Daily Current Capsules - 17^th March 2020

Prelims Factoids
Herd immunity
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Herd immunity)
What's the NEWS

• The UK government, said authorities would contain the spread of the virus but would not suppress it completely and 60 per cent infection rate would help build up a degree of ‘herd immunity'

know! about herd immunity

• Herd immunity is when a large number of people are vaccinated against a disease, lowering the chances of others being infected by it.
• When a sufficient percentage of a population is vaccinated, it slows the spread of disease. It is also referred to as community immunity or herd protection.
• Herd protection of the unvaccinated occurs when a sufficient proportion of the group is immune.
• The decline of disease incidence is greater than the proportion of individuals immunized because vaccination reduces the spread of an infectious agent by reducing the amount and/or duration of pathogen shedding by vaccines, retarding transmission.

Know! what happens in the case of coronavirus where there is no vaccine?

• The approach would require those exposed to the virus to build natural immunity and stop the human-to-human transmission. This will, it is believed, subsequently halt its spread.

Government Policies
NMCG concludes Ganga Amantran Abhiyan

Relevance IN - Prelims ( bou ganga amantran abhiyaan + about NMCG) + Mains ( GS II Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation

What's the NEWS

• National Mission for Clean Ganga or NMCG recently organized a grand event to mark the conclusion of "Ganga Amantran Abhiyan", a flagship programme of the NMCG.

Know! more about the Ganga Amantran Abhiyan

• Ganga Amantran Abhiyan was a pioneering exploratory open-water rafting and kayaking expedition on the Ganga river from Devprayag (Alakananda and Bhagirathi meet) to Ganga Sagar( Sundarbans)
• In this mission, the emphasis is also laid upon strengthening the community connect with Ganga river, and encouraging students and youth to become torchbearers of the cause.
• Ganga Amantran Abhiyan was a major part of these programmes that allowed people to connect with river Ganga by undertaking various courageous river games

National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG)

• National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG) was registered as a society on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
• It acted as implementation arm of National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred as National Ganga Council)
• It has a two tier management structure and comprises of Governing Council and Executive Committee
• In October 2016, National Ganga Council has replaced National Ganga River Basin Authority(NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986. The mission is now being operated under Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Science & Technology

National Biopharma Mission

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NBM Mission)

Know! all about NBM

• The National Biopharma Mission (NBM) is an industry-Academia Collaborative Mission for accelerating biopharmaceutical development in the country.
• Under this Mission the Government has launched Innovate in India (i3) programme to create an enabling ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the sector.
• The mission will be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
• The mission was approved in 2017 at a total cost of Rs 1500 crore and is 50% co-funded by World Bank loan.
• The program is promoting entrepreneurship by supporting small and medium enterprises for indigenous product development

Prelims Factoids
Pyramid of Djoser reopened

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the pyramid of Djoder and its geographical location)

What's the NEWS

• Egypt reopened the Pyramid of Djoser, the first pyramid ever built, after a 14-year restoration costing nearly $6.6 million.
• The pyramid had sustained serious damage during an earthquake in 1992, and was on the verge of collapse when renovations started in 2006.
• The structure is believed to be designed by Imhotep, described by some as the first architect of the world.

Know! more about The Pyramid of Djoser

• The 4,700-year-old pyramid is located at the Saqqara archaeological site, 24 km southwest of Cairo, outside the royal capital of Memphis.
• The Djoser pyramid is the world's oldest monumental stone building.
• It is a UNESCO world heritage site
• The pyramid was constructed during the era of Pharaoh Djoser, the second king of Ancient Egypt's Third Dynasty (2650 BC- 2575 BC). The Pharaoh's 19-year reign saw significant technical innovations in stone architecture.
• Restoration work for the pyramid, which began in 2006, was stopped in 2011 after a popular uprising in Egypt led to the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak. The work resumed at the end of 2013.

Prelims Factoids
Sir Creek dispute between India and Pakistan

 
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Sir-creek dispute)

Know! about Sir Creek

• Sir Creek is a 96-km strip of water disputed between India and Pakistan in the Rann of Kutch marshlands.
• The Creek opens up in the Arabian Sea and roughly divides the Kutch region of Gujarat from the Sindh Province of Pakistan.

Know! about the dispute

• The dispute lies in the interpretation of the maritime boundary line between Kutch and Sindh.
• Pakistan claims the entire creek as per Bombay Government Resolution of 1914 signed between then the Government of Sindh and Rao Maharaj of Kutch.
• Before India's independence, the provincial region was a part of the Bombay Presidency of British India. But after India's independence in 1947, Sindh became a part of Pakistan while Kutch remained a part of India.
• India claims that the boundary lies mid-channel as depicted in another map drawn in 1925 and implemented by the installation of mid-channel pillars back in 1924.

Regional Grouping
PM Modi proposes Covid-19 emergency fund to SAARC leaders, offers $10 mn

Relevance IN - Prelims ( highlights of the virtual SAARC conference + about SAARC) + Mains ( GS II regional grouping)

What's the NEWS

• India's PM Narendra Modi, leaders and representatives from SAARC nations participate in video conference meet to chalk out strategy to fight coronavirus

Know! the highlights of the meeting

• Modi proposed to the SAARC leaders of creating a Covid-19 emergency fund, which could be based on voluntary contributions from all the SAARC countries.
• India will set up disease surveillance portal to better trace possible virus carriers and can share disease surveillance software with SAARC.
• India is assembling Rapid Response Team of doctors, specialists in India, along with testing kits, they will be ready for deployment.
• Afghan president Ashraf Ghani proposed common framework for tele-medicine to combat coronavirus.
• Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa proposed setting up of SAARC ministerial-level group to deal with issues related to coronavirus

Know! about SAARC

• The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia.
• Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• SAARC was founded in Dhaka on 8 December 1985.Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Prelims Factoids
Chaitra Jatra festival

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Chaitra jatra festival)
What's the NEWS

• The famous annual Chaitra Jatra festival scheduled to be held on March 17 at Odisha's Tara Tarini hill shrine was cancelled as a precautionary measure against COVID-19 infection.

Know! more about the festival

• This festival is celebrated at Tara Tarini hill shrine on Tuesdays of the Hindu month of Chaitra.
• The largest gatherings occur on second and third Tuesdays. March 17 happens to be second Tuesday.
• Tara Tarini hill shrine, located at Kumari hill on banks of the Rushikulya river, is a major centre of Shakti worship in Odisha.
• Indian Navy's sailboat INSV Tarini was named after Tara Tarini hill shrine.
• The first Indian all-woman crew had circumnavigated the globe in INSV Tarini.

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