Daily Prelims Notes 16 April 2023
- April 16, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN
Daily Prelims Notes
16 April 2023
Table Of Contents
- Oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 virus
- Magnetoresistance
- Dalai Lama
- Saurashtra-Tamil Sangam
- Chinese dual-use facilities in Myanmar and Sri Lanka
- Sudan Crisis
- MHA cancels OCI status of actor
- Aspirational Toilets
1. Oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 virus
Subject: Science and technology
Context: Oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 virus can transmit from wild ducks to chickens.
More on the News:
- When the influenza burden is high during certain years, the amount of antiviral oseltamivir used will be high. Much of it enters the water system and will end up driving antiviral resistance in avian viruses.
- Previous work has demonstrated that influenza virus can develop resistance to oseltamivir carboxylate (OC) when the virus infects wild ducks that are exposed to environmental-like OC concentrations suggesting that environmental resistance is a concern.
- Avian influenza strain H1N1 with the OC resistance mutation (NA-H274Y) has been found to retain resistance even when the environment did not contain oseltamivir carboxylate, suggesting maintained fitness of the virus.
- If wild birds, wild ducks in particular, are the first to be infected by influenza virus brought in by migratory birds, domestic poultry act as an important amplifying host, and a source of influenza virus evolution. The virus that has evolved can then spread from poultry birds to humans.
- A study recently published in the Journal of General Virology has demonstrated that oseltamivir-resistant strain can transmit from wild ducks to chickens and then spread between chickens, while retaining the resistance mutation in an experimental setting mimicking conditions suitable for natural transmission.
- Results demonstrate that regardless of the oseltamivir-resistance mutation, infection was detected in experimentally-infected chickens and chickens in contact with infected mallards.
- According to the authors, this may be due to poor species adaptation of the virus.
- Researchers found that mutation (NA-H274Y) that renders the virus resistant to oseltamivir carboxylate can remain stable in an environment even when oseltamivir carboxylate was not present.
- And there is no barrier to interspecies transmission of the antiviral-resistant virus per se, thus demonstrating a risk of an oseltamivir-resistant pandemic virus.
- The study turns the spotlight on responsible use of oseltamivir and surveillance for resistance development to limit the risk of an oseltamivir-resistant pandemic strain.
Oseltamivir
- Oseltamivir is an antiviral medication used in the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza A and B.
- It belongs to the class of neuraminidase inhibitors, which work by blocking the action of the viral enzyme neuraminidase. This prevents the release of new viruses from infected cells, and helps to reduce the severity and duration of influenza symptoms.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that clinicians use their discretion to treat those at lower risk who present within 48 hours of first symptoms of infectio
- It is also sometimes used in the prevention of influenza in people who have been exposed to the virus but are not yet showing symptoms.
Subject: science and technology
Context: Recently, researchers in the UK, led by Nobel laureate Andre Geim have found that graphene displays an anomalous giant magnetoresistance (GMR) at room temperature.
Magnetoresistance:
- GMR is the result of the electrical resistance of a conductor being affected by magnetic fields in adjacent materials.
- Say a conductor is sandwiched between two ferromagnetic materials (commonly, metals attracted to magnets, like iron). When the materials are magnetised in the same direction, the electrical resistance in the conductor is low. When the directions are opposite each other, the resistance increases. This is GMR.
- GMR-based devices are particularly used to sense magnetic fields.
- It is used in harddisk drives and magnetoresistive RAM in computers, biosensors, automotive sensors, microelectromechanical systems, and medical imagers.
- The 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg for the discovery of GMR
Findings of the Study:
- In their study, the magnetoresistance in monolayer graphene at 27º C held between two layers of boron nitride increased by 110% under a field of 0.1 tesla. To compare, the magnetoresistance in these conditions increases by less than 1% in normal metals.
- The magnetoresistance observed in the graphene-based device was almost 100-times higher than that observed in other known semimetals in this magnetic field range
- The new study has found that a graphene-based device, unlike conventional counterparts, wouldn’t need to be cooled to a very low temperature to sense these fields.
More about Graphene: https://optimizeias.com/graphene/
Subject : International Relations
About:
- Dalai Lama is a title given by the Tibetan people for the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or “Yellow Hat” school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest of the classical schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
- The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso.
- He was born on 6 July 1935, to a farming family, in a small hamlet located in Taktser, Amdo, northeastern Tibet.
- At the age of two, the child, then named Lhamo Dhondup, was recognized as the reincarnation of the previous 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.
- The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet.
- Bodhisattvas are realized beings inspired by a wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings, who have vowed to be reborn in the world to help humanity.
- In his Holiness the Dalai Lama 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for the liberation of Tibet.
Concept:
- Following the Buddhist belief in the principle of reincarnation, the current Dalai Lama is believed by Buddhists to be able to choose the body into which he is reincarnated.
- That person, when found, will then become the next Dalai Lama.
- According to Buddhist scholars it is the responsibility of the High Lamas of the Gelugpa tradition and the Tibetan government to seek out and find the next Dalai Lama following the death of the incumbent.
- If more than one candidate is identified, the true successor is found by officials and monks drawing lots in a public ceremony.
- Once identified, the successful candidate and his family are taken to Lhasa (or Dharamsala) where the child studies the Buddhist scriptures in order to prepare for spiritual leadership.
- This process can take several years: it took four years to find the 14th (current) Dalai Lama.
- The search is generally limited to Tibet, although the current Dalai Lama has said that there is a chance that he will not be reborn, and that if he is, it will not be in a country under Chinese rule.
Leadership Responsibility:
- In 1950, after China’s invasion of Tibet, His Holiness was called upon to assume full political power.
- In 1954, he went to Beijing and met with Mao Zedong and other Chinese leaders, including Deng Xiaoping and Chou Enlai.
- Finally, in 1959, following the brutal suppression of the Tibetan national uprising in Lhasa by Chinese troops, His Holiness was forced to escape into exile.
- Since then he has been living in Dharamsala, northern India.
Claim of suzerainty:
- Communist China had always held a claim of suzerainty over Tibet, which included the assertion that Tibet had become a “protectorate” of Manchu Ruled China in the late 17th century.
Subject: History
About:
- It is a program that highlights the oneness of India’s culture by narrating untold histories of how a community emigrated to Tamil Nadu and their contributions to the country.
- The Saurashtra Tamil Sangam will be held at Somnath, Dwarka and other places in Gujarat to connect Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra.
- It will celebrate the civilisational links between people from the southern part of the country and the People from the Saurastra and Kedarnath in the north.
- It is a unique attempt where States shared their culture, civilisation and heritage with each other, and the country united in soft power.
- The STS is the second such programme under the ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ initiative.
- The first one was the ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’, a month-long event held last year to “rediscover” links between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu
More about Saurashtra Region:
- Saurashtra, also known as Sorath or Kathiawar, is a peninsular region of Gujarat, India, located on the Arabian Sea coast.
- It covers about a third of Gujarat state, notably 11 districts of Gujarat, including Rajkot District.
- Saurashtra peninsula is bounded on the south and south-west by the Arabian sea, on the north-west by the Gulf of Kutch and on the east by the Gulf of Khambhat.
- From the apex of these two gulfs, the Little Rann of Kutch and Khambhat, waste tracts half salt morass half sandy desert, stretch inland towards each other and complete the isolation of Kathiawar, except one narrow neck which connects it on the north-east with the mainland of Gujarat.
5. Chinese dual-use facilities in Myanmar and Sri Lanka
Subject : International Relations
Concept :
- China’s investment in dual-use facilities in Myanmar and Sri Lanka has raised concerns and created unease among its neighbours about China’s growing influence in the region and the potential security implications of these projects.
- Myanmar is building a military installation on Coco Islands and there is a proposal for the establishment of a remote satellite receiving ground station in Sri Lanka, both with the assistance of China.
- This has prompted apprehension in India about potential surveillance throughout the area.
Details
- These projects are seen as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build infrastructure across Asia and beyond to enhance China’s economic and strategic interests.
- One of the most controversial projects is the Kyaukpyu deep-sea port in Rakhine state, which is strategically located near the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean.
- Many have raised concerns about the project’s potential military uses and the fact that it could give China a strategic foothold in the region.
- Recent satellite images show the construction of a military facility on Coco Islands, located very close to the Andaman and Nicobar island chain.
- The island is being connected to the southern landmass using a new bridge that is 175 m in length and approximately 8 m wide.
- China has also proposed setting up a remote satellite receiving ground station system in Sri Lanka in collaboration.
- Satellite tracking facilities are inherently dual use in nature, and the Chinese civil space programme is known to work closely with the Chinese military.
Coco Islands
- Coco Islands are a small group of Islands located In the North-Eastern part of Bay Of Bengal. It Is Situated 30 Miles North to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Group Of India, to 250 Km South of the Burmese Mainland and 1255 Km South-East of Kolkata.
- North of this Island Group lies Preparis Island also belonging to Myanmar, and to the South lies the land for Island belonging to India.
- Coco Island Group consists of four islands on the Great Coco Reef and another Rai Coco Island on the Little Coco Reef.
- Coco Channel separates India’s Andman Islands and Coco Islands of Myanmar.
Subject : International Relations
Concept :
- Fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the country’s main paramilitary group on April 15,2023.
- Paramilitary forces claim to have taken control of the international airport in Khartoum as well as a second airport in Meroe.
- The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces also claimed to have taken over the Presidential Palace and Army Chief General Burhan’s residence.
- Many videos appeared on social media showing armed fighters driving across the runway of the city’s international airport, conducting checkpoints at crucial traffic intersections, and moving through residential areas.
- Note : The Indian Embassy in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, asked all nationals to stay indoors and take utmost precautions as gunshots and explosions rang out in various parts of the city following clashes between the army and the paramilitary forces.
7. MHA cancels OCI status of actor
Subject : Polity
Concept :
- The Union Home Ministry has cancelled the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card issued to Kannada actor Chetan A Kumar for “anti-India activities”. as per the notice, issued by Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
Overseas Citizen of India
- In 2000, the Union Ministry of External Affairs under the Chairmanship of L.M. Singhvi set up a High-Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora.
- The Committee was asked to make a comprehensive study of the global Indian Diaspora and to recommend measures for a constructive relationship with them.
- The committee recommended the amendment of the Citizenship Act (1955) to provide for the grant of dual citizenship to Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) belonging to certain specified countries.
- The Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2003, made provision for the acquisition of Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) by the PIOs of 16 specified countries other than Pakistan and Bangladesh.
- The Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2005 expanded the scope of the grant of OCI for PIOs of all countries except Pakistan and Bangladesh as long as their home countries allow dual citizens under their local laws.
- The OCI is not dual citizenship as the Indian Constitution under Article 9 forbids dual citizenship or dual nationality.
- The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2015, has introduced a new scheme called “Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder” by merging the PIO card scheme and the OCI card scheme.
Why the OCI and PIO merged?
- The PIO card scheme was introduced in 2002 and thereafter the OCI card scheme was introduced in 2005. Both the schemes were running in parallel even though the OCI card scheme had become more popular.
- This was causing unnecessary confusion in the minds of applicants. The government accepted the problems being faced by applicants and to provide enhanced facilities to them, the Indian Government formulated one single scheme after merging the PIO and OCI schemes, containing positive attributes of both.
- For achieving the above objective, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, of 2015, was enacted.
- The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, of 2015, replaced the nomenclature of “Overseas Citizen of India” with that of “Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder”.
Rights of Overseas Citizens of India Cardholder
- An overseas citizen of India cardholder shall be entitled to such rights, as the Central Government may specify.
- An overseas citizen of India cardholder shall not be entitled to the following rights (which are conferred on a citizen of India);
- He shall not be entitled to the right to equality of opportunity in matters of public employment.
- He shall not be eligible for election as President.
- He shall not be eligible for election as Vice-President.
- He shall not be eligible for appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
- He shall not be eligible for appointment as a Judge of the High Court.
- He shall not be entitled to register as a voter.
- He shall not be eligible for being a member of the House of the People or the Council of States.
- He shall not be eligible for being a member of the State Legislative Assembly or the State Legislative Council.
- He shall not be eligible for appointment to public services and posts in connection with affairs of the Union or of any State except for appointment in such services and posts as the Central Government may specify.
Renunciation of Overseas Citizen of India Card
- If any overseas citizen of India cardholder makes a declaration renouncing the Card registering him as an overseas citizen of India cardholder, the declaration shall be registered by the Central Government, and upon such registration, that person shall cease to be an overseas citizen of India cardholder.
- Where a person ceases to be an overseas citizen of India cardholder, the spouse of foreign origin of that person, who has obtained an overseas citizen of India card and every minor child of that person registered as an overseas citizen of India cardholder shall subsequently cease to be an overseas citizen of India cardholder.
Cancellation of Registration as an Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder
- The Union Government may cancel the registration of a person as an overseas citizen of India cardholder if it is satisfied that;
- The registration as an overseas citizen of India cardholder was obtained through fraud, false representation or the concealment of any material fact; or
- The overseas citizen of India cardholder has shown disaffection towards the Constitution of India; or
- The overseas citizen of India cardholder has, during any war in which India may be engaged, unlawfully traded or communicated with an enemy; or
- The overseas citizen of India cardholder has, within five years after registration, been sentenced to imprisonment for a term of not less than two years; or
- It is necessary so to do in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of India, friendly relations of India with any foreign country, or in the interests of the general public.
Subject : schemes
Concept :
- According to the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, a directive has been delivered to all State governments requiring them to make sure that 25% of newly built public toilet seats in any city or urban unit would be “aspirational toilets”.
- These will have high-end features such as luxurious bath cubicles, touchless flushing, breast-feeding rooms, and automatic sanitary napkin incinerators.
- These will be indicated as “aspirational toilets” on Google Maps.
- The focus areas to construct these luxury restrooms will be tourist and religious destinations, as well as iconic cities in places with a high footfall.
- The Ministry has decided to engage start-ups that can build such toilets across the country.
- To make these restrooms self-sustaining, the ministry is planning to attach them into other public services like restaurants, shopping centres, libraries, movie theatres, or drug stores.
About the scheme:
- The aspirational toilets scheme was launched in September 2022 as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0, with an aim to help make cities open defecation free.
- The Centre has allocated ₹1,41,600 crore to the SBM 2.0, which is 2.5 times more than the money allotted to the first phase of the mission in 2014.
- The cost sharing pattern with States varies depending on the population of their cities.
- As of now, 6,36,826 public toilets have been constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban, against a target of 5,07,587. 4,355 urban local bodies have been declared open defecation-free.