CURRENT AFFAIRS 17 AUGUST 2024

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Day of the Year

World Honey Bee Day

World Honey Bee Day, previously known as Honey Bee Awareness Day, is an idea put together by beekeepers in the USA, who petitioned the USDA in 2009 for an official day to honor honey bees and beekeeping. A few years down the line, people across the globe are holding a date of observation every year.

The organizers of the event, on the concept of the World Honey Bee Day, have said:

Latest Updates

J&K election to be held in three phases from Sept. 18

The first Jammu and Kashmir Assembly election in a decade will be held in three phases on September 18, 25 and October 1, the Election Commission (EC) announced on Friday. This will also be the first Assembly poll in J&K since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019.
Haryana will vote in a single phase on October 1, and the counting of votes for both Assemblies will be held on October 4.
“People in Jammu and Kashmir opted for ballots instead of bullet and boycott [during the recent Lok Sabha election]. The Valley reached a new peak, witnessing a 30-point jump in poll participation from 2019,” Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said at a press conference to announce the poll dates.

News Capsule

Illegal mining, encroachments, deforestation pose threat to Aravali range as natural green wall

The Aravali range that stretches from Gujarat to Delhi through Rajasthan, considered the natural green wall in the north-western part of the country, is facing a severe threat from illegal mining, deforestation, and human encroachments, which have led to environmental degradation as well as depletion of groundwater reserves in the region.
The destruction of the hills has also led to loss of vegetation and soil cover, upsetting the area’s biodiversity, according to a scientific study on the land use dynamics of the Aravali range post 1975, published in the journal, Earth Science Informatics.
Rajasthan occupies 80% of the world’s oldest hill range, while other States — Haryana, Delhi, and Gujarat — have 20% share in the terrain. With a length of 692 km and a width variation of 10 km to 120 km, Aravali forms an ecotone zone between Thar desert and the Gangetic plain, in a semi-arid environment.

ISRO’s SSLV successfully launches earth observation satellite into orbit

The Indian Space Research Organisation on Friday launched the EOS-08 Earth Observation Satellite on board the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D3) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota. The SSLV-D3, in its final development flight, lifted off from the first launch pad of SDSC at 9.17 a.m.
Seventeen minutes later, the EOS-08 satellite was injected into a 475-km circular orbit as intended. “The third developmental flight of SSLV, the SSLV-D3 with the EOS-08 satellite, has been successfully accomplished. The rocket has placed the spacecraft in a very precise orbit as planned. I find that there are no deviations in the injection conditions. The current indication is that everything is perfect,” ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said after the launch.

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Kerala researchers develop breakthrough cyanide sensor to enhance safety of water, food products

A research team at the Central University of Kerala has achieved a significant breakthrough in chemical sensing by developing a highly sensitive and selective cyanide sensor. Led by Ravi Kumar Kanaparthi of the Department of Chemistry, the team has created a material capable of detecting toxic cyanide at low concentrations, promising to enhance the safety of drinking water and food products.
Cyanide, a potent toxin, is present in various plants, fruits, and microorganisms. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set strict guidelines for its presence in potable water, limiting cyanide concentrations to below 0.19 mg/L due to its lethal effects on humans and aquatic life. Cyanide exposure can occur through consumption of certain foods like cassava (tapioca) and even common items like apple and apricot seeds, sprouting potatoes, and almonds.

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RRC Northern Railway Act Apprentice Recruitment 2024 – Apply Online for 4096 Posts

The essence of India’s inflation problem

The Economic Survey that preceded this year’s Union Budget presentation makes a suggestion which has implications for inflation control. It is that the price of food be taken out of the inflation target that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is mandated with. In technical jargon, this would amount to targeting ‘core’ instead of ‘headline’ inflation, which is the practice now. To appreciate fully the implication of such a move, were it to be implemented, would require recognition of two aspects. These concern the recent experience with inflation in India and the current policy for inflation control.