DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS - 29 JUNE 2021

1. EBRAHIM RAISI

Hardliner Ebrahim Raisi became Iran’s president. He succeeded Hassan Rouhani.

About:

• Iran’s 13th presidential elections were recently held.
• As per rules, the president should be a Shiite Muslim. Over 90 per cent of Iran’s population is comprised of Shiite Muslims.

Who is Raisi?

• Raisi first came to prominence when he became the Prosecutor General of Karaj in 1980, when he became the Prosecutor of Tehran and the First Deputy to the Head of Judiciary from 2004 to 2014 after which he became the Prosecutor General of Iran from 2014 to 2016.
• In 2019, Raisi was appointed the head of Iran’s judiciary, an appointment that sparked concerns because of his involvement in the mass executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 after the Iran-Iraq war.
• Amnesty International has identified Raisi as a member of the “death commission” that carried out “enforced disappearance and extrajudicial executions of several thousand political dissidents in Evin and Gohardasht prisons near Tehran between late July and early September 1988. Victims’ bodies were mostly buried in unmarked mass graves.”
• Raisi also has ties to the paramilitary group Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Source : The Hindu

2. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

Most Indians, cutting across religions, feel they enjoy religious freedom, value religious tolerance, and regard respect for all religions as central to what India is as a nation.

About:

• At the same time the majority in each of the major religious groups show a marked preference for religious segregation and “want to live separately”, according to a nation-wide survey on religious attitudes, behaviours and beliefs conducted by Pew Research Center, a non-profit based in Washington DC.
• For instance, the report found that 91% of Hindus felt they have religious freedom, while 85% of them believed that respecting all religions was very important ‘to being truly Indian’.
• Also, for most Hindus, religious tolerance was not just a civic virtue but also a religious value, with 80% of them stating that respecting other religions was an integral aspect of ‘being Hindu’.
• Other religions showed similar numbers for freedom of religion and religious tolerance.
• While 89% of Muslims and Christians said they felt free to practice their religion, the comparative figures for Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains were 82%, 93%, and 85% respectively.
• Also, Hindu nationalist sentiments were less prevalent in the South. Among Hindus, those in the South (42%) were far less likely to say that being Hindu was very important to being truly Indian.

Source : The Hindu

3. RURAL TOURISM

Ministry of tourism invites feedback on the draft national strategy and roadmap for development of rural tourism in India.

About:

• The Ministry of Tourism has the main objective of promoting and facilitating tourism both inbound and domestic in India.
• Ministry of Tourism has recognized the immense potential of Rural Tourism and has been actively working on promotion and development of this niche area of tourism.
• Identification, diversification, development, and promotion of niche tourism products in the country is the initiative of the Ministry to overcome the aspect of ‘seasonality’ and to promote India as a 365 days’ destination, to attract tourists with specific interest, and to ensure repeat visits for the unique products in which India has a comparative advantage.

Source : PIB

4. INDIA – BHUTAN ENVIRONMENT COOPERATION

India and Bhutan signed an MoU for developing cooperation between two countries in the area of environment.

About:

• The MoU will open new vistas of bilateral co-operation in the area of climate change, waste management etc.
• The MoU is a platform to further enhance Indian and Bhutanese partnership and support, exchange best practices in areas like prevention of Air Pollution, Waste Management, Chemical Management, Climate Change, etc.

Source : All India Radio

5. TOYCATHON-2021

Union Minister Women and Child Development and Textiles and Minister for Education inaugurated Toycathon 2021 grand finale.

About:

• The Toycathon 2021 was organized jointly by Ministry of Education in coordination with five other Ministries viz: Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Commerce &Industry, Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, and Ministry of Textiles.
• This inter-ministerial Toycathon focuses on conceptualizing new and innovative toys using local materials which are economical, affordable, safe, environment friendly, with exceptional high quality for both Indian and global markets.
• The Toycathon is based on nine themes viz. Indian Culture, History, Knowledge of India and Ethos; Learning, Education and Schooling; Social and human values; Occupations & specific fields; Environment; Divyang ; Fitness and sport; Out of the box, creative and logical thinking and Rediscovering/redesigning traditional Indian toys
• The Toycathon will have 3 variants of tracks of Junior Level, Senior Level and Start up Level and will allow participation of students and teachers from schools, colleges and universities apart from startups and toy experts.

Statistics : 

• 85% toys that our children are playing with are imported and are predominantly made of plastic.
• Indian toy market stands at around $1.5 billion USD and currently we are importing a major chunk from outside. The global toy market is estimated to be more than 100 billion USD.
• Toycathon-2021 is aimed at boosting the Toy Industry in India to help it capture a wider share of the toy market.
• The National Education Policy 2020 advocates for 5+3+3+4 system and it asks for activity-based learning for children through toys and games.

Source : PIB

6. DESALINATION

Narippaiyur, a village in Ramanathapuram District, a drought prone area situated in the South-East corner of Tamil Nadu will benefit from 20,000 litres per day of fresh water produced from sea water – thanks to the solar thermal Forward Osmosis (FO) sea water desalination system installed in the place.

Working:

• A desalination plant turns salt water into water that is fit to drink.
• The most commonly used technology used for the process is reverse osmosis where an external pressure is applied to push solvents from an area of high-solute concentration to an area of low-solute concentration through a membrane.
• The microscopic pores in the membranes allow water molecules through but leave salt and most other impurities behind, releasing clean water from the other side.

Challenges:

• Desalination is an expensive way of generating drinking water as it requires a high amount of energy.
• The other problem is the disposal of the by-product — highly concentrated brine — of the desalination process. While in most places brine is pumped back into the sea, there have been rising complaints that it ends up severely damaging the local ecology around the plant.

Global and Indian scenario:

• Worldwide, desalination is seen as one possible answer to stave off water crisis. These plants are mostly set up in areas that have access to sea water.
• Desalination has largely been limited to affluent countries in the Middle East and has recently started making inroads in parts of the United States and Australia.
• In India, Tamil Nadu has been the pioneer in using this technology, setting up two desalination plants near Chennai in 2010 and then 2013.
• The other states that have proposed these plants are Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
• In November 2020, Maharashtra announced the setting up of a desalination plant in Mumbai, becoming the fourth state in the country to experiment with the idea. 

Source : PIB

7. CBSE’S FORMULA FOR EVALUATING CLASS XII RESULTS

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) submitted to the Supreme Court a 40:30:30 formula for evaluation of marks of Class XII students, which will be based on their Class XII, Class XI and Class X results, respectively.

About:

• According to the formula, the theory marks of each subject will be computed using 40% from the marks they got in the subject pre-boards or mid-term exams held by their schools earlier this year, 30% from their Class XI final exam marks, and 30% from their Class X board exam results.
• This will be added to the actual marks that they got in their Class XII internal assessments and practicals for that subject. 

Source : Indian Express

8. ORAL CANCER

Tata Memorial Centre Publishes First of its Kind Study on the Cost of Illness and Treatment of Oral Cancer In India. This is the first such study in India and among a handful globally.

About:

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, with approximately 70% cancer cases occurring in low and middle-income countries.
• India’s cancer scenario is burdened with oral cavity cancer being the most common among men. In fact, India accounted for almost a third of the global incidence in 2020.
• As per the GLOBOCAN statistics, the rate of new cases being diagnosed has increased by a staggering 68% in the past two decades alone.
• As per the GLOBOCAN statistics, the rate of new cases being diagnosed has increased by a staggering 68% in the past two decades alone the unit cost of treating advanced stages (Rs. 2,02,892/- ) was found to be 42% greater than early stages (Rs. 1,17,135/-).
• Medical equipment accounted for 97.8% of capital costs, with the highest contributor being the radiology services that included CT, MRI and PET scan.
• India spent approximately Rs. 2,386 crores in 2020 on oral cancer treatment, paid for by insurance schemes, government and private sector spending, out of pocket payments and charitable donations or a combination of these.
• Without any inflation in costs, this will result in an economic burden on the country of 23,724 crores over the next ten years.

Source : Times of India

9. MEDICAL AND WELLNESS TOURISM

Ministry of Tourism invites feedback/suggestions on the draft National Strategy and Roadmap for Medical and Wellness Tourism.

About:

• Medical Tourism (also called medical travel, health tourism or global healthcare) is a term used to describe the rapidly growing practice of travelling across international borders to obtain healthcare.
• Healthcare and Tourism are the fastest growing industries in the world. Medical Value Travel (MVT) is being promoted as a fusion product of these industries.
• Services typically sought by travellers include elective procedures as well as complex specialized surgeries such as joint replacement (knee/ hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, and cosmetic surgeries.
• The Key drivers for growth of Medical Tourism and wellness tourism are mainly affordability and accessibility of good healthcare services, facilitation around hospitality services, minimal waiting time, availability of latest medical technologies and accreditations.

Indian scenario

• Over the years, India has grown to become a top-notch destination for medical value travel because it scores high over a range of factors that determines the overall quality of care.
• India has also become a favoured destination for Yoga and Wellness with its focus on traditional therapies through AYUSH.

Source : PIB