statue of the 8th-century spiritual leader Adi Shankaracharya in Omkareshwar town.
• The ‘Statue of Oneness’, conceptualized around six years ago, depicts Shankaracharya as a 12-year-old child when he is said to have visited Omkareshwar, which has one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines — said to be the most sacred abodes of Shiva.

Adi Shankaracharya:

• Known as Adi Shankara, born 11th May 788 AD, at Kaladi near Kochi, Kerala.
• Took Samadhi at the age of 33, at Kedar tirth.
• He was a devotee of Shiva.
• Propounded the Doctrine of Advaita (Monism) and wrote many commentaries on the Vedic canon (Upanishads, Brahma Sutras and Bhagavad Gita) in Sanskrit.
• He was opposed to Buddhist philosophers.
• Was responsible for reviving Hinduism in India to a great extent when Buddhism was gaining popularity.
• Established four Mathas in the four corners of India at Shingeri, Puri, Dwaraka and Badrinath– for propagation of Sanathana Dharma.
• Advaita Vedanta:It articulates a philosophical position of radical nondualism, a revisionary worldview which it derives from the ancient Upanishadic texts.

2.GS2-INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE-THE HINDU

WOMEN RESERVATION BILL

• The Rajya Sabha passed the women’s reservation Bill unanimously on Thursday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi say ing that the unanimity will instill confidence among the public.
• The Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill, or the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhi niyam, and its six clauses were passed with all 214 members present in the Upper House voting in favour of them
• A total of 72 speakers participated in the debate that was marked with poetry and couplets

3.GS2-HEALTH-THE HINDU

INDIA’S BP PROBLEM

• Globally, hypertension affects one in three individuals and four out of five do not have it adequately controlled, according to the first World Health Organization (WHO) report on hypertension released on September 1
• In the WHO report that re- lies on 2019 data, 188 million Indians adults aged 30-79 years have hypertension. Of them, the condition has been diagnosed only in 37%, 30% are treated and a meagre 15% of people have hyper- tension under control.
• Women appear to be marginally better than men in having the condition diagnosed, treated and controlled.9
• In the WHO report that re- lies on 2019 data, 188 million Indians adults aged 30-79 years have hypertension. Of them, the condition has been diagnosed only in 37%, 30% are treated and a meagre 15% of people have hyper- tension under control. Women appear to be marginally better than men in having the condition diagnosed, treated and controlled.
• In the Global Burden of Disease report, in 2019, heart attack was the leading cause of death and disability in India.
• excess salt consumption (over five grams a day) is responsible for 17% 30% of hypertension
• India has, however, done well in improving blood pressure control in people with hypertension through the novel India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI). Launched in 2018, the IHCI has successfully enrolled 5.8 million hypertensive pa tients for treatment in 27 States, as of June 2023, Importantly, 48% of patients enrolled at primary health centers and 55% at health wellness centers

3.GS2-INDIAN POLITY AND GOVERNANCE-THE HINDU

CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT 2023

• The Climate Ambition Summit held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 20 September 2023 aimed to address the urgent need for climate action in response to the latest scientific assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
• Representatives from 34 states and 7 institutions were given the floor on the day of the summit: all the G-20 governments will be asked to commit to presenting, by 2025, more ambitious economy-wide Nationally Determined Contributions
• China, United States and India — who collectively account for about 42% of global greenhouse gas emissions and are the top three emitters in that order — were all absent from the CAS that was designed, according to the U.N., to “showcase 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
• ndia’s neighbours Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan were among the listed speakers and emerging economies such as South Africa and Brazil were also on the list. The European Union, Germany, France and Canada were also on the podium.
• India last updated its climate pledges in 2022 of reducing emissions intensity — or the volume of emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) — by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030, a 10% increase from what it agreed to in 2015.
• The government committed to meet 50% of its electric power needs from renewable, non-fossil fuel energy sources — up from 40% committed at the Paris agreement. It assured to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3bn tonnes of CO2-equivalent [GtCO2e] through additional forest and tree cover by 2030
• Climate action is dwarfed by the scale of the challenge. If nothing changes we are heading towards a 2.8 degree temperature rise — towards a dangerous and unstable world.”

4.GS1- INDIAN HISTORY-ART AND CULTURE-THE HINDU

BHARATNATYAM

• Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest (considered to be over 2000 years old) and most popular forms of classical dance that originated in Tanjore district in Tamil Nadu, India.
• Bharatnatyam is one among the eight classical dances of India.
• The origin of this dance can be traced to the sage Bharata Muni’s Natyashastra.
• The Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara is one of the main sources of textual material, for the study of the technique and grammar of body movement in Bharatnatyam Dance.
• The style was kept alive by the devadasis, the young girls ‘gifted’ by their parents to the temples and married to the gods.

 

EIGHT CLASSICAL DANCES OF INDIA

 

5.GS2- INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS-THE HINDU

INDIA CANADA RELATIONS

• India-Canada trade
• India’s total trade with Canada in the last (2022-23) financial year was $8 bi
• Among what India imports from Canada, three categories of goods dominate and account for 46% (that is, almost half) of the total import by value. These are:

1. Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes.
2. Pulp of wood or of other fibrous cellulosic material; waste and scrap of paper or paperboard
3. Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubersllion — that’s 0.7% of India’s total trade ($1.1 trillion) with the world

• The top three exports, on the other hand, accounted for only 30% of the total exports. These were:

1. Pharmaceutical products
2. Articles of iron or steel
3. Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof

• Canada is important to India as a supplier of two major agri-related commodities.
• The first is muriate of potash (MOP), the third most consumed fertiliser in India after urea and di-ammonium phosphate
• The second major item is masur or red lentil. India is a significant importer of pulses, with masur being the biggest after arhar/tur or pigeon-pea

5.GS3-ENVIRONMENT-DOWN TO EARTH

PARTICULATE MATTER

• Residing in an area with high levels of particulate matter of 2.5 microns or smaller (PM2.5) pollution is associated with increased breast cancer risk, found a new study.
• Women exposed to higher PM2.5 levels before enrolling in the study had a higher average incidence of breast cancer, the researchers stated.
• It can take many years for breast cancer to develop, and, in the past, air pollution levels tended to be higher, which may make previous exposure levels particularly relevant for cancer development.”
• 5 sources and concentrations may vary significantly across locations due to distinct climatic conditions, emission sources and dispersion patterns.
• The sources can be either natural or anthropogenic. Depending on the location, different sources such as vehicle traffic, dust resuspension, biomass burning, power plants, sea salt, industrial emissions, ship emissions and aircraft emissions may contribute to PM2.5 levels.

6.PRELIMS-PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

NATIONAL AWARDS

• Government comes out with a new set of National Awards in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation known as “Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar’’
• The objective of the Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar (RVP) is to recognize the notable and inspiring contribution made by the scientists, technologists, and innovators individually or in teams in various fields of science, technology and technology­ led innovation.
• People of Indian Origin staying abroad with exceptional contributions benefiting the Indian communities or society shall also be eligible for the awards. The awards shall be given in following four categories:-

1. Vigyan Ratna (VR) award will recognize lifetime achievements & contributions made in any field of science and
2. Vigyan Shri (VS) award will recognize distinguished contributions in any field of science and technology.
3. Vigyan Yuva-Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (VY-SSB) award will recognize & encourage young scientists up to the age of 45 years who made an exceptional contribution in any field of science and technology.
4. Vigyan Team (VT) award to be given to a team comprising of three or more scientists/researchers/innovators who have made an exceptional contribution working in a team in any field of science and technology.

• Scientists, technologists, and innovators working in any field of science in government or private organizations who have contributed or carried out a path breaking research, technology led innovation or discovery in any field of science or development of innovative technologies/products having significant societal impact shall be eligible for the award.
• The Award Ceremony for all categories of awards will be held on 23rd August (National Space Day). All Awards will have a Sanad& a medal.

7.PRELIMS-PRESS INFORMATION BUREAU

NEW FISH SPECIES

The scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of a vibrant orange coloured deep water marine fish from Digha Mohana in West Bengal.

The new species, commonly known as gurnards or sea-robins, belongs to the family Triglidae

 

8.PRELIMS-DOWN TO EARTH

PAMBAN BRIDEGE

• The new Pamban railway sea bridge being built to connect Mandapam town on the mainland with Rameshwaram on the Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu, may not be ready by November
• The 72.5-metre span is a “lift-span” or a movable part of the bridge which will rise and let ships pass
• The new bridge is being built over geographically challenging terrain as it is located in a corrosive marine environment, which is also cyclone-prone, and is a high-wind velocity zone.
• The railway bridge connects the mainland to Rameswaram, the South Indian town which is also one of the four Char Dham pilgrimage sites along with Badrinath in the north, Dwarka in the west, and Puri in the east.