Ultra infectious new Omicron variant BF.7 detected in India

• Omicron BF. 7 is the latest sub-variant of the Omicron variant, first detected in Northwest China''s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
• It is also known as the ''Omicron spawn''.
• This new variant is fast spreading to several other countries including the United States, UK, Australia and Belgium.
• Being a sub-variant of Omicron BA.5, BF.7 reportedly has enhanced immunity evasion in comparison to its parental strain.
• This means that people who have been infected before or have taken the COVID-19 vaccines can get infected with BF.7.
• The symptoms associated with the BF.7 sub-variant is similar to other sub-variants of Omicron.
• This includes headache, persistent cough, changes in sense of smell, chest pain, hearing loss and shaking, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, runny nose, sore throat and fatigue.

In last 3.5 months, consumer panels cut pendency by 11%

• In the past three and-half months, consumer commissions across the country have disposed of 68,587 cases, bringing down pendency by nearly 11%.
• Status: It is a quasi-judicial commission.
• Origin: It was set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986.
• Head Office: New Delhi.
• Governance: It is headed by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court of India.
• Powers: Under Section 21 of Consumer Protection Act, 1986, NCDRC will have jurisdiction to entertain a complaint valued more than one crore.
• Appeal: Any person aggrieved by an order of NCDRC, may Appeal against such order to Supreme Court of India within a period of 30 days.

Securing Livelihoods in the Himalayas

• The Union Environment ministry in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been implementing ‘Secure Himalaya’ project to conserve the habitats of snow leopards.
• The ‘Secure Himalaya’ project is funded by the Global Environment Facility.
• It supports the government’s efforts for conservation of snow leopard and its habitat by developing and implementing a landscape-based approach for Himalayan ecosystems, and addresses key issues of habitat degradation, threatened livelihoods and illegal trade in wildlife.
• It was launched in 2017.

Components:

• Conservation of key biodiversity areas and their effective management to secure long-term ecosystem resilience, habitat connectivity and conservation of snow leopard and other endangered species.
• Securing sustainable community livelihoodsand natural resource management in high range Himalayan ecosystems.
• Enhancing enforcement, monitoring and cooperation to reduce wildlife crime and related threats.
• Gender Mainstreaming, Monitoring, evaluation and knowledge management.

Project Landscapes:

• Changthang, Ladakh Landscape, Jammu & Kashmir
• Lahaul-Pangi and Kinnaur Landscapes,
• Gangotri-Govind and Darma-Byans Landscapes,
• Khangchendzonga-upper Teesta Valley.

Sri Lanka seeks Indian gaurs for reintroduction into the wild

Indian Bisons are one of the largest extant bovines. It is one of the largest species among the wild cattle, reaching a shoulder height of up to 220 cm.

• Habitat:
  • They are found on the forested hills and grassy areas of south to south east Asia.
• Distribution:
  • There are about 13,000 to 30,000 gaurs in the world with approximately 85% of the population present in India. It is also found in Burma and Thailand.
  • The Western Ghats in southern India constitute one of the most extensive extant strongholds of gaur, in particular in the Wayanad – Nagarhole – Mudumalai – Bandipur complex.
  • The first-ever population estimation exercise of the Indian gaur carried out in the Nilgiris Forest Division in February 2020 estimated around 2,000 Indian gaurs to be inhabiting the division.
  • The gaur is the State Animal of Goa and Bihar.
• Conservation:
  • It is a protected species and included in Schedule I of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972
  • Listed as “vulnerable” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
  • It is listed in CITES Appendix I.

Wildlife or Zoological Diplomacy

• It means the translocation and reintroduction of a species, particularly between neighbouring countries with similar eco-systems. It is considered as a potent tool in engaging different nations.

Examples:

• Recently India translocated cheetahs from Namibia.
• American bison herds were supplemented with animals from Canada after the U.S. herds were almost all wiped out.
• The U.K. has recently introduced the European bison (Wisent) after an estimated 10,000 years in June 2022.
• Israel has for decades pursued reintroductions, including of Persian fallow deer. Arabian oryx and other species have been released into the Negev desert.
• South Africa has recently used the export of cheetahs to other African countries as a diplomatic tool during the post-apartheid era.

International Day of Rural Women being celebrated

• It focuses on gender equality and women empowerment in rural areas.
• It is to celebrate and highlight their achievements and contributions towards rural development and agriculture.
• The theme for International Day of Rural Women 2022 is "Rural Women, key for a world free from hunger and poverty”.
• In the year 1995, the Fourth World Conference on Women was conducted in Beijing, China, and the main topic of discussion was the empowerment of women.
• It was when the UN suggested that 15 October could be observed as International Day of Rural Women to appreciate the contribution of rural women in agriculture, food production, and food safety.
• It was on 18 December 2007 when the UN declared that October 15 would be observed annually as International Day of Rural Women worldwide.

EY-CII report says India to attract $475-bn FDI in 5 years

• The report titled ‘Vision—Developed India: Opportunities and Expectations of MNCs’, added that 71% of MNCs working in India consider the country an important destination for their global expansion. The optimism is driven by both short-term as well as long-term prospects.
• FDI in India has seen a consistent rise in the last decade, with FY 2021-22 receiving FDI inflow of $84.8 billion despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical developments on investment sentiment.
• India is seen as an emerging manufacturing hub in global value chains, as a growing consumer market and as a hub for ongoing digital transformation.
• Over 60% of MNCs in the report stated improvement in the business environment in the last three years.
• According to the survey, top expectations from the government include enhanced effectiveness of the national single window for approval / clearances; greater tax certainty, and stronger contract enforcement mechanism, among other measures.

Foreign direct investment (FDI):

• Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an investment from a party in one country into a business or corporation in another country with the intention of establishing a lasting interest.
• With FDI, foreign companies are directly involved with day-to-day operations in the other country.
• FDI enters in India through either of the two routes:
  • Automatic route
    • The non-resident or Indian company does not require prior nod of the RBI or government of India for FDI.
  • Government-approval route
    • The government''s approval is mandatory and the company will have to file an application through Foreign Investment Facilitation Portal.

Centre plans 22 ''bhasha kendras''

• The centres, called bhasha kendras, will be established under the Union ministry of education’s Indian Knowledge System (IKS) initiative.
• These language centres will be in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, that emphasises on promoting regional languages.
• The centres will be given three broad responsibilities.
  • First, they will prepare small booklets of 100-200 pages of the IKS-related literature and manuscripts available in their designated languages.
    • The centres will also be translating these works into Sanskrit and English.
  • Second, these centres will be to enrich their designated Indian languages with modern science and social models.
    • They will be asked to translate 1,000 pages of material in other languages into their designated language.
  • Third, they will develop courses at the undergraduate level.

China''s ''Wolf Warrior'' Diplomacy

• It is a tactic for the Chinese government to extend its ideology beyond China and counter the West and defend itself.
• It is an unofficial term for the more aggressive and confrontational style of communication that Chinese diplomats have taken to in the last decade.
• It confronts head-on any criticism of China in the public sphere.
• A 2015 Chinese action film, titled ‘Wolf Warrior’, and its sequel have served as the inspiration for the term.
• The change in strategy has been attributed to many reasons, such as Xi Jinping’s more authoritarian tendencies as compared to earlier leaders, deteriorating US-China relations under former US President Donald Trump, the coronavirus pandemic-related accusations on China, etc.

What is ''meat'' from plants and is ''just like'' meat vegetarian?

• “Plant-based” refers to products that bio-mimic or replicate meat, seafood, eggs, and milk derived from animals — by looking, smelling, and tasting like them.
• Plant-based dairy products include ice-cream that isn’t simply frozen dessert that replaces milk fat with vegetable oil.
• Even the proteins and other solids-not-fat ingredients are sourced from plants.
• As for plant-based dairy, the main products are milk from oats, almond, soyabean, coconut, and rice. Among these, oat milk is considered the closest to regular milk in taste and texture.
• Animal meat contains protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water, just like plants.
• This biochemical similarity allows for finding analogues in the plant kingdom or making them through mechanical, chemical, or biological treatment of such ingredients.
• The challenge lies in replicating muscle tissue that plants don’t have. The unique spatial arrangement of proteins in these tissues is what creates the distinct texture of animal meat.
• That’s why plant-based mutton samosas, kebabs or keema, having a simpler texture, are easier to make than larger whole cuts of animal meat.

India stands third in the world in terms of fish production

• India is the 3rd largest fish producing and 2nd largest aquaculture nation in the world after China.
• In the recent past, Indian fisheries has witnessed a shift from marine dominated fisheries to inland fisheries, with the latter emerging as a major contributor of fish production from 36% in the mid-1980 to 70% in the recent past.

Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY):

• The vision is to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector.
• The main motto of PMMSY is ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’in the fisheries sector.
• Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying is the implementing agency.
• The PMMSY is an umbrella scheme with two separate components – Central Sector Scheme and Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• The Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) Component is further segregated into non-beneficiary oriented and beneficiary orientated sub-components/activities under the following three broad heads: