Daily Prelims Notes 17 May 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

17 May 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Sea butterflies are threatened by climate change
2. Leveraging carbon storage
3. Remediation of legacy waste dumpsites
4. Integrated farming systems
5. Climate Smart Agriculture
6. Cheetahs are difficult breeders, but Kuno death was avoidable: here’s why
7. The demand for a Kuki homeland, its history and rationale
8. Expected Credit Loss (ECL)-based loan loss provisioning framework
9. Why spurious liquor kills?
10. The first indigenous Vaccine against Dengue
11. IPEF Negotiations

1. Sea butterflies are threatened by climate change

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate Change

Context: Ocean acidification more dangerous for shelled, smaller sea butterflies but can impact entire ocean food web.

More on the News:

• The stunning sea butterflies, a suborder of sea snails, are tiny creatures that play a big role in the marine ecosystem. But the smallest species in this group found in the Southern Ocean are extremely vulnerable to climate change and their population is shrinking in a warming world, according to a new study.
• The shelled pteropods (group of free-swimming sea snails) live at or very close to the ocean surface. Like snails, they have muscular feet that they use as flappers to swim around in water, instead of glide on solid surface.
• As the sea absorbs an increasing quantity of carbon dioxide (CO2) that turns the water more acidic, the thin outer casing, or the ‘homes’ of these small sea butterflies, dissolve. This leaves them exposed, making it difficult for these delicate species to survive.
• While these beautiful creatures dying out are bad news in itself, their reduced population also impacts larger pteropods and other oceanic creatures that feed on them. The entire underwater food chain of the seas surrounding Antarctica may suffer as a ripple effect.
• The ocean is the most acidic in winter because cooler water absorbs more CO2. This means, the winter months are the most dangerous for the shelled sea butterflies.

Sea Butterflies:

• Sea butterflies, also known as pteropods, are a group of small marine gastropod mollusks that belong to the family Thecosomata. They are notable for their unique shell structure and their role in marine ecosystems.
• Sea butterflies are planktonic organisms characterized by a distinct shell structure. Their shells are delicate, translucent, and often have a wing-like shape, resembling a butterfly. The shells are secreted by the sea butterflies themselves and provide protection for their soft bodies.
• Sea butterflies are found in oceans around the world, from polar to tropical regions. They are most abundant in the upper layers of the ocean, particularly in areas with high productivity and concentrations of plankton.
• Sea butterflies are herbivorous organisms that feed primarily on phytoplankton, microscopic plants found in the ocean. They use a specialized feeding apparatus called a “radula” to scrape and consume the phytoplankton. In turn, they serve as an important link in the marine food chain, transferring energy from primary producers to higher trophic levels.
• Sea butterflies play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. They incorporate calcium carbonate into their shells through a process known as calcification.
• Sea butterflies are an important food source for various marine organisms, including fish, seabirds, and whales. Their abundance and distribution can influence the distribution and abundance of other species within the marine food web. Changes in sea butterfly populations can have cascading effects throughout the ecosystem.

Ocean acidification: https://optimizeias.com/climate-change-and-oceans/

2. Leveraging carbon storage

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate Change

Context: India must look at pumping carbon underground.

More on the News:

• India has committed to achieving a 45 per cent reduction in emissions intensity of GDP by 2030, and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070. India needs to evaluate all options to lower its emissions footprint. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one such important lever.
• Four different types of underground geological formations that can be utilised for storing carbon:
  • Depleted oil and gas reservoirs can be injected to increase oil and gas recovery, referred to as Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), and in the process also store some amount of carbon dioxide.
  • Carbon dioxide can be injected into coal seams for storage and to extract methane (similar to natural gas) for commercial value, referred to as Enhanced Coal Bed Methane Recovery (ECBMR).
  • Salty mineral water accumulations referred to as saline aquifers
  • Basalt mineral rock formations that can store carbon dioxide underground.

Opportunity:

• CCS allows for the gradual reduction of coal usage while still decarbonising the economy.
• India is also one of the few countries with large onshore basalt formations. CCS in basalt is unique because the carbon dioxide injected underground is converted into solid minerals over time. This almost eliminates the risk of leakage, and post-injection monitoring over long periods can ensure the integrity of the underground geology.

Suggestions:

• First, while EOR is being commercially planned in the coming years, basalt formations should be assessed and explored for potential on priority.
• Second, the government can license out acreage for exploitation of basalt and saline aquifer formations similar to oil and gas today, which will not only generate revenue but also spur CCS projects. India should also consider allowing for storage of other countries’ carbon dioxide in our basalt formations.
• Third, the regulatory authorities need to identify and develop standards and regulations to speed up approval of CCS exploratory, pilot and commercial projects.
• And finally, the Department of Science and Technology should build a collaborative network domestically and connect with international bodies for knowledge transfer and sharing of experience.

Carbon capture and storage: https://optimizeias.com/carbon-capture-utilisation-and-storage-ccus/

3. Remediation of legacy waste dumpsites

Subject: Environment

Section: Pollution

Context: The recent past has seen a paradigm shift in waste management policy in India, focussing extensively on the remediation of legacy waste dumpsites in the country.

More on the News:

• A proper roadmap to divert the combustibles (plastics, paper, textiles, leather, wood, etc) recovered during the biomining process would be extremely critical to dumpsite remediation.
• The combustible fraction constitutes about 8-20 per cent of the legacy waste in an old dumpsite. That means India has to deal with nearly 13 million-32 million tonnes of combustible materials lying in around 3,159 dumpsites in the country.
• These combustible materials (typically referred to as segregated combustible fraction or SCF) are excavated as an end-product of the legacy waste dumpsite remediation process.
• SCF are typically contaminated with inert material and high moisture content (more than 30 per cent), making it not so desirable for the cement factories.
• As a result, many urban local bodies are struggling to find economically viable options for the disposal of recovered material, including combustibles.
• Currently, the only available option is co-processing in the cement industry. Co-processing refers to the use of waste materials having high calorific value as alternative fuels or raw materials (AFR) to recover energy and material from them.
• Due to the high temperature in cement kilns, different types of waste can be effectively disposed of without harmful emissions.
• A variety of wastes, including industrial wastes and plastics, can be disposed of in an environmentally safe and sound manner through the technology of co-processing in cement kilns, according to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.
• In cement kilns, different kinds of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes, including plastic wastes, get utilised as AFRs.
• During the usage of plastic wastes in cement kilns as AFRs, the material and energy value present in them get fully utilised in the cement kiln. In this manner, plastic waste can replace the raw materials and fossil fuels that are conventionally utilised in kilns.

Challenges in Co-processing:

• Expensive additional critical infrastructure required for co-processing the SCF recovered from biomining.
• Quality of RDF (recovered from biomining of legacy waste dumpsites): compromised due to high moisture and ash content.
• High cost of transportation

Recommendations:

• These are the recommendations to amend the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 as suggested by MoHUA:
• The cement plants located within 400 km of a solid waste-based RDF plant shall make necessary arrangements to utilise RDF in the following phase-wise manner at a price fixed by the state government. Such units should:
  • Replace at least 6 per cent of fuel intake within one year from the date of amendment of these rules (equivalent calorific value/thermal substitution rate) by municipal solid waste-based SCF and/or RDF, subject to the availability of RDF.
  • Replace at least 10 per cent of fuel intake within two years from the date of amendment of these rules (equivalent calorific value/thermal substitution rate) by Municipal Solid Waste based SCF and/or RDF, subject to the availability of RDF.
  • Replace at least 15 per cent of its fuel intake within three years from the date of amendment of these rules (equivalent calorific value/Thermal Substitution Rate) by Municipal Solid Waste based SCF and/or RDF, subject to the availability of RDF.
  • The transport cost for SCF/RDF up to 100 km from the cement plant shall be borne by the cement plant; however, beyond 100 km cement plant can transport at its own cost or by ULBs as mutually agreed upon by the parties.

4. Integrated farming systems

Subject – Environment

Section: Climate Change

Context – Integrated farming systems emerge as possible climate adaptation solution

Concept –

• Integrated Farming System (IFS):- A sub system of a high level land use system like a village or a watershed which includes crop production, raising livestock, fishery, poultry, beekeeping etc. on a particular farm with a objective of higher profitability without altering ecological and socio-economic balance on one hand and to meet the national goals on the other hand.

Components Of Integrated Farming System

• Crops, livestock, birds and trees are the major components of any IFS.
• Crop may have subsystem like monocrop, mixed/intercrop, multi-tier crops of cereals, legumes (pulses), oilseeds, forage etc.
• Livestock components may be milch cow, goat, sheep, poultry, bees.
• Tree components may include timer, fuel, fodder and fruit trees.

Advantages of Integrated Farming System

• Higher food production to equate the demand of the exploding population of our nation
• Increased farm income through proper residue recycling and allied components
• Sustainable soil fertility and productivity through organic waste recycling
• Integration of allied activities will result in the availability of nutritious food enriched with protein, carbohydrate, fat, minerals and vitamins
• Integrated farming will help in environmental protection through effective recycling of waste from animal activities like piggery, poultry and pigeon rearing
• Reduced production cost of components through input recycling from the byproducts of allied enterprises
• Regular stable income through the products like egg, milk, mushroom, vegetables, honey and silkworm cocoons from the linked activities in integrated farming
• Inclusion of biogas & agro forestry in integrated farming system will solve the prognosticated energy crisis
• Cultivation of fodder crops as intercropping and as border cropping will result in the availability of adequate nutritious fodder for animal components like milch cow, goat / sheep, pig and rabbit
• Firewood and construction wood requirements could be met from the agroforestry system without affecting the natural forest
• Avoidance of soil loss through erosion by agro-forestry and proper cultivation of each part of land by integrated farming
• Generation of regular employment for the farm family members of small and marginal farmers.

5. Climate Smart Agriculture

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate Change

A range of agricultural practices that transform agricultural systems to support food security in the face of climate change has been collectively known by the name „climate-smart agriculture‟ (CSA). A CSA approach tries to integrate climate change into planning and implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. It also aims to increase the resilience of agriculture to climate variability through better adaptation to climate change and reduce agriculture’s contribution to global warming.

Climate Smart Agriculture: Characteristics

Contrary to conventional agricultural development, CSA systematically integrates climate change into the planning and development of sustainable agricultural systems. v CSA‟s three primary pillars are interrelated concerns-increased productivity, enhanced resilience and reduced emissions. However, the resultant trade-offs often cannot maximize the pillars simultaneously, only optimize them. v CSA maintains ecosystem services: Ecosystems provide the agricultural sector with a number of unpaid services –clean natural water, materials, food, sunlight etc. CSA attempts to ensure the sustainability of these services, preventing their degradation. v CSA is not a rigid set of particular practices, technologies or methodologies- it is only a concept amenable to adaptation. It has multiple entry points, ranging from the development of technologies and practices to the elaboration ofclimate change models and scenarios, information technology, insurance schemes, value chains and the strengthening of institutional and political enabling environments.

Key Government Initiatives on CSA

National Innovation on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA):National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) is a network project of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) launched in February, 2011 with an outlay of Rs.350 crores. The project aims to enhance the resilience of Indian agriculture, covering crops, livestock and fisheries to climatic variability and climate change through development and application of improved production and risk management technologies. National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) The Government is implementing the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) which provides the overarching framework for climate actions, through national missions in specific areas.

The National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA), one of the Missions under NAPCC, includes programmatic interventions like Soil Health Card, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, Mission Organic Value Chain Development for Northeastern Region, Rainfed Area Development, National Bamboo Mission and Sub-mission on Agro-Forestry. The NMSA works through adoption of sustainable development pathway by progressively shifting to environment friendly technologies, adoption of energy efficient equipments, conservation of natural resources, integrated farming, etc. Besides, the NMSA aims at promoting location specific improved agronomic practices through soil health management, enhanced water use efficiency, judicious use of chemicals, crop diversification.

The National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC): The National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) was established to meet the cost of adaptation to climate change for the State and Union Territories of India that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. This Scheme was implemented during 2015-16 mainly for supporting concrete adaptation activities dealing with mitigating the adverse effects of global climate change in various sectors including agriculture. Under the NAFCC, various projects have been sanctioned in different states i.e., Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, J&K, Meghalaya, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh etc.

Climate Smart Village: Climate-smart village (CSV) is an institutional approach to test, implement, modify and promote CSA at the local level and to enhance farmers‟ abilities to adapt to climate change. The CSV adopts a portfolio of interventions to tackle the climate challenges of the agriculture sector that cover the full spectrum of farm activities. Various Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers and national research organisations are putting their concerted efforts into the CSVs in India. CSVs were piloted in two states of India: Karnal district of Haryana state and Vaishali district of Bihar state which later spread into districts of Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi SinchayeeYojna (PMSKY): This Scheme was planned and formulated to give more priority on water conservation and its management in agriculture with the vision to extend the area under irrigation from 1 July 2015. The main motto of this Scheme is ‘Har Khet Ko Paani’ to improve water use efficiency. ‘More crop per drop’ scheme provide end-to-end solutions in water on source creation, distribution channels and its management.

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY): The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) introduced in the country from Kharif 2016 season is voluntary for States/UTs as well as for farmers. States/UTs can participate in the scheme keeping in view their risk perception and financial considerations etc. From inception of the scheme till 2020-21 cumulatively 2,938.7 lakh farmer applications for a sum insured of Rs. 10,49,342 crore have been enrolled under the scheme.

Soil Health Card Scheme: This Scheme was launched in February, 2015 to issue soil health cards (SHC) to the farmers providing detailed information on test-based soil nutrient status of their own land along with recommended dose of fertilizers for improving productivity through judicious use of inputs. The Government of India targeted to issue 10.48 crores of SHCs since inception of the Scheme.

National Water Mission (NWM): A Mission was mounted to ensure Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) for conserving the water sources and minimizing its wastage, and also to optimize Water Use Efficiency (WUE) by 20 per cent including agriculture sector.

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY): It is an extended component of Soil Health Management (SHM) launched in 2015 under NMSA with the objective of supporting and promoting organic farming through adoption of organic village by cluster approach, which in turn result in improvement of soil health. Biotech-KISAN: It is a scientist-farmer partnership scheme launched in 2017 for agriculture innovation with an objective to connect science laboratories with the farmers to find out innovative solutions and technologies to be applied at farm level. Under this scheme, so far 146 Biotech-KISAN Hubs have been established covering all 15 agroclimatic zones and 110 aspirational districts in the country. The scheme has benefitted over two lakhs farmers so far by increasing their agriculture output and income. Over 200 entrepreneurships have also been developed in rural areas.

Neem Coated Urea: It is a form of urea fertilizer coated with neem extracted material, which acts as a slow releaser of nitrogen reducing the pest and disease infestation ultimately minimizing the usage of chemicals in farming by achieving the overall increase in crop yield.

Sub-mission on Agro-forestry: This Mission was launched during 2016-17 with the objective of planting trees on farm bunds. Agro-forestry has the potential to bring sustainability in agriculture and also achieving the optimum productivity by mitigating the impact of climate change.

National Livestock Mission: This Mission was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and got commenced from 2014-15 focusing mainly on livestock development through sustainable approach ultimately protecting the natural environment, ensuring bio-security, conserving animal bio-diversity and farmers’ livelihood.

6. Cheetahs are difficult breeders, but Kuno death was avoidable: here’s why

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context: A South African female cheetah died of injuries apparently inflicted by two males looking to mate with her in Kuno, Madhya Pradesh, last week.

Cheetahs:

• Fastest mammal on land, the cheetah can reach speeds of 60 or perhaps even 70 miles an hour over short distances
• The gestation (pregnancy) period for the cheetah is 93 days
• Cheetahs in the wild (both male and female combined) have an average age span of 10 – 12 years.
• The average lifespan of an adult male in the wild skews lower (8 years), due in part to territorial conflicts with competing groups of males
• The cheetah is a sexually dimorphic species though it is difficult to identify cheetahs’ sex by appearance alone
• As the female siblings become sexually mature they will split from the group to lead a largely independent life.
• Male siblings remain together for the rest of their lives, forming a group known as a coalition. Coalitions increase hunting success and act as a defense against other predators.
• Females lead solitary lives unless they are accompanied by their cubs. Unlike male cheetahs that prefer to live in set territories with their coalition, females travel within “home ranges” that overlap multiple male groups’ territories
• Estrus in female cheetahs is not predictable or regular. This is one of the reasons why it is difficult to breed cheetahs in captivity.
• Mating receptivity depends on environmental factors that are triggered by the proximity of males and their scent markings

Kuno National Park

• Kuno is a National park in Madhya Pradesh, India.
• It was established, in 1981, as a wildlife sanctuary in the Sheopur and Morena districts. It was also known as Kuno-Palpur and Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary.
• In 2018, it was given the status of a National Park.
• It is part of the Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
• The protected area is largely dry, deciduous forest.

Additional info:

The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952. Since then, the grasslands of the country, of which the cheetah was the keystone species, have also disappeared.

African Cheetah IUCN status – Vulnerable

Asian Cheetah IUCN Status – Critically Endangered.

7. The demand for a Kuki homeland, its history and rationale

Subject : Geography

Section: Human geography (Tribes in news)

Context:

Days after Clashes between Manipur’s Kuki Zomi tribes and the majority Meitei community left more than 70 people dead, the state’s 10 Kuki-Zomi MLAs demanded “a separate administration under the Constitution

A Kuki homeland

• The demand for a separate “Kukiland” dates back to the late 1980s, when the first and largest of the Kuki-Zomi insurgent groups, the Kuki National Organisation (KNO), came into being.
• In 2012, Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC) announced a movement for Kukiland.
• The territory of “Kukiland” included the Sadar Hills (which surround the Imphal valley on three sides), the Kuki-dominated Churachandpur district, Chandel, which has a mix of Kuki and Naga populations, and even parts of Naga-dominated Tamenglong and Ukhrul
• The Kukiland demand is rooted in the idea of the Zale’n-gam, or ‘land of freedom’. They were brought from the Kuki-Chin hills of Burma by the British political agent and settled around the Imphal valley to protect the Manipur kingdom from the plundering Naga raiders of the north.
• According to the KNO, the Zale’n-gam included the area up to the Chindwin river in Myanmar and covered the bordering regions of India, the areas around the Nantalit river in northern Myanmar, and stretched to the Chin state in the south.
• In India, the Kuki homeland included the hill districts of Manipur, including the Naga areas, Kanjang, Akhen, Phek, and parts of Dimapur in Nagaland, Karbi-Anglong, North Cachar Hills, and Halflong in Assam, and Tripura, as well as parts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh.

About Kuki Tribe:

• The Kuki people are an ethnic group in the southeastern part of Mizoram and Myanmar.
• The Kuki constitute one of several hill tribeswithin India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
• In Northeast India, they are present in all states except Arunachal Pradesh
• The Chin peopleof Myanmar and the Mizo people of Mizoram are kindred tribes of the Kukis. Collectively, they are termed the Zo people.

8. Expected Credit Loss (ECL)-based loan loss provisioning framework

Subject : Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

Concept :

• Banks have requested the RBI for one more year’s time to implement the system of Expected Credit Loss (ECL) for provisioning of loans.

Background

• In January 2023, the RBI came out with a draft guideline proposing adoption of expected credit loss approach for credit impairment.
• It said the banks will be given a one-year period after the final guidelines are released for implementation of new framework.
• RBI is yet to announce the final guidelines on ECL norms.
• However, some of the rating agencies have said that final norms on this may be notified by FY2024 for implementation from April 1, 2025.

Loan-loss provision

• The RBI defines a loan loss provision as an expense that banks set aside for defaulted loans.
• In other words, a loan loss provision is a cash reserve that banks set aside to cover losses incurred from defaulted loans.
• Basically, it is an income statement expense banks can tap into when borrowers are unlikely to repay their loans.
• In the event of a loss, instead of taking a loss in its cash flows, the bank can use its loan loss reserves to cover the loss.
• The level of loan loss provision is determined based on the level expected to protect the safety and soundness of the bank.

Present Approach

• Banks in India are currently required to make loan loss provisions based on incurred loss model.
• This model assumes that all loans will be repaid until evidence to the contrary (known as a loss or trigger event) is identified.
• Only at that point is the impaired loan (or portfolio of loans) written down to a lower value.

Problem with the incurred loss-based approach

• The incurred loss approach requires banks to provide for losses that have already occurred or been incurred.
• The delay in recognising expected losses under this approach was found to exacerbate the downswing during the financial crisis of 2007-09.
• Faced with a systemic increase in defaults, the delay in recognising loan losses resulted in banks having to make higher levels of provisions.
• This ate into the capital maintained by the bank which in turn affected banks’ resilience and posed systemic risks.
• Further, the delays in recognising loan losses overstated the income generated by the banks.
• This, coupled with dividend payouts, impacted their capital base because of reduced internal accruals — which too, affected the resilience of banks.

Expected Credit Loss (ECL) for provisioning of loans

• RBI has proposed a framework for adopting an expected loss (EL)-based approach for provisioning by banks in case of loan defaults.
• Under this practice, a bank is required to estimate expected credit losses based on forward-looking estimations.
• Under this, banks will need to classify financial assets into one of three categories — Stage 1, Stage 2, or Stage
• This classification will depend upon the assessed credit losses on them, at the time of initial recognition as well as on each subsequent reporting date, and make necessary provisions.

9. Why spurious liquor kills?

Subject : Science  and technology

Section: Health

Concept :

Science of Creating Alcohol:

• Alcohol is produced using two basic processes: fermentation and distillation.
• Fermentation is a chemical reaction where yeast or bacteria react with the sugars (from grain, fruits, sugarcane, etc.) to produce ethanol (the alcohol in the drink).
• Liquor is differentiated by its alcohol content from the 5% by volume (beer) to the 12% (wine) to the 40% (distilled spirits).
• Distillation is important because with more of the sugar getting converted to alcohol, the conditions become toxic.
• Distillation is the process of physically separating the alcohol from the rest of the mixture using evaporation and condensation.

Adverse effect of Ethanol on Human Health:

• Ethanol (C2H5OH) is metabolised in the liver and the stomach by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes to acetaldehyde.
• Then aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzymes transform the acetaldehyde into acetate.
• The adverse effects of alcohol consumption, from the hangover to cancer, are due to acetaldehyde.
• Contrary to popular belief, the World Health Organization (WHO) has found that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health”.

What is Hooch/Spurious Liquor?

• Unlike branded liquor which is produced in factories with sophisticated equipment and rigorous quality control, hooch is made in more crude settings (in many cases homemade) without any quality checks.
• The fermented mixture which is to be distilled contains more than just consumable alcohol (ethanol).
• It also contains methanol (CH3OH), a different form of alcohol which is highly toxic for human beings.
• During the distillation, both ethanol (boiling point of 78.37 °C) and methanol (boiling point of 64.7 °C) are concentrated.
• The end product can have a high concentration of methanol (instead of harmless trace amounts), which is poisonous and can also cause cerebral edema (swelling of the brain), haemorrhage, and death.
• Importantly, it is near impossible to tell whether hooch is safe to consume before actual consumption.

Regulation of Methanol in India:

• Schedule I of the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules 1989 includes methanol.
• The Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations 2018 stipulate the maximum permissible quantity of methanol in different liquors.
• For example, these values span a wide range including “absent” in coconut fenny, 50 grams per 100 litres in country liquor, etc.
• The Indian Standard (IS 517) applies to how the quality of methanol is to be ascertained, and together with the Tamil Nadu Denatured Spirit, Methyl Alcohol, and Varnish (French Polish) Rules 1959, what signage, methanol packaging should carry

How can Methanol Poisoning be Treated?

• Once methanol is ingested, the body takes some time to completely eliminate it. There are two immediate ways to treat methanol poisoning.
• One is to administer ethanol (of a pharmaceutical grade, by healthcare workers). Ethanol competes with methanol for the ADH enzymes. As a result, the methanol is kept from being metabolised to formaldehyde.
• The other option is to administer an antidote called fomepizole, which slows the action of the ADH enzymes, causing the body to produce formaldehyde at a rate that the body can quickly excrete, preventing the deadlier effects from kicking in.

10. The first indigenous Vaccine against Dengue

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Concept :

• Drug makers Serum Institute of India and Panacea Biotec are moving closer to develop the country’s first vaccine against dengue.
• They have applied to the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) call for ‘Expression of Interest’ for collaborative Phase-III clinical trials for indigenous manufacturers.
• Phase-III clinical trial is being done for evaluation of efficacy, along with safety and immunogenicity of tetravalent dengue vaccine.
• The desirable characteristics of a dengue vaccine includes:
• Acceptable short and long-term safety profile (no antibody dependent enhancement).
• Inducing protection against all four serotypes of dengue.
• Reducing risk of severe diseases and deaths.
• Inducing a sustained immune response and effectiveness irrespective of the earlier sero-status and age of the individual.

Risk posed by Dengue:

• The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically with about half of the world’s population now at risk.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified dengue to be one among the top ten global health threats in 2019.
• As of now, there is no specific treatment for dengue/severe dengue. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop effective vaccines against dengue viral disease.

About Dengue

• Dengue is a vector-borne disease transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes Aegypti mosquito.
• This mosquito also transmits chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika infection.
• Aedes aegypti is a daytime feeder. The peak biting periods are early in the morning and in the evening before dusk.
• There are 4 serotypes of the virus that causes dengue. These are known as DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, DEN-4.
• The symptoms of the disease will begin anywhere between three to fourteen days after the initial infection.
• The symptoms include:
  • High fever
  • Headache
  • Vomiting
  • Muscle and joint pains
  • Skin Rash
• Diagnosis of dengue infection is done with a blood test.
• There is no vaccine or specific medication for dengue fever. Patients should seek medical advice, rest and drink plenty of fluids.
• Dengue cannot be spread directly from person to person. However, a person infected and suffering from dengue fever can infect other mosquitoes.
• Most cases occur in tropical areas of the world, including the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Southern China, Taiwan, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, Mexico, Africa, Central and South America.
• WHO estimates 39 crore dengue virus infections per year, of which 9.6 crore show symptoms.

11. IPEF Negotiations

Subject : International Relations

Section: International Groupings

Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) is a US led trade agreement for which negotiations are in the 3^rd round, with 14 participating countries which includes Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam

Negotiation heads: 4 heads namely, Trade, Supply chains, clean economy and fair economy. Below are the head wise issues that India should keep in mind while negotiating.

1. TRADE: WTO plus approach with US practices in digital trade, labour, environment, agriculture etc forming the basis.
   1. Digital Trade: With virtual space becoming the important for most business activity, government should ensure ownership of national data and not allow BIgTech to have unfair control. India should avoid binding commitments like made with Information Technology Agreement (ITA) 1 which locked India out of electronic manufacturing. Should promote local firms by giving favorable access to data. Not adopt US Artificial Intelligence models as they have biases in-built that may not suit local needs.
   2. Labour Standards: India should avoid US-Mexico style provisions that by mandating minimum wage discourage export of labour intensive products.
   3. Environment standards: India cannot afford to price carbon at the same rate as US, as this will make energy very expensive and thus make our exports uncompetitive.
   4. Agriculture: Not allow GM crops in the name of food security, as most of these are heavily subsidised by countries like the US. Avoid seed monopoly of GM firms. Farmer’s right to reproduce and exchange seeds should be ensured.
   5. Transparency and good regulatory practices: in name of transparency India should not give up regulatory and policy autonomy.
   6. Inclusivity and gender: India should use women and MSME participation to get concessions in government procurement.
2. SUPPLY CHAINS: Not agree to stop using export restriction clause, as domestic concerns should determine such decisions.
3. CLEAN ECONOMY: Not agree to non-derogation clause (non derogation – must be followed no matter what). Should say no to minimum standards for domestic market.
4. FAIR ECONOMY: With India already having undertaken several anti-corruption obligations, we should say no to any legally enforceable norms.