Current Affairs Corner: Where Information Meets Insight

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj: 

• He was the founder of the Maratha Empire in western India.

• He was born on February 19, 1630, to Shahaji Bhosle and Jijabai in the fort of Shivneri, near the city of Junnar of the Pune district. 

• With his valor and great administrative skills, Shivaji carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur. It eventually became the genesis of the Maratha Empire.

• He was known as the Father of the Indian Navy, Shivaji was the first to realize the importance of having a naval force, and therefore he strategically established a navy and forts at the coastline to defend the Konkan side of Maharashtra.

• He was a secular ruler who was very accommodating of all religions. He had numerous Muslim soldiers in his army. 

• Shivaji was a dependable supporter of women and their honor. Anyone under his rule caught violating women's rights was severely punished.

• He had a council of ministers (Asht Pradhan) to advise him on the matters of the state but he was not bound by it. 

• He was called as the 'Mountain Rat' and was widely known for his guerrilla warfare tactics. 

• He was called so because of his awareness in the geography of his land, and guerrilla tactics like raiding, ambushing, and surprise attacks on his enemies.

 

India-Russia Bilateral Meeting

Context: -

• The external Affairs minister of India has visited Russia for a Bilateral Meeting where both countries signed agreements on Nuclear Power and in areas of medicines, pharmaceutical substances, and medical devices. 

Economic Collaboration: 

• Emphasis on strategic collaboration in defense, space exploration, nuclear energy, and technology sharing, reflecting the robustness of the longstanding partnership and exploring avenues for deeper cooperation.

• Both Countries agreed on the expansion of the exports of Russian hydrocarbons to the Indian market as well as the cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. 

• The two sides finalized the program of cooperation in the Far East and it was decided to hold an early meeting of EaEU-India FTA negotiations.

Agreement on Nuclear Power Plants:

• India and Russia signed agreements to move forward with future units of the Kudankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu. 

• India is already operating two Russian-built nuclear plants while another four are under construction in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. 

• The Kudankulam nuclear power plant, India's largest, is being built in Tamil Nadu with the technical assistance of Russia. The construction began in March 2002. Since February 2016, the first power unit of the Kudankulam NPP has been steadily operating at its design capacity of 1,000 MW. 

• The plant is expected to start operating at full capacity in 2027, according to Russian state media. 

Diplomatic Initiatives: 

• Discussion on multilateral forums and international organizations where India and Russia collaborate or hold common interests, including forums like BRICS, SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization), and UN affairs. 

Historical Background: 

• During the Cold War, India and the Soviet Union had a strong strategic, military, economic and diplomatic relationship. After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited its close relationship with India which resulted in both nations sharing a Special Strategic Relation. 

• However, the relations have taken a steep downfall over the past few years, especially in the post-Covid scenario. One of the biggest causes for this is Russia’s close relations with China and Pakistan, which have caused many geopolitical issues in the past few years for India.

Political Relations:

• Two Inter-Governmental Commissions – one on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), and another on Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC- MTC), meet annually. 

Bilateral Trade:

• India's total bilateral trade with Russia stood at ~USD 13 Billion in 2021-22 and USD 8.14 Billion in 2020-21. 

• Russia is India’s seventh biggest trading partner, up from 25th position in 2021.

• The US, China, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Indonesia were the six countries that recorded higher volumes of trade with India during the first five months of 2022-23.

 Defence and Security Relations:

• Both countries regularly conduct the Tri-Services exercise ‘INDRA ‘. 

• The joint military programs between India and Russia include: 

• BrahMos cruise missile program 

• 5th generation fighter jet program 

• Sukhoi Su-30MKI programme 

The military hardware purchased/leased by India from Russia includes: 

• S-400 Triumf 

• Kamov Ka-226 200 to be made in India under the Make in India initiative 

• T-90S Bhishma 

• INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier program. 

Science and Technology: 

• Science & Technology has played a key role in the bilateral India-Russia (and India-Soviet) partnership, especially in the early days after India’s independence where the erstwhile Soviet Union’s assistance was crucial to the establishment of Bhilai Steel Plant, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and India’s space program. 

• During the early stages of the Indian space program, the Soviet Union’s assistance played a key role in the launch of the first Indian satellites-Aryabhatta and Bhaskara in 1984.

• Today, India & Russia work together on basic sciences, materials science, mathematics and cutting-edge areas like India’s manned spaceflight program (Gaganyaan), nanotechnologies and quantum computing.

News

• Maharashtra which is prone to droughts and crop failures, pesticide poisoning has claimed the lives of many farmers and farm workers in recent years.

• 20 farmers have died due to pesticide poisoning in Yavatmal district alone since 2017. 

• Many others have suffered from respiratory problems, skin rashes, eye irritation, neurological disorders, reproductive issues, cancer, and even death.

Pesticides :

• Pesticide is any chemical or biological substance intended to prevent, destroy, or control damage from pests which has both agricultural and nonagricultural uses.

• They also pose serious risks to human health and the environment, especially when they are misused, overused, or sold illegally. 

Types:

• Insecticides: The chemicals that are used to protect plants from insects and pests are known as Insecticides. 

• Fungicides: This class of crop protection chemicals is used to control the spread of fungal diseases in plants. 

• Herbicides: Herbicides are chemicals that kill or control the growth of weeds in the cultivation area.

• Bio-Pesticides: They are Pesticides of biological origin, i.e., derived from animals, plants, bacteria, etc.

• Others: This includes plant growth regulators, nematicides, rodenticides, and fumigants.

Pesticide Poisoning:

• Pesticide poisoning is a term that refers to the adverse effects of exposure to pesticides on humans or animals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pesticide poisoning is one of the leading causes of death among agricultural workers worldwide. 

• Pesticides can be classified into two types, Acute (short term) and chronic (long-term). Acute poisoning occurs when a person ingests, inhales, or comes into contact with a large amount of pesticide in a short time.

• Chronic poisoning occurs when a person is exposed to low doses of pesticide over a long time, which can cause damage to various organs and systems in the body. 

Recently Banned Pesticides:

• The government has banned three more insecticides in 2023: Dicofol, Dinocap, and Methyl, in addition to monocrotophos.

Harmful Effect on Agriculture:

• Continued use of pesticides for decades has contributed significantly to the current ecological, economic and existential crisis of the Indian agriculture sector. 

Regulatory Issues: 

• Although agriculture is a state subject, education, and research related to insecticides are governed by the Insecticides Act, 1968, which is a central act. Therefore, state governments do not have a direct role in amending this act.

• It is due to this that an estimated 104 pesticides that are still produced/ used in India, have been banned in two or more countries in the world.

• In 2021, non-profit Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International released a list of highly hazardous pesticides, of which over 100 pesticides are currently approved for use in India.

News: -

• The 2024 Breakthrough Prizes in the Life Sciences category recognized groundbreaking research set to change the lives of those suffering from three Rare Diseases: Parkinson’s disease, Cystic fibrosis, and Cancer. 

• Awards were also given in the categories of Fundamental Physics and Mathematics. 

2024 Award-Winning Breakthroughs Life Sciences

Cancer Treatment Advances: 

• Carl June and Michel Sadelain genetically engineered T cells with synthetic receptors to recognize individual cancer cells, achieving remarkable success against liquid cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. 

• Some patients have experienced complete tumor eradication and long-term remission after treatment.

Rare Diseases About:

• A rare disease is a health condition of low prevalence that affects a small number of people compared with other prevalent diseases in the general population.

• There is no universally accepted definition of rare diseases and the definitions usually vary across different countries. Prevalence.

• There are about 7,000 known rare diseases, affecting around 8% of the world’s population” and “75% of rare disease patients are children.

• India has close to 50-100 million people affected by rare diseases or disorders.

Examples: 

• Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD) 

• Cystic fibrosis 

• Haemophilia 

• Parkinson’s Disease

IMD  - Indian Meteorological Department

Context: 

• The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) recently got a new logo ahead of the commencement of its 150th year of providing weather and climate services to the country. 

• The new logo, in a mix of orange and green colors, depicts numerical 150 embedded with the present logo showing the Indian monsoon winds crossing over India. 

India Meteorological Department About: 

• IMD was established in 1875. It is the National Meteorological Service of the country and the principal government agency in all matters relating to meteorology and allied subjects. 

• It works as an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.

• It is headquartered in New Delhi.

• IMD is also one of the six Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers of the World Meteorological Organization

Roles and Responsibilities: 

• To take meteorological observations and to provide current and forecast meteorological information for optimum operation of weather-sensitive activities like agriculture, irrigation, shipping, aviation, offshore oil explorations, etc. To warn against severe weather phenomena like tropical cyclones, norwesters, dust storms, heavy rains and snow, cold and heat waves, etc., which cause destruction of life and property.

• To provide meteorological statistics required for agriculture, water resource management, industries, oil exploration, and other nation-building activities.

• To conduct and promote research in meteorology and allied disciplines.