Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Mains level: Adulteration issues in India;
Why in the News?
The ghee samples used by ‘Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams’ for ritual offerings and ‘Laddu Prasadam’ were found to contain foreign fats, including fish oil, beef tallow, and lard, as per the NDDB’s analysis report.
What did the ALF of the National Dairy Development Board find in the Tirupati laddus?
- The Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) of the National Dairy Development Board found that ghee samples supplied to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) for preparing laddus were adulterated with various fats.
- Adulterants detected included:
-
- Plant-based fats: soybean, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, linseed, wheat germ, maize germ, cotton seed, coconut, and palm kernel fat.
- Animal-based fats: fish oil, beef tallow, and lard (pig fat).
Existing Laws:
- The Indian Penal Code (1860) penalizes food adulteration under Section 272, but penalties are often minimal, leading to insufficient deterrence.
- The Food Safety and Standards Act, of 2006 aims to consolidate food safety regulations, but implementation remains weak due to inadequate resources and oversight.
Implementation Gaps:
- Despite robust standards set by the FSSAI, the actual enforcement is lacking. For instance, many tests that could detect sophisticated forms of adulteration are only sometimes conducted due to a lack of testing facilities and trained personnel.
- A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) highlighted that major brands of honey were found to be adulterated with undetectable syrups, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current testing protocols.
|
Why maintaining a good baseline data (specific to Indian conditions) is necessary?
- Biological Variation in Indian Cows: Baseline data specific to Indian cows is needed for accurate results. Indian cows may have different genetic and biochemical profiles compared to European cows, meaning the existing international standards for detecting adulteration (like the ‘s-values’) may not accurately reflect the composition of Indian cow ghee.
- Adulterants Unique to Local Conditions: The types of adulterants commonly used in India, such as certain vegetable oils or animal fats, may differ from those in other regions. Establishing baseline data for Indian adulterants would improve the precision of detecting the specific types of foreign fats used in India.
- Accurate Interpretation of Results: Without specific data on the composition of Indian cow ghee, it becomes difficult to interpret the results from methods like gas chromatography. Customized baseline data ensures that the detection methods yield accurate and meaningful conclusions in the Indian context.
Way forward:
- Strengthen Enforcement Mechanisms: Increase resources for testing facilities and train personnel to implement FSSAI standards more effectively, ensuring regular checks for sophisticated adulteration.
- Develop India-Specific Testing Protocols: Create testing standards based on baseline data specific to Indian cows and local adulterants to improve accuracy in detecting food adulteration.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Urban 2.0;
Mains level: Solid Waste Management; Urbanization issues at Local governance; Landfill issues in India;
Why in the News?
In the third year of the five-year Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Urban 2.0, larger cities have yet to clear land at half of their landfill sites. According to government sources, only 38% of the total waste has been remediated so far..
Present State of Cities in India (related to legacy landfills):
- Inadequate Progress in Waste Remediation: Three years into Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Urban 2.0, only 38% of the waste in legacy landfill sites across major cities has been remediated. About 62% of garbage still remains unprocessed, and 65% of the land has not been cleared.
- Slow Progress in Large Cities:
- In major cities with populations over 1 million, 35 out of 69 landfill sites have not had any land cleared.
- Deonar landfill in Mumbai, the largest in India, has not seen any remediation or land clearance.
- In Ahmedabad’s Pirana landfill, 48% of the total area has been cleared, while in Delhi’s Ghazipur and Bhalaswa landfills, waste remediation has begun, but no land has been reclaimed yet.
- Challenges with Legacy and Fresh Waste: Legacy landfills remain a persistent issue as fresh waste is still being deposited at the same sites undergoing remediation. This cycle hampers progress, as more fresh waste offsets the clearance of older waste, making remediation efforts inefficient.
| Note: The Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0), launched on October 1, 2021, aims to achieve a “Garbage Free” India by 2026. It focuses on sustainable sanitation, effective waste management, and enhancing urban cleanliness through initiatives like door-to-door waste collection and remediation of legacy dumpsites. |
What are the cities expected to do with reclaimed land?
- Reuse Plans for Cleared Land: According to SBM Urban 2.0 guidelines, cities are expected to reuse cleared land after bioremediation for productive purposes such as:
- Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF): Waste is processed into RDF for use in waste-to-energy plants.
- Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling: Cleared waste is recycled for infrastructure projects.
- Bio-soil: Reclaimed bio-soil is used for road construction or other land development projects.
- Limited Action on Reuse: Despite these plans, the amount of land reclaimed from garbage dumps remains minimal in many cities, and detailed data on how reclaimed land is being utilized is lacking. As of now, the focus remains on remediation rather than immediate land reuse.
Way forward:
- Develop Alternative Waste Processing Sites: Cities must create dedicated facilities to manage fresh waste separately from legacy landfills to avoid offsetting progress and ensure efficient remediation.
- Accelerate Land Reuse Plans: Prioritize the swift repurposing of reclaimed land for productive uses, such as waste-to-energy plants, construction material recycling, and bio-soil applications, ensuring sustainable urban development.
Mains PYQ:
Q How could social influence and persuasion contribute to the success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan? (UPSC IAS/2016)
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Issues related to manual scavengers;
Why in the News?
Government data from over 3,000 urban local bodies across 29 States and Union Territories shows that 91.9% of the 38,000 sewer and septic tank cleaners profiles belong to SC, ST, or OBC communities.
What are the socio-economic conditions of workers engaged in sewer and septic tank cleaning?
- Demographics: A significant majority (91.9%) of the 38,000 profiled workers belong to marginalized communities: 68.9% Scheduled Castes (SC), 14.7% Other Backward Classes (OBC), 8.3% Scheduled Tribes (ST), and 8% from the general category.
- Employment Status: The workforce largely comprises low-income individuals engaged in hazardous, low-status jobs, reflecting persistent caste-based disparities.
- Capital Subsidies support: Since the launch of the NAMASTE program, ₹2.26 crore in capital subsidies have been distributed to 191 beneficiaries, indicating some financial support for transitioning into self-employment.
How effective are current policies and rehabilitation schemes for sanitation workers?
- NAMASTE Programme: Aimed at mechanizing sewer cleaning and providing safety training and equipment, the program is a replacement for the Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS).
- Enumeration Process: Over 3,326 urban local bodies (ULBs) are involved, with 38,000 workers profiled so far. However, 283 ULBs reported zero workers, suggesting that the profiling might not be comprehensive or that many workers are unrecognized.
- Rehabilitation Success: Out of 58,098 identified manual scavengers under the previous SRMS scheme, 97.2% were from SC communities. While cash transfers of ₹40,000 were provided, only a fraction pursued skills training or loans for alternative livelihoods.
What are the challenges?
- Social Stigma: Predominantly from marginalized communities (SC, ST, OBC), these workers face discrimination, limiting their access to better job opportunities and social mobility.
- Health Risks: Exposure to hazardous working conditions leads to significant health risks, with a high mortality rate (377 deaths from 2019 to 2023) due to unsafe practices.
- Ineffective Rehabilitation: Current policies and support programs lack comprehensive coverage, leaving many workers unrecognized and limiting the effectiveness of financial assistance and training initiatives.
What are the health risks and safety measures for workers in hazardous cleaning roles?
- Hazardous Working Conditions: Between 2019 and 2023, 377 workers died from hazardous cleaning activities, highlighting the extreme risks associated with sewer and septic tank cleaning.
- Safety Training: The NAMASTE program aims to provide safety training for workers to minimize health risks, but the effectiveness of such training needs further evaluation.
- Equipment and Mechanization: The goal is to transition workers from manual cleaning to mechanized processes, reducing their exposure to dangerous conditions and improving overall safety.
Way forward:
- Comprehensive Training and Support Programs: Enhance the effectiveness of the NAMASTE program by providing robust safety training and resources for workers, coupled with extensive outreach to ensure all workers are identified and supported, including those currently unrecognized.
- Promotion of Mechanization and Safety Standards: Accelerate the mechanization of sewer cleaning operations to reduce health risks, and establish strict safety standards and regulations to protect workers, ensuring regular monitoring and enforcement of these standards.
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Neutrino Fog
Why in the News?
The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment revealed that as we continue to push the boundaries of dark matter detection, the issue of neutrino fog becomes increasingly significant.
What is the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment?
- The LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment is a cutting-edge dark matter detection project located deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota, USA.
- It is one of the most sensitive experiments in the world designed to detect dark matter particles, which are believed to make up about 85% of the matter in the universe but have not yet been directly observed.
- The heart of the LZ experiment is a tank filled with 10 tonnes of liquid xenon, a very dense and pure material.
- The idea is that if a dark matter particle collides with a xenon atom, it will produce a tiny burst of light and free electrons.
- These interactions are then detected by sensitive equipment surrounding the xenon.
- The experiment is located 1.5 km below the Earth’s surface.
|
What is Neutrino Fog?
- Neutrinos, often referred to as “ghost particles,” are subatomic particles with nearly zero mass and no electric charge.
- “Neutrino Fog” refers to the interference caused by neutrinos—subatomic particles that rarely interact with matter—in dark matter detection experiments.
- Neutrinos are produced naturally in the Sun’s core, supernovae, and even Earth’s atmosphere.
- Though they pass through most matter undetected, their weak interactions can cause small disturbances in highly sensitive detectors.
- As dark matter detectors become larger and more sensitive, they are more likely to detect neutrinos, leading to a “fog” of signals that can obscure or mimic potential dark matter interactions.
PYQ:
[2015] In the context of modern scientific research, consider the following statements about ‘IceCube’, a particle detector located at South Pole, which was recently in the news:
1. It is the world’s largest neutrino detector, encompassing a cubic kilometre of ice.
2. It is a powerful telescope to search for dark matter
3. It is buried deep in the ice.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3 only |
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Hepatitis E Virus (HEV)
Why in the News?
Recent research indicates that pigs may act as a transmission vehicle for a strain of the hepatitis E virus (HEV) commonly found in rats, known as Rocahepevirus ratti, or rat HEV.
Role of Pigs in Transmission
- HEV Reservoir: Pigs naturally carry hepatitis E virus (HEV), particularly strains that can infect humans.
- Transmission via Pork: Humans can contract HEV by consuming raw or undercooked pork from infected pigs.
- Environmental Contamination: Infected pigs shed HEV in faeces, contaminating the environment and water sources, potentially spreading the virus to humans.
- Poor sanitation in pig farms facilitates HEV transmission between pigs and increases the risk of human infection through the food chain.
- Cross-Species Transmission: Pigs may also act as intermediaries for rat HEV, transmitting the virus from rats to humans in farm environments.
|
About Hepatitis E Virus (HEV):
- Hepatitis E is caused by the Hepatitis E Virus (HEV), which is a positive-sense, single-stranded, non-enveloped RNA virus.
- HEV is classified under the family Hepeviridae, genus Orthohepevirus.
- It was first identified during an outbreak among Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan in 1983.
- The earliest well-documented HEV epidemic occurred in New Delhi, India, in 1955, retrospectively identified as HEV.
-
- The primary route of transmission is fecal-oral, especially through contaminated water and food.
- Zoonotic transmission is possible with genotypes 3 and 4, commonly spread through undercooked meat or direct animal contact.
-
- Jaundice, nausea, fatigue, and elevated liver enzymes.
- Severe cases can lead to liver failure, especially in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals.
-
- A vaccine, HEV 239, is approved for use in China, but no vaccine is widely available or approved in most countries, including the United States.
- There is no specific antiviral treatment for acute HEV.
- Prevention relies on improved sanitation, safe drinking water, and proper food handling.
PYQ:
[2019] Which one of the following statements is not correct?
(a) Hepatitis B virus is transmitted much like HIV.
(b) Hepatitis B, unlike Hepatitis C, does not have a vaccine.
(c) Globally, the number of people infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses are several times more than those infected with HIV.
(d) Some of those infected with Hepatitis B and C viruses do not show the symptoms for many years. |
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Coral Bleaching and Coral Regeneration
Why in the News?
A study conducted at Moorea, French Polynesia, has revealed that the network of dead coral skeletons left behind by bleaching events prevents reefs from regenerating.
About Corals
- Corals are marine invertebrates made up of genetically identical organisms called polyps.
- Polyps have a mutualistic relationship with microscopic algae called zooxanthellae that live within their tissues.
- Zooxanthellae perform photosynthesis, providing the corals with carbohydrates, while the corals offer compounds needed for photosynthesis.
- Corals have calcium carbonate skeletons, which help in building the reef structure.
- Thousands of polyps combine to form coral colonies, which multiply and grow over time.
- Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems formed by the accumulation of calcium carbonate skeletons from corals.
- Known as the “rainforests of the seas”, they provide habitat and protection for a wide variety of marine life.
- Coral reefs are built by both hard and soft corals and grow over time as more corals attach to the reef structure.
- They are the largest living structures on the planet, vital for marine biodiversity.
|
Challenges due to Dead Corals
- Shelter for Seaweed: Dead coral skeletons create a complex structure that offers protection to macroalgae (seaweed) from herbivores. This allows seaweed to colonize the reef quickly, outcompeting young coral.
- Impeded Herbivory: The complex landscape of dead corals prevents herbivores, which normally graze on algae, from accessing the macroalgae effectively. This leads to unchecked algae growth.
- Increased Competition: Macroalgae grow faster and reproduce more frequently than coral, leading to increased competition for space, light, and nutrients, which further inhibits young coral from settling and growing.
- Annual Coral Reproduction: Coral typically spawns only once a year, while algae reproduce continuously. This gives algae a competitive advantage in newly available spaces left by dead coral skeletons.
- Altered Ecosystem Balance: The presence of dead coral shifts the balance between herbivores, algae, and coral, making it difficult for the reef to regenerate naturally.
Conditions for Reef Regeneration
- Flat Substrate: After events like cyclones, which remove coral but leave behind a flat surface, reefs tend to recover more easily, as young coral can settle and regrow without much competition from macroalgae.
- Herbivore Activity: Active herbivory is crucial for reef recovery, as herbivores control the growth of macroalgae, allowing space for coral recruits to settle and thrive.
- Clear Space for Coral Recruits: To regenerate effectively, coral needs open space free from excessive algae. Removing dead coral skeletons might help create these conditions.
- Frequent Disturbances: Coral reefs are better adapted to recover from frequent but non-lethal disturbances like storms, which scrape off coral and allow for fresh regrowth, compared to bleaching events, which leave the dead coral structure intact.
- Water Quality and Temperature: Coral recovery depends on optimal water conditions, including the absence of pollutants and suitable temperatures.
PYQ:
[2018] Consider the following statements
- Most of the world’s coral reefs are in tropical waters.
- More than one-third of the world’s coral reefs are located in the territories of Australia, Indonesia and Philippines.
- Coral reefs host far more number of animal phyla than those hosted by tropical rainforests.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 only
(c) 1and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3 |
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now
Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Arogya Sanjeevani Policy
Why in the News?
The “Arogya Sanjeevani Policy” serves as a reference point for choosing health insurance for hospitalisation.
About Arogya Sanjeevani Policy:
|
Details |
| Launch Date |
April 2020 |
| Issued by |
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) |
| Objective |
To provide basic and affordable health insurance coverage to all citizens |
| Sum Insured |
₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh per policy year |
| Coverage |
Hospitalization, pre and post-hospitalization expenses, daycare procedures, AYUSH treatments, COVID-19 coverage |
| Pre-Existing Conditions |
Coverage after 4 years of continuous policy renewal |
| Co-Payment |
5% co-payment on all claims |
| Premium |
Varies based on age, sum insured, and insurer |
| Waiting Period |
30 days for new policies; 48 months for pre-existing diseases |
| Daycare Procedures |
Covers over 50+ daycare treatments |
| Room Rent Limit |
Up to 2% of the sum insured per day (maximum ₹5,000 per day) |
| ICU Room Rent |
Up to 5% of the sum insured per day (maximum ₹10,000 per day) |
| AYUSH Treatments |
Covers Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy treatments |
| Maternity Coverage |
Not covered |
| Network Hospitals |
Cashless facility in network hospitals |
| Eligibility |
Individuals aged 18 to 65 years |
PYQ:
[2019] Performance of welfare schemes that are implemented for vulnerable sections is not so effective due to the absence of their awareness and active involvement at all stages of the policy process – Discuss. |
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
Attend Now