Daily Prelims Notes 25 September 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

25 September 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Argo Processing Clusters (APC)
2. Surety Bond Insurance
3. Antidumping probe initiated against 3 Chinese products
4. How to measure India’s growth
5. AIFs may be allowed to issue participatory notes from IFSC
6. DPDP Act: The grievance redressal process
7. India plans G20 regulators’ dialogue in November to streamline standards-
8. Saudi Arabia, Arab League, and EU launch Mideast Peace Day Effort
9. Biden to host leader of Pacific Islands , Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)
10. India and UN launch Global Capacity Building Initiative
11. Mass March in Spain against amnesty for Catalan separatists
12. Land around Assam monastery to be reserved for indigenous people
13. Defence Procurement Board discusses Navy’s proposal for a second Vikrant-like aircraft carrier
14. Galactic tides: Pushing and pulling the heavens
15. Combing operations held at Mukurthi national park, adjoining areas
16. Hybrid seeds are becoming increasingly popular in India. But that is not good news; here is why
17. This marine bacterium could become a major threat to coastal populations in the future
18. The Fukushima N-wastewater controversy
19. Genomic clues suggest humans’ ancestors nearly went extinct 9L years ago

1. Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Argo Processing Clusters (APC)

Subject: Schemes

Section: Food

Context: Just two out of 70 projects approved under the Ministry of Food Processing Industries’ Agro Processing Clusters (APC) scheme are complete and operational as per latest government figures

• Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has been implementing the Scheme for Creation of Infrastructure for Agro Processing Clusters (APC) under the Umbrella Scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) to incentivize  setting up of agro processing clusters in the country.
• Through an agro processing cluster, the scheme intends to facilitate the setting up of basic infrastructure including roads and drainage, and common facilities for food processing units including warehouses and cold storage
• Under the Scheme, processing/preservation infrastructure like cold storage, pre-cooling chambers, ripening chambers, IQF, specialized packaging, Food testing laboratory, cleaning/ grading/sorting and packing facilities, steam generation boilers, warehouses etc. are being created as part of cluster approach for use of food processing units to be / being set up under these projects.
• The Scheme envisages grants-in-aid @35% of eligible project cost in general areas and @50% of eligible project cost in the North East States (including Sikkim) and difficult areas namely Himalayan States/UTs (i.e. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Uttarakhand), State notified ITDP areas, Islands and SC/ST entrepreneurs subject to max. of Rs. 10.00 crore per project. Till date Ministry has approved 56 projects under the scheme.
• A subcomponent of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sampada Yojana scheme, beneficiaries under the APC scheme are given up to Rs 10 crore in three phases of grants to set up an agro processing cluster for at least 5 food processing units with a minimum investment of Rs 25 crore. Beneficiaries are required to either own 10 acres of land or lease an equivalent size for at least 50 years. The cost of land is not eligible for inclusion in the total project cost.
• Further, MoFPI has been implementing a separate scheme for development of Mega Food Parks (MFPs). So far, MoFPI has sanctioned 37 MFPs and given in-principle approval for 2 MFPs in the country.
• The APC scheme is a modified version of the ministry’s Mega Food Parks (MFP) scheme which was discontinued in 2021 as it could not achieve its desired outcomes.

2. Surety Bond Insurance

Subject :Economy

Section: Capital Market

Context: The ambitious plan of the government to launch the Surety Insurance Bonds market – an alternative to bank guarantees in infrastructure projects — has failed to take off in the last three years due to technical and financial impediments

What is Surety Bond?

• Surety Bond is a three-party agreement that legally binds together a principal who needs the bond, an obligee who requires the bond and a surety company that sells the bond.
• Surety bonds provide financial guarantee that contracts will be completed according to predefined and mutual terms.
• Surety bond is provided by the insurance company on behalf of the contractor to the entity which is awarding the project. When a principal breaks a bond’s terms, the harmed party can make a claim on the bond to recover losses.
• It can effectively replace the system of bank guarantee issued by banks for projects and help reduce risks due to cost overrun, project delays and poor contract performance
• Surety bonds are mainly aimed at infrastructure development, mainly to reduce indirect cost for suppliers and work-contractors thereby diversifying their options and acting as a substitute for bank guarantee.
• Currently, Surety Bond for contractors is not being offered by insurance companies in the market to guarantee satisfactory completion of a project by a contractor and provide performance security to various government agencies

IRDAI guidelines for surety bonds:

• The premium charged for all surety insurance policies under written in a financial year, including all instalments due in subsequent years for those policies, should not exceed 10 per cent of the total gross written premium of that year, subject to a maximum of Rs 500 crore.
• The limit of guarantee should not exceed 30 per cent of the contract value. Surety Insurance contracts should be issued only to specific projects and not clubbed for multiple projects.

3. Antidumping probe initiated against 3 Chinese products

Subject: Economy

Section: External Sector

Context: India has suo motu initiated anti-dumping investigations on as many as three different products from China in the last few days as part of its overall effort to guard MSME units against the onslaught of cheap imports from neighbouring countries.

Details :

• The three products are telescopic channel drawer sliders, fasteners and unframed glass mirrors.
• Three separate notifications have been initiated by the Director General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) for suo motu initiation of anti-dumping probe. This follows on the heels of India initiating anti-dumping probe on sulphur black and certain vacuum flasks from China.
• Move intended to protect MSME units from Chinese imports onslaught
• Industry observers noted that this is probably the first time India had initiated suo motu anti-dumping investigations on three different products at the same time.
• In 2022-23, nearly 72 percent of Indian demand of 1.10 lakh tonnes was accounted for by imports from China.
• In the case of fasteners, Apt Tools and Machinery along with Northern Screw Association filed a representation before DGTR seeking anti-dumping duty on nuts, bolts and screws from China. Most of the domestic producers are MSME units.
• In 2022-23, India’s merchandise trade deficit with China stood at $83 billion.
• It maybe recalled that the anti-dumping directorate’s first ever suo motu investigation was in the year 2000 on dry batteries from China. Duties were imposed on dry batteries for a period of five years.

Concept

• Anti-dumping duties are imposed when it is conclusively proved that a particular item is being exported at a price lower than what is prevailing in the domestic market of the exporter and is leading to disruption in the domestic market, injuring the local producers
• An anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value.
• Dumping is a process where a company exports a product at a price lower than the price it normally charges in its own home market.
• The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and exporters.
• The duty is imposed only after a thorough investigation by a quasi-judicial body, such as Directorate General of Trade Remedies, in India.
• The imposition of anti-dumping duty is permissible under the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime

4. How to measure India’s growth

Subject :Economy

Section: National income

Key Points:

• While the recently released economic growth numbers for India are promising, there is some sub-text that needs to get the correct and more realistic picture of India’s economic performance.
• Some of the major concers are:  inflationary pressures, a falling rupee, fluctuations in tax revenue streams and an apprehensive outlook on the agriculture sector in Q1 FY24,
• Thus a reading of the Indian growth story   based just on quarterly numbers may be ignoring some major concerns.
• The Q1 data covering the GDP growth rate from April to June of FY24 boasts a nominal growth rate of 8% and a real growth rate of 7.8%. These are calculated by the National Statistics Office (NSO).

The major issues are as follows:

• NSO made use of the income approach of calculating GDP rather than the expenditure approach. The assumption generally is that both methods lead to similar results.  expenditure approach dictates headline growth to be 4.5% rather than 7.8% which is a large discrepancy.
• Another essential statistical operation is the adjusting for inflation using the price deflator. In this case, deflation due to falling commodity prices, reflected in the wholesale price index, has worked to overstate the real growth. 
• There is also the problem of a base effect from the COVID-19 degrowth period,
• Further future worries are there regarding inflation and a weakening rupee, and revenue concerns:
  • It is doubtful if the inflation rate calculated through the consumer price index can be sustained at current levels with the impending depreciation of the Indian rupee.
  • Ruppe depreciation against the dollar is due to capital outflow pressures resulting from the RBI’s reluctance to raise interest rates.
  • India is a net importer, and its most significant import consists of crude petroleum, whose price seems to be rising due to Saudi’s $100 per barrel push and rupee depreciation.
  • Moreover, the government’s tax revenue from direct taxes has weakened over the previous quarter while the indirect tax revenue remained strong, indicating a K-shaped pattern.
  • The income streams from progressive taxation (more significant tax burden on those higher on the income ladder) seem to be a laggard compared to its regressive counterpart
  • Direct and personal taxes should (in the absence of any significant policy changes) have grown closer to the nominal growth rate than it has currently.

5. AIFs may be allowed to issue participatory notes from IFSC

Subject : Economy

Section: Capital market

In News: Alternative investment funds (AIF)s may be allowed to issue participatory notes from IFSC.

Key Points:

• A Working group formed to assess viability of extending the facility of issuing PNs by AIFs.
• The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) is mulling allowing alternative investment funds (AIFs) to issue offshore derivative instruments (ODIs) or participatory notes from GIFT IFSC.
•  P-notes allow overseas investors to take indirect exposure to Indian securities without registering with the country’s market regulator.
• This year’s Budget recognised ODIs as a valid contract if issued by offshore banking units registered as foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
• At present Sixty-three AIFs are currently registered at IFSC but not all of these are FPIs.

How it works:

• An AIF registered in IFSC will take up an FPI licence. It will buy, say, RIL shares listed on National Stock Exchange or BSE and issue a contract against that in IFSC to a non-resident or foreign investor.
• Accordingly, the AIF in IFSC will hold the RIL shares and pass on the returns to the investor at an appropriate date.

How AIF different from FII?

• Regulations will have to be tweaked to allow AIFs to manage a segregated portfolio.
• FIIs are operated as arms of foreign banks, typically get into one-on-one contracts with investors that want to invest in P-notes.
• AIFs, however, cannot get into such contracts. That’s because these funds are pooled vehicles, with returns linked to units that are assigned a common net asset value.
• Transfer of P-notes or distributions made by an offshore banking unit at an IFSC to a foreign investor is currently exempt from tax. A similar provision will have to be made available for AIFs as well.

Note: Earlier P-notes were issued with cash equities, debt or derivatives as underlying. In 2018, the market regulator banned FPIs from issuing P-notes with derivatives as underlying, except for hedging purposes. At its peak, P-note issuances formed 7-8 per cent of total FPI assets under custody. This has dwindled to about 2 per cent post the ban.

6. DPDP Act: The grievance redressal process

Subject : Polity

Section: Legislation in news

Key Points:

• Data fiduciaries have certain obligations towards the data principals including access to a grievance redressal mechanis.
•  The recently enacted Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) has an inbuilt multilayered mechanism for addressing grievances.
• According to the Act, while requesting for consent, a data fiduciary must provide data principals with specific information that includes a reference to this right of grievance redressal, as well as a description of how to make a complaint to the Data Protection Board of India (DPBI).
• The DPBI will have the powers of a civil court involving government-appointed subject-matter experts under the auspices of a ‘digital office’
• A data fiduciary is required to protect the personal data in its possession (including data processed by a third party on its behalf) by taking reasonable security safeguards to prevent unauthorised processing, accidental disclosures and other incidents that may constitute a breach.
• The redressal system:
  • If and when a breach occurs, the data fiduciary needs to inform the DPBI and each affected data principal about it, even if the breach is a minor one or relates to non-sensitive data.
  • After receiving such intimation, the DPBI may direct urgent remedial or mitigation measures, as well as inquire into the breach and impose penalties.
  • The data principals may also make a separate complaint to the DPBI about data breaches or non-performance of obligations.
  • While the data fiduciary must respond to grievances within a stipulated period, data principals need to exhaust all avenues of redressal before approaching the DPBI.
  • Once the case reaches the DPBI, it gives an entity the opportunity of being heard after which the Board may issue binding directions.
  • In parallel, the DPBI will also decide if there are sufficient grounds to warrant an inquiry before closing or continuing with such proceedings. If yes, the DPBI will examine the affairs of the entity based on principles of natural justice.
  •  In each step, the DPBI will maintain a record of written and reasoned findings. Interim orders may be issued during this process.
  • After giving the entity another chance to defend itself, a monetary penalty, going up to ₹250 crore for each breach, with no aggregate cap, may be imposed.
  •  If one is aggrieved by the order/direction from the DPBI itself, an appeal may be filed within 60 days before the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) — the decision of which is further appealable before the Supreme Court. Like the DPBI, the TDSAT is intended to function as a digital office, bearing the powers of a civil court

7. India plans G20 regulators’ dialogue in November to streamline standards-

Subject : IR

Section: International Organisation

Context: India plans G20 regulators’ dialogue in November to streamline various standards.

Key Points:

• India is planning to hold a regulators’ dialogue at the closing online G20 Summit proposed in November 2023.
• G20 nations, plus 9 invitees nations, to come and discuss on a mutual basis how Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) can be done, and how we can stream-line standards rather than have every country repeat the same tests which end up impeding trade.
• There are already some existing international standards, such as the Codex for food items and the well defined maximum residue limit (MRL)s, on which countries could try and have some kind of understanding.
• For exports it comes as a barrier and bottleneck as costs go up.
• G20 economies rank among the main notifiers of SPS measures, accounting for 65 per cent of total regular notifications (including revisions and addenda) and 35 percent of emergency notifications (including revisions.

8. Saudi Arabia, Arab League, and EU launch Mideast Peace Day Effort

Subject :IR

Section: Groupings

More about the news:

• The initiative aims to create a “Peace Supporting Package” that will yield benefits for both Palestinians and Israelis upon reaching a peace agreement.
• This package includes detailed programs and contributions contingent on achieving a final status agreement, motivating sincere efforts toward peace.
•  It is built upon the Arab Peace Initiative and the 2013 EU peace support offer, seeking to elaborate on their benefits and garner international support.
• The initiative emphasizes preserving the Two-State Solution based on the 1967 borders, respecting international law and UN Security Council Resolutions, and maintaining the Status Quo of Jerusalem’s Holy Sites.
• Working groups were established to outline the components of the “Peace Supporting Package.“
• These groups focus on political and security cooperation, economic and environmental cooperation, and the human dimension of peace.
• The progress will be assessed every three months, with the goal of having the “Peace Supporting Package” ready for presentation by September 2024.

9. Biden to host leader of Pacific Islands , Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)

Subject :IR

Section: Groupings

Context: Biden to host leader of Pacific Islands to counter China Influence;

More about the news:

• President Joe Biden is set to host leaders of Pacific Islands in two-day U.S.-Pacific Island Forum Summit 
• President Joe Biden is set to establish diplomatic relations Monday with two South Pacific nations, the Cook Islands and Niue.
• The forum includes Australia, the Cook Islands, Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

What are Pacific Island Countries:

• The Pacific Island Countries are a cluster of 14 states which are located largely in the tropical zone of the Pacific Ocean between Asia, Australia and the Americas.
• They include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
• The islands are divided on the basis of physical and human geography into three distinct parts — Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.
• Despite their small land area, the islands are spread out over a wide swath of the Pacific Ocean. Kiribati and FSM, have EEZs larger than that of India.

What is Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)

• FIPIC is a multinational grouping developed for cooperation between India and 14 PICs, namely Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
• It was launched in November 2014 and the first FIPIC summit was held in Suva, Fiji in 2014 and the second one was held in Jaipur, India in 2015.
• The 3rd Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on May 22, 2023.
• It was co-chaired by Indian and Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister and attended by 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs).

10. India and UN launch Global Capacity Building Initiative

Subject :IR

Section: International Organisation

Context: India and the UN have jointly launched an initiative aimed at building the capacity of countries in the Global South.

More about the news:

• India and the United Nations have launched a collaborative project to assist countries in the Global South. It focuses on sharing India’s development experiences and expertise through capacity-building programs.
• The initiative was introduced at the India-UN for the Global South event in New York.
• This initiative complements the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, which has supported 75 development projects in 61 countries over the past six years.
• UN India and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will collaborate to utilize India’s Technical and Economic Cooperation platform, strengthening the initiative’s impact.
• The initiative will implement development-related goals from India’s G20 Presidency, including advancing progress on Sustainable Development Goals, technological transformation, and building Digital Public Infrastructure.

What is Global South:

• The Global South is a term often used to identify the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
• The term “Global South” was first coined by a social activist Carl Oglesby in 1969.
• It is an analogous term to “Third World” and “Periphery” that denote regions outside Europe and North America, mostly low-income and often politically or culturally marginalized countries.
• Countries of the Global South have been described as newly industrialized or in the process of industrializing, and are frequently current or former subjects of colonialism.
• As such, the term does not refer to geographical south; for example, most of the Global South is geographically within the Northern Hemisphere.

11. Mass March in Spain against amnesty for Catalan separatists

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

More about the news:

• Tens of thousands of Spaniards protested in Madrid against possible plans by acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to grant an amnesty to Catalan separatists.
• Withdrawing criminal cases against the separatists would amount to granting an amnesty to “coup plotters”.

Some facts about Catalonia:

• Catalonia is an autonomous community in the north-eastern corner of Spain.
• Catalonia consists of four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona.
• It is bordered by France (Occitanie) and Andorra to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, and the Spanish autonomous communities of Aragon to the west and Valencia to the south.
• Since the 2010s there has been growing support for Catalan independence. On 27 October 2017, the Catalan Parliament declared unilateral independence following a disputed referendum.

12. Land around Assam monastery to be reserved for indigenous people

Subject :History

Section: Art and culture

Source: TH

Context:

• The Assam government is working on a law to create an indigenous-only zone around Batadrava, the birthplace of 15th-16th century saint-reformer Srimanta Sankaradeva who propounded neo-Vaishnavism.

Batadrava than:

• Batadrava, which is in Nagaon district, is about 130 km east of Guwahati.
• The land within the 8 km radius around  Batadrava Than will be conserved for khilonjia (indigenous people) only.
• ‘Than’ means a sacred place in Assamese society.
  • Batadrava Than is the first Than or the first institution set up by Srimanta Sankaradeva for propagation of EKA SARANA NAMA DHARMA founded by him.
  • He also built the ‘Monikut’ together with Kirtanghar or Namghar and the ‘Cari-Hati’ (four clusters of quarters) for accommodation of his disciples.
  • This full-fledged Than complex came up in 1509. Simhasana or Guru Asana (altar of God) was placed in the Monikut with the holy scripture ‘Bhagavata’ on it without any idol.
• The Thans founded by Srimanta Sankaradeva are Gangmou, Belaguri,Patbausi, Kumarkuchi, Sunpora, and Madhupur.
• Later many Sattras were set up by his followers all over the Brahmaputra valley.
• All these were designed like Batadrava Than. But of all these Thans and Sattras,Batadrava Than is the unique one. Devotees visiting different Thans/Satras as well as the prominent sacred places and temples in Jaganath Puri, Brindavan, Badarikasram, Gaya, Kashi etc. consider Batadrava as one of the principal places of worship.

About Srimanta Sankaradeva:

• Srimanta Sankardev (1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of Assam, India.
• He is widely credited with building on past cultural relics and devising new forms of music (Borgeet), theatrical performance (Ankia Naat, Bhaona), dance (Sattriya), literary language (Brajavali).
• Social contribution:
  • He is considered as the father of the modern Assamese race. He rescued the people of Brahmaputra valley from the regressive medieval practices like human sacrifice.
• Religious contribution:
  • The Bhagavatic religious movement he started, Ekasarana Dharma and also called Neo-Vaishnavite movement, influenced two medieval kingdoms – Koch and the Ahom kingdom – and the assembly of devotees he initiated evolved over time into monastic centers called Sattras, which continue to be important socio-religious institutions in Assam and to a lesser extent in North Bengal.
  • EKA SARABA NAMA DHARMA religion ( Neo- Vaishnavite movement):
    • His religion EKA SARANA NAMA DHARMA is very simple. There is no unnecessary ritual in his order. Srimanta Sankaradeva advocated ‘EKA DEVA, EKA SEVA, EKA BINEY NAHI KEWA’, which means one should worship none but one God, who is Lord Krishna.
    • Batadrava or Bordowa became the centre of his religious activities. As such, Batadrava has been regarded as the Dvitiya Vaikuntha (second heaven).
  • Sankardev inspired the Bhakti movement in Assam just as Guru Nanak, Ramananda, Namdev, Kabir, Basava and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu inspired it elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent.
• Literary and artistic contribution:
  • He has left an extensive literary oeuvre of trans-created scriptures (Bhagavat of Sankardev), poetry and theological works written in Sanskrit, Assamese and Brajavali.
  • Srimanta Sankaradeva used to write scriptures sitting below one Shilikha (Myrobalan) tree near the Kirtanghar. That tree is still alive even after five and half centuries, which is a wonder.
  • He created a classical dance form known both as Sankari dance and Satriya dance. The Sangeet Nâtak Akâdemi of India recognized it as a classical dance form in 2000 AD.
  • Srimanta Sankaradeva also developed a school of classical music, which is named after him. He created as many as 25 Râgas of his own. He was also the first playwright in all modern Indian languages. Above all these, he was the first prose writer in the entire world. He introduced the drop-scene and elevated stage in the world of drama way back in 1468 AD.
  • Srimanta Sankaradeva authored ten plays in his life. These were Chihna Yâtrâ, Patni Prasâda, Kâliya Damana, Keli Gopâla, Rukmini Harana, Pârijât Harana, Janma Yâtrâ, Gopi Uddhava Sambâda, Kangsa Badha and Sri Râma Vijaya.
  • He initiated a new form of painting with his epoch-making drama-festival Chihna-Yâtrâ held in 1468 AD, where he drew the imaginary pictures of heaven to be used as backdrops.

13. Defence Procurement Board discusses Navy’s proposal for a second Vikrant-like aircraft carrier

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Defence Technology

Context:

• The Defence Procurement Board (DPB) discussed the Indian Navy’s proposal for acquiring a second Vikrant-like aircraft carrier displacing 45,000 tonnes, and estimated a cost of around ₹40,000 crore, according to defense sources.

Details:

• The project is estimated to cost around ₹40,000 crore and will see some modifications and upgrades to the design of the country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) INS Vikrant, commissioned in September 2022, and will also be manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).
• IAC-2 (which is under consideration) will have a displacement of 65,000 tonnes and a Catapult Assisted Take Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) system for launching aircraft as well as full-electric propulsion.

INS Vikrant:

• The 262m long and 62m wide INS Vikrant displacing 44,800 tonnes is powered by four General Electric LM2500 engines which give it a maximum speed of 28 knots and an endurance of 7,500 Nautical Miles.
• The ship uses an aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR) for which it is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of three ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard.
• The Navy also operates the 44,500-tonne carrier INS Vikramaditya, which also employs the STOBAR mechanism, procured from Russia in November 2013.

Defense Acquisition Council (DAC):

• The DAC is the highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry for deciding on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard.
• The Minister of Defence is the Chairman of the Council.
• It was formed, after the Group of Ministers recommendations on ‘Reforming the National Security System’, in 2001, post Kargil War (1999).
• Hierarchy:
  • Services Procurement Board (SPB) chaired by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff  (CISC) for cases upto Rs. 300 crore,
  • Defence Procurement Board (DPB) chaired by Defence Secretary for cases having value more than Rs. 300 crore and upto Rs. 500 crore and
  • Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Raksha Mantri for cases beyond Rs. 500 crore.

14. Galactic tides: Pushing and pulling the heavens

Subject :Science and technology

Section: space Technology

Source : TH

What are Galactic tides?

• Like the earth’s oceans at their shores, the universe’s galaxies also experience tides, but on a much larger scale.
• Galactic tides are caused by gravitational forces within a galaxy, arising in the interactions between celestial objects like stars and gas clouds.
• These tidal forces influence various aspects of a galaxy’s evolution. They can reshape a galaxy structure by creating tidal tails and bridges, promoting star formation, and disrupting smaller star systems.
• Over eons, galactic tides also disrupt the orbits of stars, leading to long-term changes in galactic structure. Galactic tides also have a say in the ways in which proximate galaxies do and don’t interact.
• Research shows that Andromeda’s (galaxy nearest to our Milky way) tidal streams near its edges could be signatures of dwarf galaxies that were later devoured. The Andromeda galaxy is heading towards the Milky Way at 110 km/s and will collide in four billion years.
• Galactic tides also affect the supermassive black holes at galaxy centres, leading to events that change the ways in which these cosmic beasts interact with nearby stars.

Tidal tails formed by the galactic tides

15. Combing operations held at Mukurthi national park, adjoining areas

Subject: Environment

Section: Places in news

Source: TH

Context:

• The Forest department conducted combing operations in the Mukurthi National Park and forest areas adjoining it to ensure that there is no illegal movement of people and poachers.

Details:

• Vigil has been stepped up in Mukurthi National Park (MNP) following the poaching of a tiger by a group of poachers from North India in Avalanche earlier this year and following the suspected poisoning of at least one tiger in Emerald
• Field staff conducted combing operations in Nadugani in Gudalur forest division, Kolaribetta, Western Catchment and Mukurthi Peak, encompassing Nilgiris forest division and the MNP.

About Mukurthi National Park:

• MNP is a 78.46 km2 (30.3 sq mi) protected area located in the western corner of the Nilgiris Plateau west of Ootacamund hill station in the northwest corner of Tamil Nadu state in the Western Ghats mountain range of South India.
• It is bordered on the west by Nilambur South Forest Division, to the northwest by Gudalur Forest Division, to the northeast, east and southeast by Nilgiri South Forest Division and to the south by Mannarghat Forest Division. At its southwest tip the peaks of this park straddle the northeast corner of Silent Valley National Park of Kerala.
• The park was created to protect its keystone species, the Nilgiri tahr.
• The park is characterized by montane grasslands and shrublands interspersed with sholas in a high altitude area of high rainfall, near-freezing temperatures and high winds.
• It is home to an array of endangered wildlife, including royal Bengal tiger and Asian elephant, but its main mammal attraction is the Nilgiri tahr. The park was previously known as Nilgiri Tahr National Park.
• The park is a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India’s first International Biosphere Reserve. As part of the Western Ghats, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1 July 2012.
• Toda people reside here.

16. Hybrid seeds are becoming increasingly popular in India. But that is not good news; here is why

Subject: Environment

Section: Pollution

Fiji disease virus (FDV):

• FDV belongs to the reoviridae family and infects plants. It is one of the few plant viruses in the Reoviridae family.
• The type species of the genus Fijivirus, it is the only known member of Fijivirus group 1.
• Fiji disease virus is named after the country in which it was originally observed.

What are hybrid seeds?

• In agriculture and gardening, hybrid seed is produced by deliberately cross-pollinated plants which are genetically diverse.
• Hybrid seeds are used to improve the characteristics of the resulting plants, such as better yield, greater uniformity, improved color, disease resistance. An important factor is the heterosis or combining ability of the parent plants. Crossing any particular pair of inbred strains may or may not result in superior offspring.

Hybrid seeds in India:

• The origin of hybrids can be traced to India’s Green Revolution in the 1960s, when the government’s effort was primarily to increase agricultural productivity. For this, the National Seed Corporation was set up to develop, store and distribute high yield variety seeds.
• Till the 1980s, the public sector had a firm control on the seed market and supplied open pollinated variety (OPV) seeds to farmers.
• From the 1990s onwards, the government allowed development and distribution of hybrid varieties by private players.
• This trend has continued, but poses a threat to the country’s crop diversity and the traditional varieties that are more suited to the local climates.

Increasing demand for hybrid seeds:

• Over the decades, the popularity of hybrid seeds has been increasing among farmers in India.
• Hybrid varieties get ready for harvest quickly as compared to traditional varieties (these are handpicked by farmers from the field after harvest for use next year, and the process can be replicated for generations) or the open pollinated variety (OPV) seeds (these are mostly developed by agricultural universities and can be used for five to seven years).
• The quicker harvest quality of hybrid seeds gives farmers a window to sow short-duration crops, such as potato, between two crop cycles.
• The 25th report of the Standing Committee on Agriculture says that in India, hybrid seeds are mostly developed and sold by national and multinational private sector firms, and that the share of private sector in India’s seed market has increased from 57.3 per cent in 2017-18 to 64.5 per cent in 2020-21.
• A 2019 report by Indian Council of Food and Agriculture says that the country’s seed market reached a value of US $4.1 billion in 2018, registering a growth rate of 15.7 per cent in 2011-18, and is expected to grow at 13.6 per cent in 2019-24, reaching a value of US $9.1 billion by 2024.
• Wheat and paddy account for about 85 per cent of this seed market.
• Of the two crops, hybrid seeds are only available for paddy in India, and occupy about 6 per cent of the country’s 44 million hectares under rice.

Disadvantages of hybrid seeds:

• Sensitive to temperature and rain unlike the traditional varieties. Example: a local wheat variety called goda dhan even grows in areas with severe water shortage.
• Rise in cases of crop failure of hybrid varieties.
• The yield of hybrid seeds decrease after 2-3 years.
• Price fluctuations as the control of price is in the hands of manufacturers of the hybrid seeds.
• Lack of support from the government, for example: In 1993, the government launched a OPV paddy variety called PR-Indira. It had a yield that matched hybrid varieties and was quite popular. But it was suddenly taken back in 1998.
• Hybrid seeds damage the diversity of crops. The great genetic diversity of crops were replaced by a narrow genetic range of crops.
• Sometimes the yields of hybrid varieties are exaggerated.
• The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001, has changed community ownership of seeds to individual, which favours seed breeders and developers.

Source: DownToEarth

17. This marine bacterium could become a major threat to coastal populations in the future

Subject: Environment

Section: Pollution

Source: DTE

Vibrio vulnificus:

• Vibrio vulnificus is a species of Gram-negative, motile, curved rod-shaped (vibrio), pathogenic bacteria of the genus Vibrio.
• Like humans have Escherichia coli in our gut, fish have Vibrios in their gut. But only a few harm them.
• Present in marine environments such as estuaries, brackish ponds, or coastal areas, V. vulnificus is related to V. cholerae, the causative agent of cholera.
• At least one strain of V. vulnificus is bioluminescent.
• These pathogens thrive in the tropics or subtropics, where sea or brackish water temperatures reach 20°C or higher. They also prefer waters with low salinity.
• Increasing seasonal ocean temperatures and low-salt marine environments like estuaries favor a greater concentration of Vibrio within filter-feeding shellfish; V. vulnificus infections in the Eastern United States have increased eightfold from 1988–2018.
• Infection with V. vulnificus leads to rapidly expanding skin infections by entering a wound causing cellulitis or even sepsis.
• V. vulnificus is also a source of foodborne illness. It was first isolated as a source of disease in 1976.
• People can get V vulnificus by eating infected raw shellfish (which results in diarrhoea, vomiting, fever) or by exposing wounds to waters where the bacteria live (which can cause life-threatening flesh-eating disease that kills about 20 per cent of the infected in one or two days).
• High phytoplankton blooms are associated with increased V vulnificus infections and deaths.
• Treatment becomes difficult when the bacteria enter the bloodstream. And when people are already immunocompromised. The risk is even higher among people with comorbidities such as chronic liver disease, cancer, chronic kidney disease and diabetes.

Northward move:

• The species has also been moving northwards at 48 km per year.
• Earlier till the 1980s, the bacteria was rare in the northern region of Europe and USA. Now they have a presence in the Northern part of the USA, Northern Europe, Baltic sea region, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, and Mexico.
• The first case of pathogenic V vulnificus in marine organisms was documented in Japanese eel in 1975. The pathogen arrived in Spain through imported eels in 1985.
• It produces a toxin that is thought to interfere with the eel’s immune system. It also infects other organisms such as derbio (Trachinotus ovatus), tilapia (Oreochromis sp), trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and shrimp (Penaeus vannamei).
• Cases in India:
  • In 2018, India documented an outbreak of V vulnificus in a tilapia farm in Kerala. Originally from Africa and West Asia, tilapia is one of the most traded food fish globally.
• The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has developed Vibrio Map Viewer—a tracker for Vibrio species to calculate the infection risk index based on sea surface temperature and sea surface salinity.

18. The Fukushima N-wastewater controversy

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Nuclear Technology

Introduction

• On April 13, 2021, Japan announced plans to release over one million tonnes of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea over the next 30 years.
• This wastewater is a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that disabled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, releasing radioactive materials.
• The decision has sparked global opposition over health risks, particularly in seafood-dependent regions.

Treatment Process

• Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is responsible for treating the water.
• The treatment process involves multiple techniques, with the most notable being the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS).
• ALPS is designed to remove 62 types of radioactive materials, leaving the water significantly cleaner.
• However, the ALPS process does not effectively remove tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen.

Safety Concerns

• Tritium Risk: Tritium, primarily in the form of tritiated water, is readily absorbed by living organisms and rapidly distributed throughout their bodies via the bloodstream.
  • This includes potential developmental effects in babies when pregnant women ingest it, as it can cross the placenta.
• Bioaccumulation: Tritium can bioaccumulate in aquatic life and terrestrial plants, potentially affecting entire food chains.
• Ionizing Radiation: Tritium emits low-energy beta radiation, which, when ingested or inhaled, can expose internal tissues to radiation, increasing cancer risk.
• Genetic Damage: Prolonged exposure to tritium may cause genetic mutations and cell damage.
• Long Half-life: Tritium has a half-life of about 12.3 years, which means it remains radioactive for an extended period, potentially impacting ecosystems over time. (As tritium decays, it changes to helium)

Difference between tritiated water and water with Tritiate:

19. Genomic clues suggest humans’ ancestors nearly went extinct 9L years ago

Subject :Science and technology

Section: Msc

Introduction 

• In November 2022, the global human population surpassed eight billion, highlighting our dominant presence on Earth.
• Our dominance is attributed to cognitive abilities, technology, and environmental reshaping, but it has led to habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change, endangering species.

Human Evolution and Genomic Insights

• Genomic data and fossils provide profound insights into human evolution.
• Ancient DNA has preservation limitations, offering recent insights.
• Computational tools analyze genome sequences, mitochondrial DNA, and the Y chromosome, extending understanding across time scales.
• These tools identify population bottlenecks, founder events, and genetic disease origins.

Population Bottlenecks, Founder Effects, and Genetic Diversity

• Population Bottlenecks:
  • Occur when a population is sharply reduced in size, often due to catastrophic events or environmental changes.
  • The genetic diversity of the population significantly decreases, as only a small number of individuals survive and reproduce.
  • Bottlenecks reduce numbers, leading to founder effects.
• Founder Effects:
  • Genetic phenomena occur when a small group of individuals, or founders, establishes a new population in a different geographical area or under isolated conditions.
  • These founders carry only a subset of the genetic diversity present in the larger source population.
  • The new population inherits a limited range of genetic traits, often resulting in increased frequencies of specific traits or genetic diseases among their descendants.
• Examples of Founder Populations:
  • A small group of individuals gave rise to the modern Ashkenazi Jewish population, leading to a higher prevalence of certain genetic diseases in this group.
  • Similarly, Indian endogamous groups, formed through strict marriage practices, have shared genomic stretches due to inbreeding, resulting in specific genetic traits being more common within these populations.

Near-Extinction Event in Human History

• Recent computational research challenges prior human origin estimates.
• Around 1,200 founding ancestors are proposed, contrasting earlier estimates of 100,000.
• The bottleneck occurred about 900,000 years ago, lasting over 100,000 years.
• This bottleneck coincided with significant climate changes, potentially affecting species survival.
• Recovery may be linked to improved conditions, fire use, and agriculture.
• The prolonged small breeding population likely influenced human genetic diversity and evolutionary outcomes.