Rapid Fire Current Affairs | 25 Feb 2023

Amazon to Join ONDC

Amazon has announced that it will join the Indian government’s ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) platform. In 2022, Microsoft became the first big technology company to join the network with an intention of introducing group buying in the Indian market through social e-commerce.

ONDC is an open e-commerce protocol set up by the Ministry of Commerce’s Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Under ONDC, it is envisaged that a buyer registered on one participating e-commerce site may purchase goods from a seller on another participating e-commerce site (for example, Flipkart).

Presently, buyers and sellers have to be on the same app for a transaction which happens through the same platform.

Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2023

During the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) 2023 across 35 States and Union Territories, West Bengal reported the highest number of species (498) followed by Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

As per the Bird Count India (BCI), Kerala recorded the highest number of checklists of birds. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu were placed second and third.

BCI is an informal partnership of organisations and groups working together to increase collective knowledge about bird distributions and populations.

India was among 190 countries that participated in GBBC 2023, an annual event that brings bird enthusiasts, students and nature enthusiasts together for counting birds they see around the places where they live, work or study. The GBBC was launched in 1998. Bird Count India organises the GBBC in the country. A remarkable increase in participation across the country helped India upload the second-highest number of checklists after the United States of America and the third-highest species of any country.

Read More: State of the World’s Birds

Garcinia Pedunculata

Garcinia pedunculata, a medicinal plant commonly called 'Borthekera' in the Assamese language, traditionally forbidden for raw consumption, has been found to protect from heart diseases.

The dried pulp of the ripe fruit of the medicinal plant reduced cardiac hypertrophy indicators and oxidative stress and heart inflammation brought on by International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Multiple studies have reported that it is a rich source of antioxidants. However, the cardioprotective potential has yet to be explored earlier.

ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 167 national standards bodies.

To reduce the cases of cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases, the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) is being implemented under the National Health Mission (NHM).

Read More: Non-Communicable Diseases

eShram Portal

The eShram portal has experienced unprecedented success from the unorganised/migrant workers of the country and as on 24^th February 2023, over 28.60 crore workers have registered on the eShram portal.
The eShram portal was launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Labour & Employment to create a National Database of unorganised/migrant workers and to provide them with a Universal Account Number (UAN).

The objective of the eShram portal is to extend the benefits of social security and welfare schemes to unorganised workers especially migrant workers and to identify workers who are deprived of the various benefits of the welfare schemes due to a lack of awareness or otherwise. With this objective, the Ministry of Labour & Employment initiated the matching the eShram beneficiaries’ data with the Ration Card (National Food Security Act (NFSA) data available from the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD). This initiative will ensure that Ration Card benefits under NFSA are made available to all eligible workers registered on eShram.