Japan Elects First Female Prime Minister
Syllabus: GS2/IR
Context
- The Prime Minister extended congratulations to Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s newly-elected and first woman Prime Minister.
- He emphasized that partnership between India and Japan plays a vital role in ensuring peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific region
Chandrayaan-2 mission
Syllabus: GS3 / Science and Technology
Context
- The Chandrayaan-2 mission has made the first-ever observation of the Sun’s Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on the Moon using its onboard scientific instruments.
Chandrayaan-1
- It was launched in 2008.
- It was India’s first lunar mission.
- It made India the fifth country to reach the Moon.
- The mission’s most significant discovery was the presence of water molecules on the lunar surface, a finding confirmed by NASA.
Chandrayaan-2
- It was launched in 2019 with an orbiter, a lander (Vikram), and a rover (Pragyan).
- The mission aimed to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface, but ISRO lost contact with the lander just before touchdown, resulting in a crash landing.
- Despite this setback, the orbiter continued functioning and provided crucial data on the Moon’s surface and atmosphere.
Chandrayaan-3,
- It is a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2, successfully achieved a soft landing on the Moon’s south pole in 2023.
Lander payloads:
- Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) – to measure the thermal conductivity and temperature
- Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) – for measuring the seismicity around the landing site etc.
Rover payloads:
- Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) & Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) for deriving the elemental composition in the vicinity of landing site.
CAQM Invokes Stage-II of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Entire NCR
Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
In News
- The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage-II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the entire National Capital Region.
Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)
- Objective – It is a set of emergency measures implemented in Delhi-NCR to control air pollution based on the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels.
- Implementation – It was formulated by the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) and enforced by CAQM from 2021.
GRAP is divided into four stages corresponding to AQI levels:
- Stage I – Poor (AQI 201–300)
- Stage II – Very Poor (AQI 301–400)
- Stage III – Severe (AQI 401–450)
- Stage IV – Severe+ (AQI >450)
Why Do Air Quality Deteriorate in NCR during Winters?
- Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana.
- Low wind speed and temperature inversion trapping pollutants.
- Vehicular emissions, construction dust, and Diwali fireworks add to the load.
- Urban heat island effect and regional topography aggravate stagnation of pollutants.
Commission for Air Quality Management
- Constituted under: The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas Act, 2021.
- Jurisdiction: Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
- Purpose: To coordinate and implement region-wide measures for air quality improvement, replacing the earlier EPCA.
New Monoclonal Antibody Shows Early Promise Against Malaria
Syllabus: GS2/ Health, GS3/ Science and Technology
Context
- A novel monoclonal antibody (mAb) named MAM01, has demonstrated strong, dose-dependent protection against malaria in an early clinical trial.
Monoclonal Antibodies (mAbs)
- Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are lab-created proteins that mimic your body’s natural antibodies to fight specific foreign invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells.
- They are a powerful form of targeted therapy because they are designed to bind only to a single, specific target
Malaria
- Responsible pathogen – Malaria is an acute febrile illness caused by Plasmodium parasites.
- Vector – It spreads from people to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.
- Transmission – Malaria is not contagious and cannot spread from one person to another; the disease is transmitted through the bites of female Anopheles mosquitoes.
- Five species of parasites can cause malaria in humans and 2 of these species – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax – pose the greatest threat.
Symptoms
- Infants, children under 5 years, pregnant women, travelers and people with HIV or AIDS are at higher risk. Severe symptoms include:
- extreme tiredness and fatigue
- impaired consciousness
- multiple convulsions
- difficulty breathing
- dark or bloody urine
- jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin)
- abnormal bleeding.
Initiatives to Control Malaria by WHO
- WHO’s Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 – It aims to reduce malaria case incidence and mortality rates by at least 40% by 2020, at least 75% by 2025 and at least 90% by 2030 against a 2015 baseline.
- ‘E-2025 Initiative’: The WHO has identified 25 countries with the potential to eradicate malaria by 2025 under the initiative.
- High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) initiative: WHO has initiated the initiative in 11 high malaria burden countries, including India.
Indian Government Initiatives to Control Malaria
- National target – The Government of India set a target to eliminate malaria in India by 2027.
- National Framework for Malaria Elimination (NFME) – It has been developed and launched in 2016 aligned with the Global Technical Strategy (GTS) for malaria elimination 2016-2030.
- Malaria Elimination Research Alliance-India (MERA-India): It was established by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control.
UDAN Scheme
Syllabus: GS3/Infrastructure
Context
- Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme has completed 9 Years.
UDAN Scheme
- It is a regional connectivity scheme launched in 2016.
- The first UDAN flight operated between Shimla and Delhi in 2017.
- Ministry: Ministry of Civil Aviation.
- Aim: To make air travel affordable and accessible to the common citizen by connecting Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to major hubs.
Implementation:
- Viability Gap Funding (VGF): Financial support to airlines to ensure affordable fares.
- Airfare Cap to ensure affordability.
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