Daily Prelims Notes 28 August 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

28 August 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Somatic Genetic Variants: A Genomic Revolution Hiding Inside Our Cells
2. The Scholarship Schemes for Religious Minorities in India
3. PIL stokes debate on inmates’ right to conjugal visits
4. SEBI new disclosure norms  may impact over 200 FPIs
5. Why Apple’s change of heart on Right to Repair movement a big policy shift?
6. ISRO releases graph of temperature variation on lunar surface
7. As Pragyan digs deep into moon, scientists at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre lab turn their gaze to solar wind
8. Echolocation: what goes around comes around
9. Bird species plummeting in India, says new report: What are the major threats to them?
10. Dengue vaccines in India: A look at the ongoing trials and development
11. The Qutub Complex
12. SpaceX launches Crew-7 mission
13. Eye flu and the indiscriminate use of antibiotics
14. Loch Ness

1. Somatic Genetic Variants: A Genomic Revolution Hiding Inside Our Cells

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Introduction 

• The human genome‘s blueprint is encoded in 23 pairs of chromosomes inherited from parents.
• The genome is carried by the ovum and sperm, resulting in the formation of trillions of cells in the human body after fertilization.

Somatic Mutations: 

• Somatic genetic mutations occur during cell division after birth, driven by genome replication.
• Increased mutations with age and tissues with high turnover due to ‘copy-pasting’ of genetic material.
  • Turnover refers to the replacement of old cells with new ones in a tissue.
• Somatic mutations can lead to cell fitness changes and tumor development (driver mutations).
• The human body is a mosaic of genetically diverse cells, sharing similarities but with distinctive genetic variants.

Role of Somatic Variants in Health and Disease

• Genetic variants contribute to protein-encoding and regulation, making each cell unique.
• Somatic variants are important in physiological processes, such as immune cell diversification.
  • Immune cells undergo somatic changes to create a varied library of antibodies for pathogen recognition.
• The recent explosion in data and knowledge due to advanced sequencing technologies.
• Ability to sequence individual cells’ genetic material using microfluidics and high-throughput sequencers.

Implications of Somatic Variants in Disease and Research

• Somatic genetic variants play a vital role in cancer development and progression.
• Cancers can both cause and be influenced by somatic changes.
• Detection of specific genetic variations or mutational signatures for early cancer diagnosis.
• Genetic diseases can arise from somatic genetic variants occurring during development.
• The severity and distribution of diseases depend on the timing of mutation occurrence.

Revertant Mosaicism: 

• Revertant mosaicism: Somatic changes can reverse or alleviate the effects of genetic disease.
• Beneficial somatic changes occur spontaneously, resulting in a “reversion” to a normal state.
• Example: Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome cases with revertant mosaicism.
• Revertant cells compete with original mutated cells, potentially improving overall function.
• Offers insights into potential gene therapies or treatments for genetic disorders.

The SMaHT Network: 

• U.S. National Institutes of Health program exploring somatic mosaicism.
• Aims to discover somatic variants, develop tools, and enhance analysis for clinical contexts.
• $140 million investment in characterizing somatic variants using post-mortem samples.

2. The Scholarship Schemes for Religious Minorities in India

Subject : Schemes

The Significance of Education for Religious Minorities

• Niti Aayog’s policy document emphasizes education’s significance for religious minorities.
• Government’s commitment to inclusive growth and improving implementation of programs.
• Role of education in the socio-economic development of a nation.

Scholarships for Religious Minorities’ Introduction

• Over 30 crore people from religious minority communities in India.
• Focus on Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Zoroastrians.
  • Under Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992
• Economic, health, and education challenges faced by Muslims.
• Recognition of Muslims as the largest religious minority.

Rajinder Sachar Committee and Ministry of Minority Affairs

• The Rajinder Sachar Committee, commonly referred to as the Sachar Committee, examined the social, economic, and educational standing of Muslims in India.
• The committee’s comprehensive 400-page report highlighted the deprivation and neglect faced by minorities in development dimensions.
• Ministry of Minority Affairs was established in 2006 to address issues affecting notified minorities.
• Ministry’s mandate includes policy formulation, coordination, evaluation, and development programs.

Welfare Schemes 

1. Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme
   10. Earlier focus on minority students from classes 1 to 10, now for 9 & 10.
2. Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme
3. Merit-cum-Means based Scholarship Scheme: Support for professional and technical courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
4. Maulana Azad National Fellowship (MANF): Financial assistance for research scholars pursuing M.Phil and Ph.D.
5. PadhoPardesh: Interest subsidy on education loans for overseas studies.
6. Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship: Scholarship for meritorious girls’ higher education.
7. Naya Savera: Free coaching for minority students for entrance exams.
8. Nai Udaan: Supported minority students preparing for competitive exams.
9. Scheme for Providing Education to Madarsas and Minorities (SPEMM): Financial assistance for introducing ‘modern’ subjects in madrasas.
10. Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK): Infrastructure development in minority concentration areas.

Articles 29 and 30:

• Article 29 protects the interests of minorities by allowing them to conserve their distinct language, script, or culture.

Article 30 grants religious and linguistic minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

3. PIL stokes debate on inmates’ right to conjugal visits

Subject : Polity

Section: Constitution

Conjugal Visits

• Conjugal visits allow prisoners private time with spouses within jail premises to benefit their psychological well-being, marital bonds, and the prison environment.

Legal Significance of Conjugal Visits:

• Advocates argue they’re a fundamental right for prisoners’ spouses, aligned with international agreements recognizing prisoner rights and family importance.
• Most prison Acts and Rules acknowledge the need to maintain family and social relations.
  • Expert emphasizes the role of family ties in prisoners’ reformation.

Legal Precedents and Examples:

• Ludhiana’s ‘Parivar Mulakat’ program: face-to-face meetings with loved ones.
• Madras HC’s stance: allowing conjugal relationships; landmark judgment on parole.
• Delhi prison administration: challenges due to overcrowding, limited infrastructure, and existing alternatives like parole.

Judicial Views:

• Sunil Batra vs Delhi Administration (1979): Justice Iyer emphasizes family visits’ humane role.
• Jasvir Singh vs State of Punjab: High Court recognizes conjugal relationship right under Article 21.
• Meharaj vs State (2022): Madras HC allows conjugal visits for specific reasons, differentiating law-abiders and violators.

Parole and Furlough:

Parole:

• Prisoner release with suspension of the sentence.
• Conditional, subject to behavior and reporting to authorities for a fixed period.
• Not a right, granted for specific reasons (e.g., family events).
• Denial is possible if against societal interest, despite a strong case.

Furlough:

• Similar to parole but for long-term imprisonment.
• The furlough period counts as sentence remission.
• Treated as a prisoner’s right, granted periodically.
• It aims to maintain family ties and counter the effects of prolonged incarceration.

4. SEBI new disclosure norms  may impact over 200 FPIs

Subject : Economy

Section: Capital market

In News: Over 200 foreign portfolio investors will be impacted by the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s new disclosure norms that are set to become operational from November 1 2023.

Key Points:

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has mandated additional disclosures for foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) that hold a significant part of their Indian equity holdings in a single corporate group. The new rules were formulated following the Hindenburg-Adani case.
• Additional norms related to disclosure of beneficial owners for:
  • FPIs holding more than 50 per cent of their Indian equity assets under management (AUM) in a single Indian corporate group or
  • Those that individually, or along with their investor group, hold more than ₹25,000 crore worth of Indian stocks.
• Exemptions:
  • FPIs having a broad based, pooled structure with widespread investor base, ownership interest by government or government related investors, may not pose significant systemic risk and hence have been exempted from the additional disclosure norms.
  • Exempt entities include sovereign wealth funds, public retail investment groups, and exchange-traded fund (ETF).

• Affected FPIs:
  • There are 227 FPIs with over 50 per cent of their equity investments in a single stock or group of NSE listed companies.
  • FPIs holding over 50 per cent of their equity AUM in a single Indian corporate group have 10 trading days to bring down their holdings.
  • Those with over ₹25,000 crore of equity AUM in Indian equities have 90 calendar days to do so.
•  Disclosures:
  • Investors need to make additional disclosures regarding persons having any ownership, economic interest, or control.
  • The key aspects to look at would be if these FPIs are set up in FATF-compliant jurisdictions, if the funds are coming through banking channels, and whether these investors have complied with the SEBI requirements and the internal restricted countries lists.
• Why did SEBI bring these changes?
  • SEBI has apprehensions about circumvention of FDI and listing norms, takeover code, insider trading and round tripping norms.
  • Adani Hindenburg case brought to focus areas needing regulatory overhaul. Hindenburg’s research report alleged that Adani engaged in stock manipulation and accounting fraud by using FPI’s as company fronts.
  • Certain FPIs have been observed to hold a concentrated portion of their equity portfolio in a single investee company/corporate group.
  • Such concentrated investments raise the concern and possibility that promoters of such investee companies/corporate groups, or other investors acting in concert, could be using the FPI route for circumventing regulatory requirements.

5. Why Apple’s change of heart on Right to Repair movement a big policy shift?

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Msc

Context:

• Apple, that was against the ‘right to repair’ movement just a few years ago, became its newest convert.

Details:

• Earlier Apple said that giving users unauthorised repair access would make the state a hub for hackers.
• Now, Apple is backing a legislation that will hand consumers and third-party firms the right to fix damaged electronic products.
  • It says the law would benefit users and protect their privacy and security.

A shift in worldview:

• The U.S. lawmakers enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, in the late 90s to stem intellectual property theft.
  • In the U.S., large tech firms had made it illegalfor consumers and third-party repairers to fix devices that are powered by software codes under DMCA to ensure products they sold are only repaired by service centres under their control.
• The DMCA offered protection to original equipment manufacturers (OEM) under Section 1201 of the Act by barring third-party repairers from breaking software protection codes.

Copyright Office intervenes:

• Recently, the U.S. Copyright Office has allowed users to fix devices, including automobiles.
  • In 2021, the office added new exemptions to the Section by allowing broad protection to consumer devices that rely on software codes.
• Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, and a dozen other U.S. states have passed right to repair laws in different variations.
• California is looking to enact its right to repair law.
  • The SB 244 bill, combined with the Song-Beverly Act, provides specific guidelines on how long OEMs must provide parts and repair support.
  • The bill also covers a wide range of consumer products that can be repaired without taking it to a company-authorized service centre.
  • It enables the state to bring civil action suits against manufacturers that violate the law with a fine of upto $5,000 per day.
  • Gaming consoles and alarm systems are not covered under the bill due to security concerns.
  • To assuage concerns from companies over the use of intellectual property, this legislation does not require OEMs to share trade secrets or require them to distribute a product’s source code.

• Two years ago, Apple had launched a self-service repair programme that allowed users to purchase parts and rent tools to fix their gadgets.

Right to Repair- Indian scenario:

• The right to repair for consumer goods refers to the concept of allowing end users, consumers as well as businesses, to repair devices they own or service without any manufacturer or technical restrictions.
• The Right to Repair India portal of the Department of Consumer Affairs under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution – Government of India provides warranty and post-sales information, provided by the consumer brands, to consumers in India.

Committee on Right to Repair:

• The Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MCA) has set up a committee to come up with a Right to Repair framework.
• The framework is significant as it will give consumers a chance to repair their products at an optimal cost instead of buying new products altogether.
• The important sectors for the initial focus of the framework are farming equipment, mobile phones & tablets, consumer durables, automobiles & automobile equipment.
  • Under this framework, it would be mandatory for manufacturers to share their product details with customers so that they can either repair them by self or by third parties, rather than only depending on original manufacturers.
  • The framework also aims to help harmonize the trade between the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), third-party buyers and sellers – thus also creating new jobs.
  • It will help reduce the vast mountain of electrical waste (e-waste) that piles up each year on the continent and boost business for small repair shops, which are an important part of local economies.
  • It will save consumers’ money and contribute to circular economy objectives by improving the life span, maintenance, re-use, upgrade, recyclability, and waste handling of appliances.

6. ISRO releases graph of temperature variation on lunar surface

Subject : Science and technology

Section: space technology

Context:

• ISRO on August 27 released a graph of the temperature variation on lunar surface with increase in depth measured by the ChaSTE payload onboard Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander module.

ChaSTE payload:

• The payload was developed by a team led by the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) of ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in collaboration with Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad.
• Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) measured the temperature profile of the lunar topsoil around the south pole, to understand the thermal behavior of the Moon’s surface.
• The payload has a temperature probe equipped with a controlled penetration mechanism capable of reaching a depth of 10 cm beneath the surface.
• The probe is fitted with 10 individual temperature sensors.
• The presented graph illustrates the temperature variations of the lunar surface/near-surface at various depths, as recorded during the probe’s penetration.
• This is the first such profile for the lunar south pole.

For details of Chandrayaan-3 and its payloads: https://optimizeias.com/isro-releases-images-of-the-far-side-area-of-the-moon/

7. As Pragyan digs deep into moon, scientists at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre lab turn their gaze to solar wind

Subject : Science and technology

Section: space technology

Context:

• Scientists at the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL) under the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) here are getting ready to unravel the secrets of the solar wind as the Aditya-L1 mission, meant to study the sun, lifts off in September.

PAPA Payload of Aditya L-1 mission:

• The Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) payload aboard Aditya-L1, one of seven scientific payloads aboard the challenging mission, was developed by the SPL to gain deeper insights into the phenomenon of the ‘solar wind’ (the constant stream of charged particles from the sun).
• The SPL’s PAPA payload will study the composition of the solar wind.
• It will look at the energy of electrons and the energy and mass of protons and ions in it. The study will also cover the angular variations.
• Weight of the Payload: 8kg.

Aditya L1 mission:

• ISRO describes Aditya-L1 as the ‘‘first space-based Indian mission to study the sun’‘ from a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point 1 (L1) of the sun-earth system.
• The payloads onboard Aditya L1 are designed ‘‘to study the chromosphere, the photosphere and the outermost layers of the sun using electromagnetic and particle detectors”.
• ISRO will use an XL variant of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) to place the Aditya-L1 spacecraft in a low earth orbit.
• Once launched, it will take 125 days to travel to its destination at L1.

Important terms related to Sun:

• The solar interior, from the inside out, is made up of the core, radiative zone and convective zone. The solar atmosphere consists of the photosphere, chromosphere, and the corona (solar wind is an outflow of gas from the corona).
• Photosphere
  • The photosphere is an extremely uneven bright outer layer of the Sun that emits most of the radiation. The effective temperature on the outer side of the photosphere is 6000°C.
• Chromosphere
  • Above the photosphere is the chromosphere. It is a thin layer of burning gasses. It is a bit cooler — 4,320 ֯C.
• Corona
  • A corona is a distinctive atmosphere of plasma that surrounds the Sun and other celestial bodies. The Sun’s corona extends millions of kilometers into space and is most easily seen during a total solar eclipse.
• Solar wind:
  • The solar wind is made of plasma (ionised atoms), a stream of energized, charged particles, primarily electrons and protons, flowing outward from the Sun at speeds as high as 900 km/s and at a temperature of 1 million °C.
• Solar Flares
  • Solar are magnetic storms which appear to be very bright spots with a gaseous surface eruption. As solar flares are pushed through the corona, they heat its gas to anywhere from 10 to 20 million °C.
• Solar Prominence
  • An arc of gas that erupts from the surface of the Sun is called solar prominence. Prominences can loop hundreds of thousands of miles into space. They are held above the Sun’s surface by strong magnetic fields and can last for many months.

For details of Aditya L-1 mission: 

https://optimizeias.com/why-isros-aditya-l-1-mission-is-unique-in-many-ways/

8. Echolocation: what goes around comes around

Subject : Environment

Section: species in news

Context:

• Bats, dolphins and submarines all use the same technique to get a sense of their surroundings: Echolocation.

What is echolocation?

• Nature’s own sonar system, echolocation, occurs when an animal or an object emits a sound wave that bounces off an object, returning an echo that provides information about the object’s distance and size.

Which species can echolocate?

• Over a thousand species echolocate, including most bats, all toothed whales, and small mammals.
• Many are nocturnal, burrowing, and ocean-dwelling animals that rely on echolocation to find food in an environment with little to no light.
• Animals have several methods for echolocation, from vibrating their throats to flapping their wings.
• Nocturnal oilbirds and some swiftlets, some of which hunt in dark cave environments, produce short clicks with their syrinx, the vocal organ of birds.
• Some people can also echolocate by clicking their tongues, a behavior shared by only a few other animals, including tenrecs, a shrew-like animal from Madagascar, and the Vietnamese pygmy dormouse, which is effectively blind.

Defense against echolocation:

• Some moths have evolved their own defenses against echolocating bats. The tiger moth flexes the tymbal organ on either side of its thorax to produce clicks, which jams bat sonar and keeps the predators at bay.

Applications of Echolocation technique:

• Humans have harnessed the principles of this ingenious technique to create devices like sonar and Radar.
• SONAR is an acronym of ‘Sound navigation and ranging’.
  • It is widely used for underwater navigation, communications, and to find fish.
• RADAR: an acronym for ‘Radio detection and ranging’.
  • It is used in aviation, weather forecasting, and military applications to detect and track objects by bouncing radio waves off them.
• More recently engineer’s have used echolocation to develop smartphone apps that can create a map of a room to help people with visual impairments navigate their environs better.

9. Bird species plummeting in India, says new report: What are the major threats to them?

Subject : Environment

Section: species in news

Context:

• A large number of bird species in India are either currently declining or projected to decline in the long term, according to a report based on data from about 30,000 birdwatchers.
• Report title: The State of Birds in India 2023

Details:

• Out of the 942 bird species that were assessed, 142 are diminishing and only 28 are increasing.
• While raptors, migratory shorebirds, and ducks have declined the most, birds living in habitats like open ecosystems, rivers, and coasts are among the worst affected.
• The key factors responsible for the decline are urbanisation, infrastructural development, environmental pollutants, and climate change.

What are the major threats to birds in India?

1. Climate change:

• Climate change affects bird reproduction and survival through the disruption of species interactions by phenological mismatches — it occurs when the timing of annual events like breeding, nesting and migration become out of sync.
  • Mismatches in seasonal timing (of migration, breeding, emergence) between birds and their prey can reduce survival and reproduction and also lead to fatal competition with other species.
• Soaring temperatures force sedentary birds to go through rapid adaptive changes.
  • For instance, Amazonian birds over 50 years lost body weight to lose heat more efficiently.
• Sapping heat compels birds to change their behavior.
  • They tend to spend more time looking for shade instead of searching for food.
  • This can have an adverse effect on their survival and reproduction.
• Climate change leads to new and dangerous interactions between different species.
  • In Hawaii, due to rising temperature, mosquitoes have colonized higher altitudes.
  • This has given rise to malaria among mountain birds.

2. Urbanization

• The most urbanized regions in India have:
  • the least number of bird species,
  • the least number of rare species, and
  • the fewest insectivorous species.
• Consequences of unplanned rapid urbanization:
  • Loss of natural habitat for birds exposes them to more air pollution and high temperatures.
  • Noise pollution forces birds to sing louder, or at different frequencies, or, in the worst case, to abandon otherwise suitable habitat.
  • Light pollution may confuse and disorient them, causing them to collide with buildings.
  • Lack of food supplies in urban areas leads to the homogenisation of bird communities as only behaviourally dominant species such as House Crows and feral Rock Pigeons are able to survive.

3. Monocultures:

• Monoculture is the practice of growing one type of seed in a field at a time.
• In India, commercial monoculture plantations of rubber, coffee, and tea have been rapidly expanding in recent years.
  • Tea plantations have grown from 5,214 sq km to 6,366 sq km from 2003 to 2020.
  • Oil palm plantations have also increased across the country with expanding hotspots located in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the northeastern Himalaya.
• Commercial monocultures are known to harbor fewer bird species than natural forests within the same biome.
  • Oil palm plantations in Mizoram support only 14% of the bird species found in comparable rainforests.
  • In Uttarakhand, teak plantations can shelter just 50% of the total woodpecker species seen in the state’s sal forests.

4. Energy infrastructure

• A wide range of species are known to have been killed due to collisions with wind turbines.
  • Several of them have migrated to regions where there aren’t such giant devices.
• The transmission lines have also led to the death of many large-bodies species because of collision and numerous small-bodies species have been electrocuted.
  • Over 60 species from 33 families of birds are affected by collisions and electrocution at power lines in India.

For details of the state of birds in India 2023 report: https://optimizeias.com/state-of-birds-most-species-dip-india-peafowl-among-those-flourishing/

10. Dengue vaccines in India: A look at the ongoing trials and development

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Health

Context:

• With the expanding geography of dengue infections — in India as well as the world — an increasing need has been felt for an effective vaccine that can protect against all four serotypes. Nearly half the population of the world lives at risk of the disease at present.

Dengue cases all across India:

• The disease in India has spread from just eight states and union territories in 2001 to all states by 2022 — Ladakh is the latest among states/UTs to report dengue cases.
• Efforts are ongoing within the country to develop an effective vaccine against the mosquito-borne disease that can lead to internal bleeding, circulatory shock, and death.

Vaccine in human trials

• At present, there are three vaccine candidates that are being tested in humans in India.

1. A vaccine developed by Panacea Biotec based on live weakened versions of the four dengue serotypes developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the United States.
   • They deleted parts of the genetic code of DENV1, DENV3, and DENV4 serotypes of the virus and then genetically engineered DENV2 backbone using parts from weakened DENV 4 on which the others were tacked on.
   • These were grown in cell culture by Panacea Biotec to develop the vaccine.
2. A second vaccine candidate was developed by the Serum Institute of India with the same weakened virus from the United States.
3. The same technology has also been used by Indian Immunologicals Limited to develop the vaccine.

Challenges in vaccine development:

• One of the main challenges is antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) — a person with low levels of antibodies against one serotype of dengue, may end up getting a more severe infection with another serotype of dengue.
• This was what led to controversy surrounding the first dengue vaccine to be approved.
• Only after a vaccination programme had been rolled out in the Philippines, it was found that the vaccine could actually increase the risk of severe disease in people who had not been infected before.

Solution to this problem:

• To do away with this problem, both the Indian research teams selected a specific part of the envelope protein known to not cause ADE.
• The team from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) created a Virus-Like Particle using these parts of the virus.
  • The vaccine was developed in collaboration with Sun Pharmaceuticals.

• The other team from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology among other institutes again used the same envelope parts of the four dengue viruses along with another part called non-structural-1 and constructed a genetic sequence out of it.
  • This resulted in a DNA vaccine with all four serotypes.
    • Although DNA vaccines can be manufactured at lower safety levels, at a lesser cost, and can be stored even at room temperatures, they don’t always produce a very good immune response.
  • The researchers are currently optimizing the vaccine using nano-plasmids.

11. The Qutub Complex

Subject : History

Section: Art and culture

• The Qutub Complex comprises of the following monuments:
  • Qutb Minar
  • Alai Darwaza
  • Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque
  • Alauddin Khilji’s tomb and madrasa
  • Alai Minar

About Qutub Minar:

• Qutub Minar is a soaring, 73 m-high tower of victory.
• It was built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi’s last Hindu kingdom. 
• The tower has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15 m diameter at the base to just 2.5 m at the top. 
• The first three storeys are made of red sandstone and the fourth and fifth storeys are of marble and sandstone.
• At the foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be built in India.
• A 7 m-high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque.
• Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced the construction of the Qutab Minar in 1200 AD, but could only finish the basement. His successor,Iltutmush, added three more storeys, and in 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlak constructed the fifth and the last storey.
• Qutub Minar and its monuments were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

About the Alai Darwaza

• Ala’iDarwaza is the southern gateway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque in Qutub complex,
• It was built by Sultan Alauddin Khalji in 1311 and is made of red sandstone,
• It is a square domed gatehouse with arched entrances and houses a single chamber.
• It has a special significance in Indo-Islamic architecture as the first Indian monument to be built using Islamic methods of construction and ornamentation

About Archaeological Survey of India (ASI):

• It is an attached office under the Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
• It was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham– the first Director-General of ASI.
• It is the premier organization for the archaeological research and protection of the cultural heritage of the nation.
• It regulates all archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
• It also regulates the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972.

12. SpaceX launches Crew-7 mission

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Context: SpaceX launched four people to the International Space Station from Florida

More about the news:

• NASA and SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft have blasted off carrying four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
• Known as Crew-7, the mission includes four astronauts from four countries – the US, Denmark, Japan, and Russia.
• This was the first US take-off in which all the astronauts atop the spacecraft belonged to a different country. Until now, NASA had always included two or three of its own on its SpaceX flights.

More details about the mission:

• The Crew-7 is the eighth flight operated by NASA and SpaceX as part of the agency’s commercial crew program, which has been taking astronauts to the ISS since SpaceX’s first crewed mission in 2020.
• During their stay at the space station, the Crew-7 astronauts will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations to prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
• The research will include a collection of microbial samples from the exterior of the space station.
• The team will also analyse how sleeping in the microgravity environment differs from Earth by examining astronauts’ brain waves while they sleep.
• Another experiment will look at the formation of biofilms in wastewater on the space station, which could be key to finding better ways to recycle water for drinking and hygiene while in space.

What is International Space Station (ISS):

• The International Space Station (ISS) is a space station, or a habitable artificial satellite, in Low Earth Orbit approximately 250 miles above Earth.
• The first piece of the International Space Station was launched in 1998,and was completed in 2011.
• The major partners of ISS include NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).
• ISS travels at 17,500 mph that means it orbits Earth every 90 minutes.
• The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements.
• The station is divided into two sections, the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) and the United States Orbital Segment (USOS), which is shared by many nations.
• ISS is the ninth space station to be inhabited by crews, following the Soviet and later Russian Salyut, Almaz, and Mir stations as well as Skylab from the US.

13. Eye flu and the indiscriminate use of antibiotics

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Context: The recent surge in the eye flu cases and the indiscriminate use of the antibiotics drugs.

More about the news:

• A rise in conjunctivitis cases occurred after heavy rains in northern India due to the Adenovirus.
• Most cases of viral conjunctivitis resolve on their own but during this outbreak, antibacterial eye drops were commonly used, often in combination with steroids or other drugs.
• The eye drops contained antibacterial agents like gentamicin, chloramphenicol, moxifloxacin, ofloxacin, and tobramycin and steroids such as betamethasone and dexamethasone.
• These eye drops included compounds irrelevant to treating either bacterial or viral conjunctivitis.
• The “one drug treats all” approach was prevalent in prescribing these drops.

What is conjunctivitis:

• Conjunctivitis, commonly known as Pink Eye, is an infection or inflammation of the transparent membrane that covers the eyelid and eyeball. This membrane is called the conjunctiva.
• It can be caused by viruses, bacteria or by allergies.
• Both bacterial and viral conjunctivitis are highly contagious, while allergic conjunctivitis is not.
• It usually occurs through direct or indirect contact.
• Direct transmission happens through droplets from the cough or sneeze of an infected person or through hand-to-eye contact..
• Indirectly, it can spread via shared personal items like towels, makeup, pillows or contact lenses.

Why the do eyes appear pink:

• When small blood vessels in the conjunctiva become swollen and irritated, they’re more visible. 
• This is what causes the whites of the eyes to appear reddish or pink.

What is Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

• Antimicrobial resistance is the resistance acquired by any microorganism (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasite, etc.) against antimicrobial drugs (such as antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antimalarials, and anthelmintics) that are used to treat infections.
• As a result, standard treatments become ineffective, infections persist and may spread to others.
• Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.
• Antimicrobial resistance is now regarded as a major threat to public health across the globe.

What are the various schedules under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945:

• The Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945 has provisions for classification of drugs into different schedules and also guidelines for storage, sale, display and prescription of drugs under each schedule. Major schedules are:
• Schedule H
  • The drugs under this schedule can be sold only based on the prescription of a registered medical practitioner and only the amount specified in the prescription should be sold. It can be supplied only to licenced parties.
  • These drugs should be labelled with the symbol ‘Rx’ and conspicuously displayed on the left top corner of the label.
• Schedule X
  • Same rules are applied as per schedule H drugs. Here the drug retailer has to preserve the copy of prescription for two years and the drugs should be labelled with the symbol ‘XRx’ and conspicuously displayed on the left top corner of the label.
  •  Schedule X includes narcotic and psychotropic substances-based drugs.
• Schedule H1
  • This schedule was included in 2013 to check the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, anti-TB and some other drugs in the country.  These drugs cannot be sold without a valid prescription.  
  • The package of the drugs will have a mandatory warning printed in a box with red colour border.
  • The chemist should maintain the list of the customer names and details of the doctor who prescribed it.
  • The list should be maintained with 3 years of data.

14. Loch Ness

Subject : Geography

Section: Places in news

Context: Loch Ness Exploration, a volunteer research group, is leading the latest search, billed as the largest conducted from the surface of the lake since 1972.

More about the Loch Ness Monster:

• In Scottish folklore, the Loch Ness Monster or Nessie is said to be a creature that inhabits Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands.
• It is often described as large in size with a long neck and one or more humps protruding from the water.
• Since the 1900s, the legend of the “Loch Ness Monster” has been the subject of much debate around the world. In the absence of any conclusive evidence, there have been various theories about whether such a prehistoric creature ever existed, or whether it was an identifiable creature.
• The scientific community regards the Loch Ness Monster as a phenomenon without biological basis, explaining sightings as hoaxes, wishful thinking, and the misidentification of mundane objects.

Details about Loch Ness Lake:

• Loch Ness is a large freshwater lake located in the Scottish Highlands.
•  It is the second-largestScottish loch by surface area after Loch Lomond
• It stretches for about 37 kilometers  in length and is around 230 meters deep, making it one of the deepest lakes in Europe.
•  It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end.
• The southern end connects to Loch Oich by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal. The northern end connects to Loch Dochfour via the River Ness, which then ultimately leads to the North Sea via the Moray Firth.