20th JAN, 2024

Iran's retaliatory attacks in West Asian countries and their impact on India's interests in the
region

Iran's retaliatory strikes in Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan were prompted by a terrorist attack in its Kerman province (refer to the
map).
India's Interests in West Asia
Neighbourhood first policy: West Asia is a part of India’s extended neighbourhood and Look West Policy, and maintaining
peace and stability in the region aligns with India's strategic interests.
Diaspora: Indians constitute more than 30% of total expatriate
workers in the in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Remittance: 18% of India's total remittances come only from the
UAE, 5.1% from Saudi Arabia, while Kuwait, Oman and Qatar also
have significant contributions.
Connectivity and Infrastructure:
♦ INSTC is a land- and sea-based multi-modal transport network
that will connect the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf with the
Caspian Sea.
♦ India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor spans India to
Europe via West Asia.
♦ Chabahar port is vital for India for transporting cargo to Europe.
Energy security:
♦ More than 80% of India's oil and over 50% of gas are imported.
♦ Iraq and Saudi Arabia serve as major oil suppliers, while Qatar is a significant supplier of LNG.

Havisure-India’s first indigenously developed Hepatitis A vaccine launched

Havisure was developed by Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board
(NDDB).
Havisure is a two-dose vaccine wherein first dose is administered at above 12 months of age and second dose is given at
least after 6 months of the first dose.
It is also recommended for individuals who are at risk of exposure or travel to the regions with high hepatitis A prevalence.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of liver that is caused by a variety of infectious viruses and non-infectious agents.
There are five main strains of hepatitis virus i.e. A, B, C, D and E.

Hepatitis How it spreads? Treatment

A Ingestion of contaminated food or water. Vaccine

Contact with infected body fluids like blood, saliva, semen etc.
B Mother to child during birth and delivery. Vaccine
Unsafe injections or exposures to sharp instruments.
Contact with infected blood through sharing needles or syringes, or from unsafe No Vaccine available. Current treatment
C
medical procedures like blood transfusions with unscreened blood products. is only through antiviral medicines

D People already infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Vaccine

E Fecal-oral route, principally via contaminated water. Vaccine

Initiatives taken to prevent Hepatitis

National Viral Hepatitis Control Program 2019 to eliminate Hepatitis C in India by 2030.
Mission Indradhanush 2014 provides vaccination against Hepatitis B along with 7 other infections.
World Hepatitis Day (28 July every year).

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National Human Rights Commission stresses on the need for implementation of Idate
Commission report

Idate Commission or the National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes was constituted in 2014
under Bhiku Ramji Idate.
The commission was mandated to compile a state-wise list of Denotified Major Recommendations of Idate
Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (DNTs), identify DNTs not included in Commission
SCs/STs or OBC lists, recommend measures for their welfare, etc.
About DNTs Establish a permanent commission for the
These communities were notified as criminals under the Criminal Tribes DNTs, SNTs and NTs with statutory status
Act 1871 by British to prevent their future engagement with criminal
activities. Establish a separate department for their
♦ They were forcibly alienated from their traditional occupations and welfare in states with their seizable populations
habitations through other subsequent legislation.
Detailed survey of the families of DNTs to
The act was repealed by the Indian Government in 1952 and they were work out their estimated population and their
declared DNTs. concentration
Challenges faced by DNTS
Enable legal and Constitutional protection
There is no Central list for these communities neither are they recognised by including a third schedule in Prevention of
as a separate group (like SC/STs) under the Constitution. Atrocities Act, 1989
They are mostly outside the purview of government welfare initiatives.
They are mostly uneducated and suffer form lack of basic infrastructure DNTs not included in SCs/STs/OBCs list should
facilities like drinking water, shelter, healthcare. be listed as OBCs

Welfare initiatives:
Development and Welfare Board for DNTs Established in 2019 for a period of 3 years (extendable to 5 years)
Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED) for educational empowerment, health insurance, livelihoods and
housing.

Ministry of Education (MoE) directs all education institutions to provide study material in
Indian languages digitally

Schools and higher education institutions are directed to digitize study material in languages listed in the 8th Schedule of
Constitution within the next three years.
About Education in Regional Language Iniatives for education in regional
Mandates language
♦ National Education Policy 2020: Calls for multilingualism in
education at every level. Anuvadini (AI based App): Translation of
♦ Article 350 A of the Constitution: Government should ensure Engineering, Medical, Law, UG, PG and Skill books.
children from linguistic minority groups are educated in their
mother tongue at the primary stage. e-KUMBH Portal: Launched by the AICTE to
♦ Right to Education Act 2009: As far as possible the medium of provide free access to technical education books in
instruction in education should be in the mother tongue. different Indian languages
Significance
♦ Improved learning outcomes: Students can grasp concepts DIKSHA Portal: Provides study material for school
more easily, get space to think innovatively and enhanced education in over 30 Indian languages.
ability to express themselves.
♦ Better engagement: Increase classroom participation, and
reduce dropout rates and grade repetition. Bhasha Sagar Project: To develop mobile
♦ STEM education: Encourage students to seek higher education application, and a web-based platform for learning
in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM). Indian languages.
♦ Preserves cultural heritage: Fosters linguistic diversity and
cultural understanding. Natural Language Translation Mission: To facilitate
Challenges: access to teaching and research material across
all regional languages.
♦ Difficulty in delivering lectures in different languages.
♦ High Initial Cost for developing new learning material and trained teachers.
♦ Difficulty in finding opportunities in global labour and education markets.

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Prime Minister launched Boeing
Sukanya Program to support girl’s
entry into aviation sector
Program will provide opportunities for girls
and women to learn critical skills in Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) fields and train for jobs in aviation sector.
For young girls, program will create STEM Labs
at 150 planned locations to spark interest in
STEM careers and provide scholarships to
women who are training to be pilots.
15 percent of India's pilots are women which is
3 times more than global average.
Status of Women in STEM Education
As per All India Survey on Higher Education,
Female Enrolment in STEM Courses has
increased to 42.6% in 2021-22. However, their
participation in workforce remains low i.e. 14 %
in 2021.
Reasons for Under-representation of women in
STEM: Skill inadequacy; Lack of role models; Safety
during commute to work; Pressures to conform to
societal norms and constraints of domestic life
including stress related to marriage, childbirth etc.
Importance of Women in STEM: Increasing
diversity in workforce lead to more productivity
and innovation; economic growth of nation etc.
Initiatives taken by India to promote women in
STEM
Knowledge Involvement Research
Advancement through Nurturing (KIRAN)
scheme.
Pragati Scholarship and TechSaksham
Programme.
Vigyan Jyoti Scheme.
Boeing India Engineering & Technology Center
(BIETC) campus, Bengaluru
Inaugurated by Prime Minister, it will serve as a hub for
innovation and drive advancements in aviation.
It will develop next-generation products and services for
global aerospace and defence industry.
Also in News
North Eastern Council (NEC)
71st Plenary Session of NEC held in Shillong, Meghalaya.
NEC (HQ: Shillong) is nodal agency for the economic and social
development of North Eastern Region (NER).
It is a statutory body created by Parliament through NEC Act,
1971.
It works under administrative control of Ministry of Development
of NER.
Union Home Minister is ex-officio Chairman of NEC.
It consists of eight States i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam,
Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
India elected as First vice-chair of FAO Committee
on Fisheries (COFI) Sub-Committee on Fisheries
Management
COFI, a subsidiary body of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Council, was established in 1965.
COFI is an intergovernmental forum that addresses issues on
♦ International fishing and aquaculture,
♦ Providing policy guidance on fisheries management,
♦ Promoting collective solutions to ensure environmental,
economic and social sustainability of fishing industry etc.
Sub-Committee on Fisheries Management is a new sub-group
formed under COFI in 2022.
Two other COFI sub-committees include Sub-Committee on
Aquaculture and Sub-Committee on Fish Trade.
Concerns with Fisheries Management
China’s Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing
practices in international waters violate Exclusive Economic
Zones of over 80 countries between 2019- 2021.
IUU depletes fish stocks, destroys marine habitats, puts
fishermen at disadvantage and impacts coastal communities.
As per FAO, estimated loss from IUU fishing activities is around
US$10–23 billion.
WTO’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies prohibits subsidies for
IUU fishing, overfished stocks and fishing on unregulated high seas.
India’s stand on WTO’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies:
Those WTO Members who is responsible for fish stocks
depletion through subsidies and industrial fishing should take
more obligations to prohibit subsidies based on ‘polluter pay
principle’ and ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’.
IUU fishing activities includes
Fishing without license for certain species; Fishing during closed
seasons, using prohibited fishing gear; Conducting unauthorized trans-
shipments (transfers of fish) to cargo vessels etc.
Initiatives taken against IUU
National Fisheries Policy about sustaining marine fisheries.
IUU monitoring by Information Management and Analysis Centre.
Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness of Quad (India, Australia,
Japan and U.S).
International Day for the Fight against IUU Fishing (5th June every year).
Laser Communication with Vikram Lander
NASA successfully tested laser communication between its Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Chandrayaan-3 Vikram
lander for the first time.
NASA's LRO detected signals reflected by the Laser
Retroreflector Array (LRA) accommodated on the Vikram lander
under international collaboration.
♦ This LRA of NASA comprises eight corner-cube retroreflectors
and will serve as a long-term geodetic station and a location
marker on the lunar surface.
This breakthrough enables precise location targeting on the lunar
surface, marking a new era.
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 Alliance for Global Good- Gender Equity and
Hague Apostille Convention, 1961
Equality

India announced a new alliance for Global Good, Gender Equity and
Equality at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in
Davos, Switzerland.
It aims to bring together global best practices, foster knowledge
sharing, and attract investments in key areas such as women’s
health, education, and enterprise.
It builds on commitments of G20 Leaders’ Declaration and India’s
dedication to women-led development.
Supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and anchored by
Confederation of Indian Industry Centre for Women Leadership.
WEF will be a ‘Network Partner’ and Invest India an ‘Institutional
Partner’.
Allahabad High Court mandates that India, a member of the Apostille
Convention, must accept foreign apostille-authenticated documents.
Hague Apostille Convention, 1961
It simplified the global circulation of public documents.
♦ These public documents include certificates of birth,
marriage, and death, and educational documents among
others.
Contracting parties issue an Apostille certificate to authenticate
a document's origin, allowing it to be presented abroad to another
Contracting Party.
Non-member countries require extra certification from the State
of origin for document acceptance.

Scrub Typhus (Bush typhus)

Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica)

According to study, every millimetre increase in rainfall could lead to

a 0.5 to 0.7 percent rise in monthly scrub typhus cases.
Scrub typhus is caused by bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi.
It is transmitted to people through bites of infected chiggers
(larval mites).
Common Symptoms: Fever, headache, body aches, and
sometimes rash.
Most affected regions: Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China, Japan,
India, and northern Australia.
No vaccine is available to prevent scrub typhus.
Treated with antibiotic doxycycline.
Bottom trawling
Gangetic dolphin was captured and rescued from Jalaka River in
Odisha.
Gangetic Dolphin (National Aquatic Animal of India)
Also known as Susu.
Distribution: Lived in Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and
Karnaphuli-Sangu of India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Characteristics:
♦ Only live in freshwater and are essentially blind.
♦ Hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds waves.
♦ Females are larger than males.
Major Threats: Poaching for dolphin oil, used as fish attractant
and for medicinal purposes; Habitat fragmentation by dams etc.

A recent study found that Bottom trawling has released 8-10 bn
tonnes of CO2 from 1996-2020.
Bottom trawling is a fishing method involving dragging heavy nets
across the sea floor,
It indiscriminately depletes marine organisms, causing a
significant decline in fish production and damaging the natural
seafloor.
In 2016 India and Sri Lanka agreed to “expedite the transition
towards ending this practice in Palk Strait.
Sri Lanka banned bottom trawling in 2017 however, Indian
fishermen still use it in the Palk Strait.
Statue of Social Justice
Statue of Social justice was unveiled in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
It is a 206 foot Bronze Statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and is
currently the world’s tallest Ambedkar statue.
Other important Statues
Statue of Unity (Kevadia, Gujarat): Sardar Patel.
Statue of Equality (Hyderabad's Shamshabad, Telangana):
Ramanuja.
Statue of belief (Nathdwara, Rajasthan): Lord Shiva.

Places in News Senegal (Capital: Dakar)

Lake Retba or Lac Rose or the Pink Lake of Senegal is on the verge of disappearing due to sudden
increase in nitrate levels.
Senegal is located in the westernmost point of Africa.
Political Boundaries:
Territorial Boundaries: Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia.
Maritime boundaries: Sénégal River (North) and Atlantic Ocean (West).
Geographical features:
The country lies in a depression known as the Senegal-Mauritanian Basin.
Major rivers: Sénégal, Saloum, Gambia rivers.
Major mountain: Galeakouto.
Vegetation: Semiarid grassland and tropical rainforest converge.

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