Daily Prelims Notes 26 October 2022

Daily Prelims Notes

26 October 2022

Table Of Contents

1. Floriculture
2. Dru regulation in India
3. Biotech regulator clears field trials of indigenously developed GM mustard
4. The Law against Sexual Harassment in India
5. Climate change amplifying health impacts of multiple crises, says The Lancet report ahead of COP27
6. The heaviness of rockets, why it matters in space flight
7. Two Idols stolen from TN traced to US
8. Benami transaction Prohibition Act
9. Recession

1. Floriculture

Subject: Agriculture

Context:

The gross value of output (GVO) from floriculture in north­eastern States, barring Assam, declined.

Details:

Source-National Statistical Office data

Concept:

Floriculture:

• In India floriculture is a sunrise industry and accorded 100% export-oriented status. 
• The commercial floriculture has higher potential per unit area than most field crops.
• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is responsible for export promotion and development of floriculture in India.

Varieties:

• Floriculture products mainly consist of cut flowers, pot plants, cut foliage, seeds bulbs, tubers, rooted cuttings and dried flowers or leaves. 
  • Cut flowers– Rose, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Gargera, Gladiolus, Gypsophila, Liatris, Nerine, Orchids, Archilea, Anthurium, Tulip, and Lilies.
    • Cut flowers are flowers or flower buds (often with some stem and leaf) that have been cut from the plant bearing it. It is usually removed from the plant for decorative use.
  • Gerberas, Carnation, etc. are grown in greenhouses. 
  • The open field crops are Chrysanthemum, Roses, Gaillardia, Lily Marygold, Aster, Tuberose, etc.

Areas of Cultivation:

• Major floriculture centers-Kerala (16.5%), Tamil Nadu (13.3%), Karnataka (11.4%),  Madhya Pradesh (11.1%) and Uttar Pradesh (7%) along other producing states like Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Mizoram, Gujarat, Orissa, Jharkhand, Haryana, Assam and Chhattisgarh.
  • More than 50% of the floriculture products are produced in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. 
• About 322 thousand hectares of the area were under Cultivation for floriculture in 2020-21 as per the National Horticulture Database published by National Horticulture Board (with the production of 2152 thousand tonnes of loose flowers and 828 thousand tonnes of cut flowers).
• The country has exported 23,597.17MT of floriculture products to the world ( worth 103.47 USD Millions in 2021-22).
  • Major Export Destinations (2021-22): U.S.A, Netherland, Germany, U.K. United Arab EMTs, and Canada .

Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) scheme:

• MIDH is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the holistic growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root & tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.
• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is implementing MIDH with effect from 2014-15.
• MIDH is implemented under Green Revolution – Krishonnati Yojana.
• Funding Pattern: Government of India (GOI) contributes 60%, of total outlay for developmental programmes in all the states except states in North East and Himalayas, 40% share is contributed by State Governments
  • In the case of North Eastern States and Himalayan States, GoI contributes 90%.
  • In the case of National Horticulture Board (NHB), Coconut Development Board (CDB), Central Institute for Horticulture (CIH), Nagaland and the National Level Agencies (NLA), GOI contributes 100%.
• MIDH also provides technical advice and administrative support to State Governments/ State Horticulture Missions (SHMs) for the Saffron Mission and other horticulture related activities Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)/NMSA.
• Components of MIDH:
  • National Horticulture Mission (NHM):
    • It is being implemented by State Horticulture Missions (SHM) in selected districts of 18 States and 6 Union Territories.
  • Horticulture Mission for North East & Himalayan States (HMNEH):
    • HMNEH is being implemented for overall development of Horticulture in North East and Himalayan states.
  • National Horticulture Board (NHB):
    • NHB is implementing various schemes under MIDH in all States and UTs.
    • It was set up in 1984 as an Autonomous organization under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and registered as a society under Societies Registration
    • Iit aims to develop production clusters/hubs for integrated Hi-tech commercial horticulture, development of Post-harvest and cold chain infrastructure, ensuring availability of quality planting material and to promote adoption of new technologies/tools/ techniques for Hi-tech commercial horticulture etc.
  • Coconut Development Board (CDB):
    • CDB is implementing various schemes under MIDH in all Coconut growing states in the country.
  • Central Institute for Horticulture (CIH)
    • CIH was established at Medi Zip Hima, Nagaland in 2006-07 for providing technical backstopping through capacity building and training of farmers and Field functionaries in the North Eastern Region.

2. Dru regulation in India

Subject: Government Schemes

Context: Gambia drug incident

• The Central authority is the overall supervisory body and direct States to ensure that the raw materials used are tested for purity.
• The state regulators are responsible for licensing the manufacture, sale and distribution of drugs in their respective states or union territories along with conducting inspections in the plants in line with central laws.
  • They also conduct checks for counterfeit or substandard drugs while also monitoring the quality of drugs in the state.
• The Drug and Cosmetics Act, 1940 establishes regulatory control over the import, manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs and cosmetics in India.
  • It is mandatory for the manufacturers to adhere to the prescribed requirements for licensing of manufacturing units & medicines including proof of safety & effectiveness, compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
  • This also established the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) headed by the Drug Controller General of India, DCGI.
    • DCGI is the head of the pharma regulatory framework in the country.
    • DCGI is responsible for approval of licences of specified categories of drugs such as blood and blood products, IV fluids, vaccines and sera in India.
    • It also sets standards for manufacturing, sales, import, and distribution of drugs in India.
    • It is the appellate authority if there is any dispute with respect to the quality of the drug.
  • Role of CDSCO
    • Prescribes standards and measures for ensuring the safety, efficacy and quality of drugs including vaccines, cosmetics, diagnostics and devices as per the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019, under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
    • It is the nodal authority for the approval of new drugs and clinical trials in the country.
    • CDSCO regulates export of drugs in India, any manufacturer with the certification from CDSCO can export drugs outside India.
    • It coordinates activities of several state drug control organizations and provides expert advice to bring uniformity in the enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
    • It has power to ban a drug that is considered harmful or sub-therapeutic under Section 26A of the act.
    • It lays down the standards for drug control over the quality of imported drugs.
    • It is also responsible for granting licenses to government hospitals or medical institutions to import drugs for the use of their patients.
    • CDSCO is also a nodal authority for registering foreign manufacturers of drugs and medical devices that they want to ship to India.
• The State Health department has to regulate the manufacturing, sales, and distribution of drugs.
• Drug Inspectors control the implementation at ground level.
• The Drugs and Cosmetics Act also has provisions of recalling of substandard drugs from the market,  to compensate the families of victims of adulteration.

Drug approval process:

• A pharmaceutical company in India must have DGCI approval for selling a new prescription drug.
• Various stages of drug approval: 
  • application to conduct clinical trials,
  • conducting clinical trials–first on animals (if results are positive) then the findings are sent to the DCGI office with a request for conducting human trials of the drug.
  • application for authorising the marketing of the drug and
  • post-marketing studies

3. Biotech regulator clears field trials of indigenously developed GM mustard

Subject: Science and Technology

Context: For the first time in 16 years, the Genetical Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the authority to approve trials and release of genetically modified (GM) crops, has paved the way for the commercial release of GM mustard

Concept:

• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Union Environment Ministry has approved seed production “prior to commercial release” of India’s first indigenously-developed transgenic hybrid mustard. It opens up possibilities for India’s first genetically modified (GM) food crop by farmers amid opposition from green groups and the so-called swadeshi lobby affiliated to the ruling party.
• DMH-11 contains two alien genes isolated from a soil bacterium called Bacillusamyloliquefaciens that enable breeding of high-yielding commercial mustard hybrids.
• Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11, otherwise known as DMH – 11, is a genetically modified hybrid variety of the mustard species Brassica juncea.
• It was developed by Professor Deepak Pental from the University of Delhi, with the aim of reducing India’s demand for edible oil imports.
• DMH-11 was created through transgenic technology, primarily involving the Bar, Barnase and Barstar gene system.
• The Barnase gene confers male sterility, while the Barstar gene restores DMH – 11’s ability to produce fertile seeds. The insertion of the third gene Bar, enables DMH – 11 to produce phosphinothricin-N- acetyl-transferase, the enzyme responsible for Glufosinate resistance.
• This hybrid mustard variety has come under intense public scrutiny, mainly due to concerns regarding DMH – 11’s potential to adversely affect the environment as well as consumer health. DMH – 11 was found not to pose any food allergy risks, and has demonstrated increased yields over existing mustard varieties. Conflicting details and results regarding the field trials and safety evaluations conducted on DMH – 11 have delayed its approval for commercial cropping.
• Proponents of the GM technology-based crop say it is necessary for boosting domestic
  oilseed and vegetable oil production. India annually produces only 8.5-9 million tonnes (mt) of edible oil, while importing 14-14.5 mt that entailed a record foreign exchange outgo of $18.99 billion in 2021-22 (April-March).

About Mustard:

• Mustard is a largely self-pollinating crop, which makes development of hybrids (which typically yield more than normal varieties) difficult in the natural course.
• The CGMCP scientists, led by the former Delhi University vice-chancellor Deepak Pental, have developed what they claim is a robust and viable hybridisation system for mustard. Their GM hybrid is a product of crossing two plants containing alien ‘barnase’ and ‘barstar’ genes derived from a soil bacterium.

4. The Law against Sexual Harassment in India

Subject: Polity

Context:

• A single judge bench of Delhi High Court of Justice Sanjeev Narula, in its judgment held that the intent of rule 7(6) of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Rules is to disallow a legal practitioner from representing the parties at any stage of the proceedings.

Supreme Court verdict

Sexual harassment at the workplace is an affront to the fundamental rights of a woman to equality under Articles 14 and 15 and her right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution as well as her right to practise any profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or business

What is Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (POSH Act):

• Background:
• The Supreme Court in a landmark judgement in the Vishakha and others v State of Rajasthan 1997 case gave ‘Vishakhaguidelines’.
• These guidelines formed the basis for theThe Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013
• It was passed in 2013 and define sexual harassment, by laying down the procedures for a complaint and inquiry, and the action to be taken.

Defination of Sexual harassment:

• It includes any one or more of the following unwelcome acts or behaviour committed directly or by implication:-

1. Physical contact and advances
2. A demand or request for sexual favours
3. Sexually coloured remarks
4. Showing pornography
5. Any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature.

Obligation: 

• Every employer is required to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee at each office or branch with 10 or more
• The District Officer is required to constitute a Local Complaints Committee at each district, and if required at the block level.

Complaint Committees: 

• The Internal Complaint Committees(ICC) has powers similar to those of a civil court in respect of summoning and examining any person on oath, and  requiring the discovery and production of documents.
• The Complaints Committees are required to provide for conciliation before initiating an inquiry if requested by the complainant.
• The ICC may either forward the victim’s complaint to the police, or it can start an inquiry that has to be completed within 90 days. 

Complaint procedure:

• Technically, it is not compulsory for the aggrieved victim to file a complaint for the ICC to act. 
• If the woman cannot complain because of physical or mental incapacity or death or otherwise her legal heir may do so.

Time:

• The complaint must be made within three months from the date of the incident. 
• However, the ICC can extend the time limit if it is satisfied that the circumstances were such which prevented the woman from filing a complaint within the said period.

Possibility of conciliation:

• The ICC may, before inquiry, and at the request of the aggrieved woman, take steps to settle the matter between her and the respondent through conciliation, provided that no monetary settlement shall be made as a basis of conciliation.

Punishment: 

• Penalties have been prescribed for employers.Non-compliance with the provisions of the Act shall be punishable with a fine of up to Rs 50,000.
• Repeated violations may lead to higher penalties and cancellation of licence or registration to conduct business.

Compensation: 

• Compensation is determined based on five aspects:

1. Suffering and emotional distress caused to the woman;
2. Loss in career opportunity;
3. Medical expenses;
4. Income and financial status of the respondent; and
5. The feasibility of such payment.

Identity;-The identity of the woman, respondent, witness, any information on the inquiry, recommendation and action taken should not be made public.

Appeal:- After the recommendations, the aggrieved woman or the respondent can appeal in court within 90 days.

False complaints:-Section 14 of the Act provides that the ICC may recommend to the employer to take action against the person who has made the malicious complaint and false evidence.

• Domestic workers are separately defined under Section 2(e) of the POSH Act.

What was Vishaka guidelines:

• The Vishaka guidelines were laid down by the Supreme Court in a judgment in
• This was in a case filed by women’s rights groups, one of which was Vishaka.
• The guidelines defined sexual harassment and imposed three key obligations on institutions prohibition, prevention, redress.
• The Supreme Court directed that they should establish a Complaints Committee, which would look into matters of sexual harassment of women at the workplace.
• It was a legally binding obligation

5. Climate change amplifying health impacts of multiple crises, says The Lancet report ahead of COP27

Subject :Environment

Context-

• Ahead of this year’s United Nations climate change conference (COP27), a major new report has said that the continued dependence on fossil fuels is compounding the health impacts of the multiple crises the world is facing — including the fallouts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, and climate change.

Latest report-

• The 2022 report of the LancetCountdown on “health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels”.
• The report represents the work of 99 experts from 51 institutions, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

Report findings-

• New findings presented in the seventh annual global report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change reveal that governments and companies continue to follow strategies that increasingly threaten the health and survival of all people alive today, and of future generations.

Specific impacts on India-

climate change is affecting almost every pillar of food security:

• The duration of the growth season for maize has decreased by 2%, compared to a 1981-2010 baseline, while rice and winter wheat have each decreased by 1%.
• From 2012-2021, infants under one year old experienced an average of 72 million more person-days of heatwaves per year, compared to 1985-2005.
  • For the same period, adults over 65 experienced 301 million more person-days.
  • This means that, on average, from 2012-2021, each infant experienced an additional 9 heatwave days per year while adults over 65 experienced an additional 3.7 per person, compared to 1986-2021.
• From 2000-2004 to 2017-2021, heat-related deaths increased by 55% in India.
• In 2021, Indians lost 167.2 billion potential labour hours due to heat exposure with income losses equivalent to about 5.4% of the national GDP.
• From 1951-1960 to 2012-2021, the number of months suitable for dengue transmission by Aedes aegypti rose by 1.69%, reaching 5.6 months each year.

About the Lancet Countdown-

• The Lancet Countdown was established following the 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change.
• The Lancet is also a member of the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change.
• The annual Countdown report is published by The Lancet, following independent peer review.
• Published annually, the Lancet Countdown is an international, multidisciplinary collaboration, dedicated to monitoring the evolving health profile of climate change, and providing an independent assessment of the delivery of commitments made by governments worldwide under the Paris Agreement.
• The Lancet Countdown tracks 43 indicators across five key domains:

1. climate change impacts, exposures, and vulnerability;
2. adaptation, planning, and resilience for health;
3. mitigation actions and health co-benefits;
4. economics and finance;
5. public and political engagement.

• The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change is a collaboration involving over 99 leading experts including climate scientists, engineers, economists, political scientists, public health professionals, and doctors from 51 leading academic institutions and UN agencies across the world, including the World Health Organisation, World Meteorological Organisation, World Bank, European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, and many of the world’s leading academic institutions.
• The work of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change is supported by the Wellcome Trust.

6. The heaviness of rockets, why it matters in space flight

Subject: Science and technology

Context-

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) crossed an important milestone with the successful launch of the LVM3 M2/One Web India-1 mission.
• The LVM3 rocket carried almost 6 tonnes of payload into lower-earth orbit, the most that any ISRO mission has delivered into space to date.

Concept:

Increased capability of India-

• Very few countries have the capability to launch satellites weighing more than 2 tonnes.
• Until recently, even ISRO used to take the services of Ariane rockets of Europe to launch its heavy satellites.
• The LVM3 rocket, which used to be called GSLV Mk-III earlier, is meant to end that dependence and also become the vehicle for the more ambitious parts of India’s space programmes — manned missions, Moon landings and deep space explorations — in the near future.

India’s rockets-

• India currently has three operational launch vehicles-

1. the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle or PSLV, of which there are multiple versions;
2. the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle or GSLV Mk-II;
3. the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 or LVM3 or GSLV MK-lll

• The PSLV has been the most commonly used, having carried out as many as 53 successful missions since 1993.
• Only two flights of PSLV have failed.
• The GSLV-Mk-II rocket has been used in 14 missions, of which four have ended in failure, most recently in August last year.
• The LVM3 has flown five times, including the Chandrayaan 2 mission, and has never disappointed.
• ISRO has been working on a reusable launch vehicle (RLV).
• Unlike other rockets, the RLV would not end up in space as waste.
• Instead, it can be brought back and refurbished for use multiple times.

Heavier rockets-

• LVM3 is the culmination of more than three decades of efforts to indigenously develop a rocket that can carry heavier payloads, or venture much deeper into space.
• The passenger (or payload) comprises barely 2 to 4 per cent of the weight of the rocket.
• Between 80 and 90 per cent of the launch-time weight of any space mission is the fuel, or the propellant.
• This is because of the need to overcome the tremendous force of gravity.
• The LMV3 rocket, for example, has a lift-off mass of 640 tonnes, and all it can carry to lower earth orbits (LEO) — about 200 km from the Earth’s surface— is a mere 8 tonnes.
• To the geostationary transfer orbits (GTO) that lie farther ahead — up to about 35,000 km from Earth— it can carry much less, only about 4 tonnes.

Global comparison-

• The LMV3 is not particularly weak when compared to the rockets being used by other countries or space companies for similar jobs.
• The Ariane 5 rockets, frequently used by ISRO earlier for its heavy payloads, have a lift-off mass of 780 tonnes, and can carry 20- tonne payloads to lower earth orbits and 10 tonnes to GTO.
• The Falcon Heavy rockets from SpaceX, supposed to be the most powerful modern launch vehicles, weigh over 1,400 tonnes at launch time and can carry payloads weighing only about 60 tonnes.

The constraints-

• The major constraints in a launch vehicle are-

1. Size of a launch vehicle
2. Fuel efficiency and the Kind of fuel used- solid, liquid, cryogenic, mix
3. Size of the payload

• Most of a rocket’s energy is burnt in travelling to the lower earth orbit because the force of gravity is the strongest here.
• It takes half as much energy for a rocket to travel to the Moon from the LEO (a journey of nearly 4 lakh km) compared to what it takes to travel to LEO from Earth (about 200 km).

7. Two Idols stolen from TN traced to US

Subject : Art and Culture

Context : The Tamil Nadu Idol Wing-CID has traced two Chola era bronze idols that were stolen about 50 years ago from the Vishwanatha Swamy Temple at Alathur in Tiruvarur district and smuggled to the United States.

Concept :

• The Idol Wing traced the Somaskandar idol to the Freer Gallery of Art of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the Dancing Sambandar idol to Christies.com USA.

Chola Era Bronze Sculpture

• Although bronze images were modeled and cast during the Pallava period in the 8th and 9th centuries, some of the most beautiful and exquisite statues were produced during the Chola period in Tamil Nadu from 10th to 12th century AD.
• At the Brihadisvara temple at Tanjavur which is the most mature and majestic of the Chola temples, sculpture, there has attained a new maturity which is evident in the gracefully modeled contours of the figures, their flexed poses, delicate ornamentation, pleasing faces and certain freshness, all of which add charm to the work.
• Chola art not only influenced the art of Ceylon, but it travelled as far away as Java and Sumatra
• A good example of Chola craftsmanship in the 11th century is the relief carving of Siva as the irate god is engaged in a vigorous dance of fierce ecstasy after having killed the elephant demon, who has given so much trouble to the rishis and his devotees..
• The later phase of Chola art, in the 13th century, is illustrated by the sculpture showing Bhudevi or the earth goddess as the younger consort of Vishnu. She stands in a gracefully flexed attitude on a lotus base holding a lily in her right hand, while the left arm hangs along her side in.

Bronze sculpture tradition under the Cholas

• The art reached a high stage of development during this time
• The sculptors work during this time are famous for their elegance, sensitive modeling, and balanced tension
• Realism and attention to finer details reached its utmost perfection during this time.
• Ex: Clear demarcation of the areas of the body, such as the creases between the torso and the stomach, around the navel, sharp edges along the tibiae, a pointed nose, facial expressions are one of the most noticeable features of this time .

Sculpture Techniques

• Chola-period bronzes were created using the lost wax technique.
• Although bronze casting has a long history in south India, a much larger and a much greater number of bronze sculptures were cast during the Chola period than before, further attesting to the importance of bronze sculpture during this period.
• It should be noted that when in worship, these images are covered in silk cloths, garlands, and jewels, and would not appear as they do outside a religious context.

8. Benami transaction Prohibition Act

Subject :Economy

Context: The Income Tax Department has attached assets worth over ₹18,400 crore till July 21, 2022, under the Benami Transaction Prohibition Act. However, it does not have segregated data for transaction made before and after October 24, 2016, when the amended Act came into force and the cut-off date set by the Supreme Court for a bar on criminal/confiscation proceedings.

Retrospective use

The law, originally enacted in 1988, was amended in 2016 and prescribed retrospective application of provisions such as jail term beside others.

On August 23, 2022, the Supreme Court held the retrospective use of Benami law unconstitutional. It  debarred authorities from initiating or continuing criminal prosecutionorconfiscationproceedingsfor transactions entered into prior to the coming into force of the 2016 Act, viz, October 25, 2016.

Specific provision

Almost for 28 years after enactment, the Benami Law could not be made operational as it did not contain any specific provision for vesting of confiscated property with Centre, did not provide for an appellate mechanism, while barring the jurisdiction of a civil court, did not confer the powers of the civil court upon the authorities for its implementation and did not provide for adequate enabling rule-making powers. All these achieved, as the government claimed through the amendment.

9. Recession

Subject: Economy

Context: JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and his Goldman Sachs counterpart David Solomon said a recession in the US and Europe is increasingly likely.

Content

• Recession refers to a phase of the downturn in the economic cycle when there is a fall in the country’s GDP for some quarters.
• It begins after the economy reaches a peak of activity and ends as the economy reaches its trough.
• A common rule of thumb for recessions is two quarters of negative GDP growth.
• A recession is a period of decline in total output, income, employment and trade, usually lasting six months to a year.’