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1. India and Pakistan have renewed the Kartarpur Corridor agreement until 2029, allowing visa-free access for Indian pilgrims to Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara in Pakistan. The corridor connects the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Narowal district, Pakistan, with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur, India, situated about 1 km from the Indo-Pakistan border. Established to commemorate Guru Nanak Dev's 550th birth anniversary on November 12, 2019, the corridor facilitates easier pilgrimage for Sikhs. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh gurus, was born in 1469 in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan. He promoted the 'Nirguna' form of devotion, rejecting rituals and emphasizing direct connection with the divine.
2. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of India has introduced the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Amendment) Rules, 2024, which bring several significant changes to the disability certification process. Disability certificates will now only be issued by a designated medical authority at the district level. Additionally, new color-coded Unique Disability Identity (UDID) cards have been introduced: white, yellow, and blue, with blue indicating a disability level of 80% or higher. Applications for disability certificates must be submitted online, and the processing time has been extended from one month to three months. Furthermore, if no action is taken on an application within two years, the applicant is required to reapply. These amendments aim to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of the certification process for persons with disabilities.
3. Precision medicine is transforming healthcare by personalizing treatment based on individual genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. It gained traction after the Human Genome Project (HGP), which aims to catalog genetic variations in the Indian population by sequencing the genomes of 10,000 healthy individuals from diverse ethnic groups. This approach enhances the effectiveness of disease prevention and treatment strategies. In India, the precision medicine market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16%, surpassing USD 5 billion by 2030, driven by advances in areas like cancer immunotherapy and gene editing. Key initiatives include the Genome India Programme and the Phenome India Project, which aim to identify genetic disorders and improve health predictions. However, regulatory challenges persist, as India's biobanking regulations are inconsistent compared to those in countries like the UK and US, hindering the full potential of precision medicine.
4. A team of arachnologists has identified a new genus of jumping spiders named Tenkana, found across southern India. The new species, Tenkana jayamangali, was discovered in Karnataka, named after the Jayamangali River where it was first observed. This genus belongs to the Plexippina subtribe and differs from related genera like Hyllus and Telamonia. The name "Tenkana" is derived from the Kannada word for "south," reflecting its native distribution in southern India and northern Sri Lanka. Tenkana spiders prefer dry environments and ground habitats, with sightings recorded in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. Additionally, two species previously classified under the genus Colopsus—Tenkana manu and Tenkana arkavathi—have been reclassified into the new genus.
5. The Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) in Goa has become the first Indian port listed on the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) portal, recognized by the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) for its Harit Shrey program. This program incentivizes vessels using green fuels, offering discounts on port charges. The ESI evaluates ships' environmental performance, particularly in reducing air emissions, exceeding International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards. Launched in 2011, it includes criteria for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions. India is also expanding its network of 111 national waterways, with current cargo traffic through inland waterways increasing significantly from 29.16 million tonnes in FY15 to 133.03 million tonnes in FY24. The government aims to further boost this traffic to 200 million tonnes by 2030 and 500 million tonnes by 2047 while planning to limit the development of inland waterway terminals near major ports to protect their economic interests.