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📰 Centre extends free ration scheme by three months. • The Central government has extended the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for another three months from October 1. • This will allow benefici aries under the National Food Security Act to conti nue to avail five kg of food grains per person per month till December 31. • The scheme provides 5 kg of wheat and rice free of cost to 80 crore poor every month. • The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) has been in operation since April 2020 to help the poor whose livelihoods were shuttered by a nationwide lockdown aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus. 📰 Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan appointed next Chief of Defence Staff. • The government appointed former Eastern Army Commander Lt. General Anil Chauhan (Retd) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). • The post has been vacant since the death of the country’s first CDS Gen. Bipin Rawat in a helicopter crash in December 2021. • The Government has decided to appoint Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan (retired) as the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who shall also function as Secretary to Government of India, Department of Military Affairs with effect from the date of his assumption of charge and until further orders. • In December 2019, the government approved the creation of the post of CDS who would also function as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister and Permanent Chair man Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC). In addition, the DMA was created as the fifth department in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) with the CDS functioning as its Secretary. 📰 ASI finds Buddhist caves, temples in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. • The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) earlier this year discovered Buddhist caves and stupas, and Brahmi inscriptions, dating back to the 2nd century, and Hindu temples from the 9th-11th centuries, and possibly the world’s largest Varaha sculpture also dating to the same period, at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. • The Varaha sculpture is among the many monolithic sculptures of the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu that were discovered by an ASI at the national park earlier this year. • The ASI team discovered 26 mostly Buddhist caves dating back to the 2nd and 5th centuries. The caves and some of their remains had ‘Chaitya’ (rounded) doors and stone beds typical of Mahayana Buddhism sites. • The ASI team found 24 inscriptions in Brahmi text, all dating back to the 2nd-5th centuries. The inscriptions mention sites such as Mathura and Kaushambi, and Pavata, Vejabharada and Sapatanaairikaa. The kings they mention include Bhimsena, Pothasiri and Bhattadeva. • The remains of 26 temples date to the Kalachuri period between 9th-11th centuries. In addition to this, two Saiva mutts have also been documented. • The Kalachuri dynasty, which spread over parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, is also associated with the earliest Ellora and Elephanta cave monuments.

📰 Government app Jaldoot to capture data on ground water tables: • The Union government launched a mobile application "Jaldoot". • It was jointly developed by the Union Ministry of Rural Development and the Panchayati Raj Ministry to monitor the underground water levels across the country. • The app will be used to capture the water level of selected two-three wells in every village. • The water levels in these open wells will be measured twice a year, from May 1 to May 31 during the pre-monsoon time, and from October 1 to October 31 for post-monsoon levels. • The mobile app will work both in online and offline mode to ensure that lack of internet connectivity does not come in the way of the exercise. • The regular data to be input by the ‘Jaldoots’ would be integrated with the database of the National Water Informatics Centre, which can be utilised for analysis and help in conservation efforts. 📰 Tool to help farmers prepare for climate change launched. • To combat the risks and challenges of climate change, the World Resources Institute (WRI) in collaboration with the National Agro Foundation (NAF) has developed a free online tool to help farmers plan their activities based on climatic conditions, both regionally and internationally. • Through "AgriAdapt", farmers can understand the conditions that impact their facilities to make more informed business decisions. • AgriAdapt‘s beta version targets three crops, which are important commodities globally — rice in Tamil Nadu, cotton in Andhra Pradesh and coffee in Colombia. • The tool provides information on how the value-chains of these crops can be impacted by climate change. 📰 Actor Asha Parekh to get Dadasaheb Phalke Award. • The Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2020 will be conferred on veteran Bolly wood actor Asha Parekh. • The award will be presented at the 68th National Film Award ceremony to be presided over by President Droupadi Murmu. • The Dadasaheb Phalke Awards is India's highest award in cinema. • Dadasaheb Phalke is known as the 'Father of Indian Cinema'. He made India's first full-length feature film Raja Harishchandra in 1913. 📰 Arrival of foreign tourists took big hit in 2021, data show. • The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restric tions saw foreign tourist ar rivals in India dip by 44.5% in 2021. While in 2020, 2.74 million foreign tourists had visited India, in 2021, the number was 1.52 million. • In 2021, the top 15 coun tries from which foreign tourists arrived in India included the U.S., the U.K., Bangladesh, Canada, Nepal, Afghanistan and Australia. • The UAE was the top destination for Indians in 2021, followed by the U.S Qatar, Oman and the U.K.

💰Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) Rate: • Under the MSF, scheduled commercial banks can borrow an additional amount of overnight money from RBI against the collateral of government securities at the MSF rate, which is 25 bps higher than the repo rate, for meeting their emergency and temporary liquidity requirements. • They do this by using their excess holding of government securities under the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) or by dipping into their SLR portfolio up to a prescribed limit [2 per cent of their net demand and time liabilities (NDTL)].

■ Rabies: • Rabies is a disease that is caused by a family of viruses called the lyssaviruses and found in a range of mammals. • The virus targets the central nervous system and is nearly 100% fatal to the host animal if it succeeds in infecting it. • Though many animals from cats to crocodiles can be transmitters of the virus, it is most likely to spread to people from the bite of an infected dog or a cat as they are the most common pets. □ How does a rabies vaccine work? • Despite being potentially lethal, the virus is slow-moving and it can be several weeks before the disease manifests into a fatal encephalitis which is why administering a vaccine, even after being bitten by a rabid animal, is effective. • A shot of rabies immunoglobulin (rabies-antibodies against the virus derived either from people or horses) followed by a four-week course of anti-rabies vaccine, is nearly guaranteed to prevent rabies. • This translates to the first dose being given on the same day as the immunoglobulin followed by vaccinations on the 3rd, 7th and 14th day. • There are other regimens, such as five shots which include one on the 28th day approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) which clinics may consider, depending on the availability of the vaccine. □ How is the vaccine made? • The vaccine is made up of an inactivated virus that is expected to induce the body into producing antibodies that can neutralise the live virus in case of infection. • There are also test vaccines that involve genetically modified viruses. • There is no single-shot rabies vaccine or one that offers permanent immunity. • There are mainly two ways of administering the rabies vaccine. Post-exposure prophylaxis & Pre Exposure Prophylaxis. • Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), is given to persons who have been exposed via a bite to an animal suspected to be infected. The vaccines are administered either into the muscles, or into the skin. • Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is given ahead of time to persons who have a high risk of being infected, such as veterinarians, animal handlers, areas with a high number of rabies infection. • The advantage of a PrEP is that if bitten, one doesn’t need a immunoglobulin injection, and two subsequent shots of the vaccine will suffice for full protection, unlike the four-course prescription in the case of PEP. However, the WHO doesn’t recommend PrEP as a general preventive. □ Are rabies vaccines easily available in India? • According to the Health Ministry, there are at least six rabies vaccines approved for India. • They all contain inactivated virus made of duck, chicken or human cell cultures and are marked as safe, efficacious and with long immunity. • Rabies vaccines are available for free in government dispensaries though vaccines administered in a private clinic can cost up to ₹500 per dose. However, reports of hospitals running out of vaccines continue to surface and knowledge about vaccines and treatment is still inadequate in India. • The Health Ministry has said that no centralised database of vaccine availability is maintained, being a State-procured product, but that shortage had been reported in Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal and Karnataka. • The WHO says India is endemic for rabies and accounts for 36% of the world’s deaths. □ What about vaccines for animals? • India has committed to eliminate Rabies by 2030. • Dogs are deemed responsible for 99% of all rabies infections in people, the government in its 2021 plan, called the ‘National Action for Plan — Rabies Elimination’, aims to vaccinate at least 70% of all dogs in a defined geographical area annually for three consecutive years. • With this, a degree of herd immunity is expected leading to eventual elimination within eight years. Rather than inoculate all dogs, which is not feasible, the plan is to identify ‘rabies hotspots’ across the country and target them.

SSB LECTURETTE TOPICS 2022-23 https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcS4eOE46bBw6HzH8Fk7YNpJuNrvvBPly