Recent studies tracking PM 2.5 emissions from domestic sources highlight indoor air pollution, with residential emissions dominating PM 2.5 pollution in 29 cities including Srinagar, Kanpur and Allahabad.

About Household or indoor air pollution

• It’s the air pollution emanating from household indoor activities.
• Sources: Use of inefficient and polluting fuels (kerosene, biomass), poorly ventilated dwellings, etc.
• Types: Black carbon and methane emitted by inefficient stove combustion are powerful short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) (high Global Warming Potential).
• Health impact: Stroke, ischaemic heart disease, and lung cancer, disproportionately impacting women and children.
• Initiatives to tackle household air pollution: National Clean Air Programme, PM Ujjwala Yojana

Recently, the PM suggested tourists visit the Rann of Kutch for the Rann Utsav (The Dhordo Tent City).

• It is an annual festival showcasing Kutch’s unique cultural heritage and natural wonders.

About Rann of Kutch (Gujarat)

• Geographical formation: The area was once a sprawling shallow of the Arabian Sea until a constant geological shift led to repeated falls in sea levels, eventually giving rise to a seasonal marshy salt desert. 
• During monsoons, the marsh fills up with water forming a wetland.
• In the summers, the water dries to create a crunchy bed of white salty land, known as the White Desert.
• Tribal hamlets with cylindrical mud bhungas (huts) are the epicenter for Kutchi embroidery, Rogan painting (GI tags) and other artisanal products.

Supreme Court set aside the 2008 NCDRC ruling in Awaz & Others vs. RBI, which barred banks from charging over 30% interest on credit card dues, deeming it an unfair trade practice.

About NCDRC

• It is a quasi-judicial commission set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
• Headed by: A sitting or retired Judge of SC or a sitting or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court.
  • Appeal against the order of NCDRC lies with the Supreme Court.
• Functions: 
  • Entertain complaints valued more than two crores.
  • Appellate and Revisional jurisdiction from the orders of State Commissions or the District fora. 

Union Transport Minister inaugurated India's first National Highway made with Bio-Bitumen in Nagpur- Mansar Bypass on National Highway 44.

• Bitumen is a black substance derived from distillation of crude oil, known for adhesive properties.
  •  It is mainly used in road paving and waterproofing applications.

About Bio-Bitumen

• It is a petroleum-free alternative to bitumen manufactured from organic elements. E.g. Bio-char, Stubble, lignin, bio-oil, etc. 
• It can be used as an addition to bitumen or to reduce the quantity of bitumen in binder mixture.
• Benefits: Reduced imports, address issue of stubble burning, boosting Bio-economy etc.
• Other sustainable methods for road construction -Copper Slag, Geotextiles, Cold asphalt mix etc.

Retired Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur has been appointed chairperson of UN Internal Justice Council.

About  UN Internal Justice Council

• Establishment: General Assembly established IJC to ensure independence and accountability in UN's internal justice system.
• Composition: Consists of five members: a staff representative, a management representative, two external jurists, and a chairperson.
• Appointment: By Secretary-General.
• Functions:
  • Council is tasked with finding suitable candidates for vacant UN Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) and UN Appeals Tribunal (UNAT) judge positions.
  • It also provides its views on administration of justice system to General Assembly.

Masali village(Gujarat) has become India’s first border solar village( generates 100% of its electricity through solar power). 

• Solar rooftop work in all houses was completed under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.

About PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (2024)

• Nodal Ministry: Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
• Duration: Till financial year 2026-27.
• Objective: To install rooftop solar (RTS) and provide free electricity for up to 300 monthly units for 1 crore households.

Tamil Nadu has requested Union government to consider adding mumps vaccine to Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).

• UIP provides free immunization against 12 diseases, including nine nationwide, such as Diphtheria, Tetanus, Polio, Measles, and Hepatitis B. 
  • Additionally; it offers vaccines against Rotavirus diarrhea, Pneumococcal Pneumonia, and Japanese Encephalitis in specific regions.

About mumps disease

• It is a contagious viral infection that affects the salivary glands and is usually mild and self-limiting.
  • It is an acute disease of children and young adults.
• Symptoms: Painful swelling of jaw, fever, tiredness, appetite loss, and headache.
• Spread: Humans are only known host for mumps virus, which is spread via direct contact or by airborne droplets from upper respiratory tract of infected individuals.

New research shows that three sites spread along Denali Fault were once a smaller united geologic feature.

• Location: It is a major strike-slip fault located in Alaska, USA, part of  broader tectonic dynamics of Pacific Ring of Fire.

Fault and its Types:

• A fault is a sharp break in the Earth's crustal rocks.
• Types: 
  • Normal fault: When two plates, one on top of other, slide past each other
  • Reverse faults: When one plate slides under the other, creating a vertical offset. 
  • Strike-slip faults: When two plates move horizontally past each other.
  • Oblique slip fault: Two blocks on either side of  fault move in two different directions simultaneously, combining both normal or reverse faulting with a strike-slip component.