Daily Prelims Notes 24 February 2025

Daily Prelims Notes

24 February 2025

Table Of Contents

1. Health Ministry Bans Export of Drugs Containing Tapentadol and Carisoprodol
2. First Detailed Geological Map of Moon’s South Pole from Chandrayaan-3 Data
3. Can a whale swallow a human? Here’s why you need not worry
4. How can Indian farmers be weaned away from urea, DAP and potash?
5. PM Modi to attend ‘biggest ever’ jhumur event in Guwahati: All about the tribal dance
6. UNESCO World Heritage status for 12 forts associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

1. Health Ministry Bans Export of Drugs Containing Tapentadol and Carisoprodol

Sub: Sci

Sec: Health

Why in News

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a ban on the export of drugs containing Tapentadol and Carisoprodol following reports of their unapproved combinations being exported to West African countries.

Background: The Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), identified that Aveo Pharmaceuticals was exporting unapproved drug combinations to certain countries in West Africa.

Opioids:

• Opioids are a class of natural, semi-synthetic, or synthetic chemicals that interact with opioid receptors in the brain and body to reduce the perception of pain.
• Sources:
  • Natural: Derived from the opium poppy plant (e.g., morphine, codeine).
  • Semi-synthetic: Chemically modified natural opiates (e.g., oxycodone, hydrocodone).
  • Synthetic: Fully synthesized in laboratories (e.g., fentanyl, methadone).
• Prescribed for managing moderate to severe pain, such as post-surgical pain, injury-related pain, or cancer-associated pain.
• Tapentadol: Centrally acting synthetic analgesic. Combines mu-opioid receptor agonism with norepinephrine reuptake inhibition, providing pain relief through dual pathways.
  • Classified as a Schedule II controlled substance in the United States, indicating a high potential for abuse and dependence.
• Carisoprodol: Muscle relaxant. Acts on the central nervous system to relieve muscle spasms without directly relaxing skeletal muscles.
  • Prescribed for short-term relief of acute musculoskeletal pain.
• Although both drugs are individually approved by CDSCO, their combination has not been approved in India.
• Neither Tapentadol nor Carisoprodol falls under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) list in India.

Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO):

• The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) – under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• It is the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) of India.
• CDSCO is the Central Drug Authority for discharging functions assigned to the Central Government under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
• It regulates the safety, efficacy and quality of notified medical devices under the provisions of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
• Headquarters – New Delhi.

2. First Detailed Geological Map of Moon’s South Pole from Chandrayaan-3 Data

Sub : Sci

Sec: Space sector

Why in News

• A team of Indian researchers has created the first detailed geological map of the Moon’s south polar region using data from Chandrayaan-3.

Details:

• The new map showcases the undulating terrain of highlands and low plains around the Vikram lander.
• Scientists identified secondary craters and traced debris covering the landing zone to the Schomberger crater.
• Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan rover, equipped with the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, detected the presence of subsurface magma beneath the landing site.
• This confirmed the long-held hypothesis that an ancient ocean of molten lava extended across the entire Moon.
• Vikram lander’s site is close to the South Pole-Aitken Basin, one of the oldest and largest impact craters in the Solar System.

Chandrayaan-3:

• Launch vehicle: LVM-3 (GSLV Mk III).
• Landing site: Near the Moon’s south pole.
• Conduct in-situ experiments to analyse the lunar regolith (soil), minerals, and environment.
• Vikram Lander: Carried instruments like Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) for temperature measurements and LPDC for detecting plasma in the exosphere.
• Pragyan Rover: 6-wheeled, AI-powered rover for lunar surface exploration.
• Equipped with APXS (Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer) and LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) to analyse lunar minerals.
• Detected sulphur, aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, and titanium in the lunar soil.
• Propulsion Module: Carried the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) instrument to study Earth’s atmosphere.

Schomberger Crater:

• Schomberger is a prominent lunar impact crater situated in the Moon’s southern hemisphere, near the limb. It has a diameter of approximately 85 km and a depth of about 3.4 km.
• The crater exhibits a well-defined, circular rim with sharp edges, indicating minimal erosion. Its inner walls are complex, featuring slumping, ridges, and terraces.

South Pole-Aitken Basin:

• The South Pole-Aitken Basin is a vast impact crater located on the Moon’s far side, stretching from the lunar South Pole to the Aitken crater.
• It spans approximately 2,500 km in diameter and reaches depths of up to 8.2 km, making it one of the largest and deepest known impact structures in the Solar System.

Early Lunar Missions:

• NASA’s Apollo Program: Conducted between 1961 and 1972, the Apollo program aimed to land humans on the Moon and ensure their safe return to Earth.
  • Apollo 11 successfully landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Subsequent missions, including Apollo 12 through Apollo 17 conducted extensive lunar exploration and sample collection.
• NASA’s Surveyor Program: Active from 1966 to 1968, the Surveyor program’s goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of soft landings on the Moon.
• Russian Luna Program: Initiated by the Soviet Union between 1959 and 1976, the Luna program aimed to explore the Moon through a series of robotic missions.
  • The program achieved several firsts, including the first human-made object to impact the Moon (Luna 2 in 1959) and the first successful soft landing and return of lunar soil samples by an unmanned spacecraft (Luna 16 in 1970).
• Chinese Chang’e Program: Named after the Chinese Moon goddess, the Chang’e program is an ongoing series of missions by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to explore the Moon.
  • Notable missions include Chang’e 3, which achieved a soft landing and deployed the Yutu rover in 2013, and Chang’e 4, which accomplished the first soft landing on the Moon’s far side in 2019.

3. Can a whale swallow a human? Here’s why you need not worry

Sub : Env

Sec: Species in news

Context:

• Recently, a 23-year-old Venezuelan kayaker Adrian Simancas was briefly swallowed by a humpback whale while kayaking through the Strait of Magellan off Chile’s Patagonian coast.
• His father, who was also kayaking, filmed the incident. The whale surfaced, engulfing Simancas and his yellow kayak for a few seconds before releasing him unharmed.

Reason behind the Encounter:

• The reason why a humpback whale briefly engulfed Simancas likely relates to the whale’s feeding behaviour. According to researchers, humpbacks typically feed by charging to the surface with their mouths open to capture concentrated prey such as small fish or krill.
• In this scenario, the whale might not have been aware of Simancas and his kayak, especially given the cloudy conditions and the concentration of prey in the area.
• Humpback whales rely heavily on hearing to detect their surroundings. Since kayaks are motorless, they produce very little sound, making it possible that the whale did not recognize the kayak’s presence.

Feeding Habits of Whales:

Whales can be broadly categorized into two families: baleen whales and toothed whales.

• Baleen Whales
  • Examples: Blue whales, humpback whales, grey whales.
  • Feeding Mechanism: These whales possess baleen plates instead of teeth. Baleen is a comb-like structure made of keratin (the same material as human hair and nails) used for filter feeding. They consume small organisms such as krill, plankton, and small fish.
  • Baleen whales feed on smaller prey in large volumes.
• Toothed Whales
  • Examples: Sperm whales, killer whales, dolphins.
  • Feeding Mechanism: These whales have teeth and actively hunt larger prey, such as fish, squid, and occasionally seals. However, toothed whales do not use their teeth to chew their food. They typically grab prey with their teeth and swallow it whole.
  • Toothed whales are more aggressive predators compared to baleen whales.

Why a Humpback Whale cannot swallow a human:

• Despite the size of a whale’s mouth, neither baleen nor toothed whales are capable of swallowing humans. This is due to the size of their throat, which is relatively small compared to their mouth.
• The throat of a humpback whale is roughly the size of a human fist, making it physically impossible for such a whale to swallow a person.
• Toothed whales have slightly larger oesophagi than baleen whales, but they still cannot swallow a human whole.

Exception: The Sperm Whale

• The sperm whale is an exception to this rule. It has a larger throat capable of swallowing larger objects, including a human.
• However, it is extremely rare for a sperm whale to actually swallow a person. Such an event is considered a “billion to one” chance due to the rarity of encounters.

4. How can Indian farmers be weaned away from urea, DAP and potash?

Sub : Geo

Sec: Agri

Context:

• India’s fertilizer consumption has become a critical area of concern, primarily due to its heavy reliance on imports for key fertilizers like urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), and muriate of potash (MOP).
• This dependency not only strains the country’s foreign exchange reserves but also makes the agricultural sector vulnerable to global price fluctuations and geopolitical instability.

Import Dependence:

• MOP is entirely imported as India has no potash reserves. Major suppliers include Canada, Russia, Jordan, Israel, Turkmenistan, and Belarus.
• For urea, India produces over 85% of its requirement domestically; however, it relies on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from countries like Qatar, US, UAE, and Angola to run its urea plants.
• DAP is imported as both finished fertilizer and raw materials. The primary sources for finished DAP are Saudi Arabia, China, Morocco, Russia, and Jordan. Raw materials such as phosphoric acid come from Jordan, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia and ammonia from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Indonesia.

High-Analysis Fertilizers:

• Fertilizers like urea, DAP, and MOP are considered high-analysis fertilizers due to their high nutrient content:
  • Urea contains 46% nitrogen (N).
  • MOP contains 60% potash (K).
  • DAP contains 46% phosphorus (P) and 18% nitrogen (N).
• While these fertilizers are highly concentrated, they do not align with the specific nutrient needs of most crops. Most crops don’t require fertilises with such high percentage of individual nutrients.
• Crops require balanced fertilization, which includes not just macronutrients like N, P, and K, but also secondary nutrients (e.g., sulphur, calcium, magnesium) and micronutrients (e.g., zinc, iron, copper, manganese).

Challenges of High-Analysis Fertilizers:

• Excessive use of high-analysis fertilizers like urea, DAP, and MOP can lead to inefficient nutrient absorption by plants.
• Overuse leads to wastage of expensive imported materials and places pressure on India’s foreign exchange reserves.

Ammonium Phosphate Sulphate (APS) as an alternative:

• An important substitute for DAP is Ammonium Phosphate Sulphate (APS), commonly known as 20:20:0:13. APS contains 20% nitrogen (N), 20% phosphorus (P), 0% Potash (K) and 13% sulphur (S). Despite having less phosphorus than DAP, APS has proven to be an effective fertilizer for a wide range of crops, especially those requiring sulphur.
• APS consumption has surged, with sales rising from 9 million tonnes (mt) in 2023, positioning it as the third-largest fertilizer consumed in India after urea and DAP.

Benefits of APS:

• Cost-Effective: APS uses less phosphoric acid and more sulfuric acid than DAP, making its production more economical. While DAP production requires about 460 kg of phosphoric acid for each tonne, APS requires only 220-230 kg of phosphoric acid.
• Suitability for various crops: APS is particularly effective for crops like oilseeds, pulses, maize, cotton, onion, and chilly, which are sulphur-hungry.
• Reduced dependency on imported materials: By using rock phosphate, which is more readily available and cheaper than merchant-grade phosphoric acid, the production of APS reduces India’s dependency on phosphoric acid imports.

5. PM Modi to attend ‘biggest ever’ jhumur event in Guwahati: All about the tribal dance

Sub : History

Sec: Art and Culture

Context:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the “biggest ever” jhumur event, Jhumoir Binandini 2025, in Guwahati’s Sarusajai Stadium on February 24. The event marks the beginning of the Advantage Assam 2.0 summit.
• The event, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Assam’s tea industry, will feature 8,600 dancers. Alongside the PM, 60 heads of mission and ambassadors will also witness the historic performance.

Tea Garden Community of Assam:

• The tea garden community, also known as the “tea tribes”, are a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic community of descendants of workers from Central India (Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal) who were brought to Assam in the 19th century under harsh conditions to work in the tea gardens.
• They are mostly concentrated in Upper Assam and the Barak Valley.
• Despite being a significant part of Assam’s workforce, especially in tea production, the community remains socio-economically marginalized. These communities are categorized as Other Backward Classes (OBC) in Assam but have been fighting for Scheduled Tribe (ST)
• Tribes such as the Munda or the Santhal, a part of the larger tea garden community in Assam, have ST status in the states where they originally came from.

About Jhumur Dance:

• The dance is associated with the Sadan ethnolinguistic group, which traces its roots to the Chotanagpur region.
• The Jhumur dance is performed during significant festivals like Tushu Puja and Karam Puja, which celebrate the harvest and farming cycle.
• Women are the main dancers and singers, while men play traditional instruments such as madal, dhol, or dhak (drums), cymbals, flutes, and shehnai.
• The attire worn varies from community to community, although red and white sarees are particularly popular among women.
• Dancers typically stand shoulder-to-shoulder and move in coordinated patterns with precise footwork. The dance is usually performed to upbeat tunes and lively rhythms, with songs in native languages like Nagpuri, Khortha, and Kurmali, though these songs have adapted over time to incorporate elements of Assamese.

Themes of Jhumur Songs:

• The songs performed during Jhumur dances often carry grim and poignant themes, reflecting the hardships faced by the tea plantation workers. They offer a glimpse into the exploitation and struggles these workers endured during the migration and settlement process in Assam.

6. UNESCO World Heritage status for 12 forts associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Sub : History

Sec : Art and culture

Context:

• A delegation led by Maharashtra Minister for Cultural Affairs and Information Technology, Ashish Shelar, departed for Paris to secure UNESCO World Heritage status for 12 forts associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Details of the proposal:

• The state has proposed the inclusion of 12 forts under the concept of ‘Maratha Military Landscape of India’ for UNESCO World Heritage status.
• These forts are directly linked to the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and represents Maratha military architecture.

About the Forts:

• The nomination comprises 12 forts: Salher, Shivneri, Lohagad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, along with Gingee in Tamil Nadu.
• Developed between the 17th and 19th centuries, these forts epitomize an exceptional fortification and military system envisioned by Maratha rulers.
• The forts, spanning diverse landscapes like the Sahyadri mountain ranges, Konkan Coast, Deccan Plateau, and Eastern Ghats, reflect Maratha military ideology and strategic dominance.