01 Dec 2023: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. BSF Raising Day
2. Nagaland Statehood Day
3. Cyclone ‘Michaung’
4. iDEX
5. New material developed for detecting anti-cancer drug MTX overdosage

1. BSF Raising Day

Syllabus: GS-3, Security & Defence

Prelims: Border Security Force (BSF)

Context:

PM extends greetings on the occasion of BSF Raising Day.

Border Security Force:

• BSF is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces in India.
• It was raised on 1 December 1965 in response to the war in Pakistan that year.

Read more on the BSF in the link.

2. Nagaland Statehood Day

Syllabus: GS-2, Polity & Governance

Prelims: Nagaland Statehood

Mains: States Reorganisation

Context:

61st Nagaland Statehood Day.

Details:

• Nagaland became the 16th state of India on December 1, 1963.

Also read: Reorganisation of states

3. Cyclone ‘Michaung’

Syllabus: GS-1, Geography; GS-3, Disaster Management

Prelims: Cyclone ‘Michaung’, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

Mains: Disaster management in India, tropical cyclones

Context:

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) met to review preparedness for impending cyclone ‘Michaung’ in the Bay of Bengal.

Details:

• The IMD has issued a warning as Cyclone Michaung looms over the Bay of Bengal and the South Andaman Sea. 
• The cyclone is expected to make landfall around Tamil Nadu on December 4.
• The IMD has issued an ‘orange’ alert for Tamil Nadu and coastal and interior Andhra Pradesh, saying moderate to heavy rainfall is expected.
• The persisting extreme weather has led to incidents of waterlogging in Chennai and damage to public property.
• The well-marked low-pressure area over the Southeast Bay of Bengal has transformed into a depression, with further intensification expected.
• It is predicted that it will develop into a ‘Cyclonic Storm’ on December 3 over southwest Bay of Bengal.
• The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has made 18 teams available to Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Puducherry and 10 additional teams have been kept ready. Rescue and relief teams of the Coast Guard, Army and Navy along with ships and aircraft are on standby.

4. iDEX

Syllabus: GS-3, Security & Defence

Prelims: iDEX

Mains: Indigenisation of defence

Context:

iDEX-DIO signs 300th contract for Defence Innovation in the field of Design and Development of Advanced Gallium Nitride Semiconductors.

Details:

• The contract relates to the design and development of advanced Gallium Nitride (GaN) Semiconductors which are essential for the next generation of wireless transmitters in defence applications ranging from radars to EW (Electronics Warfare) jammers.
• The proposal aims to design, develop and manufacture GaN components for defence in India using completely indigenous GaN technology. Currently, GaN components are imported.
• The iDEX framework was launched by the Prime Minister in 2018 with the objective of providing a platform for co-creation and co-development in the defence sector, engaging start-ups and developing defence and aerospace set up in the country. The iDEX is being implemented by the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), established under the Department of Defence Production.

Know more about iDEX in the linked article.

5. New material developed for detecting anti-cancer drug MTX overdosage

Syllabus: GS-3, Science & Technology

Prelims: MTX

Context:

New highly fluorescent material brings a non-enzymatic approach for the detection of the anticancer drug Methotrexate known for toxicity at high dosage.

Details:

• The new material with remarkable optical properties has been developed using phosphorene, cystine, and gold (Ph-Cys-Au).
• It can be used as a visual sensing platform for detecting the anti-cancer drug MTX, the overdosage of which has toxic effects on the lungs, stomach and heart.
• The material has been developed by scientists of the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).

Significance:

• Methotrexate (MTX) is a widely used anti-cancer drug. 
• The MTX value of more than 10 µM in blood plasma is dangerous if it remains in the body for over ten hours, resulting in poisoning effects on the lungs, heart stroke, and ulcers of the stomach. 
• MTX is very expensive, and the detection of unwanted overdoses using traditional procedures is time-consuming and involves complex instrumentation. 
• Considering all these issues, the development of fast and sensitive detection using simple methodologies is required.

Read the previous PIB articles here.