The Hindu

Tea industry

Context: Tea industry in acute financial crisis, says Indian Tea Association in a report.

About Tea Plantation

Tea is a globally popular beverage that is cultivated in a variety of climates, with different types of tea requiring specific growing conditions.

Temperature: Tea plants generally thrive in moderate temperatures, ideally ranging between 13°C to 30°C (55°F to 86°F). While some varieties can tolerate cooler temperatures, prolonged frost can be detrimental to the plants.
Rainfall: Tea plants require a significant amount of rainfall, preferably distributed evenly throughout the year. Generally, tea cultivation requires an annual rainfall of around 1500 to 2500 millimetres (59 to 98 inches). However, certain varieties can thrive in regions with lower rainfall levels.
Humidity: Tea plants prefer areas with moderate to high humidity. High humidity helps in maintaining the moisture levels in the soil and promotes healthy growth.
Altitude: Altitude plays a crucial role in determining the quality and flavour of the tea produced. Higher altitudes, typically ranging from 600 meters to 2,100 meters (2,000 to 6,900 feet) above sea level, often produce superior tea due to cooler temperatures and increased cloud cover.
Soil: Tea plants prefer well-drained, acidic soils rich in organic matter. They can thrive in a variety of soil types, including sandy loam, clay loam, and laterite soils. Proper soil drainage is essential to prevent waterlogging, which can be detrimental to tea plants.

Tea Growing States Of India

About Tea Board Of India

The present Tea Board set up under section 4 of the Tea Act 1953 was constituted on 1st April 1954.
Organisation of the Board: The present Tea Board is functioning as a statutory body of the Central Government under the Ministry of Commerce. The Board is constituted of 31 members (including Chairman) drawn from Members of Parliament, tea producers, tea traders, tea brokers, consumers, and representatives of Governments from the principal tea producing states, and trade unions .The Board is reconstituted every three years.
Office of Tea Board of India-Kolkata
Foreign Offices: Currently Tea Board has only one office located at Moscow. This foreign office of the Board is designed to undertake the various promotional measures to boost up export of Indian tea.

Singareni Collieries belongs to Telangana, rules Home Ministry

Context: In a major relief to Telangana, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has ruled that the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) belongs to Telangana.

Background:

A stalemate prevailed over the division of assets pertaining to the SCCL between the two States.
The Telangana State government has been firm that the company belonged to it on the basis of location and this has been confirmed by the Attorney General.
The Andhra Pradesh government has raised objections to the Attorney General’s opinion. It wanted to conclude that SCCL was an interstate company.

The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL)

It is a Government coal mining company jointly owned by the Government of Telangana and the Government of India on a 51:49 equity basis.

The Singareni coal reserves stretch across 350 Km of the Pranahita – Godavari Valley of Telangana with a proven geological reserve aggregating to a whopping 8791 million tonnes.
SCCL is currently operating 18 opencast and 24 underground mines in 4 districts of Telangana

What is Rail Gauge?

Rail gauge is a fundamental concept in the railway industry. It refers to the spacing of the rails on a railway track and is measured between the inner faces of the load-bearing rails.

Rail Gauge

The gauge determines the width and stability of the railway track, which in turn impacts the size and design of the rail vehicles that can operate on the track.

Over 60% of the world's railway network uses the standard gauge of 1435 mm.

India has four distinct kinds of railway gauges:

Broad gauge
Meter gauge
Narrow gauge
Standard gauge (specifically used for the Delhi Metro)

Broad gauge:

Broad gauge is a railway track configuration where the separation between the two tracks in these railway gauges is 1676 mm.
- Any gauge above the conventional gauge measurement of 1,435 mm is often referred to as a broad gauge.
The first railway line constructed in India was a wide gauge track from Bore Bunder (now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) to Thane in the year 1853.
The use of broad-gauge railway systems is also seen at port facilities for the purpose of accommodating cranes and other related equipment.
Thicker gauges provide enhanced stability and surpass thinner gauges in terms of performance.

Meter gauge:

The separation between the two tracks is 1,000 mm.
The installation of meter-gauge lines was undertaken with the objective of minimising expenses.
Under the Unigauge project, it is planned to convert all meter gauge lines in India, except the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (a historical railway operating on a meter gauge) into a wide gauge.

Narrow gauge:

The smaller gauge is sometimes referred to as a narrow gauge or little line.
The narrow-gauge railway refers to a kind of railway track characterised by a distance of 762 mm and 610 mm between the two tracks.
The Darjeeling Mountain Railway was officially designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Kalka Shimla Railway is well recognised and has significant popularity.

Standard gauge:

The railway gauge in question exhibits a distance of 1435 mm between its two tracks.
In the context of rail transportation systems in India, it is observed that the standard gauge is only used for urban rail transit systems such as Metro, Monorail, and Tram, the only standard gauge railway line in India was the Kolkata (Calcutta) tram system.
In metropolitan regions, it is preferable to construct metro lines only using the standard gauge due to the greater accessibility of rolling equipment for this gauge, as opposed to the Indian gauge.

Evidence-based Traditional Medicine

Context: Outrightly denying traditional medical systems would be a hasty dismissal of valuable medical experience and a disservice to the scientific attitude. India needs to work on evidence-based traditional medicine. The acceptability of traditional medicines in the scientific community would increase if evaluated by the methods of modern science in a way that does not compromise with the wholeness of Ayurvedic formulations.

Evidence-based medicine vs traditional medicine

Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM): EBM is based on the integration of the best available scientific evidence, clinical expertise, and patient preferences and values. It is based on empirical data rather than anecdotal evidence.
Traditional Medicine: Rooted in tradition and experience, traditional medicine is based on long-standing practices passed down through generations. It may include herbal remedies, cultural rituals, and practices.

Reasons for non-development of alternate medicine in India

Lack of scientific validation: Alternative medicine is often not based on scientific evidence or rigorous testing. Without proper scientific validation, it can be difficult for alternative medicine to gain acceptance in the medical community and among the general public.
Limited government support: While India has a rich tradition of alternative medicine, government support for research and development in this field, in the past has been limited, which has hindered the growth of alternative medicine. E.g., Lack of dedicated funding mechanisms for research and development of alternative medicine.
Competition from conventional medicine: Conventional medicine, including modern pharmaceuticals, is highly developed and widely accepted in India. This has made it difficult for alternative medicine to gain a foothold and compete in the marketplace.
Lack of standardisation: Unlike conventional medicine, which is highly standardised and regulated, alternative medicine often lacks standardisation. This can lead to inconsistencies in the quality and efficacy of alternative treatments, which can undermine public confidence in these therapies.
Scepticism among medical professionals: Some medical professionals remain sceptical about the efficacy of alternative medicine, particularly when it comes to treating serious or life-threatening conditions.

Recent developments

The government has established the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) to promote the integration of traditional Indian medicine with modern medicine.
In May 2023, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Ministry of AYUSH for collaboration and cooperation in health research in the field of Integrated Medicine.
Integrated medicine in India refers to the practice of combining traditional Indian medicine systems, such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH), with modern medicine.
Aim: To provide patients with a holistic approach to healthcare that takes into account physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of health. By combining different therapies, healthcare providers can tailor treatment plans to individual patients.
The Ministry of AYUSH and ICMR have joined hands to undertake quality human clinical trials to generate evidence on the benefits of using Ayurveda along with modern medicine (evidence-based medicine) in treating certain disease conditions of national importance.
- ICMR will design and conduct these trials as it holds decades of experience in conducting human clinical trials. In the initial phase, the collaboration will be restricted to Ayurveda.
- Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy may be included in future and each system will be tested together with modern medicine.

Significance of the fusion of the traditional Indian medicine system with modern medicine:

The recent COVID-19 Pandemic has underscored the importance of AYUSH thus calling for its revival and fusion with modern medicine to build a holistic health system, which provides:

Comprehensive care: Traditional Indian medicine, such as Ayurveda, focuses on a holistic approach to health and wellness. This means that it considers the individual as a whole, including physical, mental, and emotional factors. By combining this approach with modern medicine, patients can receive more comprehensive and personalized care.
Accessibility: Traditional Indian medicine is often more accessible and affordable than modern medicine. By incorporating these therapies into modern healthcare systems, it reduces out-of-pocket expenditure.
Innovation: By combining traditional Indian medicine with modern medicine, new and innovative treatments can be developed, which can lead to better healthcare outcomes for patients and advances in medical research.
Overcome the challenge of doctors’ shortage: The existing doctor-patient ratio in India is 1:1700 and the ratio improves to around 1:800 (below the WHO’s mandate of 1:1000) with the integration of the AYUSH practitioners.
Help tackle multidrug-resistant diseases such as tuberculosis, lifestyle disorders and long-term diseases. It can reduce the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases- The WHO Report highlights that non-communicable diseases account for 63% of deaths in India.
Reduces the pollution in the manufacturing and waste management of allopathic medicine.

Steps to build a holistic health system:

Invest in research and development of AYUSH for integration with modern medicine.
Update curriculum in medical courses to integrate traditional Indian medicine system with modern medicine.
Introduce bridge courses for AYUSH practitioners and health professionals for interdisciplinary learning.
Co-locate AYUSH facilities in hospitals and primary health centres.
Build awareness in the Public about the benefits and limitations of integrated medicine through public health campaigns, community outreach programs, and partnerships with traditional healers and practitioners.

What is multimodal Artificial Intelligence?

Multimodal AI is an advanced form of Artificial Intelligence that can analyse and interpret multiple modes of data simultaneously, allowing it to generate more accurate and human-like reasoning and decision-making.

Traditional Unimodal AI vs Multimodal AI:

The fundamental difference between multimodal AI and traditional singlemodal/unimodel AI is the use of data.

Unimodal AI is generally designed to work with a single source or type of data. E.g., Unimodal AI system like ChatGPT uses natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to understand and extract meaning from text content, and the only type of output the chatbot can produce is text. That is, the unimodal AI is tailored to a specific task.
Multimodal AI processes data from multiple sources, including video, images, speech, sound and text, allowing more detailed and nuanced perceptions of a particular environment or situation. In doing this, multimodal AI more closely simulates human perception and enhances the accuracy of AI systems.

E.g., SeamlessM4T, launched by Meta, is a multimodal AI translation and transcription model that is capable of performing various tasks including speech-to-text, speech-to-speech, text-to-speech, and text-to-text translations.

Advantages:

Improved accuracy: By leveraging information from multiple sources, multimodal AI can achieve higher accuracy compared to singlemodal AI. E.g., Any system that analyses customer feedback for a product, combining text, image, and audio data can provide more comprehensive understanding of customer sentiment.
Enhanced user experience: Multimodal AI can enhance user experience by providing multiple ways for users to interact with the system. E.g., Users can interact with a multimodal virtual assistant system using voice, text, or gesture, providing greater convenience and accessibility.
Efficient usage of resources: Multimodal AI can help to make more efficient use of computational and data resources by enabling the system to focus on the most relevant information from each modality. This would help reduce the amount of irrelevant data that needs to be processed.
Better interpretability: Multimodal AI can help to improve interpretability by providing multiple sources of information that can be used to explain the system's output. E.g., Any system that analyses medical images for the diagnosis, combining images with textual descriptions and other data can help to explain the reasoning behind the system's diagnosis and provide more transparency and accountability.

Applications of Multimodal AI:

Healthcare: Multimodal AI can help improve medical imaging analysis, disease diagnosis, personalised treatment planning and better patient outcomes. E.g., By combining medical images with patient records and genetic data, healthcare providers can gain more accurate understanding of patient’s health, enabling them to tailor treatment plans.
Retail: In retail, it can be used to enhance customer experience and increase sales. By utilising user behaviour data, product images, and customer reviews, retailers can provide personalised recommendations and optimise product searches.
Agriculture: Multimodal AI can help monitor crop health, predict yields, and optimise farming practices. By integrating satellite imagery, weather data, and soil sensor data, farmers can gain deep insights into crop health and optimise irrigation and fertilizer application.
Manufacturing: Multimodal AI can be leveraged to improve quality control, predictive maintenance, and supply chain optimisation.
Robotics: Multimodal AI is central to robotics development using which robots could successfully interact with real-world environments.
Entertainment: Multimodal AI algorithms can be used to extract features about emotions, speech patterns, facial expressions, and actions which can create content targeted for specific demographics.

Multimodal AI challenges:

Data Storage: The data sets needed to operate a multimodal AI, involve a huge variety of data (text, images, audio, video). Such data volumes are expensive to store, and costly to process.
Data integration: Combining and synchronizing different types of data can be challenging because the data from multiple sources will not have the same formats. Ensuring the seamless integration of multiple modalities and maintaining consistent data quality can be difficult and time-consuming.
Data bias: Data bias and maintaining data integrity can be a problem in training the AI model.

Phonotaxis - Explained

Phonotaxis is a behaviour exhibited by certain organisms in response to sound stimuli. It refers to their capacity to detect and move towards or away from a specific sound or a signal.

There are two types of phonotaxis:

Positive phonotaxis: Its purpose is attraction, and it usually happens when the females of a particular species (crickets, moths, frogs etc.) are attracted to the sounds made by the males, for mating purposes.
Negative phonotaxis: Serves to repel or warn, it is a survival mechanism that helps organisms avoid potentially dangerous situations or stimuli in their environment. E.g., If a particular frequency or pattern of sound is associated with a predator, prey animals might exhibit negative phonotaxis by moving away from the source of the sound to seek safety.

Dhole: Asiatic wild dog tiger coexistence

Context: A new study has found that overlapping prey availability or habitat suitability could dictate a positive association between dholes and tigers, facilitating coexistence or even cooperative behaviours between the two species of carnivores.

Dhole (Cuon alpinus)

Dholes, also called Asiatic wild dogs, whistling dogs, red dogs etc. are social carnivores of the dog family (Canidae).

Natural Habitat: They inhabit forests of central, south and southeast Asia. Habitat typically includes Tropical dry forests, Tropical wet forests, Temperate Forests and Production agroforests.

They are naturally found in India and are mostly found in areas ranging from the foothills of Shivaliks, Northeastern India, Eastern parts of the Deccan plateau, and the Eastern Ghats along with the Western Ghats.

Social behaviour - They live in clans rather than packs, as the pack refers to a group of animals that always hunt together. In contrast, dhole clans frequently break into small packs of three to five animals, particularly during the spring season.
IUCN Status - Endangered

Israel – Palestine Relations

Context: Palestinian group Hamas has launched an attack on Israel, leading to an outbreak of new war in West Asia.

Background of Israel Palestine Relations:

Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War – I, Britain assumed control of the region referred to as Palestine. Within this land, there was a Jewish minority and an Arab majority coexisting. Tensions between the two communities grew when the international community gave Britain the task of establishing a "national home" in Palestine for Jewish people.
The relationship between these two communities became increasingly strained in 1947, when United Nations introduced Resolution 181, commonly known as the Partition Plan, which aimed to divide the British Mandate of Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states. While the Jewish population considered this their historic homeland, Palestinian Arabs also asserted their right to the territory and resisted this development.
In 1948, the State of Israel was officially established, leading to the first Arab Israeli War. While Israel emerged victorious in 1949, the conflict resulted in the displacement of 750,000 Palestinians and the division of the territory into three parts: the State of Israel, the West Bank (Jordan River), and the Gaza Strip.
In 1956, after the Suez Crisis and Israel's invasion of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, Jordan, and Syria signed defense pacts in anticipation of potential Israeli mobilization. In 1967, the Six-Day War erupted when Israel preemptively attacked Egyptian and Syrian air forces. After the war, Israel gained control over the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.

Two Intifadas (Uprisings)

In 1987, the first intifada (revolt/uprising) erupted when Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip protested against Israeli rule, as the issue of Palestinian self-determination and self-governance remained unresolved.
In 2000, the second intifada began, partly due to Palestinian grievances, a stagnant peace process, and political events. In response, Israel constructed a barrier wall around the West Bank in 2002.

Dimensions of Conflict	Explanation
Borders	There is no clear demarcation of boundaries between the two states.
Question of Jerusalem	Both Israel and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital and call it central to their religion and culture. Israel has declared Jerusalem its 'undivided capital', effectively annexing its eastern half, and has built up construction that entrenches Israeli control of the city.
Refugees	A large number of Palestinians had to flee in the 1948 War. The survivors and their descendants, mostly living in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, claim the right to return to Israel, as supported by a 1948 UN General Assembly resolution. Israel sees the right to return as a threat to its existence as a Jewish state, and believes the refugees should go to the Palestinian state that would be created as part of a two-state solution.
Militant Organizations	Israel perceives Palestinian militant organizations, such as Hamas, the Islamic group in control of Gaza, as posing existential threats. Hamas has openly declared its objective to dismantle Israel and often directs suicide bombings and rocket attacks towards Israeli civilians.
Jewish Settlements	Consistent efforts in West Bank undermines the prospects of any comprehensive peace deal with Palestinians based on two state solution.

Peace efforts

The two-state solution was proposed by the Peel Commission, which was formed by Britishers in 1937. It refers to an arrangement where Israeli and Palestinian states co-exist in the region. #Prelims 2018.
The 1993 Oslo I Accords attempted to mediate the conflict by establishing a framework for Palestinian self-governance and mutual recognition between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
In 1995, the Oslo II Accords expanded on the initial agreement, requiring Israel's withdrawal from six cities and 450 towns in the West Bank.
In 2000, Camp David summit convened by U.S. President Bill Clinton to discuss borders, settlements, refugees, and Jerusalem, but talks end without an agreement. Clinton announces parameters for an independent Palestinian state living in peace with Israel.

In 2002, The Arab Peace Initiative was drawn up by Saudi Arabia which proposed normalization of ties between Israel and Arab nations. IT calls for a statehood deal Palestine and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in 1967.#Prelims 2023
The Abraham Accords (2020) represent bilateral agreements for the normalization of relations between Israel and two Arab nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. It marked significant diplomatic milestones, as both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain formally acknowledged Israel's sovereignty, paving the way for the establishment of full diplomatic relations.

India’s Relations with Israel and Palestine

India’s policy on the longest running conflict in the world has gone from being unequivocally pro-Palestine for the first four decades, to a balancing act with its three-decade-old friendly ties with Israel.
In recent years, India’s position has also been perceived as pro-Israel.
India was the only non-Arab state among 13 countries that voted against the UN partition plan (in 1948) of Palestine in the General Assembly that led to the creation of Israel.

India’s own Partition along religious lines, its principled stand against Colonialism and its effects, solidarity with Palestinian people, to ward of Pakistan’s plan to isolate India over Kashmir and India’s energy dependency on Arab countries.
However, India formally recognised Israel in September 1950. Full diplomatic relations were established as late as 1992.
In 1975, India became first non-Arab country to recognise Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as sole representative of Palestinian people.
In 1988, when PLO declared an independent state of Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem, India granted recognition immediately.
India voted for Palestine to become a full member of UNESCO in 2011, and a year later, co-sponsored UN General Assembly resolution that enabled Palestine to become a “non-member” observer state at UN without voting rights.

The Policy of De-hyphenation

India abstained from voting at UN Human Rights Council on a resolution which claimed to highlight evidence of alleged war crimes committed by Israeli forces and Hamas during the 2014 airstrikes against Gaza that killed over 2000.
In 2016, India abstained again from a UNHRC resolution against Israel.
In 2017, during the visit of PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas, reference to East Jerusalem was missing in the statement issued by Indian PM.
Historically, India supported Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its Capital.
In 2018, PM Modi became first ever Indian PM to visit Israel. At this visit, PM skipped visit to Palestinian de facto capital Ramallah. This move was seen as India pursuing a policy of de-hyphenation wherein it would deal with Israel and Palestine separately.
De-hyphenation is a careful balancing act, with India shifting from one side to another as the situation demands. This was clearly visible when India had voted in favor of a resolution in the UN General Assembly opposing Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital.
At UNHRC, India voted against Israel in three resolutions – one on the right of self-determination of Palestinian people, a second on Israeli settlement policy, and a third on human rights situation in Golan Heights.

Nobel Peace Prize 2023: Narges Mohammadi

Context: Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian activist, won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts towards women’s rights and democracy.

About Narges Mohammadi

She has won the Nobel Prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.
She is the 19^th Woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian Woman, after Shirin Ebadi (won Nobel Peace Prize in 2003).

About Nobel Peace Prize

It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine and Literature.
It is awarded by a committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget).
It is awarded for the Outstanding contributions to peace: arms reduction, international cooperation, and organisations contributing to peace, and human rights contributions to peace.
It was first awarded in 1901. It was divided equally between Jean Henry Dunant "for his humanitarian efforts to help wounded soldiers and create international understanding" and Frédéric Passy "for his lifelong work for international peace conferences, diplomacy and arbitration".
Only two recipients have won multiple Prizes: the International Committee of the Red Cross has won three times (1917, 1944, and 1963) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has won twice (1954 and 1981).

M.S. Swaminathan- Architect of India’s Green Revolution

Context: Renowned agricultural scientist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan passed away on September 28 at the age of 98.

About Dr. M.S. Swaminathan:

Dr. M.S. Swaminathan was born on 7 August 1925 in Kerala.
A plant geneticist by training, he made a stellar contribution to the agricultural renaissance in the country and is popularly known as the Father of the Green Revolution in India.

Contributions of Dr. Swaminathan:

1. Increase in wheat production:

He played a pivotal role in introducing semi-dwarf Mexican wheat strains, Sonora 64 and Lerma Rojo 64 to Indian fields.
He along with experts at the erstwhile Planning Commission put together a policy to subsidize fertilizers and power while expanding irrigation cover to promote the dwarf wheat variety, utilizing British-era water canals in Punjab and Haryana.
This led to a significant increase in wheat production, thus turning India from being dependent on humiliating food donations to feed its population to being a self-sufficient nation.
- In the early 1960s, India’s wheat and rice production was just 10-12 million tonnes (MT) and 35-36 MT, respectively, forcing massive grain imports that crossed 10 MT in 1966-67.
- India had signed off on an agreement with the US called the “Public Law 480” to qualify for food aid. This food assistance was a political hazard because the aid came tied with conditions.
- Following the successful green revolution, by the end of the 1960s, India’s wheat production crossed 20 MT.

2. Increase in Rice production:

He introduced the fertiliser-responding high-yielding VARIETY of “Indica” rice from the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute.
- He worked in the indica-japonica rice hybridization programme for transferring genes from the relatively non-lodging and fertiliser-responsive ‘Japonica’ rice varieties to indigenous ‘Indica’ races.
He pioneered the development of popular basmati rice varieties — culminating in the Pusa Basmati variety in 1989, which was the world's first semi-dwarf, high-yielding basmati variety.

3. Sustainable agriculture:

He consistently advocated for sustainable agriculture, emphasising the delicate balance between human advancement and ecological sustainability.
He had forewarned farmers in 1968 not to treat the productivity leap as an “evergreen revolution” by overusing subsidised agricultural chemicals which would ruin soil health.

4. Advocacy for Farmers' welfare:

As the chairman of the National Commission on Farmers in 2004, he advocated for fair minimum support prices for crops. He recommended that MSP for crops be at least 50% more than the weighted average cost of production, ensuring fair compensation to farmers.
He played a pivotal role in developing the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act 2001.

5. Mainstreaming gender considerations in Agriculture:

He advocated the empowerment of farm women in the areas of land and water rights, access to technology, credit and insurance and the ability to market their produce at a remunerative price.
His efforts to empower women farmers helped shape India’s Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojana.

Awards:

S.S. Bhatnagar Award for his contribution to biological sciences (1961)
Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1971)
Albert Einstein World Science Award (1986)
First World Food Prize (1987)
Padma Vibhushan (1989)
Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development (2000)
Mahatma Gandhi Prize of UNESCO (2000)

China to double the size of Tiangong Space Station

Context: China plans to expand its space station to six modules from three in coming years, offering astronauts from other nations an alternative platform for near-Earth missions as the NASA-led International Space Station nears the end of its lifespan.

Tiangong Space Station (TSS)

TSS is a permanently crewed space station constructed by China and operated by China Manned Space Agency.
Placed in: Low Earth orbit between 340 and 450 km above the Earth's surface.
Operational lifetime: More than 15 years.
It has been fully operational since late 2022, hosting a maximum of three astronauts.
TSS will weigh 180 metric tons after its expansion to six modules.

International Space Station (ISS)

ISS is a modular space station (habitable artificial satellite) and the single largest man-made structure in the low Earth orbit.
Launched in 1998, it is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies:
- NASA (United States)
- Roscosmos (Russia)
- JAXA (Japan)
- ESA (Europe)
- CSA (Canada)
The ownership and use of the space station are established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements.
It circles the Earth in roughly 92 minutes and completes 15.5 orbits per day, hosting a maximum of seven astronauts.
It serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific research is conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields.
NASA intends to keep operating the ISS until the end of 2030, after which the ISS would be crashed into Point Nemo over the South Pacific Oceanic Uninhabited Area (SPOUA).

Norwegian Author Jon Fosse Wins Nobel Prize for Literature 2023

Context: Jon Fosse from Norway, won the Nobel Prize in Literature. His plays are among the most widely staged playwright in the world.

About the news:

The writer is known for his innovative plays and prose, giving “voice to the unsayable”.
His works are written in Norwegian Nynorsk language, covering number of genres- Plays, novels, poetry collections, essays and children’s books.

Major works of Jon Fosse

Jon Fosse made his debut as an author in 1983 with the novel, ‘Red, Black’ (Raudt,Svart), which moves back and forth in time and between perspectives. The novel was emotionally raw broached the theme of suicide.
His works are minimalistic and rely on simple language, delivering messages through rhythm, melody and silence.
Boathouse and Melancholy I and II; Someone is Going to come; And We’ll Never be Parted.
His latest, Septology, is a semiautobiographical work and its third volume was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize.
In 2022, French Feminist Icon Annie Ernaux was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

About Nobel Prize in Literature:

The Swedish Academy, Stockholm, Sweden awards the Prize.
It is one the Five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895.
It is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country in the field of literature, producing the most outstanding work in an idealistic direction.

Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian, receiving the nation’s first Nobel Prize (in Literature) in 1913 for his collection ‘Gitanjali’ published in London in 1912. He was also the first non-westerner, to receive this prize.