Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE
Topics Covered
- Eat Right India Initiative
- Synthetic Biology
- Accessible India Campaign
- Indus Water Treaty
- India – UAE CEPA
- Leprosy
- Facts for Prelims
1 . Eat Right India Initiative
Context : In a first-of-its-kind initiative, four police stations in the national capital’s New Delhi district have been designated as ‘Eat Right Campus’ by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for providing nutritious and wholesome meals daily to police personnel at their canteens and mess. The four police stations, the first in the country which have met the benchmark for FSSAI’s five-star category certificate, are Barakhamba Road Police Station, Tilak Marg Police Station, Connaught Place Police Station and Mandir Marg Police Station. The scheme is already in place since 2017 in several government institutions including colleges and hostels.
What is the initiative?
- Eat Right India is a flagship mission of FSSAI, a statutory body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
- The mission aims at ensuring that citizens of the country are provided nutritious meals which help in reducing the burden of various lifestyle-related diseases. Delhi government’s Department of Food Safety, which is the implementing body of the initiative in the capital, has launched a programme called ‘Sehatmand Delhi’ under which places that can be designated as ‘Eat Right Campus’ are identified.
- The initiative works on three principles, i.e., to ensure that the food being served to officers, jawans, visitors and staff is safe to consume and in compliance with the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006. Secondly, it aims at promoting balanced meals and eliminating trans-fats or “bad fat” found in industrial food products, which has a negative health impact. In addition, it also ensures reduction in consumption of salt and sugar that increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The programme also aims at promoting local and seasonal vegetables and reducing the use of chemicals.
How does one get the ‘eat right’ tag?
- In order to receive the ‘Eat Right Campus’ certificate, the programme mandates a preliminary audit of the campus and identifying any gaps in cooking and hygiene. Subsequently, a final audit by a third party is conducted before a certificate, which has a validity of two years, is handed out. Regular inspections will be carried out by the Food Safety Department or audit agencies in the two years to keep a check on the food quality, until the certification is renewed.
- A team of Delhi Police’s New Delhi district took up the task of incorporating the scheme in their police stations in order to provide healthy and nutritional diets to its personnel. An audit of several police stations across the New Delhi district had been carried out by the FSSAI. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Deepak Yadav said there were certain shortcomings found in an earlier audit with regard to the food provided in the district’s four police stations.
- “We introduced a few changes in the procedure of cooking. Food ingredients and cooking oil were changed while filtered water was introduced; the cooks were also trained,” the DCP said. Thereafter, in a recent audit, the four police stations fulfilled the criteria and were designated as ‘Eat Right Campus’.
Why does it matter?
- Police officials said the primary reason behind taking up the initiative was the welfare of all personnel. “Police personnel face difficult tasks during their duties and we have seen that they often fall sick after consuming unhygienic food from outside or from the police station’s mess. Kitchens inside police stations are usually ignored and hence it affects the cooking,” a senior police officer admitted.
- An officer posted with the Connaught Place Police Station said that earlier, many police personnel ate from roadside eateries near the police station but after a new kitchen was constructed under the programme, things have changed. “Specific diet charts have been chalked out to ensure that all police staff and visitors are provided wholesome meals. They are budget-friendly too,” the officer said.
- Some of the changes that have been introduced at the four police stations include a ban on the use of plastic or aluminium plates in favour of steel plates. An officer said: “Cooking oil has been changed and better quality lentils are now used for meals…cooks are directed to follow a dress code where they will have to wear gloves and caps, while the cooking process is recorded on CCTV cameras.”
What lies ahead?
- DCP Yadav said the next objective is to get all police stations in his district designated as ‘Eat Right Campus’. “We want to implement the programme in all nine police stations in the New Delhi district and set an example for other police stations across Delhi and the country to provide hygienic meals to its personnel,” he said.
- Neha Bansal, Commissioner of Food Safety, Delhi government, said: “Our aim was to provide safe, nutritious and sustainable meals to police personnel…we are in the process of formalising a tender to rope in other police stations across districts under the initiative.”
2 . Synthetic Biology
Context : The Centre is working on a national policy on synthetic biology, an emerging science that deals with engineering life forms for a wide range of applications from making designer medicines to foods.
Background
- As part of the 12th Five-Year Plan, India had set up a task force on systems biology and synthetic biology research in 2011.
- This body underlined the potential benefits from synthetic biotechnology in biofuels, bioremediation, biosensors, food and health and made a strong case for a push for the technology and highlighted that India could be a world leader as a protector and supporter of “open source biological platforms”.
- However, Parliament is yet to clear the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2013, that had mooted the creation of an independent regulator to adjudicate research around genetic engineering that could have also encompassed synthetic biology. There’s also a ban on commercial genetically modified brinjal and many States have restrictions on field trials on GM food crops.
Compilation Document
- A recent 70-page ‘compilation’ document, as it is called, lays out the state of synthetic biology internationally with respect to research and development and the involvement of the private sector, globally, in dealing with synthetic biology.
- Synthetic biology, the report notes, is seen as one of the top 10 breakthrough technologies as part of the “new industrial revolution” that are “most likely to change the world”, and the regulation of both the benefits and risks become important for the international community and the accelerating pace of scientific research and research irregularities about the specific benefits of synthetic biology created “complex challenges” for national regulation.
- “The regulatory challenge is how to leverage its anticipated benefits while guarding against its potential risks. The laws and regulations framework governing traditional tools and products of biotechnology can be applicable to this relatively nascent field in some ways, but most often it fails to fully adapt to the evolving possibilities of synthetic biology,” it notes.
- Instances of application of synthetic biology include the use of gene editing systems such as CRISPR that allow defective genes in animals, plants and even people to be silenced, or changed, and control biological outcomes.
About Synthetic Biology
- Synthetic biology is a field of science that involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities. Synthetic biology researchers and companies around the world are harnessing the power of nature to solve problems in medicine, manufacturing and agriculture.
What can synthetic biology do?
Redesigning organisms so that they produce a substance, such as a medicine or fuel, or gain a new ability, such as sensing something in the environment, are common goals of synthetic biology projects. Some examples of what scientists are producing with synthetic biology are:
- Microorganisms harnessed for bioremediation to clean pollutants from our water, soil and air.
- Rice modified to produce beta-carotene, a nutrient usually associated with carrots, that prevents vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A deficiency causes blindness in 250,000 – 500,000 children every year and greatly increases a child’s risk of death from infectious diseases.
- Yeast engineered to produce rose oil as an eco-friendly and sustainable substitute for real roses that perfumers use to make luxury scents.
What is the difference between synthetic biology and genome editing?
- In synthetic biology, scientists typically stitch together long stretches of DNA and insert them into an organism’s genome. These synthesized pieces of DNA could be genes that are found in other organisms or they could be entirely novel.
- In genome editing, scientists typically use tools to make smaller changes to the organism’s own DNA. Genome editing tools can also be used to delete or add small stretches of DNA in the genome
3 . Indus Water Commission
Context : A 10-member Indian delegation will visit Pakistan for the annual meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission from March 1 to 3, a senior Jal Shakti Ministry official said on Sunday. In a first since the signing of the Indus Water Treaty between the two countries, three woman officers will also be part of the Indian delegation, the official said.
What is Indus Water Treaty?
- In the year 1960, India and Pakistan signed a water distribution agreement — came to be known as Indus Water Treaty which was orchestrated by the World Bank.
- This agreement took nine years of negotiations and divides the control of six rivers between the two nations once signed.
- Under this treaty, India got control over: Beas, Ravi, Sutlej (Eastern Rivers)
- Pakistan got control over: Indus, Chenab, Jhelum (Western Rivers)
Why this treaty is important for Pakistan
- Indus, Chenab and Jhelum are the lifelines of Pakistan as the country is highly dependent on these rivers for its water supply. Since these rivers do not originate from Pakistan but flow to the country through India, Pakistan fears the threat of drought and famine.
- While Chenab and Jhelum originate from India, Indus originates from China, making its way to Pakistan via India.
- The treaty clearly spells the do’s and don’ts for both countries; as it allows India to use only 20 per cent of the total water carried by the Indus river.
Permanent Indus Commission
- The Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) is a bilateral commission consisting of officials from India and Pakistan, created to implement and manage the goals and objectives and outlines of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)
- PIC is the channel of correspondence between the two countries for the purpose of IWT and first step for conflict resolution. If an agreement cannot be reached at the PIC level, the dispute can be referred to a Neutral Expert for the differences already identified in the treaty or referred to the two governments for approaching the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). If the governments too fail to reach an agreement, the Treaty provides an arbitration mechanism.
- Under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960, the two Commissioners are required to meet at least once every year, alternately in India and Pakistan.
- Under the provisions of Article VIII(5) of the Indus Waters Treaty, the Permanent Indus Commission is required to meet regularly at least once a year, alternately in India and Pakistan.
4 . Accessible India Campaign
About Accessible India Campaign
- The main objective of the campaign is to make public spaces friendly for persons with disabilities.The campaign is also called Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan.
- The scheme was launched by Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- The initiative is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to which India signed in 2007.
- The scheme was also launched under Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995. Under the act, the scheme comes under the jurisdiction of sections 44, 45 and 46 that provides equal opportunities and protection of rights in transport sector to those who are physically challenged.
- Apart from public buses, the Accessible India Campaign, was aimed at making government buildings, airports, railway stations and government websites accessible to persons with disabilities.
Targets of the campaign
- The campaign aims at making at least 50% of government owned buildings as disabled-friendly. It was aimed at doing in three phases.
- In phase 1, the campaign focused on making international airports disabled-friendly by 2016.
- In phase 2, it aimed at making 25% of public transport vehicles disabled-friendly by 2018.
- In phase 3, it aimed at making 50% of government buildings disabled-friendly.
5 . India – UAE CEPA
Context : On February 18, 2022, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) inked a trade pact, Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) during a virtual summit led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The agreement came after a fast tracked three month negotiation between the Indian and the UAE teams. India has been part of global trade organisations like the WTO but this latest trade pact is unique and has broader implications.
What is the India-UAE CEPA about?
- The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement is a bilateral trade pact that will cover over a period of time 90% of India’s exports
- This will include leather, processed agriculture and dairy products, handicrafts, gems and jewellery, furniture, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, engineering products and nearly the entire spectrum of items produced by the Indian economy.
- Apart from the goods sector, it will also include the services sector. Indian officials said that they expect the services sector to boom by $15 billion in the coming five years.
- Deal has strong anti-dumping measures integrated into it which will prevent any country from dumping its products into the Indian market by using the route of the UAE.
- Very strong rules of origin clauses that will disallow any country to export goods to India taking advantage of relaxed tariff on the Indian side.
- An official source mentioned that India wants 40% value addition into a product from a third country before it could be exported to India through UAE.
How will the trade pact benefit India-UAE economic ties?
- India-UAE economic ties are marked by the flow of remittances from the oil rich Gulf country to India.
- The country hosts at least 3 million Indians who work in diverse sectors of the economy of the Emirates and provides it with vital manpower support at all levels.
- According to a study, 82% of India’s total remittances originated from seven countries that included Gulf countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait. In 2019, India received $83 billion from the Gulf region. The figure was marginally affected in 2020 when large number of Indian workers returned home because of pandemic related economic distress.
- The India-UAE economic relation at present is shaped by the remittances that remain much greater than the $60 billion bilateral trade. The remittances are expected to rise with full economic recovery of the UAE’s post-pandemic economy. FTA will also increase remittances as Indian investments in UAE will bring Indian employees into the Gulf country.
Why did PM Modi refer to the western Quad?
- The western Quad consisting of Israel, India, UAE and the United States has been a regional factor ever since it was convened last October which was followed by a ministerial meeting of the four countries.
- The western quad is marked by the diplomatic breakthroughs between Israel and the United Arab Emirates which recently hosted Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
- It is understood that UAE as part of its post pandemic recovery plans is planning to revitalise its trade links with the region from the Mediterranean coast to Turkey on one hand and India and South Asia on the other.
- USA and the UAE are among the biggest trading partners of India, and Israel is among the top technology support providers for India. All four are connected by currents of security and trade.
What will be the immediate outputs of the FTA?
- The FTA will allow goods from UAE, especially the famed dates of UAE to enter India. Most of the Indian exports similarly will benefit from the “zero tariff” that UAE is expected to grant.
- This move will allow increased visibility of Indian products in the UAE. The reduction in tariff for Indian jewellery and gems will allow it to enter the UAE in greater volume.
How is the CEPA different from other such trade agreements India is negotiating with countries like Australia?
- Most of the other agreements are expected to be “early harvest agreements” or interim agreements till both sides conclude the final agreement in a comprehensive manner.
- The India-UAE FTA however is comprehensive in nature, announced Piyush Goyal to highlight the vast scope of items that will come under it. Early harvest agreements are expected to include goods and products. But the CEPA will have a greater spread of both goods as well as services.
6 . Leprosy
Context : The COVID-19 pandemic leading to social distancing and lockdowns caused a fall of 62.5% in the detection of active leprosy cases between April and September 2020 when compared with the cases identified during the corresponding period in 2021 in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, says a study.
Details of the Study
- In 2019, these States accounted for 35% of the total new leprosy cases reported in the country. They reported 22,000 new cases from April to September in 2019, but only 8,270 for the corresponding period in 2020.
- The report highlights that the proportions of multibacillary (MB) leprosy and grade-2 disability (G2D) among the new cases increased by 20% and 12%, respectively, from April to September 2020, compared with the figures for the corresponding six-month period in 2019.
- Moreover, the proportion of women and children among new cases decreased by 70% from the numbers during the two quarters in 2019.
- These figures were shared by the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP), notes the report.
About Leprosy
- Leprosy also known as Hansen’s disease (also known as leprosy) is an infection caused by slow-growing bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae.
- It can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose (nasal mucosa).
- With early diagnosis and treatment, the disease can be cured.
- People with Hansen’s disease can continue to work and lead an active life during and after treatment.
- Leprosy was once feared as a highly contagious and devastating disease, but now we know it doesn’t spread easily and treatment is very effective. However, if left untreated, the nerve damage can result in crippling of hands and feet, paralysis, and blindness.
7 . Facts for Prelims
Active galactic nuclei
- Observations showing a roughly dough-nut-shaped cloud of cosmic dust and gas shrouding a huge black hole at the heart of a galaxy similar in size to our Milky Way are providing scientists with new clarity about the universe’s most energetic objects.
- According to scientists their observations involving the supermassive black hole at the centre of galaxy Messier 77 and its surrounding cloud lend support to predictions made three decades ago about what are called “active galactic nuclei.”
- Active Galactic nuclei are places at the centres of many large galaxies that have tremendous luminosity – sometimes outshining all of a galaxy’s billions of stars combined – and produce the universe’s most energetic outbursts seen since the Big Bang event 13.8 billion years ago. The energy arises from gas violently falling into a supermassive black hole that is surrounded by a cloud of tiny particles of rock and soot along with mostly hydrogen gas.
- Black holes are extraordinarily dense objects possessing gravitational pulls so powerful even light cannot escape them. Supermassive black holes, which reside at the centre of many galaxies, including our own, are the largest of them.
- Messier 77, also called NGC 1068 or the Squid Galaxy, is located 47 million light years – the distance light travels in a year, 9.5 trillion km – from the Earth in the constellation Cetus. Its supermassive black hole has a mass roughly 10 million times greater than our sun.
Gravitational Microlensing
- When the universe was very young, hot and dense – soon after the Big Bang, it must have had quantum fluctuations of its density. This, in turn, would have caused some regions to become extremely dense, and therefore, to collapse under their own gravity to form the primordial black holes.
- While there is no conclusive evidence of spotting these objects, some of the binary black hole mergers detected by the LIGO gravitational wave detectors might be primordial black holes.
- When such objects get in the way of gravitational waves travelling towards the Earth from the distance. They invoke a phenomenon called gravitational lensing that is used regularly in astronomy
- When light travels through space and passes near a massive or compact body – a star, a galaxy or a black hole, for example, the intense gravity of that body may attract the light towards it, bending it from its rectilinear (straight line) path. This phenomenon is known as gravitational lensing and was first observed by Arthur Eddington in 1919.
- Massive objects like galaxies can bend light significantly, producing multiple images, this is called strong lensing. Lighter objects like stars or black holes bend light less, and this is called microlensing.
- A similar lensing can happen to gravitational waves travelling towards the Earth, and this would leave signatures in the detected gravitational waves. This can be used to detect the presence, or the existence, of primordial black holes.