Nobel Prize for Literature 2023 (Miscellaneous)
Why in news?
- The Nobel Prize for Literature 2023 has been awarded to Norwegian author Jon Olav Fosse, for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable.
Details:
- Fosse writes in Norwegian Nynorsk, the least common of the two official versions of Norwegian.
- His “A New Name: Septology VI-VII”, about two painters, both named Asle but with different lives and demons and preoccupations, was a finalist for the International Booker Prize in 2022.
About Jon Fosse:
- He grew up in Norway’s Strandebarm, and currently divides his time between Norway and Austria.
- His literary career began with a novel, Red Black, published in 1983. His subsequent novels included Melancholy I (1995) and Melancholy II (1996), on the life and death of 19th century Norwegian landscape artist Lars Hertervig. Over the next few years, he turned towards playwriting.
- Some of his most notable plays include ‘Someone is Going to Come’, ‘And Never Shall We Part’, ‘The Name’, ‘Winter’, and ‘A Summer’s Day.’ The last volume of his three-part novel Septology was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize last year.
- A proponent of “slow prose”, Fosse’s work is often compared to that of his predecessor Henrik Ibsen for its modernist concerns, and to Jacques Derrida for his ability to tap into the unspoken.
Nobel Prize in Literature 2022:
- In 2022, the Nobel Prize in Literature was bestowed upon Annie Ernaux, for her “courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory.”
Nobel in Medicine 2023
- The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2023 was jointly awarded to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their pioneering work on mRNA technology which was highly helpful in COVID-19 vaccine development.
Nobel in Physics 2023:
- The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2023 was presented to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, and Anne L’Huillier.
- They were honoured for their groundbreaking experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light, allowing a profound study of electron dynamics within matter, particularly in atoms and molecules.
Nobel in Chemistry 2023
- The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recognized the work of Moungi G Bawendi, Louis E Brus, and Alexei I Ekimov.
- Their contribution lies in the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots, minuscule nanoparticles whose properties are determined by their size.
Jharkhand govt gives nod to declare cancer, rabies as notifiable diseases
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Why in news?
- The Jharkhand cabinet recently approved a proposal to declare cancer and rabies as notifiable diseases, which will pave the way for a database for such ailments.
- With the declaration of cancer and rabies as notifiable diseases, private and state-run hospitals, which are treating patients of such diseases, will have to inform the government so that a database can be created. It would also help draft long-term policy in future.
Scheme for Panchayats:
- The council of ministers also gave its nod to the Mukhyamantri Panchayat Protsahan Yojana and Swachh and Swasthya Panchayat Protsahan Yojana, under which 24 best gram panchayats from over 4,300 such institutions in 24 districts would be selected and honoured with Rs 10 lakh each.
- The five block panchayats from five divisions of Jharkhand would also be selected and would be given Rs 15 lakh each as a reward.
- Under Gram Sabha Protsaha Purashkar, Rs 4 lakh will be given to 48 gram sabhas. Besides, two zila parishad will also be selected and awarded Rs 20 lakh each.
- The district and state-level award review committees have also been constituted for the purpose.
- As many as 32 agendas were cleared during the meeting, including approval of Rs 463 crore for installing 43,510 tube wells in 4,351 gram panchayats to deal with water crisis during summer.
Other sanctions:
- The Information Security Policy and Data Privacy Policy for Aadhaar Ecosystem 2023 got the cabinet nod, which would help ensure data protection.
- Five new police stations, three new outposts and the proposal to upgrade two outposts to full-fledged police stations were approved.
FSSAI clarifies addition of protein binders not permitted in milk, products
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Why in news?
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) clarified that the addition of protein binders or any other additives was not permitted in milk and milk products.
- It added that only additives, which are specified for milk and milk products in Appendix A of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011, can be used for these products.
Binding agents:
- Binding agents have emerged as an important and required class of ingredients to manufacture a wide range of new food products, especially semi-solid or solid foods.
- However, such application is known to affect the digestibility of the protein bound and thus can affect the biological and nutritive value of milk proteins. Protein binding also influences the bioavailability and distribution of active compounds.
Milk protein:
- Milk protein has a high biological value as it is a good source of essential amino acids.
- Moreover, milk proteins are easily digestible and do not contain any anti-nutritional factors, unlike many plant-based proteins.
- In addition, milk and milk products contain an array of proteins with biological activities ranging from antimicrobial to those facilitating the absorption of nutrients as well as acting as growth factors, hormones, enzymes, antibodies, and immune stimulants.
Way Forward:
- The clarification is a welcome step, which will ensure that only pure products are sold in the market.
- The dairy industry uses only FSSAI-specified emulsifiers. This will, however, impact the nutraceuticals industry that has been promoting the use of alternative protein.
