News in Shorts: 11 January 2025

News in Shorts: 11 January 2025

The UN migration agency’s aid appeal for Syria

Context: The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration has said it is increasing an appeal for Syria, from $30 million to $73.2 million. This is being done with the aim of assisting 1.1 million people across Syria over the next 6 months. 

About International Organization for Migration (IOM)

  • Established in 1951
  • UN Affiliation:
    • It is a part of the United Nations system as a related organization.
    • IOM is not a specialized agency but a related organization of the UN since 2016
  • Principle:
    • Advocates humane and orderly migration to benefit migrants and society
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Membership: 175 Member States & 8 Observer States
    • India has been a member of the IOM since June 18, 2008
  • Publications:
    • World Migration Report 
    • Migration Health Annual Report
  • Functions:
    • Migration Management: Ensures orderly and humane migration processes
    • Cooperation: Promotes international collaboration on migration issues
    • Solutions and Assistance: Practical solutions for migration challenges
    • Humanitarian Aid: To migrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons
  • Key Responsibilities:
    • UN Agency for Labour Mobility and Migration provides policy and operational guidance on: 
      • Labour mobility
      • Diaspora communities and development links
      • Migrant integration
    • Coordinator for UN Network on Migration: Facilitated the UN Global Compact for Migration (adopted in 2018)

The IOM does not enforce migration policies in member countries. Instead, the IOM provides advice and assistance to governments on migration policy.

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125,000 refugees return to Syria in desperate conditions

Context: UN humanitarians recently warned about 125,000 refugees who have returned to Syria “full of hope after years of exile”, and are finding themselves confronted by desperate conditions.

Location based details about Syria

  • Located on : East coast of Mediterranean Sea in southwestern Asia.
  • Boundaries : Turkey (North), Iraq (East & southeast), Jordan (South), Israel and Lebanon (South West).
  • Important cities : Damascus (along River Barada), Homs, Aleppo.
  • Climate : Largely Mediterranean climate.
  • Mountain Ranges : Anti-Lebanon (Separate Syria & Lebanon), Al-Ansariyyah etc.
  • Major Rivers : Euphrates, Tigris, Orontes etc

 

Gulf of Mexico

Context: Recently, Trump announced his plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

Gulf of Mexico’s Naming

  • The name first appeared on maps used by Spanish explorers in the 16th century.
  • The Gulf is significant for the US in terms of energy resources, accounting for a large percentage of crude oil and natural gas production.

About The Gulf of Mexico

  • The Gulf of Mexico (Spanish: Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean.
  • It is mostly surrounded by the North American continent.
  • Other name: “Mediterranean of the Americas”.
  • Formation: Formed as a result of seafloor subsidence, due to the movement of the Tectonic Plates over 300 million years ago.
  • The Sigsbee Deep (Mexico Basin) is the deepest region in the Gulf of Mexico
  • Borders:
    • Northeast, North, Northwest: Gulf Coast of the United States.
    • Southwest and South: Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, and Quintana Roo.
    • Southeast: Cuba.
  • “Third Coast”:
    • The Southern U.S. states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, bordering the Gulf, are known as the “Third Coast” of the U.S., alongside the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
  • Connection to Other Water Bodies:
    • Linked to the Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Florida (between the U.S. and Cuba).
    • Connected to the Caribbean Sea via the Yucatán Channel (between Mexico and Cuba).
  • Rivers Flowing into the Gulf of Mexico:  Mississippi River, Rio Grande, and Mobile River.
  • Important lakes around the Gulf of Mexico: Lake Pontchartrain, Laguna Madre, and Lake Borgne.
  • “Flower Garden Banks: It is a brightly colored coral reefs 
    • located about 185km to the southeast of Galveston, in the northwestern part of the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Linking Farmer ID to PM-Kisan

Context: The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has made obtaining a farmer ID mandatory for registering new beneficiaries under the PM-Kisan Scheme.

  • This system has come into force across 10 states as of  January 1, 2025 for new applicants.
    • The 10 states are: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh accounting for about 84 per cent (9.25 crore) of 11 crore PM-Kisan beneficiaries.
  • The new applicants for the PM-Kisan scheme will have to get registered with the Farmers’ Registry and provide their farmer ID in the application form. 
  • Objective: To simplify the registration process of the PM-KISAN scheme as the farmer ID will guarantees that the applicant-farmer owns the land

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About Kisan Pehchaan Patra or farmer ID

  • Farmer ID is an Aadhaar-like unique digital identity for farmers.
  • It provides information like demographics, crops sown, and ownership details and is linked dynamically to the state’s land records.
  • Target: A target of 6 crore farmer IDs by March 2025 has been created. 
  • Farmer’s Registry: It is the database created through the farmer ID.
    • The Farmers Registry will be one of the three registries under the Agri-Stack component of the Centre’s Digital Agriculture Mission for the creation of digital public infrastructure in the farm sector.

About the PM KISAN SCheme

  • The PM Kisan Scheme is specifically designed to provide farmers with financial aid to help them meet their agricultural and household expenses.
  • Launch:It is a central sector scheme (100 percent funding) launched in 2019
  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare
  • Eligibility: The scheme is eligible for all the landholding farmer families.
  • Exclusion: The following individuals are ineligible for benefits under the scheme:
    • Institutional landholders; Members holding constitutional posts; Serving or retired government employees; Pensioners receiving over ₹10,000; Income taxpayers; Professionals such as doctors and engineers
  • Features: 
    • Eligible farmer families will receive Rs 6,000 per annum in three equated instalments through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) via Aadhaar-linked accounts every four months. 
    • Self-Registration: Farmers can register themselves using the PM Kisan portal or mobile app, making it easier for them to access benefits.
    • Support for Agricultural Expenses: The funds can be used by farmers for any agricultural-related expenses, whether for inputs, tools, or personal needs.

 

AnemiaPhone

Context: The Cornell University in a release has transferred their technology to assess  iron deficiency ie.  “AnemiaPhone” to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at zero cost.

  • Objective: To integrate AnemiaPhone technology into its programmes for anaemia, women’s health, and maternal and child health throughout the country.

About AnemiaPhone

  • The technology comprise of a Test Strip that can be coupled with small, portable Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-enabled test strip readers
  • Tested At: It was tested at the Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health.
  • Working: The technology requires a small finger stick, a drop of blood on a test strip and a few minutes for the reader to assess.
    • The information is uploaded to a clinical database which can be interpreted by a healthcare workers providing guidance, triage and referral, or intervention on the spot.

About Anemia

  • Anaemia is a condition where there is a reduction in the hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, red blood-cell count or packed-cell volume below an established threshold.
    • Impact: The anaemic condition impairs the body’s ability to transport oxygen (from lungs to tissue) and carbon dioxide (from tissue to lungs)
  • Thresholds:  As per current WHO guidelines,
    • Children (aged 6–59 months) and Pregnant Women (aged 15–49 years): Hb concentration of <11 g/decilitre (g/dl) is considered anaemic
    • Non-Pregnant Women: Hb <12 g/dl 
    • Men (aged 15–49 years): Hb of <13 g/dl 
  • Burden: As per the National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-21) findings, 57% of women in the age group 15-49 and 67% children between six months and 59 months are anaemic 
  • Assessment: India will now assess anaemia through new Diet and Biomarkers Survey in India-I (comprehensive national-level dietary survey) to map diet, nutrition and health status
  • Cause: Anaemia is caused mainly by iron deficiency although deficiencies in folate, vitamins B12 and A are also important causes.
  • Symptoms: It can result in symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness and shortness of breath among others. 

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Anemia Mukt Bharat: It is being implemented to reduce anaemia among six beneficiaries age group through life cycle approach by  implementation of six interventions

  • Beneficiaries: Children (6-59 months), children (5-9 years), adolescents (10-19 years), pregnant and lactating women and in women of reproductive age group (15-49 years) 
  • Interventions: 
    • Prophylactic Iron Folic Acid Supplementation
    • Periodic deworming
    • Provision of Iron and Folic Acid fortified foods in government-funded health programmes.
    • Increase intake of iron-rich, protein-rich and vitamin C-rich foods; dietary diversification; food fortification
    • Promoting practice of delayed cord clamping.
    • Treatment of non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets, with special focus on malaria, haemoglobinopathies and fluorosis.
    • Testing and Treatment of anemia using digital methods

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UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
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