UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has alerted traders’/fruits handlers/Food Business Operators (FBOs) operating ripening chambers to strictly ensure compliance with the prohibition on calcium carbide for artificial ripening of fruits, particularly during the mango season. FSSAI is also advising Food Safety Departments of States /UTs to remain vigilant and take serious action and deal stringently against person(s) indulging in such unlawful practices as per the provisions of FSS Act, 2006 and Rules/Regulations made thereunder. Calcium carbide, commonly used for ripening fruits like mangoes, releases acetylene gas which contains harmful traces of arsenic and phosphorus. These substances, also known as ‘ Masala ’, can cause serious health issues such as dizziness, frequent thirst, irritation, weakness, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting and skin ulcers, etc. Additionally, acetylene gas is equally hazardous to those handling it. There are chances that calcium carbide

  The All India Spices Exporters Forum (AISEF)   body fighting to legalise  ethylene oxide (EtO) treatment for spices within the country. Association urged that prohibition of ethylene oxide could make Indian spies bronds unsafe as per FDA standards.  Recenty indian spies brands are facing rejetion in many countries because of presence of ethylene oxide content beyond maximum treshold level. Inlight of all these developments, FSSAI is also started collecting spies samples accross bronds for testing treshold level of EtO levels. It is to be noted that  ethylene oxide is approved for use on spices in the US under prescribed tolerance limits.   EtO is used as a sterilizer in order to stop reproduction of microorganisms, thus preventing food from getting spoiled. The Hindu Business Line Deccan Herald The Hindu <<< International Agency for Research on Cancer ( IARC ) reports cancer-causing chemicals ( ethylene oxide ) in Indian spices

The Kadar are a tribal community or indigenous community in India, a designated Scheduled Tribe in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. They are an aboriginal tribe whose traditional way of life has been based on hunting and gathering. They specialized in collecting honey, wax, sago, arrowroot, cardamom, ginger, and umbrella sticks for trade with merchants from the plains. The People of Paraiyar Community claims that Kadar is part of Paraiyar who lives and take care of forest and forest lives. In the early twentieth century, the Kadars used to work with forest officials to take care of forest and guide royal hunting parties in the princely state of Cochin. Currently, many of the tribe members have moved to areas closer to the plains and urban areas. Recently, Tamil Nadu reported a death of Kadar tribesman in  elephant attack in  Anamalai Tiger Reserve. It is a cause of concern because this community is known t o-exist with wild elephants for ages.   This man animal conflict

CADRE (Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration) is a new robotic technology designed to demonstrate collaborative, autonomous exploration and formation sensing by navigating, communicating, computing, perceiving and decision-making without human interaction. To demonstrate the CADRE technology, NASA/JPL is developing multiple small rovers, capable of surviving the daytime Lunar environment and carrying a micro-payload. The systems is designed so that agents (Rovers and a Basestation) share data among the team and make cooperative decisions about the execution of tasks in the workspace. The rovers will autonomously travel in formation and cooperatively explore the local Lunar surface, generate a digital elevation map and perform a distributed measurement with the micro-payload. NASA