PIB Summary- 14th June, 2021 | PIB (Press Information Bureau) Summary - UPSC PDF Download

UN ‘High-Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land degradation and Drought’

• The Prime Minister spoke at the Opening Segment in his capacity as the President of the 14th Session of the Conference of Parties of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
• The Prime Minister listed steps taken by India to deal with the land degradation issue.
  • He said that India has taken the lead to highlight land degradation issues at international forums.
  • The Delhi Declaration of 2019 called for better access and stewardship over land, and emphasised gender-sensitive transformative projects.
  • In India, over the last 10 years, around 3 million hectares of forest cover has been added. This has enhanced the combined forest cover to almost one-fourth of the country’s total area, the Prime Minister informed.
  • He also said that India is on track to achieve its national commitment of land degradation neutrality.

Raja Parba

What is 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 Mother Earth who needs a break from routine work.

Jardalu Mango

• Jardalu or Zardalu mango is a unique variety of mango grown in Bhagalpur and adjoining districts of Bihar.
• It is a creamy yellow coloured fruit which possesses exceptional fruit quality and an enticing aroma. They are generally of small size (100 – 150 g).
• It received the GI tag in 2018.

Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM)

• The Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) is the northernmost boundary of India up to which Monsoon rains have advanced on any given day.
• NLM is directly related to the onset and advance of Monsoons.
• Southwest Monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around June 1. It advances northwards, usually in surges, and covers the entire country by July 15.
• The western arm of the Monsoon line generally makes a quick advancement in the initial phase.
• After its onset, the NLM crosses Mumbai and reaches Dahanu by June 10.
• During this time the eastern arm covers only Northeast India.
• The slowest advancement is over west Rajasthan. It normally takes about 12 days for the Monsoon current to reach west Rajasthan, after its onset over Delhi on June 29.

CPAP device ‘Jivan Vayu’

Context:
IIT Ropar developed nation’s first power-free CPAP device ‘Jivan Vayu’.
About ‘Jivan Vayu’:

• Jivan Vayu can be used as a substitute for CPAP machines.
• This is India’s first such device which functions even without electricity and is adapted to both kinds of oxygen generation units like O2 cylinders and oxygen pipelines in hospitals.
• These provisions are not available in otherwise existing CPAP machines.
• Fulfilling all the medically required parameters, this leak-proof, low-cost CPAP delivery system, “Jivan Vayu’ is designed for a 22mm CPAP closed circuit tube.
• It can even be customized as per the size of the tube.
• Since it can run during power failures, this can be used to safely transport a patient.
• The device is ready for medical testing and mass manufacturing.

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP):

• Continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) uses a machine to help a person who has obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) breathe more easily during sleep.
• A CPAP machine increases air pressure in your throat so that your airway doesn’t collapse when you breathe in.
• CPAP is a form of positive airway pressure (PAP) ventilation in which a constant level of pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is continuously applied to the upper respiratory tract of a person.
• The application of positive pressure may be intended to prevent upper airway collapse.