SVEEP (Systematic Voter’s Education and Electoral Participation) Programme

Recently Chief Election Commissioner of India directed around 2100 Observers in SVEEP to ensure level playing field during the forthcoming General Elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

• Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation program (SVEEP) is the flagship program of the Election Commission for voter education, spreading voter awareness and promoting voter literacy in India.
• The primary goal of SVEEP is to build a truly participative democracy in India by encouraging all eligible citizens to vote and make an informed decision during the elections.
• The program utilizes a data-driven approach, employing a combination of broad and targeted interventions.
• This approach considers the state's socio-economic, cultural, and demographic profile along with historical voter turnout trends and learnings from previous elections.
• Observers in SVEEP – The Election Commission deploys Observers under Section 20B of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and plenary powers of the Constitution.
• The main objective of Election Observation is to identify areas for improvements and to formulate concrete and operative recommendations.
• These Observers are known for being eyes and ears of the Election Commission.
• They are drawn from the Central Services that includes IAS, IPS officers as well as officers from Indian Revenue Service.
• The Observers are entrusted with the crucial and solemn responsibility of observance of the election process, the fairness, impartiality and credibility.
• They are representatives of the Election Commission and are expected to conduct themselves professionally and be accessible to all stakeholders including candidates.
• They help the Commission in fulfilling its constitutional mandate of conducting free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections and also enhance the voter awareness and participation in election.
• They were directed to be confined physically within the boundaries of the Parliamentary Constituency they are allotted, during the entire electoral process.
• They were told to see that central forces/ State police forces are being utilised judiciously and maintaining neutrality, and their deployment is also not favouring any political parties/ candidates.
• Observers were also acquainted with the various IT initiatives and mobile applications launched by the Commission for voter facilitation as well as effective and efficient management of election processes on the field.
• The Observers were provided with a functional demonstration of EVMs and VVPATs.

Oceansat-3

ISRO’s Oceansat-3 recently revealed the seasonal greening and browning of continents, alongside the dynamic movements of chlorophyll blooms in the oceans.

• Oceansat-3 is also known as Earth Observing Satellite 6 (EOS-06) is the third-generation satellite in the Oceansat series.
• This is to provide continuity services of Oceansat-2 spacecraft with enhanced payload specifications as well as application areas.
• Mission Objective – To provide continuity services of Oceansat-2 spacecraft with enhanced payload specifications as well as application areas.
• Orbit – Polar sun-synchronous orbit.
• Payloads
  1. Ocean Color Monitor (OCM-3)
  2. Sea Surface Temperature Monitor (SSTM)
  3. Ku-Band Scatterometer (SCAT-3)
  4. ARGOS
• The SCAT-3 sensor delivers high-resolution data on global ocean surface wind speed and direction.
• This information is vital for understanding ocean circulation patterns, biogeochemical dynamics and the genesis of cyclones across the globe.
• Applications – It include Marine Resource Management, Phytoplankton biodiversity, Algal bloom detection and monitoring, Vegetation classifications and their growth assessment and so on.
• EOS-06 is adept at capturing the global condition of vegetation on land by measuring the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI).
• Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is crucial for assessing changes in plant health and greenness over vast areas.
• Oceansat-3 recently revealed areas of high oceanic productivity are present in extratropical oceanic zones, equatorial regions.
• Elevated levels of Chlorophyll-a, indicating flourishing phytoplankton blooms, influenced by wind-driven circulation patterns was also observed.
• Phytoplankton are microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that form the foundation of the marine food web.
• They play a crucial role in the Earth's ecosystems as primary producers, converting sunlight into chemical energy through photosynthesis.
• The analysis of vector winds has illuminated dominant circulation features such as:
  1. Convergence of tropical easterlies near the equator,
  2. Presence of mid-latitude westerlies, and
  3. Seasonally reversing monsoon winds in the Indian Ocean.

Central Vigilance Commission

Recently Shri AS Rajeev was appointed as Vigilance Commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission.

• The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is the main agency for preventing corruption in the Central government.
• It was established in 1964 by an executive resolution of the Central government.
• Its establishment was recommended by the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption.
• Originally the CVC was neither a constitutional body nor a statutory body.
• Later, in 2003, the Parliament enacted a law conferring statutory status on the CVC.
• It is the only designated agency to take action against complainants making motivated or vexatious complaints.
• It is conceived to be the apex vigilance institution, free of control from any executive authority, monitoring all vigilance activity under the Central Government.
• Composition – It is a multi-member body consisting of a Central Vigilance Commissioner (chairperson) and not more than two vigilance commissioners.
• They are appointed by the president by warrant under his hand and seal on the recommendation of a three member committee.
• The three member committee consist of:
  1. Prime minister as its head
  2. Union minister of home affairs
  3. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha
• Tenure – They hold office for a term of four years or until they attain the age of sixty five years, whichever is earlier.
• They are not eligible for further employment under the Central or a state government.

Meropenem & Disodium EDTA

Recently the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has mandated an immediate stop to sales of broad-spectrum antibiotic combination of meropenem and disodium EDTA injections.

• Meropenem (antibacterial agent) is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that works by inhibiting the synthesis of cell walls in bacteria.
• Disodium EDTA binds with calcium and some heavy metals in the body and is used to treat calcium overload and irregular heartbeats caused by certain medications like digoxin or digitoxin.
• This combination is administered via intravenous injection over a specific period, depending on the dosage prescribed by a healthcare professional.
• The combination of Meropenem and Disodium EDTA as an injection is used to treat various bacterial infections.
• The bacterial infections include pneumonia, urinary tract infections, intra-abdominal infections, gynaecological infections, skin infections, meningitis and sepsis.
• It have been classified as a 'New Drug,' and has not secured the necessary regulatory approval.
• Common side effects may include headache, stomach pain, increased platelet count, diarrhoea, and allergic reactions like skin rash or swelling.
• The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has mandated an immediate stop to sales of broad-spectrum antibiotic combination of meropenem and disodium EDTA injections.
• No new drug shall be manufactured for sale unless it is approved by the licensing authority as defined in Rule 3 of New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019.
• Anyone who intends to manufacture new drug, either as an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or a pharmaceutical formulation, for sale or distribution must apply to the Central Licence Approving Authority for permission.

Golden Langur (Trachypithecus geei)

Recently the Primate Research Centre NE India (PRCNE) and few other organisations in their latest survey of the primate indicated that an estimate of 7,396 golden langurs live in India.

• The golden langur, also known as the golden leaf monkey, is a small primate that lives in the trees of north-eastern India and southern Bhutan.
• In India, the entire distribution range of the golden langur covers the Manas Biosphere Reserve and all fragmented forests in the western part of Assam.
• They are arboreal and diurnal creatures.
• It is listed as endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list.
• The latest survey of the primate was conducted by the following:
  1. Primate Research Centre NE India (PRCNE),
  2. Assam Forest Department and Bodoland Territorial Council,
  3. Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), and Conservation Himalayas.