Codex Alimentarius Commission
Syllabus: GS3/ Economy
In News
- India has been re-elected to the Codex Alimentarius Commission’s Executive Committee for the Asia region during the 48th session, securing this position until the end of CAC50 in 2027.
About Codex Alimentarius Commission
- Established: 1963 by FAO and WHO.
- Objective: Protect consumer health and promote fair practices in food trade.
- Members: 189, including 188 countries and 1 organization (European Union).
- Meetings: Annual sessions rotating between Geneva and Rome.
Source: TH
Water Budgeting
Syllabus: GS3/ Agriculture
In News
- NITI Aayog released a report on Water Budgeting in Aspiration Blocks to enhance local water security.
About Water Budgeting
- Water budgeting is a systematic estimation of water availability and water demand across all sectors — agriculture, households, livestock, industry, and ecology.
- Not all blocks face the same problem. Some have low rainfall, some have groundwater depletion, some misuse surface water, some face crop-water mismatch.
- It directly supports SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation) and the national push toward water-use efficiency.
- It will strengthen decentralised planning under Jal Jeevan Mission, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, and Atal Bhujal Yojana.
Source: TH
Cloudflare
Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology
Context
- Several of the world’s largest online services, including X, ChatGPT, and numerous websites that depend on Cloudflare were disrupted recently.
About
- Cloudflare Inc. is a US-based company that delivers content delivery network (CDN) services, cybersecurity solutions, and prevention of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, etc.
- It takes care of three things: security, performance, and traffic management.
- Security: It protects websites from cyberattacks, particularly DDoS attacks that aim to overwhelm sites with fake traffic. It filters harmful requests much before they can reach a website’s servers.
- Performance: Cloudflare accelerates content delivery by storing cached versions of webpages in data centres installed worldwide.
- Traffic Management: Cloudflare routes internet traffic efficiently so websites don’t crash in moments of sudden spikes.
Source: TH
Biological Tilings: New Insights from PNAS Nexus
Syllabus: GS3/Science
Context
- In a new study, published in PNAS Nexus by researchers in Germany, found that the prevalence of tilings in nature is surprisingly more widespread.
About
- The tiles spanned a wide range in size — from nanometre-scale virus capsids to turtle shell plates tens of centimetres across.
- The team thus defined biological tiling as a repeated arrangement of solid tiles separated by a joint material — then built a database around this idea.
Tiling
- Tiling refers to a structural pattern where an organism’s body surface or internal structure is made up of repeating, closely fitted pieces called tiles.
- These tiles can be:
- Mineral plates (e.g., turtle shells, fish scales);
- Protein-based units (e.g., virus capsids);
- Sugar-based structures (e.g., plant cell walls);
- Or combinations of these materials.
- Tiling is nature’s way of building strong, flexible, and protective surfaces by arranging many small units in a regular, organized pattern, just like how humans use tiles in flooring or roofing.
- Functions of biological tilings: Protection (e.g., scales, shells), Flexibility (overlapping tiles), Lightweight strength and Structural support.
Source: TH
Rules Approved Under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
Syllabus: GS2/ Government Initiatives, GS3/Environment
In News
- The Union Agriculture Ministry has approved rules to include crop losses caused by wild animal attacks and paddy inundation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
- Farmers must report crop losses within 72 hours through a dedicated crop insurance app, submitting geo-tagged photos to ensure quick and transparent claim processing.
About Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)
- Launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare as a Central Sector Scheme.
- Provides financial support to farmers suffering crop loss or damage, aiming to stabilize farmer income and ensure agricultural credit flow.
- The maximum premium payable by the farmer will be 2% for the Kharif food and oilseed crops. For rabi food and oilseeds crop, it is 1.5% and for yearly commercial or horticultural crops it will be 5%.
- Eligible beneficiaries include farmers, sharecroppers, and tenant farmers growing notified crops in notified areas.
- Premium sharing is 50:50 between Central and State Governments, except for Northeastern and Himalayan States where it is 90:10.
Benefits
- Comprehensive Coverage: The scheme covers natural disasters (droughts, floods), pests, and diseases. Post-harvest losses due to local risks like hailstorms and landslides are also included.
- Timely Compensation: PMFBY aims to process claims within two months of the harvest to ensure that farmers get the compensation quickly, preventing them from falling into debt traps.
- Technology-Driven Implementation: PMFBY integrates advanced technologies like satellite imaging, drones, and mobile apps for precise estimation of crop loss, ensuring accurate claim settlements.
- Yield Losses (Standing Crops): The Government provides this insurance coverage for yield losses that fall under the non-preventable risks, such as Natural Fire and Lightning: Storm, Hailstorm, Tornado etc.: Flood, Inundation and Landslide; Pests/ Diseases, etc.; Drought etc.
Source :TH
Former Chile President Michelle Bachelet gets Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
Syllabus: Miscellaneous
Context
- Michelle Bachelet, the former President of Chile, has been awarded the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for 2024.
About
- It is an annual award established by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust in India.
- The prize is named in honor of the late Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, and it was instituted in 1986.
- The award is presented to individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to the promotion of international understanding and peace, the development of new international economic order, and the strengthening of democracy.
- Categories: The award is presented in three categories:
- Peace: Recognizes efforts to promote and maintain international peace and security.
- Disarmament: Acknowledges contributions to the reduction and elimination of weapons of mass destruction.
- Development: Honors work in promoting economic and social development.
- The award ceremony typically takes place on November 19th, the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi.
Source: IE
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