News in Shorts: 25 July 2024

Banni Grasslands

• The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has given its final approval for a cheetah conservation breeding centre in Gujarat’s Banni grasslands.

Banni Grasslands:

• About: The Banni Grasslands Reserve, located on the southern edge of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat’s Kutch District, is an arid grassland ecosystem.
• Formation: The Banni region was formed after the 1819 earthquake, with land shaped by sediments deposited over thousands of years by the Indus and other rivers.
• Flora: Banni features low-growing forbs and graminoids, including salt-tolerant halophiles, with scattered trees and scrub. 
  • Tree cover mainly includes Salvadora species and invasive Prosopis juliflora.
  • Dominant species are Cressa cretica, Cyperus, and grasses from Sporobolus, Dichanthium, and Aristida genera.
• Fauna: Nilgai , chinkara , blackbuck , wild boar, golden jackal Indian hare , Indian wolf , caracal, Asiatic wildcat , and desert fox, Kankrej crow, Sindhi Buffalo  .
• Significance: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has recognized this grassland reserve as one of the last remaining cheetah habitats in India and a potential site for their reintroduction.
• Status: In 1955, the court designated the grassland as a reserve forest. In 2019, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the demarcation of Banni’s boundaries and imposed restrictions on non-forest activities.

Gandhi Sagar sanctuary

• The 3,500-square-kilometer grassland in northern Kutch, Gujarat, with chinkara and blackbuck, is larger than Kuno and Gandhi Sagar sanctuaries.

 Gandhi Sagar sanctuaries: 

• About: It lies on the northern boundary of Mandsaur and Nimach districts in Madhya Pradesh. Named after the Gandhi Sagar Dam on the Chambal River. It was notified in 1974 and included in the sanctuary list in 1984.
• River: The Chambal River flows through the sanctuary, splitting it into two separate sections.
• Topography: The sanctuary features a diverse landscape, including hills, plateaus, and the catchment area of the Gandhi Sagar Dam on the Chambal River.
• Vegetation: It is situated in the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
• Cultural Significance: The sanctuary features several historically, archaeologically, and religiously significant sites, including Chaurasigarh, Chaturbhujnath Temple, Bhadkaji Rock Paintings, Narsinghjhar Hinglajgarh Fort, and Taxakeshwar Temple.
• Flora: Khair, Salai, Kardhai, Dhawda, Tendu and Palash
• Fauna: Chinkara, Nilgai, Spotted Deer, Indian Leopard, Striped Hyena, Jackal, Crocodiles, otters, turtles and various fishes.

Typhoon Gaemi

• Typhoon Gaemi has caused flooding in low-lying areas of Taiwan, along with landslides and damage to buildings.

Typhoon Gaemi:

• About: Typhoon Gaemi, called Super Typhoon Carina in the Philippines, is an active tropical cyclone currently posing a threat to Taiwan.
• Origin: Gaemi began as a tropical disturbance near Palau on July 19.

Characteristics classification

• Tropical Depression: The weakest tropical cyclones are known as tropical depressions.
• Tropical Storm: If a depression intensifies to maximum sustained winds of 39 mph, it becomes a tropical storm.
• Hurricane/Typhoon: A tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 74 mph or more is classified as a hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone, depending on its region of origin.

Naming Conventions

• North Atlantic, Central North Pacific, and Eastern North Pacific: The term “hurricane” is used.
• Northwest Pacific: The same disturbance is referred to as a “typhoon.”
• South Pacific and Indian Ocean: The generic term “tropical cyclone” is used.

Fact-check unit

• Centre defends fact-check unit, says right to correct information important

About Fact Check Unit

• Legal Backing: The Fact Check Unit’s mandate stems from the IT Rules of 2021, which state that social media sites risk losing legal liability protections if they fail to address detected misinformation swiftly.
• Statutory body: The Union Electronics and Information Technology Ministry has designated the FCU as a statutory body within the Press Information Bureau.
• Powers of FCU: The FCU has the authority to identify what it perceives to be wrong information about the Central government and its agencies on social media sites.
• Operational Framework
• • The FCU is led by three Joint Director rank officers from the Indian Information Service, which is in charge of managing  the government’s publicity operations.
  • Reporting Authority: The Unit reports to the Principal Director General of the PIB, who also serves as the Government of India’s Principal Spokesperson.

Equalisation Levy

• The government proposed removing the 2% equalisation levy that affects non-resident e-commerce companies.

Equalisation levy:

• About: Introduced in India in 2016, the levy initially applied at a 6% rate to online advertisements and related payments for digital ad space, targeting non-residents without a permanent establishment in India.
• Levy: In 2020, the levy’s scope was broadened to include e-commerce supplies or services provided to Indian residents by non-resident e-commerce operators.
  • The 2% levy now applies to non-resident e-commerce operators with a permanent establishment in India.
• Purpose: To promote fair competition, ensure reasonableness, and allow governments to tax businesses effectively.

Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme 2024

• The Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS), launched in March 2024 for a four-month period, is set to conclude on July 31, 2024.

Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS):

• About: Launched by the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries to boost EV adoption in the country, the scheme has a fund limit of Rs. 500 crore for its four-month duration.
• Benefits: Benefits will be provided only to vehicles equipped with advanced batteries. To qualify for incentives, EVs must be manufactured and registered within the validity period of the EMPS-2024 certificate.

Eligible EV Categories:

• Two-wheelers (private, corporate, and commercial vehicles)
• Three-wheelers (including e-rickshaws and carts)

TB detection system

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has begun work on bringing in affordable, faster and easy-to-use testing technology for detection of tuberculosis (TB). 

TB Detection System:

• Development: Developed by ICMR- RMRCNE Institute, Dibrugarh the technology is touted as the “world’s cheapest TB testing system”.
• Detection: The system can detect the TB bacteria using DNA from a patient’s saliva for a very low cost, can identify the bacteria with preliminary symptoms, and test over 1,500 samples simultaneously within approximately two hours. 

Ketamine pill

• A new tablet that slowly releases the drug ketamine can ease treatment-resistant depression

Ketamine Pill:

• About: Ketamine, also known as Ketalar, is a medication used by doctors to prevent pain during surgeries.
• Working: Derived from the hallucinogenic drug phencyclidine (PCP), ketamine functions by blocking the NMDA receptor in the brain and spinal cord while increasing the brain chemical neurotransmitter glutamate.
• Treatment: It interrupts pain transmission in the spinal cord and activates the brain’s reward pathways. 
  • As a dissociative anesthetic with psychedelic properties, it is used under strict medical supervision for anesthesia and to treat treatment-resistant depression.
• Applications: Ketamine therapy is used to address depression, anxiety, PTSD, end-of-life distress, chronic pain, and drug/alcohol issues, among other conditions.
• Impact on the Body: Ketamine can cause hallucinations and distort perceptions of sight and sound, leading to feelings of disconnection and loss of control. 
  • Potential side effects include agitation, depression, cognitive issues, unconsciousness, and memory loss.
• Classification: In India, ketamine is classified as a Schedule X drug, meaning it is tightly regulated and monitored on a case-by-case basis by the prescribing doctor.