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On the eve of the crucial meeting with the Centre, protesting farmers from Punjab, camping at different locations along the boundary with Haryana, asked the Union government to bring an ordinance for a legal guarantee to Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.
Union Ministers Arjun Munda, Piyush Goyal and Nityanand Rai and the farmer leaders will meet on Sunday for the fourth round of talks.
At Shambhu, addressing a press conference, Sarwan Singh Pandher of the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) said the government should immediately issue the ordinance if it wants to resolve the farmers’ protest. “If the Modi government’s intent is clear towards resolving the issue, then they can bring an ordinance on legal guarantee for MSP immediately. Discussions can then proceed further.
Noting that the government currently offered MSP for 23 crops based on the “A2 plus FL” formula, Mr. Pandher suggested that it can bring out an ordinance for the same formula and then continue deliberations on providing MSP based on the “C2+50%” formula.
States
ISRO successfully launches INSAT-3DS weather satellite (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
The GSLV-F14 carrying INSAT-3DS meteorological satellite was successfully launched on Saturday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
About 18 minutes after the lift-off from the spaceport’s launchpad, the GSLV-F14 deployed the INSAT-3DS into the intended geosynchronous transfer orbit.
The spacecraft has been injected into a very good orbit. The injection conditions were as expected and we also noted that the vehicle has performed very, very well.
The INSAT-3DS satellite is a follow-on mission of the third generation meteorological satellite from geostationary orbit.
The satellite is an exclusive mission designed for enhanced meteorological observations, monitoring of land and ocean surfaces for weather forecasting, and disaster warning.
The INSAT-3DS satellite will augment meteorological services along with the presently operational INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR in-orbit satellites.
News
IAF showcases its weapons arsenal, firepower at Pokhran (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
The Pokhran range near Jaisalmer in Rajasthan reverberated with thunderous explosions and applause as the latest platforms of the Indian Air Force (IAF) — the Rafale jet, the Apache attack helicopter, and the indigenous Prachand light combat helicopter — along with legacy platforms, demonstrated their capability and firepower at the Vayu Shakti exercise on Saturday.
During the display, approximately 50 tonnes of ordnance was dropped in a short span of two hours over an area of two square km.
The event truly showcased IAFs offensive lethality and precision targeting capability,” the IAF said in a statement. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan was the chief guest.
The event began after 5 p.m. with three Chetak helicopters trooping the National Flag and the Air Force ensign, flying past the grandstand with the National Anthem playing in the background.
This was followed by a sonic boom created by a Rafale aircraft. Two Jaguar aircraft flying at low levels followed the Rafale, taking high fidelity reconnaissance images of the area. The demonstration was carried out in light, dusk, and night conditions with simulations.
Jnanpith for Gulzar, Sanskrit scholar Rambhadracharya (Page no. 11)
(Misc.)
Celebrated Urdu poet Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya have been selected for the 58th Jnanpith Award, considered by many to be the country’s highest literary honour.
Sampooran Singh Kalra, popularly known as Gulzar, is considered one of the finest Urdu poets of his generation. He is also known for his work in Hindi cinema.
Rambhadracharya is a renowned Hindu spiritual leader, educator and writer of more than 240 books and texts, including four epics. He is the founder and head of Tulsi Peeth at Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh.
It has been decided to give the award (for 2023) to eminent writers from two languages: Sanskrit litterateur Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and well-known Urdu litterateur Shri Gulzar,” the Jnanpith selection committee said in a statement.
The Jnanpith Award is presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, which was established in 1944.
Joblessness rising in country with education levels: study (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The country’s economy is witnessing a stagnating employment growth rate, weakening employment elasticity, slow structural transformation, and brewing structural problems in the labour market such as low female labour force participation and a rise in the unemployment rate (UR) with education levels, according to a study by D. Tripati Rao of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow.
Prepared in collaboration with researchers from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani and the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, the study points to a surge in output growth and employment from 1987-88 to 2004-05, followed by “jobless growth” from 2004-05 to 2018-19 and a subsequent trifling rebound thereafter.
In an academic paper based on the study published in the Indian Journal of Labour Economics, the researchers prescribed that a conscious effort to identify and promote the labour-intensive manufacturing sector will help in accomplishing inclusive growth.
The researchers analysed data from the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) Employment and Unemployment Survey and the Periodic Labour Force Survey Dashboard for the study.
Science
Nearly 50% of pregnancies in India are high-risk (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
A study that analysed the data of nearly 24,000 pregnant women in India has found the prevalence of high-risk pregnancies to be high at 49.4%. About 33% of pregnant women had a single high-risk factor, while 16% had multiple high-risk factors.
Northeastern States of Meghalaya (67.8%), Manipur (66.7%) and Mizoram (62.5%) and the southern State of Telangana (60.3%) had the highest prevalence of high-risk factors in India, while Sikkim (33.3%), Odisha (37.3%) and Chhattisgarh (38.1%) had the lowest prevalence of high-risk pregnancies.
With 33%, women in Meghalaya had the highest frequency of multiple high-risk factors followed by Manipur, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as per a study published recently in the Journal of Global Health by researchers from the ICMR’s National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH) in Mumbai.
Smoking leaves a lasting adverse impact on immune responses (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Smoking has a lasting effect on specific human immune responses, persisting long after quitting, reports a paper inNaturethis week.
The study, which investigates a range of factors that might contribute to variability in immune responses, also identifies body mass index (BMI) and latent infections of cytomegalovirus (a common virus) as having a substantial influence on immune responses.
The findings offer insights into the factors that potentially underlie the risk of developing infections and other immune related illnesses such as cancer or auto-immune disease.
There is wide variability in the way humans respond to immune challenges, such as bacterial or viral infections, as seen with the diverse range of clinical outcomes observed after infection with SARS-CoV-2.
Age, sex and genetic factors play a major role in this variability, but modifiable environmental factors, such as lifestyle, may also contribute. Understanding how such variables affect immune responses could improve the design of treatments and vaccines.
FAQ
Why did the SC invalidate electoral bonds? (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Judiciary)
The Supreme Court has declared the Electoral Bonds Scheme as unconstitutional. Donor anonymity was the main feature of the scheme, which has been criticised for long by transparency activists. These bonds constituted an important means of funding political parties since 2018.
The court found that the scheme violated the citizens’ right to information about the sources of finances raised by political parties. It directed the full disclosure of all details of contributors, recipient parties and denominations.
An electoral bond is in the nature of a promissory note which shall be a bearer banking instrument that does not carry the name of the buyer or payee.
Any citizen or company could buy these bonds in denominations of ₹1,000, ₹10,000, ₹1 lakh, ₹10 lakh, and ₹1 crore and donate it to a political party.
It can be encashed only through a bank account with an authorised bank. The State Bank of India was the bank authorised to issue and encash these bonds.
Can rheumatoid arthritis be prevented? (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Earlier this week, The Lancet published the results of a study that proposed to repurpose an existing drug to treat rheumatoid arthritis as prophylaxis, to prevent disease.
Can doctors prevent the onset of rheumatic arthritis in people (with indicative biomarkers) who have not yet developed the condition?
The results of the study showed that “rheumatoid arthritis prevention trials are feasible and targeting the adaptive immunity of such individuals at an early stage, can prevent the onset of rheumatoid arthritis.”
It is a chronic, autoimmune condition that mostly affects the joints. Scientists have not yet understood why an autoimmune condition occurs, allowing the immune system that protects the body, to attack itself.
A patient experiences pain, swelling of joints and loss of function and mobility as a result of stiffness. As can be expected, this is likely to significantly lower a patient’s quality of life.
As per the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, of the National Institutes of Health, U.S., rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of the joints, and damages the tissue that covers the ends of the bones in a joint. It often occurs in a symmetrical pattern, meaning that if one knee or hand has the condition, the other hand or knee is also often affected.
Fatigue, occasional fevers, and a loss of appetite are to be expected, and there is a possibility that it may cause medical problems outside of the joints including in the heart, lungs, blood nerves, eyes and skin.
Business
Govt. more than doubles authorised capital of FCI to ₹21,000 crore (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The government has raised the authorised capital of state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) to ₹21,000 crore, from ₹10,000 crore, to enhance the operational capabilities and fulfill its mandate effectively, the Food Ministry said on Saturday.
FCI is the government’s nodal agency that undertakes procurement of foodgrains at a minimum support price (MSP) to protect the interest of farmers. It also maintains strategic stocks and distributes the grains under different welfare schemes.
The increase in authorised capital is a significant step towards enhancing the operational capabilities of FCI.
FCI resorts to cash credit, short-term loan, ways and means etc. to match the gap in the fund requirement. The increase in the authorised capital will reduce the interest burden, decrease the economic cost and ultimately affecting the government subsidy positively.
With this infusion of capital, the FCI should also embark upon modernising its storage facilities, improving transportation networks, and adopting advanced technologies.
World
Ukraine withdraws from Avdiivka as Russia pushes on (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Russia said on Saturday that its forces had inflicted a series of defeats on Ukrainian forces along the 1,000-km front line just as Ukrainian troops withdrew from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka.
The Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka paves the way for Russia’s biggest victory since the May 2023 capture of Bakhmut after a deadly battle that left thousands dead in a devastated city with barely a building intact.
After the failure of Ukraine to pierce Russian lines last year, Moscow has been trying to grind down Ukrainian forces just as Kyiv ponders a major new mobilisation and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appoints a new commander to run the war.
Russian forces made inroads against Ukrainian troops along the front lines in a number of different directions, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
Avdiivka, as a major node of resistance for the armed forces of Ukraine, has fallen,” pro-Russian military blogger Yuri Podolyak said on Telegram.
Avdiivka sits in the industrial Donbas region, 15 km north of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk. Before the war, its Soviet-era coke plant was one of Europe’s biggest.