Daily Prelims Notes 31 May 2024

Daily Prelims Notes

31 May 2024

1. The Tobacco Epidemic in India

Sub: Science and tech

Sub: Health

Impact of Tobacco in India:

Tobacco Use Surveys:

• The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), and National Family Health Survey (NFHS) track tobacco use in India.
  • GYTS assesses tobacco use in students between the ages of 13 and 15 years and GATS and NFHS in people above 15 years of age.
• These surveys show a general decline in tobacco use, except for an increase in tobacco use among women by 2.1% between 2015-2016 and NFHS 2019-2021.
• No surveys have been conducted since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Law to control tobacco use in India

Implementation Issues:

• Many smokeless tobacco products do not comply with COTPA packaging guidelines.
• Smuggled tobacco products are poorly regulated.
• Fines for COTPA violations have not been updated since 2003.
• Surrogate advertisements are used to indirectly promote tobacco, as seen in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Legislative Amendments:

• Proposed amendments to COTPA in 2015 and 2020 aimed to regulate surrogate advertisements, include films and video games in advertisement definitions, and increase fines, but were not passed.
• The NTCP’s effectiveness is questioned due to insufficient staffing, resources, and monitoring.

Tax Evasion and Affordability:

• Excise duty on tobacco faces tax evasion through smuggling, illicit manufacturing, and counterfeiting.
• Low tobacco taxes and increasing incomes have kept tobacco affordable.
• A 2021 BMJ Tobacco Control study reported increasing affordability of cigarettes, bidis, and SLTs over the past decade.

Tax and Lobbying:

• The tax burden on tobacco products in India is lower than the FCTC recommendation of at least 75%.
• The tobacco industry argues high taxeslead to tax evasion, but weak governance and other factors are also significant.
• Lobbying by the tobacco industry influences policy, with government officials often involved in the industry post-retirement.
  • The Central government holds a 7.8% stake in ITC Ltd., India’s largest tobacco company.

Source: TH

2. KAZA Summit 2024: Delegates renew calls to leave CITES

Sub: Environment

Sub: Int Convention

KAZA Summit 2024:

• KAZA 2024Heads of State Summit held in Livingstone, Zambia
• Called for member states to withdraw from CITES.
• Reason for withdrawal: The delegates cited CITES’s refusal to permit the sale of ivory and other wildlife products as unreasonable, denying the country economic benefits.

Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA):

• The Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA) spans 520,000 square kilometers.
• It includes Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, sharing borders along the Okavango and Zambezi river basins.
• These countries, along with South Africa, host over two-thirds of Africa’s elephant population, estimated at 450,000.

CITES agreement

• CITES is an international agreement between 184 governments to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.
• The convention entered into force in 1975 and India became the 25th party as a state that voluntarily agreed to be bound by the Convention in 1976.
• All import, export and re-export of species covered under CITES must be authorised through a permit system.
• CITES Appendix I lists species threatened with extinction — import or export permits for these are issued rarely and only if the purpose is not primarily commercial.
• CITES Appendix II includes species not necessarily threatened with extinction but in which trade must be strictly regulated.
• Every two years, the Conference of the Parties (CoP), the supreme decision-making body of CITES, applies a set of biological and trade criteria to evaluate proposals from parties to decide if a species should be in Appendix I or II.

Dispute with CITES:

• The threat to leave CITES is not new; it was also discussed at the 19th CITES conference in Panama in 2022.
• Southern African countries argue that high elephant populations contribute to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.
• Monetising wildlife resources is seen as a way to fund conservation efforts, but CITES repeatedly rejects requests to open the ivory trade.
• In Panama, 10 African countries declared a dispute with CITES, criticizing its shift from science-based to ideologically driven conservation models.

Tussle over ivory

• 1989- Global ban on ivory trade, All African elephant populations were put in Appendix l
• 1997- Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe were transferred to Appendix ll
• 2000- South Africa was transferred to Appendix ll
• These countries are allowed to ‘one-off sale’ of ivory stockpiled from natural elephant deaths and seizures from poachers.
• CoP17 (2016) & CoP18 (2019)– Namibia’s proposal for allowing a regular form of controlled trade in ivory by delisting the elephant populations of the four countries from Appendix II, was rejected.
• CoP19 (2022)– Zimbabwe’s proposal for the same has been rejected.

Why these countries wanted to lift the trade ban:

• The four southern African countries argue that their elephant populations have bounced back and that their stockpiled ivory if sold internationally, can generate much-needed revenue for elephant conservation and incentivising communities.
  • Zimbabwe highlighted the country’s 166-ton ivory stockpile, valued at about $700 million.

Alternative Markets for Trophy Hunting:

• Zimbabwe is seeking new markets for trophy-hunting exports due to increasing Western bans.
• The European Parliament and several Western countries, including Belgium and the UK, have bannedimportsof hunting trophies from endangered species.
• Zimbabwe is exploring markets in the East to continue its trophy hunting business and manage wildlife populations.

Source: DTE

3. Summary of RBI’s Financial Performance and Projections (FY24)

Sub: Economy

Sub: Monetary Policy

Key Financial Highlights:

• Income and Expenditure:
  • Income: Increased by 17% to ₹2,75,572.32 crore.
  • Expenditure: Decreased by 56.3% to ₹64,694.33 crore from ₹1,48,037.04 crore in FY23.
  • Transferable Surplus: Ended the year with a surplus of ₹2,10,873.99 crore, up from ₹87,416.22 crore in the previous year.
• Income Sources:
  • Forex Gains: ₹83,615.86 crore.
  • Interest Income from Foreign Securities: ₹65,327.93 crore.
• Balance Sheet:
  • Increase: Grew by ₹7,02,946.97 crore (11%) to ₹70,47,703.21 crore from ₹63,44,756.24 crore in FY23.
  • Asset Side:
    • Foreign Investments: Increased by 13.9%.
    • Gold: Increased by 18.26%.
    • Loans and Advances: Increased by 30.05%.
  • Liabilities Side:
    • Notes Issued: Increased by 3.88%.
    • Deposits: Increased by 27%.
    • Other Liabilities: Increased by 92.57%.
  • Asset Composition:
    • Domestic Assets:31% of total assets.
    • Foreign Currency Assets, Gold, Loans to Foreign Financial Institutions:69% of total assets.
    • Contingency Fund: ₹42,819.91 crore provision transferred.

 Economic Outlook:

• GDP Growth: Projected at 7% for FY25.
• Macroeconomic Fundamentals:
  • Sustained strengthening of macroeconomic fundamentals.
  • Robust financial and corporate sectors.
  • Resilient external sector.
• Government Policies:
  • Continued focus on capital expenditure (capex).
  • Pursuit of fiscal consolidation.
  • Optimism in consumer and business sectors, supporting investment and consumption demand.
• Inflation:
  • Headline inflation expected to ease towards the target.
  • Revitalization of consumption demand, especially in rural areas.
• External Sector:
  • Forex reserves acting as buffers against global economic spillovers.
• Risks:
  • Geopolitical tensions and geoeconomic fragmentation.
  • Global financial market volatility.
  • International commodity price movements.
  • Erratic weather developments.

These highlights reflect a robust financial performance by the RBI in FY24, underpinned by significant income growth, reduced expenditure, and an expanded balance sheet. The outlook for FY25 remains positive with expected GDP growth and stable inflation, although several external risks persist.

4. The rise of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease in India

Sub: Science and tech

Sub: Health

What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease(IBD)?

• IBD is a chronic autoimmune condition where the white blood cells mistakenly identify cells in the human gut as their enemy and decide to attack it, causing ulcers in the mucosa. 
• As a result a child with  IBD may develop fever, loose stools and bloody diarrhea. 
• These children may not absorb macro and micronutrients and hence lose weight, muscle mass, become anemic and may have vitamin deficiencies.

What are various types of IBD?

There were two types of IBD.

Ulcerative colitis:

• Ulcerative colitis affects only the large bowel.
• Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in which abnormal reactions of the immune system cause inflammation and ulcers on the inner lining of your large intestine. 
• Ulcerative colitis can develop at any age, but the disease is more likely to develop in people between the ages of 15 and 30.

Crohn’s disease:

• Crohn’s disease can affect any part of the gut from mouth to anus. 
• Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
• It causes swelling of the tissues (inflammation) in your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
• Sometimes when we find it difficult to distinguish between these two conditions, we label it Indeterminate Colitis for a while until it evolves into one of the above conditions.

Why does IBD occur frequently in children?

• Children who are susceptible to IBD often have a weak or dysregulated immune system which responds inappropriately to environmental triggers such as a virus or bacteria.
• There may also be genetic factors which predispose these children to IBD as sometimes it seems to affect members of the same family.
• The human gastrointestinal tract harbors millions of microorganisms,often referred to as gut microbiota which  plays an important role in IBD. 
• The gut microbiota of each individual is unique and influences health and disease.
• The nature and composition of gut microbiota can be altered by frequent antibiotics.
• Westernization of food habits and lifestyle is also strongly linked to changes in the gut microbiota and a predisposition to develop IBD.

How can we treat and cure IBD?

• IBD – Crohn’s disease can be treated with very effective medications that control the inflammation and suppress the dysregulated and overactive immune system. 
• These medications include steroids and a new class of drugs called biologics. 
• IBD – Ulcerative colitis is also treated similarly, though another group of drugs called ‘aminosalicylates’ are used to treat milder forms of Ulcerative colitis.
• Exclusive Enteral Nutrition has not been found to be useful in treating Ulcerative Colitis.

5. Startup agnikula launches world first rocket with 3d printed engine

Sub: Science and tech

Sub: Space sector

Context:

• In a remarkable achievement, IIT Madras’ startup, Agnikula Cosmos, has launched the world’s first rocket with a single-piece three-dimensional (3D) printed engine. 

More on news:

• The rocket Agniban SOrTeD (SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator) is also India’s first semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket launch that was completely designed and manufactured indigenously. 
• It was also launched from India’s first privately developed launchpad called ‘Dhanush’ established by Agnikul at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is still developing a semi-cryogenic engine known as the SCE-200 for its GSLV Mk III rocket.
• Agnikul is the second Indian private spaceflight company to test it’s orbital launch system, following Skyroot Aerospace, who launched their Vikram-S rocket.

What is Agnibaan?

• Agnibaan is a two-stage rocket with a capacity to carry up to 300 kg to a height of 700 km. 
• The rocket engines are powered by liquid oxygen or kerosene. 
• It can access both low- and high-inclination orbits and is completely mobile, designed for accessing more than 10 launch ports, as per the company.
• Agnibaan used India’s first semi-cryogenic engine, which uses a mix of liquid and gas for propellant. Liquid propellants can be reused and are safer than solid propellants.
• Semi-cryogenic engines help increase payload capacity, reduce launch costs and improve the overall reliability and performance of the launch vehicles.
• Agnibaan SOrTeD ( SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator) is a suborbital technological demonstrator of the Agnibaan launch vehicle, manufactured by Indian space startup Agnikul Cosmos.
• The SOrTeD mission is a single-stage launch vehicle demonstration that is powered by a semi-cryogenic engine called the Agnilet.

Key Purpose of the mission:

• The test flight aims to demonstrate in-house and homegrown technologies, gather crucial flight data, and ensure the optimal functioning of systems for Agnikul’s orbital launch vehicle, the ‘Agnibaan’.
• Agnikul Cosmos is developing launch vehicles that are both affordable and customisable according to customer needs.