Top News Highlights- 18 September 2024

Natural Calamities Impact on Jute Industry

• 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.

Observance of World Ozone Day and Progress

• 2024 Theme: “Montreal Protocol: Advancing Climate Actions.”
• 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.