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25th April 2022

'KisanBhagidari, PrathmiktaHamari’ campaign

Context

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is organizing the 'KisanBhagidari, PrathmiktaHamari’ campaign.

About

About 'KisanBhagidari, PrathmiktaHamari’ campaign:

  • ‘KisanBhagidari, PrathmiktaHamari’ is being organized from 25th April to 30th April 2022 as part of AzadiKaAmritMahotsav.
  • During the campaign, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare will organize countrywide programs at regional level for farmers.
  • The Department of Agriculture Research and Education would be organising a KrishiMela at each KrishiVigyan Kendra and field exhibition on natural farming.
  • Union Agriculture Minister would be launching country wide workshop on crop insurance organised by common service centre (CSC).
  • A Discourse on agro ecological and livestock practices would be held under DAY-NRLM along with Ministry of Rural Development.
  • Awebinar on One District One Product (ODOP) would be held by the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
  • A National AtmaNirbhar Bharat Conclave of 75 selected farmers and entrepreneurs would also be held.

Important Milestones

  • The following milestones of agriculture development in 75 years of Indian Independence will be highlighted during the said campaign:
    • Green Revolution: Self-sufficiency in food grain production;
    • Largest producer of horticulture crops – Ginger, Banana, Mango & Papaya;
    • Yellow Revolution (Operation Golden Flow);
    • Sweet Revolution: Honey Production;
    • Improvement in crop irrigation;
    • Use of ICT in agriculture;
    • Application of remote sensing/ GIS/Drones in agriculture;
    • Application of Bio-technology in Agriculture;
    • Success of Watershed Development Progarmme;
    • Self-sufficiency in seeds and fertilizer;
    • Advancement in farm mechanization;
    • Soil Health Management (INM)
    • Effective management of pests (IPM)
  • KisanBhagidariPrathmiktaHamari Campaign will highlight the activities & achievements under various flagship schemes of Government of India, namely:
    • Pradhan MantriKisanSamman Nidhi
    • Pradhan MantriFasalBimaYojana
    • Pradhan MantriKrishiSinchaiYojana – Per Drop More Crop
    • Pradhan MantriKisanMaandhanYojana
    • Kisan Credit Card
    • Agriculture Credit
    • e-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)
    • Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)
    • Soil Health Card
    • Organic and Natural Farming
    • Plant Protection and Plant Quarantine
    • Bee-keeping
    • Farm Mechanization
    • National Food Security Mission
    • Seed and Planting Material
    • Mission on Integrated Development of Horticulture
    • Extension Reforms (ATMA)

European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA)

Context

The European Parliament and European Union (EU) Member States recently announced that they had reached a political agreement on the Digital Services Act (DSA).

About

About the legislation:

  • Digital Services Act (DSA) is a landmark legislation to force big Internet companies to act against disinformation and illegal and harmful content, and to “provide better protection for Internet users and their fundamental rights”.
  • The Act was proposed by the EU Commission (anti-trust) in December 2020.
  • As defined by the EU Commission, the DSA is “a set of common rules on intermediaries’ obligations and accountability across the single market”, and ensures higher protection to all EU users, irrespective of their country.
  • The proposed Act will work in conjunction with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
  • The DSA will tightly regulate the way intermediaries, especially large platforms such as Google, Facebook, and YouTube, function when it comes to moderating user content.
  • Instead of letting platforms decide how to deal with abusive or illegal content, the DSA will lay down specific rules and obligations for these companies to follow.
  • According to the EU, DSA will apply to a “large category of online services, from simple websites to Internet infrastructure services and online platforms.”
  • The obligations for each of these will differ according to their size and role.
  • The legislation brings in its ambit platforms that provide Internet access, domain name registrars, hosting services such as cloud computing and web-hosting services.
  • But more importantly, very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs) will face “more stringent requirements.”

What do the new rules state?

  • A wide range of proposals seeks to ensure that the negative social impact arising from many of the practices followed by the Internet giants is minimised or removed.
  • Online platforms and intermediaries such as Facebook, Google, YouTube, etc will have to add “new procedures for faster removal” of content deemed illegal or harmful
  • Marketplaces such as Amazon will have to “impose a duty of care” on sellers who are using their platform to sell products online.
    • They will have to “collect and display information on the products and services sold in order to ensure that consumers are properly informed.”
  • The DSA adds “an obligation for very large digital platforms and services to analyse systemic risks they create and to carry out risk reduction analysis”.
  • The Act proposes to allow independent vetted researchers to have access to public data from these platforms to carry out studies to understand these risks better.
  • The DSA proposes to ban ‘Dark Patterns’ or “misleading interfaces” that are designed to trick users into doing something that they would not agree to otherwise.
  • The DSA incorporates a new crisis mechanism clause — it refers to the Russia-Ukraine conflict — which will be “activated by the Commission on the recommendation of the board of national Digital Services Coordinators”.
    • However, these special measures will only be in place for three months.
  • The law proposes stronger protection for minors, and aims to ban targeted advertising for them based on their personal data.
  • It also proposes “transparency measures for online platforms on a variety of issues, including on the algorithms used for recommending content or products to users”.

Does this mean that social media platforms will now be liable for any unlawful content?

  • It has been clarified that the platforms and other intermediaries will not be liable for the unlawful behaviour of users. So, they still have ‘safe harbour’ in some sense.
  • However, if the platforms are “aware of illegal acts and fail to remove them,” they will be liable for this user behaviour. Small platforms, which remove any illegal content they detect, will not be liable.

India’s IT Rules:

  • India’s IT Rules announced last year make the social media intermediary and its executives liable if the company fails to carry out due diligence.
  • Rule 4 (a) states that significant social media intermediaries — such as Facebook or Google — must appoint a chief compliance officer (CCO), who could be booked if a tweet or post that violates local laws is not removed within the stipulated period.
  • India’s Rules also introduce the need to publish a monthly compliance report.
  • They include a clause on the need to trace the originator of a message — this provision has been challenged by WhatsApp in Delhi High Court.

Invasive plant species, “Senna spectabilis”threatens wildlife habitats of Western Ghats

Context

A recent study revealed that the invasive species has now spread through the most iconic wildlife habitats of the Western Ghats, destroying habitats of elephants, deer, gaur and tigers by pushing out native flora.

About

About Invasive plant species:

  • The rampant growth of invasive plants, especially Senna spectabilis, in the forest areas of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), including theWayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, is a matter of serious concern to the conservation of wildlife habitats of the Western Ghats.
  • The allelopathic traits of the species prevent other plants from growing under it.
  • It is a form of chemical warfare where the shed leaves decompose and change the chemical composition of the soil, rendering it unsuitable for the growth of other plant species.
  • This drastically affects primary productivity at the ground level.
    • The forest floor is almost bare under the invasive species.
    • Grasses and herbs get completely wiped out and herbivores are deprived of their forage.
    • The carrying capacity of forests to feed wildlife is drastically declining under the invasion, which accelerates man-animal conflict further.
  • Introduction of species: The invasive species found its way to Wayanad in the 1980s, when the seedlings of the plant were first raised in the nurseries of the social forestry wing, and planted as avenue trees.
    • It was noticed regenerating profusely about 25 years after its introduction in Wayanad.
    • Over the period, it got established in the Bandipur and Nagarhole Tiger Reserves of Karnataka, and the Mudumalai and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves in Tamil Nadu as well.

Key Findings of the study:

  • The study found around 23% of the area of Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is infested by Senna spectabilis.
  • The study says 1,305 trees were found in one hectare in the most affected areas of the sanctuary.
  • The tree species was found in nearly 10 sq km area of the 344.44 sq km sanctuary around five years ago.Now, it had invaded to more than 50 sq km of the sanctuary.

At least one child has died after a mysterious increase in severe cases of hepatitis: WHO

Context

The World Health Organization recently said that at least one child death had been reported following an increase of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children.

About

The news:

  • The WHO issued the figures as health authorities around the world investigate a mysterious increase in severe cases of hepatitis - inflammation of the liver – in young children.
  • At least 169 cases had been reported in children in 12 countries including in the UK, US, Spain, Israel, and Ireland - among youngsters aged from one month to 16 years.
  • The UK has reported 114 of the cases.
  • Scientists currently believe that an adenovirus, a common type of virus that can cause common colds, could be behind the wave of acute hepatitis cases.
  • At least 74 of the children who are affected have tested positive for adenovirus
  • COVID-19 infection was identified in 20 of those tested and
  • 19 cases were detected with a COVID-19 and adenovirus co-infection.
  • Concern:The cases are more unusual because they are not linked to any of the five typical strains of the virus – hepatitis A, B, C, D and E.
  • Symptoms:Hepatitis symptoms include dark urine, yellowing of the eyes and skin, sickness, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, light-coloured stools and joint pain.
  • There is no specific treatment for hepatitis but drugs like steroids can help, as well as medicines to treat the symptoms.

    About Hepatitis:

    • Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver that is usually caused by a viral infection or liver damage from drinking alcohol.
    • Transmission:When hepatitis is spread by a virus, it's usually caused by consuming food and drink contaminated with the faeces of an infected person or blood-to-blood or sexual contact.

    Types

    Symptoms

    • Short-term hepatitis often has no noticeable symptoms.
    • But if some develop they can include dark urine, pale grey-coloured poo, itchy skin and yellowing of the eyes and skin.
    • They can also include muscle and joint pain, a high temperature, feeling and being sick and being unusually tired all of the time. 

World Malaria Day

Context

World Malaria day is observed on 25th April.

About

About World Malaria day:

  • It is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control.
  • World Malaria Day was instituted by WHO Member States during the World Health Assembly of 2007. 
  • This year the theme is -Harness innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives.

About Malaria

 

  • Malaria is an acute febrile illness.
  • Caused by: Malaria is caused by Plasmodium.
  • The parasites are spread to people through the bites of infected female Anophelesmosquitoes, called "malaria vectors."
  • In humans, the parasites (called sporozoites) migrate to the liver where they mature and release another form, the merozoites.
  • There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species – falciparumand P. vivax – pose the greatest threat.
  • Symptoms: The majority of Malaria symptoms are caused by the massive release of merozoites into the bloodstream such as anaemia is caused by the destruction of the red blood cells.
    • The first symptoms – fever, headache, and chills – may be mild and difficult to recognize as malaria. 

PM Modi receives LataMangeshkar Award

Context

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been honoured with the first-ever LataDeenanathMangeshkar Award.

About

About the award:

  • The award will be given annually to a person who has made a path-breaking, spectacular and exemplary contribution to the nation and its people.
  • PM Modi received the award for selfless service to the nation and society.
  • The award ceremony held on April 24 which marks the 80th death anniversary of Master DeenanathMangeshkar (singing legend’s father).
  • Among the other awardees will be singer Rahul Despande, who will receive the Master Deenanath Award besides three other special awardees including veteran actress Asha Parekh, actor Jackie Shroff and the Mumbai Dabbawalas, represented by Nutan Tiffin Suppliers.
  • The award citation praised Mr. Modi, the first recipient, as “an international statesman who has put India on the path of global leadership.”

Editorial

Understanding the Olga Tellis Judgment

A 37­year­old Constitution Bench judgment of the Supreme Court which held that pavement dwellers are different from trespassers may become a game­changer in the Jahangirpuri case. The apex court ruled that pavement dwellers live on “filthy footpaths out of sheer helplessness” and not with the object of offending, insulting, intimidating or annoying anyone.

What is the Olga Tellis judgment?

  • Unauthorised occupation- The judgment, Olga Tellis vs Bombay Municipal Corporation, in 1985 by a five­judge Bench led by then Chief Justice of India Y.V. Chandrachud agrees that pavement dwellers do occupy public spaces unauthorised.
  • Chance to be heard- However, the court maintained they should be given a chance to be heard and a reasonable opportunity to depart “before force is used to expel them.”
  • Article 21- One major question was whether eviction of a pavement dweller would amount to depriving him/her of their livelihood guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
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ThinkQ

Mains Question:

Q1. Discuss the role of social media and its emerging importance in today’s modern society.

Approach

  • Introduction- Increasing role of social media platforms
  • Discuss the utilisation in different fields (communication, business, entertainment, food, lifestyle and others)
  • Pros and cons
  • Give a balanced conclusion
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