UPSC Prelims Facts – 14 February 2024

UPSC Prelims Facts

Violence erupted in Uttarakhand recently after a mosque and a madrasa standing on Nazool land were demolished.

  • Nazool land – Land owned by the government but is most often not directly administered as state property.
    • The state generally allots such land to any entity on lease for a fixed period, generally between 15 and 99 years.
  • Emergence – When the British left the lands they captured from erstwhile princes and the royals lacked the proper documentation to prove prior ownership, these lands were marked as Nazool land
  • Uses – For public purposes like building schools, hospitals, Gram Panchayat buildings, etc. 
  • Governed by – The Nazool Lands (Transfer) Rules, 1956

Absence of a full bench is affecting functioning of the SAT leading to delays and disruptions.

  • Securities Appellate Tribunal – Statutory body established under the provisions of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Act, 1992.
  • Mandate – It hears and disposes appeals against orders passed by;
    • SEBI
    • Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)
    • Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India (IRDAI)
  • Appointment of members –
    • Presiding Officer and Judicial Members are appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India or his/her nominee
    • Technical members are appointed on rec commendation of a Search-cum-Selection Committee

World Unani Day celebrated

  • Unani system of medicine – One of the oldest healthcare systems of the world, originating in Greece Father of Unani system – Hippocrates
  • Based on – ‘Humoral Theory’ which presupposes the presence of 4 Humors – Dam (blood), Balghum (phlegm), Safra (yellow bile) and Sauda (black bile) – in the body.
  • India and Unani – Came to India around the 8th century by the Arabs and is now recognized as one of the AYUSH systems.
  • World Unani Day – 11th February, marking birth anniversary of famous Indian Unani scholar Hakim Ajmal Khan.

Alaska health officials have confirmed first death from a recently discovered viral disease.

  • Alaskapox – Part of a family of viruses known as orthopoxviruses, several of which are known to infect and cause disease in human.
  • Primarily occurs in – Small mammals
  • Risks – To date, no human-to-human transmission of Alaskapox virus has been documented. Symptoms – One or more skin lesions (bumps or pustules), swollen lymph nodes and joint and/or muscle pain.

Scientists recently uncovered a never-before-seen class of virus-like entities named obelisksin the human body.

  • Obelisks – Class of virus-like entities present in the human body.
  • Comprises – A class of diverse RNAs that have colonized and gone unnoticed in human and global microbiomes.
  • Features –
    • Have no detectable sequences or even structural similarities known to any other biological agents.
    • Significantly larger than other genetic molecules
    • Represent their own class of organism that lie somewhere between viruses and viroids.

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