Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE
Topics Covered
- THBCD
- High level committee on sub categorisaton
- Batadrava Than
- Facts for Prelims
1 . THBCD
Context: Jammu CSIR lab finds cannabis compound that has antibiotic effects.
About the news
- Scientists at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, have found that phytocannabinoids, a class of compounds found in the cannabis plant, possess some hitherto unexplored antibiotic properties.
How is THCBD made?
- Cannabinoids are a class of compounds found in the cannabis plant. The prefix ‘phyto’ in phytocannabinoid means it comes from a plant.
- Cannabinoids bind to receptors in the bodies of animals to produce a variety of neurological effects.
- The researchers extracted cannabidiol from a cannabis plant and made it react with hydrogen, using palladium as a catalyst. This process yielded a mixture of molecules with the same composition and order of atoms but different structures. One of them was tetrahydrocannabidiol (THCBD).
What were THCBD’s effects?
- the researchers tested THCBD against bacterial cultures in the lab. The minimum quantity found to be efficacious against a strain of Gram-positive S. aureus used commonly in AMR research was found to be 0.25 g/ml, which the researchers called “potent”.
- They found THCBD “demonstrated strong effectiveness” against efflux pump overexpression and MRSA strains.
- They also wrote THCBD “significantly reduced” the number of viable microbial cells of S. aureus skin infections in mice.
- they found that the compound either complemented or was indifferent to the effects of other common antibiotics like mupirocin, penicillin G, and ciprofloxacin, meaning they could be used together.
Is THCBD well-studied?
- The researchers called the study “very exciting” and “thought-provoking”.
- On one hand, it is well aligned towards the development of new therapeutics against AMR and on the other, it brings the less explored but highly potent phytocannabinoids into the fold of AMR research.
- it wasn’t in the fold till now as THCBD comes from cannabis, which is notorious for its intoxicating properties. As a result it hasn’t been easy to collaborate on phytocannabinoid research with other institutes.
- research related to cannabis comes up against legal constraints and the need to adhere to specific regulations when studying the plant. For example, Section 20 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985 restricts the use of cannabis and doesn’t make exceptions for research.
- By highlighting the anti-bacterial nature of cannabis, the project will go a long way towards circumventing the taboo around it, and transform it into a valuable resource.
What is the solubility challenge?
- Solubility is an important consideration for a drug. For example, many antibiotics are administered orally. Before their active ingredients can be absorbed at a specific site in the body, the drug will need to dissolve in an aqueous solution. If it doesn’t dissolve properly, the body won’t be able to absorb it as intended.
- Among other things, solubility is influenced by the properties of the solvent. For example, a molecule can be too hydrophilic (water-loving) or lipophilic (fat-loving).
- In a biological system, the cytoplasm – which fills the inside of a cell – is a gelatinous liquid and the cell’s wall is primarily composed of lipids.A drug molecule in this milieu should be neither too hydrophilic nor too lipophilic but in between.
- THCBD “leans slightly towards lipophilicity”. Achieving this “drug-like” balance is crucial for it to be appropriately soluble.
2 . High level committee on sub categorisaton
Context: The Union government has formed a high-level committee of secretaries, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, to evaluate and work out a method for the equitable distribution of benefits, schemes and initiatives to the most backward communities among the over 1,200 Scheduled Castes (SCs) across the country, that have been crowded out by relatively forward and dominant ones.
Need for the Committee:
- Committee’s formation is the result of a meeting Prime Minister chaired in 2023, after promising to look into the demand for sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes as raised by the Madiga community in Telangana in the run-up to the Assembly elections there last year.
- The Madiga community constitutes at least 50% of the SC population in Telangana, where SCs comprise around 15% of the total population (2011 Census). For decades, the Madiga community has said that despite their numbers, they are crowded out of government benefits meant for SCs, including reservation, by the Mala community — another SC — which is dominant and relatively forward.
- Like the Madiga community, SC communities in several States have said that they have been routinely crowded out of benefits meant for SCs by dominant and relatively forward communities in their category.
- Commissions formed by State and Union governments have also supported the argument that several SC communities often miss out on benefits. As a result, multiple States like Punjab, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu have tried to bring in reservation laws at the State level in a bid to sub-categorise SCs and decide on a separate quantum of reservation for these subcategories within the umbrella of SCs— all of which are held up in courts.
- The present high-level panel of Secretaries has been formed with a strict mandate to look into “other ways of taking care of their grievances”.
- While the committee’s formation comes on the heels of the PM’s promise to the Madiga community, its scope is larger than just one community in one State as it will be looking at ways to address similar issues faced by similarly-placed SC communities across the country.
- A seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is expected to soon start hearing the matter of whether sub-categorisation of SCs and STs is at all permissible.
What will the panel do?
- The Committee will consist of Secretaries from the Home Ministry, the Law Ministry, the Tribal Affairs Ministry, the Social Justice Ministry and the Department of Personnel and Training in addition to the Cabinet Secretary.
- With the question of breaking up the SC quota off the table, the panel will look into ways in which benefits of other government schemes and initiatives can be focused towards these SC communities.
- This includes ways to design special initiatives for communities that need it and focusing existing programmes and schemes towards them to ensure a more even distribution of benefits. While it has not been given a specific deadline, the committee has been asked to present its findings at the earliest.
- The panel will have to figure out on what basis SC communities are going to be shortlisted for special attention, find out the extent to which special initiatives need to be designed for each of them, and then find a way to deliver them. While sources have indicated that the panel has been instructed not to veer off into the question of breaking up the SC quota, nothing prevents it from forming an opinion on this matter for the government’s consideration, if necessary.
Past Attempts
- The demand of the Madigas was raised as early as 1994, which led to the Union government seeking legal options to do the same in 2005. At the time, the erstwhile Attorney General of India had opined that the sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes was possible and that the Constitution could be amended to bring this about. But he had also stressed that this could happen only if there was “unimpeachable evidence to indicate a necessity” for it, suggesting that there needs to be a mechanism to gather empirical evidence to prove the necessity of sub-categorisation.
- At the time, both the National Commissions for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and Scheduled Tribes (NCST) had opposed the move to amend the Constitution, arguing that just setting aside a quota within the quota would not be enough and that making sure existing schemes and benefits reach them on priority basis was more urgent. However, even the NCST and NCSC had in 2005 maintained that nothing in the Constitution’s Articles 341 and 342 explicitly prevented Parliament from sub-categorising SCs and STs.
- These Articles vest the powers of notifying SC and ST lists with the President of India and of creating the lists with Parliament, with no specific instruction as to whether there can be sub-categorisation within these lists respectively. In fact, the Commissions had gone one step ahead and argued that Article 16(4) of the Constitution of India already provided for States to create special provisions for any backward classes it felt was under-represented.
3 . Batadrava Than
Context: Rahul Gandhi prevented from visiting Batadrava Than.
What is the Batadrava Than?
- Located in Nagaon district, the Batadrava Than, or Bordowa Than, is one of the most sacred sites for Assamese Vaishnavites. The Than is situated at the birthplace of revered Vaishnavite reformer-saint Srimanta Sankardeva (1449-1568).
- Sankardeva founded the first-ever Kirtan Ghar at Bordowa in 1494 AD to practise and preach the neo Vaishnavite faith during the fifteenth century in Assam, and propagated the Ek Saran Naam Dharma.
What was Srimanta Sankardeva’s philosophy?
- The Ek Saran Naam Dharma focussed on worship in the form of bhakti (devotion) to Lord Krishna, through singing and congregational listening of His name and deeds.
- Sankardeva espoused a society based on equality and fraternity, free from caste differences, orthodox Brahmanical rituals and sacrifices. His teaching focused on prayer and chanting (naam) instead of idol worship. His dharma was based on the four components of deva (god), naam (prayers), bhakats (devotees), and guru (teacher).
- The Neo-Vaishnavite reformist movement that Sankardeva started is behind the monastic institutions called Thans/Sattras that dot Assam. As the saint travelled across Assam, spreading his teachings, these Sattras/Thans were established as centres of religious, social and cultural reforms in the 16th century.
- Today, the Sattras promulgate Sankardeva’s unique “worship through art” approach with music (borgeet), dance (xattriya) and theatre (bhauna). Each Sattra has a naamghar (worship hall) as its nucleus and is headed by an influential “Sattradhikar”.
4 . Facts for Prelims
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar:
- Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) is given to children with exceptional abilities and outstanding achievements.
- The awards are given to children in the age group 5 – 18 years for their excellence in seven categories for Bravery, Art & Culture, Environment, Innovation, Science & Technology, Social Service and Sports that deserve national recognition.
- Each awardee of PMRBP is given a medal, certificate and a citation booklet.
BHISHM Cube of Project Arogya Maitri:
- Two Arogya Maitri Disaster Management Cube-BHISHM, revolutionary mobile hospitals equipped with cutting-edge technology, have been deployed in Ayodhya to bolster medical readiness and response capabilities during the upcoming ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony.
- The cube is a part of the broader initiative named “Project BHISHM” – Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog, Hita and Maitri, is tailored to treat up to 200 casualties, emphasizing rapid response and comprehensive care.
- The Aid Cube is equipped with several innovative tools designed to enhance disaster response and medical support during emergencies. It integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analytics to facilitate effective coordination, real-time monitoring, and efficient management of medical services in the field.
- These cubes are robust, waterproof, and light, designed for various configurations, making them ideal for diverse emergency scenarios.
- Advanced medical equipment, RFID-tagged for efficient repacking and redeployment, is a key feature of the Cube.