UPSC QUIZ 12.01.2024

Explanation:

• A survey conducted by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) highlighted several key findings regarding the prescription and use of antibiotics in hospitals amidst growing concerns about Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

Key Findings of the Survey

Preventative Use of Antibiotics

• Over half of the surveyed patients (55%) were prescribed antibiotics for prophylactic indications, meant to prevent infections, rather than for therapeutic purposes (45%) to treat infections.

Antibiotic Prescription Patterns

• Only a small fraction (6%) of patients were prescribed antibiotics after a confirmed diagnosis of the specific bacteria causing their illness (definitive therapy), while the majority (94%) were on empirical therapy, based on the doctor’s clinical assessment of the likely cause of the illness.

Explanation:

• India will also be part of the world's largest radio telescope project called the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO).
• Countries have to sign, and ratify, the SKAO convention to formally become members.
• The Government of India’s approval for joining the project, with a financial sanction of Rs 1,250 crore, is the first step towards the ratification.

SKAO

• SKAO is an intergovernmental organization that aims to build and operate cutting-edge radio telescopes. Its global headquarters is located in the Jodrell Bank Observatory, United Kingdom.
• The project will not have a single telescope but an array of thousands of antennas, to be installed in remote radio-quiet locations in South Africa and Australia, that will operate as one large unit meant to observe and study celestial phenomena.
• SKAO objectives also include study of gravitational waves.

Explanation:

• Over 17 products from Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, and J&K have received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Products have Received the GI Tags from Odisha

Kapdaganda Shawl

• Woven and embroidered by the women of the Dongria Kondh tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in the Niyamgiri hills in Odisha’s Rayagada and Kalahandi districts, the shawl reflects the rich tribal heritage of the Dongria Kondhs.

Lanjia Saura Painting

• The art form belongs to the Lanjia Saura community, a PVTG largely residing in the Rayagada district.
• These paintings are in the form of exterior murals painted on the mud walls of homes. White paintings figure over a crimson-maroon background.

Explanation:

• According to the ILO report, the global unemployment rate will increase to 5.2% in 2024.
• The International Labour Organization (ILO) said that this increase is mainly because of growth in joblessness in advanced economies.
• As per the forecast of ILO's 2024 'World Employment and Social Outlook' report, the number of unemployed people will increase by 2 million.
• As a result, the global unemployment rate will increase to 5.2% from 5.1% in 2023.
• According to the ILO, aggregate labour productivity growth has swiftly returned to the low pace observed over the preceding ten years, following a brief growth burst as countries recovered from the epidemic.
• The scenario is more worrying in high-income nations, where employment growth is predicted to turn negative in 2024 and show only slight increases in 2025.

Explanation:

• 5 Lok Sabha MPs have been selected for the Sansad Ratna Awards.
• Five Lok Sabha MPs, including Sukanta Majumdar of BJP and Shrikant Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena, have been selected for the Sansad Ratna Awards, which were announced on 7 January.
• BJP's Sudhir Gupta, NC's Amol Ramsing Kolhe, and Congress's Kuldeep Rai Sharma are the other three MPs selected for this award.
• The awards will be presented at a function on 17 February.
• The awards are based on comprehensive performance, with nominees selected by a jury committee headed by Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal and former Chief Election Commissioner of India TS Krishnamurthy.
• Sansad Ratna Awards are presented annually to top-performing MPs on the basis of performance.
• The Sansad Maha Ratna Awards are presented once in five years for consistency in performance in the Lok Sabha.
• The Sansad Ratna Awards were instituted on the suggestion of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam to recognize outstanding parliamentarians.
• In 2010, the first edition of the award ceremony was hosted in Chennai.