Daily Prelims Notes 25 March 2024

March 25, 2024
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN

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Daily Prelims Notes

25 March 2024

Table Of Contents

1. Agnikul’s maiden test launch of Agnibaan Sorted mission postponed

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Space

Context:

The Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Tech Demonstrator) was scheduled for a test-fire on Friday from a dedicated launch pad at Sriharikota.

More on news:

The much-anticipated launch of the Agnibaan SOrTeD rocket by Chennai-based space startup Agnikul Cosmos has been postponed.
Agnikul Cosmos has been at the forefront of India’s burgeoning private space sector

About Agnibaan:

The Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Tech Demonstrator) was scheduled for a test-fire on Friday from a dedicated launch pad at Sriharikota.
This mission was set to mark several firsts for India – it would have been the country’s first launch from a private launch pad, utilizing the world’s first single-piece 3D printed engine, the Agnilet, designed and built indigenously by Agnikul.
The rocket, weighing 580 kilograms, aimed to reach an altitude of 20 kilometers above the Earth before descending into the Bay of Bengal, carrying up to 7 kg of payloads.
Agnikul Cosmos has been at the forefront of India’s burgeoning private space sector, with ambitions to provide customisable and transportable launch vehicles for small satellites to Low Earth Orbits (LEO).
The Agnibaan rocket, capable of carrying up to 100kg to orbits around 700 km high, represents a significant step towards achieving this goal.
Its unique propulsion system, powered by a semi-cryogenic engine using Aircraft Turbine Fuel and liquid oxygen, sets a new standard in the industry.

2. Chad junta’s main opponents barred from presidential vote

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

Authorities in Chad said on March 24 they had barred 10 candidates, including two fierce opponents of the military regime, from standing in the presidential election on May 6.

More on news:

The constitutional court said the candidates’ applications — namely those of outspoken opponents Nassour Ibrahim NeguyKoursami and Rakhis Ahmat Saleh — had been rejected because they included “irregularities”.

Change of stance

The new President promised to hand power back to a civilian government within 18 months and told the African Union he would not stand for election as President.
But he then extended the transition period by two more years and on March 2 officially announced he would run for the top office.
The constitutional council also announced it was opening a preliminary investigation for alleged forgery and use of forged documents against Mr. Koursami over suspicions with papers in support of his candidacy.

Areas in news:

Chad:

Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is an independent state at the crossroads of North and Central Africa.
The landlocked country is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon to the southwest, Nigeria to the southwest (at Lake Chad), and Niger to the west.
Chad has several regions: the Sahara desert in the north, an arid zone in the center known as the Sahel and a more fertile Sudanian Savanna zone in the south.
Lake Chad, after which the country is named, is the second-largest wetland in Africa.
Chad’s official languages are Arabic and French.
It is home to over 200 different ethnic and linguistic groups.
Islam (55.1%) and Christianity (41.1%) are the main religions practiced in Chad.

3. Ukraine says it hit two Russian warships in strikes on Crimea

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

The defense forces of Ukraine successfully hit the Azov and Yamal large landing ships, a communications center and also several infrastructure facilities of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

More on news:

Moscow-installed officials in the region reported a major Ukrainian air attack and said air defenses had shot down more than 10 missiles over the Crimean port of Sevastopol.

Areas in news:

About Black Sea

Black Sea is an inland sea located between far-southeastern Europe and the far-western edges of the continent of Asia and the country of Turkey.
Bordering Countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, and Turkey.
It connects to the Mediterranean Sea first through the Bosporus Strait, then through the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles Strait, then south through the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Crete.
The Black Sea is also connected to the Sea of Azov by the Strait of Kerch.

About Crimean peninsula

The Crimean peninsula is connected on the northwest to the mainland by the “Perekop Isthmus”, a 5-mile- (8-km-) wide strip of land that has been the site of numerous battles for the control of Crimea.
Between Crimea and the mainland to the north lies Svyash (“Putrid Sea”), a network of shallow inlets that is separated from the Sea of Azov by the Arabat Spit, a 70-mile- (113-km-) long sandbar along the eastern shore of Crimea.
The Crimean Peninsula was annexed by the Russian Federation in 2014 and since then has been administered as two Russian federal subjects – the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

About Sea of Azov:

The Sea of Azov is an inland shelf sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow Strait of Kerch, and is sometimes regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea.
The sea is bounded by Russia on the east, and by Ukraine on the northwest and southwest, currently under Russian occupation.

4. IAU approves ‘Statio Shiv Shakti’ as name for Chandrayaan-3 landing site

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Space sector

Context:

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) working group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name ‘Statio Shiv Shakti’ for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander. The approval was given on March 19, 2024.

More on news:

According to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, planetary nomenclature, like terrestrial nomenclature, is used to uniquely identify a feature on the surface of a planet or satellite so that it can be easily located.
Rule 4 states that Solar system nomenclature should be international in its choice of names. Recommendations submitted to the IAU national committees will be considered, but final selection of the names is the responsibility of the International Astronomical Union.
Mr. Modi had earlier named the point at which the lander of the Chandrayaan-2 mission had crashed in September 2019 “Tiranga point”. Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam suggested the name “Jawahar Point” for where the Chandrayaan-1 moon impact probe landed in November 2008.

Name announced by PM Modi

The Astrogeology Science Centre of the U.S. Geological Survey maintains the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature on behalf of the IAU with funding from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
On August 26, 2023 Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the point where the moon lander of Chandrayaan-3 touched down will be called ‘Shiv Shakti’.
The point where the moon lander of Chandrayaan-3 landed will now be known as Shiv Shakti.
In Shiv, there is resolution for the welfare of humanity and Shakti gives us strength to fulfill those resolutions.
This Shiv Shakti point of the moon also gives a sense of connection with Himalaya to Kanyakumari.
IAU’s Rule 9 states that No names having political, military or religious significance may be used, except for names of political figures prior to the 19th century.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) working group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name ‘Statio Shiv Shakti’ for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander.
According to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, planetary nomenclature, like terrestrial nomenclature, is used to uniquely identify a feature on the surface of a planet or satellite so that it can be easily located, described, and discussed.
The IAU is the internationally recognised authority for assigning names to planetary surface features.
It follows some rules and conventions to do so.

5. Digital financial frauds in India: a call for improved investigation strategies

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Awareness in IT and computers

Context:

A recent report by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre revealed that digital financial frauds accounted for a staggering ₹1.25 lakh crore over the last three years.

More on news:

Cybercrime poses a burgeoning threat in India, impacting millions of individuals and organizations.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), cybercrimes in India in 2023 resulted in a staggering loss of ₹66.66 crore, with 4,850 reported cases. A recent report by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) revealed that digital financial frauds accounted for a staggering ₹1.25 lakh crore over the last three years.
According to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), in 2023, at least ₹10,319 crore was reported to be lost by victims of digital financial fraud. According to the report, the number of complaints received in 2023 alone was 6.94 lakh.

How digital frauds work

While various names have been given to diverse types of frauds, the general modus operandi of a fraudster is any one of the following:
(a) convincing the victim to send money, either by impersonation (fake WhatsApp/FB/Insta, social media profiles) or by giving them a false promise of greater return (investment, crypto, held up custom package etc.)
(b) by taking credentials such as Unified Payments Interface ID (UPI), Personal Identification Number (PIN), One-Time Password (OTP) or Internet banking ID/password from the victim and then using the same on other apps/websites and transferring money without the knowledge of the victim.
For this the customer will either be given a fake link which looks exactly like a UPI app screen/banking website or the victim will be conned into installing a screen sharing app.
The scammers can also convince the victims over phone to give out those details.
When these details are used on official banking apps this gives the fraudsters access to even the Fixed Deposits/Recurring Deposits which are also siphoned out in most cases.

After the scam

After a fraudster empties a victim’s bank account, the money undergoes a series of circulations in broadly three stages.
The first stage is a temporary account into which the fraudsters transfer victims’ money.
This account will be used to receive money from various other victims as well. From here, the money is then transferred into a second stage account.
The second category of accounts are a group of accounts among which money is circulated.
There are a lot of middlemen who are money circulators.
Their task is only to receive money from first level bank accounts for a nominal cut.
The victim’s money is then split into small parts and then circulated within these accounts, by a person who is sitting in a different corner of the country.
After sufficient churning, the money is then transferred into a third stage account which is a sink account.
This can be a bank account, an e-wallet etc. Here, the total defrauded amount from a group of victims is re-collected.
The money is then withdrawn in a large chunk through conventional methods of either ATMs/cheques or e-wallet cash outlets such as an e-wallet payments bank.

How can frauds be prevented

Most frauds can be prevented with some basic technological interventions:
Firstly, just as Google accounts do not allow logging in from a new device unless permission is granted by the former, financial institutions must be mandated to replicate this feature in their apps.
As soon as a UPI ID, password or OTP is entered in a different device, an alert must be generated in a previous device with no further action being allowed until it is approved by the person.
Secondly, the screen share facility must be disabled.
Banking and financial apps must disable screen-sharing to run on top of them. And finally, in the bank statement, all banks/NBFCs/SEs must be mandated to provide comprehensible data. Currently only partly printed numbers are shown which even knowledgeable customers are unable to understand.
The transaction description must contain the receiver’s account/mobile or any other identifying number irrespective of it being within the same bank or to an outside bank.
One of the biggest hindrances law enforcement agencies face is in following the money trail.
The siphoned off money hops across bank accounts and wallets within minutes but supervised entities / banks / NBFCs / wallets are not able to give the required details to agencies with the same speed.
Most of the crime is reported after 24 hours of the commission.

Speeding up information access

Certain basic changes to the form of data provided to enforcement agencies can help in minimizing delays:

(a) the banks/NBFCs/SEs must be mandated to provide data in a predetermined format with all the terms explained.
- The data must be given in a CSV or XLSX file. For example, the CDR (Call Data Record) shared to enforcement agencies has a fixed format and fixed file types, such as .CSV or .XLSX.
- Currently the banks give the statement either in a printed hardcopy or in PDF format.
- This causes huge inconveniences to the investigating officers.
- Most tech-savvy officers are often held back only because they do not get the data in a usable format.
(b) The International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) must be recorded.
- All banking and financial apps must be mandated to save IMEI details of the device being used.
- Fraudsters use fake mobile numbers and fake bank accounts which span across different States with the goal of adding layers to increase anonymity and preventing agencies from prosecuting them.
- Thus, the IMEI becomes crucial evidence in determining the device and its location.
- Recording IMEI will make for stronger evidence in establishing a device and its connection to fraudsters in a court of law.

The road ahead

The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 which is set to replace the Indian Penal Code of 1861, recognises ‘organized crime’ as a “continuous unlawful activity”.
Digital financial frauds are very much covered in this definition.
Law enforcement agencies face a lot of difficulties in conducting interstate raids and arrests.
It requires a large team and coordinated effort. Interstate digital financial fraud networks must be recognised as a serious crime and bail may be restricted by the Courts.
Additionally, digital frauds create a considerable amount of black money when seen from a macroeconomic perspective.
The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) was inaugurated by the government to deal with all types of cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
It will be set up under the newly created Cyber and Information Security (CIS) division of the MHA.

It has seven components:

National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit
National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal
National Cyber Crime Training Centre
Cyber Crime Ecosystem Management Unit
National Cyber Crime Research and Innovation Centre
National Cyber Crime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem
Platform for Joint Cyber Crime Investigation Team.

Functions:

The I4C will assist in centralising cyber security investigations, prioritise the development of response tools and bring together private companies to contain the menace.

National Cyber Crime Portal

It is an initiative of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India under National Mission for the safety of women to facilitate victims/complainants to report cybercrime complaints online.
This portal caters to complaints pertaining to cyber-crimes only with special focus on cyber-crimes against women and children.
It caters all types of cyber-crime complaints including complaints pertaining to online Child Pornography (CP), Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) or sexually explicit content such as Rape/Gang Rape (CP/RGR) content and other cyber-crimes such as mobile crimes, online and social media crimes, online financial frauds, ransomware, hacking, cryptocurrency crimes and online cyber trafficking.
The portal also provides an option of reporting an anonymous complaint for reporting online Child Pornography (CP) or sexually explicit content such as Rape/Gang Rape (RGR) content.
Complaints reported on this portal are dealt by law enforcement agencies/ police based of respective States/ UTs on the information available in the complaints.

6. Anti-piracy Act has been a great enabler: Navy chief

Subject: Polity

Section: Legislation in news

Context:

The new Maritime Anti Piracy Act, enacted in 2022, has been a “great enabler”, and is one of the reasons why we have been successful, Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar said on the new law as the Indian Navy completed 100 days of ‘Operation Sankalp’.

More on news:

Since mid-December, as part of Phase 2 of Operation Sankalp, the Indian Navy saw the deployment of over 5,000 personnel at sea, over 450 ship days (with over 21 ships deployed), and 900 hours of flying by the maritime surveillance aircraft to address threats in the maritime domain.
The act has empowered us to visit, board, search and seize.
Any suspicious vessel craft or fishing boat or dhow which we suspect, we board, inspect, and if we find piracy triggers like skiffs, weapons, ammunition, then we take action to ensure that they don’t proceed with their mission.
There are very few countries which have an Act like this.
In the last 100 days, as part of Operation Sankalp, the Navy has carried out over 1,000 boardings.
Talking of a salient feature of the Act, maritime expert Pooja Bhatt said the Maritime Anti Piracy Act empowers the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to board, seize and arrest pirates operating in the high seas, in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and beyond, and Indian courts can prosecute the perpetrators with life imprisonment, fine, or both.
The Act also considers the offense as extraditable, where India has signed such treaties with those countries.
India has an agreement with Somalia where Somalian pirates have been extradited since 2017.
An Act to give effect to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) relating to repression of piracy on the high seas and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
India ratified UNCLOS in 1995.

About Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill:

Short title, commencement and application.

This Act may be called the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, 2022.
It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
The provisions of this Act shall apply to the high seas.

Meaning of Piracy:

“piracy” means:

(i) any illegal act of violence or detention or any act of depredation committed for private ends by any person or by the crew or any passenger of a private ship and directed on the high seas against another ship or any person or property on board such ship;
(ii) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship with knowledge of facts, making it a pirate ship;
(iii) any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in sub-clause (i).

Punishment for piracy:

Whoever commits any act of piracy, shall be punished—
(i) with imprisonment which may extend to imprisonment for life or with fine or with both; or
(ii) with death or with imprisonment for life, if such person in committing the act of piracy causes death or an attempt thereof.

Jurisdiction of Designated Court:

The Designated Court shall have jurisdiction to try an offense punishable under this Act where such offense is committed—
(i) by a person who is apprehended by, or is in the custody of, the authorized personnel or the police, regardless of the nationality or citizenship of such person;
(ii) by a person who is a citizen of India or a resident foreign national in India or any stateless person.

7. India’s birth crisis: What the Lancet forecast of fertility rate dip to 1.29 by 2050 means

Subject: Geography

Section: Human Geo

Context:

A recent study published in The Lancet warns that India’s total fertility rate (TFR), or births per woman, will fall to 1.29 by 2050.

More on news:

By 2050, one in five Indians will be a senior citizen while there will be fewer younger people to take care of them.
India’s total fertility rate (TFR) — the average number of children born per woman — is dipping irreversibly to 1.29, far lower than the replacement rate of 2.1.
This means a rapidly depleting working age population.
About Global Burden of Disease, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD)-2021:
As per research estimates from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries and Risk Factors Study (GBD)-2021, worldwide, too, the TFR has more than halved in the last 70 years – from around five children for each woman in 1950 to 2.2 children in 2021.
In India, the TFR was 6.18 in 1950 which reduced to 4.60 in 1980 and further declined to 1.91 in 2021.
China is already dealing with the demographic disadvantage of an aging population.
Both India and China together account for more than a third of the world’s population.
Total Fertility rate: The total fertility rate in a specific year is defined as the total number of children that would be born to each woman if she were to live to the end of her child-bearing years and give birth to children in alignment with the prevailing age-specific fertility rates.

Why fertility went down in India

Post-independence, there was a need to restrict the population.
So the Family Welfare Programme, including maternal and child health-related cash transfer inducements, were intended to convince people to have no more than two children.
Slowly that behavior change started showing up.
Infant mortality declined substantially (because of various maternal and child health-related programmes and successful immunization) meaning child survival was guaranteed.
With development, the intergenerational flow of wealth has reversed.
This means parents now do not receive much benefit from their children the way they used to. This has influenced their decision to have an additional child that would involve a substantial cost of bringing them up.
The other significant factor has clearly been the rise of female literacy and women’s participation in the workforce.
Career consciousness, financial returns and economic independence have meant that women are reconsidering their options of having a second child.
In the urban space, many women do not consider child-rearing as a must-do task, instead choosing not to have babies at all and even considering options like adoption.
This pattern is percolating to rural India too.

What are long-term consequences?

The consequences of fertility decline will be that the share of the elderly in the population will increase sharply.
By 2050 the share of senior citizens in India will be more than 20 per cent, that is one five people.
Challenges like labor force shortages and potential social imbalances due to gender preferences are likely to occur.

Declining trend worldwide

Researchers estimate that by 2050, 155 of 204 countries (76 percent of the world) will be below the replacement level of fertility.
The number of countries and territories below replacement level is predicted to further increase to 198 (97 per cent) by 2100.

8. Market capitalisation

Subject: Economy

Section: Capital market

Context: The run-up in prices of small and mid-cap equities and the stress test the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) asked Mutual Funds to conduct on small and mid-cap funds.

What is market capitalisation?

Market capitalisation is the total value all shareholders have assigned to a firm listed on the stock exchange; it is computed by multiplying the market price of a share with outstanding shares

As an illustration, the market price of MRF Ltd. is about ₹1,40,400, subject to daily fluctuations. This does not mean MRF is the most valuable stock in the country; it is the priciest
MRF’s market capitalisation stood at ₹46,200 crore in December 2023, which had risen in March, along with rise in stock price. The most valuable firm in the market viz. the one with the highest market cap is Reliance Industries.
The market cap of Reliance was ₹16.4 lakh crore in December, which had risen in March, along with a rise in stock price. This shows the contrast between the firm with the highest market cap and the priciest stock. When the number of shares issued by the firm is relatively on the lower side, the value tends to get distributed, pushing up the stock price

Relevance of concept

While there may be many parameters for categorising firms, market cap is popular. As the size of a business grows, the market assigns a higher value. That is referred to as large cap in the market. When the size of a business is small, only a limited number of stockholders are interested in it and the value is relatively lower. That is referred to as small-cap stock. In between, there are mid-cap stocks. Now the question is, what is the definition of large- or small-cap stocks. Equity analysts/fund managers have estimates and assume a number, beyond which the company is classified as a large-cap or mid-cap.
For categorisation, there is a definition from SEBI that is applicable to mutual funds but can be taken as a proxy for the entire market. The definition counts the top 100 listed stocks, as per market cap, as large-cap stocks.
The next 150 i.e. from stock number 101 to 250, are categorised as mid-cap. Beyond this, all stocks are classified as small-cap.
To give you a perspective, the stock ranking number 100 (border line of large- and mid-cap) as on December 2023 had a market cap of ₹67,000 crore. The one ranking 250 (border line of mid- and small-cap) had a market cap of ₹22,000 crore.
As per market terminology, there is another category viz. micro-cap. Firms that are small and vulnerable, which can be gauged from the relatively lower value assigned by the market, are referred to as micro. The implication is large-cap stocks are well discovered by market participants, the business is stable, upside scope i.e. market price moving up is there, but only so much, as the business is already tracked by a large section of the market.

Higher risk

On the other hand, in small-cap stocks, the potential for the firm to grow and along with it, the stock price, is relatively higher. However, the risk is also higher as the firm is yet to gather critical mass and the vulnerability to business failure is relatively higher. Stock-market performance shows over a long period of time, small-cap funds offered by the Mutual Fund industry has delivered returns higher than large-cap funds. However, the volatility, as measured by the standard deviation of the returns, is higher in small-cap funds.
The implication is you should have some allocation for small-cap stocks/funds in your portfolio.
However, it should not be a major allocation of equity component of the portfolio. Over the last one year, small-cap stocks performed significantly better. While this is good for investors, volatility risk is even higher now at these levels

9. To curb illegal trade, the health ministry tell states to plug gaps in compiling data on organ donors

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

Why in the news? Union health minister expressed concern over some states not compiling data on living and deceased donors which are essential to monitor the implementation of organ transplantation programs and prevent commercial exploitation of organs

Ministry of Health Advisory:

All registered or licenced transplant hospitals to get linked with the NOTTO web portal
Every transplanting hospital needed to register patient requiring transplants in demography format as in the NOTTO portal and update their status
Data need to be updated regular basis and monthly offline reports of deceased and living donors are required to be provided to NOTTO
State-appropriate authority given civil court power to ensure compliance with the provision of data

Organ Donation Architecture of India:

Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissue Act (THOTA) 1994 which establishes the National Organs and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO)
NOTTO is an apex organization to provides an efficient and organized system of organ procurement, and distribution and maintains the national registry of donors and recipients of organs and tissue
Hospitals carrying out organs and tissue transplantation, retrieval or tissue banking were required to link NOTTO and provide all data to for national registry

Data of organ donation:

A total of 16,0041 organs were transplanted in 2022
mostly Kidney and liver harvest
Delhi topped the list with 3828 organ transplantations

Way forward:

Every transplant hospital needs to promote deceased organ donation to achieve a minimum number of donations annually
Deceased organ donation program to encourage organ donation from deceased individuals
Taking help of religious leader to remove misconception of organ donation and promoting compassion aspects of organ donation

10. What are the new rules for elephant transfer

Subject: Environment

Section: Species

Why in the news? The center has notified Captive Elephant (transfer or transport rule) to liberalized conditions under which the elephant may be transferred within or between states

Provision for transfer and transport of elephant under Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972:

As per the WPA 1972, elephants are a Schedule 1 species they cannot be captured and traded under any circumstances
Section 12 of the act allows scheduled animals to be translocated for special purposes like
1. Education and scientific research
2. Management of wildlife without harming any wild animal
3. Collection of Specimen for recognised zoos or museums
Section 40 of WLA 1972 prohibits the acquisition, possession and transfer of captive elephants without written permission of the Chief Wildlife warden of the states

Provisions in updates rule:

Provides relaxation under which captive elephants can change owners or transferred
Intra state transfer,
1. Elephant health to be ratified by veterinarian
2. The deputy conservator of the forest has to establish that the animal’s current habitat and prospective habitat are suitable
3. The chief wildlife warden on receipt of such documents may reject or approve the transfer
Interstate transfer of elephants:
1. The genetic profile of the elephant has to be registered with the environment ministry
2. Only the permission of the Chief Wildlife warden of the originating and recipient states permission required (earlier required permission from all states’ Chief Wildlife warden through which elephant passes)

Challenges of new rules:

The Wildlife Protection Act is a protective law however new rules provide more relaxation so there is possibility of misuse of it
A new amendment in 2021 allows the transfer of elephants for religious or any other purpose, such a broad interpretation could accelerate trafficking and illegal commercial transaction

About Elephants

Asian Elephants:

- There are three subspecies of Asian elephant which are the Indian, Sumatran and Sri Lankan.
- The Indian subspecies has the widest range and accounts for the majority of the remaining elephants on the continent.
- Global Population: Estimated 20,000 to 40,000.
- IUCN Red List: Endangered.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
- CITES: Appendix I

African Elephants:

- There are two subspecies of African elephants, the Savanna (or bush) elephant and the Forest elephant.
- Global Population: Around 4,00,000.
- IUCN Red List Status:
  - African Savanna Elephant: Endangered.
  - African Forest Elephant: Critically Endangered
- CITES: Appendix II

Animal Behaviour:

Led by a matriarch, elephants are organized into complex social structures of females and calves, while male elephants tend to live in isolation or in small bachelor groups. A single calf is born to a female once every four to five years and after a gestation period of 22 months—the longest of any mammal. Calves are cared for by the entire herd of related females. Female calves may stay with their maternal herd for the rest of their lives, while males leave the herd as they reach puberty. Forest elephants’ social groups differ slightly and may be comprised of only an adult female and her offspring. However, they may congregate in larger groups in forest clearings where resources are more abundant.
Elephants need extensive land areas to survive and meet their ecological needs, which includes food, water, and space. On average, an elephant can feed up to 18 hours and consume hundreds of pounds of plant matter in a single day. As a result, as they lose habitat, they often come into conflict with people in competition for resources.

Ecological importance of Elephants

They help in dispersal of seeds
They help in growth of vegetation in forest

Steps taken by the Government for the conservation of elephants:

Legal measure: Wildlife Protection Act 1972, schedules 1 species so the highest level of protection
Project Elephant: Launched in 1992 as a centrally sponsored scheme to protect the elephant, their habitats, and corridor
Declaration of elephant as national heritage animal of India
International level: Appendix I of CITES and Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species

11. Bharat biotech commences clinical trials of Spanish tuberculosis vaccine in India

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

Why in news?

Bharat Biotech will conduct phase 3 of the trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the Spanish TB vaccine (MTBVAC)

More about MTBVAC:

MTBVAC is the only vaccine undergoing clinical trial based on the genetically modified form of mycobacterium tuberculosis, a pathogen that causes disease
The new vaccine contains all the antigens in the present strains that infect human
MTBVAC vaccine promised to be a more effective and potentially longer-lasting vaccine than the BCG vaccine
Promise vaccine for newborns, adults, and adolescents for whom there is currently no effective vaccine

About BCG vaccine:

BCG vaccine is an attenuated variant of bovine TB pathogen and more than a 1oo year old so have limited effect on pulmonary tuberculosis that responsible for the transmission of the disease