Daily Prelims Notes 25 July 2024

Daily Prelims Notes

25 July 2024

Table Of Contents

1. Centre defends fact-check unit, says right to correct information important
2. Gujarat gears up for cheetah breeding centre at Banni as CZA gives green signal
3. WHO sees ‘high risk’ of polio virus spreading across Gaza, assessment underway
4. ICMR ready to transfer technology for commercialisation of TB detection kit
5. End of indexation benefit on property sale has ignited a debate

1. Centre defends fact-check unit, says right to correct information important

Sub: Polity

Sec: Constitution

Context:

• Defending the formation of a fact-checking unit (FCU), the Union government said in the Bombay High Court on July 24 that the right to know factually correct information and the right to not be misled were equally important as the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a).

What is a Fact Check Unit?

• The provisions for the Fact Check Unit was introduced through  Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023.
• Rules required significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs) (such as Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and Online Gaming Intermediary to inform their users to not ‘host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store any information which is ‘identified as fake or false or misleading by a fact check unit of the Central Government’ in respect of any business of the Central Government.
• The MeitY is empowered to notify the fact check unit of the central government to identify fake, false, or misleading information about any central government business.
• In cases where information has been flagged as false or misleading, intermediaries are expected to take down the content.
• This implies that the union government now possesses the authority to remove any information it considers false.

Why is FCU challenged in the Bombay high court?

• The proposed introduction of the FCU has raised concerns among internet freedom activists and therefore challenged in the Bombay high court.
• Petitioner argued that the amendment enables the government to be the “prosecutor, the judge, and in that loose sense, the executioner” of what constitutes the ‘truth’ online, thereby violating the cardinal principles of natural justice. 
• They also pointed out that the “overbroad and vague” nature of the rules created a “chilling effect” on the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

What is the Government’s stand?

• Government argues that the right to be informed correctly is necessarily inherent under Article 21. 
• Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, for the Union government, said the FCU would prevent people from false information.
• Since many private companies and individuals also maintain fact-checking units and the government is similarly justified in providing accurate information to the public.
• Government has told the court that the Right to know factually correct information and the Right to not be misled were equally important as the Right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a).

2. Gujarat gears up for cheetah breeding centre at Banni as CZA gives green signal

Sub: Env

Sec: Protected Areas

Context:

• Central Zoo Authority (CZA) approved a cheetah conservation breeding centre in Gujarat’s Banni grasslands to reintroduce cheetahs after decades.
• The centre will house 16 cheetahs, aiming to restore India’s wildlife heritage.

Project Details and Funding:

• Banni was chosen for its savannah-like habitat, similar to East Africa, and the historical presence of cheetahs until the early 1940s.
• A 500-hectare enclosure is created for the centre, planning to translocate cheetahs mainly from Namibia or South Africa.
• The project focuses on developing and breeding cheetahs rather than tourism.
• Efforts to improve 14,000 hectares of grasslands and a chinkara breeding program aim to increase the prey base.
• Gujarat will become the only Indian state with both Asiatic lions and cheetahs.
• The Banni project follows the cheetah reintroduction at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

National CAMPA Approval and Regional Environment:

• The Gujarat government’s proposal received approval from the National CAMPA executive committee.
• The absence of apex predators like leopards in Banni provides a favourable environment for cheetahs.

Banni grasslands:

• Banni grasslands and Kachchh Desert Sanctuary cover 5000 km², with parts inundated during the rainy season.
• Banni Grasslands Reserve or Banni grasslands form a belt of arid grassland ecosystem on the outer southern edge of the desert of the marshy salt flats of Rann of Kutch in Kutch District, Gujarat State, India. They are known for their rich wildlife and biodiversity.
• They are currently legally protected under the status of a protected or reserve forest in India.
• The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has identified this grassland reserve as one of the last remaining habitats of the cheetah in India.
• A report suggests proper management could support up to 55 cheetahs, considering the region’s diverse carnivores and seasonal bird visitors.

Source: HT

3. WHO sees ‘high risk’ of polio virus spreading across Gaza, assessment underway

Subject:  Science and tech

Sec: Health

Context:

Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 had been isolated from environmental samples from sewage, in war-ravaged Gaza.

More about News:

• There is a high risk of spreading of the circulating vaccine-derived polio virus in Gaza, not only because of the detection but because of the very dire situation with the water sanitation.
• Poliomyelitis, which is spread mainly through the fecal-oral route, is a highly infectious virus that can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis. It mainly affects children under the age of 5.
• Without proper health services, the population of Gaza is particularly vulnerable to outbreaks of disease.

Circulating vaccine-derived polio virus:

Wild poliovirus (WPV) is the most commonly known form of the poliovirus. However, there is another form of polio that can spread within communities: circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus, or cVDPV.

• Transmitted from :
  • Person-to-person
  • Mainly through the fecal-oral route or, less frequently
  • By contaminated water or food
• The virus multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.

Incubation period : Usually 7-10 days but can range from 4-35 days.

• Up to 90% of those infected are either asymptomatic or experience mild symptoms and the disease usually goes unrecognized.
• Vaccine-derived poliovirus is a well-documented strain of poliovirus mutated from the strain originally contained in OPV.
• OPV contains a live, weakened form of poliovirus that replicates in the intestine for a limited period, thereby developing immunity by building up antibodies.
• On rare occasions, when replicating in the gastrointestinal tract, OPV strains can genetically change and may spread in communities that are not fully vaccinated against polio, especially in areas where there is poor hygiene, poor sanitation, or overcrowding.
• The lower the population’s immunity, the longer vaccine-derived poliovirus survives and the more genetic changes it undergoes.
• The vaccine-derived virus can genetically change into a form that can cause paralysis as does the wild poliovirus – this is what is known as a vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV). 

To comply with the Temporary Recommendations issued under the PHEIC, any country that have had an importation of cVDPV2 with local transmission should

• Declare the outbreak as a national public health emergency.
• Encourage residents and long-term visitors to receive a dose of IPV four weeks to 12 months prior to international travel.
• Ensure that travellers who receive such vaccination have access to an appropriate document to record their polio vaccination status.
• Further intensify efforts to increase IPV immunization coverage, including sharing coverage data.
• Intensify regional cooperation and cross border coordination to enhance surveillance for prompt detection of poliovirus, and vaccinate refugees, travellers and cross border populations, according to the advice of the Advisory Group.

4. ICMR ready to transfer technology for commercialisation of TB detection kit

Subject: Science and Tech

Sec: Health

Context:

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has begun work on bringing in affordable, faster and easy-to-use testing technology for detection of tuberculosis (TB).The Council has invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) from organisations, companies, and manufacturers for undertaking ‘Transfer of Technology’ for the commercialisation of A CRISPR Cas based TB detection system for the detection of Mycobacterium TB. 

More on News:

• Developed by ICMR- RMRCNE Institute, Dibrugarh the technology is touted as the “world’s cheapest TB testing system”.
• The system can detect the TB bacteria using DNA from a patient’s saliva for a very low cost, can identify the bacteria with preliminary symptoms, and test over 1,500 samples simultaneously within approximately two hours.ICMR-RMRCNE Institute would accelerate the development of the product and its commercialization.
• ICMR would provide technical support through its team of experienced scientists in study planning, product development, development of study protocol, results/data analysis, outcome assessment, safety & efficacy assessment, product improvement, etc.

Tuberculosis:

• • Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
  • Affect any organ of the body.
  • The most common ones are the lungs, pleura (lining around the lungs), lymph nodes, intestines, spine, and brain.
• Transmission:
  • It is an airborne infection that spreads through close contact with the infected, especially in densely populated spaces with poor ventilation.
• Symptoms:
  • Cough with sputum
  • Blood at times
  • Chest pains
  • Weakness
  • Weight loss
  • Fever
  • Night sweats.

• Treatment:
  • Standard 6-month course of 4 antimicrobial drugs that are provided with information, supervision and support to the patient by a health worker or trained volunteer.
  • Anti-TB medicines have been used for decades and strains that are resistant to 1 or more of the medicines have been documented in every country surveyed.
    • Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most powerful, first-line anti-TB drugs.
      • MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs such as bedaquiline.
    • Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) is a more serious form of MDR-TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to the most effective second-line anti-TB drugs, often leaving patients without any further treatment options.
• Drugs for TB:
  • Isoniazid (INH): This drug is a cornerstone of TB treatment and is highly effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
    • It works by inhibiting the synthesis of mycolic acids in the bacterial cell wall.
  • Rifampicin (RIF):  Works by inhibiting the synthesis of RNA in the bacteria.
    • It is often used in combination with other drugs to treat TB and is crucial for preventing the development of drug resistance.
  • Delamanid:  Newer drug that is used in the treatment of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and is often used in combination with other drugs.

CRISPR Technology:

• About:
  • Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) is a gene editing technology, which replicates natural defence mechanism in bacteria to fight virus attacks, using a special protein called Cas9.
  • It usually involves the introduction of a new gene, or suppression of an existing gene, through a process described as genetic engineering.
    • CRISPR technology does not involve the introduction of any new gene from the outside.
  • CRISPR-Cas9 technology is often described as ‘Genetic Scissors’.
    • Its mechanism is often compared to the ‘cut-copy-paste’, or ‘find-replace’ functionalities in common computer programmes.
    • A bad stretch in the DNA sequence, which is the cause of disease or disorder, is located, cut, and removed and then replaced with a ‘correct’ sequence.
      • The tools used to achieve this are biochemical i.e., specific protein and RNA molecules.
  • The technology replicates a natural defence mechanism in some bacteria that uses a similar method to protect itself from virus attacks.

• Mechanism:
  • The first task is to identify the particular sequence of genes that is the cause of the trouble.
  • Once that is done, an RNA molecule is programmed to locate this sequence on the DNA strand, just like the ‘find’ or ‘search’ function on a computer.
  • After this Cas9 is used to break the DNA strand at specific points, and remove the bad sequence.
  • A DNA strand, when broken, has a natural tendency to re-attach and heal itself. But if the auto-repair mechanism is allowed to continue, the bad sequence can regrow.
    • So, scientists intervene during the auto-repair process by supplying the correct sequence of genetic codes, which attaches to the broken DNA strand.
      • It is like cutting out the damaged part of a long zipper, and replacing it with a normally functioning part.
  • The entire process is programmable, and has remarkable efficiency, though the chances of error are not entirely ruled out.

5. End of indexation benefit on property sale has ignited a debate

Subject: Eco

Sec: Inflation

Context:

The Budget proposed to remove the indexation benefit available for calculation of any long-term capital gains available for property, gold and other unlisted assets.

More about News:

• Several quarters against the capital gains tax regime announced in Budget 2024-25.
• Nominal real estate returns are generally in the region of 12-16 per cent per annum, much higher than inflation.
• Proposed to remove the indexation benefit available for calculation of any long-term capital gains available for property, gold and other unlisted assets.
• It also proposed to rationalise capital gains tax on these assets at 12.5 per cent as against 20 per cent earlier that came with indexation benefit.
• Tax incidence for the new rate without indexation may be lower for properties held for shorter durations.

Indexation benefit:

• Indexation is used to adjust the purchase price of an investment to reflect the effect of inflation on it. The government has clarified that the indexation benefit for properties bought after 2001 will be removed while retaining it for properties bought before 2001.

Capital gain:

• Capital gain is denoted as the net profit that an investor makes after selling a capital asset exceeding the price of purchase.

Major changes brought about in the taxation of capital gains by the Finance Bill, 2024:

• The taxation of capital gains has been rationalised and simplified. There are 5 broad parameters to this rationalisation and simplification, namely:-

1. Holding period has been simplified. There are only two holding periods now, viz. 1 year and 2 years.
2. Rates have been rationalised and made uniform for majority of assets.

• Indexation has been done away with for ease of computation with simultaneous reduction of rate from 20% to 12.5%.

1. Parity between Resident and Non-resident.
2. No change in roll over benefits.

Overall rationale for changes:

• Simplification of any tax structure has benefits of ease of compliance viz computation, filing, maintenance of records. This also removes the differential rates for various classes of assets.