Prelim Bits 20-06-2023 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

Direct Seeding Vs Transplanting

Paddy

• Origin - South India.
• Scientific name - Oryza sativa.
• Top producing country – China.
• 2^nd largest rice producing country – India.
• Top producing state in India – West Bengal.
• Paddy (rice with husk) is a highly water-intensive crop.
• Temperature - High temperature above 25-degree Celsius
• Rainfall - High humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.

Transplanting of Rice

• Transplanting consists of preparing seedlings in nursery and then planting these seedlings in the prepared main field.
• Transplanting ensures a uniform plant stand.
• In transplanting, the flooded fields basically deny oxygen to the weed seeds in the soil, thus acting as a natural herbicide.

Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR)

• Paddy is sown directly in the field without any nursery preparation, puddling or flooding.
• DSR is effective against weeds and saves water compared to transplanting.
• Direct seeding is more cost-effective than transplanting.
• Plants mature faster when grown via direct seeding.
• It is not necessary to disturb root systems when planted via direct seeding.
• Disadvantages
  • Higher seed rates
  • Seeds exposed to birds and pests
  • Weed management
  • Higher risk of lodging

Reference

The Indian Express | Paddy and the price of water

ICMR's Recent Report on Diabetes

ICMR’s recent study says that India has 101 million people living with diabetes

• Published by - The Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
• Findings - More than a quarter of the population was either diabetic or in pre-diabetic stage.
• 11.4% of India’s population or 101 million people are living with diabetes.
• Hypertension - Around 35.5% of the population or 315 million people are living with the hypertension or high blood pressure.
• Obesity - The study found that 28.6% of the population would be considered to be obese as per the BMI measure, 39.5% of the population had abdominal obesity.
• BMI (body mass index) - Generally used as a measure for obesity.
• Hypercholesterolemia - 24% of the population were living with hypercholesterolemia (a condition where the bad cholesterol or LDL levels are high).

Diabetes & its Types

• Diabetes is a condition that happens when your blood sugar (glucose) is too high.
• It develops when your pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin or any at all, or when your body isn’t responding to the effects of insulin properly.
• Diabetes affects people of all ages.
• Type 1 diabetes - It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in pancreas.
• It’s usually diagnosed in children and young adults, but it can develop at any age.
• It is non-curable.
• Type 2 diabetes - With this type the body doesn’t make enough insulin and body’s cells don’t respond normally to the insulin (insulin resistance).
• This is the most common type of diabetes.
• It mainly affects adults, but children can have it as well.
• Other types
  • Gestational diabetes
  • Type 3c diabetes
  • Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA)
  • Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY)
  • Neonatal diabetes
  • Brittle diabetes

Reference

The Indian Express | India has 101 million people living with diabetes

Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag

The new variation of Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag, a representation of the LGBTQIA+ community is increasingly being accepted by many organizations in India.

• LGBTQIA+ - Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and the + holds space for the expanding and new understanding of different parts of the very diverse gender and sexual identities.

Pride flag

• It represents the pride associated with LGTQIA+ social movements and allies as a symbol of resistance and acceptance.
• In 2021, Intersex Equality Rights (UK) decided to adapt the Pride Progress flag design to incorporate the intersex flag, creating the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag.
• The recent flag is created by Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK in 2021.
• This is a new version of the previous Progress Pride Flag created in 2018 by Daniel Quasar.
• Various color representation and its meanings
  • Red= Life
  • Orange= Healing
  • Yellow= New Ideas
  • Green= Prosperity
  • Blue= Serenity
  • Violet= Spirit
  • Chevron Part
  • Black and brown= people of colour
  • White, blue and pink= transpeople
  • Yellow with purple circle= Intersex people.

India’s case

• In India, section 377 in Navtej Singh Johar vs Union of India case (gay sex) was decriminalised in 2018.
• India’s 2011 Census was the first census in its history to incorporate the number of ‘trans’ population of the country.
• According to the 2011 Census, the number of persons who do not identify as ‘male’ or ‘female’ but as ‘other’ stands at 4,87,803 (0.04% of the total population).

Yogyakarta Principles recognise that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and can fulfil that precious birthright.

Reference

The Indian Express | The new Pride flag

Prevalence of Anaemia in India

The 6^th round National Family Health Survey (NFHS), is scheduled to begin on July 1.

Anaemia

• Anaemia is linked to insufficient healthy red cells (haemoglobin) that carry oxygen in the body.
• Reasons - Iron deficiency, deficiencies in folate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin A, chronic conditions such as diabetes or inherited genetic disorders.
• There are 5 documented types of anaemia:
  • Aplastic anaemia,
  • Iron deficiency anaemia,
  • Sickle cell anaemia,
  • Thalassemia,
  • Vitamin deficiency anaemia.

Anaemia in India

• An estimate shows 1.3% of the GDP for children and 4% of the GDP for children and adults combined are lost due to anaemia-related illnesses in India.
• NFHS-5 showed at least 67% of children having anaemia as compared to 58.6% in the last survey conducted in 2015-16.
• World Bank data shows one in two Indian women is anaemic, 20% higher than the world average.
• India has recognised anaemia as a public health challenge.
• Schemes related to Anaemia
  • Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy,
  • Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS),
  • National Nutritional Anaemia Prophylaxis Programme (NNAPP) and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan

WHO standard on Haemoglobin diagnostic cut-off for

• Men - 14 gm/deciliter,
• Women 12 gm/decilitre
• Boys and girls - Between 11 and 12 gm/deciliter.

Reference

The Hindu | Can the new Diet and Biomarker Survey trace the roots of India’s anaemia problem

Curiosity Rover

NASA’s Curiosity rover sends a beautiful postcard image from Mars.

• Launch Year – 2012.
• It is a part of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission of NASA.
• It is the largest and most capable rover ever sent to Mars.
• Aim - To climb onto the layered deposit in the center of the Gale Crater to assess its possible origins.
• Gale crater, located just south of the Martian equator was formed by the impact of a large meteorite sometime between 3.5 and 3.8 billion years ago.
• Findings - Curiosity's scientific tools found chemical and mineral evidence of past habitable environments on Mars.
• It continues to explore the rock record from a time when Mars could have been home to microbial life.

687 Earth days = One Mars year

Reference

The Indian Express | NASA’s Curiosity rover sends a beautiful postcard