June 15th Current Affairs

1. Dialogue on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought

IN NEWS:

• PM’s keynote address at the UN ‘High-Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land degradation and Drought’.
• He spoke as the President of the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties (CoP) of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

KEY POINTS:

• This conference will be convened by President of 75th session of General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir.
• PM Modi was President of 14th session of Conference of the Parties to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP14 President) at New Delhi in 2019 in which Delhi declaration was adopted to encourage transition and increase access to energy in rural & urban communities with the aim of combating desertification, land degradation and drought.
• During this year’s session, representatives from international organisations and civil society groups will address the conference with aim of assessing the progress made in fighting land degradation. They will also map way forward on global efforts to revive and restore healthy land.
• As per United Nations, one-fifth of earth’s land area (more than 2 billion hectares) worldwide is degraded. It also includes more than half of all agricultural land.
• If land degradation continues with this pace and we do not change how we manage soil, over 90 percent land would be degraded by 2050.
• This will negatively impact one-fifth of the planet’s land area and livelihoods of 3.2 billion people, which accounts for 40 percent of global population.
• Land degradation also accelerates climate change & biodiversity loss and contributes to droughts, wildfires, involuntary migration & emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases.
• Thus, this conference becomes significance to raise awareness and initiate preventive measures.

SOURCE:PIB

2. Raja Parba

IN NEWS:

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has extended his best wishes to the people of Odisha on the auspicious occasion of Raja Parba.

KEY POINTS:

• Raja Parba  or Mithuna Sankranti is a three-day-long festival of womanhood celebrated in Odisha, India. The second day of the festival signifies beginning of the solar month of Mithuna from, which the season of rains starts.
• It falls in mid Junethe first day is called Pahili Raja, second day is Mithuna Sankranti, third day is Bhudaaha or Basi Raja.
• The final fourth day is called Basumati snana, in which the ladies bath the grinding stone as a symbol of Bhumi with turmeric paste and adore with flower, sindoor etc.
• All type of seasonal fruits are offered to mother Bhumi.
• The day before first day is called Sajabaja or preparatory day during which the house, kitchen including grinding stones are cleaned, spices are ground for three days.
• During these three days women and girls take rest from work and wear new Saree, Alata, and ornaments.
• It is similar to Ambubachi Mela.

SOURCE:PIB

3. Jivan Vayu

IN NEWS:

Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar has developed a device ‘Jivan Vayu’ which can be used as a substitute of CPAP(Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine.

KEY POINTS:

• This device functions even without electricity.
• It is adapted to both kinds of oxygen generation units namely, O2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals.
• Apart from fulfilling all medically required parameters, this device is leak-proof and having low-cost.
• It has been designed for a 22mm CPAP closed-circuit tube.
• Device can even be customised as per size of the tube.
• As the device runs during power failures, it can be used to safely transport a patient.
• It has been manufactured using 3D printing and has been tested mechanically.
• Device can deliver high flow oxygen (20–60 LPM) and can maintain a continuous positive pressure of up to 20 cm H2O.
• It has been designed to maintain a FiO2 of above 40 per cent and PEEP (positive end-expiratory pressure) of 5-20 cm H2O.
• Jivan Vayu has an inbuilt viral filter at air entrainment end, with viral efficacy of 99.99 per cent. This filter ensures that air does not bring in any pathogens from environment.
• This device was need of the hour amid the covid-19 pandemic when power supply is a key concern for saving lives of those who are on medical equipment like ventilators and oxygen concentrators.

SOURCE:TH

4. 47th G7 Summit

IN NEWS:

Recently, the Indian Prime Minister addressed the 47th G7 Summit 2021 through video conferencing.

KEY POINTS:

• G7 is an informal intergovernmental organisation of seven countries – US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and UK.
• It represents 40% of the global GDP
• In 2021 Summit India, South Africa, Australia and South Korea were invited as guest countries.
• G7 shall secure more than 1 billion covid-19 vaccine doses either through donating surplus supplies funds or providing further finance to Covax, a scheme backed by UN to distribute vaccines to low and middle-income countries
• It shall increase the climate finance contributions and meet and overdue spending pledge of dollar hundred billion a year to help poor countries cut carbon emissions
• Infrastructure plan was announced to rival China’s Belt and Road initiative by supporting project such as Railways in Africa and wind farms in Asia
• It backed a minimum tax of at least 15% on large multinational companies to stop them from using tax havens to avoid taxes
• India has sought G7’s support for the proposal made at the WTO by India and South Africa for a TRIPS waiver on covid related Technologies.

SOURCE:IE