Anaemia statistics
Why in news?
- A recent study published in The Lancet Global Health looked at anaemia among men in India.
News summary
- Nearly a quarter of men in the age group 15-54 had some form of anaemia.
- Cases among men ranged from moderate or severe (5.1%) to severe anaemia (0.5%).
- Among age groups, men in the group 20-34 years had the lowest probability of having anaemia, while actual prevalence was lowest in the age group 50-54, at 7.8%. The prevalence was higher for younger age groups.
• Among men with anaemia, 21.7% had moderate or severe anaemia; among women with anaemia, 53.2% had moderate
or severe anaemia. - Among the states, the highest prevalence of any anaemia was in Bihar, with 32.9% of the men reporting it. The lowest prevalence among men was in Manipur (9.19%)
Zero Carbon Law
Why in news?
- New Zealand’s Parliament passed The Zero-Carbon Act. The Act is not a separate legislation but is an amendment to the existing Climate Change Responses Act, 2002.
About:
- According to the New Zealand government, this is the first legislation in the world to make a legally binding commitment to living within 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming.
- The Zero-Carbon Act will commit New Zealand to zero carbon emissions by 2050 or sooner, as part of the country’s attempts to meet its Paris climate accord commitments.
The key aims of the Act include:
- To reduce all greenhouse gases (except methane) to net zero by 2050,
- To reduce emissions of biogenic methane (produced from biological sources) up to 24-47 percent below 2017 levels by 2050 and to 10 percent below 2017 levels by 2030,
- To establish an independent Climate Change Commission and
- To establish a system of emissions budget.
iDEX initiative
Why in news?
- Defence ministry is organising Def-Connect in New Delhi to showcase the accomplishments of the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative.
News summary
- Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) was launched by the Government of India in 2018.
- It primarily aims at creation of an ecosystem to foster innovation in Defence and Aerospace by engaging Industries including MSMEs, start-ups, individual innovators, R&D institutes & academia, and provide them grants/funding and other support to carry out R&D which has good potential for future adoption for Indian defence and aerospace needs.
- iDEX will be funded and managed by a ‘Defence Innovation Organization (DIO)’ which has been formed as a ‘not for profit’ company as per Section 8 of the Companies Act 2013 by the two founder members i.e. Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) – HAL & BEL.
- iDEX will function as the executive arm of DIO, carrying out all the required activities while DIO will provide high level policy guidance to iDEX.
Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan
Why in news?
- The Ministry of Environment is undertaking a mass cleanliness-cum-awareness drive in 50 identified beaches under the “Swachh – Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan”, from 11th -17thNovember, 2019.
News summary
- Objective is to make beaches clean and create awareness amongst about the importance of coastal ecosystems.
- The identified beaches are in 10 coastal States/Union Territories (UTs) namely Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.
- Collected waste will be processed as per extant Waste Management Rules, 2016.
- The cleaning drives in all beaches are being undertaken, involving school/college students of Eco-clubs, district administration, institutions, volunteers, local communities and other stakeholders.
- Environment Education Division of the Ministry and Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) under the aegis of this Ministry will be responsible for the overall coordination for the drive in 50 beaches.
Jal Jeevan Mission
Why in news?
- Union Minister of Jal Shakti has emphasized the urgency to start work on Jal Jeevan Mission. He was speaking at the regional review of Jal Jeevan Mission in Southern States at Hyderabad.
Key highlights:
- The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) aims at providing Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) in rural areas
by 2024. - It was announced by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on 73rd Independence Day,
- Government of India and State Governments will work in partnership to further this goal.
- 14.60 crores rural households of the country will be provided with FHTCs.
- The provisional cost estimate for this mission is Rs 3.60 lakh Crores.
- Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation is the implementing Department for the mission.
What is Pliosaur?
Why in news?
- Interest in pliosaurs has been revived with the recent discovery of their bones in a cornfield in the Polish village of Krzyzanowice. Remains of pliosaurs are rare in Europe.
News summary:
- Pliosaur were a group of large carnivorous marine reptiles characterized by massive heads, short necks, and streamlined tear-shaped bodies.
- Pliosaurs have been found as fossils from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (about 200 million to 65.5 million years ago).
- They are classified in the order Plesiosauria, along with their long-necked relatives, the plesiosaurs.
- They were the largest aquatic carnivorous reptiles that have ever lived and are often dubbed “sea monsters”. They measured over 10 metres in length and could weigh up to several dozen tons. They had powerful, large skulls and massive jaws with large, sharp teeth.
- Their limbs were in the form of fins. They used four large fins to swim through Mesozoic seas.
H-1B, H-4 visas
Why in news?
- A United States court ruled that a group of American-born tech workers have faced heightened job competition from work authorisations given to the spouses of H-1B visa holders.
H-1B visa:
- The lottery-based H-1B visas allow US companies to employ foreign workers temporarily in specialised occupations for three years, extendable to six years.
- The issuances are capped at 85,000 a year, but some employers such as universities and research nonprofits are exempt.
- The H-1B visa has long-served as a common passage for Indians into the US. Out of the 4,19,637 H-1B applications in 2018, 74% came from India. Most beneficiaries are aged 25-34, and are in fields involving computers.
H-4 visa:
- Spouses of H-1B workers are granted an H-4 visa, through which some have been allowed to apply to work in the US since a Barack Obama-era 2015 law.
- Since the law was instituted, a total of 1,20,514 H-4 visas have been granted, of which 1,10,649 have come from India.
2G ethanol plant
Why in news?
- The Ministry of Environment has given Environment Clearance to Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to set up new 2G Ethanol plant at Panipat.
Important facts
- IOCL had earlier submitted a proposal seeking Environmental Clearance for its proposed 100 KLPD Ligno-Cellulosic 2G Ethanol Plant in Baholi, Panipat district of Haryana.
- Central Government has identified production and use of ethanol as one the thrust area to reduce import dependency and increase farmers’ income. The Ethanol produced will be used for blending in transportation fuel.
- Recently the Central Government had declared that no separate environmental clearance is required to produce additional ethanol from B-heavy molasses as it does not contribute to the pollution load, giving further benefits to farmers and the sugar industry.