The Global Commission on the Economics of Water released The economic of water report highlighting  ‘Green water’ and ‘Blue water’.

About Green and Blue water

• Green water refers to moisture in soils and vegetation. 
  • Part of the hydrologic cycle: Green water is absorbed by roots, used by plants, and released back to the atmosphere through the process of transpiration. 
  • It is vital for generating rainfall, as well as for mitigating climate change and ensuring economic stability.
• Blue water is about encompassing surface and groundwater, found in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs. 
  • Blue water is recharged by precipitation.

The National Board for Wildlife deferred its nod for oil exploration in Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary.

• This sanctuary is the habitat of the Hoolock Gibbon.

About Hoolock Gibbon

• It is the only apes found in the country.
• It is of two types: western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) and the eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys).
• The western hoolock gibbon has a much wider range, and is found in all the states of the north-east.
• The eastern hoolock gibbon inhabits specific pockets of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
• The western hoolock is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Redlist, while the eastern hoolock is listed as Vulnerable.

Researchers have explored the mechanism behind the recently discovered exotic disordered state of matter, known as “hyperuniformity”.

About Hyperuniformity

• It is a property of certain heterogeneous media in which density fluctuations in the long-wavelength range decay to zero.
• Feature: Fluctuations are suppressed as the system grows, unlike liquids or solids, where random variations are common. 
• Where it is found: Quasicrystals, biological emulsions, and soft and biological emulsions and colloids
• Applications:
  • Energy-efficient photonic devices (like photonic band-gap materials)
  • Optical data transmission systems for communication
  • Possible uses in controlling physiological functions in cells.

India has extended its first-ever rupee-denominated LOC to Mauritius for a water pipeline replacement project.

• It is a development assistance by India under Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme (IDEAS) through Exim Bank of India.

About LOCs:

• LOC is not a grant but a ‘soft loan’ provided on concessional interest rates to developing countries, which has to be repaid by borrowing government.
  • LOCs also help to promote exports of Indian goods and services, as 75% of value of contract must be sourced from India.
• Over 300 LOCs worth US$ 32 billion have been extended to 68 countries, covering around 600 projects in various sectors.

Recently Government has increased MSP for wheat and five other rabi crops.

About MSP 

• It is guaranteed price paid to farmers when government buys/procures their crops.
• MSP covers 22 crops: 
  • 14 Kharif Crops: Paddy, jowar, bajra, maize, ragi, arhar, Moong, Urad, groundnut, soyabean, sunflower, sesamum, niger seed, cotton. 
  • 6 Rabi Crops: Wheat, barley, gram, masur (lentil), rapeseed/mustard and safflower.
  • 2 Commercial Crops:  Jute and copra
  • In addition, MSP for Toria and de-husked coconut is also fixed based on MSPs of rapeseed & mustard, and copra, respectively.
• Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices recommends MSP and Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister takes final decision. 

DTAB has recommended inclusion of all antibiotics in definition of new drugs in New Drugs and Clinical Trial (NDCT) Rules, 2019.

About DTAB

• It’s a part of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 
• DTAB is a committee constituted as per provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
• The highest statutory decision-making body, DTAB functions by taking policy decisions related to the technical aspects of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Rules. 
• They send the recommendations to the Ministry for final approval.

Researchers have discovered living microbes within a sealed fracture of a 2-billion-year-old rock from BIC in South Africa.

• This is oldest example of living microbes found within ancient rock to date.

About BIC

• Located in South Africa, It is a large layered igneous intrusion within Earth's crust (Magma slowly cooled below Earth’s surface).
• It has been tilted and eroded with time and covers an area of approximately 66,000 square kilometers.
• It contains some of the richest ore deposits on Earth including about 70% of the world’s mined platinum.

New research suggests that exposure to PFAS may impair kidney function through disruptions in gut microbiota.

About PFAS:

• Often dubbed forever chemicals because these chemicals persist in environment and human bodies, breaking down extremely slowly.
• PFAS are man-made chemicals used in everyday products. Such as:
  • Nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain resistant fabrics and carpets, some cosmetics, some firefighting foams, etc.
• PFAS exposure has been linked to several health issues, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc.
• Currently, three sub-groups of PFAS are listed under Stockholm Convention as industrial POPs.