Daily Prelims Notes 24 July 2023

Daily Prelims Notes

24 July 2023

Table Of Contents

1. Ethanol Impetus
2. Russia strikes Odesa cathedral, as Putin says Ukraine counteroffensive ‘failed’
3. A different kettle of fish: Kashmir wants Europe to taste its trout
4. NSG team visits blast-hit restaurant in Shimla to ascertain cause of incident
5. Imphal-based COCOMI writes to European Parliament on its Manipur resolution
6. Cure for HIV: hopes raised by and limitations of stem cell transplant
7. Clean Marine Hubs
8. Leaders at UN meet call for renewed commitment to eradicate poverty
9. Farmers’ protest brings water to Chambal canals after 2 decades
10. Will generic supply of bedaquiline be accessible?
11. Silver cockscomb isn’t a troublesome weed for Karnataka’s Soliga tribe
12. OneWeb to set up India’s first ‘satelllite network portal site’ in Gujrat
13. ISRO: The shape of rockets to come
14. Battling TB in speed mode
15. Raigad landslides

1. Ethanol Impetus

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate Change

Concept:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a G20 Energy Ministers’ meet recently, said that India has rolled out 20% ethanol-blended petrol this year and aims to “cover the entire country by 2025”.

About Biofuel:

• Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil.
• Since biomass can be used as a fuel directly (e.g., wood logs), some people use the words biomass and biofuel interchangeably.
• However, the word biofuel is usually reserved for liquid or gaseous fuels, used for transportation.
• Most of biofuel consumption occurs as a blend with refined petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil, and kerosene-type jet fuel.
• However, some biofuels do not require blending with their petroleum counterparts and are referred to as drop-in biofuels.
• The most common biofuels now are –
• Bioalcohols such as ethanol, propanol, and butanol (a substitute for petrol/gasoline);
• Biodiesel (a substitute for diesel);
• Bio-oils (substitutes for kerosene).

Generations of Biofuel:

• Biofuels are also divided into four categories depending on their origin and production technologies.
• First Generation
• 1G biofuels are produced from consumable food items containing starch (rice and wheat) and sugar (beets and sugarcane) for bioalcohols, or vegetable oils for biodiesel.
• However, the yields of 1G biofuels are low and can have negative impacts on food security.
• Second Generation
• 2G biofuels are mainly obtained from non-food feedstocks such as forest/industry/agricultural wastes and waste or used vegetable oils.
• Third Generation
• 3G biofuels, known as ‘algae fuel’, are derived from algae in the form of both, biodiesel and bioalcohols.
• Although the yield of 3G biofuels is approximately 10 times higher than 2G biofuels, producing adequate algal biomass and scaling up extraction techniques are as yet unresolved challenges.
• Fourth Generation
• Like the third generation, 4G biofuels are made using non-arable land.
• However, unlike the third, they do not need the destruction of biomass.
• This class of biofuels includes electro fuels and photo-biological solar fuels.

Ethanol Blending

• Ethanol is a biofuel, naturally produced by the fermentation of sugars by yeasts or by petrochemical processes like ethylene hydration.
• Ethanol is high in oxygen content, allowing an engine to more thoroughly combust fuel.
• In ethanol blending, a blended motor fuel containing ethyl alcohol derived from agricultural products is blended with petrol specifically.

How is Ethanol Produced?

• In India, the nodal department for the promotion of fuel-grade ethanol-producing distilleries is the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD).
• Ethanol is produced or procured from sugarcane-based raw materials which are – C & B heavy molasses, sugarcane juice, sugar syrup, surplus rice with Food Corporation of India (FCI) and maize.
• A paper released by the NITI Aayog stated, that in 2019, over 110 billion liters of ethanol fuel was produced globally.
• The US and Brazil account for 84% of the global production followed by the European Union, China, India, Canada and Thailand.

India’s Biofuel Policy:

• In 2021-22, the Central government amended the Biofuel Policy (2018) to set a target of country-wide blending rates of 20% ethanol and 5% biodiesel by 2025.
• According to the Roadmap for ethanol blending in India 2020-2025 report from NITI Aayog, India will need to increase ethanol production capacity from the expected 3.3 billion liters (in 2020–2021) to at least 10.2 billion liters (5.5 billion liters from sugarcane and 4.7 billion liters from grains) by 2025.

2. Russia strikes Odesa cathedral, as Putin says Ukraine counteroffensive ‘failed’

Subject : Art and Culture

Section: Climate Change

Concept :

• Russia’s latest strike on Odesa on Sunday killed two people and severely damaged a historic Orthodoxcathedral, drawing a vow of retaliation from Ukraine’s leader.

Transfiguration Cathedral

• The Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa is the Orthodox Cathedral in Odesa, Ukraine, dedicated to the Transfiguration of Jesus and belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate).
• It was severely damaged by a Russian missile attack on Odesa on July 23, 2023

History

• The first and foremost church in the city of Odesa, the cathedral was founded in 1794 and the cathedral was designated the main church of New Russia in 1808.
• It was continuously expanded throughout the 19th century. The belltower was built between 1825 and 1837, and the refectory connecting it to the main church several years later. The interior was lined with polychrome marble, and the icon screen also was made of marble.
• Several churches in the region, including the Nativity Cathedral in Chişinău, were built in conscious imitation of the Odesa church.
• It was consecrated in 1809, destroyed during the Soviet era in 1936 before being rebuilt when Ukraine became an independent nation.
• The remains of Prince Vorontsov and his wife were reburied in the cathedral. There is a statue of him on the cathedral square. The cathedral bells are controlled by an electronic device capable of playing 99 melodies.
• The cathedral lies in Odesa’s city center, which UNESCO named a World Heritage Site amid the threat of Russia’s invasion.

3. A different kettle of fish: Kashmir wants Europe to taste its trout

Subject : Environment

Section: Species in news

Concept :

• Introduced in the early 1900s, trout fish has become a staple on the Valley’s menu, and an increasing number of farmers are now eyeing opportunities to export trout to meet European demand.
• The favourable water and climatic conditions in Kashmir, similar to Europe, attracted small farmers initially, and now educated unemployed youth are joining the sector.
• The demand for trout is high, leading to solid profits for farmers, and the government offers subsidies to support the establishment of trout farms. However, climate change poses a potential threat to the industry, as the fish require specific conditions to thrive.
• Despite this challenge, the government is taking measures to combat climate change’s impact by offering subsidies to set up Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) for trout farming.

Trout Farming

• Trout are classified as oily fish and have been important food fish for humans.
• As mid-level predators, trout prey upon smaller aquatic animals including insects, crustaceans, baitfish and tadpoles, and themselves in turn are also important staple prey items for many wildlifes including brown bears, otters, raccoons, birds of prey (e.g. sea eagles, ospreys, fish owls), gulls, cormorants and kingfishers, and other large aquatic predators.
• Discarded remains of trout also provide a source of nutrients for scavengers, detrivores and riparian florae, making trout keystone species across aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
• Trout are closely related to salmon and have similar migratory life cycles.
• Most trout are strictly potamodromous, spending their entire lives exclusively in freshwater lakes, rivers and wetlands and migrating upstream to spawn in the shallow gravel beds of smaller headwater creeks.

4. NSG team visits blast-hit restaurant in Shimla to ascertain cause of incident

Subject : Polity

Section: National body

Concept :

• A team of the National Security Guard (NSG) visited the eatery here on Mall Road where a gas leak apparently led to a blast, killing one person and injuring 13 others.
• The blast occurred on July 18 at Himachali Rasoi restaurant, known for serving Himachali cuisines, located in Middle Bazaar in the heart of the city.

National Security Guard (NSG)

• The NSG is a counter-terrorism unit that formally came into existence in 1986 by an act of Parliament- ‘National Security Guard Act, 1986’.
• The idea behind raising such force came in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star (an Indian military action carried out to remove militant religious leader from the Golden Temple, Amritsar) in 1984, Akshardham Temple attack and the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi, for ‘combating terrorist activities with a view to protect states against internal disturbances.’
• It operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is a task-oriented force that has two complementary elements in the form of:
  • Special Action Group (SAG) comprising of the Army personnel- is the main offensive or the strike wing of the NSG, and
  • Special Ranger Groups (SRG) comprising of personnel drawn from the Central Armed Police Forces/State Police Forces. They generally handle VIP securities.
• The head of NSG- designated as Director General (DG), is selected and appointed by the Minister of Home Affairs.
• The motto of ‘Sarvatra, Sarvottam, Suraksha’ has always been upheld by it with a focus on its basic philosophy of swift and speedy strike and immediate withdrawal from the theatre of action.
• National Security Guard has been given the specific role to handle all facets of terrorism in any part of the country as a Federal Contingency Force.
• The NSG is trained to conduct counter-terrorist task including counter hijacking tasks on land, sea, and air; Bomb disposal (search, detection, and neutralization of IEDs), Post Blast Investigation (PBI), and Hostage Rescue missions.
• The NSG personnel are often referred to in the media as Black Cat Commandos because of the black outfit and black cat insignia worn on their uniform.
• Operations undertaken:
  • Operation Black Thunder (Golden Temple, Amritsar, 1986 & 1988)
  • Operation Ashwamedh (Indian Airlines Flight-IC427 hijacking, India, 1993)
  • Operation Thunderbolt or Vajra Shakti (Akshardham Temple attack, Gujarat, 2002)
  • Operation Black Tornado (Mumbai Blasts, 2008)
  • There is no direct recruitment to the NSG. Personnel from the army/police forces serve in the NSG on deputation.
  • NSG is headed by a Director-General who is generally drawn from the Indian Police Service.
• Major functions of the NSG are:
  • Counter hijacking tasks on land, air and sea
  • Post blast investigation
  • Bomb disposal (search, detection & neutralisation of IEDs)
  • VIP security
  • Hostage rescue missions

5. Imphal-based COCOMI writes to European Parliament on its Manipur resolution

Subject: International Relations

Section: Groupings

Concept :

• An umbrella body of Imphal Valley-based civil society organisations has asked the European Parliament not to let Manipur become the “new Golden Triangle” of drug trade by projecting the violence between what it called “immigrant Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists” and indigenous Meitei people in the State as a religious conflict.

Golden Triangle

• Golden Triangle includes the area of three countries namely Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, where the cultivation and production of drugs such as opium and heroin have been prevalent.
• The area has been a major source of illegal drugs, contributing to the global drug trade, along with Golden Crescent (comprising Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan).
• After Afghanistan, Myanmar has been a significant cog of the transnational drug trade as it is the second-largest producer of illicit opium.
• As per the data by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a specialised United Nations Agency,  it is estimated that there were 430 square kilometres (167 sq mi) of opium cultivation in Myanmar in 2005.
• The opium and heroin base produced in northeastern Myanmar is transported by donkey and horse caravan to refineries along the Thailand-Burma border where they are converted to the final products.
• The finished products are then shipped across the border to towns in Northern Thailand and down to Bangkok for further distribution to international markets.

6. Cure for HIV: hopes raised by and limitations of stem cell transplant

Subject : Science and technology

Section:  Biotechnology

Concept:

• One more person infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) has likely been cured after receiving a stem cell transplant for cancer, the sixth such known
• The level of virus in his blood remained undetectable 20 months after his anti retroviral therapy was
• However, one factor differentiates the Geneva patient, as he is being referred to, from the other five cured after stem cell transplant — his donor did not have the gene mutation that researchers had specifically selected in all the previous
• The mutation is associated with lower risk of contracting the infection.

Stem Cell Transplantation

• The treatment teams looked for donors with CCR5 delta 32 mutation.
• HIV lowers immunity in infected individuals by attacking the CD4 immune cells.
• However, to gain entry into these cells, it needs receptors on the surface. People who inherit the CCR5 delta 32 mutation from both parents do not form these receptors, essentially locking the virus out of the cells.
• Those who inherit the mutation from one of the parents have fewer receptors and are less likely to get the infection.
• Only 1% of the people in the world carry two copies of the CCR5-delta 32 mutation—meaning they got it from both parents — and another 20% carry one copy of the mutation, mainly those of European descent.

CCR5-delta 32 Mutation

• Cysteine-cysteine chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) is the main HIV co-receptor involved in the virus and cell-to-cell spread.
• The CCR5 receptors on CD4 cells are used as a doorway by HIV. The CCR5-delta 32 mutation prevents these receptors from forming on CD4 cells, which effectively removes the doorway.
• Only 1% of people worldwide have two copies of the mutation, and 20% carry one copy, mostly those of European descent. Those with the mutation are almost immune to HIV, although some cases have been reported.

Stem Cells

• Stem cells are undifferentiated, or “blank,” cells. This means they’re capable of developing into cells that serve numerous functions in different parts of the body.
• They can divide over and over again to produce new cells.
• As they divide, they can change into the other types of cell that make up the body.
• Cancer and cancer treatment can damage the hematopoietic stem cells. Hematopoietic stem cells are stem cells that turn into blood cells.

Types of Stem Cells

• Stem cells are divided into 2 main forms. They are embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.
• Embryonic stem cells: The embryonic stem cells used in research today come from unused embryos. These result from an in vitro fertilization procedure. They are donated to science. These embryonic stem cells are pluripotent. This means that they can turn into more than one type of cell.
• Adult stem cells: There are 2 types of adult stem cells.
• One type comes from fully developed tissues such as the brain, skin, and bone marrow. There are only small numbers of stem cells in these tissues. They are more likely to generate only certain types of cells. For example, a stem cell that comes from the liver will only make more liver cells.
• The second type is induced pluripotent stem cells. These are adult stem cells that have been changed in a lab to be more like embryonic stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells don’t seem to be different from embryonic stem cells, but scientists have not yet found one that can develop every kind of cell and tissue.

Bone Marrow Transplant

• A bone marrow transplant is a medical treatment that replaces one’s bone marrow with healthy cells.
• The replacement cells can either come from the person’s own body or from a donor.
• A bone marrow transplant is also called a stem cell transplant or, more specifically, a hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
• Transplantation can be used to treat certain types of cancer, such as leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma, and other blood and immune system diseases that affect the bone marrow.
• Bone marrow transplants may use cells from the same person (autologous transplant) or from a donor (allogeneic transplant).

7. Clean Marine Hubs

Subject :Economy

Section: Infrastructure

Context::Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) adopts the Clean Energy Marine Hubs initiative (CEMHUBS) at a summit in goa.

Key Points:

• Clean Energy  Marine Hubs initiative is a new global platform to scale up low-carbon fuel production and achieve greener supply chains globally.
• To move to low carbon fuels in addition to production, the logistics networks needs to be an integral part of the global clean energy transition.
• The first of its-kind platform brings together the private sector and governments across the energy maritime value chain to transform maritime transportation and production hubs for future low-carbon fuels.
• The initiative is jointly led by players in the private sector and governments working in close collaboration.
• The initiative is backed by canada, norway, panama, uruguay and the uae, in partnership with the international chamber of shipping (ICS) and the international association of ports and harbours (IAPH).

Challenges:

• The maritime energy value chain is far from ready to transport the in-flux of low carbon fuels that are expected between now and 2050.
• To feed the demand, the shipping industry is expected to transport at least 50 per cent of all traded low carbon fuels by 2050, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
• The production centres, vessels and port infrastructure required to accommodate expected demand do not currently exist at commercial scale.
•  For hydrogen derivatives, such as ammonia and other low carbon fuels moved by ships, the scale is far from what heavy industries, transport and other sectors would require.

8. Leaders at UN meet call for renewed commitment to eradicate poverty

Subject: International Relations

Section: International organisation

Context:

• World leaders gathered at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on July 18, 2023.

Details:

• Suggestions evolved from HLPF will contribute to the 2023 SDG Summit, to be held from September 18-19, 2023, in New York.
• Leaders called for a renewed commitment to eradicating poverty — the most fundamental challenge listed in the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
• As per the latest UN SDG progress report, countries are way off track from achieving poverty eradication goals.
• Nearly 1.1 billion of the 6.1 billion people across 110 countries are poor.
• At least two regional forums — Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development and the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development — flagged a looming debt crisis affecting, especially, the poor and developing countries.
• Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development too called for intensifying actions on the Great Green Wall and the Battery Minerals Value Chain Initiative.
  • Launched in 2007 by the African Union, the Great Green Wall initiative aims to restore the continent’s degraded landscapes.

HLPF:

• The event was held in New York from July 10-19, 2023 under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council.
• HLPF (formed on 9 July 2013) is a subsidiary body of both the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Economic and Social Council responsible for the entire organisation’s policy on sustainable development.
• HLPF is the central global platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs.
• Headquarter: New York, USA
• The theme of the HLPF meeting is Sustainable and Resilient Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• This year’s HLPF recognised the unprecedented challenges created by the global health crisis, especially those related to poverty.

Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development:

• The APFSD is an annual, inclusive intergovernmental forum to support follow-up and review of progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the regional level, while serving as a regional preparatory meeting to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).
• The Forum provides a regional perspective on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by identifying regional trends and sharing best practices and lessons learned.
• Since its inaugural session in 2014, the APFSD has brought governments, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders together to prepare for the HLPF and to support regional efforts to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

UN Economic and Social Council (UN-ECOSOC):

• Established by the UN Charter in 1945, it is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as implementation of internationally agreed development goals.
• It has 54 members, elected by the UN General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms.
• It is the UN’s central platform for reflection, debate and innovative thinking on sustainable development.
• Each year, ECOSOC structures its work around an annual theme of global importance to sustainable development.
• It coordinates the work of the 14 UN specialized agencies,ten functional commissions and five regional commissions, receives reports from nine UN funds and programmes and issues policy recommendations to the UN system and to member states.
• Few Important Bodies under the Purview of ECOSOC:
  • International labour Organization (ILO)
  • Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
  • United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
  • World Health Organization (WHO)
  • Bretton Woods Twins (World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund)
  • United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
  • Apart from these there are various Functional and Regional Commissions, Standing Committees, Ad Hoc and Expert Bodies as well.

9. Farmers’ protest brings water to Chambal canals after 2 decades

Subject: Geography

Section: mapping

Context:

• Following a fortnight-long stay by farmers in front of the Chambal Command Area Development office in Kota, water was released after two decades into the dried-up irrigation canals between Gandhi Sagar Dam and Kota Barrage earlier this week.
• Hadoti Kisan Union led the protest.
• The Hadoti region, comprising Kota, Baran, Bundi and Jhalawar districts.

Details:

• Irrigation water from the Chambal river will facilitate sowing of traditional kharif crops, including rice, soybean, and sugarcane, in Kota and Bundi districts.
• Agricultural production in the command area, measuring 2.29 lakh hectares, was earlier valued at an estimated ₹10,000 crore annually, when water was supplied through the canals during the two main rabi and kharif crop seasons.
• The water supply was stopped in 2001 due to technical reasons.
• Rajasthan’s only agriculture-based cooperative sugar mill, set up in 1970 and situated at Keshoraipatan in Kota district, also went defunct in 2004 because of financial losses, affecting the livelihood of sugarcane farmers and agricultural labourers.
• Rivers like Banganga, Gambhir and Ruparel in eastern Rajasthan were gradually drying up, while Chambal river water was flowing into the sea.

Kota Barrage:

• The Kota Barrage is situated upstream of Kota city. Water released after power generation at Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam and Jawahar Sagar Dam was earlier diverted by the Kota Barrage for irrigation in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh through canals on the left and the right sides of the Chambal river.

Garlic cultivation:

• Farmers in the region began the cultivation of garlic, a labour-intensive crop, after 2012. It gave profits in the initial years, but its uncontrolled production has led to a price crash during the recent years.

About the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project:

• It aims to harvest surplus water available during rainy season in rivers in Southern Rajasthan such as Chambal and its tributaries, including Kunnu, Parvati, Kalisindh, and use this water in south-eastern districts of the state, where there is scarcity of water for drinking and irrigation.
• ERCP is planned to meet drinking and industrial water needs of the southern and south eastern Rajasthan, for humans and Livestock till the year 2051.
• It proposes to provide drinking water to 13 districts of Rajasthan and provide irrigation water for 2.8 lakh hectares of land through 26 different large and medium projects.
• 13 districts: Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Tonk, Jaipur, Karauli, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa and Dholpur.

Benefits:

• A significant area of land will get irrigation facilities.
• It intends to improve the ground water table in the rural areas of the state.
• Positively influencing the socio-economic conditions of the people.
• It adds special emphasis on the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and envisages that sustainable water sources will enhance and help industries grow in these areas.
• Resulting in investment and revenue.

Chambal River:

• It is one of the most pollution-free rivers of India.
• It originates at the Singar Chouri peak in the northern slopes of the Vindhya mountains (Indore, Madhya Pradesh). From there, it flows in the North direction in Madhya Pradesh for a length of about 346 km and then follows a north-easterly direction for a length of 225 km through Rajasthan.
• It enters U.P. and flows for about 32 km before joining the Yamuna River in Etawah District.
• It is a rainfed river and its basin is bounded by the Vindhyan mountain ranges and the Aravallis. The Chambal and its tributaries drain the Malwa region of northwestern Madhya Pradesh.
• The Hadauti plateau in Rajasthan occurs in the upper catchment of the Chambal River to the southeast of the Mewar Plains.
• Tributaries: Banas, Kali Sindh, Sipra, Parbati, etc.
• Main Power Projects/ Dam: Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam, Jawahar Sagar Dam, and Kota Barrage.
• The National Chambal Sanctuary is located along river Chambal on the tri-junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is known for critically endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle, and the endangered Ganges river dolphin.

10. Will generic supply of bedaquiline be accessible?

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Health

Context:

• Bedaquiline has now become the cornerstone to cure drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB).

Details:

• Johnson & Johnson’s patent on bedaquiline expired on July 18.
• This expiry will allow generic manufacturers to supply the drug.
• J&J has filed secondary patents over bedaquiline till 2027, which were granted in 66 low-and middle-income countries. It includes 34 countries with high burden of TB, multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), and TB/HIV.

About Tuberculosis (TB):

• TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, belonging to the Mycobacteriaceae family consisting of about 200 members.
• Some of Mycobacteria cause diseases like TB and Leprosy in humans and others infect a wide range of animals.
• In humans, TB most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect other organs (extra-pulmonary TB).
• TB is a very ancient disease and has been documented to have existed in Egypt as early as 3000 BC.
• TB is a treatable and curable disease.
• Transmission:
  • TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.
• Symptoms:
  • Common symptoms of active lung TB are cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.
• Global Impact of TB:
  • In 2019, 87% of new TB cases occurred in the 30 high TB burden countries.
  • Eight countries accounted for two thirds of the new TB cases:
    • India, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and South Africa.
  • India reported 1.8 million TB cases between January and December 2020 as compared to 2.4 million the year before.
  • In 2019, MDR-TB remained a public health crisis and a health security threat.
• MultiDrug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a strain of TB that cannot be treated with the two most powerful first-line treatment anti-TB drugs.
• Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria that are resistant to several of the most effective anti-TB drugs.

Who made bedaquiline?

• Janssen Pharmaceutical (a subsidiary of J&J) made bedaquiline around 2002.
• Following the 2012 approval of bedaquiline several research institutes further document the safety, efficacy and optimal use of bedaquiline in DR-TB regimens.
• The recent WHO recommendation of bedaquiline being a core drug for the treatment of DR-TB is largely based on the evidence produced through these collective efforts.
• However, J&J has claimed sole ownership of it, protected by its aggressive patenting strategies.

Will the drug be available in India?

• Other DR-TB drugs like linezolid have decreased in prices by over 90% with generic competition once Pfizer’s patent expired in 2015.
• Therefore, national TB programmes are waiting for the generic supply of bedaquiline from Indian manufacturers to reduce prices.
• In India, a ‘pre-grant opposition’ was filed by a patient group and two TB survivors — Nandita Venkatesan from India, and Phumeza Tisile from South Africa.
• As a result of their legal challenge, in a landmark decision before World TB Day, the Indian Patent Office rejected the U.S. corporation J&J’s secondary patent which would have extended its monopoly for four more years.
• Indian manufacturers will now be able to supply affordable, quality assured generic versions of bedaquiline in India as the primary patent expired on July 18.
• However, they will not be able to export the medicine to 34 of the 43 countries with a high burden of TB.

Will the J&J GDF deal solve the problem and make the generic of bedaquiline accessible?

• Not just yet. The GDF deal claims to cover the majority of low-and middle-income countries but some of the countries hardest hit by DR-TB will not benefit.
• Eastern European countries and China with a high burden of TB are believed to be out of the agreement.
• Countries like South Africa are not purchasing from GDF and with the ever-greening patent inforce till 2027, it will not get access to generic Bedaquiline.

Global Drug Facility (GDF):

• Since its creation in 2001,GDF has grown into a one-stop bundled procurement and supply mechanism providing a unique package of services that combine strategic procurement of TB products and coordination of market activities, with technical assistance and capacity-building for TB programmes.
• This unique approach has made GDF the largest global provider of quality-assured TB products to the public sector and was recognized by world leaders in the United Nations Political declaration of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the fight against tuberculosis, which encouraged all nations to utilise GDF service.

11. Silver cockscomb isn’t a troublesome weed for Karnataka’s Soliga tribe

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Silver cockscomb:

• Also known as lagos spinach, the weed belongs to the Amaranthaceae family, which includes economically important plants like spinach (Spinacia oleracea), beetroot and quinoa.
• Believed to have originated in tropical Africa andgrows abundantly in South and Southeast Asia, Latin America and parts of the US and Australia.
• The plant is known as Celosia argentea in scientific lexicon, kurdu in Marathi and pannai keerai in Tamil.
• Silver cockscomb is a short-lived 50-60 cm-tall plant that bears simple, spirally arranged leaves around the stem with pinkish or silky white flowers. Since it grows widely on farmlands across the country, most farmers use the plant as fodder. But like the Soliga tribe, some communities also consume it as a leafy vegetable.
  • In Karnataka’s Chamarajanagara district it is refereed to as anne soppu.

Nutritional  and medicinal value of Silver Cockscomb:

• Its stem and root extracts provide protection against microbial pathogens.
• Although it is of the same family as spinach, it does not pose the same risk to kidneys. Spinach leaves are high in calcium, oxalates, vitamin K and potassium, which can impair kidney function and lead to formation of kidney stones.
• In comparison, silver cockscomb leaves have lower levels of oxalic acid (0.2 per cent) and phytic acid (0.12 per cent).
• The plant is frequently used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine for treating eye diseases and ulcers.
• The seed contains an edible oil that is beneficial for treating conditions such as bloodshot eyes and cataracts.

Why is it a problem?

• Silver cockscomb is a beautiful but troublesome weed.
• If left unchecked, it can spread quickly and suppress the growth of other crops, affecting their yield.
• It also attracts insects, caterpillars, worms and moths that can harm crops.

The World Vegetable Centre:

• It is a Taiwan-based non-profit institute for vegetable research and development.
• The World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), previously known as the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center (AVRDC), is an international, nonprofit institute for vegetable research and development.
• It was founded in 1971 in Shanhua, southern Taiwan, by the Asian Development Bank, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, the United States and South Vietnam.
• WorldVeg aims to reduce malnutrition and alleviate poverty in developing nations through improving production and consumption of vegetables.

Soliga tribe:

• Soliga (Solega, Sholaga and Shōlaga), is an ethnic group of India.
• Its members inhabit the mountain ranges mostly in the Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka and Erode district of Tamil Nadu. Many are concentrated in the Biligiriranga Hills and associated ranges, mainly in the talukas Yelandur, Kollegal and Chamarajanagar of Karnataka.
• The Soliga speak Sholaga, which belongs to the Dravidian family.
• Under Indian law, they are recognized as a scheduled tribe, they have a population of around 40,000.

12. OneWeb to set up India’s first ‘satelllite network portal site’ in Gujrat

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Context:

• The Gujarat government through its Department of Science and Technology (DST) signed a memorandum of understanding with OneWeb India Communications Pvt Ltd for setting up a ‘satellite network portal site’ — a first for India — at Mehsana in Gujarat.

LEO and satellite communication:

• Satellite constellations in low Earth orbit (LEO) are gaining traction with StarLink, Kuiper and OneWeb among many others, the world is increasingly moving towards relying on LEO satellite communications.
• LEO satellites operate at an altitude of 500 to 1,200 km, making it ripe for high-speed and low latency — a lower time lag between a user seeking data, and the server sending that data, compared to geostationary Earth orbit positioned satellites.

Satellite network portal (SNP) site:

• The satellite network portal (SNP) site will serve as a signal and data downlink and uplink terminal or base station on the ground, an intermediary for data transmission through satellite tracking antenna systems.
• To cover the entire Earth, OneWeb need 40 such SNPs but for India it needs at least 2 such SNPs because India is such a large geography and they decided to set up one in Gujarat and another in the southern part of India, likely to be in Tamil Nadu.
• As per the financial year 2021-2022 annual report of OneWeb, it had nine operational SNP sites serving the live coverage area and at the time, had agreements to build 38 SNPs in 27 different countries.

Investment, Infrastructure, Regulatory Approvals:

• OneWeb India Communications plans to invest up to Rs 100 crore in this project, which would create 500 direct and indirect jobs.
• Apart from civil infrastructure, setting up an SNP like this will also require a slew of regulatory approvals from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and spectrum allocation from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

Why Gujarat and the role of DST, Gujarat in this deal:

• The decision to set up an SNP in Gujarat was a combination of geographical and business interests.
  • Suitable geography that covers/caters to the maritime sector also.
  • Gujarat has the longest coastline in India.
  • The kind of policy and incentives available.
  • Favourable business climate
• DST handles telecommunications and it also handles the Gujarat Electronics Policy (effected in October 2022, valid till 2028).

OneWeb’s growing footprint in India

• Though OneWeb is UK-based,India’s Bharti Enterprises serves as a major investor and shareholder in the company, and Bharti Enterprises’ founder Sunil Bharti Mittal serves as OneWeb’s executive chairman.
• OneWeb has 648 satellites orbiting at 1,000-1,200 km making 13 orbits per day, covering the entire globe.
• India launched the 36 GEN 1 satellites of OneWeb on March 26 this year from aboard Launch Vehicle Mark-3 from Sriharikota.
• For the SNP set-ups in India, OneWeb India Communications will be receiving the capacity from the UK parent company to sell in India.
• Earlier, HCIPL and OneWeb, in January 2022, announced a strategic six-year Distribution Partner agreement to provide low Earth orbit (LEO) connectivity services across India, to deliver services to enterprises and government with OneWeb capacity, especially in areas outside the reach of fibre connectivity.

13. ISRO: The shape of rockets to come

Subject: Science and technology

Section: Space technology

Context:

• With seven straight successful launches so far, the LVM­3 rocket — which most recently ferried  the 3.9­-tonne Chandrayaan-­3 spacecraft to the drop­off point 180 km above earth — has proved to be a reliable one.

Details:

• Now ISRO is working on upgrading it to carry 6­ tonne payloads right up to the geostationary transfer orbits (GTO).
• ISRO is working on a bunch of rocket technologies. Here is a quick look at a few of them.

Air-breathing rockets:

• These rockets  have scramjet engines that can accelerate by themselves mid flight through the atmosphere, conserving chemical fuels for later use.
• ‘Scramjet’, or supersonic ram jets, have funnel ­like openings, with the mouth of the funnel facing the direction of flight.
• During flight, air enters the funnels at high speeds and becomes compressed as it passes through the thin end of the funnel.
• The compressed air is fed into the combustion chamber, where it meets the vaporise fuel (as in an automobile engine) and self ignites.
• This creates a thrust. In a ramjet, air is fed into the combustion chamber at speeds less than the speed of sound (subsonic); in a scramjet, it happens at supersonic speeds.
• Ramjets and scramjets are commonplace in missile technology.
• India’s Brahmos missile has ramjets; a supersonic variant has a scramjet engine.
• However, scramjets have not been successfully used in rockets, which travel not at supersonic speeds (Mach 1.2­5) but at hypersonic speeds (above Mach 5).
  • One Mach is the speed of sound, roughly 1,225 km per hour.
• Some years ago, ISRO successfully tested an air breathing engine on a sounding rocket, but  is now working on a bigger engine (called air frame integrated air breathing engine) that can sustain for longer durations in flights.
• The engine is under manufacture for testing, but ISRO is already in talks with  industry for producing the rockets.

LOx methane engines:

• Methane engines are taking rocketry to the next level.
• The advantages are:
  • Liquid methane — essentially LNG — is not as potent a fuel as hydrogen. But the temperature at which it is stored in rocket tanks is much higher than in the case of hydrogen —  minus­161 degrees C versus minus­253 degrees C.
  • It does not leak — methane molecules are  much bigger  than hydrogen. And, methane is a lot cheaper and abundantly available.
  • So every space company is eyeing methane rockets, or rather liquid oxygen­methane (LOx) — because you need an oxidiser to burn methane.
• The liquid methane rockets are not commonplace yet, because a few challenges remain unresolved.
  • One is the problem of ‘coking’, or ‘soot deposition’. As the gas approaches the combustion chamber, some of it splits into carbon and hydrogen, and the carbon gets deposited as soot on the insides of the tubes, leading to a host of problems such as combustion instability.
    • Solutions considered include use of soot resistant materials such as ceramics, and  specially designed additives for the fuel to cut soot.
  • Further, industry must be made aware of this technology to inspire confidence and attract investment for manufacturing.
• The first to deploy a methane engine in a space flight was  the Chinese company Landscape, with its  Zhuque­2 rocket.

HAVA — India’s space shuttle:

• ISRO is working on a space shuttle — a vehicle that can deliver payloads to orbit.
• Called HAVA, for hypersonic air­breathing vehicle assembly, it can deliver payloads up to 500 kg to low earth orbit.
• Based on the ‘re­usable launch vehicle’ technology the HAVA is like a space shuttle; it will fly on the back of a ‘geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle’ or GSLV, deliver the payload, and return to land on an airstrip, like an aeroplane.
• A prototype is expected to be ready for testing in a couple of years.
• There are several other technologies, too, that ISRO is working on, such as:
  • Vertical take­off and landing (V­TOL),
  • Electric propulsion,
  • Nuclear propulsion,
  • Additive manufacturing in space, and
  • Research into functional materials.

14. Battling TB in speed mode

Subject: Science and technology

Section: health

Why in the news?

• Recent research by the Department of Community Medicine and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, suggests that the country stands a chance of eliminating it by 2025,five years ahead of the global target.

Tuberculosis (TB) eradication program:

• The National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) was launched in 1962, and the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) was established in 2020 with the stated aim of  eradicating TB from the country.
• India accounts for a quarter of tuberculosis cases worldwide.
• There are multiple challenges that include:
  • Insufficient budget,
  • inadequate diagnostic facilities,
  • Under­reporting,
  • low success rate,
  • high dropout rate,
  • social stigma.
• Shortage of  funds hinders the adoption of comprehensive strategies, and the expansion of diagnostic facilities and treatment options.
• The WHO (World Health Organisation) has launched a joint initiative“Find. Treat. All. EndTB” with the Global Fund and Stop TB Partnership.
• WHO also releases the Global Tuberculosis Report.

EARLY DETECTION:

• Enhanced diagnostic capability is another key aspect of the battle against TB.
• It is essential to equip healthcare facilities with advanced diagnostic technologies to  accurately detect TB and determine drug resistance.
• Newer tools such as the Gene Xpert MTB/ RIF assay and MERM (medical event reminder monitor) can revolutionise TB  diagnosis and choice of treatment.
• Early detection of the disease is vital for higher success rates.

SOCIAL FACTORS:

• TB has two forms:

1. pulmonary (affecting the lungs) and
2. Extra­pulmonary (it can affect any part of the body, making diagnosis challenging).

• There is a need to address the social, economic, cultural, and nutritional vulnerabilities in the fight against tuberculosis.
• Factors such as overcrowding, migration, social stigma, and poor nutritional status contribute to the spread and persistence of the disease.
• To prevent tuberculosis, focusing on the overall health and immune system is essential.
• Dietary tips include incorporating a variety of fruits and vegetables, opting for whole grains, including pulses and legumes, consuming dairy products, and staying hydrated with traditional beverages.

PRIVATE SECTOR:

• India’s TB treatment is not centralised as it is not uniform.
• Nearly 50 percent of TB patients are diagnosed in the private sector and the rest by the government sector.
• Although the private sector reporting of tuberculosis has gone up from 4 per cent to 25 percent, there is a huge gap due to underreporting.
• An added challenge is TB’s co­infection with diseases like HIV and diabetes. Integrating TB services with existing health programmes can optimise resources and improve outcomes for those with dual burdens.

About the Stop TB Partnership Board:

• It was established in 2001 and is mandated to eliminate Tuberculosis as a public health problem.
• The organisation was conceived following the meeting of the First Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Tuberculosis Epidemic held in London in March 1998.
• In its inaugural year itself, the Stop TB Partnership through the Amsterdam Declaration gave a call for collaborative action from ministerial delegations from 20 countries that bear the highest burden of TB.
• In 2019, it launched the updated Global Plan to End TB 2018-2022.
• The Kochon Prize is awarded annually by Stop TB Partnership to individuals and/or organizations that have made a significant contribution to combating TB.
  • The Kochon Prize, which is endowed by the Kochon Foundation, a non-profit foundation registered in the Republic of Korea, consists of a USD 65,000 award.
• Its secretariat is based at Geneva, Switzerland.

Initiatives by the government for TB eradication:

• National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination 2017-2025
• National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP)- Centrally Sponsored Scheme
• TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign
• Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine included in the Indradhanush program.
• National TB Elimination Programme to meet the goal of ending the TB epidemic by 2025 the country, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2030
• Two vaccines VPM (Vaccine Projekt Management) 1002 and MIP (Mycobacterium Indicus Pranii) have been developed and are under Phase-3 clinical trial.
• Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana: It provides Rs 500 support through direct benefit transfer to the patients.
• The government has also focused on utilising technology and creating digital health IDs for TB patients under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission to ensure proper diagnostics and treatment are available.

15. Raigad landslides

Subject: Geography

Section: Physical geography

Context: Recent Raigad landslides

Landslide Causes

1. Geological causes
   • Weak or sensitive materials
   • Weathered materials
   • Sheared, jointed, or fissured materials
   • Adversely oriented discontinuity (bedding, schistosity, fault, unconformity, contact, and so forth)
   • Contrast in permeability and/or stiffness of materials
2. Morphological causes
   • Tectonic or volcanic uplift
   • Glacial rebound
   • Fluvial, wave, or glacial erosion of slope toe or lateral margins
   • Subterranean erosion (solution, piping)
   • Deposition loading slope or its crest
   • Vegetation removal (by fire, drought)
   • Thawing
   • Freeze-and-thaw weathering
   • Shrink-and-swell weathering
3. Human causes
   • Excavation of slope or its toe
   • Loading of slope or its crest
   • Drawdown (of reservoirs)
   • Deforestation
   • Irrigation
   • Mining
   • Artificial vibration
   • Water leakage from utilities

Types of Landslides

• Falls: It happens due to the abrupt movements of the mass of geologic materials, such as rocks and boulders, that become detached from steep slopes or cliffs.
• Topples: It happens due to the forward rotation of a unit or units about some pivotal point, under the actions of gravity and forces exerted by adjacent units or by fluids in cracks.
• Slides: In this type, rocks, debris, or soil slide through slope forming material.
• Spread: It usually occurs on very gentle slopes or flat terrain.

Landslides and India

• Landslides and avalanches are among the major hydro-geological hazards that affect large parts of India.
• Around 15% of the country’s region is prone to landslides. The Himalayas of Northwest and Northeast India and the Western Ghats are two regions of high vulnerability.
• Some major recent incidents are Kerala (2018), Himachal Pradesh (2018), Uttarakhand (2018), Tamenglong-Manipur (2018), and Kalikhola, Manipur (June 2017).