News in Shorts: 9th July 2024

World Zoonoses Day

• World Zoonoses Day is observed every year on July 6th.

World Zoonoses Day

• About: It commemorates Louis Pasteur, who administered the first successful rabies vaccine, a zoonotic disease, on July 6, 1885.
• Significance: This day aims to raise awareness about zoonotic diseases, which can be transmitted from animals to humans, and to promote preventive and control measures.

Zoonoses:

• About: These are infectious diseases that can pass between animals and humans, including rabies, anthrax, influenza (H1N1 and H5N1), Nipah virus, COVID-19, brucellosis, and tuberculosis.
• Causes: These diseases are caused by a variety of pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. However, not all animal diseases are zoonotic; many affect livestock without posing a risk to human health.
• Infectious: These non-zoonotic diseases are specific to particular species and cannot infect humans. Examples include Foot & Mouth Disease, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), Lumpy Skin Disease, Classical Swine Fever, and Ranikhet Disease.

Prevention and control:

• Vaccinations: Preventing and controlling zoonotic diseases involves vaccination, practising good hygiene, improving animal husbandry practices, and controlling vectors.
• Initiatives: To reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases, the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) has initiated a nationwide campaign for Brucella vaccination in bovine calves through NADCP, and has undertaken Rabies Vaccination under ASCAD.

White goods

• Government reopens PLI scheme for white goods till October 12

White Goods:

• About: White goods refer to large consumer durables or major home appliances that were traditionally available only in white. Examples include washing machines, air conditioners, stoves, and refrigerators.
• Composition: These consumer durables are made of enamel-coated sheet steel.
• Indian White Goods Industry: The Indian appliance and consumer electronics (ACE) market reached INR 76,400 crore in 2019 and is projected to double to INR 1.48 lakh crore by 2025.

PLI Scheme For White Goods (Air Conditioners and LED Lights): 

• Nodal Agency: Ministry of Commerce
• Tenure: 5 years, from FY 2021-22 to FY 2028-29
• Objective: To establish a comprehensive component ecosystem for the air conditioner and LED light industries in India, making the country an integral part of global supply chains
• Target Segments: High-value and/or low-value intermediaries for the production of ACs and LED lights.
• Incentives: The scheme will provide a 4-6% incentive on incremental turnover over the base year (2019-20) for goods sold in India and exported globally, available to eligible companies for a period of 5 years.

Leang Karampuang Cave

• A cave painting was discovered in the limestone cave of Leang Karampuang in Indonesia.

Leang Karampuang

• About: Leang Karampuang Cave is located in the Maros-Pangkep karst region of South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
• Characteristics of the Cave: The cave is famous for its ancient rock art and archaeological discoveries, offering insights into early human civilization in the region. 
  • It contains some of the oldest known hand stencils and animal paintings, believed to have been created by early humans.
• Features of the Painting: The cave wall features a painted scene showing humans interacting with a pig. The artwork depicts a pig standing upright beside three smaller human-like figures, all painted in a single shade of dark red pigment. 
  • This painting predates the cave art found in El Castillo, Spain, which dates back around 40,800 years, making it older than European cave paintings.

National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) 

• The National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) has requested the government to extend the waiver of Inter-State Transmission System (ITS) charges for renewable energy projects.

National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI):

• About: NSEFI is India’s solar policy advocacy body and serves as an umbrella organization representing solar energy companies across the entire solar value chain.
  • This includes leading international, national, and regional companies such as solar developers, manufacturers, EPC contractors, rooftop installers, system integrators, and small and medium enterprises.
• Vision: NSEFI’s vision of making solar energy affordable in India has been realized in less than a decade since the country began accelerating its solar energy installations.
• Collaboration: NSEFI collaborates closely with both Central and State Governments to help achieve India’s national targets of 100 GW by 2022 and a renewable target of 450 GW by 2030.