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Current Affairs03rd to 09th February 2013

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National, Bilateral, International, Science and Tech Issues

Hideout of dormant TB bacteria found

The dormant tuberculosis bacteria in humans arepresent in a non replicating, dormant but viablestate, and can get reactivated to cause active TB inpeople who have been successively treated earlier.

The study published demonstrates that a particularkind of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(CD271{++}CD45{+-}) provide a safe shelter for the

dormant TB bacteria. Recurrence of TB after successful drug treatment

remains a big challenge in controlling the disease.

Recurrence could happen either due to reactivation of the dormant TB bacteria residingsomewhere inside the body or through re - infection.

The stem cells have an efficient way of removing TB drugs that can kill the bacteria, thusproviding the bacteria a perfect environment to remain viable for extended periods of time.

Besides bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, the study found viable nonreplicating TBbacteria in lung mesenchymal stem cells too.

Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram

It is part of theNational Rural Health Mission.

The programme will be extended to cover alldistricts of the country in a phased manner,ultimately hoping to cover 27 crore children.

Under the scheme, children will be screened for 30common ailments/health conditions, so that thereis the possibility of early medical intervention, incase there is such need.

Birth defects like Downs syndrome, congenitalcataract, deafness and heart defect, deficiency conditions like anaemia, malnutrition and

goitre, developmental delays and disabilities like hearing impairment and vision impairmentare among the conditions for which children will be screened under this scheme.

Mobile health teams will be dedicated to the screening of children, and two AYUSH doctors(one male and one female), nurse and a pharmacist would be available for the service in everyblock.

All children in the 0-6 age range enrolled in anganwadis would be screened at least twice ayear; all children in government schools and in schools aided by the government would alsobe regularly screened for the above mentioned conditions.

Newborn children will also be screened for possible birth defects in health facilities wheredeliveries take place.

Children with deficiencies, disabilities or diseases would be referred to higher centres for

further investigation and treatment.

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China to get Gwadar port

The Pakistan cabinet has formally agreed to handover the operation of its strategically locatedGwadar port to China.

This virtually confirms Chinas String of Pearlsstrategy, which may have significant implicationsfor India.

The Pakistan cabinet transferred the responsibilityof the Gwadar port from Singapores Port ofSingapore Authority International to ChinasOverseas Port Holdings.

China has encountered opposition from the Balochi people, who have objected to the Chinese

taking over their lands. Pakistan expects China to turn Gwadar into a naval base.

For China, Gwadar could be a conduit for energy flows, by transporting oil and gas from theport to Chinas Xinjiang province.

This would help China insulate its energy flows from the turbulent waters of the Straits ofMalacca and the South China Sea.

Dornier-228

India has handed over Dornier-228 surveillanceaircraft to Seychelles.

The Dornier-228 is manufactured by the HindustanAeronautics Limited (HAL).

HAL-DO-228 can be used as Regional Airliner,Air Taxi, for VIP/Executive Transport, MaritimeSurveillance, Reconnaissance, Intelligence warfareand for Troop Transport, Para Jumping, Pollutiondetection and control, Search and Rescue, Casualtyevacuation Ambulance, Cargo and LogisticsSupport, Calibration of Airport Nav-aids, Geographical surveys, Aerial photography, Anti-submarine roles and as Observer training.

National Coast Guard of Mauritius also utilizes two HAL supplied DO-228s for surveillanceof their coast line and VIP transport.

The maritime aircraft is equipped with combination of 360 degree Surveillance Radar, ForwardLooking Infra Red System, Electronic Surveillance Measures System, Pollution Detection andControl Equipment, Satellite Communication, Data Link, Speech Secrecy, Traffic Collision andAvoidance System, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System and host of other customerspecified sensors.

HAL-DO-228 production in India was launched with Vayudoot, the first regional airlines ofthe country.

India Austria

A Social Security Agreement was signed between India and Austriaon 4th February 2013.

The social security pact will also provide for cooperation in area of labour marketexpansionwith Austria where over 17,000 Indian professionals are working currently.

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Under the agreement, Indian workers on short-term contracts of up to five years will not be

required to make any social security contributionin Austria provided they continue to make socialsecurity payments India.

The relief will be available to Indian workerseven if an Indian company sends its employees toAustria from a third country.

Similar relaxation will be provided to Austriancitizens working in India.

As per the pact, Indian workers will be entitled to export of their social security benefits ifthey relocate to India after completion of their service in Austria.

Self- employed Indians will also be entitled to export of the benefits on their relocation to India.

Though professionals posted in foreign countries continue to make such payments in India,they are compelled to pay social security tax in the host countries too leading to doublecontribution.

Tiger count begins in Nepal

Nepal has begun a three-month-long census of itstigers which were declared by the InternationalUnion for Conservation of Nature as anendangered species in 2010.

The census simultaneously kicked in five

conservation areas, which include three nationalparks; Chitwan, Bardiya, Banke and two wild lifereserves; Shuklaphanta and Parsa.

While all these areas lie in the Terai plains ofNepal, the first counting was inaugurated inShuklaphanta reserve of the far-west region.

Nepal is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger which lives in the dense forests of Terai plains.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared it as an endangered species in2010.

According to an earlier head count, there were around 200 tigers in Nepal.

While poaching is a major threat to Nepals tigers for its valuable skin and body parts, tigers

often sneak into human settlements due to encroachment in their own habitats and deforestationin some areas.

In a bid to provide more roaming space and habitats to tigers, the Banke National Park thatcovers an area of 550 square km was created in 2010 in the mid-western plains of Nepal.

New lakes crop up in Himalayas

Glacier melting over a 47-year period has led toformation of seven new glacial lakes in Chandra -Bagha Basin of western Himalayas.

Preliminary findings of an ongoing study showed

that glacier lakes underwent continuous changesbetween 1963 and 2010.

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Geographical Information System (GIS) tools and high resolution remote sensing technologywere used to delineate glacier lakes situated in inaccessible Himalayan terrain.

In all, 15 large glacier lakes situated at an elevation between 4069 meters to 5252 meters werechosen for monitoring the changes that occurred.

Continuous ice-melting due to glacier recession (loss of ice due to excess melting) caused theformation of seven new lakes near the mouth of the glaciers.

These were formed as moraine-dammed lakes and the glacier-lake area was estimated to haveincreased approximately by 2591 sq.meters during the 47-year period.

National Lake Conservation Plan + National Wetlands ConservationProgramme

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

approved the proposal for the merger of NationalLake Conservation Plan (NLCP) and NationalWetlands Conservation Programme (NWCP)into a new scheme called the `National Plan forConservation of Aquatic Eco-systems` (NPCA).

The merged scheme shall be operational duringthe XII Plan Period at an estimated cost of Rs.900crore on 70:30 cost sharing between the CentralGovernment and respective State Governmentsand 90:10 for North-East States.

It is proposed to avoid overlap, promote better synergies and to ensure conservation and

management works, with the objective of conserving aquatic ecosystems (lakes and wetlands),through implementation of sustainable conservation plans and governed with application ofuniform policy and guidelines.

The principal objectives of the new scheme will be holistic conservation and restoration oflakes and wetlands for achieving desired water quality enhancement, besides improvement inbiodiversity and the ecosystem, through an integrated and multidisciplinary approach with acommon regulatory framework.

The scheme would contribute to reduction of pollution loads and improvement in goods andservices provided by these water bodies to stakeholders.

The new scheme will have conservation and management of lakes and wetlands in the countrywithin its scope, to include inventory and information system on lakes and wetlands national

level directive on criteria for lakes and wetlands, regulatory framework, capacity building atstate government and local body levels, evaluation etc.