Punjab Agricultural University has developed a biocontrol agent, Trichoderma asperellum, to manage foot rot or ‘bakanae’, a common disease in Basmati rice.

About Bakanae Disease

• Bakanae is a seed-borne fungal disease that infects plants through roots or crowns.
• Infected plants are abnormally tall with pale, thin leaves, and produce fewer tillers, and produce only partially filled or empty grains.
• Caused by the fungus Gibberella fujikuroi, it can affect both young and mature plants.
• Management Strategies: Seed treatment using fungicides and saltwater can be used to separate lightweight infected seeds.

National Green Tribunal has taken notice of polling stations, schools and other construction activities in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary.

About Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is located in the foothills of the Himalayas in the Sonitpur district of Assam.
• Together with Nameri National Park, it forms part of Sonitpur Kameng Elephant Reserve. 
• It is an Important Bird Area recognized by Birdlife International. 
• Fauna:  Asian Elephant, Indian Bison, Leopard, Indian Gaur, Sambar, Hog Deer, Sloth Bear.
• Flora: Evergreen, Semi-evergreen and Moist Deciduous forests
• Perennial Rivers: Dolsiri, Gabharu, Gelgeli, Belsiri, and Sonairupai.

Delhi High Court has said that difficulty in collating data is not a ground to deny information
under RTI Act.

• Section 8 of RTI Act deals with exemption from disclosure of information.

Exemptions of information

• If it affects the sovereignty and integrity of India.
• Information forbidden to be published by any court of law or tribunal
• Information related to trade secrets.
• Notwithstanding anything in the Official Secrets Act, 1923, a public authority may allow
  access to information, if public interest in disclosure outweighs the harm to the
  protected interests.

Incorrect diagnosis tendency of single widal test is making it difficult to accurately assess India's typhoid burden.

About Widal test

• It helps detect typhoid or enteric fever in human body.
• It looks for antibodies (O and H antibodies in sample blood) produced against salmonella bacteria (causes typhoid fever).

About Typhoid 

• Typhoid fever is caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi.
  • Infected persons carry bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract.
• It is usually spread through contaminated food or water.
• Typhoid fever can be prevented by typhoid conjugate vaccine.

Despite a ban from the National Green Tribunal in 2014, none of the 26,000 abandoned rat-hole coal mines in the East Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya have been shut down.

About Rat Hole Mining: 

• Involves the digging of narrow pits into the ground, typically just large enough for one
  person to descend and extract coal.
• Mostly prevalent in Meghalaya because of the thinness of the coal mines there.
• Types: Side-cutting procedure (Extraction of coal through  narrow tunnels), Box-
  cutting (Vertical pit is dug through rectangular opening)
• Issues: 
  • Land degradation, deforestation, Soil erosion, water pollution.
  • Lacking safety measures such as proper ventilation, structural support, or safety
    gear for workers.
  • Child Labour

India’s first kamikaze drone has been developed by Kadet Defence Systems in collaboration with Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO).

About Kamikaze drones

• Also known as Loitering Aerial Munitions (LAM) or Suicidal drone (crashes onto target) or Switchblade drones.
• Features:
  • It can loiter over target area for a long duration for precise target identification.
  • Has precision target capability, can change targets mid-flight or even abort the mission.
  • Adaptable to various terrains, including deserts, plains, and high-altitude environments.
  • Loitering capacity: Around 12 hours.
  • Flying range: 150 km to 300 kilometers.

A new study suggests that anthropogenic change is contributing to the rise in emerging infectious diseases.

• Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi.

Findings of the study:

• Infectious disease risk is modified by biodiversity loss, climate change, chemical pollution, landscape transformations and species introductions. 
  • Biodiversity loss is considered the biggest environmental driver of infectious disease outbreaks.
• Urbanization is associated with decreases in disease endpoints.
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, managing ecosystem health, and preventing biological invasions could help to reduce the burden of plant, animal and human diseases.

UNESCO recently celebrated the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention for the
Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

About Convention: 

• The first international legal framework entirely dedicated to the protection of movable
  and immovable heritage.
•  It protects cultural property whether during peacetime or armed conflict.
• Member states: 135 including India.
• Convention and its two Protocols (1954 and 1999) have been adopted under
  the auspices of UNESCO.
  • 1999 protocol to the convention provides for the list of Cultural
    Properties under Enhanced Protection.