14 June 2020: PIB Summary & Analysis

June 14th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Cyclone Amphan
2. CSIR-CIMAP
3. Raja Parba
4. Amoebiasis

1. Cyclone Amphan

Context:

IMD releases a report on Super Cyclonic Storm “Amphan”.

Details:

• Super Cyclonic Storm “Amphan” crossed the West Bengal coast during 16^th – 21^st May, 2020 as a very severe cyclonic storm across Sundarbans with maximum sustained wind speed of 155 – 165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph.

For more on Cyclone Amphan, click on the linked article.

2. CSIR-CIMAP

Context:

CIMAP announces photography competition on medicinal and aromatic plants.

About CIMAP:

• Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, popularly known as CIMAP, is a frontier plant research laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• Established originally as Central Indian Medicinal Plants Organisation (CIMPO) in 1959, CIMAP is steering multidisciplinary high quality research in biological and chemical sciences and extending technologies and services to the farmers and entrepreneurs of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) with its research headquarters at Lucknow and Research Centres at Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pantnagar and Purara.
• CIMAP conducts research on agronomy, biotechnology, chemical sciences, crop protection, plant biology, and genetics and plant breeding.

3. Raja Parba

Context:

PM greets people of Odisha on Raja Parba.

About Raja Parba:

• Raja Parba is a festival celebrated in Odisha.
• The second day signifies beginning of the solar month of “Mithuna” marking the beginning of rains.
• The festival falls in mid-June.
• The first day is called Pahili Raja, second day is called Mithuna Sankranti, and the third day is Bhu daaha or Basi Raja.
• It is believed that the mother Goddess Earth or the divine wife of Lord Vishnu undergoes menstruation during the first three days.
• The fourth and final day is called Vasumati snana (bathing of Mother Earth). Women worship a stone that symbolises the Mother Earth. They give her a bath with turmeric paste, offer her flowers and smear her with Sindoor.
• The term Raja has come from Rajaswala (meaning a menstruating woman) and during medieval period the festival became more popular as an agricultural holiday remarking the worship of Bhudevi, who is the wife of lord Jagannath.
• During the first three days, women are given a break from household work and time to play indoor games. Girls adorn traditional saree and apply alatha on foot. All people abstain from walking barefoot on earth.
• During the Parba, Odia people do not undertake any construction works or tilling that requires the earth to be dug. And by not doing such activities, they pay ode to the Mother Earth who needs a break from routine work.

4. Amoebiasis

Context:

New drug for amoebiasis in the offing.

Details:

• A team of researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has developed new drug molecules against the protozoa that causes amoebiasis.
• This protozoan is anaerobic or micro-aerophilic in nature such that it cannot survive high concentrations of oxygen. However, during infection, it faces a high surge of oxygen inside the human body.
• The organism synthesizes large amounts of cysteine to counter oxidative stress.
• This pathogen deploys cysteine as one of the essential molecules in its defence mechanism against high oxygen levels.
• Entamoeba expresses two crucial enzymes for synthesizing cysteine. Researchers from JNU has characterized and determined the molecular structures of both these crucial enzymes.
• The researchers have also successfully screened for potent inhibitors for one of the enzymes, O-acetyl L-serine sulfhydrylase (OASS). Some of these inhibitors can check the growth of this organism with high efficacy.

About Amoebiasis:

• Amoebiasis is a common infection of the gastro-intestinal tract.
• Amoebiasis is caused by the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. Only about 10% to 20% of people who are infected with E. histolytica become sick from the infection.
• Acute amoebiasis can present as diarrhoea or dysentery with frequent, small and often bloody stools. Chronic amoebiasis can lead to gastrointestinal symptoms plus fatigue, weight loss and occasional fever.
• The disease occurs worldwide but is more common in areas or countries with poor sanitation, particularly in the tropics.
• There is no vaccine available for this disease according to the WHO.

June 14th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

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