Daily Prelims Notes 26 September 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

26 September 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Withdrawal of Monsoon
2. Patkar appeals to Mamatato ink Teesta water treaty
3. COP 28 fossil fuel fight
4. Understanding the fall in household savings
5. SC set up seven-member bench to review 1998 verdict
6. NGOs told to declare assets acquired with foreign funds
7. Phillipines remove Chinese barrier from the disputed shoal
8. France to pull out troops from Niger
9. Eight institutes give an array of reasons for Joshimath sinking
10. ISRO tests engine for gaganyaan mission
11. Humans have built with wood for 4.7L years
12. Tortoise & hard-shell turtle smuggling network wider, more organised than that for soft-shell turtle: Report
13. IISER Bhopal scientists develop novel molecule that can hinder viral transcription of HIV-1 virus
14. From abundance to endangerment to revival, Kachchh’s guggal comes a full circle
15. International Coffee Organization (ICO) and World Coffee Conference (WCC)

1. Withdrawal of Monsoon

Subject: Geography

Section: Physical Geography

Context: According to, the India Meteorological Department

Monsoon started withdrawing from India on Monday, eight days after the normal date of September 17.

Late withdrawal:

• The late retreat of the monsoon this year is the 13th consecutive delayed withdrawal.    Withdrawal of the monsoon from northwest India marks the beginning of its retreat from the Indian subcontinent. Any delay in the monsoon’s retreat means a longer rainy season, which can significantly impact agricultural production, particularly for northwest India where monsoon rainfall plays a crucial role in the Rabi crop production.

Conditions favourable for withdrawal of monsoon

The following major synoptic features are considered for the first withdrawal from the western parts of NW India.

i) Cessation of rainfall activity over the area for continuous 5 days.

ii) Establishment of anticyclone in the lower troposphere (850 hPa and below)

iii) Considerable reduction in moisture content as inferred from satellite water vapour imageries and tephigrams.

Concept:

Withdrawal or the retreat of the monsoon is a more gradual process.

• The withdrawal of the monsoon begins in northwestern states of India by early September. By mid-October, it withdraws completely from the northern half of the peninsula.
• The withdrawal from the southern half of the peninsula is fairly rapid.
• By early December, the monsoon has withdrawn from the rest of the country.
• The withdrawal, takes place progressively from north to south from the first week of December to the first week of January. By this time the rest of the country is already under the influence of the winter monsoon.
• The months of October and November are known for retreating monsoons. By the end of September, the southwest monsoon becomes weak as the low pressure trough of the Ganga plain starts moving southward in response to the southward march of the sun.
• The monsoon retreats from the western Rajasthan by the first week of September. It withdraws from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Western Ganga plain and the Central Highlands by the end of the month.
• The retreating southwest monsoon season is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature. The land is still moist.
• Owing to the conditions of high temperature and humidity, the weather becomes rather oppressive. This is commonly known as the ‘October heat’.
• In the second half of October, the mercury begins to fall rapidly, particularly in northern India. The weather in the retreating monsoon is dry in north India but it is associated with rain in the eastern part of the Peninsula.
• By the beginning of October, the low pressure covers northern parts of the Bay of Bengal and by early November, it moves over Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

2. Patkar appeals to Mamatato ink Teesta water treaty

Subject :Geography

Section: map

Teesta River

• Teesta river is a tributary of the Brahmaputra (known as Jamuna in Bangladesh), flowing through India and Bangladesh.
• It originates in the Himalayas near Chunthang, Sikkim and flows to the south through West Bengal before entering Bangladesh.
• Originally, the river continued southward to empty directly into the Padma River (main channel of Ganga in Bangladesh) but around 1787 the river changed its course to flow eastward to join the Jamunariver.
• The Teesta Barrage dam helps to provide irrigation for the plains between the upper Padma and the Jamuna.
• Teesta river water conflict is one of the most contentious issues between India and Bangladesh.

3. COP 28 fossil fuel fight

Subject :Environment

Section: Climate Change

In News: COP28, the 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), set to take place in Dubai between 30th November and 12th December.

Key Points:

• The 28th Conference of Parties is set to begin in  Dubai from 30th Nov, 2023.
• COP28 is of particular significance as it marks the conclusion of the first-ever Global Stocktake, a comprehensive assessment of progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement.
•  The objective of the stocktake is to take stock of global action against climate change and to pave the way for further actions in the coming years.
• The Stocktake’s three key areas of evaluation are:
  • mitigation, focusing on efforts to prevent further global warming
  • adaptation, aimed at coping with unavoidable climate change impacts, and
  • means of implementation, encompassing finance, technology transfer, and capacity building.
• In 2022, 80 countries unsuccessfully pushed for a deal on a phase-down at last year’s COP27 summit, negotiators are turning to new terminologies in search of a compromise.
  • In what appeared in April to be a possible breakthrough, the Group of Seven industrialised nations agreed to speed up the “phase-out of unabated fossil fuels”.
  • By inserting “unabated” before fossil fuels, the pledge targeted only fuels burned without emissions-capturing technology.
• But by July, the pledge faltered as the larger G20 – which includes oil and gas producers like Saudi Arabia and Russia – failed to reach consensus on the issue.

4. Understanding the fall in household savings

Subject: Economy

Section: National Income

Context: Recently released data showed that the Household sector’s savings in financial assets has shown a sharp decline to 5.1 per cent of GDP in 2022-23.

Key Points:

•  From 2011-12 to 2019-20, the financial savings of the household sector have moved in a narrow range of 7 to 8 per cent of Gross National Disposable Income (GNDI).

The recent trend in household savings:

• In 2020-21, it touched 11.3 per cent during the Covid period. That was a lone exception.
• In 2021-22 the financial savings of household sector was 8.3 per cent of GDP.
• The figure for 2022-23 stood at 5.1 per cent.

What explains the drop in household financial savings?

• The fall in household financial savings can be explained in terms of changes in household financial assets and liabilities.
• Compared to the pre-Covid five-year average over 2015-16 to 2019-20 which was 7.8 per cent of GDP, the 5.1 per cent figure is lower by a margin of 2.7 percentage points.
• This fall is made up of 2.2 percentage points of increase in change in gross household financial liabilities and 0.5 percentage points fall in gross household financial assets over the corresponding periods.
• There was also a sharp rise in bank advances including personal loans in 2022-23 as compared to pre-Covid years.
• The reduction in the net financial assets rate is primarily due to a rise in Financial Liabilities.

How the Government views the rise in personal loans?

• There can be many interpretations of this rise.
• An optimistic interpretation of this rise in the borrowings of household sector which also includes non-corporate businesses (MSME).
• This sector is buoyant and has borrowed more.

How household savings affect the economy?

• That is, the transferable savings ratio of the economy has come down and this will affect the borrowing programme of the government and corporate sector.
• There is likely to be budget stress if the household saving rate stays at low levels.
• The way out is to ensure that Gross Financial Assets of household sector go up, if financial liabilities are to rise.

5. SC set up seven-member bench to review 1998 verdict

Subject: Polity

Section: Parliament

Context: The Supreme Court referred a 1998, 5-judge Constitution Bench judgement in the P V Narasimha Rao case to a 7-judge Bench

More about the news:

• Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud has set up a seven-judge bench that will reconsider the correctness of 1998 five-judge Constitution bench judgment in the P V Narasimha Rao case wherein the majority held that legislators were immune to prosecution on bribery charges for their speech or vote in Parliament.
• The bench, to be presided by the CJI, will also comprise Justices A S Bopanna, M MSundresh, P S Narasimha, J B Pardiwala, Sanjay Kumar and Manoj Misra.
• A notice issued by the SC said the bench will start hearing the matter from October 4, 2023.

What is the issue:

• The P V Narasimha Rao case refers to the 1993 JMM bribery case, in which Shibu Soren and some of his party MPs were accused of taking bribes to vote against the no-confidence motion against the then P V Narasimha Rao government.
• The SC had quashed the case against the JMM MPs, citing immunity under Article 105(2).
• Recently, the matter came up in another case related to bribery charges against JMM MLA Sita Soren, who was accused of having accepted a bribe to vote for an independent candidate in the 2012 Rajya Sabha elections.
• She moved the Jharkhand HC for quashing the chargesheet and criminal proceedings against her, relying on the provisions of Article 194 (2), but the HC had declined to do so.
• She then approached the SC, where a 2-judge Bench in 2014 opined that since the issue was “substantial and of general public importance”, it should be placed before a larger Bench of 3 judges.
• In 2019, a Bench of 3 judges noted that the SC dealt with the issue in the Narasimha Rao verdict, and hence should be referred to a larger Bench.
• Taking up the matter, a 5-judge Constitution Bench presided by CJI recently said that the larger Bench would deal with the question of correctness of the view of the majority in P V Narsimha Rao case on the interpretation of Articles 105(2) and 194(2) of the Constitution.
• The object of Articles 105(2) and 194(2) is not to set apart the members of the Legislature as persons who wield immunity from the application of the general criminal law of the land.

What was the P.V. Narsimha Rao Case (1998):

• In this case, the question arose that under Article 105(2) does any member of parliament have any immunity to protect himself in criminal proceedings against him.
• The apex court by a 3:2 majority granted immunity from prosecution (under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 to MPs who took bribes and voted to save the then Congress government in Parliament.

What are Parliamentary Privileges:

• Parliamentary privileges are special rights, immunities and exemptions enjoyed by the two Houses of Parliament, their committees and their members.
• These privileges are defined in Article 105 of the Indian Constitution.
• Article 105 of the Constitution expressly mentions two privileges, that is, freedom of speech in Parliament and right of publication of its proceedings.
• Apart from the privileges as specified in the Constitution, the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, provides for freedom from arrest and detention of members under civil process.
• The privileges are claimed only when the person is a member of the house.  As soon as she/he ends up being a member, the privileges are said to be called off.
• This immunity extends to certain non-members as well, such as the Attorney General of India or a Minister who may not be a member but speaks in the House.
• Parliament has not made any special law to exhaustively codify all the privileges. They are rather based on five sources:
  • Constitutional provisions
  • Various laws made by Parliament
  • Rules of both the Houses
  • Parliamentary conventions
  • Judicial interpretations.

6. NGOs told to declare assets acquired with foreign funds

Subject: Polity

Section: Msc

Context: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a gazetted notification, amending the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) rules.

More about the news:

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a gazetted notification, amending the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) rules after mandating NGOs with FCRA licence to submit details of movable and immovable assets created out of foreign contributions.
• Under the new rules, political parties, legislature members, election candidates, judges, government servants, journalists and media houses among others – all barred from receiving foreign contribution – will no longer be prosecuted if they receive foreign contribution from relatives abroad and fail to intimate the government within 90 days.

What is FCRA:

• The law sought to regulate foreign donations to individuals and associations so that they functioned in a manner consistent with the values of a sovereign democratic republic.
• The law was enacted during the Emergency in 1976 amid apprehension that foreign powers were interfering in India’s affairs by pumping in funds through independent organisations.
• It is implemented by the Union Home Ministry

What are the provisions of the act:

• The FCRA requires every person or NGO seeking to receive foreign donations to be
  • To be registered under the Act
  • To open a bank account for the receipt of the foreign funds in State Bank of India, Delhi
  • To  utilize those funds only for the purpose for which they have been received and as stipulated in the Act
  • To file annual returns and not to transfer the funds to another NGO

How is FCRA registration granted:

• FCRA registrations are granted to individuals or associations that have definite cultural, economic, educational, religious, and social programmes.
• NGOs that want to receive foreign funds must apply online with the required documentation.
• Authority– The Ministry of Home Affairs makes inquiries through the Intelligence Bureau into the antecedents of the applicant and approves or rejects the application within 90 days.
• In case of failure to process the application in the given time, the MHA is expected to inform the NGO of the reasons for the same.
• Eligibility- Under the FCRA, the applicant
  • Should not be fictitious or benami
  • Should not have been prosecuted or convicted for indulging in activities aimed at conversion through inducement or force, either directly or indirectly, from one religious faith to another
  • Should not have been prosecuted for or convicted of creating communal tension or disharmony
  • Should not have been found guilty of diversion or misutilisation of funds
  • Should not be engaged or likely to be engaged in the propagation of sedition
• Validity– Once granted, FCRA registration is valid for five years and NGOs are expected to apply for renewal within six months of the date of expiry of registration.
• In case of failure to apply for renewal, the registration is deemed to have expired.

7. Phillipines remove Chinese barrier from the disputed shoal

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context: The Philippines has removed a floating barrier installed by China to block Philippine fishing boats entering a contested area in the South China Sea.

More about the news:

• The Philippine coast guard has removed a floating barrier installed by China in a disputed area in the South China Sea. As per the Philippines, the barrier posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law.
• China violated its fishing rights with the 300m barrier in the Scarborough Shoal.

Some facts about Scarborough Shoal:

• The Philippines described the shoal as an integral part of the Philippine national territory.
• Scarborough Shoal is within the 200-nautical-mile EEZ of the Philippines as defined by international maritime law.
• It was affirmed by a ruling of The Hague’s International Court of Arbitration.
• Beijing claims the area as part of its territory and refers to Scarborough Shoal as Huangyan Island.
• In 2012, Beijing seized control of Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines and forced Filipino fishermen to travel farther for smaller catches.

More about the South China Sea.

• The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean.
• The South China Sea is connected by Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea.
• Bordering states & territories (clockwise from north): the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.
• The Gulf of Thailand and the Gulf of Tonkin are also part of the South China Sea.
• Contesting Claims Over Islands:
  • The Paracel Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
  • The Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Philippines.
  • The Scarborough Shoal is claimed by the Philippines, China and Taiwan.

8. France to pull out troops from Niger

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context: France would withdraw its ambassador from Niger, followed by the French military contingent in the coming months.

More about the news:

• France would withdraw its ambassador from Niger, followed by the French military contingent in the coming months
•  France has  roughly 1,500 troops in Niger.
• Tension between Niger and France has grown since the junta took power.
• Niger banned commercial flights from France using its airspace.

More about the Niger:

• Niger, officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked sub-Saharan country in western Africa.
• It is bounded on the northwest by Algeria, on the northeast by Libya, on the east by Chad, on the south by Nigeria and Benin, and on the west by Burkina Faso and Mali.
• The country takes its name from the Niger River, which flows through the southwestern part of its territory.
• The Capital of Niger is Niamey
• The official language of Niger is French, due to its colonial history.
• The other main national languages are Arabic, Djerma-Sonhraï, Gourmantchéma, Hausa, Kanouri, Fulfuldé, Tamacheq and Toubou.

The Former Colonial Power and the African Countries:

9. Eight institutes give an array of reasons for Joshimath sinking

Subject: Geography

Section: Physical geography

Context:

• Separate studies conducted by eight premier institutions of India to know the cause of land subsidence in Joshimath town of Uttarakhand attributed seismic activities, construction loopholes, population pressure, poor drainage system and others as the ‘likely’ reason for the sinking of the Himalayan town.

Joshimath:

• Joshimath town is situated on Vaikrita groups of rocks overlain by morainic deposits which are composed of irregular boulders and clay of varying thicknesses. Such deposits are less cohesive and susceptible to slow subsidence and landslide subsidence.
• With every study conducted with a different approach, these reports reaffirmed the sensitivity of the area but nothing concrete has come out on what exactly went wrong in January.
• Studies conducted by:
  • The Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG), the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), the Geological Survey of India (GSI), the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI).

Findings by the eight institutions:

• CBRI report:
  • The CBRI stated that Joshimath town has 44%, 42%, 14% of masonry, RCC and other (traditional, hybrid) construction typologies, respectively, among which 99% are non-engineered. It means they are not in compliance with the National Building Code of India, 2016.
• The NIH report said that maps of various springs, drainage networks and areas of subsidence infer that land subsidence and subsurface water in Joshimath might have some connections.
• The report also highlighted that the gush water is fresh water and not contaminated by the local drains, thus NTPC was not responsible for the joshimath sinking.
• The WIHG mentioned earthquakes as a reason for slow and gradual land subsidence.
• IIT Roorkee report: 
  • The main reason for the subsidence appears to be internal erosion caused by the subsurface drainage, which may be due to infiltration of rainwater/melting of ice/wastewater discharge from household and hotels. Though subsidence is continuous phenomenon, it can be minimised by controlling infiltration of water, which helps in minimising the internal erosion.
• ISRO report:
  • After an analysis by the Small BAseline Subset Interferometry SAR Technique it said that, the subsidence in the Joshimath region may be due to toe-cutting phenomenon, slope instability as a result of seepage of local drainage water in the soil, terrain and edaphic characteristics, loose and unconsolidated moraine materials of the slope (due to old landslide) and flash flood events in and around the area in the recent past. This has resulted in development of cracks in the ground as well as houses in Joshimath town.
• The analysis of almost each report matches with the recommendations and precautions recommended in the M.C. Mishra Committee report.

Source: TH

10. ISRO tests engine for gaganyaan mission

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: Space technology

Gaganyaan mission:

• Gaganyaan project envisages demonstration of human spaceflight capability by launching a crew of 3 members to an orbit of 400 km for a 3 days mission and bring them back safely to earth, by landing in Indian sea waters.
• The project is accomplished through an optimal strategy by considering inhouse expertise, experience of Indian industry, intellectual capabilities of Indian academia & research institutions along with cutting edge technologies available with international agencies.
• The pre-requisites for Gaganyaan mission include development of many critical technologies including human rated launch vehicle for carrying crew safely to space, Life Support System to provide an earth like environment to crew in space, crew emergency escape provision and evolving crew management aspects for training, recovery and rehabilitation of crew.
• Various precursor missions are planned for demonstrating the Technology Preparedness Levels before carrying out the actual Human Space Flight mission. These demonstrator missions include Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT), Pad Abort Test (PAT) and Test Vehicle (TV) flights. Safety and reliability of all systems will be proven in unmanned missions preceding manned mission.

Recent development in Gaganyaan mission:

• ISRO successfully completed the CE20 E13 engine hot test for the Gaganyaan qualification and 22-tonne thrust qualification. The engine developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Valiamala was tested at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC), Mahendragiri on September 22, 2023.
• CE20 E13 engine:
  • The CE20 engine is a vital component, serving as the powerhouse of the Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) responsible for propelling the upper stage (C25) of the LVM3 vehicle.
  • It has demonstrated its capability by successfully operating at a thrust level of 19 tonnes in six successive LVM3 missions, including the Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3, and two commercial OneWeb missions.

Human rated LVM3 – HLVM3:

• LVM3 rocket – The well proven and reliable heavy lift launcher of ISRO, is identified as the launch vehicle for Gaganyaan mission. It consists of solid stage, liquid stage and cryogenic stage. All systems in the LVM3 launch vehicle are re-configured to meet human rating requirements and christened Human Rated LVM3. HLVM3 will be capable of launching the Orbital Module to an intended Low Earth Orbit of 400 km.
• HLVM3 consists of Crew Escape System (CES) powered by a set of quick acting, high burn rate solid motors which ensures that Crew Module along with crew is taken to a safe distance in case of any emergency either at launch pad or during ascent phase.

Major milestones planned for Gaganyaan mission:

11. Humans have built with wood for 4.7L years

Subject: Science and Technology

Section: msc

Context:

• Along the banks of the Kalambo River in Zambia near Africa’s second-highest waterfall, archaeologists have excavated two logs of the large-fruited bushwillow tree that were notched, shaped and joined nearly half a million years ago.

Wooden structures built by human:

• These artifacts found along the Kalambo River represent the oldest-known example of humans – in this case a species that preceded our own – building wooden structures, a milestone in technological achievement that indicates that our forerunners displayed more ingenuity than previously thought.
• The overlying log at Kalambo Falls is about 1.4 metres long, with tapering ends. About 1.5 metres of the underlying log was excavated.
• The wood, found in a waterlogged condition, was preserved by a permanent high-water table at the site. Clay sediments surrounding it provided an oxygen-free environment preventing decay.
• The logs, modified using stone tools, appear to have been part of a framework for a structure.
  • Earlier it was thought that the humans at that time simply roamed the landscape hunting and gathering resources.
• The framework of the log structure could have multiple purposes including storage of firewood, tools, food and as a foundation on which to place a hut.

Significance of the findings:

• The discovery suggests that the humans of that time were skilled, having sharp tools and staying at a location for a long period. It was contradictory to the earlier notion that stone age people were nomadic people.
• A vast majority of archaeological sites of this age preserve only the stone tools, but Kalambo Falls provides us a unique insight into the wooden objects that these tools were being used to create, allowing us a much richer and more complete picture of the lives of these people.
• The earliest-known Homo sapiens fossils date from roughly 300,000 years ago in Morocco. The Kalambo Falls logs were determined to be from about 476,000 years ago.

Homo heidelbergensis:

• No human remains were found there, but it is suspected that the artefacts were fashioned by a species called Homo heidelbergensis known from about 700,000 to 200,000 years ago.
• Homo heidelbergensis possessed a large brow ridge and a bigger braincase and flatter face than earlier hominins – species on the human evolutionary lineage.

Source: TH

12. Tortoise & hard-shell turtle smuggling network wider, more organised than that for soft-shell turtle: Report

Subject: Environment

Section: species in news

Context:

• Tortoise or hard-shell turtles from India are traded to more places globally and through a wider trafficking network than soft-shell turtles, according to a new report. The former is mostly traded as pets while the latter for meat, primarily within the country.

Report and its findings:

• The findings were published in Oryx — The International Journal of Conservation.
• Research title: From pets to plates: Network analysis of trafficking in tortoises and freshwater turtles representing different types of demand
• The first-of-its-kind study compared the supply networks of tortoise or hard-shell turtles and soft-shell turtles based on 78 and 64 seizures, respectively, reported in the media during 2013 to 2019.
• Key Findings:
  • The structure of the trafficking networks of tortoises and freshwater turtles varied based on demand.
  • The smuggling racket of tortoises / hard-shell turtles were found to be much wider than the soft-shell turtles.
  • The trade network for pet turtles was also observed to be more organised than that for soft-shell turtles sold for meat.
  • There is a lack of training on and awareness of illegal wildlife trade.
  • The important trading stops in the case of tortoise / hard-shell turtles were all located in large, well-connected state capitals like Chennai (most active node), Kolkata, Mumbai and Bangalore.
  • Other nodes of importance included Sri Lanka, West Bengal and Delhi.
  • North 24 pargana of West Bengal has emerged a key hub for illegal trade of both soft-shell turtles and tortoise/Hard-shell turtles.

Soft-shell turtle:

• The Trionychidae are a taxonomic family of a number of turtle genera, commonly known as softshell turtles.
• The family was erected by Leopold Fitzinger in 1826.
• Softshells include some of the world’s largest freshwater turtles, though many can adapt to living in highly brackish areas.
• Members of this family occur in Africa, Asia, and North America, with extinct species known from Australia.
• Most species have traditionally been included in the genus Trionyx, but the vast majority have since been moved to other genera. Among these are the North American Apalonesoftshells that were placed in Trionyx until 1987.
• They are called “softshell” because their carapaces lack horny scutes (scales), though the spiny softshell, Apalonespinifera, does have some scale-like projections, hence its name.
• The Indian Softshell turtle (Nilssoniagangetica), also known as the Ganges Softshell turtle, is a reptile found in freshwater habitats and its distribution is restricted to the Ganges, Indus and Mahanadi rivers in northern and eastern India.

Tortoise or Hard-shell turtles:

• Tortoises/ hard-shell turtles are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin for “tortoise”). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats.
• The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like other members of the suborder Cryptodira, they retract their necks and heads directly backward into the shell to protect them.
• Tortoises can vary in size with some species, such as the Galápagos giant tortoise, growing to more than 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in length, whereas others like the Speckled cape tortoise have shells that measure only 6.8 centimetres (2.7 in) long.[2] Several lineages of tortoises have independently evolved very large body sizes in excess of 100 kg, including the Galapagos giant tortoise and the Aldabra giant tortoise.
• They are usually diurnal animals with tendencies to be crepuscular depending on the ambient temperatures. They are generally reclusive animals.
• Tortoises are the longest-living land animals in the world, although the longest-living species of tortoise is a matter of debate.
• Galápagos tortoises are noted to live over 150 years, but an Aldabra giant tortoise named Adwaita may have lived an estimated 255 years. In general, most tortoise species can live 80–150 years.
• Tortoises are placid and slow-moving, with an average walking speed of 0.2–0.5 km/h.
• Tortoises are found from southern North America to southern South America, around the Mediterranean basin, across Eurasia to Southeast Asia, in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, and some Pacific islands. They are absent from Australasia.
• Tortoises are generally considered to be strict herbivores, feeding on grasses, weeds, leafy greens, flowers, and some fruits. However, hunting and eating of birds has been observed on occasion.

Difference between tortoise and turtle:

Source: DTE

13. IISER Bhopal scientists develop novel molecule that can hinder viral transcription of HIV-1 virus

Subject :Science and tech

Section: Biotechnology

Context:

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Bhopal have identified a Circular RNA virus, ciTRAN, whose role in HIV-1 virus replication has remained unclear for a long time, and also developed a molecule that could hinder viral transcription.

Circular RNA virus- ciTRAN:

• Circular RNA plays a pivotal role in regulating gene expression and is essential for various biological processes. The functional consequences of circular RNA (circRNA) expression on HIV-1 replication are largely unknown.
• Establishing how ciTRAN modulates the virus’s transcription process, could potentially lead to novel drugs and therapies to fight HIV-1.
• Using a customized protocol involving direct RNA nanopore sequencing (called circDR-Seq), the researchers capturedcircRNAs from HIV-1–infected T cells (white blood cells) and identified ciTRAN, a circRNA that modulates HIV-1 transcription.
• Characterizing circular RNA can be tricky because it usually is less abundant, making it further challenging to detect in the native form.

HIV-1:

• HIV-1 viral protein R (VpR) is a multifunctional protein that plays specific roles at multiple stages of the HIV-1 viral life cycle and affects anti-HIV functions of the immune cells.
• The researchers found that the HIV-1 infection induces ciTRAN expression in a Vpr-dependent manner and that ciTRAN interacts with serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 1 (SRSF1), a protein known to repress HIV-1 transcription.

How does this work?

• HIV-1 hijacks ciTRAN which is generally altered during immunological signaling, inflammation, and viral infection. It further prevents SRSF1 from doing its job, thereby promoting efficient viral transcription.
• The researchers also demonstrated that an SRSF1-inspired mimic can inhibit viral transcription regardless of ciTRAN induction. The hijacking of a host circRNA thus represents a previously unknown facet of primate lentiviruses in overcoming transmission bottlenecks.

Significance of the findings:

• The results indicate that HIV-1 virus hijacks this host-encoded ciTRAN in such a way that it can use it to multiply efficiently. This discovery uncovers a previously unknown aspect of how viruses like HIV-1 overcome transmission barriers.

Source: DTE

14. From abundance to endangerment to revival, Kachchh’s guggal comes a full circle

Subject : Geography

Section: Economic Geography

Guggal plant:

• Guggal (Commiphorawightii), a native plant in Gujarat’s Kachchh district, has high medicinal value. However, its overexploitation has led it to be declared critically endangered by the IUCN.

MithoGuggal (Commiphorastocksiana):

• C. stocksiana is found only in the Kachchh region of Gujarat in India and like C. wightii, its oleo gum resin has high medicinal value.
• MithoGuggal (Commiphorastocksiana), a species from the same family, mainly found on the Zara-Zumara hills in Kachchh,  is also endangered and has high medicinal value, and now awaits similar conservation attention.

A repository of medicinal goodness:

• The oleo-gum resin tapped from the stem of C. wightii ( Guggal) and its other counterpart (MithoGuggal) is used to make an Ayurvedic drug that is highly in demand in the herbal industry.
• Uses:Antiseptic,anti-inflammatory to reducing blood cholesterol, treating bone fracture, arthritis, rheumatism, skin disorder, urinary problems, and Parkinson’s disease.
  • It is also used to glue the stones.
• The resin of these plants can be tapped after 7-8 years of plantation. And the plants die once the resin is being tapped.
• Critically endangered due to:
  • Habitat loss and degradation, unregulated harvesting and tapping of oleo gum resin.

Conservation efforts:

• Conservation efforts by researchers and the government went full-swing to save the plant and Local farmers began to grow the guggal—both for economic benefit, as well as for community awareness and involvement in its conservation.
• Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE) formed a nursery of guggal plants.
• The National Medicinal Plants Board and the forest division began a guggal plantation drive in 2018.
• A significant move in the conservation of these plant species has been an experiment by the University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU), Karnataka with GUIDE to develop a tapping technique, such that the plant does not perish after its resin has been tapped.

15. International Coffee Organization (ICO) and World Coffee Conference (WCC)

Subject : IR

Section: International organisation

Context: Mr. Goyal was speaking at the opening session of 5th World Coffee Conference (WCC) held for the first time in Asia in Bengaluru on Monday.

Details: The four-day global coffee exposition, being organised by London-based International Coffee Organisation set up under the aegis of the United Nations to highlight the economic importance of coffee, is attended by coffee industry stakeholders including producers, curers, roasters, exporters, policymakers, specialty coffee experts and researchers from over 80 coffee-growing and coffee-consuming geographies including India.

Coffee being an international commodity is a unifying force that can bring ethnicities, cultures, countries and colours together and help sustainability and regenerative agriculture

Regenerative agriculture

• Regenerative agriculture is a holistic farming system that focuses on soil health, food quality, biodiversity improvement, water quality, and air quality.
• It is a method of farming that improves the resources it uses,rather than destroying or depleting them.
• It is often also referred to as — agroecological farming, alternative agriculture, biodynamic agriculture, carbon farming, inclusive nature farming, conservation agriculture, green agriculture, organic regenerative agriculture and sustainable agriculture.
• Regenerative agriculture adheres to the following principles:
• Minimise soil distribution through conservation tillage
• Diversify crops to replenish nutrients and disrupt pest and disease lifecycles
• Retain soil cover using cover crops
• Integrate livestock, which adds manure to the soil and serves as a source of carbon sinks.

Benefits:

• Improves soil health through practises that increases soil organic matter, biota and biodiversity.
• Enhance water holding capacity and carbon sequestration.
• Reduces erosion, facilitates retention and nutrient cycling.
• Provides habitat for diverse species and is beyond sustainability.
• Builds resilience and mitigates the effects of extreme weather caused by a changing climate.

World Coffee Conference

Every four to five years, the International Coffee Organization holds a high-level World Coffee Conference to enable discussion around critical topics for the global coffee sector. The first four Conferences have taken place in England (2001), Brazil (2005), Guatemala (2010), and Ethiopia (2016).

International Coffee Organization (ICO)

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) was established in 1963 under the aegis of the United Nations and following the approval of the first International Coffee Agreement in 1962. The ICO is the only intergovernmental organization for coffee, bringing together exporting and importing Governments. It currently represents 93% of world coffee production and 63% of world consumption.

Mission of the ICO

The mission of the Organization is to strengthen the global coffee sector and promote its sustainable expansion in a market-based environment for the benefit of all actors in the Global Coffee Value Chain (G-CVC).

Scope of work of the ICO

The ICO provides a unique forum for dialogue among governments, the private sector, development partners, civil society and all coffee stakeholders to tackle the challenges facing the sector through international cooperation and to nurture opportunities. The Organization collects and compiles independent official statistics on coffee production, trade and consumption; supports the development and funding of technical cooperation projects and public-private partnerships; and promotes sustainability and coffee consumption. It facilitates the coffee sector’s contribution to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to increase the resilience of local communities and coffee farmers, in particular smallholders, and enable them to benefit from coffee production and trade, which can in turn contribute to poverty eradication by providing a living income for families.