Daily Current Affairs

To The Point Notes

1.People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) Update in Kerala

Context: Four Grama Panchayats in Kerala submitted updated versions of their People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBR) to the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB).

What is a PBR?

• Mandated by the Biological Diversity Act (2002).
• Developed at the local level to document and safeguard biodiversity and related knowledge.

What does a PBR contain?

• Details the region’s biodiversity, including:
  • Identification of resources (flora, fauna, etc.)
  • Discoveries of new species
  • Traditional knowledge on biodiversity uses
  • Ongoing changes in biodiversity
  • Impact of climate change

How is a PBR used?

• Local bodies use the register to develop projects in various sectors:
  • Agriculture
  • Drinking water
  • Waste management
• Focuses on:
  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Equitable sharing of benefits from biodiversity use

Kerala’s PBR Leadership

• Kerala is the first state in India to complete the first volume of PBRs for all local bodies.

 

2.African Swine Fever (ASF) Outbreak in Kerala

Context: An outbreak of ASF has been detected in a pig farm in Thrissur district, Kerala.

What is ASF?

• Highly contagious and fatal disease affecting domestic and wild pigs.
• Caused by a large DNA virus.
• Found in Asia, Europe, and Africa (first detected in Kenya, 1909).

Symptoms:

• Chronic: weight loss, fever, respiratory issues, skin ulcers, arthritis.
• Acute: anorexia, no appetite, skin hemorrhages.

Transmission:

• Natural hosts (warthogs, bushpigs) and ticks act as vectors.
• Direct/indirect contact with infected pigs, feces, or body fluids.

Vaccination:

• Currently no effective vaccine available globally.
• However, Vietnam approved two ASF vaccines for domestic use in 2023.

Public Health Risk:

• NOT a threat to human health.
• ASF is a non-zoonotic disease (cannot spread from animals to humans).

 

3.Agnipath Scheme

Context: Recently, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha raised concerns about financial assistance for Agniveers’ families.

About the Scheme:

• Launched in June 2022 for modernizing armed forces recruitment.
• Aims to attract young, patriotic Indians for a short-term tour of duty.
• Focuses on nationwide recruitment using online exams, rallies, and campus interviews.

Eligibility:

• Age: 17.5 – 23 years
• Enrolment: All-India All-Class basis for 4 years
• Designation: Agniveer (governed under Air Force Act 1950)
• Insignia: Distinct within respective forces

Financial Aspects:

• No Pension during service.
• Life Insurance Cover: Rs. 48 lakh
• Death Compensation: Insurance cover + additional support from Agniveer Corpus Fund for next of kin (NOK).

 

4.SEHER Program

Launched by: Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) & TransUnion CIBIL

Goal: Empower women entrepreneurs in India through financial literacy and business skills.

Key Features:

• Provides essential financial literacy content and business skills training.
• Improves access to credit and financial resources for women-led businesses.
• Educates women entrepreneurs on credit scores, loan eligibility, and financial planning.

Significance:

• Addresses gender disparity in MSME loans (only 7% go to women-led businesses).
• Boosts women’s entrepreneurship and employment opportunities (20% of MSMEs are women-owned).

 

5.Kaveri River Pollution

Introduction:

• Kaveri River, also called Dakshina Bharata ki Ganga, is facing contamination issues.
• Karnataka government established a 9-member committee to investigate and propose solutions.

Origin and Flow:

• Starts at Talakaveri, Karnataka (Western Ghats) at 1341 meters.
• Length: 800 km (320 km in KA, 416 km in TN)
• Forms border between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Drainage Basin:

• Area: 81,155 sq. km (2.7% of India)
• Bounded by Tungabhadra (Krishna) and Palar basins
• Divided by Nilgiris into North (Karnataka plateau) and South (Tamil Nadu plateau)

States and Drainage Area:

 

State	Drainage Area (sq. km)
Tamil Nadu	48,730
Karnataka	36,240
Kerala	2,930

 

Tributaries:

• Left Bank: Harangi, Hemavati, Shimsha, Arkavati
• Right Bank: Lakshmantirtha, Kabbani, Suvarnavati, Bhavani, Noyil, Amaravati

Other Facts:

• National Parks: Bandipur, Nagarhole, Bannerghatta
• Shivasamudram Falls: Second-largest waterfall in India (hydropower generation)
• Hogennekkal Falls
• Mekedatu Gorge
• Akhanda Cauvery (broad river section after Karur)
• Srirangam Island (river island)
• Kallanai Dam (Grand Anicut) – built by Cholas in 1st century AD

 

6.World’s Oldest Cave Painting Discovered in Indonesia

Location: Leang Karampuang cave, Sulawesi, Indonesia

Age: 51,200 years old (using Uranium Series dating)

Significance:

• Oldest known figurative cave painting (previous record: 45,500 years)
• Depicts a scene with a pig and part-human, part-animal figures (therianthropes)
• Suggests advanced artistic expression and storytelling in early humans (Late Pleistocene)

New Dating Technique: Uranium Series (U-series) analysis for accurate dating

Implications:

• Redefines timeline and sophistication of early human art
• Highlights cultural traditions of visual storytelling
• Emphasizes importance of archaeological preservation and collaboration