Why is it in the News?

The black-spotted croaker, or the ghol fish — considered a fisherman’s lottery — was declared the state fish of Gujarat on Tuesday.

About Ghol Fish:

• The Ghol fish is a rare and valuable marine species known for its richness in essential nutrients such as iodine, omega-3, DHA, EPA, iron, taurine, magnesium, fluoride, and selenium.
• Habitat: Typically found in the Indo-Pacific region, stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Pacific Ocean, the Ghol fish thrives in the marine areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra in India, exhibiting a distinctive golden-brown color.
• Size and Price: With a length of around one-and-a-half meters, the Ghol fish's price increases with its size, reaching up to Rs 5 lakh per unit length.
• Referred to as 'Sea Gold,' the Ghol fish earns this moniker due to a pouch in its stomach with potent medicinal properties, making it highly valued in the overseas market.
• Health Benefits:
• Eye Health: Rich in vitamins, minerals, and proteins, the Ghol fish contributes to maintaining eyesight.
• Anti-Ageing: The collagen content in the fish helps prevent wrinkles, preserving skin elasticity.
• Cognitive Development: The omega-3 content supports the growth of brain cells, enhancing the IQ of infants if consumed regularly.
• Muscle Toning: The fish is known for its muscle-toning properties.
• Economic Value: In high demand for both its meat and air bladder (sold separately), the Ghol fish serves various purposes, from culinary use to making beer and wine, with its air bladder finding applications in pharmaceuticals.

Why is it in the News?

A NASA experiment on the Psyche spacecraft has beamed back a near-infrared laser that contains test data from almost 16 million kilometers away.

About the Psyche Mission:

• Psyche is a NASA mission to study a metal-rich asteroid ‘Psyche’, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
• The mission launched on October 13, 2023, from Kennedy Space Center and will arrive at Psyche in August 2029.
• The spacecraft will orbit the asteroid for about two years, studying its geology, composition, and magnetic field.
•  Scientists believe that Psyche may be the exposed core of an early planet that never fully formed.
• If so, studying Psyche could provide important insights into the formation of our solar system.
• It is also the first in a series of NASA science missions to be the primary payload launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
• The goals of the Psyche mission are to:
• Understand the composition and structure of a metallic asteroid.
• Determine how Psyche formed and evolved.
• Learn more about the formation of planetary cores.
• The Psyche spacecraft is a solar-powered spacecraft that uses Hall effect thrusters for propulsion.
• The spacecraft also carries a suite of scientific instruments, including:
• A magnetometer to measure Psyche's magnetic field.
• A spectrometer to measure the composition of Psyche's surface.
• A gamma-ray spectrometer to measure the abundance of elements on Psyche's surface.

Why is it in the News?

Persistent high temperatures over an extended period might be responsible for the severe infestation of the Mythimna separata pest in Assam, causing damage to paddy crops in at least 15 districts.

About Mythimna Separata:

• This is a common long-distance migratory insect and a significant pest for various grain crops.
• Distribution: Mythimna separata is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, including China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and eastern Australia.
• It has also been introduced to New Zealand and some Pacific islands.
• In India, it was initially identified as a sporadic pest in Tamil Nadu in 1937 and later in Kerala and Odisha in 1957.
• Known by various names such as the ear-head-cutting caterpillar, rice ear-cutting caterpillar, or armyworm, this pest feeds on leaves and has the capability to cut off panicles from the base of a crop plant.
• Its feeding habits often leave the field resembling it has been grazed by cattle.
• During an outbreak, the pest multiplies rapidly and moves in swarms from one field to another, similar to an army, causing harm to crops.
• The pest population tends to increase under favorable conditions, particularly when there is a rise in temperatures coupled with dryness.

Why is it in the News?

Recently, the chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) launched the Investor Risk Reduction Access platform.

About the Investor Risk Reduction Access Platform:

• The Investor Risk Reduction Access Platform is created to make investing safer, especially when technical issues occur at the trading member's end, both at the primary site and the disaster recovery site.
• Its purpose is to let investors close their open positions and cancel pending orders using the IRRA platform when technical problems or unexpected outages make the trading member's site inaccessible.
• It's designed to minimize risks for investors involved in the market.
• The platform is not for making new positions or orders;
• its role is solely to cancel pending orders.
• This platform is accessible to trading members supporting internet-based trading (IBT) and Security Trading through Wireless Technology (STWT) for their investors.
• However, it is not available for algo trading and institutional clients.
• All major stock exchanges – BSE, NSE, NCDEX, MCX, and Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India (MSE) – have collaborated to develop this platform.
• Stock exchanges can keep an eye on factors such as connectivity, order flow, and social media updates.
• They can independently activate the IRRA service if necessary, without waiting for a request from the trading member.

Why is it in the News?

Prime Minister announced the launch of two India-led initiatives: the Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository and a Social Impact Fund aimed at promoting the development of Social Impact Fund to advance Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in the Global South during the Virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit on 22nd November 2023.

About the Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository:

• It was developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• It is an extensive resource center that combines knowledge and insights from G20 members and visiting countries.
• Its primary objective is to fill the knowledge gap in the decision-making processes and methodologies necessary for designing, constructing, deploying, and governing Digital Public Infrastructures (DPIs).
• The GDPIR presents information in a standardized format from countries and organizations that have successfully implemented DPIs on a large scale.
• This includes elements such as maturity scales, source codes (where available), and governance frameworks.
• Currently, the GDPIR showcases 54 DPIs from 16 countries.
• The DPIs from India featured in the GDPIR include
• Aadhaar, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), eSanjeevani, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), DigiLocker, Umang, Co-WIN, Government e-marketplace, API Setu, Diksha, E-Hospital and Poshan Tracker etc.

What about the Social Impact Fund?

• The fund will financially support countries developing DPIs, providing “upstream technical and non-technical assistance”.
• The platform allows other governments, international organisations, and philanthropies to contribute to the fund too.
• India has pledged an initial commitment of $25 million (USD) to the fund.