Rapid Fire Current Affairs | 28 Feb 2023

One Rank-One Pension (OROP)

Following the Supreme court’s observations, the defence ministry instructed the Controller General Defence Accounts (CGDA) to release all One Rank-One Pension (OROP) arrears in a single installment.

OROP means the payment of the same pension to military officers for the same rank for the same length of service, irrespective of the date of retirement. Before OROP, ex-servicemen used to get pensions as per the Pay Commission's recommendations of the time when they had retired. Uttar Pradesh and Punjab have the highest number of OROP beneficiaries.

The implementation of the scheme was based on the recommendation of the Koshiyari committee formed under the chairmanship of Bhagat Singh Koshiyari.

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The Yellow River

The mighty Yellow River, the ‘mother river’ of Chinese civilisation, has also been known as the ‘River of Disaster’ and ‘China’s sorrow’ because of the devastating floods it has caused since prehistory. According to a new study, the Chinese practice of building embankments is also responsible for the flooding upstream of the Loess Plateau which is surrounded by the Yellow river.

The Yellow River is the sixth-longest river in the world and is also the most sediment-laden. Also known as Huang He, it originates in the province of Qinghai, flows through the Loess Plateau, where it takes sediment that gives its waters their characteristic yellow colour.

The sediment or loess (a type of silt) from the plateau usually settles on the river bed and raises its height, making the river especially flood-prone in the lower reaches, on the North China Plain.

Olive Ridley Turtles

Officials and scientists are unsure as to what could have caused the start of the mass nesting or ‘Arribada’ of Olive Ridley turtles at the Rushikulya rookery in Odisha’s district. Rushikulya beach is considered the second biggest rookery for sea turtles in India after Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, Odisha. Suitable climatic and beach conditions were some of the reasons for the early mass nesting of Olive Ridley turtles.

The Olive ridley turtles are the smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world. These turtles are carnivores and get their name from their olive-coloured carapace.

They are best known for their unique mass nesting called Arribada, where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs. They are found in warm waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. Olive Ridley Turtles are included in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List and mentioned in appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Bisphenol A (BPA)

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins (class of thermosetting polymers) and is particularly found in water bottles, baby bottles, and other food containers. BPA contaminates surface freshwater through industrial effluents and discharge leachates (Any contaminated liquid that is generated from water percolating through a solid waste disposal site, accumulating contaminants, and moving into subsurface areas).

The discharge of BPA into the waters occurs when plastic turns soft and when there is adequate sunshine. As per a recent study, it also speeds up the breeding of mosquitoes. BPA, when ingested, disrupts the endocrine system by interfering with hormones and affects the brain and prostate gland of foetuses, infants and children.

Read More: Effective Plastic Waste Management