US Strikes on Venezuela | Somnath Swabhiman Parv | Human Rabies To Be Declared Notifiable Disease In Delhi

US Strikes on Venezuela

International

Context

• The US strikes on Venezuela have brought to the forefront concerns over violations of international law, breach of national sovereignty & reinforcing perceptions of U.S. imperialism.
• However, data shows that the U.S. attack on Venezuela is unlikely to have any direct impact on India’s energy security.

Probable Reasons for US Attack on Venezuela

• Oil Reserves: Venezuela holds about 18% of the world’s oil reserves, more than Saudi Arabia (around 16%), Russia (about 5-6%), or the United States (around 4%).
• Venezuela alone has more crude oil reserves than the US and Russia combined.
• Countering China’s Expansion in Latin America: China, the world’s largest crude oil importer, has emerged as the biggest buyer of Venezuelan oil.
• Venezuela is a strategic node in China’s energy security and global influence, making it geopolitically sensitive for the U.S.
• S. Deals: The United States has signed trade deals with partners such as the European Union, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom, getting commitments from them to buy U.S. petroleum products and LNG, without having sufficient crude oil or refining capacity.
• Resurrection of the Monroe Doctrine: The US has described the operation as consistent with the US foreign policy known as the Monroe Doctrine.

Other Stated and Unstated Motives:

• Allegations of state-sponsored drug trafficking
• Containment of socialist political ideology
• Addressing mass migration flows towards the U.S.

Venezuela Share in Oil Supply

• It is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), a group of countries that largely dominates the global oil market.
• Impact on India – India imported $255.3 million worth of oil from Venezuela in the current financial year in 2025, about 0.3% of its total oil import during this period.

Somnath Swabhiman Parv

Culture

Context

• PM Modi commemorated 1,000 years since the first attack on the Somnath Temple in 1026 AD, describing the iconic shrine as a timeless symbol of India’s civilisational resilience and unbreakable spirit.

Somnath Temple

• Somnath is revered as the first of the twelve Jyotirlings of Lord Shiva, as mentioned in the Dwadasha Jyotirling Stotram.
• The temple is located at Prabhas Patan on the western coast of Gujarat, a region historically associated with maritime trade, cultural exchange, and prosperity.
• The shrine was first attacked in January 1026 by Mahmud of Ghazni, marking the beginning of a series of invasions aimed at destroying symbols of Indian civilization.
• Despite repeated devastation, the temple was rebuilt multiple times.

Restoration of the Temple

• Ahilyabai Holkar played a crucial role in restoring the temple in the 18th century, demonstrating the role of indigenous rulers in cultural revival.
• After Independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel envisioned the reconstruction of Somnath.
• The present structure was completed and inaugurated on May 11th 1951, by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, reflecting the constitutional ethos of cultural freedom.
• M. Munshi was instrumental in the reconstruction of the temple.
• Swami Vivekananda viewed Somnath as a symbol of India’s national spirit that regenerates despite adversity.

Human Rabies To Be Declared Notifiable Disease In Delhi

Health and Society

Context

• The Delhi government is set to declare human rabies a notifiable disease in the National Capital Territory of Delhi under the Epidemic Diseases Act.

Notifiable Disease

• A notifiable disease is one that must be legally reported to public health authorities upon diagnosis or suspicion.
• Mandatory reporting enables real-time surveillance, early detection, rapid response, and evidence-based planning.

Additional Information – Rabies

• It is a zoonotic viral disease (Disease Transmitted from Animals to Humans).
• Pathogen – It is caused by the Rabies virus, of the Lyssavirus genus, within the family Rhabdoviridae.
• It is a Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) virus that is present in the saliva of a rabid animal (dog, cat, monkey, etc).
• Rabies is 100% fatal but 100% vaccine-preventable.
• 33% of global rabies deaths are recorded in India.

Common Vectors/ Reservoirs of Virus

• Most mammals can carry the virus and hence can cause the disease.
• In South Asia and Africa, the most common reservoir of the virus is the domestic/street dog.
• In developed nations like the USA, animals that transmit rabies are bats, foxes, raccoons, and skunks.

Symptoms

• Anxiety, Confusion, salivation, seizures, hallucinations and paralysis.

National Action Plan for dog Mediated Rabies Elimination by 2030 (NAPRE)

• Under this, the union will encourage all the States and UTs to make Rabies a notifiable Disease.
• A notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities.
• “Joint Inter-Ministerial Declaration Support Statement” for Elimination of Dog mediated Rabies from India by 2030 was also launched.

World Rabies Day

• Celebrated on 28 September which marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur’s death.
• Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine.
• He also discovered Pasteurisation, Vaccines for Anthrax and Cholera and Chamberland filters.