Daily Prelims Notes 17 March 2024

March 17, 2024
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

17 March 2024

Table Of Contents

1. Banking Crisis Aftermath: Considerations for Strengthening Banking sector

Subject: Economy

Section: Monetary Policy

Background:
- A banking crisis involving Credit Suisse occurred a year ago.
- Government-sponsored rescue of Credit Suisse and U.S. bank salvages in March 2023.
Current Situation:
- Regulators and lawmakers are beginning to address concerns.
- Top global financial watchdog warned Switzerland to strengthen banking controls due to the risk posed by UBS.
Key Weaknesses Identified:
- Banks’ liquidity requirements found insufficient.
- Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) is crucial for banks’ ability to meet cash demands.
Proposed Changes and Debates:
- European regulators discussing shortening the period of acute stress for measuring banks’ buffers.
- Potential for banks needing to hold higher levels of liquid assets, potentially increasing funding costs.
- Industry-wide changes expected in Europe next year, including final implementation of post-financial crisis rules (Basel III).
ECB Scrutiny and Central Bank Role:
- ECB intensifies scrutiny of liquidity buffers of individual banks to prevent rapid runs.
- Focus on making emergency loans widely available and examining collateral requirements.

The ongoing discussions and proposed changes aim to enhance banks’ resilience against rapid deposit outflows and liquidity stress, ensuring financial stability and preventing crises like those involving Credit Suisse.

Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR):

The liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) is the ratio of highly liquid assets held by financial institutions. It ensures their ability to meet short-term obligations, acting as a stress test for market-wide shocks.

Basel III Reforms and LCR Implementation:

Introduced as part of the Basel III reforms post-2008 financial crisis.
Finalized by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in January 2013.
LCR formula: LCR = High-Quality Liquid Asset Amount (HQLA) / Total Net Cash Flow Amount.

Indian Framework for LCR:

India’s framework for LCR requirements issued on June 9, 2014.
Phased implementation from January 1, 2015, with minimum mandatory requirements starting at 60%.
Gradually increasing to 100% by January 1, 2019.

High-Quality Liquid Assets (HQLA):

HQLAs are assets quickly convertible to cash with no significant loss of value. Three categories:
Level 1: Includes coins, banknotes, central bank reserves, and marketable securities.
Level 2A: Securities issued/guaranteed by specific sovereign entities or multilateral development banks.
Level 2B: Investment-grade corporate debt and publicly-traded common stock.

Importance of LCR for Banks:

Promotes short-term resilience against liquidity disruptions.
Ensures banks have sufficient HQLAs to survive acute stress scenarios lasting 30 days.
Banks must hold HQLAs equal to expected total net cash outflows over the stress period.

Limitations of LCR:

Requires banks to hold more cash, potentially leading to fewer loans issued.
Increased cost of maintaining fund ratio could impact lending and economic growth.
Banks’ cost of lending increases due to the need to cover fund ratio costs.

The Liquidity Coverage Ratio is a critical measure ensuring banks’ ability to weather short-term liquidity disruptions while balancing the need for lending and financial stability.

2. Indian team uses repurposed drug to treat oral cancer subtype

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

Context:

A novel fusion transcript in head and neck cancer identified by Mumbai-based researchers presents a promising therapeutic target.

Key Findings:

The fusion transcript discovered can be targeted by the FDA-approved deworming drug, pyrvinium pamoate, to treat head and neck cancer.
The study highlights the fusion transcript’s potential in altering cancer cell behavior and improving treatment approaches.

Fusion Transcript and Its Implications:

A fusion transcript occurs due to the structural rearrangement of chromosomes, leading to the creation of a chimeric gene. This study focused on the UBE3C-LRP5 fusion, resulting from translocation between chromosomes 11 and 7.
Found in 5.3% of the 151 Indian oral cancer patients screened and 1.2% of 502 Caucasian patients. With around 200,000 new oral cancer cases annually in India, this fusion transcript could be relevant for approximately 10,000-11,000 patients each year.
Impact: The UBE3C-LRP5 fusion activates the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway, known for promoting cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion. This discovery marks a significant advancement in understanding head and neck cancer.

Pyrvinium Pamoate as a Potential Treatment:

The drug targets the signaling pathway activated by the fusion transcript, significantly reducing cancer cell aggressiveness in laboratory studies and animal models.
Findings: Genetic studies by the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) team showed that blocking the pathway downstream of the fusion transcript curtailed cancer cell proliferation and invasive capabilities.
Future Prospects: With promising animal study results, clinical trials in oral cancer patients are planned, leveraging the drug’s established safety profile.

Significance of the research:

The identification of the UBE3C-LRP5 fusion transcript and its targeting by an existing FDA-approved drug offers a novel approach to treating head and neck cancer, potentially applicable to other cancer types as well.
The findings pave the way for new therapeutic strategies, emphasizing the importance of genetic research in advancing cancer treatment. The planned clinical trials will further elucidate the drug’s effectiveness in a clinical setting.

Source: TH

3. Higher levels of heavy metals in areas around the Bhopal gas tragedy site: Government report

Subject: Environment

Section: Pollution

Context:

Nearly four decades after the Bhopal gas tragedy, a report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) reveals heightened levels of heavy metals in groundwater near the defunct Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant in Bhopal.

Details:

Key findings from the CGWA‘s report include minimal zinc contamination, with only one location surpassing the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) acceptable limit, while arsenic levels were generally within safe limits, barring one exception. Manganese pollution was noted in 8.33% of the sampled locations, particularly in deeper aquifers.
The report also identified strontium concentrations, unregulated by BIS, within a significant range across sampled sites.
Critics argue that the CGWA study inadequately addresses the full scope of contamination, neglecting pesticides, organochlorines, and other persistent organic pollutants previously detected in groundwater studies.
Historical and ongoing research underscores the gravity of groundwater contamination outside the UCIL factory area, linking it to potential cancer risks and other health issues.
The persistence of toxic waste on-site raises concerns over further contamination spread, as highlighted in a 2018 affidavit by an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras professor to the Supreme Court, noting the presence of toxic chemicals known to cause significant health damage.

Bhopal Gas Leak:

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, also known as the Bhopal disaster, occurred on December 3, 1984, when methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide India Limited in Bhopal, India.
It is considered one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.

Source: TH

4. Over 50 million people may be food insecure in eastern Africa, warns WFP

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

The World Food Programme (WFP) has issued a warning about the rapid rise in food insecurity across eastern Africa, affecting potentially 54 million people.

Details:

Sudan (17.7 million), Ethiopia (15.8 million), and South Sudan (5.7 million) are the most affected countries.
The causes of this crisis include conflict, climatic shocks such as drought and flooding due to erratic rainfall, inflation, disease outbreaks, lack of access to nutritious diets and safe water, and the impacts of climate change leading to violence among smallholder farmers.
Key factors for food insecurity:
- In Sudan, ongoing fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is exacerbating food needs.
- Ethiopia faces vulnerability to climate-induced shocks, with recent droughts affecting multiple regions. Drought has returned to Tigray, Afar, Amhara, and parts of Oromia, Southern, and Southwest regions, causing severe suffering.
- South Sudan is experiencing acute food insecurity worsened by the arrival of returnees and refugees from Sudan and Ethiopia.
- The region is also dealing with a large number of internally and internationally displaced people, totalling approximately 23.4 million, including 5 million refugees and asylum seekers and 18.4 million internally displaced persons.
However, the WFP anticipates food insecurity to remain stable into the second quarter of 2024, thanks to improved weather conditions and the effects of the lean season.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization predicts positive effects on crop production due to two consecutive wetter-than-normal seasons, which should aid the region’s recovery from the 2020-2023 drought, increase market supply, and lower food prices.
Despite these hopeful signs, the northern part of the region is expected to face dry weather conditions, heat stress, and water and pasture deterioration during the March-May period.
This will impact livestock body condition, production, and market value, further influencing food security.
The WFP recommends ongoing monitoring of food insecurity causes for timely early warning and action.

Source: DTE

5. Bare act

Subject: Environment

Section: Environment Legislation and environment body

Context:

India’s legislative and regulatory framework, including the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act of 1974 and the Environmental (Protection) Act of 1986, aims to prevent the discharge of untreated industrial effluents into water bodies.

Details:

Despite these measures and the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) guidelines, the effectiveness of these regulations remains unclear due to the lack of consolidated data on the generation and treatment of industrial effluents.
A 2021 report to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) reveals fragmented data, with significant gaps in information across various states and Union Territories.
This incomplete picture hampers the understanding of effluent management’s actual state, with large states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh not providing comprehensive information.
Regular inspections by State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) are mandated, yet the quality of these inspections and the enforcement of regulations are in question.
Instances of industries, such as Malbros International in Punjab, illegally discharging untreated effluents highlight the challenges in effectively monitoring and penalizing violations.
Efforts by the NGT to upgrade laboratories and ensure compliance have noted serious deficiencies in regulatory actions against waste management system violations.

Continuous effluent quality monitoring system (CEQMS):

It is a real-time air and water pollution monitoring system.
The introduction of the continuous effluent quality monitoring system (CEQMS) by CPCB in 2014, aimed at enhancing transparency and compliance through real-time pollution monitoring, has also faced issues with widespread non-compliance and data availability.
- A continuous monitoring system is comprised of sampling, conditioning, and analytical components and software designed to provide direct, real- time, continuous measurements of pollution by analyzing representative sample(s) of air and water to be monitored.
- It is an important tool for better compliance enforcement through credible pollution monitoring and reporting practices.
- If installed properly, these systems can help to get accurate and real- time data at higher frequency with minimal manual intervention in order to strengthen the pollution control regime.
As of 2023, data from many SPCBs/PCCs is either missing or inaccessible.
Staff shortages significantly impact the capability of pollution control boards to enforce environmental regulations effectively, with a significant percentage of sanctioned posts remaining vacant.
The Water Pollution Act and related regulations need updating to improve transparency and data availability.
Unlike newer regulations for other types of waste, the current legal framework does not mandate the public availability of effluent data, further obscuring the situation and preventing informed action against water pollution.

Source: DTE

6. Centre contemplating a ban on wolf dogs. But what about the hybrids roaming India’s wilds?

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying has requested local bodies to avoid issuing licenses for the sale and breeding of certain dog breeds considered ‘ferocious’ and ‘dangerous for human life’, including wolf-dog hybrids.

Wolf-Dog Hybrids:

Wolf-dog hybrids result from breeding wolves with certain domestic dog breeds like Akitas, German Shepherds, Alaskan Malamutes, and Huskies.
These hybrids exhibit a mix of wild and domestic traits, becoming more wolf-like in behaviour as they mature.
Concerns and Incidents
- There have been instances in the United States of wolf-dog hybrids escaping, attacking small dogs, and threatening humans, raising questions about their breeding and sale to the public.
- Experts question the decision to list wolf dogs as problematic due to the lack of data on their breeding in India.
- Concerns are raised about the hybridization between wolves and free-ranging dogs in India’s wilderness, potentially threatening native wolf populations.
- There’s also a broader ethical debate against breeding animals for specific traits, which can lead to genetic defects and health issues.

Wildlife and Ethical Considerations:

Hybridization between wolves and free-ranging dogs, termed ‘Khib-shang’ in Ladakh, indicates the presence of wolf-dog hybrids in India’s wild areas.
Issues arise from poor pet ownership and abandonment, leading to exotic breeds mingling with street and wild canines, spreading diseases, and contributing to hybridization.
The phenomenon of wolf-dog hybrids is not limited to any specific region but is a broader issue of concern due to potential aggression and livestock predation.

Animal Birth Control or ABC Rules:

First introduced in 2000 by the Ministry of Culture.
Recently replaced by the ABC rules 2023.
The rules are issued under the Prevention of Cruelty to animal act, 1960
The policy aims to implement a technique called ‘catch-neuter-vaccinate-release’ to control populations of free-ranging dogs and cats.
Provisions:
- The Rules have been formulated in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Hon’ble Supreme Court related to the Animal Welfare Board of India and People for Elimination of Stray Troubles.
  - The Supreme Court has specifically mentioned in various orders that relocation of dogs cannot be permitted.
- The Rules aim to provide guidelines for the sterilisation and immunisation of stray dogs through Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes.
  - The responsibility of carrying out ABC programmes lies with the respective local bodies, municipalities, municipal corporations, and panchayats.
  - The Municipal Corporations are required to implement the ABC and Anti Rabies Program jointly.
- It provides guidelines on how to deal with human and stray dog conflicts without relocating the dogs in an area.
- It also emphasises addressing the cruelty involved in carrying out ABC programmes, ensuring animal welfare.

Drawbacks of the rule:

No benchmark has been set for the number of dogs to be sterilised.
No proper population estimation of stray dogs by municipalities.
ABC Rules ban the euthanasia of rabid animals, making India the only country in the world to follow such a cruel practice. The rules require rabid dogs to “die a natural death”.

Source: DTE

7. With Agni V test, India makes the MIRV leap

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Defence

Context:

On March 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on social media the successful flight test of an Agni V ballistic missile with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology.

What are MIRVs and why are they significant?

A MIRV is a ‘missile bus’ whose passengers are nuclear bombs and which facilitates a single booster to deliver them to different targets.
MIRVs are a “force multiplier” because one MIRV-ed missile can strike several targets.
MIRVs are also useful for saturating and penetrating ballistic missile defenses.
In 1970, the U.S. started to deploy the Minuteman III, the first MIRV-ed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with three warheads on each missile.
In 1971, it deployed the Poseidon, the first MIRV-ed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
The Soviet Union followed the U.S. and by the 1970s developed its own MIRV-ed ICBM and SLBM technology.
The U.K. and France also possess the technology.
China has developed and deployed MIRV technology with multiple warheads placed on its DF-5B ICBMs and is fast expanding and modernizing its nuclear arsenal.

What was the Mission Divyastra test?

The MIRV system is equipped with indigenous avionics systems and high accuracy sensor packages that ensure the re-entry vehicles reach the target points with the desired accuracy.
The ‘Agni’ series of missiles constitute the backbone of India’s nuclear weapons delivery, and Agni V is the longest range missile in the arsenal, with a reach of over 5,000 km.
This means it can reach most of China, especially with a smaller warhead, which would increase the range further.
MIRV technology gives better leverage in this regard.

8. International body recommends more sensitive test to indicate risk of developing diabetes

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Monetary Policy

Context:

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in a position statement, has recommended the adoption of a test measuring blood sugar one hour (1-h PG) after the load of Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) has been administered to check for diabetes risk.

More on news:

A “wealth of epidemiological data” guided the confirmation of the superior purpose in using the 1-h PG (plasma glucose) over even fasting PG (FPG), HbA1c and 2-hour PG across ethnicity, sex and age categories.
The 1-h PG has been found to be a more sensitive biomarker for the earlier identification of these high-risk individuals

Measurement of blood sugar:

The measure of blood sugar one hour after a 75 gm sugar solution is consumed will be a far more sensitive and practical method to screen for intermediate hyperglycaemia (IH), earlier known as pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in people at risk.
It recommends the use of the cut-off points of 155 mg/dL for measuring IH, and 209 mg/dL for T2D, meaning any figure higher than specified would indicate a higher chance of diabetes, even if the individual’s fasting and two-hour values were normal.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has recommended the adoption of a test measuring blood sugar one hour (1-h PG) after the load of Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) has been administered to check for diabetes risk.
They have also recommended revising glycaemic thresholds to measure and predict the risk of developing diabetes.
The oral glucose test is the best for detecting the onset of diabetes at a future date, and if it is not employed, many remain undiagnosed and untreated.

About Diabetes mellitus:

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease of high blood sugar (glucose) levels that result from problems with insulin secretion, its action, or both.
Normally, blood glucose levels are tightly controlled by a hormone produced by the pancreas known as insulin.
When blood glucose levels rise (for example, after eating food), insulin is released from the pancreas to normalize the glucose level.

Type 1 diabetes:

An absolute lack of insulin, usually due to destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, is the main problem in type 1 diabetes.
It is to be due to an autoimmune process, in which the body’s immune system mistakenly targets its own tissues (islet cells in the pancreas.
This tendency for the immune system to destroy the beta cells of the pancreas is likely to be, at least in part, genetically inherited, although the exact reasons that this process happens are not fully understood.

Type 2 diabetes:

People who have type 2 diabetes can still produce insulin, but do so relatively inadequately for their body’s needs.
Genetics plays a role in the development of type 2 diabetes, and having a family history and close relatives with the condition increases your risk; however, there are other risk factors, with obesity being the most significant.

9. Maintaining maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

The EU’s maritime security force against piracy, Operation Atalanta, confirmed Wednesday the hijacking of a Bangladeshi-flagged bulk carrier with 23 people on board while sailing in Somali waters.

More on news:

Since 1 January 2023, the designation of the Indian Ocean High Risk Area (HRA) put in place by the shipping industry has been rescinded, due to the improved piracy situation in the region.
IMO continues to support signatory States to implement the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC), as amended by the Jeddah Amendment, to enhance maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
The European Union Naval Force Atalanta is responsible for maintaining security in the Indian Ocean and has been a benchmark in the fight against piracy for the past 15 years.

About Operation Atalanta:

Operation Atalanta, formally European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia, is an ongoing counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean.
It is the first naval operation conducted by the European Union (EU), in support of United Nations resolutions 1814, 1816, 1838, and 1846 adopted in 2008 by the United Nations Security Council.
Since 29 March 2019, the operational headquarters is located at Naval Station Rota (NAVSTA Rota) in Spain, having moved from London as a result of the British withdrawal from the EU.
It is part of a larger global action by the EU to prevent and combat acts of piracy in the Indian Ocean, and it is the first EU naval operation to be launched.
It maintains its activities to deter, prevent and repress piracy and armed robbery at sea and has extended its geographical scope north of the Red Sea.
It cooperates with the multinational Combined Task Force 151 of the US-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and NATO’s anti-piracy Operation Ocean Shield.
The mission was launched in December 2008 with a focus on protecting Somalia-bound vessels and shipments belonging to the WFP and AMISOM, as well as select other vulnerable shipments.
In addition, Operation Atalanta monitors fishing activity on the regional seaboard.

Areas in news:

Gulf of Aden:

The Gulf of Aden is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channel, Socotra and Somalia to the south.
In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, and it connects with the Arabian Sea to the east.
To the west, it narrows into the Gulf of Tadjoura in Djibouti.
The Aden Ridge lies along the middle of the Gulf and is causing it to widen about 15mm per year.

Red Sea:

The Red Sea (Erythraean Sea) is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia.
The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden.
To the north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez (leading to the Suez Canal).
The sea is underlain by the Red Sea Rift which is part of the Great Rift Valley.
The six countries bordering the Red Sea are: Saudi Arabia, Yemen , Egypt , Sudan , Eritrea , Djibouti
Islands include the Dahlak Archipelago, the Farasan Islands, and Zubair Archipelago.
Key ports of the Red Sea are Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Port Sudan (Sudan), Djibouti Port (Djibouti), Aqaba Port (Jordan).
Bab el Mandeb Strait: Located at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, connecting it to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Strait of Tiran: Situated at the northern end of the Red Sea, separating the Sinai Peninsula from the Saudi Arabian coastline and providing access to the Gulf of Aqaba.

10. Indian patent office granted 1 lakh patents in past year

Subject: Science and tech

Section: IPR

Context: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Saturday that the Patent Office has granted an unprecedented one lakh patents within a single year.

Details:

As per an official release, in the fiscal year 2023-24 alone, the Patent Office received an all-time high of 90,300 patent applications.
The Patent Office granted over one lakh patents in the last 1 year (15-Mar-2023 to 14-Mar-2024). Every working day, 250 patents were granted, the ministry said.
Alongside patent grants, there has been a notable surge in GI registrations, demonstrating a threefold increase compared to the previous year. Currently, India boasts 573 registered GIs, with 98 new registrations in the fiscal year 2023-24, according to the release.
Additionally, copyright registrations have reached a record-breaking 36,378, underscoring the vast potential within the creative sector.
In the realm of design, the fiscal year 2023-24 witnessed the highest number of registrations to date, totalling 27,819, alongside the final disposal of 30,450 applications.
Noteworthy initiatives such as Toycathon, jointly organized by J&K SCERT and the Indian IP Office, have facilitated the registration of 115 novel designs by J&K school students, according to the release.
The Trade Marks Registry has also redoubled its efforts to expedite trademark protection, committing to issuing examination reports within 30 days of receiving trademark applications.
In parallel, the National Intellectual Property Academy (NIPAM) has played a pivotal role in raising IP awareness, offering training to 24 lakh youths, particularly students and teachers, across over 7,000 institutions in the last two years.
The announcement coincided with the official notify of the Patent R The announcement coincided with the official notification of the Patent Rules, 2024, which introduces several provisions aimed at simplifying the patent prosecution and maintenance processes.
These rules are poised to streamline the acquisition and management of patents, thereby nurturing an environment conducive to innovation and economic growth.
Notable features of the revamped rules include provisions for acknowledging inventors’ contributions through a new ‘Certificate of Inventorship’ and reducing the time limit for filing examination requests to accommodate the fast pace of technological advancements, read the press release.

Concept:

What is a patent?

A patent is an intellectual property right.
A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention, which is a new product or process that meets conditions of novelty, non-obviousness, & industrial use.
A patent provides the owner with the right to decide how – or whether – the invention can be used by others.

Criteria for issuing Patents in India

Novelty: it should be new (not published earlier + no prior Public Knowledge/ Public Use in India)
Non obviousness: It must involve an inventive step (technical advanced in comparison to existing knowledge + non‐obvious to a person skilled in the relevant field of technology)
Industrial use: It should be capable of Industrial application
Patents in India are governed by “The patent Act 1970” which was amended in 2005 to make it compliant with TRIPS.

What cannot be patented?

Frivolous Invention: Invention that harms public order/Morality/ health of animals, plants & humans
Methods of agriculture or horticulture
Traditional Knowledge
Computer Program
Inventions related to Atomic Energy
Plants & Animals
Mere discovery of scientific principle

Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2020

The central government has published an amended Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2020.
The new rules have amended the format of a disclosure statement that patentees & licensees are required to annually submit to the Patent Office.
The format contains disclosing the extent to which they have commercially worked or made the patented inventions available to the public in the country.
The disclosure is to be made in the Form 27 format as prescribed under the Patent Rules, 2003.
The patentees & licensees as well as the Patent Office have blatantly disregarded this statutory requirement.
There has been significant pressure from MNCs & the U.S. to do away with this requirement.

What is a Geographical Indication?

It is an indication that it originates from a definite geographical territory.
It is used to identify agricultural, natural or manufactured goods
It is an insignia on products having a unique geographical origin and evolution over centuries with regard to its special quality or reputed attributes.
It is a mark of authenticity and ensures that registered authorized users or at least those residing inside the geographic territory are allowed to use the popular product names.
GI tag in India is governed by Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999. It is issued by the Geographical Indications Registry (Chennai).

What is the benefit of registration of geographical indications?

It confers legal protection to Geographical Indications in India
Prevents unauthorised use of a Registered Geographical Indication by others.
It promotes economic prosperity of producers of goods produced in a geographical territory.