Daily Newspaper Digest: 27 April 2021

Chandler Good Government Index

(Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news?

• India has been ranked 49th in the Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), which classifies 104 countries in terms of government capabilities and outcomes.

Key highlights

• Finland topped the Chandler Good Government Index list.

About the Chandler Good Government Index

• The index is published by Chandler Institute of Governance, Singapore.
• The Chandler Good Government Index shows the importance of measuring and investing in governance capabilities that matter.
• It highlights a key need for ‘pracademics’ in government – people who combine a rigorous understanding of research and data with a practical and grounded sense of what governments need to do to succeed.”
• The CGGI shows the importance of investing in governance capabilities.

The index focuses on seven pillars:

• Leadership and foresight;
• Robust laws and policies;
• Strong institutions;
• Financial stewardship;
• Attractive marketplace;
• Global influence and reputation;
• Helping people rise.

2. China's first Mars rover named 'Zhurong'

(Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news?

• The China National Space Administration has recently announced the China’s first Mars rover will be named

Background

• China in 2019 became the first country to land a space probe on the little-explored far side of the moon and in December returned lunar rocks to Earth for the first time since the 1970s.
• China would become the third country after the former Soviet Union and the United States to put a robot rover on Mars.

About Zhurong

• It will be named Zhurong after a traditional fire god.
• The rover is aboard the Tianwen-1 probe that arrived in Mars orbit on February 24 and is due to land in May to look for evidence of life.
• It is part of Chinese space plans that include launching a crewed orbital station and landing a human on the moon.
• According to the China National Space Administration the rover’s title fits with the Chinese name for Mars — “Huo Xing,” or fire star.
• The top candidate for the landing site is Utopia Planitia, a rock-strewn plain where the U.S. lander Viking 2 touched down in 1976.

About Tianwen-1 (TW-1)

• It is an interplanetary mission to Mars by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to send a robotic spacecraft, which consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover.
• It is named after the ancient Chinese poem ‘Questions to Heaven’.

Objectives

• It helps to search for evidence of underground water, if it's present, as well as evidence of possible ancient life.
• It will also assess the planet's environment.

Related Information

CHANDRAYAAN 2 Mission

• ISRO has launched Chandrayaan-2 mission to the Moon in July, but its lander failed to reach the lunar surface.
• It is a completely indigenous mission, is India’s second lunar exploration mission which the following basic components.

These are

• Orbiter
  • It will observe the lunar surface and relay communication between Earth and Chandrayaan 2's Lander.
• Lander (called Vikram)
  • It has designed to execute India's first soft landing on the lunar surface.
• Rover (called Pragyan)
  • It is a 6-wheeled, AI powered vehicle, which will move on the lunar surface and perform on-site chemical analysis.

Launcher

• It was launched by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV MkIII-M1.
• It is India's most powerful launcher to date, and has been completely designed and fabricated from within the country

3. 5th session of “Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs”

( Source- PIB)

Why in the news?

• Recently India has hosted the fifth session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH).

About Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs

• It was established in 201 which the support of more than a hundred countries under the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC).

Purpose

• To develop and expand worldwide standards for spices and culinary herbs.
• To consult with other international organisations in the standard development process.

About Codex Alimentarius Commission

• The Codex Alimentarius Commission or CAC is the body responsible for all matters regarding the implementation of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme.
• It was established in 1963 within the framework of the Joint Food Standards Programme.

Purpose

• To establish international food standards to protect the health of consumers.
• To ensure fair practices in the food trade.
• Especially while promoting coordination of food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organisations.
• The Commission meets in regular session once a year alternating between Geneva and Rome.

Headquarters

• It headquarters’ is in Rome, Italy.

Membership

• Membership of the Commission is open to all Member Nations and Associate Members of FAO and WHO.
• The countries interested in international food standards can become a member of CAC.
• The Commission works in the six UN official languages.

Funding

• The programme of work of the Commission is funded through the regular budgets of WHO and FAO with all work subject to approval of the two governing bodies of the parent organizations.

4. India third highest military spender in 2020

(Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news?

• Recently the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has published the latest military expenditure database of the world in 2020.

Key finding of the report

• India was the third largest military spender in the world in 2020, behind only the US and China.
• The US accounted for 39 per cent of the money spent on military globally, China accounted for 13 per cent, and India accounted for 3.7 per cent of the globe’s share.
• The US spent a total of $778 billion in 2020, China spent $252 billion and India’s military expenditure was $72.9 billion.
• All three countries saw their military spending go up compared to 2019, even during a pandemic year.
• The other top spenders included Russia with $61.7 billion, the UK at $59.2 billion, Saudi Arabia at $57.5 billion, followed by Germany and France at just under $53 billion each.

Percentage of GDP

• The United States’ military spending was 3.7 per cent of its GDP while the corresponding numbers for China and India were 1.7 per cent and 2.9 per cent respectively.
• The military spending in Asia and Oceania “was 2.5 per cent higher in 2020 than in 2019.

About Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

• It is an international institute based in Sweden.
• It is dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament which has been established in 1966.
• It provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.

5. Crisis in Chad

( Source- Indian Express)

Why in the news?

• Recently, Chad’s longest serving president Idriss Deby died of injuries sustained during clashes with the rebel group FACT (Front for Change and Concord in Chad) on the frontlines.

Highlights of crisis

• Soon after the death of President, Chad’s government and parliament were dissolved so that a military council led by Déby’s son, Mahamat Idriss Déby, can govern for the next 18 months.
• The former French colony is now prime outpost of the West in fighting Islmamist militants across the Sahel — the vast region between the Sahara and the Sudanian savanna.
• France still has a strong military presence in the region and had provided support to Déby in fighting political opponents and allies.
• France, however, has been looking to disengage from the region eversince the 2013 rebellion in the Central African Republic. With Déby’s death, this might not be an easy exit.

What is France’s military presence in the region?

• The motive behind military operations in the Sahel countries is to fight Islamist groups, monitor political ambitions, and train future African leaders.
• Chad has been France’s most effective and stable Sahel ally in achieving these goals.
• France says its objetive is to help Sahel nations maintain territorial integrity and prevent rise of Islamist groups that threaten France and the West.
• France has provided tremendous military and intelligence support to Chad over the years, including when it deployed troops and fighter jets to push back a Libyan and Sudanese offensive. It continues to maintain military bases in Chad’s border cities as well.

Why has France been unable to exit?

• France is aware that if it pulls out its troops, it would create a security vacuum and domestic troops and UN peacekeeping missions won’t be able to sustain operations and fight by themselves.
• Whatever France and its allies have achieved would be lost.

Related Information

About Chad

• Chad officially known as the Republic of Chad is a landlocked country in north-central Africa.
• It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the south-west, Nigeria to the southwest (at Lake Chad), and Niger to the west.
• Chad has several regions: a desert zone in the north, an arid Sahelian belt in the centre and a more fertile Sudanian Savanna zone in the south.
• Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the second-largest wetland in Africa.
• The capital N'Djamena is the largest city.
• Chad's official languages are Arabic and French.

About Sahel region of Africa

• It is a semi-arid region of western and north-central Africa extending from Senegal eastward to Sudan.
• It forms a transitional zone between the arid Sahara (desert) to the north and the belt of humid savannas to the south.
• The Sahel stretches from the Atlantic Ocean eastward through northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, the great bend of the Niger River in Mali, Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta), southern Niger, northeastern Nigeria, south-central Chad, and into Sudan.

6. Centre bars use of liquid oxygen for non-medical purposes

(Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news?

• The Centre ordered States by Invoking the Disaster Management Act 2005 that all liquid oxygen, including the existing stock with private plants shall be made available to the government and will be used for medical purposes only.

More on the news

• The order by Union Home Secretary who is the Chairman of the National Executive Committee under the DM Act, 2005.
• The order said that under section 10(2) (I) and section 65 of the DM Act, States had to ensure that “liquid oxygen is not allowed for any non medical purpose” and all stocks to be made available to the government without any exception to any industry to use liquid oxygen.

Previous order uses under DM Act 2005

• Earlier on April 18, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had written to States prohibiting supply of oxygen for industrial purposes, except for exempted nine industries that include the pharmaceutical, petroleum, nuclear energy and the steel sectors.
• In April 22, Centre issued order under the DM Act making the district magistrates and senior superintendent of police personally liable to allow unhindered inter-State movement of vehicles carrying medical oxygen and to ensure that the supply is not restricted to a particular State where the oxygen plant is located.

7. DRDO develops critical crystal blade technology for aero engines

( Source- The Hindu)

Why in the news?

Recently, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) have developed single crystal blade technology.

 About Single crystal blade technology

• The technology has been developed as a part of their indigenous helicopter development programme for helicopter engine application.
• It is part of a programme taken up by the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL).

Material Used

• It has made using a nickel-based superalloy.

Features

• The blades feature a complex geometrical design and can withstand high temperatures.
• The blades are used in the development of engines to allow helicopters to operate reliably in complex conditions.

Note:

• Very few countries such as the U.S., the U.K., France and Russia have the capability to design and manufacture such single crystal components.

8. Breakthrough infections

(Source- Indian Express)

Why in the news?

• The Union health ministry has recently said that the breakthrough infection rate after taking the first and the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccines approved in India remained low for both Covaxin and Covishield vaccines.

What is breakthrough infection?

• It is an infection which occurs after vaccination it is known as breakthrough infection.”

Data on Breakthrough infection

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) puts the rate of reinfections in the country at 4.5% and that of breakthrough infections at two to four infections per 10,000.

Covishield data

• After the first dose two per 10,000 people get reinfected and after the second dose, three per 10,000 people get reinfected.

Covaxin data

• After the first dose four per 10,000 people get reinfected after the number remains the same for the second dose too.
• This type of Infections are mostly mild or asymptomatic because the individuals still have partial

Possible Reasons for Breakthrough Infections

• India’s healthcare and frontline workers were on the priority list for vaccination during the first phase.
• They were always prone to more occupational exposure to the coronavirus disease.
• The second wave of Covid-19 is highly transmissible; it might also have contributed to the breakthrough infection rates.

U.S. study

• People with no symptoms transmit more than half of all cases, according to a recent model developed by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
• This essentially means that having a grip on silent transmission from persons without symptoms is very important for controlling the pandemic.
• According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, vaccines have been only evaluated for their efficacy against symptomatic cases.
• But none of the vaccine trials have been designed to measure reduction in transmission risk from infected vaccinated individuals.

9. Oxygen concentrators

(Source- Indian Express)

Why in the news?

• Recently, a volunteer prepares beds with oxygen concentrators at a Covid Care Centre inside Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya.

About Oxygen concentrators

• An oxygen concentrator is a medical device that concentrates oxygen from ambient air. Atmospheric air has about 78 per cent nitrogen and 21 per cent oxygen, with other gases making up the remaining 1 per cent.
• The oxygen concentrator takes in this air, filters it through a sieve, releases the nitrogen back into the air, and works on the remaining oxygen.
• This oxygen, compressed and dispensed through a cannula, is 90-95 per cent pure.
• A pressure valve in concentrators helps regulate supply, ranging from 1-10 litres per minute.
• According to a 2015 report by the WHO, concentrators are designed for continuous operation and can produce oxygen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for up to 5 years or more.

How are concentrators different from oxygen cylinders and liquid medical oxygen (LMO)?

• Oxygen concentrators are the easiest alternatives to cylinders but can only supply 5-10 litres of oxygen per minute (critical patients may need 40-50 litres per minute) and are best suited for moderately ill patients.
• Concentrators are portable and unlike LMO that needs to be stored and transported in cryogenic tankers, need no special temperature.
• And unlike cylinders that require refilling, concentrators only need a power source to draw in ambient air.