Thermobaric Bomb

  Context: The Myanmar military used a thermobaric or vacuum bomb, also known as a fuel-air explosive, in an attack on a village in Sagaing last month, killing more than 160 people, including children, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).   Myanmar has been facing violence since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung …

Sludge to Fertilizer

  Source: TH   Context: A recent study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Roorkee has found that the sludge from sewage treatment plants (STP) in India, which is rich in organic chemicals, has “high potential” for use as fertilizer.   About sludge:

Mpox

  Source: TH   Context: The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an end to the global health emergency for mpox after 10 months. WHO declared mpox as a public health emergency of international concern in July 2022 to combat the spread of the disease. The WHO recently also declared an end to the public …

ODF Plus Status

  Source: LM   Context: India’s Ministry of Jal Shakti has announced that over half of the nation’s villages have achieved ODF Plus status under the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (SBM-G) Phase II.   Meaning of ODF+ status: It means that these villages not only maintain their Open Defecation Free (ODF) status but also implement …

SAKSHAM Learning Management Information System

  Source: PIB  Context: The Union Health Ministry has launched the SAKSHAM (Stimulating Advanced Knowledge for Sustainable Health Management) Learning Management Information System (LMIS) developed by the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare (NIHFW)  

Punjab: Right to Walk

  Source: TOI Punjab has become the first state in India to enforce the “right to walk” by making it mandatory for road-owning agencies, including the NHAI, to provide footpaths and cycle tracks in all future expansion of roads and construction of new ones.   The state government has issued these directions and instructed all …

25th anniversary of Pokhran-II

GS Paper 3  Syllabus: Challenges to Internal Security/Indigenization of Technology   Source: IE  Context: On May 11, 1998, codenamed Operation Shakti (literally, “strength”)/Pokhran-II, India conducted three nuclear bomb test explosions at the Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range.   Timeline of Operation Shakti/Pokhran-II:  Foundation of India’s nuclear programme laid by physicist Homi J Bhaba: Tata Institute …

Misleading food ads and regulations to curtail them

GS Paper 2  Syllabus: Governance: Government Policies and Interventions   Source: TH  Context: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has flagged 32 new cases of misleading advertisements and claims made by food business operators. FSSAI has referred the cases to licensing authorities and warned that offenders face penalties of up to INR …