CURRENT-AFFAIRS

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• Recently, the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) rescued over 40 individuals who were trapped in the flooded Sone River in Garhwa district, Jharkhand.
• About the Sone River:
• The Sone River is a key southern tributary of the Ganges, following the Yamuna. It originates from the Amarkantak highlands in Madhya Pradesh and initially flows east before turning north-northwest. It then shifts eastward, moving parallel to the Kaimur range, and continues through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, finally merging with the Ganges just north of Patna. The river spans 784 km, is wide but shallow, forming water pools in some areas. Its floodplain is narrow, ranging from 3 to 5 km wide, and its flow is seasonal, making it less significant for navigation. The Sone Valley, geologically akin to the Narmada Valley, is forested and sparsely populated, flanked by the Kaimur Range to the north and the Chota Nagpur plateau to the south. Major tributaries include the Rihand and Koel rivers, with the Gopad and Kanhar rivers also contributing. The key town along the Sone River is Dehri.

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• A recent Indian study exploring the impact of substituting sucrose with the artificial sweetener sucralose found no negative effects on glucose or HbA1c levels and even showed a slight improvement in body mass index (BMI).
• About Sucralose:
• Sucralose is a no-calorie sweetener that helps reduce added sugar intake while still delivering a sweet taste. Unlike some low-calorie sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose is no-calorie and is approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is stable across various conditions, making it suitable for a wide range of foods and beverages. Sucralose is produced by replacing three hydroxyl groups in sucrose with chlorine atoms, preventing its breakdown by digestive enzymes and ensuring its safety. About 85% of sucralose consumed is excreted unchanged in the feces, and the remaining 15% is quickly eliminated through urine, providing no calories.

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• The Union Government has directed various complaints regarding Auroville to the relevant bodies and agencies, as recently stated by the Minister of State for Education in Parliament.
• About Auroville:
• Founded on February 28, 1968, by Mirra Alfassa, known as the ‘Mother’, in collaboration with Sri Aurobindo, Auroville is an international cultural township. It stands as the largest and oldest surviving international intentional community globally. Located on the outskirts of Puducherry, in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram District, Auroville is home to 3,300 residents from 58 countries, including India. The community is dedicated to cultural, educational, and scientific endeavors that promote human unity. Once a barren desert, Auroville has transformed into a 3,000-acre township and bioregion, featuring over 3 million trees, rich biodiversity, nine schools, and various social enterprises. UNESCO supported Auroville through resolutions in 1966, 1968, 1970, and 1983. Since 1980, the township has been administered by the Ministry of Education according to the Auroville Foundation Act of 1988, which provides partial funding from the Indian Government to support its establishment, maintenance, and development.

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• Bluetongue disease has been reported across all 12 provinces in the Netherlands, according to recent official data.
• About Bluetongue Disease:
• Bluetongue is a viral disease transmitted by biting midges (Culicoides spp.) that affects both wild and domestic ruminants, including sheep, goats, cattle, buffaloes, deer, various African antelope species, and camels. It is an infectious, non-contagious disease and is not spread through direct animal contact, wool, or milk consumption. The severity of the disease varies, with cattle often showing no symptoms and sheep being more prone to visible signs. In infected sheep, bluetongue causes damage to blood vessels, leading to hemorrhage, reduced oxygen levels in the blood, and tissue necrosis. Young lambs are particularly susceptible, and mortality rates can reach up to 30 percent. Vaccination remains the most effective method to reduce disease-related losses and disrupt the transmission cycle between infected animals and vectors, alongside insect control measures.

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• ISRO's Earth Observation Satellite-8 (EOS-8) is set to be launched on August 15 by the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV)-D3 from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• The EOS-8 mission aims to design and develop a microsatellite, create payload instruments compatible with this microsatellite bus, and integrate new technologies for future operational satellites. Built on the Microsat/IMS-1 bus, it carries three payloads:
• Electro Optical Infrared Payload (EOIR): Captures images in the Mid-Wave IR (MIR) and Long-Wave IR (LWIR) bands for various applications including satellite-based surveillance, disaster and environmental monitoring, and industrial and power plant oversight.
• Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R): Demonstrates GNSS-R-based remote sensing for analyzing ocean surface winds, soil moisture, cryosphere studies in the Himalayan region, flood detection, and inland waterbody monitoring.
• SiC UV Dosimeter: Monitors UV irradiance at the Gaganyaan Mission's Crew Module viewport and acts as a high-dose alarm sensor for gamma radiation. The spacecraft is expected to have a mission life of one year.

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• Fintech companies are expressing interest in participating in the Indian central bank’s digital currency initiative by enabling their users to conduct transactions using the e-rupee through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
• The e-rupee, also known as the digital rupee, is a digital currency issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Launched on a pilot basis in December 2022, the digital rupee was initially made available through a select group of public and private banks in major cities, facilitating both person-to-person and person-to-merchant transactions.
• Designed to provide an additional method of handling money, the digital rupee exists solely in electronic form and operates entirely within a computer network. While it functions similarly to traditional banknotes issued by the RBI and is considered legal tender for transactions, it is exclusively transacted online.
• Funds held as digital rupees in users' wallets do not accrue interest from the central bank. However, users can convert deposits between traditional bank accounts and digital rupees for convenience. The RBI has categorized the digital rupee into two main types: general-purpose (retail) and wholesale. This classification reflects its intended use and functionality, as well as varying levels of accessibility.

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• Recently, global stock markets experienced their steepest drop in decades, partly due to the yen carry trade.
• A carry trade involves borrowing funds at a low-interest rate and investing in assets that yield higher returns. Typically, this strategy includes borrowing in a currency with low interest rates and converting the funds into another currency with a higher rate. The borrowed funds may then be deposited in the higher-rate currency or invested in assets such as stocks, commodities, bonds, or real estate denominated in that currency.
• Yen Carry Trade: The Japanese yen is frequently used in carry trades. In a yen carry trade, investors, including retail investors from Japan, borrow yen at low interest rates and invest in assets abroad that offer higher returns, like foreign equities or bonds. The yen is favored for this strategy due to Japan’s long-standing zero-interest rate policy, intended to boost economic activity. This low-rate environment encourages investors to borrow cheaply in yen and seek better returns in other countries, such as Brazil, Mexico, India, or the US, thus engaging in yen carry trades.

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• Recently, the Central Government of India appointed Shri Harish Dudani as a Member of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).
• The CERC is a statutory body established under the Electricity Regulatory Commissions Act, 1998, and continues under the Electricity Act, 2003, which repealed the earlier Act. The Commission comprises a Chairperson and four other members, including the Chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority, who serves as an ex-officio Member.
• The CERC aims to enhance competition, efficiency, and economy in bulk power markets, improve supply quality, encourage investments, and advise the government on overcoming institutional barriers to address the demand-supply gap and protect consumer interests.
• Functions of the CERC:
  • Regulate tariffs for generating companies owned or controlled by the Central Government.
  • Regulate tariffs for generating companies not owned by the Central Government if they operate a composite scheme for generation and sale of electricity across multiple states.
  • Oversee inter-State transmission of electricity.
  • Determine tariffs for inter-State transmission.
  • Issue licenses for transmission licensees and electricity traders concerning their inter-State operations.

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• Recently, the Quality Council of India (QCI) launched the QCI Surajya Recognition & Ranking Framework to Promote Excellence in Key Sectors.
• This initiative aims to enhance the quality of life across states and contribute to the vision of a developed India by recognizing and rewarding states and organizations that excel in quality and innovation. The framework is structured around four pillars: Shiksha (Education), Swasthya (Health), Samriddhi (Prosperity), and Sushasan (Governance).
• The Surajya Recognition honors exceptional performance and dedication to quality in these critical areas. The current rankings highlight Shiksha, Swasthya, and Samriddhi, with Sushasan slated for future updates.
• In the Shiksha Rankings, Uttar Pradesh tops with the most accreditations, assessments, and ratings, while Delhi also ranks highly. For Swasthya, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Mizoram, and Manipur excel with full certification in the Ayushman Arogya Yojana (NABH), while Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra lead in Medical Entry Level Testing Labs (MELT) rankings (NABL). Among union territories, Chandigarh achieves 100% certification in Ayushman Arogya Yojana, and Jammu & Kashmir performs well with a 71.43% certification rate. Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir also excel in MELT.
• In the Samriddhi category, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Rajasthan are top performers with the highest number of ZED certifications, especially in the Micro category. Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi also made significant gains in ZED certifications. For the MSME Competitive LEAN Scheme, Maharashtra and Bihar stand out as the leading performers.