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Type: First / Record

  • Mother and Child Health – Immunization Program, BPBB, PMJSY, PMMSY, etc.

    NFHS-6 (2023-24)

    Why in the news?

    The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6), showing major improvements in maternal health, child nutrition, immunisation, and financial protection.

    About NFHS

    • Conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai
    • Covers population, health, nutrition, and family welfare indicators
    • NFHS-6 surveyed about 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts

    Key Findings

    Maternal and Child Health

    • (Hospital) Institutional deliveries increased: 88.6% → 90.6%
    • ANC coverage: 92.6% → 95.9%
    • Four or more ANC visits: 58.5% → 65.2%
    • Skilled birth attendance: 89.4% → 91.3%

    Child Immunisation

    • Full immunisation: 83.8% → 87.1%
    • Over 96% children received at least one vaccine
    • Rotavirus vaccine coverage: 36.4% → 85.4%
    • 95.6% vaccinations delivered through public health facilities

    Nutrition Indicators

    • Stunting reduced: 35.5% → 29.3%
    • Severe wasting reduced: 7.7% → 5.2%
    • Breastfeeding within one hour of birth: 41.8% → 50.1%

    Family Planning

    • Total Fertility Rate (TFR): 2.0
    • Contraceptive prevalence: 66.7% → 69.1%

    Health Insurance Coverage

    • Household coverage under health insurance schemes: 41.0% → 60.2%
    • Reflects expansion of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)

    Women’s Empowerment

    • Women using the internet: 33.3% → 64.3%
    • Women operating their own bank accounts: 78.6% → 89.0%
    • Women owning mobile phones: 53.9% → 63.6%

    [2022] The total fertility rate in an economy is defined as:

    [A] the number of children born per 1000 people in the population in a year.

    [B] the number of children born to a couple in their lifetime in a given population.

    [C] the birth rate minus death rate.

    [D] the average number of live births a woman would have by the end of her child-bearing age.

  • ISRO Missions and Discoveries

    Subsurface Lunar Ice Discovery (Chandrayaan-2)

    Why in the news?

    Scientists from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) used data from Chandrayaan-2’s Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar (DFSAR) to discover strong evidence of subsurface water-ice near the Moon’s South Pole.

    Key Findings

    • Target Location: Four “doubly shadowed craters” located inside Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) at the lunar south pole.
    • Extreme Thermal Environment: These locations are permanently shielded from solar radiation, maintaining temperatures around 25 Kelvin (-248°C), acting as ideal cold traps to preserve volatiles.
    • The Prime Candidate: A 1.1 km diameter micro-crater located within the larger Faustini Crater showed the highest probability of containing clean subsurface ice.

    Geomorphological Evidence

    • Lobate-Rim Morphology: The highly-evident 1.1 km crater exhibits flow-like, lobed patterns along its rim.
    • Geological Meaning: This indicates that the initial meteoroid impact likely penetrated a layer of subsurface ice, melting it briefly to create a slurry-like, fluid ejecta pattern before re-freezing.

    About Chandrayaan-2 & DFSAR

    • Mission Context: Launched in July 2019; while its Vikram lander failed to make a soft landing, the orbiter remains fully functional in lunar orbit.
    • DFSAR Instrument: Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar.
    • Capabilities: It is the first fully polarimetric radar sent to the Moon, operating across L-band and S-band microwave frequencies to penetrate deep into the lunar regolith.

    Significance

    • In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): Essential for future crewed bases (such as Artemis or India’s planned lunar base) to harvest local water for life support and rocket fuel production.
    • Strategic Mapping: Provides high-fidelity targeting data for future landing and excavation missions, including India’s upcoming Chandrayaan missions.

    Challenges

    • Accessing Cold Traps: Operating mechanical equipment in permanent darkness at 25 Kelvin presents immense engineering challenges.
    • Regolith Depth Overburden: The ice is subsurface, requiring specialized drilling and extraction systems rather than surface scraping.

    [2017] The terms ‘Event Horizon’, ‘Singularity’, ‘String Theory’ and ‘Standard Model’ are sometimes seen in the news in the context of

    [A] Observation and understanding of the Universe

    [B] Study of the solar and the lunar eclipses

    [C] Placing satellites in the orbit of the Earth

    [D] Origin and evolution of living organisms on the earth

  • New Species of Plants and Animals Discovered

    New Evergreen Tree Species Discovered in Kerala

    Why in News?

    Scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute discovered a new evergreen tree species, Humboldtia nairiana, in Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary.

    About the Species

    • Belongs to the genus Humboldtia
    • Found in riparian forests of the southern Western Ghats
    • Named in honour of plant biotechnologist G.M. Nair

    Discovery

    • First collected during a 2010 floristic survey along the Cheenikkala-Pandimotta forest trail
    • Seedlings were conserved ex-situ at the JNTBGRI Arboretum
    • Flowering and fruiting observed in 2022
    • Morphological studies confirmed it as a new species

    Distribution

    • Strictly endemic to Kerala
    • Known only from the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve

    Conservation Status

    • Wild population is fragile and limited
    • Categorised as “Data Deficient” under IUCN criteria
    • Highlights need for habitat protection and field monitoring

    Ecological Importance

    • Adds to the biodiversity significance of the Western Ghats
    • Shows importance of riparian forest ecosystems
    • Strengthens conservation value of Agasthyamala region

    About Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve

    • Part of the Western Ghats
    • UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserve
    • Known for high endemism and rich biodiversity

    [2019] “Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries” are part of which of the following?

    [A] Agasthyamalai biosphere reserve

    [B] Nilgiri biosphere reserve

    [C] Seshachalam Hills

    [D] Panna biosphere reserve

  • Climate Change Negotiations – UNFCCC, COP, Other Conventions and Protocols

     First National Report on the Nagoya Protocol on ABS

    Why in the News?

    The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change released insights from India’s first national report on the Nagoya Protocol related to Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), highlighting India’s progress in ensuring equitable sharing of benefits arising from biological resources.

    About the Nagoya Protocol

    • Adopted Under: Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
    • Objective: To ensure Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.

    What is Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)?

    • ABS means: Users of biological resources must share benefits with:
      • Local communities
      • Indigenous groups
      • Traditional knowledge holders
    • Benefits can include:
      • Monetary compensation
      • Technology transfer
      • Community development
      • Conservation support

    Key Findings of the Report

    • Large-Scale Implementation Between 2017 and 2025: 12,830 ABS approvals granted.
    • India’s Global Contribution
    • India issued:
      • 3,556 Internationally Recognised Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs)
      • Around 60% of global issuance.
    • Revenue Generated: ₹216.31 crore realised by: National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)
    • Community Benefit: ₹139.69 crore disbursed to benefit claimers and local communities.

    [2023] Consider the following statements:
    1. In Biodiversity the India, Management Committees are key to the realization of the objectives of the Nagoya Protocol.
    2. The Biodiversity Management Committees have important functions in determining access and benefit sharing, including the power to levy collection fees on the access of biological resources within its jurisdiction.
    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    [A] 1 only

    [B] 2 only

    [C] Both 1 and 2

    [D] Neither 1 nor 2