Top News Highlights- 18 October 2024

Meta Faces U.S. Lawsuits over Teen Social Media Addiction

• Overview: Meta and other social media platforms, including Snapchat, are now facing class-action lawsuits in the U.S. for allegedly creating teen social media addiction.
• Cause: The alleged reason for the exploding increase in teen social media usage is addiction algorithms, which take advantage of human brains’ habit loops.
• Effects: High screen time is associated with mental health diseases, reduced outdoor life, and the ability to experience cyberstalking.
• Suggested Interventions: Establish a minimum age for signing up for social media and facilitate the use of technology that promotes responsible use of the network.

India’s Neutrino Observatory (INO) Focuses on Neutrino Research

• Overview: INO will likely advance the investigation on neutrinos, subatomic particles which are key for the knowledge of how the fundamental particles interact with each other.
• Significance: Neutrinos, dubbed ghost particles, have an important role in cosmic phenomena as well as the Earth’s internal processes.
• Global Comparison: INO, along with other international projects, would place India on the world map of neutrino research, like IceCube and DUNE
• Future Prospects: The research would bring about a sea change in the science of understanding the universe’s most violent processes.

Supreme Court Questions Feasibility of Gram Nyayalayas

• Problem: Practical viability in the implementation of Gram Nyayalayas, conceptualized with the idea of justice delivery at the grassroots village level.
• Challenges: Issues such as fund constraints, and cases flooding higher courts.
• Current Scenario: 500 Gram Nyayalayas are yet to be established out of 2,500 envisaged, which points out significant gaps in the current implementation process.
• Government Efforts: Financial support is being provided by centrally sponsored schemes to states for initiating the institution process at the state level.

Challenges of Stubble Burning in North India

• Background: Stubble burning in the states of Punjab and Haryana has become a major source of pollution in the region.
• Impact: It contributes to the acute degradation of air quality in Delhi-NCR, affecting health and the environment.
• Judicial Interventions: The Supreme Court has pulled up state governments for not implementing laws that could check the same.
• Scalable Alternatives: Activities include soil application of crop litter and burning of stubble for biofuel.

IUCN Report on Agriculture and Biodiversity

• Findings: Agriculture affects 34% of the threatened species on the IUCN Red List mainly via habitat destruction and pollution.
• Duality: Agriculture favors some species; however its growth mainly is a threat to biodiversity.
• Policy Suggestions: Policies on agriculture must go hand in hand with conservation efforts to proceed further with biodiversity, as well as with agricultural productivity.

Key Concepts and Policies

• Gram Nyayalayas Act 2008– The Act is targeted to bring easy access to justice through local courts in rural India.
• Social Security 2020 Code– Recognizes Gig workers. Its primary aim is to integrate such workers into the formal social security system.
• E-Shram Portal– It is a national database meant for unorganized workers to make easier access for all government schemes.