Daily Prelims Notes 14 February 2025

Daily Prelims Notes

14 February 2025

Table Of Contents

1. President’s Rule imposed in Manipur days after CM’s exit
2. Anti-migrant sentiment in Tunisia puts people from Sub-Saharan region in peril
3. Aborting moon rocket to test Musk’s power
4. Challenges in Malaria Vaccination and the Path to Elimination
5. WHO Initiative to Provide Free Cancer Medicines to Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
6. AI: India’s Y2K Moment and the Path Ahead

1. President’s Rule imposed in Manipur days after CM’s exit

Sub: Polity

Sec: Constitution

Context:

• Four days after Manipur’s Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned, President’s Rule was imposed in the state due to ongoing ethnic violence.
• The decision followed a recommendation from the Governor of Manipur, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, to President Droupadi Murmu, who issued the proclamation under Article 356 of the Indian Constitution.

Reasons for President’s Rule:

• President Murmu declared that the governance in the state could no longer be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Constitution.
• This decision was made after a prolonged ethnic conflict between the tribal Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities in Manipur, which had led to significant violence and instability.

President’s Rule:

• It is the suspension of an elected state/UT government and the imposition of direct rule of the Centre, also called as the “state emergency”.
• This application of the President’s rule is done after receipt of the report from the Governor of the State or otherwise (Article 365 says that whenever a state fails to comply with or to give effect to any direction from the Centre, it will be lawful for the president to hold that a situation has arisen in which the government of the state cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution), is satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the government of the State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Constitutional Provisions:

• The Constitution provides for the President’s Rule imposition through the invocation of Article 356 of the Constitution by the President on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers.
• Parliamentary Approval: Proclamation must be approved by both the Houses of Parliament within two months from the date of its issue through simple majority in either House.
• Duration: It is initially valid for six months and can be extended for a maximum period of three years with the approval of the Parliament, every six months.
• Revocation: A proclamation of President’s Rule may be revoked by the President at any time by a subsequent proclamation. Such a proclamation does not require parliamentary approval.

Consequences of President’s Rule:

• The state governor, on behalf of the President, carries on the state administration with the help of the chief secretary of the state or the advisors appointed by the President.
• The President can declare that the powers of the state legislature are to be exercised by the Parliament.
• The President either suspends or dissolves the state legislative assembly.
• When the Parliament is not in session, the President can promulgate ordinances with respect to the state’s administration

Revocation

• A proclamation of President’s Rule may be revoked by the President at any time by a subsequent proclamation. Such a proclamation does not require parliamentary approval.
• Consequences of President’s Rule
• The state governor, on behalf of the President, carries on the state administration with the help of the chief secretary of the state or the advisors appointed by the President.
• The President can declare that the powers of the state legislature are to be exercised by the Parliament.
• The President either suspends or dissolves the state legislative assembly.

2. Anti-migrant sentiment in Tunisia puts people from Sub-Saharan region in peril

Sub: IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

• Tunisia, a key transit point for migrants attempting to reach Europe, has become increasingly hostile for migrants travelling from Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background:

• In 2023, President Kais Saied’s rhetoric against migrants, describing them as a demographic threat, triggered racially motivated attacks and expulsions of sub-Saharan migrants.
• Migrants find themselves without aid due to the frozen asylum system and the government crackdown on migrant aid organizations.
• President Saied accused aid groups of being “traitors and mercenaries” and of funnelling foreign funds to illegally settle migrants in Tunisia. As a result, many migrant aid organizations have either suspended or reduced their operations.
• In June 2023, the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) stopped accepting new applications for asylum in Tunisia, citing instructions from the Tunisian government. Migrants are thus deprived of vital support and face increasing vulnerability.
• Authorities continue to criminalize migrants and deny assistance, leaving thousands in dangerous and unstable situations, as reported by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT).

Tunisia’s Role in Migration:

• Tunisia serves as a significant transit point for thousands of sub-Saharan migrants attempting to reach Europe via the central Mediterranean route.
• The Central Mediterranean Route primarily involves countries like Libya, Tunisia, Algeria as departure points for migrants attempting to reach Italy and Malta across the Mediterranean Sea.

Tunisia’s Collaboration with Europe:

• European countries, particularly Italy, have increasingly collaborated with Tunisia to curb migrant departures. In 2023, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed an agreement with Tunisia worth 105 million euros to combat irregular migration.
• As a result of this agreement, migrant arrivals to Europe from Tunisia via the Mediterranean fell by more than 50% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
• Despite the decline in migrant arrivals, human rights groups have raised concerns about violations in Tunisia, including mass expulsions of migrants and sale of migrants to Libyan armed forces and militias.

History of Racism in Tunisia:

• Tunisia has a long history of racial prejudice, particularly against sub-Saharan African migrants and black Tunisians. This issue stems from the country’s colonial past and its complex racial dynamics post-independence.
• Tunisia was once a French protectorate, and the social stratification created during the colonial era persists, with racial hierarchies often placing white Arabs at the top and black Africans at the bottom.

3. Aborting moon rocket to test Musk’s power

Sub : Sci

Sec: Space sector

Why in news:

• President Trump is under pressure to cancel NASA’s $24 billion Space Launch System (SLS) due to cost overruns and delays.
• Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) supports this cancellation, proposing the cheaper Falcon Heavy rocket (developed by SpaceX) as an alternative.

Status of SLS Program:

• Launched in 2022 after years of delays but faces criticism for being overpriced and using outdated technology.
• Each SLS launch costs $2-4 billion, compared to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy at $250 million per launch.

Potential Impact:

•   Streamlining the operations of NASA with cheaper private alternatives.
•   Risk of job losses – Senators oppose cancellation, emphasizing national security and local employment (employing 28,000 workers).

4. Challenges in Malaria Vaccination and the Path to Elimination

Sub: Sci

Sec: Health

Context:

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared Georgia as the 45th country to eliminate malaria, marking a significant milestone in global health efforts. Despite advances, malaria continues to affect over 240 million people annually, leading to more than 600,000 deaths.

Historical Background:

• In 1880, French military doctor Alphonse Laveran identified the Plasmodium parasite as the cause of malaria.
• Giovanni Grassi confirmed that only female Anopheles mosquitoes carried the parasite, yet the full cycle remained unclear.
• The final breakthrough came in 1897 when Ronald Ross, working in India, demonstrated that Plasmodium completed its life cycle in mosquitoes, proving them as vectors of malaria.

Life Cycle of Plasmodium:

• Malaria transmission begins when an infected Anopheles mosquito bites a human, injecting highly infective Plasmodium sporozoites.
• The parasite first invades liver cells, where it multiplies undetected by the immune system.
• After the liver stage, parasites re-enter the bloodstream, infecting red blood cells (RBCs) and causing malaria symptoms such as fever and chills.
• Some parasites develop into sexual forms (gametocytes), which are taken up by another mosquito upon biting an infected person.
• Within the mosquito, gametocytes undergo sexual reproduction, maturing into sporozoites that migrate to the salivary glands, making the mosquito infectious.

Why Malaria Vaccines Are Difficult to Develop:

• Unlike viruses, which consist of only genetic material encased in a protein shell, Plasmodium is a complex protozoan parasite with multiple developmental stages and surface antigens.
• Malaria-causing species—P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, P. malariae, and P. knowlesi—have unique characteristics that complicate vaccine development.
• The parasite employs antigenic variation, frequently changing its surface proteins to evade immune recognition.
• It also follows an intracellular lifestyle, hiding within the liver and RBCs, making it difficult for the immune system to detect and eliminate it.
• Reinfection is common, as long-lasting immunity is rarely developed in humans.
• The parasite’s genetic adaptability allows it to evolve resistance against interventions, making vaccine development a moving target.

Malaria Vaccines:

• RTS, S Vaccine: The RTS, S malaria vaccine was the first to receive WHO approval for large-scale use in endemic regions after 60 years of research.
• It targets the liver stage of the parasite’s life cycle by inducing an immune response against the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) on Plasmodium sporozoites.
• However, its efficacy is limited, reducing malaria cases by only 36% after four doses over four years in children.
• Compared to vaccines for diseases like measles (90-95% efficacy), RTS, S has significantly lower protection.
• Second-Generation Malaria Vaccines:
  • R21/Matrix-M Vaccine: Enhances immune response using a stronger adjuvant, showing 77% efficacy over 12 months.
  • PfSPZ Vaccine: A whole-parasite vaccine using attenuated sporozoites to stimulate immunity against the liver stage of infection.
  • RH5-Based Vaccines: Target the blood stage of infection by preventing Plasmodium from invading red blood cells.
  • Transmission-Blocking Vaccines: Aim to halt malaria spread by targeting proteins like Pfs25 and Pfs230, which are essential for parasite development in mosquitoes.

Challenges in Malaria Vaccine Research:

• Malaria disproportionately affects low-income countries in Africa and South Asia, limiting funding for research and healthcare infrastructure.
• The complexity of Plasmodium discourages pharmaceutical companies from investing in malaria vaccines due to high research costs and uncertain returns.
• Changing mosquito habitats due to climate change are leading to malaria resurgence in some regions.
• Increased resistance to antimalarial drugs and insecticides further complicates control efforts.

5. WHO Initiative to Provide Free Cancer Medicines to Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Sub : Sci

Sec: Health

Why in News

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new platform to provide cost-free cancer medicines to thousands of children in low- and middle-income countries. This initiative aims to improve survival rates and bridge the healthcare disparity between high-income and low-income nations.

Details:

• The first shipments of these medicines have been sent to Mongolia and Uzbekistan, with further deliveries planned for Ecuador, Jordan, Nepal, and Zambia.
• WHO has assured that participating nations will receive a continuous and quality-assured supply of childhood cancer medications at no cost.
• Survival rates for childhood cancer in low- and middle-income countries often remain below 30%, while in high-income nations, survival rates reach around 80%.
• The initiative aims to reduce this gap by improving access to essential medicines and treatment facilities.

Other Global Health Initiatives:

• The research, published in the journal Urban Climate, highlights that while premature birth risks are widely recognized, the health implications of delayed birth remain underexplored.
• Singapore’s Senior Care Initiative: Horse Therapy
  • Singapore has launched a two-year programme, ‘Haydays with Horses’, to enhance senior care using horse therapy.
  • This initiative seeks to help elderly individuals improve physical health, cognitive function, and psychological well-being.
  • The therapy is available at active-ageing centres across the city, where seniors interact with miniature horses by grooming them, combing their manes, or stroking them.
  • Backed by Singapore’s state investment fund, Temasek, the program is free for participants.

What is silver tsunami?

• The term “Silver Tsunami” is a metaphor used to describe the significant demographic shift characterized by the aging population, particularly the large cohort of baby boomers reaching retirement age. This phenomenon has wide-ranging implications for various sectors of society.
• The “Silver Tsunami” refers to the increasing proportion of older adults in the population, especially as the baby boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1964) ages.
• The term gained prominence in the early 2000s to highlight the anticipated impact of this demographic shift.
• In the United States, the share of the population aged 65 and over more than doubled between 1940 and 2020, rising from less than 7% to nearly 17%.
• By 2040, the number of cancer survivors is projected to grow to 26.1 million, with 73% of them being 65 years or older.

6. AI: India’s Y2K Moment and the Path Ahead

Sub : Sci

Sec: Awareness in IT and Computer

Why in News

• The Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), S. Krishnan, has stated that the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) present an opportunity comparable to India’s Y2K moment.

AI as India’s Y2K Moment:

• The term “Y2K moment” refers to the massive opportunity that arose for the Indian IT industry in the late 1990s due to concerns over the Year 2000 (Y2K) bug, which led to global reliance on Indian IT expertise.
• Krishnan emphasized that AI presents a similar opportunity, where India can lead in the development of AI applications, particularly for the Global South, Europe, and other international markets.
• India’s strength in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and human resources can be leveraged to build a strong AI ecosystem.

Year 2000 (Y2K) bug:

• The Year 2000 (Y2K) bug, also known as the “millennium bug,” was a significant computer flaw that emerged due to the common practice of representing years with two digits in computer systems. This meant that the year 2000 could be misinterpreted as 1900, potentially causing widespread errors in date-sensitive computations.
• To conserve memory, early computer programs abbreviated four-digit years to two digits (e.g., ’99’ for 1999). As the year 2000 approached, concerns arose that systems would interpret ’00’ as 1900, leading to potential malfunctions.
• The Y2K event highlighted the importance of diligent software maintenance and the need for foresight in system design to prevent similar issues in the future.

Government’s Three-Pronged Approach to AI:

• Building Applications Over Existing Large Language Models (LLMs): Utilizing global AI models such as OpenAI’s GPT, Google’s Gemini, and Meta’s LLaMA to create industry-specific AI applications.
• Developing AI Models Based on Open-Source Technologies: Encouraging innovation by developing AI models on top of existing open-source frameworks.
• Creating an Indigenous Foundational AI Model: Incorporating India’s unique knowledge, linguistic diversity, and contextual data to build an indigenous AI foundation. Drawing inspiration from China’s Deepseek R1 model, which demonstrated that AI models can be developed cost-effectively without heavy resource consumption.