Weekly Current Affairs (8th to 14th January 2024) | Current Affairs: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - CLAT PDF Download

Kerala Launches ‘Operation Amrith’

The Kerala Drug Control Department recently launched Operation Amrith (Antimicrobial Resistance Intervention For Total Health) to prevent the overuse of antibiotics in the state. The aim is to conduct surprise raids in pharmacies to detect over-the-counter (OTC) sales of antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription.

What is AMR

• AMR refers to the ability of bacteria and microbes to resist the drugs used to inhibit or kill them. Considered a “silent pandemic”, AMR was associated with around 5 million deaths globally in 2019, with 1.3 million deaths directly attributed to it.

Role of Drug Controller

• The Drugs Controller of Kerala said the Drugs Control Department has a significant role in optimizing antibiotic use by preventing OTC antibiotic sales. As part of this, pharmacies must maintain records of antibiotic sales. They must also display posters stating “antibiotics not sold without doctor’s prescription”. Strict action will be taken against those not complying.

Public Participation

• The public can participate by reporting pharmacies selling antibiotics without prescription to the Drug Control Department. A toll-free number has been provided for lodging complaints. Once a complaint is received, it will be transferred to the zonal office for verification and immediate action.

Aligns with State Action Plan

• Operation Amrith activities are being carried out under Kerala’s Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan’s (KARSAP) antibiotic literacy initiative. Kerala was the first Indian state with a state action plan on AMR aligned with India’s national action plan. After releasing the state action plan on AMR, Kerala initiated the Antibiotic Literate Kerala Campaign to raise AMR awareness.

Phase Out OTC Antibiotic Sales

• The health department has committed to completely phase out OTC antibiotic sales without prescription and take action against violating pharmacists.

Drug Take-Back Programme

• For proper disposal of unused antibiotics, Kerala has the Programme on Removal of Unused Drugs (PROUD). This drug take-back programme was piloted in Thiruvananthapuram district in 2019.

Global Health and Economic Impact

• The World Bank estimated in 2017 that annual global healthcare costs could reach $1.2 trillion by 2050 under a high AMR impact scenario. The world could also lose 3.8% of GDP annually and see up to 10 million deaths annually, mostly in Asia and Africa.

Kerala’s Efforts on AMR Surveillance

• Regarding AMR surveillance, Kerala launched the Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network (KARS-NET) for human surveillance in 2018-19. An integrated plan was also developed for non-human AMR surveillance.

In August 2023, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) inaugurated an AMR lab for environmental surveillance of AMR.

Significance of Nashik’s Kalaram Temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited the iconic Kalaram Mandir in Maharashtra’s temple town of Nashik. The site is deeply intertwined with Hindu mythology as part of the Ramayana’s Panchavati area where Lord Ram resided in exile

Political Prominence

• The temple has drawn other leading figures too – Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray announced he would offer prayers on Ram Mandir consecration day. Over 90 years back, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar also led a pivotal temple entry movement for Dalits there.

Religious Legacy

• Panchavati earned its name from five auspicious banyan trees present during Ram’s stint described in the Ramayana epic. It was also where demon-king Ravan deceitfully abducted Sita triggering the climactic war.
• The Kalaram temple itself houses a uniquely dark statue of Lord Ram named “Kala Ram”, alongside deities of Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman. Built in 1792, its structural attributes hold symbolic spiritual meaning.

Site of Anti-Caste Struggle

• The temple witnessed a seminal 1930 satyagraha as Ambedkar and activist Sane Guruji (Pandurang Sadashiv Sane) organized mass protests demanding oppressed castes be allowed sanctum access. The agitation faced hostility but endured for years.
• On March 2nd, 1930, Dr. Ambedkar organized a mass protest by Dalits outside the Kalaram temple demanding their right to enter Hindu shrines. Truckloads of demonstrators encircled the temple staging sit-ins over days, singing songs and shouting slogans seeking temple access.
• However, they faced hostility with an instance of stone-pelting when attempting to stop a Ram Navami procession from entering the premises. Ambedkar rushed to defuse tensions as per Dhananjay Keer’s account.
• The agitation continued until 1935 as per records. Prior in 1927, Ambedkar had launchedsatyagrahas asserting Dalits’ rights to access public water bodies. Similarly, activist Sane Guruji campaigned extensively for Dalit rights across Maharashtra, even fasting in protest at the Pandharpur Vitthal temple.

Present Prominence

In modern times, the Kalaram temple remains strongly embedded in Maharashtra’s cultural and political consciousness. Its premises resonate with layered social connotations around religion.

Indian Army to Procure Pup Tents for Troops Guarding China Border

Considering the tense confrontation with China, the Indian Army aims to procure specially designed insulated ‘pup tents’ to shelter the numerous soldiers posted along the freezing Line of Actual Control frontier where the mercury can dip to minus 50 degree Celsius. These portable personal shelters intend to equip troops to operate optimally despite the extreme cold climate seen at high-altitude deployments.

Requirements to Replace Current Shelters

• A released project requirements document invites private sector feedback and samples for lightweight 4-person ‘pup tents’ to substitute existing 2-3 man variants having performance limitations impacting productivity and safety.
• Over 50,000 Indian troops have been stationed on icy Himalayan heights post standoffs with China. Habitability factors critically influence effectiveness.

Key Features and Deployment Utility

Desired specifications include:

• Exceptional thermal and weather protection properties adjustable across seasons
• Compact, portable design for patrolling troops without compromising space
• Quick assembly aided through color-coding even in darkness or storms
• Durable construction to withstand gale winds and heavy snow
• Unlike older rigid structures, smaller self-contained tents allow flexibility in base camp locations and border observation/listening post establishment.

Assessing Submitted Solutions

• The Army will inspect supplied models on criteria alignment and conduct intense winter user trials expected next month.
• Promising platforms will undergo further enhancements customizing for specialized region-specific utilization.

Significance of Procurement

• The acquisition underscores the priority on forward deployment welfare by providing modern creature comforts using innovative technology. This equips frontline sentinels to concentrate fully on the territorial security task at hand without environmental distractions.

About LAC

• The Line of Actual Control (LAC) is the demarcation that divides the Indian and Chinese controlled territories, with differing perceptions from India and China on the exact length of this boundary.
• The LAC is divided into the western, middle and eastern sectors, with the major disagreements occurring in the western Ladakh area.
• China first proposed the concept of a Line of Actual Control in 1959 which was rejected by India until 1993 when India formally accepted the LAC under an agreement recognizing the existing control line.
• The alignment of the LAC differs from the rival territorial claim lines of India and China, and it serves more as a de facto working boundary rather than a formally settle international border.
• India and China have exchanged maps only for the middle sector of the LAC, while discussions on clarifying the western and eastern portions have stalled since 2002 without agreement.
• The LAC does not have equivalent legal status or ground demarcation compared to the mutually delineated Line of Control between India and Pakistan.
• Legacy issues from undefined colonial era boundaries between British India and the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir have contributed to the Western Sector LAC ambiguities.

Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023

On January 12th, Surat and Indore were jointly adjudged India’s cleanest cities as per the Centre’s annual Swachh Survekshan city cleanliness rankings for 2023. Navi Mumbai secured third place. The awards were conferred by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi.

Ranking Methodology

• The Union Housing Ministry confers the Swachh Sarvekshan cleanliness awards, initiated under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Key ranking parameters include:
  • Citizen feedback evaluations
  • Field assessments of sanitation indicators
• The state governments provide updated data, validated via household surveys and on-ground visits. Additional factors like safety gear for waste workers also get incorporated.
• The yearly surveying initiative started with assessing 73 major cities in 2016. Currently over 4,400 towns participate. Around 12 crore citizen feedbacks were incorporated this round.

Indore Retains Top Rank

• Indore won the prime award for the seventh straight year now, cementing its reputation as India’s cleanest city. It has been ranked as India’s cleanest city under the Centre’s annual Swachh Survekshan city cleanliness awards for seven consecutive years now. But back in 2016, it stood at number 25.
• The 2023 updated list of top ten cleanest cities above 1 lakh population also features Visakhapatnam, Bhopal, Vijayawada, Delhi, Tirupati, Hyderabad and Pune.

Statewise and Category Winners

• Maharashtra topped the state ranks, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Smaller cities Sasvad, Lonavala and Patan secured the top three cleanliness positions. Mhow Cantonment Board was rated the cleanest cantonment.
• Varanasi and Prayagraj won top Ganga town awards. Chandigarh was honored as the safest city for sanitation staff. West Bengal municipalities ranked last across all zones.

Indore’s Focus Areas

• Indore Municipality Corporation (IMC) targeted crucial cleanliness metrics underpinning the rankings early on to climb from 25th place within a year. Interventions spanned waste processing, public awareness and open defecation elimination.

Steps executed included:

• Doorstep waste collection post segregation
• Engaging NGOs to encourage household compliance
• Building treatment plants for legacy and fresh waste
• Procuring vehicles with compartmentalized collection

This professionalized the process while also providing employment to previous informal garbage pickers.

Curbing Public Littering

• The IMC cracked down on public spitting, urination and littering through penalties, with even the Mayor personally intervening at times. It also distributed free dustbins.

Constructing Toilets

• Authorities surveyed areas lacking sufficient public conveniences, constructing additional community and household toilet facilities.

Sustaining First Position

• A mix of administrative commitment, technological upgrades, and civic participation has enabled Indore to consolidate its reputation as India’s cleanest urban center year after year since 2017.

Sustaining Momentum

• As the Swachh Survekshan scope expands annually, sustaining cleanliness momentum over the long term across small and big cities equally remains vital alongside technical metrics. Committed leadership and reliable funding transforming civic conditions can nurture hygienic, liveable urban habitats across India.

Shri Ramlala Darshan Scheme

• The cabinet of Chhattisgarh has decided to start the Shri Ramlala Darshan (Ayodhya Dham) Scheme in the state. This decision fulfills another guarantee given by Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to the people of Chhattisgarh.
• It is known that the ‘Praan Pratishtha’ ceremony of Shri Ramlala will take place on January 22 in Ayodhya city. The Chhattisgarh government has announced a scheme for the people of the state. Under this scheme, people will get the chance to visit Ayodhya and have darshan of Shri Ramlala. The Chhattisgarh Tourism Board will implement the Shri Ramlala Darshan Scheme. The Tourism Department will provide the budget for it.

Key Features

• Every year around 20,000 beneficiaries will be taken on a pilgrimage for Shri Ramlala darshan under this scheme.
• Residents of Chhattisgarh between 18-75 years of age who are declared fit in the health checkup by the District Medical Board will be eligible for the trip.
• Disabled individuals will also be able to avail this scheme and go for darshan with a family member. In the first phase, this facility will be provided to people above 55 years of age.
• For effective implementation of the scheme, a Shri Ramlala Darshan Committee will be formed in every district under the District Collector’s chairmanship. These committees will select the beneficiaries as per the proportionate quota.

Travel Arrangements Under the Scheme

• The distance to Ayodhya is approximately 900 kilometers. A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board and the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) for this.
• IRCTC will ensure arrangements for security, health, food, sightseeing, local transport and escort for the passengers during the journey. The respective District Collectors will make arrangements for transport of the beneficiaries from their homes to the designated railway stations and back. Budget will be allocated for these arrangements.
• Government officials or a small team from each district will accompany the pilgrim groups on the visits to Ayodhya. Passengers will travel by trains departing from Durg, Raipur and Ambikapur railway stations.

Itinerary of the Pilgrimage

• The main destination will be Ayodhya Dham for Shri Ramlala darshan. Additionally, the pilgrims will spend a day and a night in Varanasi. The trip will also include visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor and witnessing the Ganga Aarti.
• Currently, IRCTC will facilitate one train service per week under the scheme. In the future, the number of beneficiaries will be increased based on train availability.

2023 Smashes Temperature Records Amid Accelerating Climate Change

Initial climate data reports that 2023 was the hottest calendar year globally since instrumental records began in 1850. This confirms scientific warnings that climate change continues rapidly intensifying with each passing year.

New Annual Heat Milestones

• According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, 2023 saw average worldwide temperatures rise 1.48°C over pre-industrial 1850-1900 levels – edging out 2016 for the warmest year designation.
• The year also witnessed other alarming firsts, like every single day surpassing 1°C above mid-19th century and around half going past 1.5°C warming – thresholds enshrined by the Paris Agreement.

Rising Dangers

• These soaring temperatures exacerbated disasters across the planet in 2023, including unprecedented heat waves, widespread drought and wildfires like Canada’s most destructive season burning 26 million hectares.
• Meanwhile, greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane reached new record atmospheric concentrations last year – the root driver of observed warming.

Why So Hot?

• While part of 2023’s extreme heat related to the first El Niño event in seven years beginning mid-year, scientists emphasize the overriding factor remains accumulating emissions from human fossil fuel combustion.
• The last eight years rank as the eight hottest on modern record as rapidly increasing radiative forcing from more greenhouse gases traps extra solar energy. Until net global emissions reach zero, temperatures will continue spiraling upward.

Future Trajectory

• Some climate researchers suggest 2024 could surpass even 2023’s alarming new heat marks with the El Niño still ongoing, increasing the odds of shattering symbolic climate milestones.
• There is now a two-thirds chance that annual average global temperature will breach the Paris 1.5°C limit for the first time within the next five years – unleashing substantially worse climate change impacts.
• To prevent this, deep emissions cuts reversing the current trajectory remain imperative. But hopes diminish with each year of continually escalating temperatures across land, sea and sky – 2023’s record dry season now etched as the latest warning sign amid atmospheric change unparalleled in human history.

Ecuador Declares Emergency as Notorious Gang Boss Flees Jail

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced a 60-day nationwide state of emergency recently after the country’s most wanted crime lord escaped custody amid a spree of riots across prisons. The drastic measures come as authorities scramble to recapture the fugitive leader.

Prison Break Triggers Chaos

• Notorious Los Choneros gang chieftain Jose Adolfo Macias, known as “Fito,” broke out of a Guayaquil jail where he was serving a 34-year sentence for offenses like murder and drug trafficking.
• The next day, Ecuador’s prison agency confirmed incidents in at least six facilities around the country as violence and disorder erupted in Fito’s wake.
• In an apparent retaliation effort, groups of Fito’s associates are believed to have kidnapped three police officers near the coastal city of Machala and a fourth in the capital of Quito.

State of Emergency Declared

• Seeking to quickly contain the expanding crisis tied to Fito’s dramatic prison escape, President Noboa moved to invoke extraordinary executive powers by officially declaring a nationwide state of emergency.
• The measure enables the military to deploy onto streets and take control of penitentiaries from prison authorities for 60 days. A national daily curfew between 10 pm and 5 am also goes into effect.
• Previous Ecuadorian administrations have imposed similar temporary states of emergency in attempts to curb outbreaks of violence and crime.

Vow to Recapture Notorious Criminal

• In public remarks, President Noboa asserted that “this is everyone’s fight” and insisted he would not negotiate with terrorists. He vowed security forces would successfully track down and re-arrest the dangerous fugitive Fito.
• With Ecuador facing soaring crime rates, the prison break presents an early test of the new president’s law-and-order credentials since taking office in November 2022.

Who is Adolfo Macias?

• Jose Adolfo Macias Cervantes, better known as “Fito,” climbed to leadership of Los Choneros, considered Ecuador’s most formidable organized crime outfit, following the prior boss’s assassination.
• Fito first entered the prison system over a decade ago to serve a 35-year sentence for offenses like setting up drug processing labs and carrying out gang assassinations.
• But even behind bars, his influence continued to direct Los Choneros criminal activities like international narcotics trafficking and murder.
• His dramatic escape after over 10 years locked up has positioned him as Ecuador’s most wanted fugitive, with entire military and police forces devoted to the nationwide manhunt.

Study Finds Abundant Micro and Nanoplastics in Bottled Water

• A new study utilizing advanced microscopy techniques has detected extremely high levels of micro and nanoplastic particles in several popular bottled water brands.
• On average, each liter was found to contain over 200,000 plastic fragments – with around 90% sized in the nanoscale range below 1 micrometer. These pose heightened health risks compared to larger particles.
• The miniscule synthetic polymer pieces likely originate from plastic bottle materials, purification filters, and other water treatment processes. But their sheer abundance and transmission potential raises pressing questions around the safety of packaged drinking water.

New Measurement Methodology

• Previous assessments greatly underestimated nanoplastics abundance due to limitations of traditional analytical tools in identifying such minute particles smaller than a single bacteria.
• To address such challenges, the researchers leveraged an advanced technique called stimulated Raman scattering microscopy recently co-invented by study coauthor Dr. Wei Min of Columbia University.
• This provides unmatched precision and chemical specificity in detecting microplastics based on their distinct molecular structure – enabling the team to systematically scan bottled water samples.

Billions of Plastic Nanoparticles

• Analysis of three top brands confirmed a jaw-dropping average of over 110,000 plastic nanoparticles per liter – that’s approximately three to ten times higher than prior maximum estimates.
• The team successfully matched around 10% of these to seven common consumer plastic types, including PET and nylon. But the remaining 90% of identified particles were of unknown origin.
• In total, some 8 billion nanoplastic pieces are present in average 73 liter residential bottled water consumption yearly – and the risks associated with ingesting such volumes are still poorly delineated.

Potential Exposure Pathways

• While further research is still needed, initial studies show nanoplastics can rapidly enter the human bloodstream after being consumed compared to the larger microparticles confined to the gut.
• The staggering amounts now measured in bottled water represent a likely exposure route. The high surface area of nanoplastics also enables chemical leaching and toxin absorption posing toxicological threats.
• The HungryMicros study implicates plastic filtration membranes, bottle degradation, resin ion exchange systems, and coagulation aids as probable sources of contamination during purification and packaging.

Seeking Safer Alternatives

• More concerningly, such purification-derived particles were found to outnumber even plasticizer chemical like PET leached from standard bottle materials under heat and pressure.
• Consumers troubled by the prevalence of bottled water nanoplastics revealed in this study may reasonably consider safer alternatives until more decisive health guidance emerges. Tap water filtered at point of use represents an affordable option to avoid plastic while receiving key mineral nutrients.
• Either way, the staggering new measurements highlight the pressing need to understand nanoplastics dissemination and biological impacts – especially among frequently consumed products.

Western Europe Flooding Highlights Climate Threats

Extreme rainfall over the past two weeks has flooded many regions across Western Europe, damaging homes and infrastructure while forcing hundreds to evacuate.

Scale of the Disaster

• France has witnessed the worst effects so far, with over 300 people evacuated as nearly 1,300 homes flooded in the northern Pas de Calais area after local rivers burst their banks.
• In England, officials declared a “major incident” along the overflowing Trent River, while some London neighborhoods faced evacuations from flash flooding.
• Parts of Germany and the Netherlands also dealt with emergencies as swollen waterways inundated villages and threatened flood barrier integrity through the early days of 2023.

Key Driving Factors

Climate scientists emphasize three key reasons why the recent multi-nation flooding has proved so destructive:

• Global Warming – Rising temperatures hasten evaporation, allowing the atmosphere to absorb and then release more moisture. This leads to more extreme precipitation events, like the torrential seasonal rainfall that overwhelmed drainage infrastructure.
• Sea Level Rise – With oceans expanding due to climate change, swollen rivers more easily top their banks and spill over into floodplains rather than out to sea.
• Outdated Defenses – Aged and capacity-exceeded flood control structures like dikes, levees, and urban storm drains contributed to the flood impacts. Many were simply not designed to handle current volume demands.

Expert Predictions

• With atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and global temperatures continuing to increase, experts warn flooding events like these will worsen in frequency and severity.
• Projections show winter storms dropping more rainfall overall across Western Europe, interspersed by hotter, drier summers with short periods of extreme precipitation. This peak rainfall will further test already overloaded drainage systems.

Adaptation Urgency

• Better flood defenses, early warning systems, and community resilience plans will thus prove critical to managing the fallout of climate change-fueled megastorms moving forward.
• In urban areas, policies preventing construction on natural floodplains also need revisiting to restore rivers’ capacity to dissipate high water levels.
• International cooperation on these climate adaptation strategies will help nations jointly prepare for and mitigate shared extreme weather threats.

Microsoft Launches AI Odyssey Program to Upskill 100,000 Indian Developers

• Microsoft has unveiled an ambitious new initiative called AI Odyssey that aims to provide advanced skills training in artificial intelligence (AI) tools and technologies to 100,000 software developers across India.
• The month-long free online program allows anyone passionate about AI to register and access learning content tailored to help them build expertise in applying Microsoft Azure cloud services for creating AI solutions.

Upskilling India’s Tech Talent

• Microsoft AI Odyssey represents a major investment in empowering India’s technology talent to lead innovation in one of the most pivotal emerging fields of computer science.
• The country is well positioned to become an AI powerhouse given its broad base of skilled developers and abundance of potential applications from healthcare to agriculture. Providing targeted guidance on mastering AI can accelerate this transformation.

Structured Learning Track

Spanning about four weeks, the AI Odyssey program comprises two levels of learning:

• Level 1 focuses on how to leverage Azure cloud tools like machine learning, computer vision, conversational AI, and annotated data labeling to tackle real-world AI use cases.
• Level 2 features an online assessment through interactive lab challenges for participants to test their applied skills and earn a Microsoft certificate they can showcase to employers.
• Developers who successfully complete both levels by the January 31, 2024 deadline will be eligible to win a sponsored visit to the Microsoft AI Tour technology conference in Bangalore on February 8th.

Empowering Careers of the Future

• As much as AI promises to transform industries from finance to transportation, its responsible development depends on cultivating specialists across the talent spectrum.
• By creating an accessible portal for Indian developers of all backgrounds to engage with AI principles and technologies, Microsoft also aims to democratize expertise in this rapidly evolving domain.
• If even a fraction of the program’s 100,000 registrant goal applies their training to build innovative applications, it could pioneer breakthroughs with meaningful benefits across India’s public and commercial sectors.
• And professionals who upskill through AI Odyssey gain a valued credential for advancing their careers within the country’s blossoming AI ecosystem. They become better equipped to lead India’s AI revolution.

First Advance Estimates of India’s GDP for 2023-24

The Indian government’s First Advance Estimates (FAE) for 2023-24 released on January 6th project the economy will expand 7.3% – faster than the 7.2% growth achieved in 2022-23 on the back of robust domestic demand.

Timing and Significance of Estimates

• Published by January first week every fiscal year, the FAE offer the earliest snapshot of national income growth trends based on initial months’ data. This allows policymakers finalize next year’s budget accounting for latest projections.

Factors Contributing to Growth Trajectory

• The FAE calculations reveal private consumption and investments remain primary growth engines firing up overall economic momentum, followed by government expenditure and export-import spending.

Muted Household Spending Poses Concern

• However, private consumption which accounts for 60% of GDP is estimated to rise only 4.4% this fiscal – pointing to persisting weakness in consumer sentiment limiting bigger purchases. Significant rural distress implies uneven recovery so far.

Investment Demand Provides Optimism

• By contrast, investments directed towards augmenting industrial capacity and output registered healthier 9.3% increase this fiscal – signaling business confidence as capacity utilization levels rise after pandemic, encouraging new capital outlays.

Government Spending Falls Below Potential

• Yet government expenditure grew only 3.9% – lower than private demand, indicating fiscal support for economic revival remains subdued despite need for concrete stimulus in distressed sectors.

Lower Import Burden Provides Tailwind

• Moreover, Indian’s higher spending on imports over exports drags down GDP calculations. But this ‘negative’ growth jumped 144% signifying relatively improved trade competitiveness enabling export boost.

Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft Face New Blow Over Fuselage Damage Mid-Air

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX-9 made an emergency landing on January 5th after a fuselage panel blew out mid-flight causing cabin depressurization and leaving a gaping hole in the aircraft body.

DGCA Directs Checks on Indian MAX Fleet

• While no Indian carrier operates the MAX-9 specifically involved, India’s aviation regulator DGCA asked local operators to inspect MAX-8s being from the same 737 family.

Preliminary Investigation Details

• The plane was flying at around 16,000 feet altitude 30 minutes after taking off from Portland when the structural failure occurred, leading to a chaotic scene and injuries. Luckily all made it back safely.

Aerospace Firm Manufactured Failed Component

• The failed plug door designed to serve as an extra emergency exit was made by Kansas-based Spirit AeroSystems, as per reports. Further probes are underway.

Over 170 MAX Aircraft Grounded Globally

• In the US and countries like Panama, MAX-9 jets were pulled from service for safety checks. India might ground MAX fleet if risks emerge following inspections.

Nightmare Continues for Boeing’s MAX

• Already reeling from 2 deadly crashes forcing long groundings before, the latest blow deals a setback to Boeing’s efforts in rebuilding trust around the top-selling MAX aircraft family.

Life-threatening Risks Remain

• Despite design modifications and reviews, the recurring glitches indicate safety issues still lurk that jeopardise passengers’ well-being unless manufacturing rigor and regulatory oversight improves.

Crisis Management Actions to the Fore

• With probes progressing, Boeing and aviation bodies like FAA face immense scrutiny and pressure to swiftly pinpoint and resolve all deficiencies before irrevocable tragedy strikes forcing more prolonged aircraft groundings.