DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

11 APRIL 2022 – CA

. No.	Topic Name	Prelims/Mains
1.	UN PEACEKEEPERS	Prelims & Mains
2.	DETAILS OF THE PM-DAKSH YOJNA	Prelims & Mains
3.	WHO WAS GURU NABHA DAS	Prelims & Mains
4.	FORTIFIED RICE	Prelims Specific Topic
5.	SEEMA DARSHAN PROJECT	Prelims Specific Topic

 

1 – UN PEACEKEEPERS: 

GS II

Topic – International Relations

• Context:
• Canada and its allies are intending to work together to rally support for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine among UN General Assembly members, including China.
• The necessity of the hour:
• Countries opposing Russia’s invasion should ask the UN General Assembly to recommend a peacekeeping operation with the purpose of maintaining humanitarian access.
• What are the sources of funding for UN peacekeeping missions:
• While the Security Council makes decisions regarding whether a peacekeeping operation should be established, maintained, or expanded, all UN Member States share responsibility for funding peacekeeping operations.
• Every Member State is legally bound to contribute their fair contribution to peacekeeping efforts. This is in compliance with the terms of UN Charter Article 17 of the United Nations Charter.
• For the period 2020-2021, the top five contributors to UN peacekeeping operations in terms of assessed contributions are:
• United States of America (27.89 percent ).
• China is a country that has a (15.21 percent ).
• Japan is a country that has a (8.56 percent ).
• Germany is a country that has a (6.09 percent ).
• United Kingdom of Great Britain (5.79 percent ).
• What is the definition of peacekeeping? What is the importance of this:
• The Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Operational Support collaborate on UN peacekeeping.
• The Security Council must approve any peacekeeping mission.
• Composition:
• Soldiers, police officers, and civilians make up UN peacekeepers (sometimes known as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of their light blue berets or helmets).
• Member states contribute peacekeeping forces on a voluntary basis.
• The UN Secretariat recruits and deploys international civil workers for peacekeeping operations.
• Three essential ideas guide UN peacekeeping:
• The parties’ agreement.
• Except in self-defense and defence of the mandate, no use of force is permitted.
• Source – The Hindu

2 – DETAILS OF THE PM-DAKSH YOJNA:

GS II

Topic – Government Policies and Interventions

• Context:
• Because of their educational disadvantages, young people are having difficulty finding well paying jobs after completing short-term skilling courses.
• In light of this, the government has emphasised the necessity and importance of this programme.
• The plan is as follows:
• From 2020 to 2021, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will implement the scheme.
• Up-skilling/reskilling, short-term training, long-term training, and entrepreneurial development programmes are provided to qualifying target groups under the system (EDP).
• Eligibility: SC, OBC, EBC, De-notified tribes, sanitation workers, including waste pickers, manual scavengers, transgenders, and other similar categories.
• The scheme’s importance and necessity:
• Because the majority of the people in the target group have little financial resources, providing training and improving their skills is critical for economic empowerment and upliftment of these marginalised people.
• Many members of the target population are rural craftsmen who have been marginalised as a result of the introduction of superior technology to the market.
• There is also a need to empower women in the target demographic who, due to their total domestic responsibilities, are unable to participate in wage employment, which typically entails long hours and migration to other cities.
• Source – The Hindu

3 – WHO WAS GURU NABHA DAS:

GS I

Topic – Indian Culture

• Context:
• On the 16th century saint Guru Nabha Dass’ birthday, the Punjab government has declared a gazetted vacation.
• Guru Nabha Dass’s bio:
• On April 8, 1537, he was born.
• Born in the village of Bhadrachalam on the banks of the Godavari River in the Khammam district of Telangana.
• Belonged to the Mahasha community, which is also known as doom or dumna and is one of the Schedule Caste communities.
• Agar Dass and Keel Dass are religious gurus.
• Nabhadassias are the name given to members of this community. They are known for using bamboo to make baskets and grain storage containers.
• Bhagatmal:
• In 1585, Guru Nabha Dass composed ‘Bhagatmal.’ It contains the biographies of approximately 200 saints.
• What does he have to do with Punjab:
• Guru Nabha Dass used to go to the Doom community’s village Pandori in Gurdaspur district.
• Some of the community’s gurus used to live there as well.
• The group is also well-represented in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh and Jammu.
• On Guru Nabha Dass’ orders, Kullu Dussehra is celebrated for a week.
• In Punjab, the Mahasha community numbers over 30 lakh people, with about one lakh living in Pathankot alone.
• Source – The Hindu

4 – FORTIFIED RICE:

Prelims Specific Topic

• Context:
• A project to distribute fortified rice through government programmes has been authorised by the Union Cabinet.
• Government efforts in this direction include:
• For supply and distribution, the Food Corporation of India and state agencies have already purchased 88.65 LMT (lakh tonnes) of fortified rice.
• In 2019, the government approved a three-year, centrally supported pilot scheme for rice fortification that would begin in 2019-2020. The programme is currently being implemented in 15 districts throughout 15 states.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised in his Independence Day speech in 2020 that by 2024, all rice distributed under government programmes will be fortified to combat malnutrition.
• Last year, the government increased fortified rice distribution across anganwadis as part of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (now dubbed Saksham anganwadi and Poshan 2.0), as well as a school-based mid-day meal programme (renamed as PM Poshan).
• Concerns:
• However, public health professionals have expressed reservations about rice fortification as a means of combating malnutrition, arguing that diet diversification is more important.
• Many people also believe that iron-fortified rice, together with ongoing government iron-supplementation programmes, can lead to an excessive intake of iron, increasing the risk of diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
• Rice fortification is required:
• Malnutrition is prevalent among women and children in the country.
• Every second woman in the country is anaemic, and every third child is stunted, according to the Food Ministry.
• On the Global Hunger Index, India ranks 94th out of 107 countries and is classified as having “severe hunger” (GHI).
• Malnutrition and a lack of key nutrients are important roadblocks in the development of disadvantaged mothers and children.
• What is the definition of food fortification:
• The practise of adding vitamins and minerals to regularly consumed foods during processing to boost their nutritional value is known as food fortification.
• Fortification is defined by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) as “deliberately enhancing the content of critical micronutrients in a food to improve nutritional quality and give public health benefit with little risk to health.”
• Rice with added nutrients:
• Rice fortification, according to the Food Ministry, is a cost-effective and complementary technique for increasing vitamin and mineral content in diets.
• 1 kg fortified rice will contain iron (28 mg-42.5 mg), folic acid (75-125 microgram), and Vitamin B-12, according to FSSAI standards (0.75-1.25 microgram).
• In addition, rice can be fortified with micronutrients such as zinc (10 mg-15 mg), Vitamin A (500-750 microgram RE), Vitamin B1 (1 mg-1.5 mg), Vitamin B2 (1.25 mg-1.75 mg), Vitamin B3 (12.5 mg-20 mg), and Vitamin B6 (1.5 mg-2.5 mg) per kilogramme, either separately or in combination.
• What are some of the advantages of fortification:
• Because the nutrients are added to commonly consumed staple meals, this is a wonderful way to enhance the health of a broad segment of the population at once.
• Fortification is a safe way to improve people’s nutrition. People’s health is not jeopardised by the addition of micronutrients to diet.
• It does not necessitate any modifications in people’s eating habits or patterns. It is a socially and culturally appropriate method of nutrient delivery.
• It has no effect on the food’s properties, such as taste, texture, or appearance.
• It can be adopted rapidly and show effects in terms of improved health in a short amount of time.
• This strategy is cost-effective, especially when current technology and distribution platforms are utilised.
• Source – The Hindu

5 – SEEMA DARSHAN PROJECT:

Prelims Specific Topic

• The ‘Seema Darshan Project’ was inaugurated by Union Home and Cooperative Minister Amit Shah at Nadabet, which is located on the Indo-Pak border in Gujarat’s Banaskantha District.
• The ‘Seema Darshan Project’ was started with the goal of giving people a glimpse into the lives and activities of BSF personnel on our border.
• At a cost of 1 crore 25 lakhs, the project has produced a variety of tourist facilities and other unique attractions.

• Source – The Hindu