Flash Floods in West Bengal and Assam may result in a potential 20% decline in jute production for FY 2024-25.
Economic Relevance: Jute is more poetically known as the golden fiber that supports 0.37 million workers, with an export potential of Rs 4500 crore.
Threats: Largely long-term threats are sown area decline and competition with synthetic products.
Policy Initiatives: The National Jute Development Programme, through new schemes and jute geo-textiles, is zealously working for the rejuvenation of this sector.
Ozone Recovery: Scientific prediction results show that the ozone layer over Antarctica will be fully recovered by 2066, while other areas will be recovered by 2040.
Global Action: The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol aims to mitigate global warming by 0.5°C by the year 2100 through the phasedown of HFCs.
Innovations in Organ-on-Chip Technologies
Technology Description: Organ-on-a-chip technology is a form of micro-engineered systems mimicking specific functions of organs while trying to reduce reliance on animal testing.
Applications: Critical for drug discovery and personalized medicine, offering mechanistic insights into diseases and potential therapies.
Regulatory Support: Changes in New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules 2019 assist the implementation of OoCs, showing a keen interest in India in biotechnological developments.
Subtle Gender Discrimination in Modern Society
Present Scenario: Although overt discrimination is no longer brazen, subtle versions are there through stereotyping and unconscious actions that function beneath the surface .
Effect: In this manner, discrimination envelops those hiring practices, promotion procedures, and social functions, thus indirectly perpetuating gender disparity.
Government Initiatives: All other initiatives – Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Mission Shakti – focus on socialization and the empowerment of women.
Growing Demand for Phosphoric Acid & Subsequent Agricultural Consequences
Use in Industries: Also, there is a case of threat of availability for fertilizer production, which India relies mainly on for its agriculture because of the increased demand in EV battery production.
Import Dependency: The dependence on imports significantly from Jordan and Morocco captures vulnerabilities in supply chains.
Policy Response: Schemes like the Kisan Credit Card and Agricultural Infrastructure Fund are well-designed to stabilize agricultural productivity amidst such challenges.
Defence and Development of Border Villages
Strategic Importance: Border villages have been regarded as the first line of defense and an important initiative toward national security, as it is nearer to knowledge and support.
Obstacles in Development: Socio-economic and geographical features discourage infrastructure development in these areas.
Government Schemes: The Vibrant Villages Programme and Border Area Development Programme promote living and economic development in border regions.
Key Concepts and Policies
National Jute Development Programme: An umbrella plan with a visionary concept to enhance jute product quality and make it marketable through targeted subsidies and technological upgradation.
Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment: International Treaties for Controlling Substances that Damage the Ozone Layer and recently amended toward control of greenhouse gases, respectively.
Organ-on-Chips Technology: Biomedical technology applied through bioengineering to simulate organ functionalities on a microchip, which can prove alternatives in animal testing.
Mission Shakti: India’s umbrella scheme for enhancing the safety, security, and empowerment of women – education to employment.
