Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: SUnderlal Bahuguna
Mains level: Various conservation movements in India
Veteran environmentalist and architect of the Chipko Movement Sundarlal Bahuguna, 94 has succumbed to COVID.
Answer this PYQ in the comment box:
Q.In India, the problem of soil erosion is associated with which of the following?
- Terrace cultivation
- Deforestation
- Tropical climate
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Sunderlal Bahuguna
- Bahuguna was one of the leaders of the Chipko movement, fighting for the preservation of forests in the Himalayas.
- Chipko means ‘embrace’ or ‘tree huggers’ and this vast movement was a decentralized one with many leaders usually being village women.
- Often, they would chain themselves to trees so that loggers could not cut down forests.
- These actions slowed down the destruction, but more importantly, they brought deforestation to the public’s attention.
His contributions
- From 1981-1983, Sundarlal Bahuguna led a 5,000-kilometre march across the Himalayas, ending with a meeting with late PM Indira Gandhi, to protect some areas of the Himalayan forests from tree-felling.
- Sundarlal Bahuguna was also a leader in the movement to oppose the Tehri dam project and in defending India’s rivers.
- He also worked for women’s rights and the rights of the poor.
- His methods were Gandhian, making use of peaceful resistance and non-violence.
- The Chipko Movement received the 1987 Right Livelihood Award, also referred to as the Alternative Nobel Prize.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kalashetra, Bharatanatyam
Mains level: Classical dances of India
The Central government has appointed 12 eminent artists and musicians to the board of the prestigious institution.
Kalakshetra Foundation
- It is an arts and cultural academy dedicated to the preservation of traditional values in Indian art and crafts, especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance and Gandharvaveda music.
- Based in Chennai, India, the academy was founded in January 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale and her husband George Arundale.
- Under Arundale’s guidance, the institution achieved national and international recognition for its unique style and perfectionism.
- In January 1994, an Act of the Parliament of India recognized the Kalakshetra Foundation as an “Institute of National Importance.”
Who was Rukmini Devi Arundale?
- Devi (1904 –1986) was an Indian theosophist, dancer, and choreographer of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatanatyam, and an activist for animal welfare.
- She was the first woman in Indian history to be nominated a member of the Rajya Sabha.
- The most important revivalist of Bharatanatyam from its original ‘sadhir’ style prevalent amongst the temple dancers, the Devadasis, she also worked for the re-establishment of traditional Indian arts and crafts.
- She espoused the cause of Bharata Natyam which was considered a vulgar art.
- She ‘sanitised’ and removed the inherent eroticism of Sadhir to make it palatable to Victorian British morality and Indian upper-caste elites.
Back2Basics: Bharatanatyam
- Bharatanatyam previously called Sadhir Attam is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu.
- It is one of the oldest classical dance traditions in India.
- It has been nurtured in the temples and courts of southern India since the ancient era.
- It is one of eight forms of dance recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (the others being Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Manipuri, and Sattriya).
- The word Bharata is a mnemonic, consisting of “bha”–”ra”–”ta”.
- According to this belief, bha stands for bhava (feelings, emotions), ra stands for raga (melody, framework for musical notes), and ta stands for tala (rhythm).
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: EWB system in GST regime
Mains level: GST benefits
GST officers have been armed with real-time data of commercial vehicle movement on highways with the integration of the e-way bill (EWB) system with FasTag and RFID.
Why such a move?
- The integration of e-way bill, RFID, and FASTag will enable tax officers to undertake live vigilance in respect of EWB compliances by businesses and will help curb tax evasion.
- It will aid in preventing revenue leakage by real-time identification of cases of recycling and/or non-generation of EWBs.
What are E-way bills (EWB)?
- Under the GST regime, transporters should carry the eWay Bill when moving goods from one place to another when certain conditions are satisfied.
- EWBs are mandatory for inter-state transportation of goods valued over Rs 50,000 from April 2018, with the exemption to precious items such as gold
- In this system, businesses and transporters have to produce before a GST inspector the e-way bill, if asked.
- On average, 25 lakh goods vehicle movements from more than 800 tolls are reported on a daily basis to the e-way bill system.
Benefits of the move
- Tax officers can now access reports on vehicles that have passed the selected tolls without EWBs in the past few minutes.
- Also, vehicles carrying critical commodities specific to the state and having passed the selected toll can be viewed.
- Any suspicious vehicles and vehicles of EWBs generated by suspicious taxpayer GSTINs, that have passed the selected toll on a near real-time basis, can also be viewed in this report.
- The officers can use these reports while conducting vigilance and make the vigilance activity more effective.
- Also, the officers of the audit and enforcement wing can use these reports to identify fraudulent transactions like bill trading, recycling of EWBs.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Nord Stream 2 Pipeline
Mains level: Not Much
The US government has decided to waive sanctions on the company behind Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Europe.
Nord Stream 2 Pipeline
- It is a system of offshore natural gas pipelines running under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany.
- It includes two active pipelines running from Vyborg to Lubmin near Greifswald forming the original Nord Stream, and two further pipelines under construction running from Ust-Luga to Lubmin termed Nord Stream 2.
- In Lubmin the lines connect to the OPAL line to Olbernhau on the Czech border and to the NEL line to Rehden near Bremen.
- The first line Nord Stream-1 was laid and inaugurated in 2011 and the second line in 2012.
- At 1,222 km in length, Nord Stream is the longest sub-sea pipeline in the world, surpassing the Langeled pipeline.
US sanctions
- Nord Stream projects have been opposed by the United States as well as by several Central and Eastern European countries because of concerns that the pipelines would increase Russia’s influence in the region.
- The US resistance to Nord Stream 2 is also influenced by the country’s increased production of natural gas, which gives the US economic incentive to resist the Russian supply of gas to the EU, in favour of US shale gas.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: GI tags in news
Mains level: Not Much
In a major boost to exports of Geographical Indication (GI) certified products, a consignment of Dahanu Gholvad Sapota from the Palghar district of Maharashtra was shipped to the United Kingdom.
Gholvad Sapota
- GI certification of Ghovad Sapota is held by Maharashtra Rajya Chikoo Utpadak Sangh and the fruit is known for its sweet and unique taste.
- It is believed that the unique taste is derived from the calcium-rich soil of Gholvad village.
- Currently, in the Palgahr district, around 5000 hectares of land is under sapota or plantation.
- Sapota is grown in many states- Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
- Karnataka is known to be the highest grower of the fruit, followed by Maharashtra.
Do you know?
Earlier this month, a consignment of 2.5 Metric Tonne of GI certified Banganapalli & Survarnarekha mangoes sourced from farmers in Krishna & Chittor districts of Andhra Pradesh was exported to South Korea.
Back2Basics: Geographical Indication (GI)
- The World Intellectual Property Organisation defines a GI as “a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin”.
- GIs are typically used for agricultural products, foodstuffs, handicrafts, industrial products, wines and spirit drinks.
- Internationally, GIs are covered as an element of intellectual property rights under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property.
- They have also covered under the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Gold Exchange
Mains level: Gold Exchange and its trading
The Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has floated a consultation paper on the proposed framework for Gold Exchange in India.
Why such a move?
- According to SEBI, the proposed exchange would bring in more transparency in the gold trading market in terms of spot price discovery, quality of the gold and enable greater integration with the financial markets.
What is a Gold Exchange?
- As the name suggests, this would offer trading facilities in the precious metal.
- Entities like retail investors, banks, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), jewellers and bullion dealers among others would be allowed to trade on the exchange.
- While there are existing commodity exchanges that offer trading in gold contracts, those are derivative instruments while the proposed gold exchange would allow trading akin to the spot market.
- This move assumes significance as India is the second-largest consumer of gold – after China – with an annual demand of around 800-900 tonnes.
Answer this PYQ:
Q.What is/are the purpose/purposes of the Government’s ‘Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme’ and ‘Gold Monetization Scheme’?
- To bring the idle gold lying with India households into the economy
- To promote FDI in the gold and jewellery sector
- To reduce India’s dependence on gold imports
Select the correct answer using the code given below
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
What are the ways in which one can invest in gold now?
- For those wanting to buy physical gold, a visit to the neighbourhood jeweller would suffice.
- Meanwhile, there are online platforms such as Paytm, Kuvera and Indiagold among others that allow an individual to buy gold in digital form.
- The advantage of buying gold in digital form is that one can put in a very small amount as well with some platforms allowing a minimum investment of just Rs 100.
- Digital gold products have become quite popular among millennials. Then there are sovereign gold bonds issued by the government.
- One can even look at Gold ETFs or gold funds by mutual funds.
- Even gold derivative contracts traded on the exchanges have the option of physical settlement, which means investors can get physical delivery of gold.
How can one trade on a gold exchange?
- The SEBI has proposed an instrument called ‘Electronic Gold Receipt’, or EGR.
- The gold exchange, along with intermediaries like the vault manager and the clearing corporation, would facilitate the creation of EGR and its trading.
- So, participants can convert their physical gold into EGR, which can then be bought or sold on the exchange like any normal equity share of a listed company.
- The EGR can even be converted back into physical gold. As part of the draft regulations, SEBI has proposed three denominations of EGR – one kilogram, 100 grams and 50 grams.
- It has, however, added that EGRs of five grams or 10 grams can also be allowed for trading to increase the liquidity of the market and attract more participants.
How can one convert physical gold into EGRs?
- An entity that intends to convert physical gold into EGR will have to go to a ‘Vault Manager’.
- According to the proposed framework, any entity registered in India and with a net worth of at least Rs 50 crore can apply to become a vault manager.
- After the receipt of the gold, the vault manager would create an EGR for which the depository will assign an International Securities Identification Number, or ISIN, which is a unique code to identify the specific security.
- Once the ISIN is issued, the EGR can be traded on the gold exchange just like any other tradable security.
Can EGRs be again converted into physical gold?
- To convert an EGR into physical gold, the owner of the EGR will have to surrender the EGR to the vault manager who will deliver the gold and extinguish the electronic receipt.
- Considering the logistics and delivery challenges, it has been proposed that conversion of an EGR into physical gold should be allowed only if a minimum of 50 grams of gold has been accumulated in electronic form.
Issues with gold exchange
- Since the EGRs would be traded on an exchange, Securities Transaction Tax (STT) would be levied. Also, GST would be applicable when EGRs are converted into physical gold for withdrawal.
- If in case the buyer and seller are from different states then levying state GST could be cumbersome. SEBI is mulling if only IGST or Integrated Goods and Services Tax can be levied to resolve this issue.
- As far as transactions are concerned, SEBI working groups have suggested that an entire transaction be divided into three tranches.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Tianwen 1 and various Mars missions
Mains level: Mars mission worldwide and their success
China landed a spacecraft on Mars carrying its first Mars rover in a big boost to its space ambitions.
UPSC may ask an MCQ asking: Which of the following is/are the space missions related to Mars? It may throw up 4-5 options (which we all get confused at after few months) like Cassini , InSight , Messanger, Voyager etc.
Tianwen-1 Mission
- The mission is named after the ancient Chinese poem ‘Questions to Heaven’, the Tianwen-1.
- It is an all-in-one orbiter; lander and rover will search the Martian surface for water, ice, investigate soil characteristics, and study the atmosphere, among completing other objectives.
- It will be the first to place ground-penetrating radar on the Martian surface, which will be able to study local geology, as well as rock, ice, and dirt distribution.
- The lander descended successfully onto the surface of the red planet carrying a rover named Zhurong, named after a god of fire for a planet known in Chinese as the planet of fire.
- Only the Soviet Union and the United States had previously carried out a successful landing on Mars.
Back2Basics: Various missions on Mars
- The USSR in 1971 became the first country to carry out a Mars landing– its ‘Mars 3’ lander being able to transmit data for 20 seconds from the Martian surface before failing.
- The country made it’s second and Mars landing two years later in 1973.
- The second country to reach Mars’s surface, the US, holds the record for the most number of Mars landings.
- Since 1976, it has achieved 8 successful Mars landings, the latest being the ‘InSight’ in 2019 (launched in 2018).
- India and the European Space Agency have been able to place their spacecraft in Mars’s orbit.
- India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) or ‘Mangalyaan’ was able to do so in September 2014, almost a year after its launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh.
- The Chinese mission now is expected to take off around the same time when NASA is launching its own Mars mission– the ambitious ‘Perseverance’ which aims to collect Martian samples and bring them back.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mucormycosis
Mains level: Post covid hazards
Hospitals across the country have started to report a number of cases of Mucormycosis, an invasive fungal infection affecting patients who have recently recovered from COVID-19.
What is Mucormycosis?
- Mucormycosis is an aggressive and invasive fungal infection caused by a group of moulds called micromycetes.
- It can affect various organs but is currently manifesting as invasive rhino-orbito-cerebral disease, crawling through the sinus and working its way to the brain, affecting the ear, nose, throat, and mouth.
- While it is not contagious, it can cause a lot of damage internally and can be fatal if not detected early.
- It is an old disease; perhaps new and concerning is the sudden increase in the invasive form of the sinus variant, which involves the orbit, and at times the brain, leading to blindness, stroke or death.
What causes the disease?
- Diabetes mellitus is the most common underlying cause, followed by haematological malignancies and solid-organ transplants.
- Diabetes mellitus was reported in 54% to 76% of cases, according to a report.
- What seems to be triggering Mucormycosis in patients post COVID-19 is indiscriminate use of a high dose of steroids in COVID-19 patients, sometimes even in minimally symptomatic patients.
- This leads to spikes in the sugar level among diabetics, which, in turn, renders them vulnerable.
Symptoms
- The symptoms to watch out for are a stuffy nose, bloody, blackish, or brown discharge from the nose etc.
- Other symptoms include blackish discolouration of the skin, swelling or numbness around the cheek, one-sided facial pain, toothache or jaw pain, drooping of the eyelids or eyelid swelling, double vision, redness of eyes, and sudden decrease in vision.
Treatment
- The mainline of treatment is an anti-fungal drug called amphotericin B, which is given over an extended period of time under the strict observation of a physician.
- Rational use of steroids is necessary, and constant monitoring of sugar levels and resorting to insulin use to control these levels if required is essential.
- Surgery to remove the fungus growth might also be warranted.
Preventive measures
- It is important to keep blood sugar levels under control and ensure that appropriate calibration of oral drugs or insulin is done from time to time.
- Further, recognising the symptoms and seeking treatment early if there are two or three symptoms at a time is key.
- Like most illnesses, if detected early, Mucormycosis can be cured.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: 2DG
Mains level: COVID-19 Treatment
Defence Minister has released the first batch of the indigenously developed anti-Covid-19 drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose or ‘2-DG’.
What is the news?
- The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) had cleared the formulation on May 1 for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe Covid-19 patients.
What is 2-DG?
- 2-DG has been developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), New Delhi, a lab of the DRDO in collaboration with Hyderabad-based pharma company Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL).
- The 2-DG anti-Covid drug is expected to reduce dependence on medical oxygen in Covid-19 infected patients.
- The pseudo glucose molecule in the drug stops the virus in the tracts.
- Hence, it has been prescribed for Coronavirus infected patients requiring critical medical oxygen.
How does it work?
- Clinical trial data show that the molecule helps in faster recovery of patients hospitalized with Covid-19, and reduces their dependence on supplemental oxygen.
- The drug accumulates in virus-infected cells, and prevents the growth of the virus by stopping viral synthesis and energy production.
- Its selective accumulation in virally-infected cells makes this drug unique.
Advantages
- 2-DG being a generic molecule and an analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced and made available in large quantities.
- The drug is available in powder form in a sachet, and can be taken orally after dissolving in water.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: MLA-LAD scheme
Mains level: Paper 2- Using MLA-LAD funds for Covid vaccination
MLA-LAD Fund for buying vaccine
- As part of the efforts to mobilise financial resources for COVID-19 vaccination, Rajasthan Chief Minister has approved a proposal to provide ₹3 crore each from the MLA Local Area Development (LAD) Fund.
- For meeting the expenses, the fund for each legislator has been increased from ₹2.25 crore to ₹5 crore a year.
- The 200 MLAs in the State will contribute a total of ₹600 crore to the vaccination fund account under the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
- From the remaining ₹2 crore in the MLA-LAD Fund, ₹1 crore will be spent on strengthening the medical infrastructure, purchase of equipment and setting up of model community health centres.
About MLA-LAD Fund
- Member of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development is a scheme that enables each MLA to undertake small developmental works in his/her constituency.
- The MLALAD Scheme is intended to be utilised for small but essential projects/works based on the felt needs of the local public.
- Under this scheme, funds will be provided in the State’s Plan Budget every year.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mucormycosis
Mains level: Paper 2- Mucormycosis infection risk in Covid-19 patients
About mucormycosis
- Mucormycosis is a fungal infection that has a high mortality rate of 50 per cent.
- An increasing number of Covid-19 patients have been developing this infection while still at the hospital or after discharge.
- The disease often manifests in the skin and also affects the lungs and the brain.
- Some of the common symptoms include sinusitis, blackish nasal discharge, facial pain, headaches, and pain around the eyes.
Who is at risk
- Patients who have been hospitalised for Covid-19 and particularly those who require oxygen therapy during Covid-19 illness are at a much higher risk of mucormycosis.
- However, there are some cases of mucormycosis in patients with asymptomatic Covid-19 infection.
- Before the pandemic, patients with uncontrolled diabetes were at a higher risk of mucormycosis.
- The risk of mucormycosis rises for these patients for two reasons.
- First is that Covid-19 further impairs their immune system.
- Second, they are given corticosteroids for their treatment it leads to a rise in their blood sugar level thus increasing their risk of mucormycosis.
Treatment
- Today, we have a number of drugs and anti-fungal medicines that can treat mucormycosis.
- These are given by IV or taken orally.
- Surgery is needed to remove the affected dead tissues along with antifungal therapy.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Asteroid Bennu
Mains level: Paper 3- OSIRIS-REx starts journey back to the earth
On May 11, NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft will depart asteroid Bennu, and start its two-year-long journey back to Earth.
About OSIRIS-REx
- OSIRIS-REx is NASA’s first mission to visit a near-Earth asteroid, survey its surface and collect a sample from it.
- The mission was launched in 2016, it reached its target in 2018 and since then, the spacecraft has been trying to match the velocity of the asteroid using small rocket thrusters.
- It also utilised this time to survey the surface and identify potential sites to take samples.
- In October 2020, the spacecraft briefly touched asteroid Bennu, from where it collected samples of dust and pebbles.
- Once the surface was disturbed, the spacecraft’s robotic arm captured some samples.
- The spacecraft’s engineers have also confirmed that shortly after the spacecraft made contact with the surface, it fired its thrusters and “safely backed away from Bennu”.
About Bennu
- Bennu is considered to be an ancient asteroid that has not gone through a lot of composition-altering change through billions of years, which means that below its surface lie chemicals and rocks from the birth of the solar system.
- Around 20-40 percent of Bennu’s interior is empty space and scientists believe that it was formed in the first 10 million years of the solar system’s creation, implying that it is roughly 4.5 billion years old.
- Bennu is a B-type asteroid, implying that it contains significant amounts of carbon and various other minerals.
- Because of its high carbon content, the asteroid reflects about four percent of the light that hits it, which is very low when compared with a planet.
- Bennu is named after an Egyptian deity.
- The asteroid was discovered by a team from the NASA-funded Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research team in 1999.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: 2-DG
Mains level: Paper 3- Drug developed by DRDO approved for Covid treatment
About the drug
- DRDO’s new anti-Covid oral drug, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), was recently granted emergency use approval by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).
- 2-DG halts the spread of COVID-19 inside the body cells.
- Clinical trial results have shown that this molecule helps in faster recovery of hospitalised patients and reduces supplemental oxygen dependence.
- In efficacy trends, the patients treated with 2-DG showed faster symptomatic cure than Standard of Care (SoC) on various endpoints.
- A significantly favourable trend (2.5 days difference) was seen in terms of the median time to achieving normalisation of specific vital signs parameters when compared to SoC.
How 2-DG reduces dependence on oxygen
- The 2 DG drug, like glucose, spreads through the body, reaches the virus-infected cells and prevents virus growth by stopping viral synthesis and destroys the protein’s energy production.
- The drug also works on virus infection spread into lungs which help us to decrease patients dependability on oxygen.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Hottest known planet
Mains level: Paper 3-Hottest known planet discoverd
About the plane
- TOI-1431b, also known as MASCARA-5b, was found 490 light-years from Earth and could be the hottest planet in the known universe.
- Researchers at the University of Southern Queensland’s Centre for Astrophysics in Toowoomba led the global team that made the discovery.
- NASA’s Training Exoplanet Survey Satellite first flagged TOI-1431b as a possible planet in late 2019.
- Dayside temperature reaches approximately 2700 degrees celcius and nightside temperature approaches approximately 2300 degrees celcius – no life could survive in its atmosphere.
- This temperature is significantly greater than the melting point of most metals, many of which will turn to liquid at under 2000 degrees celcius.
- Titanium melts at 1670 degrees, platinum at 1770 degrees, and stainless steel at between 1375 and 1530 degrees.
Planet with a retrograde orbit
- These types of planets, known as ultra-hot Jupiters, are rarely discovered but this particular one is even more unusual due to its retrograde orbit.
- In our Solar System, all the planets orbit in the same direction that the Sun rotates and they’re all along the same plane.
- This new planet’s orbit is tilted so much that it is actually going in the opposite direction to the rotation of its host star.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: RT-PCR Test
Mains level: Paper 2- Ct value in RT-PCR test
Recently, the Maharashtra government sought clarity from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on the threshold Ct value to treat a person Covid-negative.
What is Ct value
- Short for cycle threshold, Ct is a value that emerges during RT-PCR tests.
- In an RT-PCR test, RNA is extracted from the swab collected from the patient.
- It is then converted into DNA, which is then amplified.
- Amplification refers to the process of creating multiple copies of the genetic material — in this case, DNA.
- Amplification takes place through a series of cycles — one copy becomes two, two becomes four, and so on.
- Put simply, the Ct value refers to the number of cycles after which the virus can be detected.
- The lower the Ct value, the higher the viral load — because the virus has been spotted after fewer cycles.
Why Ct value is important
- According to the ICMR, a patient is considered Covid-positive if the Ct value is below 35.
- If the benchmark were to be lowered to 24 — the value mentioned in Maharashtra’s letter — it would mean that Ct values in the range 25-34 would not be considered positive.
- A benchmark of 35, therefore, means that more patients would be considered positive than we would get if the benchmark were 24.
- The ICMR has said lowering Ct threshold parameter may lead to missing several infectious persons.
Does Ct score indicate the severity of disease
- A small study published in the Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology in January this year found that there was no correlation between Ct values and severity of disease or mortality in patients with Covid-19 disease.
- It found that the time since the onset of symptoms has a stronger relationship with Ct values as compared to the severity of the disease.
- The Ct value tells us about the viral load in the throat and not in the lungs.
- The Ct value does not correlate with severity – only with infectivity.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Type 1 interferons
Mains level: Paper 2- Emergency use approval of Virafin
About the drug
- It is used in treating people with chronic hepatitis B and C.
- The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) granted emergency use approval for pharma major Zydus Cadila’s antiviral drug ‘Virafin’, to treat moderate COVID-19 disease in adults.
- When administered early on during COVID, Virafin will help patients recover faster and avoid much of the complications.
- It significantly reduces viral load when given early on and can help in better disease management.
Findings of the clinical trials
- A single dose subcutaneous regimen of the antiviral Virafin [a pegylated interferon alpha-2b (PegIFN)] will make the treatment more convenient for the patients.
- When administered early on during COVID, Virafin will help patients recover faster and avoid much of the complications.
- In the phase-3 trials, the drug was able to achieve “better clinical improvement in the patients suffering from COVID-19”.
- A “higher proportion (91.15%) of patients administered the drug were RT-PCR negative by day seven as it ensures faster viral clearance”.
- The drug reduced the duration for supplemental oxygen to 56 hours from 84 hours in moderate COVID-19 patients.
How the drug works
- Type I interferons are the body’s first line of defence against many viral infections.
- In old people, the ability to produce interferon alpha in response to viral infections gets reduced, which might be the reason for higher mortality.
- The drug when administered early during the disease can replace this deficiency and help in the recovery process.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Consolidated Sinking Fund (CSF)
Mains level: Paper 3- RBI extends WMA scheme
About Ways and Means credit
- Simply put, it is a facility for both the Centre and states to borrow from the RBI.
- WMAs are temporary advances given by the RBI to the government to tide over any mismatch in receipts and payments.
- Section 17(5) of the RBI Act, 1934 authorises the central bank to lend to the Centre and state governments subject to their being repayable “not later than three months from the date of the making of the advance”.
Extension of the scheme
- The RBI decided to continue with the existing interim Ways and Means Advances (WMA) scheme limit of ₹51,560 crore for all States/ UTs shall for six months given the prevalence of COVID-19.
- Based on the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on WMA to State Governments, 2021 — chaired by Sudhir Shrivastava — the RBI had revised the WMA Scheme of States and Union Territories (UTs).
- The WMA limit arrived at by the Committee based on total expenditure of States/ UTs, works out to ₹47,010 crore.
What RBI said about SDR
- The RBI further said Special Drawing Facility (SDF) availed by state governments and UTs will continue to be linked to the quantum of their investments in marketable securities issued by the Government of India.
- The net annual incremental investments in Consolidated Sinking Fund (CSF) and Guarantee Redemption Fund (GRF) will continue to be eligible for availing of SDF, without any upper limit.
- CSF and GRF are reserve funds maintained by some State Governments with the Reserve Bank of India.
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Health and Animal Husbandry teams have launched preventive measures and initiated an epidemiological investigation, after one case of brucellosis, was confirmed in a prisoner.
- The infection is passed on to humans through the ingestion of unpasteurized milk and milk products or contact with animal secretions.
Brucellosis:
- Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that mainly infects cattle, swine, goats, sheep and dogs.
- Humans can get infected if they come in direct contact with infected animals or by eating or drinking contaminated animal products or by inhaling airborne agents.
- According to the WHO, most cases of the disease are caused by ingesting unpasteurised milk or cheese from infected goats or sheep.
Symptoms:
- Fever, sweats, malaise, anorexia, headache and muscle pain
- While some signs and symptoms can last for long periods of time, others may never go away.
- These include recurrent fevers, arthritis, swelling of the testicles and scrotum area, swelling of the heart, neurologic symptoms, chronic fatigue, depression and swelling of the liver or spleen.
- Human to human transmission of the virus is rare.
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Initial estimates for 2020 energy demand and CO2 emission was released recently in an annual report Global Energy Review by International Energy Agency (IEA).
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- The Global Energy Review is annual update on the latest trends in world energy and CO2 emissions.
- It covers all the main fuels and technologies, providing insights across regions, economies and countries.
Highlights of the report:
- Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are on course to surgeby 1.5 billion tonnes in 2021 driven by in the resurgence of coal use in the power sector.
- The second-largest increase in history.
- This would be the biggest annual rise in emissions since 2010, during the carbon-intensive recovery from the global financial crisis.
- CO2 emissions will increase by almost five per cent in 2021 to 33 billion tonnes.
- The key driver is coal demand, which is set to grow by 4.5 per cent, surpassing its 2019 level and approaching its all-time peak from 2014, with the electricity sector accounting for three-quarters of this increase.
- Global energy demand is set to increase by 4.6 per cent in 2021, led by emerging markets and developing economies, pushing it above its 2019 level.
- Demand for all fossil fuels is on course to grow significantly in 2021, with both coal and gas set to rise above their 2019 levels.
- Oil is also rebounding strongly but is expected to stay below its 2019 peak, as the aviation sector remains under pressure.
- More than 80 per cent of the projected growth in coal demand in 2021 is set to come from Asia, led by China.
- Electricity generation from renewables is set to leap by over eight per cent in 2021.
- The biggest contribution to that growth comes from solar and wind.
- Electricity generation from wind is projected to grow by 275 terawatt-hours, or around 17 per cent, from last year.
- Electricity generation from solar PV is expected to increase by 145 terawatt-hours, up almost 18 per cent from last year.
- Their combined output is on track to reach more than 2800 terawatt-hours in 2021.
- Renewables are set to provide 30 per cent of electricity generationworldwide in 2021.
- China is expected to account for almost half of the global increase in electricity generation from renewables, followed by the US, the European Union and India.
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India has been ranked at the 87th position among 115 countries in the Energy Transition Index (ETI).
- The latest report is based on a revised ETI methodology that takes into account recent changes in the global energy landscape and the increasing urgency of climate change action.
- 92 out of 115 countries tracked on the ETI increased their aggregate score over the past 10 years, which affirms the positive direction and steady momentum of the global energy transition
Highlights of the report:
- The top 10 countries in the index are Western and Northern European countries.
- Sweden is in the first position followed by Norway (2nd) and Denmark (3rd).
- Other countries in the top 10 are Switzerland (4), Austria (5), Finland (6), the United Kingdom (7), New Zealand (8), France (9) and Iceland (10).
- China (68) and India (87), which collectively account for a third of global energy demand, have both made strong improvements over the past decade, despite coal continuing to play a significant role in their energy mix.
- “China”s improvements primarily result from reducing the energy intensity of the economy, gains in decarbonising the energy mixthrough the expansion of renewables and strengthening the enabling environment through investments and infrastructure.
- Zimbabwe is the last ranked country.
India specific highlights:
- India has been ranked at the 87th position among 115 countries.
- India has targeted improvements through subsidy reforms and rapidly scaling energy access, with a strong political commitment and regulatory environment for the energy transition.
About the Energy Transition Index (ETI):
- ETI is a report from World Economic Forum (WEF).
- It is an annual ranking.
- The index tracks nations on the current performance of their energy systems across various aspects.
- The index benchmarks 115 countries on the current performance of their energy systems across three dimensions :
- Economic development and growth
- Environmental sustainability
- Energy security and access indicators — and their readiness to transition to secure, sustainable, affordable, and inclusive energy systems.
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