Current Affairs

PARAOLYMPIC 2024

Why in News?

• Sharad Kumar and Mariyappan Thangavelu secured silver and bronze medals respectively in the men’s high jump T63 event.
• Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar claimed the silver and bronze medals respectively in the javelin throw F46 final.
• Deepthi Jeevanji who won a bronze medal in the women's 400m T20 category final race at the Paralympics.

Important Abbreviation

• T63: This event is for athletes with a single through knee or above knee limb deficiency. 
• F46: This event is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle power, or impaired passive range of movement in arms.
• T20: This category is meant for athletes with intellectual impairment.

Gold Medal in Men’s High Jump T63 Event

Winner: Ezra Frech 

Country: United States

Gold Medal in Javelin Throw F46 Final

Winner: Guillermo Gonzalez Varona 

Country: Cuba

Gold Medal in women's 400m T20 category final race

Winner: Yuliia Shuliar

Country: Ukraine

Silver Medal in women's 400m T20 category final race

Winner: Aysel Onder

Country: Turkey

Winners of Men’s High Jump T63 Event

Ajeet Singh and Sundar Singh Gurjar 

Deepthi Jeevanji

Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of Delhi

Why in News?

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government has granted absolute powers to the Delhi L-G to constitute any authority, board and commission such as the Delhi Commission for Women and the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Administration of Union Territories (UT)

• Articles 239 to 241 in Part VIII of the Constitution deal with the UT.
• Even though all the UT belong to one category, there is no uniformity in their administrative system.
• An administrator of a UT is an agent of the President.
• The President can specify the designation of an administrator; it may be Lieutenant Governor or Chief Commissioner or Administrator.
• At present, it is L-G in the case of Delhi, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and Administrator in the case of Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep.

Articles related to Union Territories

Special Provisions for Delhi

• The 69^th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1991 provided a special status to the Union Territory of Delhi, and redesignated it the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and designated the administrator of Delhi as the L-G.

About Lieutenant Governor of Delhi

• Under Article 239AA
  • L-G has to either act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, or he is bound to implement the decision taken by the President on a reference being made by him.
  • It empowers the L-G to refer a difference of opinion on ‘any matter’ with the Council of Ministers to the President.

South China Sea

Why in News?

PM Narendra Modi is in Brunei to discuss defence ties.

Strategic Location

• The South China Sea is bordered by
  • China and Taiwan to the North
  • The Indo-Chinese peninsula (including Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore) to the West.
  • Indonesia and Brunei to the South.
  • The Philippines to the East (referred to as the West Philippine Sea).
• It is connected by the Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by the Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea (both marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean).

Trade Importance of South China Sea

• According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) 80% of global trade by volume and 70% by value is transported by sea, with 60% of it passing through Asia and one-third of global shipping moving through the South China Sea.
• China, the world's second-largest economy, relies heavily on the South China Sea, with an estimated 64% of its trade passing through the region. In contrast, only 14% of United States trade traverses these waters.
• India relies on the region for approximately 55% of its trade.
• Fishing Ground: The South China Sea is also a rich fishing ground, providing a vital source of livelihood and food security for millions of people in the region.

General Knowledge

BIOTECHNOLGY

Meaning

• Biotechnology is technology that utilizes biological systems, living organisms or parts of this to develop or create different products.
• Brewing and baking bread are examples of processes that fall within the concept of biotechnology (use of yeast (= living organism) to produce the desired product).

Application

• Therapeutics
• Diagnostics
• Genetically modified crops for agriculture
• Processed food
• Bioremediation
• Waste treatment
• Energy production

Departments in India with reference to Biotechnology

• The Department of Biotechnology
  • Ministry: Ministry of Science and Technology 
• Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)
  • Ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)

Programs Related to Agriculture

• Wheat Genome Sequencing Programme
• Rice Functional Genomics
• Crop Biofortification and quality improvement programme
• National Plant Gene Repository programme
• Next Generation Challenge Programme on Chickpea Genomic

Challenges Faced by Biotechnology in India

• Poor quality of research: Biotech research paper is based “publish or perish” culture that incentivises numbers over quality.
• Over the years, the focus of research has slowly shifted from fundamental to applied research.
  • However, the fruits of applied research will only come if there is an investment in basic research without asking for quick returns.
• Compared to the developed economies (the United States), biotechnology research in India is mainly funded by the public exchequer.
  • Unless the private sector starts supporting applied research and engages with academic institutions, the innovation in applied and translational biotechnology will be minimal.
• Low wages of scientists (compared to the developed economies) and a few institutional research bases have not helped create more jobs in biotechnology.
• Biotechnology products and solutions often require ethical and regulatory clearance, making the process long, expensive and cumbersome.
• As the nature of the work in the biotechnology sector is specialised, most jobs are filled with experienced and skilled scientists leaving the demand for young and inexperienced ones low.
• In terms of innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology creation, the biotechnology sector requires years of experience in the domain, access to labs with sophisticated instruments, sustained and long-term funding to innovate.

EMINENT PERSONALITIES IN THE NEWS TODAY 

Name	Designation	Image
Ajit Panwar	Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Vinai Kumar Saxena	Lieutenant Governor of Delhi
Mamata Banerjee	Chief Minister of West Bengal
Eknath Shinde	Chief Minister of Maharashtra
Hassanal Bolkiah	Sultan of Brunei
N. Biren Singh	Chief Minister of Manipur