Defence
EXERCISE ZAPAD 2021

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Exercise ZAPAD 2021)
What's the NEWS

• A 200 personnel contingent of Indian Army will participate in Exercise ZAPAD 2021, a Multi Nation exercise being held at Nizhniy, Russia from 03 to 16 September 2021.

Know! about ZAPAD 2021

• ZAPAD 2021 is one of the theatre level exercises of Russian Armed Forces and will focus primarily on operations against terrorists.
• Over a dozen countries from Eurasian and South Asian Region will participate in this signature event.
• The NAGA Battalion group participating in the exercise will feature an all Arms combined task force.
• The exercise aims to enhance military and strategic ties amongst the participating nations while they plan & execute this exercise.
• The Indian Contingent has been put through a strenuous training schedule which encompasses all facets of conventional operations including mechanised, airborne & heliborne, counter terrorism, combat conditioning and firing.

Miscellaneous
A-HELP
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the MoU highlights + about A- HELP + about (DAY-NRLM)
What's the NEWS

• Department of Animal husbandry and Dairying and Department of Rural Development signed an MoU for Leveraging SHG platform for rural economic growth through convergence of Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), MoFAHD and National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)

Employment and entrepreneurship opportunities given by DAHD

• Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying is giving more employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to the farming community through different interventions and flagship programs like AHIDF (Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund), DIDF (Dairy Infrastructure Development Fund), NADCP (National Animal Disease Control Program) for FMD (Foot and Mouth Disease) and Brucellosis etc.

A-HELP

• As per the MoU, it has also decided to use the services of the members of the SHGs as livestock resource persons and primary service provider through a new accredited model named as "A-HELP" (Accredited Agent for Health and Extension of Livestock Production).
• This model will be implemented across the country by using the existing cadre developed under DAY-NRLM for livestock (Pashusakhis) by providing further training and accreditation as A-HELP worker.
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) has been supporting farm livelihood sector both through backward and forward linkages.

Social Issues
Atal Pension Yojana

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Atal Pension Yojana (APY) + Mains ( GS II Social issues + government policies and interventions)
What's the NEWS

• Under the Atal Pension Yojana (APY), a guaranteed pension scheme of Government of India and administered by PFRDA, more than 28 lakh new APY accounts have been opened during current FY 2021-22. Overall, enrolments under APY has crossed 3.30 crore as on 25th August 2021.

Atal Pension Yojana (APY) - highlights

• Out of the total enrolments under APY as on 25th August 2021, nearly 78% subscribers have opted for Rs 1,000 pension plan while around 14% for Rs 5,000 pension plan.
• Further, around 44% are female subscribers and also around 44% subscribers getting enrolled are very young and belong to the age-group of 18-25 years.

Know! about APY

• The APY allows any Citizen of India between the age group of 18-40 years to join through the bank or post office branches where one has the savings bank account.
• Under the scheme, a subscriber would receive a minimum guaranteed pension of Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 5,000 per month, depending upon his contribution, from the age of 60 years.
• The same pension would be paid to the spouse of the subscriber and on the demise of both the subscriber and the spouse, the accumulated pension wealth as accumulated till age 60 of the subscriber is returned to the nominee.
• The scheme is distributed through 266 registered APY Service-Providers consisting of various categories of banks and Department of Posts.
• As this scheme is only available to applicants with a savings bank account, therefore, PFRDA regularly advises all banks to promote the scheme for its outreach to their existing and prospective customers.

National
South Asian Institute for Advanced Research and Development (SAIARD)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about SAIARD + NIUA)
What's the NEWS

• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Asian Institute for Advanced Research and Development (SAIARD),to create an academic platform to engage young students as well as develop a research and capacity building hub to support regional development in the eastern region.

MoU Highlights

• Both NMCG and SAIARD will work together to create and enhance capacity building on integrated river basin management, with a focus on geospatial technology in riverine ecosystems.
• Additionally, in the presence of DG NMCG, an MoU was also signed between NIUA and SAIARD.
• NMCG is working with NIUA to develop river sensitive master plans and urban river management plans.
• In this collaboration SAIARD Centre for Urban and Built Environment (CUBE) will take the lead on behalf of SAIARD to work with NIUA to implement all kinds of capacity building activities

South Asian Institute for Advanced Research and Development (SAIARD)

• It is MSME (Govt. of India) certified and registered under NITI Aayog, Govt. of India premier academic cum research institution, formed in Kolkata under the Trustee Registration Act
• of Govt. of India with a motto to spread the arena of research throughout the world particularly focusing on the major issues of the South Asian region.

Objectives

• to promote research, advocacy, education and innovative ideas through publication, various outreach programmes, collaborations and partnerships for sustainable and cognitive development of this region.
• to provide skill-based education to the students and make them employable and strengthening the hands of both public and private sectors by providing all-round supports.
• SAIARD adopts a community-based approach through various training, education, awareness and entrepreneurship programmes, enriching with the modern phase of technological innovations.
• SAIARD emphasizes more on policy-based research interventions on multi-disciplinary issues related to environment and socio-economic aspects and sharing far-seeing ideas for the betterment of society and humanity.

National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA)

• It is an institute for research, training and information dissemination in urban development and management in New Delhi, India.
• It was established in 1976 as an autonomous body under the Societies Registration Act.
•  The Institute is supported by the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, State Governments, urban and regional development authorities and other agencies concerned with urban issues
• The Institute's policies and directions are determined by the Governing Council consisting of a President, who is appointed by the Government of India, two Vice-Presidents, three members of the Government of India in their ex officio capacity, twelve other members, and the Director

Prelims Factoids
Ubreathe Life

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Ubreathe Life )
What's the NEWS

• Budding scientists of Indian Institutes of Technology, Ropar and Kanpur and Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University have developed a living-plant based air purifier "Ubreathe Life" that amplifies the air purification process in the indoor spaces.
• IIT Ropar's startup company, Urban Air Laboratory, that has developed the product claims it to be world's first, state-of-the art ‘Smart Bio-Filter' that can make breathing fresh.
• It has been incubated at IIT Ropar, which is a designated iHub - AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) by the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.

Know! more about the living-plant based air purifier "Ubreathe Life

• The technology works through the air-purifying natural leafy plant.
• The room-air interacts with leaves and goes to the soil-root zone where maximum pollutants are purified.
• The novel technology used in this product is ‘Urban Munnar Effect' along with patent pending "Breathing Roots" to exponentially amplify the phytoremediation process of the plants.
• Phytoremediation is a process by which plants effectively remove pollutants from the air.
• ‘Ubreathe Life' effectively improves indoor air quality by removing particulate, gaseous and biological contaminants while increasing the oxygen levels in the indoor space through specific plants, UV disinfection and a stack of Pre-filter, Charcoal filter and HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter fitted in a specially designed wooden box.

Environment
Odisha's Kendrapara now India's only district to have all 3 species of crocodilians
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the three species of crocodilians)
What's the NEWS

• Odisha's Kendrapara became the only district in India to be home to all three species of crocodilians found in the country.
• This was after forest officials found a baby gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) in a river system of the district.

Know! more about species of crocodilians

• The crocodilian family consists of 27 different species that are subdivided into three families: True crocodiles, alligators and caimans and gharials.
• All three species of crocodilians in the river systems of Odisha were on the verge of extinction by the 1970s. Piecemeal efforts were being made from the 1960s onwards to save them.
• The gharial and saltwater crocodile conservation programme was first implemented in Odisha in early 1975 and subsequently, the mugger conservation programme was initiated.
• In 1975, the Union ministry of forest and environment, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, had started a crocodile breeding and rearing project in Dangamala within the Bhitarkanika.
• In January 2021, there were 1,768 saltwater crocodiles in Bhitarkanika, up from 96 in 1974.
• All three species are protected under Schedule I of WildLife Protection Act 1972 and Appendix 1 of CITES

IUCN Status

• Saltwater crocodile - Least Concern
• Gharial - Critically endangered
• Mugger - Vulnerable

International Organisations
8^th Meeting of Agricultural Experts of BIMSTEC Countries

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about 8th Meeting of Agriculture Experts of BIMSTEC - highlights) + Mains ( GS II regional grouping)
What's the NEWS

• India hosted the 8th Meeting of Agriculture Experts of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Countries
• Experts of Agricultural Ministries from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand participated in the meeting.

Meeting Highlights

• The BIMSTEC Member States appreciated the greater engagement of India offering six slots of scholarships each for Master and PhD programmes in agriculture and its other initiatives for capacity development and training including the development of seed sectors.
• The BIMSTEC provides a unique link between South and South-East Asia with 5 countries - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka from South Asia and two countries - Myanmar and Thailand from South-East Asia coming together on one platform for cooperation in 14 key economic and social sectors of the economy.

Know! about BIMSTEC

• The BIMSTEC was founded in 1997 with an ambition to pursue mutual trade, connectivity and cultural, technical and economic development in the region.
• Initially, six sectors- trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism and fisheries were included for sectoral cooperation which was later expanded to 14 areas of cooperation. Agriculture is one of the 14 sectors.
• As about 1.7 billion+ people i.e., 22 per cent of the global population live in BIMSTEC countries, agriculture & allied activities are central to the economic and social development of the region.
• The 4^th Summit of BIMSTEC Heads of States held on August 30-31, 2018 at Kathmandu emphasised deepening the cooperation in the agriculture sector
• Likewise, the 1^st meeting of the agriculture Ministers of BIMSTEC held on July 12, 2019 in Myanmar also reiterated stronger agricultural cooperation among BIMSTEC countries.

Prelims Factoids
Scrub typhus
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about scrub typhus)
What's the NEWS

• Mathura in western Uttar Pradesh have reported cases of a mystery fever, which has been identified as scrub typhus

Know! all about Scrub typhus

• It is a disease caused by a bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi.
• It is also known as bush typhus.
• The infection spreads to people through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites).
• The symptoms of scrub typhus are similar to symptoms of many other vector-borne or rickettsial diseases and usually begin within 10 days of being bitten
• These include fever and chills, headache, body aches, rashes and muscle pain.
• The site where the chigger bites develops a dark, scab-like region, which is also known as eschar.
• After contracting the infection, a person can experience mental changes, ranging from confusion to coma
• Vaccine - No vaccine is available to prevent scrub typhus.
• Prevention - It suggested that the risk of contracting the infection by avoiding contact with infected chiggers.
• When travelling to regions where scrub typhus is common, people should avoid areas with lots of vegetation and brush where chiggers may be found.
• Apart from India, cases of scrub typhus have been reported from rural areas of Indonesia, China, Japan and northern Australia.
• Treatment - If someone gets infected by scrub typhus, the person should be treated with the antibiotic doxycycline.
• People who are treated early with doxycycline usually recover quickly, according to the agency.

Prelims Factoids
Y-Break Yoga protocol App launched
What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of Ayush launched the ‘Y-Break' mobile application
• The five-minute Yoga protocol, especially designed for working professionals to de-stress, refresh and re-focus at their workplace to increase their productivity, consists of Asanas, Pranayam and Dhyana.
• The launch of this Y- Break application will bring awareness about different Yoga practices and help the masses to practice Yoga anytime with ease

The Yoga protocol in the Y-Break application comprises of a few simple Yogic practices as follows:

• Tadasana- Urdhva-hastottanasana- Tadasana
• Skandha chakra- Uttanamandukasana- Kati Chakrasana
• Ardhachakrasana, PrasaritaPadottanasana- Deep Breathing
• Nadishodhana Pranayama
• Bhramari Pranayama- Dhyana
  
  

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