Daily Prelims Notes 13 March 2024

March 13, 2024
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

13 March 2024

Table Of Contents

1. Union Health Ministry launches National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming in India

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

Context:

The Union Health Secretary launched a National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAP-SE) in India.

More on news:

An array of IEC materials including a booklet on Snakebite, Posters on “Dos” and “Don’ts” for the general community and a 7-minute video on Snakebite Awareness also launched.
Snakebite Helpline, a vital resource that will provide immediate assistance, guidance, and support to individuals and communities affected by snakebite incidents will be piloted in five States (Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi).
National One Health Programme for Prevention and Control of Zoonoses onboarded on the Integrated Health Initiative Platform to strengthen surveillance of zoonotic diseases in the country.

About The National Action Plan for Snakebite Envenoming (NAPSE):

Vision: “To prevent and control snakebite envenoming in order to halve the numbers of deaths and cases of disability that it causes by 2030”.
Mission: To progressively reduce the morbidity, mortality and its associated complications in humans due to Snake bite.
The National Action Plan for Snakebite Envenoming (NAPSE) provides a broad framework for management, prevention and control of Snake bite envenoming in India.
The activities of human health component are already being implemented under snakebite prevention and control through the State and District Nodal Officer (SNO & DNO) under National Health Mission.
Surveillance is a key element in NAPSE so that problems can be easily identified, and actions could be undertaken in a timely manner.

About Snakebite Envenoming:

Snakebite envenoming is a potentially life-threatening disease following the bite of a venomous snake.
In India, around 50,000 deaths occur of an estimated 3-4 million snake bites annually which accounts for half of all snakebite deaths globally.
As per the Central Bureau of Health Investigation (CBHI) reports (2016-2020), the average annual frequency of snakebite cases in India is around 3 lakhs and about 2000 deaths occur due to snakebite envenoming.
In India, around 90% of snake bites are caused by the ‘big four’ among the crawlers – common krait, Indian cobra, Russell’s viper and saw scaled viper.
Administration of polyvalent anti-snake venom (ASV) containing antibodies against cobra, Russell’s viper, common krait and saw scaled viper is effective in 80% of the snakebite cases, however, lack of trained human resources and health facilities to treat snakebite patients remains a cause of concern.

What makes snakebite a neglected tropical disease (NTD):

There are four primary criteria that define an illness as a neglected tropical disease (NTD), and snakebite envenoming satisfies each of them:
First, there is a significant burden of mortality and morbidity (as detailed in the answer to question 1) – snakebite envenoming is a high-impact disease.
Secondly, a majority of incidents of snakebite occur in the world’s tropical and subtropical regions, and it particularly impacts the poor – snakebite is a tropical disease.
Thirdly, snakebite is amenable to treatment, as well as prevention – the impact of snakebite can be mitigated now if we make the effort to do so.

Finally, the overall level of investment in research addressing snakebite, from prevention to diagnosis to treatment and rehabilitation, is exceptionally low in comparison to its impact – snakebite is a neglected disease.

2. Sabarmati Ashram Redevelopment Plan

Subject: History

Section: Modern India

Context:

The redeveloped ‘Kochrab Ashram’ inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad.

More on news:

On March 12, marking the 94th anniversary of the Dandi March that began from the Sabarmati Ashram, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ‘Ashram Bhoomi Vandana’, a symbolic laying of the foundation stone, and unveiled the masterplan of the Rs 1,200 crore Gandhi Ashram Memorial and Precinct Development Project.

About Various Settlements:

Gandhi set up five settlements during his lifetime — two in South Africa (Phoenix Settlement in Natal, and Tolstoy Farm outside Johannesburg), where he lived from 1893 to 1914, and three in India, where he arrived in January 1915.

Kocharab:

Gandhiji set up the first ashram in Ahmedabad in Kocharab in 1915.
Gandhi’s India ashram was originally established at the Kochrab Bungalow of Jivanlal Desai, a barrister, and friend of Gandhi, on 25 May 1915. At that time the ashram was called the Satyagraha Ashram.

Sabarmati:

In 1917, Gandhi founded the ashram at Sabarmati — his fourth ashram — on the western bank of the Sabarmati River.
The location was to the north of the village of Juna Vadaj, beyond the Chandrabhaga rivulet, a tributary of the Sabarmati.
He spent the most time here, and it was the cradle of eight major movements related to India’s struggle for independence.
Apart from the Dandi March that Gandhi began from here on March 12, 1930, he also launched the Champaran Satyagraha (1917), the Ahmedabad mills strike and Kheda Satyagraha (1918), the Khadi movement (1918), the Rowlatt Act and Khilafat Movements (1919), and the Non-Cooperation movement (1920) while living in Sabarmati.

Sewagram:

Sevagram (meaning “A town for/of service”) is a town in the state of Maharashtra, India.
It was the place of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram and his residence from 1936 to his death in 1948.
After Sabarmati, Sevagram Ashram holds immense importance due to the residence of Mahatma Gandhi.

History of Sabarmati:

The Sabarmati ashram is sited between a prison and a crematorium, and Gandhi believed that a satyagrahi has invariably to go to either place.
At the ashram, Gandhi formed a tertiary school that focused on manual labor, agriculture, and literacy, in order to advance his efforts for the nation’s self-sufficiency.
It was also from here that on 12 March 1930, Gandhi marched to Dandi, 241 miles from the ashram, with 78 companions in protest at the British Salt Law, which increased the taxes on Indian salt in an effort to promote sales of British salt in India.
This mass act of civil disobedience in turn led to the imprisoning of some 60,000 by the British Raj over the following three weeks.
Subsequently, the government seized the ashram.
On 12 March 1930, Gandhi vowed that he would not return to the ashram until India had gained independence and Gandhi did not come back to Sabarmati ashram.
Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948.

3. Govt. issues marketing code for pharmaceutical firms

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

Context:

The Department of Pharmaceuticals introduced the Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP), 2024, establishing specific guidelines for pharmaceutical marketing and interactions with healthcare professionals.

Key Guidelines:

The terms “safe” and “new” for drugs must be used cautiously.
- “Safe” should not imply no side effects, toxic hazards, or risk of addiction without qualification. “New” cannot be used for drugs available or promoted in India for over a year.
Medical representatives are prohibited from using inducements or subterfuge for interviews with healthcare professionals and cannot pay for access under any guise.
Continuing Medical Education (CME) engagements must follow a transparent, verifiable set of guidelines, prohibiting the conduct of such events in foreign locations.
Cash, monetary grants, and any form of pecuniary advantage or benefits to healthcare professionals or their family members by companies or their agents (distributors, wholesalers, retailers, etc.) are strictly prohibited.
- Gifting by pharmaceutical companies or their agents is banned.
The UCPMP mandates strict compliance and will be widely circulated.
Drug promotion must align with the marketing approval terms, prohibiting promotion prior to marketing approval receipt.
Claims about a drug’s usefulness must be based on up-to-date evidence evaluation.

Need for the guidelines:

This organized approach to pharmaceutical marketing practices aims to ensure ethical interactions between the industry and healthcare professionals while safeguarding the accuracy and integrity of drug promotion.

Source: TH

4. How is nuclear waste generated?

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Nuclear science/energy

Context:

Recently, India loaded the core of its Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) vessel, bringing the country to the cusp of stage II — powered by uranium and plutonium — of its three-stage nuclear programme.

What is nuclear waste?

Nuclear waste refers to the radioactive byproducts resulting from the fission process in nuclear reactors, where neutrons bombard nuclei of specific elements like uranium-235, causing them to split and release energy along with new elements that cannot undergo further fission.
These non-fissionable elements, such as barium-144 and krypton-89, along with spent fuel that contains radioactive fission products and elements produced through neutron absorption and radioactive decay, constitute nuclear waste.
This waste is highly radioactive and necessitates containment in specially designed-facilities to prevent leakage and environmental contamination.

How do we handle nuclear waste?

Handling nuclear waste primarily involves managing spent fuel, which is both hot and radioactive. Initially, this spent fuel is stored underwater for cooling, potentially for decades.
Post-cooling, it is transferred to dry casks for long-term storage. Countries with significant nuclear power programs, such as the U.S., Canada, and Russia, have accumulated large quantities of spent fuel, necessitating storage solutions that ensure isolation from human contact for periods extending far beyond the history of modern humans.
Additionally, nuclear power plants process liquid waste, which can involve discharging treated water with short-lived radionuclides into the environment, as seen with Japan’s treatment and discharge from the Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean. Depending on the hazard level, other liquid wastes are managed through evaporation, chemical precipitation, absorption on solid matrices, or incineration.
For high-level liquid waste containing most fission products from the fuel, vitrification is employed to transform it into a stable glass form for storage.
In India, due to the reprocessing of spent fuel to extract uranium and plutonium for use as fuel, the remaining fission products present in the liquid waste pose additional accident hazards and require secure storage.

How is nuclear waste dealt with?

Nuclear waste is managed through several methods:
Dry-Cask Storage: After cooling in a spent fuel pool for a minimum of a year, spent fuel is moved to dry-cask storage. It’s placed inside large steel cylinders, surrounded by inert gas, sealed, and then housed in steel or concrete chambers for safety.
Geological Disposal: As proposed by some experts, this method involves sealing the waste in special containers and burying it underground in stable geological formations like granite or clay. This method aims for long-term isolation from human activities, though there’s a concern about potential exposure from disturbances such as digging.
Reprocessing: This technology separates fissile material (usable in further nuclear reactions) from non-fissile material in spent fuel through chemical processes. Reprocessing aims to increase fuel efficiency and reduce waste, but it requires extensive protection due to the hazardous nature of the materials handled. A significant issue with reprocessing is that it produces weapons-usable plutonium, necessitating strict international regulations.

How does India handle nuclear waste?

In India, nuclear waste is managed through facilities in Trombay, Tarapur, and Kalpakkam, with each serving specific functions ranging from producing plutonium for reactors and weapons to processing spent fuel from various reactor types.
According to a 2015 report, the management of low and intermediate-level waste is conducted onsite at nuclear power stations, with comprehensive monitoring for radioactivity around these areas.
Challenges have been noted regarding the efficiency and capacity factors of reprocessing facilities, as well as potential complications from the varied waste produced by different reactor types, such as the PFBR (Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor).

Issues associated with nuclear waste encompass environmental, operational, and financial challenges:

Environmental Concerns: Historical instances, like the Asse II salt mine in Germany, illustrate the risk of nuclear waste contaminating water resources, including groundwater. This case underscores the environmental hazards and the extensive efforts and costs required for decontamination, estimated between €5 billion and €10 billion over about 30 years.
Operational Risks: The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in the U.S. demonstrated the potential for “unknown unknowns” when an accident in 2014 released radioactive materials into the environment, despite the facility being operational since 1999 with a license for millennia-long storage. This incident revealed significant maintenance failures.
Uncertainties in Waste Treatment: Questions remain regarding the effectiveness of vitrification plants at reprocessing facilities and the amount of high-level and intermediate-level liquid waste yet to be vitrified, indicating uncertainties in managing liquid waste.
Siting and Ethical Issues: Efforts to locate repositories for nuclear waste have frequently failed across different countries, raising concerns about environmental injustice and the ethical dilemma of exporting nuclear waste. The principle that those benefiting from nuclear power should also bear its disposal costs is a significant ethical consideration.
Financial Implications: Managing nuclear waste imposes considerable costs on the nuclear power sector. An analysis of a hypothetical 1,000 MWe nuclear power plant operating at a 70% capacity factor for 30 years revealed that waste management costs account for a significant portion of total expenses. The front-end cycle, operation waste management, and decommissioning, along with the back-end fuel cycle, contribute to the overall costs, imposing an estimated $1.6-7.1 per MWh of nuclear energy generated.

Source: TH

5. Musk to ‘open source’ his Grok chatbot to tackle rival ChatGPT

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Awareness in IT and computers

Context:

Elon Musk said he would make his Grok chatbot, a rival to ChatGPT, open source as his feud with OpenAI deepens.

About Grok chatbot:

Grok is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI, based on a large language model (LLM).
The chatbot is advertised as “having a sense of humor” and direct access to Twitter (X).

What are large language models (LLMs)?

Large Language Models (LLMs) are advanced AI systems designed to understand and generate human-like language.
They use vast amounts of data to learn patterns and relationships in language, enabling them to answer questions, create text, translate languages, and perform various language tasks.

‘Open source’ chatbots:

An open-source chatbot is software that has its original code available to everyone.
Users can tweak this code depending on their needs and preferences.
One can find these source codes on websites like GitHub and use them to build one’s chatbots.

Source: TH

6. China, Iran and Russia stage joint naval drills in the Gulf of Oman

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

The navies of China, Iran, and Russia have initiated their fifth joint military drills in the Gulf of Oman amid escalating regional tensions, including Israel’s conflict with Gaza and Houthi rebel attacks on Red Sea shipping.

“Maritime Security Belt – 2024”:

These exercises are aimed at protecting maritime economic activities, with a focus on regional maritime security, combatting piracy, and maritime terrorism.
Participating vessels include Russia’s Varyag cruiser and Marshal Shaposhnikov frigate, and China’s guided-missile destroyer Urumqi, guided-missile frigate Linyi, and comprehensive supply ship Dongpinghu.
Azerbaijan, India, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan and South Africa are observer countries.
Concurrently, a US-led naval coalition is addressing Houthi assaults in the Red Sea, while NATO conducts extensive drills in Northern Europe, showcasing its defence capabilities, particularly against Russia.

Places in the news:

Gulf of Oman: The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman, also known as Gulf of Makran or Sea of Makran, is a gulf that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf. It borders Iran and Pakistan on the north, Oman on the south, and the United Arab Emirates on the west.
Red Sea: The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez (leading to the Suez Canal). It is underlain by the Red Sea Rift, which is part of the Great Rift Valley.
- Countries sharing a border with the Red Sea are Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Yemen, and

Source: Aljazeera

7. Fighting warming: when gasses are contraband

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate change

Context:

A California man is facing criminal charges for smuggling greenhouse gasses (GHGs).

Greenhouse Gasses (GHGs):

Atmospheric gasses like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide (N2O), water vapor, and chlorofluorocarbons are capable of trapping the out-going infrared radiation from the earth’s surface thereby causing greenhouse effect.
Hence these glasses are known as greenhouse gasses and the heating effect is known as greenhouse effect.

About Refrigerants:

A refrigerant is a working fluid used in the refrigeration cycle of air conditioning systems and heat pumps where in most cases they undergo a repeated phase transition from a liquid to a gas and back again.

About HFCs:

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), any of several organic compounds composed of hydrogen, fluorine, and carbon.
HFCs are produced synthetically and are used primarily as refrigerants.
They became widely used for this purpose beginning in the late 1980s, with the introduction of the Montreal Protocol, which phased out the use of chemicals such as halons and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that contribute to the depletion of Earth’s ozone layer.

About HCFC:

HCFCs are compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and fluorine.
Industry and the scientific community view certain chemicals within this class of compounds as acceptable temporary alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons.
HCFC-141 b is one of the most powerful ozone-depleting chemicals after Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
Nearly, 50 % of the consumption of ozone depleting chemicals in the country was attributable to HCFC-141 b in the foam sector.

About Montreal Protocol:

The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone Layer and its succeeding amendments were subsequently negotiated to control the consumption and production of anthropogenic (ODSs) and some hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
The Protocol was signed by 197 parties in 1987 to control the use of ozone-depleting substances, mainly chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
The Montreal Protocol mandated the complete phase-out of CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances (ODS), which it has successfully managed to do in the last three decades.
CFCs were gradually replaced, first by HCFCs, or hydrochlorofluorocarbons, in some cases, and eventually by HFCs which have minimal impact on the ozone layer.
The adoption of the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol will phase down the production and consumption of some HFCs and avoid much of the projected global increase and associated climate change.
Under Kigali it was agreed to phase down the consumption of HFCs by 80% by 2047.

8. GI tag for Majuli masks of Assam: History, cultural significance of the centuries-old art form

Subject: History

Section: Arta and culture

Context:

The traditional Majuli masks in Assam were given a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Centre on Monday (March 4).

More on news:

Majuli manuscript painting also got the GI label.
Majuli, the largest river island in the world and the seat of Assam’s neo-Vaishnavite tradition, has been home to the art of mask-making since the 16th century.

What are Majuli masks?

The handmade masks are traditionally used to depict characters in bhaonas, or theatrical performances with devotional messages under the neo-Vaishnavite tradition.
These were introduced by the 15th-16th century reformer saint Srimanta Sankardeva.
The masks can depict gods, goddesses, demons, animals and birds — Ravana, Garuda, Narasimha, Hanuman, Varaha Surpanakha all feature among the masks.
They can range in size from those covering just the face (mukh mukha), which take around five days to make, to those covering the whole head and body of the performer (cho mukha), which can take up to one-and-a-half months to make.
The masks are made of bamboo, clay, dung, cloth, cotton, wood and other materials available in the riverine surroundings of their makers.

Why is the art practiced in monasteries?

Sattras are monastic institutions established by Srimanta Sankardev and his disciples as centers of religious, social and cultural reform.
Today, they are also centers of traditional performing arts such as borgeet (songs), sattriya (dance) and bhaona (theater), which are an integral part of the Sankardev tradition.
Majuli has 22 sattras, and the patent application states that the mask-making tradition is by and large concentrated in four of them — Samaguri Sattra, Natun Samaguri Sattra, Bihimpur Sattra and Alengi Narasimha Sattra.

The makers of the masks

The arts of dance, song and musical instruments are closely tied to the sattras and the one who began this was Assam’s guru Srimanta Sankardev.
In the 16th century, he established this art of masks through a play called Chinha Jatra.
At that time, to attract ordinary people to Krishna bhakti, he had presented the play in his birthplace Batadrava.
Samaguri Sattra had been practicing mask-making since its establishment in 1663.

What is Majuli manuscript painting, which also received the GI tag?

It is a form of painting also originating in the 16th century and is done on sanchi pat, or manuscripts made of the bark of the sanchi or agar tree, using homemade ink.
The earliest example of an illustrated manuscript is said to be a rendering of the Adya Dasama of the Bhagwat Purana in Assamese by Srimanta Sankardev.
This art was patronized by the Ahom kings.
It continues to be practiced in every satra in Majuli.

9. What is Cuttack’s famed silver filigree work, which recently received GI tag

Subject: History

Section: Arta and culture

Context:

The famous Rupa Tarakasi, or silver filigree work of Odisha’s Cuttack, has received the geographical indication (GI) tag.

More on news:

The Odisha State Cooperative Handicrafts Corporation Limited (Utkalika) had applied for the tag.
A GI tag is conferred upon products originating from a specific geographical region, signifying unique characteristics and qualities.

Rupa Tarakasi

Odisha’s Cuttack is known for its silver filigree work, of intricate design and fine craftsmanship. In Odia, “tara” means wire and “kasi” means to design.
As part of Rupa Tarakasi, silver bricks are transformed into thin fine wires or foils and used to create jewelry or showpieces.
In Cuttack the work is generally done by boys, whose sensitive fingers, and keener sight enable them to put the fine silver threads together with the necessary rapidity and accuracy.
The filigree work is quite distinct in character from the indigenous silver jewelry of the country.

Origin

While the exact origin of the filigree art in Cuttack is not clear, it is known to have existed as far back as the 12th century.
The art form received considerable patronage under the Mughals.
Over the years, as Cuttack transitioned through the hands of different rulers, the silver filigree took on a new form with each.

History

The silver filigree work in which the people of Cuttack have attained such surprising skill and delicacy is identical in character with that of Arabia, Malta, Genoa, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and with the filigree work of ancient Greece, Byzantium, and Etruria, and was probably carried into the West by the Phoenicians and Arabs, and into Scandinavia by the Normans and in the course also of the medieval trade between Turkestan and Russia.
Popular Product Categories:
The iconic items found only in Cuttack are the Durga Puja Medha (silver decorations for the Durga idol and pandal), Odissi jewelry, religious/cultural pieces linked directly to the customs of Odisha, and the Dama chain.

10. Public Health Foundation of India surpasses Harvard, bags second place in global rankings for schools of public health

Subject: Polity

Section: National body

Context:

In the first global rankings for schools of public health, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) has secured an impressive second place, surpassing Harvard.

More on news:

The leading five institutions in the list include the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+) and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The rankings are part of a report titled ‘A New Model for Ranking Schools of Public Health: The Public Health Academic Ranking(PHAR)’ published in the International Journal of Public Health.

About PHAR:

The PHAR is the first international bibliometric university ranking system designed for academic public health.
The project was funded by the Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva.

About Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI):

The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) is a not for profit public private initiative working towards a healthier India.
It was established on 28 March 2006.
The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) is a public private initiative that has collaboratively evolved through consultations with multiple constituencies including Indian and international academia, state and central governments, multi & bi-lateral agencies and civil society groups.