Fight against plastic pollution
- A study stated that krill could prove to be a potent weapon in the fight against the growing threat of plastic pollution in the world's oceans.
- The tiny zooplankton are capable of digesting microplastics – under 5 millimetres (0.2 inches) – before excreting them back into the environment in an even smaller form.
- On average, the excreted fragments are 78 % smaller than the original beads with some reduced by 94 %.
- Every year, more than eight million tons of plastics ends up in the ocean.
- It costs billions of dollars in damage to marine ecosystems and killing an estimated one million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals and untold numbers of fish.
- Click here to know more about Antarctica krill.
Bauxite
- India with an estimate 3.48 billion tons of bauxite has 11 % ownership of the world bauxite resources.
- Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with relatively high aluminum content.
- Bauxite is found in two varieties- the metallurgical and non-metallurgical.
- Aluminum is widely used by automobile industry, for making aircraft, among others.
- The metallurgical grade is refined into alumina and the smelted into aluminum.
- The non-metallurgical grade is used in abrasives, cement and refractories.
- Orissa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh are the main bauxite producing states in India.
Fisheries to get less productive by 2300
- Global fisheries to be 20% less productive due to the increase in mean surface air temperature.
- The future climate condition will be characterized by 9.6 degrees Celsius increase in mean surface air temperature.
- The extended climate warming will drastically alter wind patterns, boost ocean surface temperatures and melt nearly all the sea ice in Polar Regions
- Resulting in changes in the phytoplankton growth and ocean circulation around Antarctica, with the net effect of transferring nutrients from the upper ocean to the deep ocean.
- Therefore, marine ecosystems to the north will be increasingly starved for nutrients, leading to less primary production (photosynthesis) by phytoplankton, which form the base of ocean food chains.
Curbing Population Growth
- Among the various reasons for most problems associated with providing healthcare and employment, social security etc., population growth is one of the factors.
- As per the 2017 revision of United Nations World Population prospects, India’s population is projected to be 1.50 billion by 2030 only.
- Government of India has taken various steps to curb the population growth such as Mission Parivar Vikas, new Family Planning media campaign , scheme to ensure spacing of births by ASHAs etc.,
- As a result of Governments initiatives, the decadal growth rate has declined significantly from 21.15% in census 2001 to 17.64% in census 2011.
| | NFHS -3 | NFHS-4 |
| Crude Birth rate | 23.1% | 19% |
| Total Fertility rate | 2.6% | 2.2% |
| Total unmet contraceptive need | 13.9% | 12.9% |
- Click here to know about Mission Parivar vikas
PM’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment (POSHAN) Abhiyan
- POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched by the Prime Minister recently in Jhunjhunu ,Rajasthan.
- The abhiyan may include the following nutrition strategies and interventions
- supplementary nutrition,
- IYCF(Infant and Young Child Feeding)immunisation,
- food fortification,
- adolescent nutrition,
- dietary diversification
- maternal health
- Behavior change communication is the key component of POSHAN Abhiyaan for converting it into Jan Andolan (People’s movement).
- The Executive Committee is the Apex body for all Nutrition related activities under the POSHAN Abhiyaan.
- National Council on India’s nutritional challenges under chairmanship of Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, has been set up under the POSHAN Abhiyaan.
Strategic Partnership Model in Defense Acquisition
- The policy on Strategic Partnerships in Defense sector was approved by Defence Acquisition Council last year.
- The policy is intended to institutionalize a transparent, objective and functional mechanism to encourage broader participation of the private sector n the manufacture of defense platforms and equipment.
- The following four segments have been identified for acquisition under Strategic Partnership (SP) route
- Fighter Aircraft
- Helicopters
- Submarines
- Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) / Main Battle Tanks (MBTs).
- The Strategic Partnership Model (SPM) is a different category of Capital Acquisition in addition to the existing categories such as ‘Buy (Indian-IDDM)’, ‘Buy (Indian)’, ‘Buy & Make (Indian)’, ‘Buy & Make’ and ‘Buy (Global)’.
- Click here to know more about SPM
Map of the Day
Europe
- Greenland and Faroe Islands are autonomous constituent countries within the Kingdom of Denmark.
- Norway, Sweden and Denmark are called Scandinavian Countries.
- Scandinavia along with Finland and Iceland including Greenland and Faroe Islands are called Nordic Countries.
- Balkan Peninsula is comprised of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia with portions of Greece and Turkey.
- Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are called Baltic Countries.
Source: PIB, The Hindu, Business Standard
