• A Model Panchayat Citizens Charter/ framework for delivery of the services across the 29 sectors, aligning actions with localised Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was released recently by Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Shri Narendra Singh Tomar through virtual program for the Panchayats to adopt & customise.
• The charter was prepared by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) in collaboration with National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR).
• The Citizen Charter would ensure transparent and effective delivery of public services for sustainable development and enhanced citizen service experiences; deepening inclusive and accountable Local Self Governments by incorporating diverse views while designing and delivering services.
• This will help in making the citizens aware of their rights on the one hand, and to make the Panchayats and their elected representatives directly accountable to the people, on the other hand.
• It is expected that the Panchayats will utilise this framework to draw up a Citizens Charter and adopt it through a resolution of the Gram Sabha by 15th August, 2021. 

Background

• Panchayats constitute the third tier of government in the rural areas and represents the first level of Government interaction for over 60 per cent of the Indian populace.
• Panchayats are responsible for delivery of basic services as enshrined under article 243G of the Constitution of India, specifically in the areas of Health & Sanitation, Education, Nutrition, Drinking Water.

• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), in its meeting held recently under the Chairmanship of Defence Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh has approved proposals concerning Capital Acquisitions of various equipment for modernisation and operational needs of the Armed Forces amounting to approx. Rs 6,000 crore. 

Defence Acquisition Council

• It is the Defence Ministry’s highest decision-making body for deciding on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard.
• Union Minister for Defence is the Chairman of the Council.
• It was formed, after the Group of Ministers recommendations on 'Reforming the National Security System', in 2001, post Kargil War (1999).

SPAG9

• India's first indigenous tumour antigen SPAG9 was discovered by Dr Anil Suri in 1998 who is heading the Cancer Research Program at NII.
• In a recent development, the SPAG9 antigen has received the trademark ASPAGNIITM.
• Currently, ASPAGNIITM is being used in dendritic cell (DC) based immunotherapy in cervical, ovarian cancer and will also be used in breast cancer.
• The ASPAGNIITM is a true example of translational cancer research and the Atmanirbhar Bharat spirit.
• It will eventually be helpful to patients in India and the world.
• This will be a real morale boost in affordable, personalised and indigenous products for cancer treatment.

Immunotherapy

• It is a new approach that exploits the body’s inner capability to put up a fight against cancer.
• With this approach, either the immune system is given a boost, or the T cells are “trained’’ to identify recalcitrant cancer cells and kill them.
• In this personalised intervention, those patients expressing SPAG9 protein can be treated with DC-based vaccine approach.
• In DC-based vaccine, patient’s cells called monocytes from their blood are collected and modified into what are called dendritic cells.
• These dendritic cells are primed with ASPAGNIITM and are injected back to the patient to help the ‘fighter’ cells, or T-cells, in the body to kill the cancer cells.
• DC-based immunotherapy is safe, affordable and can promote antitumor immune responses and prolonged survival of cancer patients.

Environment Sustainability Report (ESR)

• The ESR published by Indian Railways (IR) and subsidiary units each year sets up a framework document defining strategies and focus points in the context of climate change, the issues at stake, and steps for dealing with them.
• It helps railways to support government commitments such as the Paris agreement on climate change, the UN Sustainable Development Goals and National Disaster Management Plans.

Indian Railways (IR)

• It is working in mission mode to become the largest Green Railways in the world and is moving towards becoming a “net zero carbon emitter” before 2030.
• Railways is guided by a holistic vision of being an environment friendly, efficient, cost effective, punctual and a modern carrier of passengers as well as freight in order to serve the growing needs of New India.
• IR is looking at helping the environment with steps ranging from massive electrification, water & paper conservation, to saving animals from being injured on Railway tracks.

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will participate in the World Environment Day event on 5th June 2021.
• The event is being jointly organized by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 
• The theme for this year’s event is ‘Promotion of biofuels for better environment’.

Artificial Sun “EAST”

• The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor is an advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device.
• It is located at the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in Hefei, China.
• It is part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility, which will become the world’s largest nuclear fusion reactor when it becomes operational in 2035.
• It is designed to replicate the nuclear fusion process carried out by the sun and stars.

Litoria Mira

• It is a species of frog lives in the rainforests of New Guinea that appears to be made from chocolate.
• It can be distinguished from all other Litoria by its unique combination of moderately large size, webbing on hand, relatively short and robust limbs, and small violet patch of skin on the edge of its eyes.
• It was discovered in one of the world’s most unpleasant places for humans i.e. a hot rainforest swamp infested with malarial mosquitoes, spiky trees and crocodiles and without roads.

H10N3 Virus

• It is a low pathogenic or relatively less severe strain of the virus in poultry and the risk of it spreading on a large scale was very low
• According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the H10N3 flu appears to be rare in birds.
• The source of the patient’s exposure to the H10N3 virus was not known, there was no indication of human-to-human transmission yet.
• The growing surveillance of avian influenza in the human population will result in more infections with bird flu viruses are being picked up.

Rishiganga River

• It is a river in the Uttarakhand, springs from the Uttari Nanda Devi Glacier on the Nanda Devi Mountain.
• Continuing through the Nanda Devi National Park, it flows into the Dhauliganga River near the village Rini.

Protected Planet Report

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have released Protected Planet Report 2020.
• It called for existing protected and conserved areas to be identified and recognised by accounting for the efforts of indigenous peoples, local communities and private entities.
• It is the first in the series to include data on OECMs in addition to protected areas.
• Other effective area-based conservation measures' (OECMs) is a conservation designation for areas that are achieving the effective in-situ conservation of biodiversity outside of protected areas.