Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 23rd March 2023

City Finance Rankings 2022:

The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry launched the ‘City Finance Rankings 2022’ under which urban local bodies in the country will be evaluated on the basis of their financial health.

City Finance Rankings 2022:-

• It is conducted by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs .
• It aims to evaluate, recognise, and reward urban local bodies on the basis of their strength across key financial parameters.
• It aim to motivate city and state officials and decision makers, to implement municipal finance reforms.
• The participating urban local bodies will be evaluated on 15 indicators across three key municipal finance assessment parameters like:-
  • Resource mobilisation
  • Expenditure performance and
  • Fiscal governance.
• The evaluation will be done on the basis of the quality of current financial health and improvement with time in financial performance.
• Top 3 cities in each population category will be rewarded.

World Water Day 2023: Theme

World Water Day (WWD) is celebrated on 22nd March Every Year.

• The United Nations General Assembly issued a resolution in 1993 declaring every year March 22 as World Day for Water.
• The theme for WWD 2023 is ‘Accelerating the change to solve the water and sanitation crisis’, emphasizing the necessity of taking stern action to address the global water crisis.
• The main objective of the day is to aware and inspire people to sustainably manage freshwater resources and learn more about water-related issues like water pollution, water scarcity, inadequate water, and lack of sanitation, and take appropriate steps to make a difference.
• According to the United Nations, the idea behind celebrating the day is to “support the achievement of sustainable development goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.”

Vernal Equinox:

The vernal equinox is observed on March 21st 2023.

Equinox:

• Equinox happens twice a year when the sun is directly above the equator, and it occurs on approximately 21st March and 23rd September.
• During an equinox, both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres have equal day and night time.
• The vernal equinox (spring equinox) takes place in the Northern Hemisphere around 20th or 21st March, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it happens on 22nd or 23rd September.
• Conversely, during the autumn season in the Northern Hemisphere on 23rd September (autumn equinox), it is springtime in the Southern Hemisphere, and on 21st March, it is the opposite.

Removal Of Red Notice Against Mehul Choksi:

Interpol, the global police body, has removed the red notice against Mehul Choksi, a fugitive wanted by India in the USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank fraud case.

• The Interpol red notice removal doesn’t affect India’s investigations or extradition request.
• Its notices are international requests for cooperation or alerts allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information.
• Notices are issued by the General Secretariat at the request of a member country’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau and are made available for all our member countries to consult in our Notices database.

Interpol:

• The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) was set up in 1923, as a secure information-sharing platform that facilitates criminal investigation of police forces across the globe through collection and dissemination of information received from various police forces.
• It is headquartered in Lyon, France.
• Interpol has 195 member countries.
• India became member since 15th October 1949.

INS Androth : Launched

The INS Androth, the second in a series of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC), was launched recently.

• INS Androth is an Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC).
• It is built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata for the Indian Navy.
• Primary Role is to conduct anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, low-intensity maritime operations, and mine-laying operations.
• It is also capable of full-scale sub-surface surveillance of coastal waters and various surface platforms and coordinated ASW operations with aircraft.
• Features:
  • It is about 77.6 meters long and 10.5 meters wide and requires a draught of only 2.7 meters.
  • It is propelled by three diesel-driven water jets.
  • It can attain a maximum speed of 25 knots.
  • It carries lightweight torpedoes, ASW rockets and mines, a close-in weapon system (with a 30 mm gun), and 16.7 mm stabilized remote-controlled guns.
  • It will be fitted with hull-mounted sonar and a low-frequency variable depth sonar.

Candida Auris : Deadly Fungus

A drug-resistant and potentially deadly fungus ‘Candida Auris’ is spreading rapidly across the United States.

• Candida Auris (C. auris) is a multi-drug resistant fungus that is capable of causing invasive infections in the human body.
• It was first identified in Japan in 2009.
• Most cases of the fungus have been reported in healthcare settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes.
• It is generally thought to be spread through contact with contaminated surfaces or by person-to-person transmission.
• People who are already suffering from other medical conditions, recent hospital stays, and invasive devices are most at risk of contracting the fungus.
• There are two ways C. auris can affect the body.
• The fungus can either live on a specific region, such as the skin, rectum, or mouth, in a process called “asymptomatic colonization,” where a patient has no symptoms but can spread it to other people.
• Symptoms:
  • Its symptoms are often similar to those of other common diseases and hence diagnosis is difficult.
  • The most common symptoms of C.auris include fever and chills that don’t go away after treatment with antibiotics.
  • Mortality Rate: It is estimated to be between 30-60%.
  • Treatment: Most C. auris infections are treatable with antifungal medications called echinocandins.

World Happiness Report 2023 : India’s Ranking

India has been ranked at the 126th place among 146 countries in the recently released World Happiness Report.

Highlights of World Happiness Report 2023:

• Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for the sixth consecutive year.
• India is ranked 126, ten places higher than its ranking of 136 in 2022. It remains below most neighboring counties, including Pakistan (108) and Sri Lanka (112).

World Happiness Report:

• It is an annual publication of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
• It is based on global survey data from people in more than 150 countries.
• It is based on people’s own assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social data.
• The report considers six key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption.
• It assigns a happiness score based on an average of data over a three-year period.

Long-Tailed Duck Species : Spotted

Long-tailed duck species have been spotted at the iconic Wular Lake, Kashmir after 116 years.

• The attractive Long-tailed Duck breeds in the high Arctic and spends winters mostly along ocean coasts.
• They are amazing divers—able to swim down as deep as 200 feet to forage.
• Unlike other ducks, Long-tailed Ducks do not use their feet to propel their dives, but they flap with partially opened wings.
• It is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA)
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN: Vulnerable
• Wular Lake : Wular Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia. It is located in the Bandipora district in Jammu and Kashmir.
• The lake basin was formed as a result of tectonic activityand is fed by the Jhelum River.
• The Tulbul Projectis a “navigation lock-cum-control structure” at the mouth of Wular Lake
• It is designated as the Ramsar site.

World Down Syndrome Day:

Every year since 2006, March 21 is observed as the World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD)

• Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), New Delhi, celebrated World Down Syndrome Day by organizing a free Webinar open for all, in association with the Down-Syndrome Federation of India.
• Down syndrome is a genetic disorder, caused by the presence of an extra chromosome 21also known as trisomy of chromosome 21.
• It is one of the leading causes of genetic disorders around the world.
• Types of Down syndrome: There are three types of Down syndrome.
  • Trisomy 21:About 95% of people with Down syndrome have Trisomy 21.
    • With this type of Down syndrome, each cell in the body has 3 separate copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual 2 copies.
  • Translocation Down syndrome:This type accounts for a small percentage of people with Down syndrome (about 3%).
    • This occurs when an extra part or a whole extra chromosome 21 is present, but it is attached or “trans-located” to a different chromosome rather than being a separate chromosome 21.
  • Mosaic Down syndrome:Mosaic means mixture or combination. For children with mosaic Down syndrome, some of their cells have 3 copies of chromosome 21, but other cells have the typical two copies of chromosome 21.
• The primary symptoms of Down’s Syndrome are as follows:
  • Mental retardation
  • Cognitive impairment may be mild to moderate
  • Tilted eyes or Fold of the skin above the eye etc.
• Treatment: Down syndrome is a lifelong condition and it cannot be cured. Early therapy programs can help improve skills.

Prime Minister Of India Gift To Japanese Prime Minister:

The Prime Minister of India presented a sandalwood Buddha statue to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the latter’s two-day state visit to India.

• Sandalwood Buddha statue made of pure sandalwood, has hand carvings along with traditional designs and natural scenes.
• In this posture, Buddha is sitting in ‘dhyana mudra’ under the Bodhi tree.
• The ‘dhyana mudra’ is the mudra of meditation and the attainment of spiritual perfection.
• According to tradition, this mudra derives from the one assumed by the Buddha when meditating under the Bodhi tree before his enlightenment.
• The obverse of the image has an intricate carving of the Bodhi tree.
• The Kadamwood Jali Box in which the statue was encased is also considered auspicious in Indian culture.
• The art of sandalwood carving is an exquisite and ancient craft that has been practised in Karnataka for centuries.