Calcium Carbide

FSSAI has recently warned against usage of calcium carbide for ripening mangoes and stated that it can pose serious health hazards.

• Calcium carbide is also called calcium acetylide and the chemical formula of CaC2.
• This is a pure material of colourless and used as a desulfurizer, dehydrant of steel, fuel in steel making, powerful deoxidizer and as a source of acetylene gas.
• Calcium carbide, commonly used for ripening fruits like mangoes, releases acetylene gas, which contains harmful traces of arsenic and phosphorus.
• These substances, also known as 'Masala', can cause serious health issues such as dizziness, frequent thirst, irritation, weakness, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting and skin ulcers and so on.
• The use of calcium carbide for ripening fruits has been banned under the Regulation of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011.
• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has permitted the use of ethylene gas as a safer alternative to Calcium carbide for fruit ripening in India.
• Ethylene is a naturally occurring hormone in fruits that regulates the ripening process by initiating and controlling a series of chemical and biochemical activities.
• Ethylene gas can be used at concentrations up to 100 ppm, depending upon the crop, variety and maturity.
• The treatment of unripe fruits with ethylene gas triggers the natural ripening process until the fruit itself starts producing ethylene in substantial quantities.
• The Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB & RC) have approved Ethephon 39% SL for the uniform ripening of mangoes and other fruits.
• Ethephon is a plant growth regulator used to promote uniform ripening of fruits like mangoes, tomatoes, etc.
• The 39% SL formulation refers to it being a 39% soluble liquid concentrate formulation of ethephon.

Scheme for Care and Support to Victims

The Scheme was launched to provide comprehensive rehabilitation and care services to minor girl victims of sexual crimes like rape and aggravated sexual assault under the POCSO Act.

• The "Scheme for Care and Support to Victims under Section 4 & 6 of POCSO Act, 2012" is a initiative to address the challenges faced by abandoned or orphaned pregnant girls and all pregnant girl victims under the Act.
• Initially it included only the abandoned or orphaned pregnant girls and later included all pregnant girl victims under the mentioned sections of the POCSO Act.
• Objectives – To provide integrated support and assistance to minor pregnant girl child victims “under one roof”.
• To facilitate immediate emergency and non-emergency access to services for long-term rehabilitation.
• Eligibility – Any girl below 18 years who becomes pregnant due to offences under Sections 4/6 of POCSO Act or Section 376 (rape) of the IPC is eligible, even without an FIR copy.
• Services under the Scheme
• A dedicated Child Care Institutions (CCl) or a separate space to accommodate girl child victims up to the age of 18 years and aftercare support shall be provided up to 23 years.
• Counselling and other mental health services shall be provided to overcome the trauma.
• Continue education of girl child victims and in case any victim wants to peruse any formal education or vocational training then the same shall be provided.
• Transport support with adequate safety measure while communicating to court, hospital, school or any other place.
• Legal aid and counselling shall be provided to facilitate access to justice for the girl child victim.
• The girl child victim and her new-born shall be provided health insurance cover for Rs. 5 Lakhs per year, under PM-JAY.
• Rs. 4000 monthly sponsorship under Mission Vatsalya till employment or 23 years.
• Drawbacks
• The scheme suffers from misleading nomenclature, oversights, and inconsistencies with existing laws like wrongly citing POCSO sections.
• It contradicts Adoption Regulations on the process for surrendering infants.
• Lack of clarity persists on whether benefits continue if the victim opts for abortion or suffers a miscarriage.
• Moreover, the potential financial burden could be enormous given India's high rates of child marriage and teenage pregnancy, necessitating thorough data analysis for effective budgeting and implementation.

Orcas (Orcinus orca)

In recent times there are increasing incidents of Orcas sinking or damaging boats near the Strait of Gibraltar.

• Orcas, also called as killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators.
• They are smart, social and makes a wide variety of communicative sounds and each pod has distinctive noises that its members will recognize even at a distance.
• They use echolocation to communicate and hunt, making sounds that travel underwater until they encounter objects, then bounce back, revealing their location, size, and shape.
• They pass their unique behaviours, like dialects, hunting strategies, and social dynamics, from generation to generation.
• Orcas are highly intelligent, social mammals that have long been a part of marine park entertainment, performing shows for audiences.
• However, it's become increasingly clear that orcas do not thrive in captivity.
• Location – They are most abundant in colder waters like Antarctica, Norway, and Alaska, they are also found in tropical and subtropical waters.
• Lifespan – The average lifespan for male killer whales is about 30 years, but they can live up to at least 60 years.
• Threats
• High risk of becoming entangled in fishing gear.
• Overfishing and habitat loss have decreased the amount of prey available to some killer whales.
• Contaminants enter ocean waters and sediments from many sources, such as wastewater treatment plants, sewer outfalls, and pesticide application.

Lion-tailed Macaques (Macaca Silenus)

Due to habitat degradation in recent times, the Lion-tailed Macaques are occupying the urbans pockets in the Western Ghats.

• Lion-tailed macaque is an arboreal primate endemic to select rainforests of the Western Ghats.
• They are supposed to be shy and largely frugivorous primate that prefer upper canopies of rainforests.
• It was reassessed and classified as an ‘endangered’ species in the IUCN Red List in 2020.
• It is protected under the Schedule-I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• The increase in change in their behaviour is due to:
  • Habitat degradation and roads passing through their habitats,
  • Increased vehicular movement, food offered by tourists and improper waste management.
• Conservation measures – The Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) is taking steps and aiding them cross the road safely.
• It has established canopy corridors across roads that pass through their habitats and is planning to add more.
• Tamil Nadu Endangered Species Conservation Fund is an initiative to conserve the species and Lion-tailed Macaques is one of the species covered the fund.

Southwest Monsoon

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recently stated that the Southwest monsoon has made its onset over the Nicobar Islands, the southernmost region of the country.

• Southwest monsoon, the lifeline of India's farm-based economy and has recently made its onset over the Nicobar Islands.
• It is a sea-breeze from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal that officially onsets over Kerala on June 1 and retreats from Rajasthan by the end of September.
• According to IMD, the date of monsoon onset over Kerala has varied widely over the last 150 years, the earliest being May 11 in 1918, and the most delayed being June 18 in 1972.
• The rain-bearing system arrived in the southern state on June 8 last year, May 29 in 2022, June 3 in 2021 and June 1 in 2020.
• IMD had forecast above-normal rain in the monsoon season in India with favourable La Nina conditions, cooling of equatorial Pacific Ocean, expected to set in by August-September.
• The monsoon is critical for India's agricultural landscape, with 52% of the net cultivated area relying on it.
• It is also crucial for replenishing reservoirs critical for drinking water, apart from power generation across the country.
• June and July are considered the most important monsoon months for agriculture because most of the sowing for the kharif crop takes place during this period.