Pharmaceutical Companies sought more time to implement revised manufacturing practices rules under Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1945.

• Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare revised rules under Schedule M in January 2024 to align domestic good manufacturing practices (GMP) recommendations with global standards, particularly those of the WHO.

About Schedule M 

• It prescribes the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for pharmaceutical products. 
  • GMPs are mandatory standards which build and bring quality into a product by way of control on materials, methods, machines, processes, etc.
  • GMP was first incorporated in Schedule M in 1988.

Recently Environment Minister has clarified that Great Nicobar project will not affect the tribals.

The Great Nicobar Project 

• Strategic Importance: The Great Nicobar project, involving a port, airport, power plant, and township, is of national, defense, and strategic significance.
• Project costs:  Rs 72,000 crore
• Transhipment Port Potential: strategically located near international shipping routes.
• Tribal Safeguards: Provisions to protect the Shompen tribe; with a net increase in tribal reserve land.

A tourist bus plunged into the Marshyangdi River, killing at least 14 Indians. 

About Marshyangdi River

• It is a snow-fed perennial Himalayan River in Nepal with a length of about 150 km. 
• The Marshyangdi is a major tributary of the Gandaki River, which  joins the Ganga river at Hajipur near Patna.
  • The Gandaki River is known as the Narayani in the plains of Nepal and as the Gandak in India. 
• It is famous for river rafting, and several hydro-projects have been constructed on the river.

A study by Researchers at the University of Chile found that Chile’s Atacama salt flat is sinking due to lithium brine extraction. 

About Atacama Salt Flat

• Also known as Salar de Atacama, it is the biggest salt deposit in Chile. 
• It has a rough white surface below which there is a large salt lake. 
  • Lake under the salt flat has one of the largest lithium reserves in the world. 
• It lies in Chile’s Atacama Desert, probably the driest place on the planet. 
• The northern part of the basin is the San Pedro River delta.

Pistol shrimp (family Alpheidae) exhibit Sonoluminescence by rapidly snapping their claws.

About Sonoluminescence:

• It refers to the phenomenon of producing light through the irradiation of liquids with ultrasonic waves.
  • It is formed when bubbles formed by cavitation in liquids interact with powerful sound waves.
• The alternating high and low pressure of sound waves leads to rapid expansion and contraction of bubbles.
  • This results in intense temperature rise, ionization of gases within the bubble and release of light energy. 

Recently, the US approved potential sale of anti-submarine warfare Sonobuoys and related equipment to India.

About Sonobuoys

• They are expendable, electro-mechanical Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) tactical sonar systems, transmitting information about submarine activity.
• They use a transducer and a radio transmitter to record and transmit underwater sounds.
• 3-types: 
  • Passive sonobuoys: Use underwater microphone to listen for sound energy from a target; 
  • Active sonobuoy: Use a transducer to send an acoustic signal and then listen for the return echo off an object; and
  • Special Purpose buoys: Provide additional information about the environment, such as water temperature or wave height.

Recently, Chief Minister of Meghalaya tested positive for Scrub Typhus.

About Scrub Typhus

• Also known as bush typhus, it is a disease caused by bacteria called Orientia Tsutsugamushi.
• It is spread to people through bites of infected chiggers (larval mites).
• Symptoms: Fever, headache, body aches, and rash, a scab-like region at the chigger bite site (eschar) etc.
• No vaccine is available for scrub typhus.
• Most cases of scrub typhus occur in rural areas of South East Asia, China, Indian subcontinent, Northern Australia, etc.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is running a nationwide campaign for the PM-JANMAN

PM JANMAN

• Launched to provide PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water etc. in 3 years.
• Aims to cover 75 PVTG communities residing in 18 States and 1 UT.
• Total budgetary outlay: Rs.24,104 Cr 
• It focuses on 11 critical interventions being implemented by 9 Ministries such as Pucca houses ,connecting roads by the Ministry of Rural Development.