CURRENT-AFFAIRS

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• The Commerce and Industry Minister has announced that the Centre’s Start-up India initiative will transition from being managed by Invest India to a newly established non-profit organization, which may also accommodate the National Start-up Advisory Council.
• About Invest India:
  • Invest India serves as the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency for India, acting as the primary point of contact for investors in the country.
  • Established as a non-profit entity under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, it aims to support and empower investors through the ‘Make in India’ initiative, facilitating the establishment, operation, and growth of businesses in India.
  • The agency focuses on targeted investor engagement and fostering partnerships to channel sustainable investments across various sectors. It collaborates with investment promotion agencies and multilateral organizations to enhance investment opportunities.
  • With a team of domain experts, Invest India offers tailored support throughout the investment journey, from pre-investment decision-making to post-investment assistance. Their services include developing market entry strategies, conducting in-depth industry analyses, facilitating partner searches, and engaging in policy advocacy with key decision-makers.
  • Headquarters: New Delhi

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• Researchers have recently identified a new species of parasitoid wasp named Syntretus perlmani, which matures inside living adult fruit flies before emerging, reminiscent of scenes from the Alien films.
• About Syntretus perlmani:
  • New Species: Syntretus perlmani is a newly discovered species of parasitoid wasp.
  • Unique Behavior: It is the first wasp known to infect adult fruit flies, in contrast to related species that typically target the larvae and pupae stages.
  • Parasitoid Nature: These wasps are classified as parasitoids rather than parasites because they always kill their hosts, unlike parasites that generally allow their hosts to survive.
  • Reproductive Method: Female S. perlmani use a specialized organ called an ovipositor to inject their eggs directly into the abdomen of adult fruit flies.
  • Development Cycle: Over a period of 18 days, the eggs develop into larvae, gradually consuming the host from the inside until they ultimately kill the fly upon emerging.
  • Geographical Distribution: The research team has found evidence of S. perlmani in various locations across the eastern United States, including Mississippi, Alabama, and North Carolina.

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• Cellulitis, a disease that once primarily affected a limited number of individuals during the rainy season, has now become widespread in the former Karimnagar district of Telangana.
• About Cellulitis:
  • Nature of the Disease: Cellulitis is a serious bacterial infection that affects the deeper layers of the skin.
  • Common Areas Affected: It most frequently targets the lower extremities, including the legs, feet, and toes, but can also occur in other areas such as the face, arms, hands, and fingers.
  • Cause of Infection: While normal skin can be affected, cellulitis typically arises after an injury that breaks the skin, such as trauma or surgical procedures. The infection occurs when bacteria, mainly streptococcus and staphylococcus, enter through a crack or break in the skin.
• Symptoms:
  • The skin in the affected area becomes swollen, inflamed, and is usually painful and warm to the touch.
  • Some individuals may develop blisters, skin dimpling, or spots. Additional symptoms may include fatigue, chills, cold sweats, shivering, fever, and nausea.
  • If left untreated, the infection can spread to lymph nodes and the bloodstream, potentially becoming life-threatening.
• Contagion Risk: Cellulitis is not typically contagious. However, it is possible for individuals with open wounds to contract the infection through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person’s wound, although this is rare.
• Treatment: The primary treatment for cellulitis involves antibiotics.

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• The allure of extraordinary cures frequently promoted in the media has led to the establishment of specific legislation aimed at regulating such claims: the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act.
• About the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954:
  • Legislative Purpose: This Act serves as a legal framework to regulate the advertisement of drugs and to prohibit claims regarding magical properties in remedies.
  • Scope of Advertisements: It applies to various forms of advertising, including written, oral, and visual communications.
• Key Provisions of the Act:
  • Definition of "Drug": Under the Act, "drug" encompasses any medicine intended for human or animal use, substances for the diagnosis or treatment of diseases, and items that affect bodily functions.
  • Magic Remedies: The definition of "magic remedy" extends beyond consumable items to include talismans, mantras, and charms claimed to possess miraculous healing abilities.
• Advertising Regulations:
  • The Act imposes stringent regulations on drug advertisements, prohibiting those that create false impressions, make misleading claims, or are otherwise deceptive.
  • Violations can lead to significant penalties, including imprisonment or fines, upon conviction.
  • The term "advertisement" includes all forms of communication such as notices, labels, wrappers, and oral announcements.
• Applicability of the Act:
  • The Act applies to all individuals and entities involved in advertising, including manufacturers, distributors, and advertisers.
  • Both individuals and companies can be held accountable for violations.
  • If a company is found in violation, individuals in charge of its operations may also be deemed guilty unless they can demonstrate ignorance or due diligence in preventing the offense.
  • Directors, managers, or officers of the company may face liability if they consented to or neglected the offense.
• Penalties:
  • Violations of the Act can result in imprisonment, fines, or both.
  • For a first offense, penalties may include up to six months in prison, fines, or both.
  • Subsequent offenses may lead to imprisonment of up to one year, fines, or both.
  • The Act does not specify limits on fines for individuals or organizations.

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• The External Affairs Minister recently stated that approximately 75% of the "disengagement issues" with China regarding the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh have been successfully addressed.
• About the Line of Actual Control (LAC):
  • Definition: The LAC is the line that demarcates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory.
  • Status: Although it is not officially recognized as a border, it functions as a de facto boundary between India and China.
  • Length Discrepancy: India asserts that the LAC stretches for 3,488 km, while China claims it is around 2,000 km.
• Sector Division:
  • The LAC is divided into three distinct sectors:
  • Eastern Sector: Covers Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
  • Middle Sector: Includes areas in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
  • Western Sector: Encompasses Ladakh.
  • On the Chinese side, it runs adjacent to Tibet and Xinjiang.
• Tensions and Conflicts:
  • The LAC has historically been a significant source of tension between India and China. There are regions along the border where both countries have differing interpretations of the LAC.
  • Due to each side patrolling up to their respective perceptions of the LAC, occasional transgressions occur.
• Claim Lines:
  • India's claim line is represented on official maps released by the Survey of India and includes both Aksai Chin and Gilgit-Baltistan, indicating that the LAC does not align with India’s claim line.
  • Conversely, for China, the LAC serves as the claim line, except in the eastern sector, where it claims the entirety of Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet.

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• Recently, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has fitted a tracking device on a Nilgiri tahr within the Anamalai Tiger Reserve for research purposes.
• Location:
  • The Anamalai Tiger Reserve is a protected area situated in the Anamalai Hills, spanning the Pollachi and Coimbatore Districts of Tamil Nadu. It is located south of the Palakkad gap in the Southern Western Ghats and is bordered by the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve to the east, and the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and Eravikulam National Park to the southwest.
• Vegetation:
  • The reserve boasts a variety of habitat types, including wet evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, dry thorn, and shola forests. Additionally, it features unique habitats such as montane grasslands, savannahs, and marshy grasslands.
• Flora:
  • Approximately 2,500 species of angiosperms thrive in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, including various species of balsam, Crotalaria, orchids, and Kurinchi. The reserve is also abundant in wild relatives of cultivated plants like mango, jackfruit, wild plantain, ginger (Zingiber officinale), turmeric, pepper (Piper longum), and cardamom.
• Fauna:
  • Key wildlife species found in the reserve include tigers, Asiatic elephants, sambar deer, spotted deer, barking deer, jackals, leopards, and jungle cats.

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• Recently, the Union Minister for the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) inaugurated the Centre for Rural Enterprise Acceleration through Technology (CREATE) in Leh via virtual mode.
• This initiative aims to enhance local productivity, improve product quality, and boost the economic potential of local communities, ultimately improving their livelihoods. It seeks to promote rural industrialization and encourage the creation of enterprises, particularly to support traditional artisans in regions like Ladakh.
• CREATE will offer:
  • A Pashmina Wool Roving Facility.
  • Training programs for developing production facilities for essential oil extraction from roses and other flowers, as well as training for the bio-processing of available fruits and other raw materials.
  • The necessary machinery for the Pashmina wool roving facility has been installed, commissioned, and is ready for operation.
• What is Pashmina Wool?
  • Pashmina is a fine variant of spun cashmere, derived from the soft undercoat of the Changthangi goat. This luxurious wool comes from a breed of mountain goats (Capra hircus) found on the Changthang Plateau in Tibet and parts of Ladakh.