• Since 1974, World Environment Day has been started celebrating as an annual event on every 5th  June to raise the importance of the healthy and green environment in the human lives, to solve the issues of the environment by implementing some positive environmental actions by government, organisations and individual as a whole.
• In 1972, the conference was held on Human Environment which began from 5th to 16th June at United Nations. Here, the World Environment Day was first established to be celebrated every year by running some effective campaigns by the United Nations General Assembly and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
• The first time World Environment Day was celebrated in 1974 with the theme “Only one Earth”.
• Initially, it was started as a flagship campaign for raising awareness on budding environmental issues from marine pollution and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime.
• The aim of this day is to encourage people worldwide to take care of the Earth or become an agent of change.
• World Environment Day has grown to become a global platform for public outreach, with participation from over 143 countries annually.

• The Border Area Development Programme (BADP) has been allocated ₹784 crore in the 2020-21 fiscal and the money is distributed to the border States and Union Territories depending on various criteria such as the length of the international border and population. In 2019-20, ₹825 crore was granted for the scheme.
• The projects for developing strategically important villages and towns in border areas that have been identified by the border guarding forces will be given priority. Around ₹78.4 crore has been parked for projects in areas inhabited along the 3,488 km China border.

• Construction of roads, bridges, culverts, primary schools, health infrastructure, playfields, irrigation works, mini-stadiums, indoor courts for basketball, badminton and table tennis can be undertaken within 10 km of the border.
• Forces such as the Border Security Force (BSF), deployed along the Bangladesh and Pakistan borders; the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on the China border; the Sashastra Seema Bal along the Nepal border; and the Assam Rifles stationed along the Myanmar border would provide independent feedback on the projects in the blocks concerned and may be tasked to conduct social audit of the works
• No NGO or private institution could be hired for infrastructure related work, the guidelines said.

• It is a centrally sponsored scheme which aims to meet the special development needs of the people living in remote and inaccessible areas situated near the international border and to saturate the border areas with the essential infrastructure through convergence of Central/State/BADP/Local schemes and participatory approach.
• The funds under BADP are provided to the States as a 100% non-lapsable Special Central Assistance.
• The Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs has been implementing the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) through the State Governments as part of a comprehensive approach to Border Management.
• BADP was initiated in the border areas of the western region during that Seventh Five Year Plan period for ensuring balanced development of border areas through development of infrastructure and promotion of a sense of security among the border population.
• The programme now covers 394 border blocks of 111 border districts in 17 States, which includes 167 border blocks in 55 districts of 8 North East, States (including Sikkim), located along the international land border. Under this programme priority is given to the areas closer to the border.

• GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, is a public–private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunisation in poor countries. It is a United Nations-backed organisation which coordinates vaccinations across the world.
• It was created in the year 2000 as a successor to the Children’s Vaccine Initiative, which had been launched in 1990.
• GAVI brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry in both industrialised and developing countries, research and technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private philanthropists.
• It has an observer status in World Health Assembly.
• GAVI supports many vaccine programmes such as Human Papillomavirus Vaccine, Polio Vaccine, Japanese Encephalitis, Typhoid, Cholera, Rotavirus, Yellow fever, Pentavalent vaccine etc.

• Immunityis derived from Latin word “immunis” which means free from burden. In this case burden refers to disease caused by microorganisms or their toxic products.
• Therefore Immunity is defined as the state of resistance or in susceptibility to disease caused by particular microorganisms or their toxic products. For example some individuals having genetic deficiency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase are resistant to malaria. Such individuals are said to be immune to Plasmodium.

• Broadly there are two types of immunity.

1. Innate or natural immunity
2. Acquired immunity

• Immunity with which an individual is born is called innate or natural immunity.
• Innate immunity is provided by various components such as Skin, mucus membrane, Phagocytic cells etc
• Innate immunity acts as first line of defense to particular microorganisms.

1. Anatomical barrier
2. Physicochemical barrier
3. Phagocytic barrier or Phagocytosis
4. Inflammatory barrier or Inflammation

1. Species immunity
2. Racial immunity
3. Individual immunity

1. Species immunity:

• If one species is resistant to certain infection and the other species is susceptible to the same infection then it is called as species immunity.
• Anatomic, physiological and metabolic differences between species determine species immunity. For example, Birds are resistant to anthrax but Human are susceptible. It is simply because higher body temperature of birds kills Bacillusanthracis.
• Anatomic differences between species also determine species immunity. For example, Human are more susceptible to skin infection whereas Cattles are more resistant to the same skin infection. It is because of tough and hairy skin (hides) of Cattles.

2. Racial immunity:

• If one race is susceptible while other race is resistant to same infection, then it is called Racial immunity.
• For examples; certain African race are more resistant to malaria and yellow fever where are Asian or Americans are susceptible to same infection. Similarly Orientals (East Asia) are relatively resistant to syphilis.
• Racial immunity is determined by difference in Socio-economic status, habitat, culture feeding habits, environments, genetic, etc.

3. Individual immunity:

• If one individual of certain race or cast is resistant while other individuals of same race or cast are susceptible to certain infection, then it is called as individual immunity
• Individual immunity is determined by various factors such as health status, nutritional status, previous illness, personal hygiene, genetic differences etc.
• For examples; Individual with genetic deficiency of glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase are resistant to Malaria.

Acquired or Developed immunity:

• Immunity which is developed later in life after microbial infection in host is called as Acquired or developed immunity. For example, If an individual is infected with chicken pox virus, he/she become resistant to same virus in later life.
• Acquired immunity is provided by Antibodies and certain T-lymphocytes.
• Components of acquired immunity such as Antibodies and T- cells are specific to particular microorganism. Therefore acquired immunity is also known as Specific immunity.

Characteristics of Acquired immunity:

• Specificity
• Self/non-self recognition
• Immunological memory
• Diversity

Types of acquired immunity:

1. Active immunity
2. Passive immunity

1. Active immunity:

• If host itself produces antibodies, it is called active immunity.
• It is of two types; artificial active immunity and natural active immunity.
• Artificial active immunity:Immunity provided by vaccination.
• Natural active immunity:immunity provided by natural infection.

2. Passive immunity:

• If host does not produce antibodies itself but antibodies produced in other host provides immunity, than it is known as Passive immunity.
• It is of two types; natural passive immunity and Artificial passive immunity
• Natural passive immunity: IgG antibody produced in mother cross placenta and protects fetus up to 6 month old age.
• Artificial passive immunity:if preformed antibody are injected into host for immunity. Eg. Anti-venom, Rabies vaccine (* it is not a vaccine, it is preformed anti rabies antibody)

Herd Immunity

• TULIP is a programme for providing internship opportunities to fresh graduates in all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Smart Cities across the country.
• It is a joint initiative of ‘All India Council for Technical Education’ (AICTE) and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
• It aims for 1 crore successful internships by the year 2025.

• TULIP would help enhance the value-to-market of India’s graduates and help create a potential talent pool in diverse fields like urban planning, transport engineering, environment, municipal finance etc. thus not only catalysing creation of prospective city managers but also talented private/ non-government sector professionals.
• TULIP would benefit ULBs and smart cities immensely. It will lead to infusion of fresh ideas and energy with engagement of youth in co-creation of solutions for solving India’s urban challenges. More importantly, it will further Government’s endeavours to boost community partnership and government- academia-industry-civil society linkages.
• Thus TULIP- “The Urban Learning Internship Program” would help fulfil twin goals of providing interns with hands-on learning experience as well as infusing fresh energy and ideas in the functioning of India’s ULBs and Smart Cities.

• Arsenicum album is made by heating arsenic with distilled water, a process repeated several times over three days.
• The health hazards of arsenic contamination in water are well known: long-term exposure to the metal can cause skin cancer, pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. The homoeopathic drug has less than 1% arsenic.
• Arsenicum album is considered to correct inflammation in body. It takes care of diarrhoea, cough and cold.
• It is used commonly by homeopaths to treat anxiety, restlessness, cold, ulcerations, burning pains. It is taken in powder form or as a tablet.

• On January 28, at its 64th meeting, the Scientific Advisory Board of the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) opined that “Arsenicum album 30 could be taken as prophylactic medicine against Coronavirus infections”.
• The CCRH released a fact sheet stating this medicine is only a “possible prevention” against flu. The following day, the Ayush Ministry recommended taking the medicine for three days on an empty stomach and repeating the dose after a month if an outbreak continues locally.
• It was said that the Arsenicum album 30 should be taken daily once in empty stomach for three days. The dose should be repeated after one month by following the same schedule till Corona virus infections prevalent in the community.

• A concept drawn by colonial rulers, the Inner Line separated the tribal-populated hill areas in the Northeast from the plains.
• To enter and stay for any period in these areas, Indian citizens from other areas need an Inner Line Permit (ILP). Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram are protected by the Inner Line, and lately Manipur was added.
• The concept originates from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act (BEFR), 1873.
• After Independence, the Indian government replaced “British subjects” with “Citizen of India”. In 2013, the Home Ministry told Rajya Saha, “The main aim of ILP system is to prevent settlement of other Indian nationals in the States where ILP regime is prevalent, in order to protect the indigenous/tribal population.”

• The CAA, which relaxes eligibility criteria for certain categories of migrants from three countries seeking Indian citizenship, exempts certain categories of areas, including those protected by the Inner Line system.
• Amid protests against the Act, the Adaptation of Laws (Amendment) Order, 2019, issued by the President, amended the BEFR, 1873, extending it to Manipur and parts of Nagaland that were not earlier protected by ILP.