Rapid Fire Current Affairs

• 11 Oct 2023

International Day of the Girl 2023

Recently, a 21 year old woman from Chennai got the chance to live a day in the shoes of a diplomat after winning a competition held by the British High Commission to commemorate the International Day of the Girl 2023.

• International Day of the Girl Child, observed annually on 11^th October was first celebrated in 2012.
• The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, proposed an action plan to advance the rights of girls.
• In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare 11^th October as the International Day of the Girl Child.
  • The day aims to focus on the importance of girls' education, their rights, and promoting gender equality.
  • It urges the global community to move beyond reaffirming commitments and invest boldly in the action needed to make changes that could empower girls.
• Theme of International Day of the Girl 2023: "Invest in Girls' Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being."

Read more: International Girl Child Day

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Tele MANAS Seva

On World Mental Health Day, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare highlighted the success of Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele MANAS) Seva.

• Tele-MANAS Seva is a mental health counseling service launched on World Mental Health Day 2022.
• The aim of Tele-MANAS is to provide universal access to equitable, accessible, affordable and quality mental health care through 24X7 tele-mental health services as a digital component of the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) across all Indian States and UTs with assured linkages.
• The Tele MANAS helpline offers toll-free access with audio calling and an auto-call back system. Trained counselors provide care, referring to specialists when needed, including audio and video options.
  • For urgent in-person care, referrals to health centers are arranged via eSanjeevani, from Health and Wellness Centers to tertiary care centers.
• Tele-MANAS has counseled more than 3,50,000 people till 11^th October 2023 and more than 1,000 calls are being received on this helpline every day.

Read more: World Mental Health Day 2022, National Telemedicine Service of India: eSanjeevani

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The Optical Phenomenon of Rainbows

Rainbows, a meteorological marvel gracing the sky with their radiant hues post-rainfall, owe their existence to the intricacies of light refraction and reflection. After a substantial downpour, these optical phenomena can extend across the horizon, appearing as though they touch the Earth's surface.

• The underlying cause can be attributed to the bending and separation of sunlight's rays as they interact with raindrops.
  • Each raindrop essentially acts as a miniature prism, refracting and dispersing light into its constituent colors.
  • The angles at which these colors reach an observer's eye remain constant.
• The rainbow's location in the sky is determined by the sun's height.
  • Raindrops, oriented opposite to the sun at specific angles, can create a full circle, but from ground level, we see an arc due to the horizon.
  • But, under special conditions like a setting sun, observers from high vantage points, such as mountain tops or hot-air balloons, can experience the full circular display of this optical marvel.

Read more: Rainbows

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National Waterways 44( Ichamati River)

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways has initiated a significant dredging project on National Waterways 44, which includes the Ichamati River in West Bengal. This project aims to increase the navigational depth of the Ichamati River, ultimately boosting its capacity to manage tidal influences.

• The Ichamati River, serving as a boundary between India and Bangladesh, flows through both countries and has three distinct sections. Additionally, in the North 24-Parganas district in West Bengal, it forms an oxbow lake complex.
  • However, the river faces challenges such as silt accumulation leading to reduced flow in dry seasons and flooding during the rainy season.
• National Waterways like Ichamati are essential for transportation, with India boasting 111 such inland waterways spanning a total of 14,500 kilometers.
  • The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) oversees their development and regulation, facilitating the movement of around 55 million tonnes of cargo annually through Inland Water Transport (IWT).

Read more: Inland Waterways Authority of India

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Earthquake Strikes Northwestern Afghanistan

Recently, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 hit northwestern Afghanistan, causing widespread devastation.

• This devastating earthquake has left residents in a state of desperation, struggling to recover and rebuild their lives in the face of ongoing adversity.
• An earthquake is a sudden and violent shaking of the ground. These movements can result in the release of energy in the form of seismic waves, which propagate through the Earth, causing the ground to shake.
  • The point on the Earth's surface directly above where the earthquake originates is called the epicenter, and the location within the Earth where the earthquake's energy is released is known as the hypocenter or focus.

Read more: Earthquake