28th June, 2024 Current Affairs

NATIONAL
NHAI Sets Up Dedicated Cell to Review Detailed Project Report of National Highway Projects

• To ensure the highest construction standards, cost effectiveness and timely completion of National Highway projects, NHAI has set up a Detailed Project Report (DPR) cell at NHAI Headquarters in New Delhi. The cell will provide expert inputs and enable end-to-end monitoring of the DPR for the National Highway projects. The cell will help to bring uniformity in review mechanism of the DPR and will ensure that quality DPRs are prepared and reviewed before the implementation of the projects.
• A DPR is an essential component for successful implementation of the National Highway project and includes various surveys, investigations and designs related to the project. The DPR cell will help in finalizing various parameters for all highway components (Highway & Structures) as per IRC specifications and standards.
• The DPR cell will have a dedicated team of around 40 professionals consisting of Principal DPR Experts and various domain experts for Road safety, Traffic, Land Acquisition, Bridges, Tunnels, Geotechnical experts, Senior Highway experts and forest specialists.
• These experts will help to develop mechanisms and monitoring systems that will ensure uniform implementation of reviewing process throughout DPR project lifecycle. In addition, the team will also study bid documents and technical schedules related to National Highway projects and will provide cost estimates based on design features. It will also assist in planning of preconstruction activities and in incorporating the project with the Highway Information Model Software (HIMS). 
• The DPR cell will help to prepare accurate reports that will enable development of world class National Highways, further contributing towards the growth of the nation.

PM Gati Shakti Scheme is Transforming India’s Infrastructure: Morgan Stanley

• American multi-national investment bank and financial company Morgan Stanley has all praise for PM Gati Shakti scheme. The report highlights increased and more targeted investments, suggesting a continued emphasis on infrastructure spending in India’s future.
• The report says India has scaled up its infrastructure strongly over the last decade, investment is not only increasing but it is better targeted and potentially more productive. The report further adds India’s thrust on infrastructure spending is set to continue. The report said, “We expect India’s infrastructure investment to steadily increase from 5.3 per cent of GDP in F24 to 6.5 per cent of GDP by F29. Indeed, this implies that infrastructure investments are expected to register a strong 15.3 per cent CAGR, resulting in cumulative spending of USD 1.45 trillion over the next five years.
• The report cites World Bank’s Logistics Index Report, 2023, it says the average Container Dwell Time in India was three days compared to four days for countries like the UAE and South Africa, seven days for the USA, and 10 days for Germany. In addition, Indian Ports “turnaround time” has reached 0.9 days, which is better than the USA (1.5 days), Australia (1.7 days), Singapore (1.0 days), etc. 6. In F24, ports overall cargo growth was 7 per cent, with 53 per cent of cargo handled by major ports (government-owned).
• PM Narendra Modi has launched the PM Gati Shakti National master plan for infrastructure development in Oct 2021. Essentially a digital platform to bring 16 ministries including Railways and Roadways together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects.

Jaipur Military Station: 2nd Military Station to Have Plastic Waste Road

• Jaipur Military Station has become the second military station in India to have a road made from plastic waste.
• This initiative aligns with the Indian Army’s policy to create sustainable and green military stations, and it was constructed under the aegis of GE (South), CE Jaipur Zone, with assistance from Deep Constructions Pvt. Ltd. Compared to conventional roads, plastic waste roads are more durable, suffer less wear and tear, reduce water induction, and increase sustainability.
• In 2015, the Indian government allowed the use of plastic waste in constructing National Highways on a pilot basis to address the mounting plastic waste problem. By 2017, the government permitted the mixing of 10 percent plastic waste with hot bitumen for road construction. In 2023, it became mandatory to use plastic waste in the construction and repair of service roads of national highways within a 50-kilometer radius in urban-rural areas with populations of five lakh or more.
• Plastic waste roads consume 15 percent less coal tar and are more durable, lasting 10 years instead of the conventional five years. Due to plastic’s water-resistant properties, these roads do not develop potholes, a common issue with traditional roads as rainwater seeps in and causes damage.

Also Read: May 7th Current Affairs: Top 11 Current Affairs Quiz Questions on Rabindranath Tagore

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INTERNATIONAL
Mark Rutte Appointed as Next Secretary General of NATO

• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) has announced the appointment of Mark Rutte, the outgoing Dutch Prime Minister, as its next Secretary General. This decision marks an important milestone for the 75-year-old alliance as it faces critical challenges in the coming years.

Key focus areas will likely include:

• Increasing defense spending among member nations
• Modernizing NATO’s capabilities to face new threats

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
VEGFR1 holds key to medical solutions for colon and renal cancers

• Researchers have decoded the molecular mechanism in which a cell surface receptor belonging to the family of enzymes that bind growth factors, regulate cell differentiation, proliferation, survival, metabolism, and migration, prevents cancers.
• This enzyme called VEGFR1 withholds self-expression (autoinhibited) in the absence of a ligand—for example hormones. The research can show the way for developing medical solutions for colon and renal cancers by using molecules that preferentially stabilises the inactive state of VEGFR1.
• Cell surface receptors like Receptor Tyrosine Kinases (RTK) are crucial for converting extracellular signals (from chemical cues like growth factors, generally referred to as ligands) to tightly regulated cellular response. Ligand binding to extracellular receptors activates intracellular coupled enzymes (tyrosine kinases). The activated enzyme, in turn, adds phosphate group to several tyrosine molecules that function as an adaptor for assembling a signalling complex. The formation of the signalling complex regulates diverse cellular functions like cell growth, development, and host immune response. Spontaneous activation of RTKs, in the absence of ligands, is often linked to multiple human pathologies like cancers, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. Researchers are exploring how a cell maintains an autoinhibited state of the enzyme and why such autoinhibition is breached during the progression of human pathology.

ENVIRONMENT
Denmark Set to Impose World’s First Carbon Tax on Gassy Cattle

• Denmark plans to implement a tax on livestock farmers starting in 2030, making it the first nation to do so.
• This initiative targets methane emissions from cows, sheep, and pigs, which are significant contributors to global warming. The goal is to achieve a 70 per cent reduction in Danish greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by the year 2030.
• Denmark is set to become the first country to impose a carbon tax on livestock emissions, targeting methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
• Denmark’s livestock carbon tax is part of a broader strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent from 1990 levels by 2030. Danish Taxation Minister Jeppe Bruus announced that from 2030, livestock farmers will be taxed 300 kroner ($43) per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent, rising to 750 kroner ($108) by 2035.
• This tax will apply to cows, sheep, and pigs, with cows being the primary focus due to their significant methane emissions. Methane, primarily emitted by livestock through digestion and manure, is about 87 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Livestock farming accounts for about 32 per cent of human-caused methane emissions, according to the UN Environment Program. The Danish government’s goal is to make the country climate neutral by 2045.