Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 19th April 2022

NEWS

The 9-day Karaga festival comes to end in Bengaluru

 ABOUT

• Tradition started and sustained by a Tamil speaking community of gardeners called Thigalars
• Held at the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple in Bangalore
• A priest dressed in female attire leads a spectacular procession, to the accompaniment of dazzling swordplay by a number of dhoti-clad, bare-chested Thigalars. On his head, he carries a flower-bedecked pyramid
• A unique feature of the Karaga is the unbroken tradition of visiting the tomb of an 18th-century Muslim saint, this custom has become a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity.
• Devotees take out a large procession as part of Karaga celebrations, carrying earthen pots on their heads

HISTORY

• During Mahabharata, Draupadi, wife of five Pandavas created several Veera Kumaras (brave sons) to form a mini army and defeat demon Timirasura
• At the time of her death, these Veera Kumaras begged Draupadi not to leave them. Draupadi instead promised to return each year during the full moon day of Chaitra masa (month)
• Karaga festival is celebrated each year to mark the return of Draupadi in the form of Adishakti

NEWS

The State Cabinet approved the Karnataka Data Centre Policy 2022 with a focus on creating demand and value for data centres, by providing a robust and well-connected ecosystem for the growth of data centres in the State

DETAILS

• Aims to attract investments worth Rs 10,000 crore in the data centre industry by 2025
• Karnataka has the potential to position itself as one of the leading destinations for Data Centre Industry in the country with a data centre capacity of 96 MW which accounts for 15 per cent of India’s data centre capacity
• A data centre houses critical assets of an organisation, making it crucial for daily operations
• At present, Karnataka is home to eight data centre players - Reliance, Siffy, NTT, Next Gen, Trimax, Airtel, STT and ESDS
• Policy wants to develop more than 200 MW capacity Data Centre Industry in Karnataka by 2025
• Policy has a vision “to position Karnataka as the destination of choice for futuristic data centres in the country and to make Karnataka an integral part of the global data centre ecosystem and digital supply chain”
• Policy will focus on creating demand and value for data centres, by providing a robust and well-connected ecosystem for the growth of data centres in the state
• Offers special incentives for companies to set up data storage infrastructure outside Bengaluru - capital subsidy of up to Rs 10 crore, 10 per cent land subsidy up to Rs 3 crore, 100 per cent stamp duty exemption up to 10 acres, concession on registration charges and 100 per cent exemption on land conversion fees
• Sops applicable across Karnataka include power tariff concession, exemption from electricity duty and other special incentive packages on a case-to-case basis
• A special package of incentives would be considered for projects of strategic importance, where the standard package would be customised for investments greater than ₹4,000 crore on case-to-case basis
• Bengaluru currently features among the top five leading destinations for the Data Centre Industry in the country

MALNUTRITION

WHAT - Deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients

CATEGORIES

• Undernutrition – This includes stunting (low height for age), wasting (low weight for height), underweight (low weight for age) and micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies (a lack of important vitamins and minerals)
• Overnutrition – This includes overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, and type-2 diabetes.)

SOME FOR OF DIEASES

• Marasmus – It is a form of severe malnutrition. Nutrient deficiency is the main cause of marasmus. It occurs in children that don’t ingest enough protein, calories, carbohydrates, and other important nutrients. This is usually due to poverty and a scarcity of food.
• Kwashiorkor – It is a form of severe protein malnutrition. In this type malnutrition produced by a severely inadequate amount of protein in the diet.

CAUSES

• Barriers to health services include
• Poverty that hinders the accessibility of adequate food
• Social strains on Women (Early marriages of girls resulting in low birth weight of the newborns, poor breastfeeding practices )
• Lack of availability of safe drinking water hinders
• Poor sanitation (linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio and exacerbate stunting)
• Illiteracy in women and large household size
• Lack of Awareness about nutritional needs of infants and young children

EFFECTS

• Increased vulnerability to diseases: Undernutrition increases the risk of infectious diseases like diarrhoea, measles, malaria and pneumonia.
• Developmental delays: Chronic malnutrition can impair a young child’s physical and mental development. Cognitive impairment resulting from malnutrition may result in diminished productivity in academic performance.
• Low productivity later in life: As per estimates of World Bank, childhood stunting may result in a loss of height among adults by 1%, which may further lead to a reduction in individuals economic productivity by 1.4%
• Poor maternity health: Undernutrition puts women at a greater risk of pregnancy-related complications and death (obstructed labour and hemorrhage).
• Barrier to socio-economic development: Widespread child undernutrition greatly impedes a country’s socioeconomic development and potential to reduce poverty

SOME DATA ON MALNUTRITION IN KARNATAKA

• As per NITI Aayog’s report (Nourishing India: National Nutrition Strategy) five districts of Karnataka-Ballari, Bagalkot, Koppal, Kalaburagi and Yadgir are among the 100 poor performing districts with very high levels of stunting.
• In the case of wasting, Karnataka is in the seventh position. In the state, 32% of children are underweight and Karnataka stands at ninth position in the prevalence of underweight children

A CASE STUDY IN BELAGAVI

• Volunteers from Jagruthi, an organisation that worked with underprivileged children in Belagavi
• Conducted a survey in three taluks - Hukkeri, Khanapur, Kittur - in Belagavi. As many as 400 children in each taluk in the 0-6 age group were identified for survey purposes.
• Found severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in many children
• Key reason behind the persistence of malnutrition, apart from poverty, was a lack of awareness on nutrition management
• For example, they found that a powdered multi-grain mixture known locally as 'Pushti' provided under the Integrated Child Development Services was being fed to cattle instead of children due to misconceptions(Example – Kids developed diarrhoea)
• Volunteers provided general nutrition awareness and discouraged junk food, providing alternatives with snacks that could be made at home like peanut laddu
• The team spent about three months teaching parents about nutrition and how to make use of of the nutrition kits provided by anganwadis
• The malnutrition rate, which was as high as 27% (Khanapur) in August 2021, came down to 5% in October and further dipped to zero in December
• During the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, anganwadi centres were closed and mid-day meals stopped. There was delay in anganwadi workers distributing nutritional kits to the children at doorsteps

A GENERAL WAY FORWARD

• Substantial improvements across malnutrition indicators in the states of India would require an integrated nutrition policy. These improvements include providing clean drinking water, reducing rates of open defecation, improving women’s status, enhancing agricultural productivity and food security, promoting nutrition-sensitive agriculture.
• Integrated nutrition policy can be brought by harmonization of efforts across ministries, political will and good governance.
• Such coordinated efforts will ensure that essential nutrition services reach the most deprived communities.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan which is India’s flagship program, envisages improving nutritional outcomes for children, adolescents, pregnant women and lactating mothers, is a step in the right direction. However, it would require long-term investments in health, sanitation and nutrition in preventing deaths due to severe acute malnutrition.
• Panchayats should be allowed to have a bigger say in running welfare schemes.
• Public Distribution System should be diversified, to include millets.
• Strengthen MGNREGA to ensure better food security

MAINS QUESTION : Explain the coordinated efforts can be used to tackle malnutrition in India

NEWS

Recently, the 40th edition of the 'Hunar Haat’ was inaugurated in Mumbai under the theme Vocal for Local and “Best from Waste”

ABOUT

• Organised by Ministry Of Minority Affairs
• Under “USTTAD” scheme
• An exhibition of handicrafts and traditional products made by artisans from the minority communities.
• Aim to provide market exposure and employment opportunities to artisans, craftsmen and traditional culinary experts.
• Have become a successful mission to provide employment and employment opportunities and national as well international markets for thousands of master artisans, craftsmen and culinary experts.

What is USTTAD SCHEME?

USTTAD (Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development) scheme aims to preserve heritage of traditional arts and crafts of minority communities and build capacity of traditional craftspersons and artisans and establish linkages of traditional skills with the global market.

NEWS

Central government has expressed its desire to stop the purchase of excess parboiled rice

DETAILS

WHAT IS PARBOILED RICE?

• Meaning of ‘parboil’ is ‘partly cooked by boiling’
• It is rice that has been partially boiled at the paddy stage, before milling
• However, there is no specific definition of parboiled rice of the Food Corporation of India or the Food Ministry

HOW IS IT PREPARED

Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru

• Uses a method in which the paddy is soaked in hot water for three hours, in contrast to the more common method in which paddy is soaked for 8 hours.
• Water is then drained and the paddy steamed for 20 minutes.
• Also, the paddy is dried in the shade in the method used by the CFTRI, but is sun-dried in the common method.

The Paddy Processing Research Centre (PPRC), Thanjavur

• Follows a method known as the chromate soaking process
• Chromate removes the odour from the wet rice

All processes generally involve three stages—soaking, steaming and drying

After passing through these stages, the paddy goes for milling.

ARE ALL RICE VARIETIES SUITABLE FOR PARBOILING

Generally, all varieties can be processed into parboiled rice, but it is ideal to use long slender varieties to prevent breakage during milling. However, aromatic varieties should not be parboiled because the process can make it can lose its aroma.

ADVANTAGES

• Parboiling makes rice tougher. This reduces the chances of the rice kernel breaking during milling.
• It also increases the nutrient value of the rice.
• It has a higher resistance to insects and fungi.

DISADVANTAGES

• The rice becomes darker and may smell unpleasant due to prolonged soaking.
• Besides, setting up a parboiling rice milling unit requires a higher investment than a raw rice milling unit.

NEWS

According to the United States Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) Vaquita porpoise is nearing extinction and immediate measures are needed to save the remaining population

DETAILS

• World’s smallest cetacean
• Most endangered marine mammal (IUCN - critically endangered)
• Has the smallest range of any whale, dolphin or porpoise
• Only lives in a small 1,500 square-mile area in Mexico’s upper Gulf of California, near the town of San Felipe
• Has a rounded head and black patches around its mouth and eyes, measures up to five feet in size.

THREATS

• The vaquita population has been in sharp decline for decades, recently accelerated by illegal fishing with gill-nets for the vulnerable totoaba, a large fish sought after for its swim bladder.
• The small animal frequently gets caught in fixed fishing nets (gill-nets), as by-catch.

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has released a mandate for vehicles of M1 category, manufactured after 1st of October 2022, to be fitted with two side torso airbags and two side tube airbags.  Vehicles of M1 category includes motor vehicles that carry passengers. These vehicles have not more than eight seats in addition to the driver’s seat.
• The government of Maharashtra has developed a website-based migration tracking system (MTS) to track the movement of the vulnerable seasonal migrant workers through individual unique identification numbers that will be assigned to them.
• Samia Suluhu Hassan is Tanzania’s first female president.
• World Liver Day is observed on 19 April to raise awareness about liver-related diseases.
• World Haemophilia day is celebrated on 17^th April every year, aiming to increase awareness about haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.