DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde (also known as Cape Verde) as a malaria-free country.

Why in the news?

• Cabo Verde has become the third country to acquire the status in the global health organisation’s African region. The country has now joined Mauritius and Algeria, who were certified in 1973 and 2019, respectively.

About Cabo Verde

• It is also known as Cape Verde which comprises a group of islands that lie off the west coast of Africa.
• It is located nearby Senegal and is the nearest point on the continent.
• This volcanic archipelago includes ten islands and five islets, divided into the windward (Barlavento) and leeward (Sotavento) groups.
• Climate: Generally moderate, the climate is characterized by stable temperatures with extreme aridity.
• The terrain of the Cabo Verde islands varies from the geologically older, flatter islands in the east and the newer, more mountainous islands in the west.
• Population: The overwhelming majority of the population of Cabo Verde is of mixed European and African descent and is often referred to as mestiço or Crioulo.
• Capital: Praia
• Languages spoken: Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole

Key facts about Malaria

• It is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.
• There are 5 parasite species that cause malaria in humans, and 2 of these species, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, pose the greatest threat.
• It is common in tropical areas where it’s hot and humid.
• Children under 5 years of age are the most vulnerable group affected by malaria.
• Symptoms: Fever and sweating,Chills Headache and muscle aches etc
• Treatment: It is preventable and curable. With early treatment, most people with malaria will make a full recovery.

The state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) (It is an Indian oil and gas explorer and producer.It is under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. Its headquarters is situated in New Delhi. ONGC was founded on 14 August 1956 by the government of India. It was conferred with 'Maharatna' status by the Government of India in November 2010) recently discovered two significant natural gas reserves in the Mahanadi basin block in the Bay of Bengal.

Mahanadi River Basin

• It is the 8th largest river basin in the country, with a total catchment area of 139681.51 sq. km, which is nearly 4.28% of the total geographical area of the country.
• The catchment area of the basin extends over major parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and comparatively smaller portions of Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.
• It is bounded by the Central India hills on the north, by the Eastern Ghats on the south and east, and by the Maikala range on the west.

Mahanadi River

• It is one of the major east-flowing peninsular rivers in India.
• Origin: The river originates from the Sihawa range of hills in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh state.
• It ranks second to the Godavari River among the peninsular rivers in respect of water potential.
• The total length of the river form origin to its outfall into Bay of Bengal is 851 km of which 357 km lies in Chhattisgarh and 494 km in Odisha.
• Tributaries: The Seonath, the Hasdeo, the Mand, and the Ib join Mahanadi from left, whereas the Ong, the Tel, and the Jonk join it from right.
• Hirakud Dam: The Hirakud Dam, the world's longest earthen dam (26km), is constructed across the Mahanadi River, about 15 km from Sambalpur in Odisha.
• Chilika Lake: Chilika, named wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, gets 61% of its inland flow from the Mahanadi River system, mainly from its distributaries, Daya and Bhargabi.

Himalayan Wolf has been assessed for the first time in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List and categorised as ‘Vulnerable’.

Himalayan Wolf

• The Himalayan Wolf (Canis lupus chanco), a prominent lupine predator found across the Himalayas.
• It is also called Tibetan wolves, which live at more than 4,000 metres altitudes and are genetically distinct from grey wolves.
• Living at such high altitudes, these wolves have genetically adapted themselves to live in low oxygen (hypoxic) conditions.
• Distribution:
  • In China, the Himalayan wolf lives on the Tibetan Plateau in the provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Tibet, and western Sichuan.
  • In northern India, it occurs in the Union Territory of Ladakh and in the Lahaul and Spiti region in northeastern Himachal Pradesh.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
• Threats: It is illegally hunted for trade in its fur and body parts including paws, tongues, heads, and other parts.

Measures to be taken to enhance the protection of Himalayan wolves

• • Securing and restoring healthy wild prey populations and landscapes and setting aside wildlife habitat refuges;
  • Improving livestock guarding methods, such as predator-proof corral pens and using sustainable livestock herding practices, including reduced livestock loads, adapted herding, and developing novel but tradition-based holistic management practices
  • Management of feral dog populations
  • Trans-boundary efforts in conservation of the species in range countries through research and monitoring.

Standing at just around 70-90 cm tall and weighing less than 200 kg, it is among the world’s most dwarf cattle breeds.

• It is native to Punganur village in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
• It has high resilience to drought and can adapt to low-quality feed.
• It is also prized for its milk, which boasts a higher fat content, making it ideal for producing ghee.
  • A Punganur cow can give around 1 to 3 litres a day, and the milk fat content is 8 percent as compared to 3 to 4 percent in other native breeds.
  • The milk is also rich in nutrients such as Omega fatty acids, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
• Body colour: It is white, grey, or light brown to dark brown or red in colour. Sometimes, animals with white colour mixed with red, brown, or black patches are also seen.
• It has a broad forehead and short horns. The horns are crescent-shaped and often lose curving backward and forward in males and lateral and forward in females.
• Punganur cows are considered eco-friendly, requiring less water, feed, and space compared to hybrid breeds.

Cultural Significance: Even today, many temples in Andhra Pradesh, including the famous Tirupati Thirumala Temple, use the milk of a Punganur cow for Ksheeraabhishekam (milk offering to the deity).

India has 50 Indigenous Bovine Breeds (37 Cattle and 13 Buffaloes).

• • Milch Breeds: Specifically raised for milk production.
    • Examples: Sahiwal, Gir, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar and Rathi.
  • Milch and Draught Breeds: Draught cattle are employed for heavy labor purposes, aiding in agricultural activities such as plowing and transportation.
    • Examples: Kankrej, Ongole, and Hariana.

Specialty of Indian Cows:

• • Hump: It is an exclusive characteristic of the Indian Desi bulls and cows and facilitates them to carry loads without effort, while the foreign breeds do not have a hump.
  • Dewlap: It is a fold of loose skin hanging from the neck of an animal. The Indigenous Cattle have a high heat resistance from their extensive Dewlaps.
  • Dung: The dung of Indian breeds of cows is used in agriculture, medicine, etc., whereas the dung of foreign breeds is of no use.

The Supreme Court recently questioned the Centre on why reports of the court-appointed Technical Experts Committee (TEC) on the biosafety of genetically modified (GM) crops were not looked into by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).

GEAC

It is the statutory committee constituted under the “Rules for the Manufacture, Use/Import/Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells (Rules, 1989)” framed under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.It functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

Functions:

• • It is responsible for the approval of activities involving large-scale use of hazardous living microorganisms and recombinants in research and industrial production from an environmental perspective.
  • The committee is also responsible for the appraisal of proposals relating to the release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms and products into the environment, including experimental field trials.
  • Clearance of GEAC is mandatory for the environmental release of GM crops.

The committee or any person authorized by it has the power to take punitive action under the Environment Protection Act.

Composition:

• • GEAC is chaired by the Special Secretary/Additional Secretary of MoEF&CC and co-chaired by a representative from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
  • Presently, it has 24 members and meets every month to review the applications in the areas indicated above.
  • The members comprise experts from other ministries as well as institutions such as the ICAR, ICMR, CCMB, and so on.

• An investment banker is an individual who often works as part of a financial institution and is primarily concerned with raising capital for corporations, governments, or other entities.

Examples of investment banker employers - Goldman Sachs (GS), Morgan Stanley (MS), JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAC), and Deutsche Bank (DB).

National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) was set up as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860 on 2005 with a mandate of creating dope-free sports in India.