The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare released the Sate Food Safety Index, 2023 as part of the World Food Safety Day celebrations organized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

• The State Food Safety Index (SFSI) is an annual assessment released by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• The index was started in 2018-19 to create a competitive and positive change in the food safety ecosystem in the country.
• The 5 parameters of the SFSI are

1. Human Resources and Institutional Data,
2. Compliance,
3. Food Testing – Infrastructure and Surveillance,
4. Training and Capacity Building and
5. Consumer Empowerment.

Highlights of the report

• Kerala has topped the Food Safety Index 2022-23 replacing Tamil Nadu which has slipped to third position and Punjab in second position.
• Among smaller states Goa stood first for the fourth time in a row which was followed by Manipur and Sikkim.

ICCPR is a multilateral treaty that commits nations to respect the civil and political rights of individuals.

• ICCPR was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1966.
• The section 2 of ICCPR prohibits the propagation of war or advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. Offences under this section are cognizable as well as non bailable.
• India ratified ICCPR on 1979 while Sri Lanka ratified on 1980.
• As of now, the covenant has 173 parties and six more signatories without ratification.

Ground-level ozone is “a colourless and highly irritating gas that forms just above the Earth's surface (up to 2 miles above the ground).

• Ground-level ozone is also called as tropospheric ozone (O3).
• Formation - It’s not directly emitted into the air but rather produced when two primary pollutants react in sunlight and stagnant air.
• These two primary pollutants of Ground-level ozone are nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• Ground-level ozone is called a Secondary pollutant.
• About 95 per cent of NOx from human activity comes from the burning of coal, gasoline and oil in motor vehicles, homes, industries and power plants.
• The pollutant from Ground-level ozone can also travel long distances due to wind and affect rural areas also.
• Ground-level ozone is a highly reactive gas, it has serious health consequences.
• The pollutant from Ground-level ozone can also affect sensitive vegetation and ecosystems, including forests, parks and wildlife refuges.
• According to State of Global Air report (2020) age-standardised rates of death attributable to ground-level ozone are among the highest in India.
• The State of Global Air is a collaboration between the Health Effects Institute (HEI) and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), with expert input from the University of British Columbia.

Recently Kakhovka Dam was collapsed in the Ukraine Russia war with each side blaming each other for the cause of the collapse of the dam.

• The Kakhovka Dam is located on the Dnieper River.
• The primary purposes of the dam are hydroelectric power generation, irrigation and navigation.
• The Dnieper River is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia and flows through Belarus and Ukraine before draining into Black Sea.
• Dnieper River is the longest river of Ukraine and Belarus and the 4th longest river in Europe after the Volga, Danube and Ural rivers.
• The collapse of the dam could increase the global wheat prices since Ukraine being one of the largest exporters of wheat in the world.
• Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
• The impacts of the collapse of the dams includes
  • Loss of life and property
  • Loss of the shortage of water
  • Loss of access to drinking water
  • Could spark a dire environmental disaster
  • Affects agriculture lands due to loss of irrigation
  • Drive up wheat prices

In the recently announced Project 75-I, The submarines, powered by air-independent propulsion (AIP) are planned to be built under a Rs 45,000 crore programme.

• Fuel cell-based AIP generates power through the reverse electrolysis of oxygen and hydrogen which does not need air, but requires storage of highly inflammable hydrogen on board.

• Fuel cell AIP systems are associated with German submarines of Class 212A and Class 214, and will power the Project 75-I submarines too.
  • The second type of AIP, based on the Stirling engine, is the first modern combat-ready system. It is a simple system that uses diesel fuel (typical for the submarine) and liquid oxygen, discharging the plant overboard at small and medium depths.
• Although AIP, based on the Stirling engine lacks stealth, it has proved relatively good in a small area, shallow depths, complex hydrology and heavy traffic, which require a submarine’s acoustic signature to be minimised.
• Other fuel cell AIPs include Russia’s alkaline fuel cells and India’s phosphoric-acid fuel cells.
• The Defence R&D Organisation’s (DRDO’s) AIP system relies on the innovative Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cell (PAFC) technology.
• This PAFC technology is more rugged, tolerant of fuel impurities, offers longer life and efficiency and is much safer, since it generates hydrogen on board, rather than requiring the storage of hazardous hydrogen.