GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

India’s third-most populous city is facing the worst potable water crisis in its nearly 500-year history.

1: Dimension- Factors related to Water Crisis

• There are several factors contributing to the water problem in Bengaluru, such as insufficient precipitation, diminishing groundwater levels, poor planning of infrastructure, and the impact of water tanker operations. 
• The situation is further exacerbated by insufficient rainfall and the proliferation of unscientifically drilled borewells.
• The rapid de-notification of lands reserved for green cover, wetlands, urban forests and river courses is also one of the major factor.

2: Dimension- Impact of urbanisation (unplanned)

• Only uncertain rains and changing climatic conditions cannot be blamed for the water crisis in Bengaluru, population explosion, unplanned urbanisation, unfriendly industrial and agricultural policies have also resulted in this problem.
• Unplanned urbanisation leads to haphazard growth, altering the local ecology, hydrology and environment.
• The consequences of unplanned urbanisation are enhanced pollution levels and a lack of adequate infrastructure and basic amenities.
• This is evident in Bangalore with severe scarcity of water, frequent flooding, enhanced pollution levels, uncongenial buildings, mismanagement of solid and liquid wastes.

In the first global rankings for schools of public health, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) has secured an impressive second place, surpassing Harvard.

1: Dimension-Significance of Public Health in today’s times

• Development & security: Public health is pivotal to national development and global security. The ranking reflect the increasing importance of public health research in non-high-income countries.
• Contributes to economic and social development: Public health is important today because it addresses the health challenges and opportunities that affect the well-being of people and societies.
• Empowerment: Not only it responds to emerging and global health threats, it empowers individuals and communities.

2: Dimension- Role of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)

• Protecting the system: PHFI has established six institutes in different regions of India to promote multidisciplinary education and research which can inform and assist multi-sectoral policies and programmes for protecting people’s health.
• Treating relevancy: It has aimed to be locally relevant, nationally impactful, and globally respected.
• More focus on quality: PHFI has ranked exceptionally well not because of the ‘productivity’ criterion but thanks to the ‘quality’ criterion, which are all at the maximum.

India recently reached a significant milestone in its nuclear program by loading the core of its prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR), advancing towards stage II of its three-stage nuclear program, aimed at achieving energy independence through the utilization of thorium reserves. However, the large-scale use of nuclear power is accompanied by a difficult problem: waste management.

1: Dimension- Production of Nuclear Waste & Handling

• Nuclear waste is produced when atoms in a fission reactor absorb neutrons, resulting in the creation of radioactive elements that cannot undergo further fission. This waste, also known as spent fuel, contains radioactive fission products and elements formed through the conversion of uranium.
• It is hot and highly radioactive, and needs to be kept underwater for up to a few decades. Once it has cooled, it can be transferred to dry casks for longer-term storage.
• All countries with longstanding nuclear power programmes have accumulated a considerable inventory of spent fuel. For example, the U.S. had 69,682 tonnes (as of 2015), Canada 54,000 tonnes (2016), and Russia 21,362 tonnes (2014).

2: Dimension- Issues associated with nuclear waste

• Danger for health: These waste materials can remain radioactive and dangerous to human health for thousands of years.
  • Two of the world’s biggest nuclear accidents – the Fukushima nuclear disaster (2011) and the Chernobyl disaster (1986) – were responsible for the release of a significant amount of radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere, which created huge consequences for people and the environment.
• Costly maintenance: Radioactive wastes are subject to special regulations that govern their handling, transportation, storage, and disposal to protect human health and the environment. The maintenance of these sites can be extremely costly and it requires a large amount of manpower.

The traditional Majuli masks in Assam were given a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Centre. Majuli manuscript painting also got the GI label.

About Majuli Masks

• Majuli, the largest river island in the world and the seat of Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite tradition, has been home to the art of mask-making since the 16th century.
• Today, many of its traditional practitioners are working to take the art out of their traditional place in sattras, or monasteries, and give them a new, contemporary life.
• The handmade masks are traditionally used to depict characters in bhaonas, or theatrical performances with devotional messages under the neo-Vaishnavite tradition, introduced by the 15th-16th century reformer saint Srimanta Sankardeva.
• The masks can depict gods, goddesses, demons, animals and birds — Ravana, Garuda, Narasimha, Hanuman, Varaha Surpanakha all feature among the masks.
• They can range in size from those covering just the face (mukh mukha), which take around five days to make, to those covering the whole head and body of the performer (cho mukha), which can take up to one-and-a-half months to make.

Rupa Tarakasi, the silver filigree work of Cuttack in Odisha. This handicraft has recently received the geographical indication (GI) tag. 

• Tarakasi is one of Odisha's most stunning handicrafts. The word "tara" in Odia means wire, while "kasi" means design.
• This handicraft involves cutting silver bricks into thin wires or foils to create jewellery and showpieces.
• Tarakasi ornaments are perfect for any occasion, but the wide range of artefacts available, including floral and animal shapes, boxes and containers, tiny boats, and figurines, can also be used for interior decoration or as gifts.
• The delicate silver wires are beaten and shaped into various objects, from jewellery and ornaments to intricate items such as peacocks, boxes, and even the Sun deity riding his chariot pulled by seven horses.
• Tarakasi craftsmen have even decorated idols of the goddess Durga with their exquisite workmanship.

PM Modi launched the redevelopment of Sabarmati Ashram.

About the Ashram

• The Sabarmati Ashram (also known as Harijan Ashram) was home to Mohandas Gandhi and Kasturba from 1917 until 1930.
• It served as one of the main centres of the Indian freedom struggle.
• Originally called the Satyagraha Ashram, reflecting the movement toward passive resistance launched by the Mahatma, the Ashram became home to the ideology that set India free.
• Sabarmati Ashram named for the river on which it sits, was created with a dual mission. 
• On the 12 March 1930, Gandhi launched the famous Dandi march 241 miles from the Ashram in protest of the British Salt Law.

A Tejas aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near Jaisalmer, minutes after taking part in a tri-services exercise. This marks the first crash of the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas, which IAF began inducting in July 2016.

What is Tejas Mk-1?

• The Tejas Mk-1 is light supersonic multirole jet, capable of doing multiple missions including-
  • air-defence (air-to-air)
  • intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
  • air-interdiction (striking enemy targets deep into enemy territory)
  • maritime strike and reconnaissance missions
• The jet carries, an Israeli laser designating pod, multi-mode radar, helmet mounted display system and self-protection suite.
• The Indian Air Force currently operates 40 Tejas MK-1 aircraft and it has 83 Tejas MK-1A fighters on order in a deal worth over ? 46,000 crore.

India's retail inflation slightly dropped to 5.09% in February compared to 5.10% in the previous month, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme

Implementation.Reasons behind high numbers

• Geopolitical events and their influence on supply chains, along with the volatility in international financial markets and commodity prices, are 'key sources' of upward risks to inflation.
• The collective impact of policy repo rate increases is still making its way through the economy.