Newspaper Notes | 06 July 2022 | UPSC CSE

(Important Topics Covered - Team Shashank Sajwan)

1) Centre to decriminalise certain provisions in environment cases:

- Proposals to amend environment protection act(EPA) by replacing a clause that

provides for imprisoning violators with one that only requires them to pay a fine.
- This amendment however will not apply to violations that cause grave injury or loss
of life.
- The newly proposed fines, in lieu of imprisonment, are 5 to 500 times greater than
those currently levied.
- Appointment of an “adjucating officer “who will decide on the penalty in cases of
environmental violations such as reports not being submitted or information not
provided when demanded.
- Funds collected as penalties would be accrued in an “Environmental Protection
Fund”
- The removal of prison terms also applies to the “Air(Prevention and Control of
Pollution )Act , 1981 and to “ Water ( Prevention and Control of Pollution ) Act.

2) Tuberculosis:

- Tuberculosis is the worst among endemic diseases, killing 1.5 million people every
year as per WHO.
- India is the TB capital of the world, it kills some 1400 persons every day. The India TB
Report 2022 released by Government of India showed a sharp 19% rise in the cases
in 2021 over the previous year.
- TB has surpassed HIV – AIDS as the leading cause of death due to infectious diseases.
- Tuberculosis s an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- TB normally affects the lungs but can also affect other parts.
- It spreads from person to person through the air.
- BCG vaccine became a part of the national TB control programme in 1962.

3) The relentless march of FPIs to the exit gate:

- Foreign portfolio investors are those that invest funds in markets outside of their
home turf.
- Their investments typically include equities, bonds and mutual funds.
- They are generally not active shareholders and do not exert any control over the
companies whose shares they hold.
- Recently, FPIs have been on a selling spree in India. June 2022 witnessed the worst
sell off since March 2020.
- Reasons of sale of – Post-pandemic, recovery in the Indian economy has been
uneven, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to a rise in global prices, US Federal reserve
raise the benchmark interest rate starting March 2022.
4) Nairobi Flies:

- Around hundred students in Sikkim have reported skin infections post coming in
contact with Nairobi flies.
- It is a species native to East Africa and is also called Kenyan flies or Dragon bugs.
- These are beetle like that belong to 2 species: PAEDERUS EXIMIUS and PAEDERUS
SABEUS.
- The thrive in areas with high rainfall.
- Usually the insects attack pest that consume crops and are beneficial for humans –
but at times they come in contact with humans directly and cause harm.
- These flies release a potent acidic substance called PEDERIN, which causes irritation
leading to unusual marks or colouring on the skin.
- Major outbreaks have been reported in Kenya and other parts of eastern Africa.

5) Government to buy carrier-based jets through government route:

- Procurement of new fighter jets to operate from its aircraft carriers through an
intergovernmental agreement with either France or the US.
- At present, India has only one aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, which is a
Russian origin platform. The indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, the first of
its kind is expected to be commissioned later in 2022.
- INS Vikrant is constructed by the Cochin shipyard Ltd for the Indian Navy. It is the
first aircraft carrier to be built in India.

6) Sweden, Finland signed protocol to join NATO:

- NATO allies sign accession protocols for Finland and Sweden taking the total number
of NATO members to 32 once ratified.
- Significance – It would mark one of the biggest shifts in European security in decades
and further increase Russia strategic isolation in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.
- North Atlantic Treaty organisation is a military alliance established by the north
Atlantic Treaty also called as Washington treaty of April, 1949.
- Headquarters – Brussels, Belgium .
- NATO is a system of collective security – its independent member states agree to
defend each other against attacks by third parties.

7) Restoring Banni grasslands in Gujarat:

- The Gujarat department will restore 10,000 ha of the Banni grasslands every year in
the coming decade.
- The grasslands of Gujarat constitute about 4.33% that is 8004 90 km² of the total
geographical area, distributed in eight districts and three different climatic regions.
- Banni grasslands was declared a protected forest in 1955, under the Indian Forest
act, 1927.
- It has 40 species of grass and 99 species of flowering plants, it is home to Indian wolf,
jackal, Indian fox , Desert Fox, desert cat, caracal, hyena, chinkara, Neilgai, wild boar,
Indian hare, common monitor lizard and the Cheetah before it became extinct.
- In the years of good rainfall it is home to thousands of migratory bird species.
- Threats: Widespread ingress of PROSOPIS JULIFLORA (A harmful exotic tree species)
, heavy uncontrolled grazing, dam construction on rivers flowing towards Banni,
periodic occurrence of drought and continuous increase in soil salinity.

8) Woman mathematician from Ukraine wins Fields Medal:

- Maryna Viazovska Is one of the four recipients of the prestigious Fields medal.
- She was being honoured for her work on the densest packing of identical spheres in
eight dimensions.
- Fields medal is often described as the noble prize in mathematics.
- It is awarded every four years to mathematicians under age 40.
- The recipients are normally announced at the international congress of
mathematicians.