Cervical Cancer

• Experts have emphasized that in addition to a vaccination campaign for girls, more screening tests should be carried out to identify cervical cancer in women.

Context:

• During the interim Budget presentation, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman declared that the government intends to promote cervical cancer vaccination among girls between the ages of nine and fourteen.

About Cervical Cancer :-

• An illness known as cancer occurs when body cells proliferate uncontrollably. Even if cancer eventually spreads to other bodily sites, it is always named after the original site of the tumor.
• Cells that begin to proliferate in the cervix might develop into cervical cancer. The lowest portion of the uterus that joins the vagina is called the cervix.
• The human papillomavirus, or HPV, is responsible for most cervical malignancies and comes in different strains.
• A frequent infection spread during intercourse is HPV.
• The immune system of the body usually stops HPV from causing harm when it is exposed. But in a tiny minority of cases, the virus lives for years. This plays a part in the process by which some cervical cells develop into cancerous cells.
• It is projected to be the second most common cancer among Indian women between the ages of 15 and 44, and it is the second largest cause of cancer-related deaths among women in India (more than 77,000 per year).
• The recommended screening tests for cervical cancer are VIA (visual examination with acetic acid) and VILI (visual inspection with Lugol’s iodine).

Raising Dialogue

• Today, February 23, is the first day of the ninth Raisina Dialogue, which will take place in New Delhi.

Context:

• The prime minister, Narendra Modi, will open the conference. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Greece, will be the main guest for the inauguration.

About Raisina Dialogue:

• An annual conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, the Raisina Dialogue attempts to tackle the world’s most difficult problems.
• Attendees at the conference from the media, corporate, political, and civil society sectors gather in New Delhi.
• The conference is being hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the think tank Observer Research Foundation, which is situated in Delhi.

Article 142

• The Supreme Court used the authority granted to it by Article 142 of the Constitution to reverse the results of the January 30 elections for the position of Mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.

Context:

• The supreme court has clarified the scope and extent of the extraordinary powers granted by Article 142 via a series of rulings.

About:

• The Supreme Court has discretionary power under Article 142, which says that it may exercise its jurisdiction to pass any decree or issue any order that is required to ensure that any case or matter that is before it receives full and fair justice.
• Article 142, subsection 1, gives the Supreme Court the exclusive authority to administer full justice for all parties involved.
• Some distinguished jurists hold that natural justice supersedes the law and that the Supreme Court is fully empowered to issue any ruling that it deems appropriate.
• Consequently, the Supreme Court will exercise these powers and will not allow any rule, law, executive practice, executive circular, regulation, etc. to prevent it from carrying out its mission of justice.
• The founders of the Constitution believed that this particular provision would be extremely important to those who suffer because the judicial system is disadvantaged and causes delays in providing vital redress.

Significance of Article 142:-

• Prevents Injustice: It gives the Supreme Court unique and unprecedented authority to grant full justice to litigants who have endured unfairness or illegality during the procedures.
• Uphold citizens’ rights: In order to safeguard the rights of various societal groups, Article 142 has been cited.
• Functions as a system of checks and balances with the legislature or government.

Cases where the Supreme Court has invoked its plenary powers under Article 142:-

• Manohar Lal Sharma v. Principal Secretary (2014): To foster public confidence in the rule of law, the Supreme Court has the authority to address extraordinary circumstances that conflict with the public interest.
• In the 1988 case of R. Antulay v. R.S. Nayak, the Supreme Court ruled that any discretion granted by the court must not be capricious or in any way conflict with the established provisions of any statute.
• Union Carbide Corporation v. Union of India (1989): In the Bhopal Gas Disaster Case, the court established its superiority over parliamentary laws and mandated that compensation be awarded to the victims.

Review of Maritime Transport 2023

• The Review of Maritime Transport 2023, published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), addresses the problem of greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping and the difficulties associated with decarbonization.

Background:

• The International Maritime Organization (IMO) wants to see net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050.

Key highlights of the Review:

• Compared to ten years earlier, international shipping contributed to 20% more greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. About 3% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and more than 80% of global trade volume are attributed to the maritime sector.
• It is anticipated that containerized trade will increase by 1.2% in 2023 and by an additional 3% in 2024–2028. The volume of trading in oil and gas increased significantly in 2022.
• In January 2023, the average age of commercial ships was 22.2 years, with over half of the global fleet being older than 15 years. Concerns are raised by the fact that alternative fuels are more expensive and not yet widely available, and that the ships that can utilize them are also more expensive than conventional ships, especially as the average age of the global fleet rises.
• Conventional fuels such as heavy fuel oil, light fuel oil, and diesel/gas oil are used by 8% of the world fleet.
• With the exception of LNG, LPG, methanol, and to a lesser extent, battery/hybrid, just 1.2% of vehicles run on alternative fuels. Nonetheless, progress is being made because 21% of the ships that are presently being ordered are built to run on alternative fuels, including methanol, LNG, LPG, and battery/hybrid systems.

VAIBHAV SCHEME

• 75 scientists from the Indian diaspora will return to India as part of the Vaibhav scheme.

Context:

• The program, which aims to draw scientists of Indian descent who are working outside for short-term engagement with Indian universities, has already selected its inaugural batch of 22 fellows.22 scientists will spend a month or two a year, for a maximum of three years, at host Indian institutes. These scientists are primarily from North American and European institutes, such as the California Institute of Technology, the University of Oxford, the University of Michigan, the University of Geneva, the University of Waterloo, Canada, and the University of Oslo.

About VAIBHAV

• The Government of India’s Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, oversees the Vaishwik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Fellowship program.
• The program’s goal is to promote cooperation between Indian Diasporan scientists and Indian universities, public funded scientific institutions, and/or higher education institutions (HEIs).

Key Features:

• Knowledge Verticals: Eighteen distinct knowledge verticals are the focus of the initiative, including, among others, computer sciences, material sciences, quantum technology, health, pharmaceuticals, electronics, agriculture, and energy.
• Eligibility: The fellowship is available to exceptional Indian scientists and technicians who are actively conducting research in their home countries. These individuals can be Non-resident Indians (NRI), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO), or Overseas Citizens of India (OCI).
• Duration of Collaboration: For a maximum of three years, selected fellows may work for up to two months a year at any Indian institution of their choosing.
• Fellowship Award: During the collaboration time, VAIBHAV fellows will receive a monthly fellowship award of INR 4,00,000 to assist their research endeavors.
• Travel, Lodging, and Emergencies: Both domestic and foreign travel costs, lodging, and emergency funds will be covered by the fellowship.

GLOBAL PULSES CONFERENCE (GPC)

• India is urged by the Global Pulses Conference (GPC) to increase pulse production in order to meet nutritional needs.

Context:

• New Delhi was the site of the most recent Global Pulse Conference 2024.

About Global Pulse Conference

• Every year, the worldwide pulse sector comes together for the worldwide Pulse Conference, which aims to improve commerce, networking, and market insights.
• The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) and the Global Pulse Confederation (GPC) coordinated the 2024 Global Pulse Conference.
• For the 2024 Global Pulse Conference, “nourishing soils to nourish people” was the subject.
• Along with the difficulties and opportunities facing the production of pulses in India and around the world, the conference also covers the role that pulses play in nutrition and environmental sustainability.

Production of Pulses in India

• An essential component of the Indian diet, pulses are a rich source of plant-based protein.
• The world’s biggest importer, consumer, and producer of pulses is India.
• About 20% of the land planted to cereals is made up of pulses, which also provide 7–10% of the nation’s total foodgrain production.
• Rajasthan will be the state that produces the most pulses in India in 2024. More than 19% of India’s total pulse production comes from Rajasthan.
• The states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh are the main producers of pulses in India.