Current Affairs Question - 27 September 2019

Explanation :

• The Paris Agreement (COP21) is a landmark environmental accord that was adopted by nearly every nation in 2015 to address climate change and its negative impacts.
• The Agreement’s central aim is to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
• The Agreement opened for signature on 22 April 2016 – Earth Day, at UN Headquarters in New York. It entered into force on 4 November 2016.

Significance

• It provides a pathway for developed nations to assist developing nations in their climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, and it creates a framework for the transparent monitoring, reporting, and ratcheting up of countries’ individual and collective climate goals.

Explanation :

• On 25^th September, 2019, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister launched the new TB Harega Desh Jeetega campaign, along with the National TB Prevalence Survey.
• Under this, new pivotal initiatives to diagnose, treat and prevent TB will be introduced, which will help in achieving the target of a TB-free India by 2025, much ahead of the global target of 2030.
• The campaign is built on three strong pillars -clinical approach, public health component and active community participation.
• Other supporting elements of the campaign comprise private sector engagement, patient support, and political and administrative commitment at all levels.
• In April 2018, the government launched the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme to provide nutritional support to TB

Tuberculosis (TB)

• It is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs.
• It is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.

Explanation :

• On 24^th Sptember, 2019, the Mangalyaan mission, which was initially meant to last six months, completed five years of orbiting Mars
• Mangalyaan is India's first endeavour to cross the Earth's orbit successfully.
• It was launched on board of PSLV C25 rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, 2013 with aim of studying Martian surface and mineral composition as well as scans its atmosphere for methane.
• It had entered Mar’s orbit on September 24, 2014, in its first attempt.
• It made India the first Asian nation and the fourth space agency in the world to reach Mars, after Roscosmos (Russia), NASA (USA) and the European Space Agency.

Explanation :

• The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8^th December, 1985.
• It consists of eight Member States: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu on 17^th January, 1987.

Objectives

• To promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life
• To accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potentials
• To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia
• To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields

Explanation :

• Chabahar Port, the only oceanic port in Iran, is located in the Gulf of Oman on the south-eastern coast of Iran.
• The port features two different complexes namely ShahidKalantari andShahidBeheshti.
• Chabahar Port commenced operations in 1983 and has become an important port for Iran and Middle East.
• It serves as the transport gateway between the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia and Europe.
• It plays an important role in the International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC) and also serves as a gateway to the eastern development route of the country.
• A trilateral transit agreement was signed by India, Iran and Afghanistan for the development of two berths of the port in May 2016. The agreement will allow the western coasts of Indiato be linked withChabahar and provide access for Indian goods to pass through Iran into Afghanistan and beyond.

Strategic Importance of port for India

• The development of the Chabahar Port has huge strategic importance for India as it would allow India to bypass Pakistan and give it to access to markets in Afghanistan and Central Asia.
• India is also developing a rail link connecting Iran to Afghanistan to help facilitate connectivity.

International North-South Transit Corridor (INSTC)

• INSTC is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.
• Russia, Iran and India signed the agreement for the NSTC project on the 16th of May 2002. All three countries are founding member states on the project.
• Member states in the NSTC project: India,  Iran,  Russia,  Turkey,  Azerbaijan,  Kazakhstan,  Armenia,  Belarus,  Tajikistan,  Kyrgyzstan,  Oman,  Ukraine,Syria.
• Observer member - Bulgaria