A volcano in Iceland
A volcano in Iceland is erupting for the 3rd time since December, spewing lava into the sky.
Blue Lagoon spa, one of the island nation's biggest tourist attractions Is being evacuated.
The site is about 4 kilometres (2½ miles) northeast of Grindavik, a coastal town.
Iceland, which sits above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, averages an eruption every four to five years. The most disruptive in recent times was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano.
2. Should coaching be restricted to those above 16 years?
What has happened :- Ministry of Education has issued new guidelines, which state that coaching centres cannot enrol students below 16 years of age, make misleading promises, and guarantee rank or good marks.
Why is it good as per the Author: - Author says that It is a good idea because there is [tremendous] pressure on young children.
This is a way to restore their childhood.
Failure at School Education: - First, what is taught in school is determined by what happens in the final exam. And our exam system is so rote-oriented that schools end up teaching exactly what’s needed for the exam.
The school system itself is dysfunctional in the sense that schools and teachers only teach the curriculum. Teachers don’t focus on whether the child is actually learning anything. The poorer the area, the more difficult the terrain, the worse the school system.
Parents Pressure: - Second, if a child is going to medical college, the aspiration is not necessarily of the child’s; it is the parent’s aspiration. So, parents start putting pressure on the child from Class 6 or 7 and that is a disturbing trend.
Parents should be more connected with their children to realise the kind of pressure they go through.
What do the guidelines further say: - The guidelines talk about a competent authority where the coaching centres need to go and register. These details are yet to come though the guidelines say registration is to be done within three months.
3. 7th Indian Ocean Conference to get underway in Perth, Australia
Indian Ocean Conference is a flagship consultative forum for countries in the Indian Ocean Region. It is organized annually by the External Affairs Ministry, in association with the India Foundation.
The first edition of the Indian Ocean conference was held in Singapore in 2016 and fifth in 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and 6th in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2023.
4. What Is 'White Paper' On Economy as tabled by the Government
Context: - The government's proposed 'white paper' comparing the economic situation before and after 2014 was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
What is a 'white paper'?
A 'white paper' is an informational report that highlights policies, achievements and issues of the government. Government papers are colour-coded for distribution and white is designated for public access, according to Stanford Law School.
Governments usually bring a white paper on a particular subject to discuss issues, suggest action, or draw a conclusion.
5. Free Movement Regime at Myanmar Border
What is Free Movement Regime With Myanmar
Under the FMR, any member of a hill tribe, who is a citizen of either India or Myanmar, and who resides within 16 km of the border on either side, can cross on the production of a border pass, usually valid for a year, and can stay up to two weeks per visit.
India and Myanmar share an unfenced 1,643km-long border. A 1968 government notification limited the free movement of people up to 40 km on either side of the border, which was further reduced to 16 km in 2004.
The FMR’s provisions were last revised in 2016. The Union government had planned to fence a 10 km stretch along the border at Moreh in Manipur in 2010.
Issues with FMR
“There is no standard document or border pass recognised by both the countries.
Though Assam Rifles, a central force, is deployed along the Myanmar border, the implementation of FMR through border passes is done by the State government officials,”
though the FMR allows each cross-border visit to last only two weeks, there is no mechanism to check when a person entered the country.
6. Losar Festival: -
Ladakh’s Losar festival, also known as Tibetan New Year, is a religious celebration. Tibetan Buddhists are the ones that celebrate it the most. It is observed for a period of 15 days. It all begins with the Tibetan New Year.
Cham Dance
The cham dance is a lively masked and costumed dance associated with some sects of Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhist festivals. The dance is accompanied by music played by monks using traditional Tibetan musical instruments.
7. Cabinet nod to Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana with an investment of over Rs 6,000 cr
The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the "Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY)", a Central sector sub-scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada for formalization of the fisheries sector and supporting fisheries micro and small enterprises with an investment of over Rs 6,000 crores over a period of the next four years from FY 2023-24 to FY 2026-27 in all States and Union Territories.
Breaking Rs. 6000 cr - consisting of 50% i.e. Rs.3,000 crore public finance including the World Bank and the AFD external financing, and rest 50% i.e.Rs.3,000 crore being the anticipated investment from the beneficiaries/private sector leverage.
8. Lok Sabha passes Water Act
The Lok Sabha on passed The Water Amendment (Pollution and Prevention) Act, 2024 which makes important changes to the Water (Pollution and Prevention) Act, 1974 such as decriminalising certain violations of the act deemed “minor,” replaces for the most part the penalties of imprisonment with fines ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹15 lakh.
The amended version of the Act would currently apply to Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Union Territories. The original Act, passed in 1974, is applicable in 12 States.
The legislation also empowers the Centre to frame rules to select the chairpersons of State pollution control boards and frame guidelines that States can follow on matters relating to the grant, refusal or cancellation of consent by any State Board for establishing industries and new operating processes.
the 1974 Act says that an offence for which punishment is not explicitly specified is punishable with a prison term of up to three months or a fine of up to ₹10,000, or both. The new amended act removes imprisonment as a punishment, and prescribes a penalty between ₹10,000 and ₹15 lakh. Failure to pay penalty for violation of any provision under the Act will attract a jail term of up to three years, or a fine up to twice the amount of penalty imposed.
9. Kyasanur Forest Disease
What is KFD? The disease was first noticed in the Kysanur Forest area of Sorab Taluk in Shivamogga district, Karnataka in 1956, and was named after the region. It is also known as monkey fever, as monkeys also get infected. In fact, the death of a monkey serves as a warning of a KFD outbreak.
The disease spreads through ticks. Primates that come in contact with infective ticks contract the disease.
Human beings who visit the same forest area can contract the disease. Normally, the transmission begins from late November to June. It peaks between December and March, according to studies. A blood test is done to identify if someone has KFD.
Symptoms: - Symptoms start to appear three to eight days after the bite, of an infective tick. Fever, redness of the eyes, severe headache, and body pain are common symptoms. Three-four days after the onset of initial symptoms, the patient may have gastro-intenstinal symptoms. In severe cases, bleeding from the nose is noted.
There is no specific treatment of KFD.
10. Recent Regulations regarding the Rice Prices
The Indian government recently made it mandatory for all traders, wholesalers, retailers, and millers to declare their respective rice stocks. The government has also announced the launch of “Bharat rice” to bring down rice prices in the market. However, millers and traders feel these are not enough to control prices.
The retail price of rice has increased by 14.51% in the last one year.
11. First-ever International Icon honour goes to spin wizard Muralitharan
Muralitharan was presented with the first-ever International Icon award at the Sportstar Aces Awards 202409 February 2024 Daily Current Affairs.
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