Daily Current Affairs
Prelims Exam
To The Point Notes
Environment
1.East Sundarbans Fires
Location: Part of the Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh.
Problem: Frequent fires during the dry season.
Reasons:
- Reduced water inflow in canals
- Low elevation of the region
- Dry seasons
- Climate change
- Lack of proper management
About Sundarbans
- World’s largest mangrove forest, shared by India and Bangladesh.
- Rich in flora and fauna, including endangered species.
Fauna:
- Royal Bengal tigers (only mangrove habitat with significant population)
- Northern River Terrapin (Critically Endangered)
- Irrawaddy Dolphin (Endangered)
- Fishing Cat (Vulnerable)
- Horseshoe crabs
- Kingfishers
Flora:
- Over 78 species of mangroves (richest in the world)
- Named after the Sundari mangrove plant
Significance of Sundarbans:
- Protects coasts from storms, cyclones, and saltwater intrusion
- Provides habitat for fish and shellfish
- Supports the region’s fisheries
Conservation Efforts:
- UNESCO World Heritage Sites (parts in India and Bangladesh)
- Ramsar Wetland of International Importance
Health
2.Dengue Vaccine TAK-003 Gets WHO Prequalification
Good News:
- World Health Organization (WHO) prequalified TAK-003, a second vaccine for dengue.
About TAK-003:
- Developed by Takeda Pharmaceuticals (Japan).
- Live-attenuated vaccine with weakened dengue virus strains (all 4 serotypes).
- Builds immunity without causing the disease.
Who Can Get It?
- Children aged 6-16 years in high-burden dengue areas.
- Administered in 2 doses, 3 months apart (as per WHO).
Approvals:
- UK, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Dengue Disease:
- Mosquito-borne, potentially life-threatening.
- 100-400 million cases estimated globally each year.
- 3.8 billion people at risk in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
- Dengue cases likely to increase due to climate change and urbanization.
First Dengue Vaccine (Dengvaxia):
- Live recombinant tetravalent dengue vaccine.
- Requires pre-vaccination screening.
- Limited age range and geographic focus.
WHO Prequalification:
- Assesses vaccine quality, safety, and efficacy.
- Ensures adherence to international standards.
- Facilitates wider distribution and public health program use.
IR
3.State of Emergency in New Caledonia
Reason: Protests erupt over bill granting voting rights to French residents on the island.
Kanak Concerns: Marginalization of their votes and impact on independence aspirations.
About New Caledonia:
- French overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean (east of Australia).
- Indigenous Kanaks (Melanesians) inhabited the island for thousands of years.
- French colonization began in 1853, leading to a significant French population.
Nouméa Accord (1998): Granted limited autonomy to New Caledonia.
Referendums on Independence:
- Three referendums held in 2018, 2020, and 2021.
- Majority voted against independence in all three.
Population:
- 41% Kanak
- 24% European origin (mostly French)
Political Divide:
- Kanaks favor independence.
- European and immigrant groups prefer French rule.
Polity
4.Supreme Court Judgment on Property Acquisition
Context:
- SC emphasized safeguards needed before the State acquires private property.
- Aims to protect private property from arbitrary takeover for public purposes.
- Fair procedures and property owner rights are upheld under the Constitution.
Right to Property:
- Previously a fundamental right under Articles 31 & 19(1)(f).
- Downgraded to a constitutional right by the 44th Amendment Act (1978).
- Not a basic structure of the Constitution (Jilubhai Nanbhai Khachar case).
Key Highlights of the Judgement:
- Right to Property as a Constitutional Right:
- SC acknowledges property right as a constitutional right, with human rights implications.
- Article 300A:
- Procedural justice is crucial for acquiring private property for public use with compensation.
- “Authority of law” extends beyond just the State’s power of eminent domain.
- A mere law authorizing property acquisition isn’t sufficient.
- Seven Procedural Rights:
- Right to notice (State informing owner of acquisition intent).
- Right to be heard (State considering owner’s objections).
- Right to a reasoned decision (State informing owner of decision).
- State demonstrating acquisition for a purely public purpose.
- Right to fair compensation.
- State conducting acquisition efficiently within timeframes.
- Right of conclusion (acquisition process leading to property vesting with the State).
Significance:
- Clarifies State’s obligations and strengthens procedural protections for property owners.
- Reinforces constitutional principles of justice and fairness in property rights.
Science and Technology
5.NASA’s PREFIRE Polar Mission: Launching May 22nd
Mission: Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE)
Goal: Reveal the full spectrum of heat loss from Earth’s poles for the first time, improving climate models.
Launch: May 22nd, New Zealand
Satellites:
- Two CubeSats, the size of shoeboxes.
- Equipped with thermal infrared spectrometers.
- Asynchronous near-polar orbits, overlapping coverage near poles.
- Instruments use thermocouples (like thermostats) to measure radiant energy.
Mission Objectives:
- Understand why the Arctic warms faster than the planet.
- Measure far-infrared heat emission from snow, ice, and clouds.
- Improve predictions of climate change, sea level rise, and heat exchange between Earth and space.
- Anticipated impacts on ice sheet melting, atmospheric temperatures, and global weather.
Environment
6.Venezuela: First Nation in Modern Times to Lose All Glaciers
- Venezuela is thought to be the first nation in modern times to have completely lost all of its glaciers.
- Located on the northern coast of South America.
- Total area: 916,445 sq.km (353,841 sq mi).
- Bordered by:
- Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean to the north
- Guyana to the east
- Brazil to the south
- Colombia to the southwest and west
- Capital: Caracas
Physiography
- Diverse landscape including:
- Northern Andean Mountain chains
- Interior highlands
- Orinoco River basin with Llanos (plains)
- Lake Maracaibo (largest lake in South America)
- Angel Falls (world’s highest waterfall)
Major Rivers
- Rio Negro (shared with Colombia and Brazil): 2,250 km (tributary of the Amazon River)
- Orinoco (shared with Colombia): 2,101 km (third-longest in South America)
Islands and Territories
- Margarita Island
- La Blanquilla
- La Tortuga
- Los Roques
- Los Monjes
Resources
- World’s largest oil reserves
- Coal
- Iron ore
- Bauxite
- Gold
Languages
- Spanish (official) 98.2%
- Indigenous languages 1.3%
- Portuguese 0.1%
- Other 0.4% (2023 est.)
Currency
- Venezuelan bolívar
Agriculture
7.Muria Tribe and Deda Seed Preservation Method
- Muria Tribe
- Location: Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha
- Language: Koya (Dravidian)
- Population (A.P.): 6,600 (referred to as “Gutti Koyas”)
- Progressive social structure (e.g., Ghotul youth dormitories)
- Internally Displaced People (IDPs) – Status disputed in migrated states
- Deda Seed Preservation Method (passed down through generations)
- Materials:
- Siali leaves (Bauhinia vahlii) (“addakulu”)
- Wood ash
- Lemon leaves
- Process:
- Seeds wrapped in layers:
- Wood ash (1st layer)
- Lemon leaves (casing – 2nd layer)
- Seeds (innermost layer)
- Woven with Siali leaves to create deda packages resembling boulders
- Each deda holds at least 5kg of seeds
- Seeds wrapped in layers:
- Benefits:
- Protects seeds from pests and worms
- Enables seed storage for up to 5 years for cultivation
- Preserves seeds of pulses (green gram, red gram, black gram, beans)
- Materials:
हिन्दी