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Posted 29 Apr 2024

8 min read

Star Campaigner

Various political parties have mentioned the list of their star campaigners for the Lok sabha General Elections.

Star Campaigners
- Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, deals with expenditure incurred by ‘leaders of a political party’, also known as ‘star campaigners’.
- A recognised political party can appoint a maximum of 40 star campaigners while a registered unrecognized political party can appoint up to 20.
- Expenditure incurred by star campaigners on account of travel is not deemed to be part of the election expenditure of a candidate of such party.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started work on ISHAN (Indian Single Sky Harmonized Air Traffic Management) Initiative.

About ISHAN
- It involves Combining India's four airspace regions (FIRs) into a single system overseen from Nagpur.
  - Currently, Indian airspace is divided into 4 FIRs i.e. Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, and a sub-FIR in Guwahati, each managed separately.
- Unifying these FIRs under a single authority in Nagpur is projected to improve efficiency, safety, and seamlessness in air traffic operations.

Prime Minister recently addressed the 6th edition of the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI).
- ICDRI is an annual international conference of the CDRI.

About CDRI
- About: It is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies, multilateral development banks to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems.
  - It was launched at UN Climate Action Summit in 2019 by India.
- Strategic priorities: Technical Support and Capacity-building, Research and Knowledge Management and Advocacy and Partnership.
- Members: 39 countries and 7 organizations
- Key Initiative: Infrastructure For Resilient Island States (IRIS), Global Infrastructure Resilience Report etc.
- Governance: India is the permanent co-chair of the CDRI Governing Council and Executive Committee.
- Secretariat: New Delhi

Philippines denied China’s claim on agreement over disputed South China Sea’s Second Thomas Shoal.
South China Sea is a part of western Pacific Ocean stretching roughly from Singapore and the Strait of Malacca in the southwest, to the Strait of Taiwan in the northeast.

Key Disputes in the South-China Sea
- Nine-dash line (imaginary line) of China: It covers most of the South China Sea and overlaps with the exclusive economic zone claims of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. It includes
  - Paracel Islands: Controlled by China but also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
  - Spratly Islands: Claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, and Malaysia
    - Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef is located near this Island.
  - Scarborough Shoal: Claimed by China, Taiwan, and Philippines.

The Tamil Nadu government is executing a synchronized survey to estimate the population of Nilgiri Tahr.

About Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiri Ibex)
- Stocky goats with short, coarse fur with both sexes having curved horns, which are larger in the males.
- It is the only Mountain Ungulate (Hoofed Mammal) in southern India.
- Habitat: Open montane grassland habitats of South Western Ghats.
- Conservation Status: Listed as Endangered under the IUCN Red List.
  - Protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- State animal of Tamil Nadu.

Recently, Rampage Missiles has been inducted by the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

About Rampage Missile
- Long-range, supersonic, Air-to-Surface, precision strike missile.
- Developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and Israeli Military Industries Systems.
- Range: ~250 km.
- Guidance: GPS/ Inertial Navigation System (INS) navigation with anti-jamming capabilities.
  - INS is an electronic system that can detect and measure changes in the motion of an object.
- Integrated into Russian-origin aircraft fleet, including Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, and Jaguar fighters, and also into Indian Navy's MiG-29K fleet.

Negotiations are being under the aegis of UNEP to address plastic pollution across the life cycle including the issue of harmful chemicals such as BPA used in plastic packaging.

About BPA
- Chemical used primarily in production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.
  - Polycarbonate plastics are often used in containers that store food and beverages.
  - Epoxy resins are used to coat the inside of metal products, such as food cans, bottle tops, etc.
- Exposure to BPA can have health effects on brain and prostate gland of foetuses, infants and children.

US authorities have rejected some spice-related exports from an Indian company over salmonella (bacteria) contamination.

About Salmonella:
- It is a group of anaerobic bacteria.
- These can be found in a variety of foods, including chicken, beef, pork, etc.
- Humans become infected by bacteria most frequently through contaminated water or food.
- They live in animal and human intestines.
- Health Impacts: Food Poisoning, Diarrhea, etc.