DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS
1 – Namda Art: GS I – Indian Culture
Context:
- The Skill India programme has successfully restored the extinct Jammu and Kashmiri Namda Art.
About:
- The Mughal Emperor Akbar, according to mythology, wanted to purchase a covering for his horses to keep them warm, which is how Namada came to be. This was in the 16th century.
- Nubi, who initially presented the idea of felted wool carpets, is where the word “Namda” originates.
- The Sufi saint Shah-e-Hamdan is credited for introducing the Namda art to Kashmiris.
- Namda carpets and rugs are made by felting wool.
- A mat is covered with a thick layer of wool, which is then applied, washed with soapy water, and maybe squeezed with a pinjra tool.
- The mat is then rolled on the ground with the hands and feet, linked with a rope, and compacted.
- Next, the rope is undone and the mat is unrolled.
- The Pinjara and Mansuri communities, as well as the Sama Muslims, all practise Namda in Kachchh.
- The Kashmiri Namda craft is currently in danger of going extinct and requires preservation measures.
- One such endeavour is the introduction of a machine rolling process that uses a blend of silk and wool fibres.
- A different attempt to resurrect Namda is the company Incredible Kashmir Craft.
Source The Hindu
2 – Maputo Protocol: GS II – Social Issues
Context:
- According to a new study, the Maputo Protocol has helped advance gender equality in several African countries, but its effects have been patchy.
Important details:
- Another name for it is the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa.
- The African Union drafted the international human rights pact, which went into effect in 2005.
It offers complete defences for women’s rights, including:
- the capacity to engage in politics
- social and political equality compared to men,
- increased independence in deciding what to do with their reproductive health, and
- the end of cutting female genitalia.
- It was accepted by the African Union in Maputo, Mozambique, in 2003 as a protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (agreed in 1981 and put into effect in 1986).
- One of the most progressive legal frameworks for women’s rights now in place is the Protocol.
Source The Hindu
3 – Aspartame: GS I – Geography-related issues
Context:
- Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, has been labelled “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
In relation to aspartame:
- Aspartame is an artificial sweetener with few calories that is nearly 200 times sweeter than sugar.
- It is a white, odourless powder that is present in approximately 5,000 food products worldwide.
- Since aspartame is a non-nutritive sweetener, it either contains very few or no carbohydrates.
- health effects:
- Artificial sweeteners have been connected in studies to a variety of health issues, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, dementia, migraines, and depression. They have also been associated to issues with behaviour, cognition, and development.
Source The Hindu
4 – How Electric vehicle tires cause pollution: GS III – Environmental Conservation
Context:
- Electric vehicles (EVs) often have larger batteries than vehicles with internal combustion engines, which makes them significantly heavier and puts stress on the tyres.
What contributes to tyre pollution?
- In addition, electric vehicles usually have more torque than internal combustion engines, which their tyres must be able to swiftly transfer to the road.
- Tyres deteriorate over time because each rotation releases tiny particles.
- Smaller pieces of these debris either fall to the ground or stray off the road to settle on nearby soil.
- According to a recent study, tailpipe emissions have been significantly surpassed by tyre particle pollution.
- A single car sheds 4 kilogrammes (8.8 pounds) or more of tyre debris annually on average.
- When the fleet as a whole is considered, there are 6 million tonnes of tyre particles produced annually.
- The amount flowing from the tailpipe reduces year after year as vehicles get heavier, whereas the amount coming from the tyres rises.
- Environmental danger:
Pollution of water resources:
- Since the particle washes into streams, it has been found to be a significant source of oceanic microplastics.
- Tyres contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are harmful to human health and combine with other air pollutants to create smog.
Poisonous material:
- Particularly concerning is the chemical 6PPD, which tyres use to prevent the rubber from breaking or deteriorating.
- Since 6PPD is water soluble, rain can carry it into the oceans and rivers, where it has been linked to significant salmon and trout die-offs.
- Human urine has been found to contain 6PPD, which is also taken up by edible plants like lettuce.
Solution:
Less cars:
- The straightforward solution would be to drive and sell fewer cars, which would reduce tyre emissions.
Increased tyre spending:
- to create a market mechanism where tyre companies will be encouraged to spend a lot of money and create the best formulations.
- There is currently a variation of two to three times between particular tyres in terms of VOC toxicity.
Individual responsibility:
- On a personal level, avoiding abrupt accelerations and stops helps reduce tyre wear.
- It is also advised to utilise tyres till the end of their useful lives because new tyres produce twice as much particulate during their first few thousand miles of use.
Source The Hindu
5 – About Nawab Wajid Shah: GS I – Indian Culture
About:
- The final and twelfth king of Awadh, Mirza Wajid Ali Shah ruled from 1847 until 1856.
- Wajid Ali Shah’s first wife was Alam Ara, also known as Khas Mahal.
- While acting as the regent of Awadh in 1857, Muhammadi Khanum, also known as the Begum Hazrat Mahal, his second wife, staged a revolt against the British East India Company.
- The East India Company (EIC), in accordance with a treaty, had long guarded his kingdom, but in 1856, the EIC annexed it.
- He was a gifted poet, writer, dancer, and supporter of the arts.
- He embraced Kathak, an important form of ancient Indian dance, as a court dance following the collapse of the Mughals.
He started building the palaces in the Qaiser Bagh series. Important structures within the complex included:
- The inner court yard of Qaiserbagh, which contained grass, was known as Jilo Khana.
- With two mermaid gates (Lakkhigates) at the eastern and western ends, a Baradari stood in the centre.
- Together with the khas muqam and Badshah manzil, which served as the king’s private residence, sliver was used to pave Chandiwali Baradari.
- The chaulakkhi kothi, a huge group of buildings built by Azimutla Khan, was later sold to the emperor.
- The Roshan-ud-daula Kothi, which Nasir-ud-din-Haider had the Wazirs build, was later taken by Wajid Ali Shah and given the new name “Qaiser Pasand.”
Source The Hindu
