Daily Prelims Notes 17 June 2021
- June 17, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN
Daily Prelims Notes
17 June 2021
Table Of Contents
- Aluminium – The EV Manufacturer’s dream metal
- Jalgaon farmers ship GI certified banana to Dubai
- No discrimination over allocation of medicines to treat Black Fungus
- Mandatory hallmarking roils jewellery industry
- Covaxin is ‘highly purified’ says Bharat Biotech
- Freeze-dry Covid-19 test
- Roadblocks to Vaccine Passport
- Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
- Cabinet Approves Deep Ocean Mission
- Minister of Tribal Affairs has launched ‘Adi Prashikshan Portal’
- Nod for additional fertilizer subsidy
- Space-time induces neutrino oscillations
- KVIC records Highest Ever Turnover in FY 2020-21 Despite Covid-19 Pandemic
- Cabinet approval for OFB corporatisation
1. Aluminium – The EV Manufacturer’s dream metal
Subject: Science & tech
Context: Electric vehicles are set to push the demand for aluminium exponentially, with innovation in products being the focus of the downstream aluminium sector.
Concept:
- Aluminium is a soft, silvery-white, ductile, nonmagnetic metal in the boron group.
- It is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust. Depending on the surface reference, aluminium appears in the range from silvery to dull grey.
- Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel.
- It has a great affinity towards oxygen, and forms a protective layer of oxide on the surface when exposed to air.
- Aluminium visually resembles silver, both in its color and in its great ability to reflect light.
Uses of Aluminium
- It is used in the transportation of railway, trucks, and automobiles as castings.
- It is used in packaging.
- Al (II) compounds are observed in the reactions of Al metal with oxidants.
- Using aluminum the presence of aluminium can be detected in qualitative analysis.
Properties of Aluminium
- The element is highly reactive. It has about one-third of stiffness and density of steel.
- Aluminium has good corrosion resistivity.
- It is capable of superconductivity.
2. Jalgaon farmers ship GI certified banana to Dubai
Subject: Economy
Context: Recently, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry has announced that it had started the export of Jalgaon Banana to Dubai.
Concept:
Jalgaon is considered Banana city of India
- In 2016, Jalgaon Banana got GI certification which was registered with Nisargraja Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Jalgaon.
- It is located over 300 km from the west coast and on the northern edge of the Deccan plateau.
- It receives an average rainfall of just 750 mm yearly and the bananas are wholly produced by independent growers.
- It contributes about half of Maharashtra’s banana production and more than 16% of that of India.
- Its average yields at 70 tonnes per hectare are way above global levels.
- The district is located near the Bhusaval railway station enabling access to the North Indian market.
- As per the report, the main advantage with tissue-cultured banana plants is that it is based on the disease-free and genetically pure material.
- The spread of drip irrigation has made efficient use of scarce water possible.
Significance of Geographical Indication (GI) Tag
- A GI is a name or sign used on certain products under Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 that corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin.
- It indicates a community’s intellectual property attached to that particular product.
- It implies that the product’s uniqueness has been verified by an expert committee of the Government of India.
- It helps the community get a premium price for the product.
- It creates a distinct identity, assures the buyers of quality, brings reputation to the product and creates an international market for it.
3. No discrimination over allocation of medicines to treat Black Fungus
Subject: Science & tech
Context: The Centre on Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court that anti-fungal drugs like Amphoterecin B used for treating black fungus had been allocated to states on a need-based system and there was no discrimination against any state, including Maharashtra.
Concept:
- Mucormycosis — a rare form of fungal infection which could affect vision, and threatens life, if people do not get treated immediately after spotting its symptoms.
- Mucormycosis has to be suspected in COVID-19 patients, diabetics and immuno-suppressed individuals when they have sinusitis – nasal blockade or congestion, nasal discharge (blackish/bloody), local pain on the cheek bone.
Symptoms:
- One-sided facial pain, numbness or swelling. Blackish discolouration over bridge of nose or palate. Toothache, loosening of teeth, jaw involvement. Blurred or double vision with pain; fever, skin lesion; thrombosis & necrosis (eschar). Chest pain, pleural effusion, haemoptysis, worsening of respiratory symptoms
Treatment:
- Treatment includes aggressive surgery or radical debridement and exenteration of effected or blind eye, long term follow-up along with anti-fungal medications. Apart from surgery, prolonged anti-fungal treatment plays a major role in curing the patient.
Amphotericin B
- It is fungistatic or fungicidal depending on the concentration obtained in body fluids and the susceptibility of the fungus.
- The antibiotic is without effect on bacteria, rickettsiae, and viruses.
- The drug acts by binding to sterols (ergosterol) in the cell membrane of susceptible fungi.
- It creates a transmembrane channel and the resultant change in membrane permeability allowing leakage of intracellular components.
- Amphotericin B, a polyene, binds irreversibly to ergosterol, resulting in disruption of membrane integrity and ultimately cell death.
4. Mandatory hallmarking roils jewellery industry
Subject: Economy
Context: Recently, the government has announced the phased implementation of mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery. In the first phase, gold hallmarking will be available in only in 256 districts and jewellers having annual turnover above Rs 40 lakh will come under its purview.
Concept:
Hallmarking of gold
- The Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) operates gold and silver hallmarking scheme in India.
- It defines hallmarking as the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in precious metal articles.
- The government has notified two categories i.e. gold jewellery and gold artefacts and silver jewellery and silver artefacts under the purview of hallmarking.
- The hallmarking in India is available for jewellery of only two metals i.e. gold and silver.
Exemptions under mandatory hallmarking
- A certain category of jewellery and items will be exempted from the mandatory requirement of hallmarking.
- The export and re-import of jewellery as per Trade Policy of Government of India i.e. Jewellery for international exhibitions, jewellery for government-approved B2B domestic exhibitions will be exempted from mandatory Hallmarking.
- The fountain pens and special types of jewellery such as Kundan, Polki and Jadau will be exempted from hallmarking.
Provisions under mandatory hallmarking
- The government has announced that no penalty will be imposed till August 2021 for non-compliance with the hallmarking norm.
- The jewellers with annual turnover up to Rs 40 lakh will be exempted from mandatory hallmarking.
Purity standards for gold and silver under the hallmarking scheme
- As per BIS standards, there are three categories of hallmarking based on purity of gold i.e. 22 carat, 18 carat and 14 carat.
- The ministry has announced that the gold of additional carats 20, 23 and 24 will also be allowed for Hallmarking.
- The ministry further said that jewellers can continue to buy back old gold jewellery without a hallmark from consumers.
5. Covaxin is ‘highly purified’ says Bharat Biotech
Subject: Science & tech
Context: The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday refuted some social media posts on the composition of Covaxin, where it has been suggested that it contains newborn calf serum.
Concept:
- It said that newborn calf serum was used only for the preparation/growth of vero cells. The final vaccine did not contain newborn calf serum, it asserted.
- Vero cells were washed with water and chemicals (also technically known as buffer) many times to make them free from newborn calf serum.
- Thereafter, they were infected with coronavirus for viral growth. Thereafter, the grown virus was also killed (inactivated).
- This killed virus was then used to make the final vaccine and in the final vaccine formulation, no calf serum was used.
Vero Cell
- Vero cells are lineages of cells used in cell cultures. The Vero lineage was isolated from kidney epithelial cells extracted from an African green monkey.
- Vero cells are used for many purposes, including,
Screening for the toxin of Escherichia coli, first named “Vero toxin”.
As host cells for growing viruses.
- The Vero cell lineage is continuous and aneuploid.
- A continuous cell lineage can be replicated through many cycles of division and not become senescent (i.e. not deteriorates with age).
- Aneuploidy is the characteristic of having an abnormal number of chromosomes.
Subject: Science & tech
Context : Researchers have discovered that commercially available PCR tests can withstand the freeze-drying process, making them shelf-stable for up to 30 days and 50°C without sacrificing sensitivity and accuracy.
Concept:
- The researchers found that the testing reagents could be pre-mixed with a standard preservative, freeze-dried and then distributed and stored at room temperatures.
- When the test is needed, health care workers then add water to rehydrate the test for immediate use.
- Freeze drying : The same process used to make astronaut ice cream, freeze drying extends the shelf-life of perishable materials by freezing them and then dehydrating them by removing the ice
- The new strategy could help ease logistical challenges, making tests more available to help schools, businesses and sporting events safely reopen, the university said.
- It also could be a particularly powerful option for low-resource settings that lack access to reliable electricity and refrigeration.
7. Roadblocks to Vaccine Passport
Subject: Governance
Context: With all US adults now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines and businesses and international borders reopening, a fierce debate has kicked off across the United States over whether a digital health certificate (often and somewhat misleadingly called a “vaccine passport”) should be required to prove immunization status.
Concept:
Vaccine Passports:
- A vaccine passport is an e-certificate that stores and records jabs and Covid-19 test status.
- It can be kept in a smartphone app or in other digital formats.
- Its contents can be flashed at security checkpoints when people travel across borders.
- The idea is modelled on the proof of vaccination that several countries required even before the pandemic.
- Travellers from many African countries to the USA or India are required to submit proof that they have been vaccinated against diseases such as yellow fever.
- In February 2021, Israel became the first country to introduce a certification system that allows those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 to access certain facilities and events.
Function of Vaccine Passports:
- Will digitise vaccination records across countries.
- Supposed to function as proof that the holder has been vaccinated against Covid-19 and is, therefore, safe.
Potential Beneficiary of the Vaccine Passports:
- The primary benefit will be to the tourism and the hospitality industries, which are both seen as being at the heart of Covid-19 spread and are the worst hit by the pandemic.
- The international air travel, which suffered massively because of the outbreak.
- Several associations and non-profits have been issuing their own versions for international travel:
- IATA Travel Pass: The global trade body representing airlines (The International Air Transport Association) is developing an app called IATA Travel Pass that will provide airlines and other aviation industry stakeholders with a common platform to check for the proof of vaccination and its validity.
- CommonPass: Non-profit Commons Project has been trying out an app called CommonPass, which contains a passenger’s vaccination record.
8. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
Subject: Science & tech
Context: Women’s rights activists say feminism in the South Ko had been simmering under the surface, but it became more prominent sometime in 2015 following the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, in the country linked to a Korean man returning from the Middle East.
Concept:
- Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS‐CoV) that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.
- Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
- Typical MERS symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Pneumonia is common, but not always present. Gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, have also been reported.
- Some laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS-CoV infection are reported as asymptomatic, meaning that they do not have any clinical symptoms, yet they are positive for MERS-CoV infection following a laboratory test.
- Most of these asymptomatic cases have been detected following aggressive contact tracing of a laboratory-confirmed case.
- Although most of human cases of MERS-CoV infections have been attributed to human-to-human infections in health care settings, current scientific evidence suggests that dromedary camels are a major reservoir host for MERS-CoV and an animal source of MERS infection in humans.
- However, the exact role of dromedaries in transmission of the virus and the exact route(s) of transmission are unknown.
- The virus does not seem to pass easily from person to person unless there is close contact, such as occurs when providing unprotected care to a patient.
- Health care associated outbreaks have occurred in several countries, with the largest outbreaks seen in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and the Republic of Korea.
9. Cabinet Approves Deep Ocean Mission
Subject: Government Schemes
Context: Recently, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Deep Ocean Mission.
Concept:
About Deep Ocean Mission
- It is a Rs 4,077-crore mission that will be led by scientists at the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- It is a five-year inter-ministerial and inter-departmental mission.
The five thrust areas under the Deep Ocean Mission are:
- Development of technologies for deep sea mining;
- Manned submersible;
- Development of ocean climate change advisory services;
- Development of technology for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity; and
- Deep ocean survey and setting up of a marine station for ocean Biology.
- Under the mission, India will build a research vessel specifically for carrying out deep ocean explorations and it will be built at an Indian shipyard.
Significance of Deep Ocean Mission
- It will bring together researchers and experts from the ISRO, DRDO, Department of Atomic Energy, CSIR, Department of Biotechnology and the Indian Navy.
- It will make India one among the handful of powerful nations that already have dedicated ocean studies and missions, including the US, Japan, France, Russia and China.
- It provides impetus to India’s Blue Economy initiatives planned from 2020 to 2030 which envisages a number of researches that will be performed to study the oceans.
- It will help India tighten its grip in the South Asia region given India’s long coastline of 7500km and flanked by sea on three sides.
10. Minister of Tribal Affairs has launched ‘Adi Prashikshan Portal’
Subject: Government Schemes
Context: Recently, the Minister of Tribal Affairs has launched ‘Adi Prashikshan Portal’ and inaugurated a training programme on “Capacity Building Training of Master Trainers for ST PRI Members” as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
Concept:
About Adi Prashikshan Portal
- It would be a repository of all training programmes conducted by the Ministry, TRIs, COEs and EMRS, upcoming NTRI and TRIFED.
- It will have data base of trainees, trainers and resource persons.
- The trainees will have access to course material even after completion of training.
- The portal has been developed by Ministry of Tribal Affairs in collaboration with UNDP and TRI-Odisha.
Significance of Adi Prashikshan Portal
- It should be interactive and should also include feedback in the form of actual experiences of the PRIs in implementation which will also help to improve the programme.
- It is intended to reach remotest areas with ‘knowledge packets’ using information technology (IT).
- It is an effort to bring Training Institutions/ Organizations, Experts and Trainers together for addressing thematic knowledge gaps among Tribal PRIs, Communities, Officials and various other stakeholders involved in tribal area development.
- It will transform the various ongoing training initiatives under different units of the Ministry like TRIs, COEs and converge the initiatives for better skill and knowledge building.
- It will also catalyze and improve the processes of conducting training by making it online and accessible to all.
11. Nod for additional fertilizer subsidy
Subject : Governance
Context: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal to hike subsidy rates for phosphorus and potassium-based fertilizers by 140% in a bid to provide relief to farmers as the kharif sowing season begins.
Concept:
- Unlike urea, where the Centre sets a fixed maximum retail price, non-urea fertilizer prices are decontrolled, with the Centre fixing nutrient-based subsidy rates each year.
- So far, a 50 kg bag of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), the fertilizer most popular with Indian farmers after urea, was sold at ₹1,200, including a subsidy of about ₹500.
Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme
- Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Programme for Fertilizers was initiated in the year 2010.
- Under the scheme, a fixed amount of subsidy decided on an annual basis is provided on each grade of subsidized Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers, except for Urea, based on the nutrient content present in them.
- The scheme is administered by the Department of Fertilizers under the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.
- In a recent development, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for the continuation of the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) till 2019-20.
- The continuation of the Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme will ensure that an adequate quantity of P&K is made available to the farmers at a statutory controlled price.
Union Budget 2021 and Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme
- There have been no reforms in the Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme in Union Budget 2021. Though Nirmala Sitharaman made an announcement to release an additional Rs 65,000 crore towards fertilisers subsidy over and above Rs 71,000 crore allocated in the Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 21 and for FY22, she has allocated close to Rs 80,000 crore.
Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme (NBS) Provisions
- In India, urea is the only controlled fertilizer and is sold at a statutory notified uniform sale price.
- Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme (NBS) allows the manufacturers, marketers, and importers to fix the MRP of the Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers at reasonable levels.
- The domestic and international cost of P&K fertilisers is considered along with the country’s inventory levels and the currency exchange rate in order to decide the MRP.
12. Space-time induces neutrino oscillations
Subject: Science & tech
Context : Professor Amitabha Lahiri of S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) an autonomous institute under the DST, showed in a paper published along with Subhasish Chakrabarty, his student, that the geometry of space-time can cause neutrino oscillations through quantum effects even if neutrinos are massless.
Concept:
- Neutrinos are mysterious particles, produced copiously in nuclear reactions in the Sun, stars, and elsewhere.
- They also “oscillate”– meaning that different types of neutrinos change into one another – as has been found in many experiments.
- Probing of oscillations of neutrinos and their relations with mass are crucial in studying the origin of the universe.
- Neutrinos interact very weakly with everything else – trillions of them pass through every human being every second without anyone noticing; a neutrino’s spin always points in the opposite direction of its motion, and until a few years ago, neutrinos were believed to be massless.
- It is now generally believed that the phenomenon of neutrino oscillations require neutrinos to have tiny masses.
Neutrino
- Proton, neutron, and electron are tiny particles that make up atoms. The neutrino is also a tiny elementary particle, but it is not part of the atom. Such particles are also found to exist in nature.
- Neutrino has a very tiny mass and no charge. It interacts very weakly with other matter particles. So weakly that every second trillions of neutrinos fall on us and pass through our bodies unnoticed.
- Neutrinos come from the sun (solar neutrinos) and other stars, cosmic rays that come from beyond the solar system, and from the Big Bang from which our Universe originated. They can also be produced in the lab.
13. KVIC records Highest Ever Turnover in FY 2020-21 Despite Covid-19 Pandemic
Subject : National Organisations
Context : In a year completely marred by Covid-19 pandemic, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has recorded its highest-ever turnover. In the year 2020-21, KVIC registered a gross annual turnover of Rs. 95,741.74crores, as compared to Rs. 88,887 crores turnover in 2019-20, thus, registering an increase of 7.71%.
Concept :
Khadi & Village Industries Commission (KVIC):
- The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament (Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act of 1956).
- In April 1957, it took over the work of former All India Khadi and Village Industries Board.
- It is an apex organization under the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, with regard to khadi and village industries within India, which seeks to – “plan, promote, facilitate, organise and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary.”
14. Cabinet approval for OFB corporatisation
Subject : National organisations
Context : Addressing a long pending reform, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a plan to corporatise the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), which has 41 factories, into seven fully government owned corporate entities on the lines of Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU).
Concept :
- Once implemented, the OFB, the establishment of which was accepted by the British in 1775, will cease to exist.
- This restructuring is aimed at transforming the ordnance factories into productive and profitable assets, deepening specialisation in the product range, enhancing competitiveness, improving quality and achieving cost efficiency.
- Corporatization refers to the restructuring or transformation of a state-owned asset or organization into a corporation. These organizations typically have a board of directors, management, and shareholders.
Ordinance Factory Board:
- It is an umbrella body for the ordnance factories and related institutions, and is currently a subordinate office of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
- The first Indian ordnance factory was set up in the year 1712 by the Dutch Company as a GunPowder Factory, West Bengal.
- It is a conglomerate of 41 factories, 9 training Institutes, 3 regional marketing centres and 5 regional controllers of safety.
- Headquarters: Kolkata
- Significance: A major chunk of the weapon, ammunition and supplies for not just armed forces but also paramilitary and p744olice forces comes from the OFB-run factories.
- Production includes: Civilian and military-grade arms and ammunition, explosives, propellants and chemicals for missile systems, military vehicles, armoured vehicles, optical devices, parachutes, support equipment, troop clothing and general store items.