Daily Prelims Notes 22 July 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

22 July 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Studies underway on cases of sudden cardiac arrest among youngsters after Covid: Govt
2. Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia
3. Asiatic lion run over by goods train near Pipavav port in Gujarat’s Amreli district
4. Manipur violence: What is a Zero FIR and why it is registered
5. Varanasi court orders ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque premises
6. Centre seeks more social diversity in judges’ appointment
7. Use any Indian language as optional medium, says CBSE
8. Bill to repeal Wakf boards: IUML MP writes to Dhankhar
9. Refugee camps in Chad
10. Can’t ask govt. to recognize a language as official one: SC
11. Adjournment Motion
12. Bacteriophage
13. Mangroves  role in coastal security
14. India’s wholesale prices remain in deflationary territory for third successive month in June
15. Seema Haider writes to President for Indian citizenship; invokes celebrities, legendary love stories, govt slogans

1. Studies underway on cases of sudden cardiac arrest among youngsters after Covid: Govt

Subject :Schemes

Context:

• Sudden deaths have been reported in some young people after COVID-19 but sufficient evidence is not available to confirm the cause.

Details:

• The Indian Council of Medical Research is conducting three different studies to ascertain the facts regarding rising cases of cardiac arrest after the pandemic.
• A multi-centric matched case control study on factors associated with sudden deaths among adults aged 18 to 45 in India is ongoing at around 40 hospitals/research centres.
• Another multicentric hospital-based matched case control study is underway at around 30 COVID-19 clinical registry hospitals to determine the effect of the Covid vaccine on thrombotic events among the population aged 18 to 45 in 2022 in India.

National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD):

• To address the health issues related to cardiovascular disease, the Centre’s Department of Health and Family Welfare provides technical and financial support to states and Union Territories under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD).
• Cardiovascular disease is an integral part of NP-NCD.
• The programme includes:
  • Strengthening infrastructure,
  • Human resource development,
  • Health promotion,
  • Population-based screening of the population in the 30-year and above age group under the Ayushman Bharat Health Wellness Centre,
  • Early diagnosis, and
  • Management and referral to an appropriate level of health care facility.
• Under NP-NCD, 724 district non-communicable disease clinics, 210 district cardiac care units, 326 district day care centres and 6,110 community health centre non-communicable disease clinics have been set up.

Government’s effort to provide accessible and affordable health care:

• To facilitate accessible and affordable health care and treatment under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary or tertiary care hospitalisation is provided to over 60 crore beneficiaries.
  • The treatment packages are comprehensive, covering various treatment related aspects such as drugs and diagnostic services.
• Under the umbrella scheme of the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi, financial assistance is provided to families living below the threshold poverty line for treatment in government hospitals.
• Besides, quality generic medicines are made available at affordable prices to all under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, in collaboration with the state governments.
• Affordable medicines and reliable implants for treatment (AMRIT) pharmacy stores have been set up in some hospitals/institutions with an objective to make available cardiovascular drugs at a substantial discount, vis-à-vis the maximum retail price.

2. Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia

Subject :International Relations

Section: Mapping

Context:

• Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s port and grain infrastructure as the Ukrainian counter-offensive to retake territory from Russia’s occupying forces continues.

Details:

• A key bridge linking Russia to Crimea was damaged.
• Ukraine’s counter-offensive is continuing with advances around the city of Bakhmut, as well as slow progress in the eastern Donetsk and south-eastern Zaporizhzhia regions.
• Russia has pulled out of a deal that ensured safe passage for grain shipments crossing the Black Sea.

About Black Sea Grain Initiative:

• It was set up to resume vital food and fertilizer exports from Ukraine to the rest of the world.
• It was brokered between Russia and Ukraine by the United Nations and Turkey.
• The Initiative allowed exports of grain, other foodstuffs, and fertilizer, including ammonia, to resume through a safe maritime humanitarian corridor from three key Ukrainian ports: Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Yuzhny/Pivdennyi, to the rest of the world.

• Russia’s decision to end the grain deal came after the Kerch Bridge, which allows travel between Russia and Crimea – Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in 2014 – was damaged.

3. Asiatic lion run over by goods train near Pipavav port in Gujarat’s Amreli district

Subject :Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

• An Asiatic lion was run over by a goods train, another was injured after being hit by the same train near the Pipavav port in Gujarat’s Amreli district.

Details:

• The incident took place in Uchaiya village, some 4 km north of the limits of the port in the Rajula range of the Shetrunji wildlife division.
• The four sub-adult lions—two males and two females—were trying to cross the railway track at the time of the incident.

Pipavav port:

• Port Pipavav, India’s second port in the private sector after Mundra Port, is a port on the West Coast of India for containers, bulk and liquid cargo.
  • Its lead promoter is APM Terminals, one of the largest container terminal operators in the world.
  • The services include pilotage/towage, cargo handling and logistics support.
• Port Pipavav is located in Rajula Saurashtra, Gujarat, at a distance of 90 km South of Amreli, 15 km South of Rajula and 140 km South West of Bhavnagar.
  • The port handles both bulk, container and liquid cargo.
• The port has a natural breakwater facing the wharves called Shialbet Island.
• The port is along the major trade routes and is close to the major Indian Port of Nhava Sheva.
• Pipavav is among the busiest ports of Gujarat and the railway line on which the accident took place connects the port with Surendranagar and gives the port access to the railway network of the country.
• Lions often enter even the area of the Pipavav port.

Main ports of Gujarat:

• The main ports in Gujarat are Kandla, Bhavnagar, Porbandar, Veraval, Okha, Bedi, Navlakhi, Mundra, Pipavav, Poshitra, Dahej, Magdalla and Hajira.
• Kandla is the biggest port among the other ports of Gujarat.

Asiatic lion:

• Asiatic lions’ only wild population in the world has been surviving in the Gir forest and other protected areas spread across Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath and Bhavnagar districts in the state’s Saurashtra region.
• Many lions have settled in the coastal belt of Rajula with a thicket of gando baval (prosopis juliflora) providing them shelter and a healthy prey base, mainly of blue bulls and wild boars.

National Parks in Gujarat region:

Wildlife sanctuaries in Gujarat:

4. Manipur violence: What is a Zero FIR and why it is registered

Subject :Polity

Section: Msc

Concept-

First information report (FIR):

• The term first information report (FIR) is not defined in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, or in any other law, but in police regulations or rules, information recorded under Section 154 of CrPC is known as First Information Report (FIR).
• Section 154 (“Information in cognizable cases”) says that “every information relating to the commission of a cognizable offence, if given orally to an officer in charge of a police station, shall be reduced to writing by him or under his direction, and be read over to the informant; and every such information, whether given in writing or reduced to writing as aforesaid, shall be signed by the person giving it, and the substance thereof shall be entered in a book to be kept by such officer in such form as the State Government may prescribe”.

What is a cognizable offence?

• A cognizable offence/case is one in which a police officer may, in accordance with the First Schedule of the CrPC, or under any other law for the time being in force, make an arrest without a warrant.
• In the First Schedule, “the word ‘cognizable’ stands for ‘a police officer may arrest without warrant’; and the word ‘non-cognizable’ stands for ‘a police officer shall not arrest without warrant’.”

What is the difference between a complaint and an FIR?

• The CrPC defines a “complaint” as “any allegation made orally or in writing to a Magistrate, with a view to his taking action under this Code, that some person, whether known or unknown, has committed an offence, but does not include a police report.”
• However, an FIR is the document that has been prepared by the police after verifying the facts of the complaint. The FIR may contain details of the crime and the alleged criminal.
• In case of non-cognizable offences, an FIR under Section 155 CrPC, commonly called “NCR”, is registered.
• No police officer shall investigate a non-cognizable case without the order of a Magistrate having power to try such case or commit the case for trial.”

What is a Zero FIR?

Unlike an FIR, which is restricted by jurisdiction, a zero FIR can be filed in any police station, regardless of whether the offence was committed under the jurisdiction of that particular police station. Whereas FIRs have serial numbers assigned zero FIRs are assigned the number ‘0’. Hence the name.

After a police station registers a zero FIR, it has to transfer the complaint to a police station that has the jurisdiction to investigate the alleged offence. Once a zero FIR is transferred, the police station with the appropriate jurisdiction assigns it a serial number, thereby converting it into a regular FIR. The concept of a zero FIR is relatively new and was introduced on the recommendation of the Justice Verma Committee in the in the aftermath of the Nirbhaya gang rape case in 2012 to put a legal obligation on police to take quick action and prevent them from using the excuse of absence of jurisidiction.

What if the police refuse to register an FIR?

• If no FIR is registered, the aggrieved persons can file a complaint under Section 156(3) CrPC before a concerned court which, if satisfied that a cognizable offence is made out from the complaint, will direct the police to register an FIR and conduct an investigation.

5. Varanasi court orders ASI survey of Gyanvapi mosque premises

Subject : History

Section: Art and Culture

Concept :

• The Varanasi court gave directions for a scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises by the Archaeological Survey of India.
• The survey will exclude the wuzukhana area which was sealed last year on the orders of the Supreme Court.
• This was after Hindu litigants pointed to the presence there of what they identified as a Shivling.

What is a Wuzukhana?

• A Wuzukhana is a place where the people who offer Namaz wash their hands and feet prior to the offering.
• It has significance in Islam as it is a place where dirt from the body is washed out before offering Namaz.
• Basically, Wuzukhana is derived from two words – Wuzu and Khana. Wuzu means washing parts of the body before offering Namaz and Khana is the place where Wuzu is performed.
• Wuzu is an Islamic process for washing bodily parts, a sort of ceremonial purification or ablution.
• Wuzu is sometimes interpreted as ‘partial ablution,’ as opposed to ghusl, which is ‘full ablution,’ in which the entire body is bathed.

For further notes on Gyanvapi Mosque Dispute, refer – https://optimizeias.com/gyanvapi-mosque-dispute/

6. Centre seeks more social diversity in judges’ appointment

Subject : Polity

Section: Judiciary

Concept :

• As per the Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of Judges in the Supreme Court and High Courts, the government appoints only those persons who are recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium
• Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are appointed under Articles 124, 217 and 224 of the Constitution of India, that do not provide for reservation for any caste or class.
• As per information provided by the recommenders, out of 604 High Court Judges appointed since 2018 till now, 458 Judges belong to the General Category.
• 18 judges belong to the SC category, nine are from the ST category, 72 from OBC category, 34 from Minority category and for the remaining 13 judges.

What prevents the judiciary from ensuring social diversity?

• A report prepared by the American bar Association’s Center for Human Rights, published, reveals the “persistence of implicit biases of upper-caste judges toward their colleagues from the Dalit community”. It quotes a former Chief Justice of a high court as disclosing that “he faced resistance from his upper-caste colleagues whenever he considered a Dalit lawyer for appointment as a judge in that High Court.”
• A retired upper caste Supreme Court judge quoted in the report admits the existence of a bias against Dalit judges in the higher judiciary that they are less meritorious since they are appointed through reservation, and which is why they don’t get easily promoted.

How did Parliament seek to ensure social diversity in judiciary?

• The Report by the Parliamentary Committee on the Welfare of SCs and STs submitted in 2001, recommended in this regard, that Articles 124 and 217 of the Constitution be suitably amended to include the judiciary within the ambit of reservation, and simultaneously a Judiciary Act may be enacted to spell out the governing principles of the proper functioning of the Judiciary, especially the Supreme Court and the High Courts.
• The Report by the Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, submitted in 2006 considered this issue in depth and categorically recommended reservation in favor of the SC, ST and OBCs in the higher judiciary, as with recruitment to all other public services in the country.
• Another recommendation is the formation of an All-India Judicial Service to recruit judges for the subordinate judiciary across the country, with reservation being applicable to the post of District Judges in all states. But there have been strong reservations against this proposal on the ground of federalism.

7. Use any Indian language as optional medium, says CBSE

Subject : Polity

Section: Constitution

Concept :

• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has asked its schools to consider using Indian languages as an optional medium of instruction to make multilingual education a reality.

About the initiative:

• The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), under directions of the Ministry of Education, has started gearing up to produce textbooks in 22 scheduled Indian languages to initiate teaching-learning through Indian language medium in addition to English medium in CBSE schools.
• These steps are in line with the provisions under National Education Policy 2020.
• The National Education Policy (NEP) says that wherever possible the medium of instruction in schools until Grade V and preferably until Grade VIII — should be the mother tongue or the local or regional language.

Constitutional Provisions

• Article 350 of the Indian Constitution states that “It shall be the endeavour of every State and of every local authority within the State to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups”.
• Part XVII of the Indian constitution deals with the official languages in Articles 343 to 351.

The Constitutional provisions related to the Eighth Schedule are:

• Article 344: Article 344(1) provides for the constitution of a Commission by the President on expiration of five years from the commencement of the Constitution.
• Article 351: It provides for the spread of the Hindi language to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India.

Official Languages of India:

• The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution lists the official languages of the republic of India.
• It consists of 22 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri.
• Of these languages, 14 were initially included in the Constitution.
• Sindhi language was added by the 21st Amendment Act of 1967.
• Konkani, Manipuri, and Nepali were included by the 71st Amendment Act of 1992.
• Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, and Santhali were added by the 92nd Amendment Act of 2003 which came into force in 2004.

National Education Policy

• The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 aims to transform India’s education system by ensuring universal access to quality education from pre-primary to secondary levels by 2030.
• The policy emphasizes multilingualism and Indian languages will be given priority. The medium of instruction until at least grade 5 will be the home language/mother tongue/local language/regional language.
• The policy also focuses on foundational literacy and numeracy, and a new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH, will be established to improve assessment reforms.
• The policy aims to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 50% by 2035.
• The Centre and states will work together to increase public investment in the education sector to reach 6% of GDP at the earliest.
• The policy also emphasizes teacher education and a separate Gender Inclusion Fund and Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups will be established.
• The policy aims to promote holistic and multidisciplinary education with multiple entry/exit options, and the National Research Foundation (NRF) will be established to support research and innovation.
• The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up as an overarching umbrella body for the promotion of the higher education sector, excluding medical and legal education.

8. Bill to repeal Wakf boards: IUML MP writes to Dhankhar

Subject : Polity

Section: Legislation in news

Concept :

• Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP Abdul Wahab has written to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar urging him not to allow the introduction of the Wakf Repeal Bill, a Private Member’s Bill moved by BJP MP Harnath Singh Yadav.
• The Bill, however, was not introduced on Friday as the House got adjourned without taking up any business as Opposition members protested over the Manipur violence.

Waqf

• Property given in the name of God for religious and charitable purposes.
• In legal terms, permanent dedication by a person professing Islam, of any movable or immovable property for any purpose recognised by the Muslim law as pious, religious or charitable.

How is waqf created?

• A waqf can be formed through a deed or instrument, or a property can be deemed waqf if it has been used for religious or charitable purposes for a long period of time.
• The proceeds are typically used to finance educational institutions, graveyards, mosques and shelter homes.
• A person creating the waqf cannot take back the property and the waqf would be a continuing entity.
• A non-Muslim can also create a waqf but the individual must profess Islam and the objective of creating the waqf has to be Islamic.

How is a waqf governed?

• Governed by the Waqf Act, 1995.
• A survey commissioner under the Act lists all properties declared as waqf by making local investigation, summoning witnesses and requisitioning public documents.
• The waqf is managed by a mutawali, who acts as a supervisor. It is similar to a trust established under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, but trusts can be set up for a broader purpose than religious and charitable uses. A trust established can also be dissolved by the board unlike a waqf.

Waqf Board

• It is a juristic person with power to acquire and hold property and to transfer any such property.
• The board can sue and be sued in a court as it is recognised as a legal entity or juristic person.
• Each state has a Waqf Board headed by a chairperson, one or two nominees from the state government, Muslim legislators and parliamentarians, Muslim members of the state Bar Council, recognised scholars of Islamic theology and mutawalis of the waqfs with an annual income of Rs 1 lakh and above.

Private Member Bill:

Private Member’s Bill:

• Any Member of Parliament (MP) who is not a minister is referred to as a private member.
• The purpose of private member’s bill is to draw the government’s attention to what individual MPs see as issues and gaps in the existing legal framework, which require legislative intervention. Thus it reflects the stand of the opposition party on public matters.
• Its drafting is the responsibility of the member concerned.
• Its introduction in the House requires one month’s notice.
• The government bills can be introduced and discussed on any day, private member’s bills can be introduced and discussed only on Fridays.
• Its rejection by the House has no implication on the parliamentary confidence in the government or its resignation.
• The last time a private member’s bill was passed by both Houses was in 1970. It was the Supreme Court (Enlargement of Criminal Appellate Jurisdiction) Bill, 1968.
• 14 private member’s bills — five of which were introduced in Rajya Sabha — have become law so far.
• Some other private member bills that have become laws include-

1. Proceedings of Legislature (Protection of Publication) Bill, 1956, in the Lok Sabha;
2. The Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 1964, introduced by in the Lok Sabha and
3. The Indian Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 1967 introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

9. Refugee camps in Chad

Subject : International Relations

Section: Mapping

Concept :

• People of all ages have crossed from Sudan to Koufroun, a small border village in Chad, to flee the fighting that erupted two weeks ago between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces.

Background / Sudan Crisis

• Fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the country’s main paramilitary group on April 15,2023.
• Paramilitary forces claim to have taken control of the international airport in Khartoum as well as a second airport in Meroe.
• The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces also claimed to have taken over the Presidential Palace and Army Chief General Burhan’s residence.
• Many videos appeared on social media showing armed fighters driving across the runway of the city’s international airport, conducting checkpoints at crucial traffic intersections, and moving through residential areas.

About Chad

• It is a landlocked state in north-central Africa.
• It is named after Lake Chad.
• This is the second-largest lake in Africa (after Lake Victoria) and its basin covers parts of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
• The Sahara Desert roughly covers one third of the country.
• The south has large expanses of wooded savannas and woodlands.
• Chad is also a part of the Sahel region.
• Sahel is a semiarid region of western and north-central Africa extending from Senegal eastward to Sudan.
• It forms a transitional zone between the arid Sahara (desert) to the north and the belt of humid savannas to the south.
• Chad became an oil-producing nation in 2003, with the completion of a USD 4bn pipeline linking its oilfields to terminals on the Atlantic coast

10. Can’t ask govt. to recognize a language as official one: SC

Subject : Polity

Section: Constitution

Concept :

• The Supreme Court on Friday said it cannot direct the Centre to include Rajasthani as an official language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
• A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said the subject of the petition concerns a policy matter.
• SC said that this is a policy matter and not for the courts to give a
• The court referred to a 1997 reported decision of the Supreme Court in the Kanhaiya Lal Sethia case to note that “to include or not to include a particular language in the VIIIth Schedule is a policy matter of the Union”.

Article 32

• Article 32 is one of the fundamental rights listed in the Constitution that each citizen is entitled.
• Article 32 deals with the ‘Right to Constitutional Remedies’, or affirms the right to move the Supreme Court by appropriate proceedings for the enforcement of the rights conferred in Part III of the Constitution.
• Only if fundamental rights is violated can a person can approach the Supreme Court directly under Article 32.
• Both the High Courts and the Supreme Court can be approached for violation or enactment of fundamental rights through five kinds of writs:
• Habeas corpus – related to personal liberty in cases of illegal detentions and wrongful arrests
• Mandamus — directing public officials, governments, courts to perform a statutory duty;
• Quo warranto — to show by what warrant is a person holding public office;
• Prohibition — directing judicial or quasi-judicial authorities to stop proceedings which it has no jurisdiction for; and
• Certiorari — re-examination of an order given by judicial, quasi-judicial or administrative authorities.
• When it comes to violation of fundamental rights, an individual can approach the High Court under Article 226 or the Supreme Court directly under Article 32. Article 226, however, is not a fundamental right like Article 32.

11. Adjournment Motion

Subject : Polity

Section: Parliament and Legislature

Concept :

• Rule in Lok Sabha allows an MP to urge the Speaker to adjourn the House’s business “to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance”. The Speaker has to decide whether to allow the MP to move the motion.
• It results in the House dropping its scheduled list of business to discuss this urgent matter.
• The adjournment motion is a form of censure of the government. It originated in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom, and started its journey in India under the  rules of the pre-independent bicameral legislature established under the Government of India Act of 1919.

Post Independence

• The Council of Ministers became collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.
• As a result, in 1952, the adjournment motion found a place in the Lok Sabha Rule Book and it was left out of Rajya Sabha.
• Second, was the view of Lok Sabha Speakers on the use of adjournment motions by members.
• Given the availability of other procedural devices in the Rule Book for MP to raise urgent matters, LokSabha Speakers have been reluctant to allow adjournment motions.
• Most Lok Sabha have spentless than 3% of their time on adjournment motions.

In Rajya Sabha

• Over the years, Rajya Sabha MPs have used Rule 267 to suspend Question Hour in the House to raise urgent matter

Adjournment motion

• Adjournment motion is introduced only in the Lok Sabha to draw the attention of the House to a definite matter of urgent public importance.
• It involves an element of censure against the government, therefore Rajya Sabha is not permitted to make use of this device
• It is regarded as an extraordinary device as it interrupts the normal business of the House. It needs the support of 50 members to be admitted.
• The discussion on this motion should last for not less than two hours and thirty minutes.
• However, right to move a motion for an adjournment of the business of the House is subject to the following restrictions. i.e. It should:
• Raise a matter which is definite, factual, urgent and of public importance.
• Not cover more than one matter.
• Be restricted to a specific matter of recent occurrence.
• Not raise a question of privilege.
• Not revive discussion on a matter that has been discussed in the same session.
• Not deal with any matter that is under adjudication of court.
• Not raise any question that can be raised on a distinct motion.

12. Bacteriophage

Subject :Science and technology

Section: biotechnology

• Many biologists believe there is, at least for one specific type of virus — namely, bacteriophages, or viruses that infect bacteria, there is reason to celebrate about virus.
  • When the DNA of these viruses is captured by a cell, it may contain instructions that enable that cell to perform new tricks.
• Bacteriophages, or phages for short, keep bacterial populations in check, both on land and at sea. They kill up to 40 per cent of the oceans’ bacteria every day, helping control bacterial blooms and redistribution of organic matter.
• Their ability to selectively kill bacteria also has medical doctors excited. Natural and engineered phages have been successfully used to treat bacterial infections that do not respond to antibiotics. This process, known as phage therapy, could help fight antibiotic resistance.
• Recent research points to another important function of phages: They may be nature’s ultimate genetic tinkerers, crafting novel genes that cells can retool to gain new functions.
• Phages are the most abundant life form on the planet, with a nonillion — that’s a 1 with 31 zeroes after it — of them floating around the world at any moment. Like all viruses, phages also have high replication and mutation rates, meaning they form many variants with different characteristics each time they reproduce.
• Most phages have a rigid shell called a capsid that is filled with their genetic material. In many cases, the shell has more space than the phage needs to store the DNA essential for its replication. This means that phages have room to carry extra genetic baggage: Genes that are not actually necessary for the phage’s survival that it can modify at will.

How bacteria retooled a viral switch

• Phages come in two main flavours: temperate and virulent. Virulent phages, like many other viruses, operate on an invade-replicate-kill programme. They enter the cell, hijack its components, make copies of themselves and burst out.
• Temperate phages, on the other hand, play the long game. They fuse their DNA with the cell’s and may lay dormant for years until something triggers their activation. Then they revert to virulent behaviour: replicate and burst out.
• Many temperate phages use DNA damage as their trigger. It’s sort of a “Houston, we have a problem” signal. If the cell’s DNA is being damaged, that means the DNA of the resident phage is likely to go next, so the phage wisely decides to jump ship. The genes that direct phages to replicate and burst out are turned off unless DNA damage is detected.

• Bacterial cells are also interested in knowing if their DNA is getting busted. If it is, they activate a set of genes that attempt to repair the DNA. This is known as the bacterial SOS response because, if it fails, the cell is toast. Bacteria orchestrate the SOS response using a switch-like protein that responds to DNA damage: It turns on if there is damage and stays off if there isn’t.

Who invented the switch, bacteria or viruses?

• Previous research and work by other researchers indicates that phages got there first.
• In recent report, we discovered that the SOS response of Bacteroidetes, a group of bacteria that comprise up to a half of the bacteria living in your gut, is under control of a phage switch that was retooled to implement the bacteria’s own complex genetic programmes.
• This suggests that bacterial SOS switches are in fact phage switches that got retooled eons ago.

• Beautiful detective work has shown that a bacterial gene needed for cell division also arose through “domestication” of a phage toxin gene.
• And many bacterial attack systems, such as toxins and the genetic guns used to inject them into cells, as well as the camouflage they use to evade the immune system, are known or suspected to have phage origins.

13. Mangroves  role in coastal security

Subject : Environment

Section: Ecosystem

• Mangroves help in coping with floods by acting as barriers through factors such as bottom friction, the cross-shore width of forests, tree density and shape, which can help in reducing the force of flood waves as they pass through the mangrove forests.
• The aerial roots of mangrove forests retain sediments and stabilise the soil in the areas between high tide and low tide (intertidal areas) by reducing erosion during storms and floods.
• The roots, trunk and canopy of the mangroves can dissipate storm surges and waves. Studies show that mangroves can reduce up to 66 percent of wave energy in the first 100 m of forest width.
• Mangroves can also cope with sea level rise through gradual vertical growth.

14. India’s wholesale prices remain in deflationary territory for third successive month in June

Subject :Economy

Section: Inflation and unemplyment

What is Deflation?

Deflation occurs when asset and consumer prices fall over time. t is the opposite of the often-encountered inflation.

A reduction in money supply or credit availability is the reason for deflation in most cases. Reduced investment spending by government or individuals may also lead to this situation.

Impact:

Deflation leads to a problem of increased unemployment due to slack in demand.

What can RBI do?

They may infuse a higher money supply into the economy to counter- balance the deflationary impact.

Is deflation similar to disinflation?
Deflation is different from disinflation as the latter implies decrease in the level of inflation whereas on the other hand deflation implies negative inflation.

15. Seema Haider writes to President for Indian citizenship; invokes celebrities, legendary love stories, govt slogans

Subject :Polity

Section: Constitution

Context: Seema Haider , a Pakistani citizen crossed border to enter India to live with her love.

Concept of Citizenship

• Citizenship is listed in the Union List under the Constitution and thus is under the exclusive jurisdiction of Parliament.
• The Constitution does not define the term ‘citizen’ but details of various categories of persons who are entitled to citizenship are given in Part 2 (Articles 5 to 11).
• Unlike other provisions of the Constitution, which came into being on January 26, 1950, these articles were enforced on November 26, 1949 itself, when the Constitution was adopted.
• Article 5: It provided for citizenship on commencement of the Constitution.
  • All those domiciled and born in India were given citizenship.
  • Even those who were domiciled but not born in India, but either of whose parents were born in India, were considered citizens.
  • Anyone who had been an ordinary resident for more than five years, too, was entitled to apply for citizenship.
• Article 6: It provided rights of citizenship of certain persons who have migrated to India from Pakistan.
  • Since Independence was preceded by Partition and migration, Article 6 laid down that anyone who migrated to India before July 19, 1949, would automatically become an Indian citizen if either of his parents or grandparents was born in India.
  • But those who entered India after this date needed to register themselves.
• Article 7: Provided Rights of citizenship of certain migrants to Pakistan.
  • Those who had migrated to Pakistan after March 1, 1947 but subsequently returned on resettlement permits were included within the citizenship net.
  • The law was more sympathetic to those who migrated from Pakistan and called them refugees than to those who, in a state of confusion, were stranded in Pakistan or went there but decided to return soon.
• Article 8: Provided Rights of citizenship of certain persons of Indian origin residing outside India.
  • Any Person of Indian Origin residing outside India who, or either of whose parents or grandparents, was born in India could register himself or herself as an Indian citizen with Indian Diplomatic Mission.
• Article 9: Provided that if any person voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign State will no longer be a citizen of India.
• Article 10: It says that every person who is or is deemed to be a citizen of India under any of the foregoing provisions of this Part shall, subject to the provisions of any law that may be made by Parliament, continue to be such citizen.
• Article 11: It empowers Parliament to make any provision with respect to the acquisition and termination of citizenship and all matters relating to it.
• India does not allow dual citizenship. According to Section 9 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, any Indian citizen who acquires foreign citizenship ceases to be an Indian citizen.
• “Any citizen of India who by naturalization, registration, otherwise voluntarily acquires, or has at any time between the 26th January, 1950 and the commencement of this Act, voluntarily acquired the citizenship of another country shall, upon such acquisition or, as the case may be, such commencement, cease to be a citizen of India,” Section 9 says.
• The only exception when this law does not apply is when the two concerned countries are at war with each other.
• Neither the Act nor the Citizenship Rules of 2009 specify any procedure required for termination of citizenship in case of acquisition of foreign citizenship.
• Legal experts say the law is clear that Indian citizenship will cease to exist the moment one acquires foreign citizenship.
• The Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, does not allow dual citizenship.
• The Government of India has prescribed imposition of penalty on a graded scale, depending on number of trips made on Indian passport after acquiring foreign nationality, for the violation of Passport Rules and retention of Indian Passport for more than three years after acquiring of foreign nationality.
• The Citizenship Act, 1955 has rules for acquisition and loss of citizenship in India. Articles 5 to 11 in Part 2 of the Indian constitution has the provisions of citizenship.

Acquisition and Determination of Indian Citizenship

• There are four ways in which Indian citizenship can be acquired: birth, descent, registration and naturalisation. The provisions are listed under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
• By Birth:
• Every person born in India on or after 26.01.1950 but before 01.07.1987 is an Indian citizen irrespective of the nationality of his/her parents.
• Every person born in India between 01.07.1987 and 02.12.2004 is a citizen of India given either of his/her parents is a citizen of the country at the time of his/her birth.
• Every person born in India on or after 3.12.2004 is a citizen of the country given both his/her parents are Indians or at least one parent is a citizen and the other is not an illegal migrant at the time of birth.
• By Registration: Citizenship can also be acquired by registration. Some of the mandatory rules are:
• A person of Indian origin who has been a resident of India for 7 years before applying for registration.
• A person of Indian origin who is a resident of any country outside undivided India.
• A person who is married to an Indian citizen and is ordinarily resident for 7 years before applying for registration.
• Minor children of persons who are citizens of India.
• By Descent:
• A person born outside India on or after January 26, 1950 is a citizen of India by descent if his/her father was a citizen of India by birth.
• A person born outside India on or after December 10, 1992, but before December 3, 2004 if either of his/her parent was a citizen of India by birth.
• If a person born outside India or or after December 3, 2004 has to acquire citizenship, his/her parents have to declare that the minor does not hold a passport of another country and his/her birth is registered at an Indian consulate within one year of birth.
• By Naturalisation:
• A person can acquire citizenship by naturalisation if he/she is ordinarily resident of India for 12 years (throughout 12 months preceding the date of application and 11 years in the aggregate) and fulfils all qualifications in the third schedule of the Citizenship Act.
• The Act does not provide for dual citizenship or dual nationality. It only allows citizenship for a person listed under the provisions above ie: by birth, descent, registration or naturalisation.

Termination of Indian Citizenship

• The Citizenship Act, 1955 cites three reasons for the termination of citizenship;
• Voluntary Renunciation
• By Termination
• By Deprivation