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Time: 40 Min. Date: 19-06-2021
Science and Technology
Role of Animal Serum in Vaccine Making
Syllabus: GS 3/Developments, Applications & Effects on Everyday Life
In News
Recently, the Government issued a clarification stating that the Covaxin vaccine did not contain the serum of a newborn calf.
Background
● Animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has cited reports that Covaxin uses Newborn Calf Serum (NBCS) during the production stage.
● The calves used in the extraction of this serum are taken away from their mothers shortly after birth, which traumatises and distresses both the mother and calf.
○ The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, prohibits the slaughter of pregnant animals and animals less than three months old. ● PETA India has urged the Drugs Controller General of India to direct vaccine
manufacturers to replace newborn calf serum (NBCS) with animal-free which is
commercially available and chemically-defined media for the production of the COVID-19 vaccine.
○ Animal-free media could be used to grow Vero cells for virus production instead of using NBCS extracted by slaughtering calves.
● PETA also claimed that the use of animal-derived components such as NBCS in vaccine production compromises the quality and reproducibility of research and is often associated with the risk of contamination by non-human proteins and pathogens.
Government Response
● The Union Health Ministry stated that the final vaccine (Covaxin) “does not contain NBCS at all and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product. ● The NBCS was used only for the preparation/growth of Vero cells.
DAILY CURRENT
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○ Vero cells are used to establish cell lives which help in the production of
vaccines. This technique has been used for decades in Polio, Rabies, and Influenza vaccines.
○ These Vero cells, after the growth, are washed with water, chemicals (also
technically known as a buffer), many times to make them free from the newborn calf serum. Thereafter, these Vero cells are infected with coronavirus for viral growth.
○ Thereafter this grown virus is also killed (inactivated) and purified. This killed virus is then used to make the final vaccine.
○ Hence, the final vaccine (Covaxin) does not contain newborn calf serum at all and the calf serum is not an ingredient of the final vaccine product."
● Covaxin is highly purified to contain only the inactivated virus components by removing all other impurities.
How are Viruses Cultured?
● Vaccines like the one made by Bharat Biotech uses the disease-causing virus itself to trigger an immune response in human beings.
● The virus is killed, or inactivated, before being used in the vaccine, and injected into the human body, but it is still able to trigger an immune response.
● The virus needs to be grown, or cultured, in the laboratory to be used in the vaccine. ○ Scientists try to create conditions conducive for the growth of these viruses by
recreating the kind of environment that exists in an infected person’s tissues.
○ Therefore, solutions containing ‘nutrients’ act as the growth medium for the virus.
○ These nutrients, like specific sugar and salt molecules, are extracted from tissues of suitable animals like horses, cows, goats or sheep.
○ The virus grows in these nutrient-rich solutions. After that, it goes through several stages of purification that make it suitable to be used in a vaccine. ○ There is no trace of the growth medium after the entire process is over.
Why are Cow Components Used in Vaccine Development?
● The cow components are used mainly because cows are large animals, easily available, and rich in some of the useful chemicals and enzymes.
● Cow milk is a source of amino acids, and sugars such as galactose. Cow tallow derivatives used in vaccine manufacture include glycerol.
● Gelatin and some amino acids come from cow bones. Cow skeletal muscle is used to prepare broths used in certain complex media.
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● Synthetic serum, and other nutrients, have also been developed, but the serum from newborn calf, which has been used in vaccine production for over 50 years, has “proven
itself as an extremely effective growth supplement
● Animal Serum in vaccines
○ The animal serum has been used in the development of vaccines in other ways as well.
○ The use of horse serum as an antibody supplement in the diphtheria vaccine is more than 100 years old.
■ Horses used to be injected with small doses of bacteria that caused
diphtheria so that they could develop antibodies. Later, the blood of the
infected animal was used to extract the antibodies and used in the vaccine.
Image Courtesy: TOI
Covaxin
● It is developed by Hyderabad-based biotechnology firm Bharat Biotech in
collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.
● It is the first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine to receive approval.
● It is based on an inactivated virus platform, one of the oldest known methods to
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● This technique has been used historically for several other diseases including
Hepatitis A, Influenza, Polio and Rabies.
● It is more likely to work against newer variants of the virus, including the UK variant
as it contains immunogens (epitopes) from other genes in addition to those from Spike protein.
Vero cells
● Vero cells are derived from the kidney of an African green monkey, and are one of the more commonly used mammalian continuous cell lines in microbiology, and molecular and cell biology research.
● This unit includes protocols for the growth and maintenance of Vero cell lines in a
research laboratory setting.
● It has also been used in many other applications, including the propagation and study of intracellular bacteria and parasites, and assessment of the effects of chemicals, toxins and other substances on mammalian cells at the molecular level.
● For long term storage, Vero cells are kept either in liquid nitrogen or at -80°C. ● Vero cells usually take 2-3 passages to reach their regular growth rate, and this should
be taken into account if planning to use the cells for experiments, infections, etc. ● It is important to note that Vero cells are anchorage-dependent cells and therefore
cannot be grown in suspension.
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Defence and Internal Security
Integrated Tri-Service Theatre Commands
Syllabus: GS3/Defence, Various Security Agencies
In News
A high-level committee has been formed for wider consultations on the creation of integrated
tri-service theatre commands. About
● The panel includes the Vice-Chiefs of the three services, the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, and representatives from Ministries such as Home Affairs, Finance and Law.
● Some aspects like bringing in paramilitary forces, which are under the Home Ministry, under the purview of the theatre commands and financial implications that may arise in the process of integration has necessitated the move.
● Mandate: The committee will examine all issues and find a way forward before a formal note on their creation is sent to the Cabinet Committee on Security.
○ The issue is about fine-tuning the proposals and forming a consensus on the integrated tri-service theatre commands.
Integrated Theatre Command(Theaterisation)
● The idea of Theatre Command was suggested in the reports of the military reforms
committee – under Lt General (retd.) DB Shekatkar.
● It recommended the creation of 3 integrated theatre commands: northern for the China
border, western for the Pakistan border and southern for the maritime role.
● It enables the pooling of resources of all three services under a single commander, towards securing a particular geographical area.
● A theatre will be identified on the basis of its sharing of a contiguous geographical
boundary with a competing entity or an adversary.
○ The geographical area must also include adjoining seas and space that may be
essential for manoeuvre of own forces to address the threatening
entity/adversary and also its geographically contiguous collaborators.
● The commander of a Theatre Command will not be answerable to individual Service in
particular and will have all resources from the Tri-Services at his disposal.
○ The integrated theatre commander will be free to train, equip and exercise his
command to make it a cohesive fighting force capable of achieving designated goals.
○ The commander will have all the logistic resources required to support his operations at his disposal.
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● Equipment can be procured, maintained and pre-positioned for quick mobilisation and apt application during the envisaged, short-duration, high-intensity war.
● The allocation of military hardware, in terms of weapon systems, command, control and communication equipment and combat support elements will be theatre specific and result in optimisation of the resources.
● Unified command of the three Services under one designated commander will allow for
prompt and precise decision making and will remove unnecessary tri-services
one-man-up ships.
● Hence, it goes without saying, that the theatre commands will afford better
coordination, intelligence sharing, apt advice and seamless conduct of operations in a
given theatre of operation.
Challenges
● At the strategic and tactical levels there could be some challenges, like the distribution
of certain specialised resources which are held in limited numbers, e.g. multi-role
combat aircraft, command, control and communication equipment, early warning assets, etc.
● Division of such meagre resources will reduce combat efficiency at the point of decision. Alternately, these resources will have to be replicated for each theatre
command. The cost of the same will be prohibitive, especially when the country is going through trying economic times.
● Besides, interoperability of troops and equipment from dormant sectors to the active areas during war will be difficult and less effective because they would have been trained and equipped specifically to their primary sector of responsibility.
● Another serious challenge that could be faced is that the concept of a theatre command may promote a sense of “fighting battles, rather than fighting a war”, which in turn may reduce our ability to either win a battle or the war.
Current Command Structure in India
● The current structure of the armed forces includes 17 different commands. The Army and Airforce have 7 Commands each and 3 commands are headed by the Navy. Under the Army, the commands are the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, Central, Southwestern, Central and Maintenance and Training. The Navy is divided into Western, Eastern and Southern commands.
● Each command is headed by a 4-star rank military officer.
● India only has two tri-service commands. The first one is known as the Andaman and
Nicobar Command (ANC) and was created in 2001. It is led by service chiefs on a
rotational basis.
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Chief of Defense Staff
● The CDS is a high military office that oversees and coordinates the working of the three Services.
● It offers seamless tri-service views and single-point advice to the Executive. ● The CDS will also head the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) to be created
within the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and function as its Secretary.
● He will be a four-star General office and would not be eligible to hold any
government office after demitting the office of CDS.
● The CDS would come in the ambit of ‘Right to Information Act, in accordance with the provisions of the RTI Act, 2005.
Roles and responsibilities
● The CDS’s mandate includes bringing about jointness in operations, logistics,
transport, training, support services and repairs and maintenance of the three
services.
● He will act as the Principal Military Adviser to the Defence Minister on all tri-Services matters.
● The CDS will also be a member of the Defence Acquisition Council chaired by the
Defence Minister and Defence Planning Committee chaired by the NSA.
● The operational control of all the theatre commands will eventually come under CDS, with the service chiefs being responsible for raising, training and sustaining their forces.
Source: TH
Science and Technology
Space-Time Induces Neutrino Oscillations
Syllabus: GS3/ Science & Technology, Achievements of Indians in S&T
In News
Indian scientists have shown that the geometry of space-time can cause neutrinos to oscillate.
Neutrinos
● Neutrinos are the smallest particles currently known.
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● Neutrinos are everywhere, but they interact so weakly with the forces around hence, are hard to detect.
Key Findings
● Neutrinos are mysterious particles, produced copiously in nuclear reactions in the Sun, stars, and elsewhere.
● They “oscillate”- meaning that different types of neutrinos change into one another – as has been found in many experiments.
● Probing of oscillations of neutrinos and their relations with mass are crucial in studying the origin of the universe.
● Neutrinos interact very weakly with everything else – trillions of them pass through every human being every second without anyone noticing.
● A neutrino’s spin always points in the opposite direction of its motion, and until a few years ago, neutrinos were believed to be massless.
Cause Neutrino Oscillations
● The geometry of space-time can cause neutrino oscillations through quantum effects even if neutrinos are massless.
● Einstein’s theory of general relativity says that gravitation is the manifestation of space-time curvature.
● Neutrinos, electrons, protons and other particles, which are in the category of fermions, show a certain peculiarity when they move in presence of gravity.
● Space-time induces a quantum force in addition to gravity between every two fermions. ● This force can depend on the spin of the particles, and causes massless neutrinos to
appear massive when they pass through matter, like the Sun’s corona or the Earth’s atmosphere.
● Something similar happens for electroweak interactions, and together with the geometrically induced mass it is enough to cause oscillation of neutrinos. Source: PIB
International Relations
Biden-Putin Summit
Syllabus: GS2/ Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on
India’s interests
In News
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About the Summit
● The leaders of both the countries met at a highly anticipated summit at a time when both leaders say relations between their countries are at an all-time low.
● The US sought for a more predictable relationship between the “two great powers”. ● The leaders decided to return their Ambassadors in an attempt to lower tensions and
follow up bilateral engagements with “a strategic stability dialogue” on arms reduction.
Plunging US-Russia Ties
● When Russia ended its post-Soviet strategic retreat and adopted a more assertive foreign
policy, partly in response to NATO expansion into eastern Europe, the West saw it as a threat to its primacy.
● The 2008 Georgia war practically ended the camaraderie between “democratic Russia” and the West.
● The annexation of Crimea in 2014 renewed tensions. Russia was thrown out of the G8, and western sanctions followed.
● Ties hit rock bottom after allegations that Russian intelligence units had carried out
cyberattacks and run an online campaign to get Donald Trump elected President in the
2016 U.S. election.
● Ties between the two countries, as both leaders have admitted, are at the lowest point
since the end of the Cold War. Recent Tensions
● Today, there are structural issues in the U.S.-Russia ties.
● In March 2021, after assuming the White House, Mr. Biden described Mr. Putin as a “killer”. He also said the Russian leader was “going to pay” for the “interference” in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
● Russia is reeling under Western sanctions and seems determined to resist any move by NATO to expand into its backyard.
● Ukraine remains an unresolved crisis. Earlier this year, Russia had assembled Russian troops on the Ukraine border in a direct challenge to the US.
● Russia’s Ambassador to the U.S. was recalled from Washington about three months ago after Biden described Mr. Putin as a killer.
● The U.S. Ambassador to Russia left Moscow almost two months ago after Russia suggested he return to Washington for consultations.
● The bilateral relations between the two countries had practically collapsed after the recalling of Ambassadors by both countries.
● On the other side, Russia was steadily deepening its partnership with China.
Significance of the Summit
● Easing the hostility: One summit doesn’t resolve the serious foreign policy differences between the two former Cold War rivals, but both leaders have sought to ease the hostility. These geopolitical and bilateral issues cannot be resolved instantly but they can certainly take measures to prevent relations from worsening.
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Russia as a secondary challenge that needs to be tackled diplomatically, not only through coercion, if the U.S. wants to take on a rising China.
● Diplomatic Engagement with Russia: The US and Russia must reset their relationship to pragmatic levels and reduce tensions. The Geneva summit between the US President and his Russian counterpart has set a pragmatic tone for engagement between the two competing powers.
● Move to Reduce Tensions: Despite the differences, the leaders held talks on all critical issues, bringing diplomacy to the centre-stage. It’s too early to see any meaningful change in Russia-U.S. relations. While there was no major breakthrough, which was not expected anyway, they could at least demonstrate a willingness to strengthen engagement and reduce tensions.
The US: Main focus on China
● The US is reorienting American foreign policy to deal with the China challenge more effectively.
● In this regard, the US ended America’s support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, and is
pulling back all American troops from Afghanistan by September 11.
● In March 2021, the US called the first summit of Quad countries - the U.S., India, Japan and Australia - which decided to boost vaccine production to help other countries. ● The U.S. Congress passed the $250 billion tech and manufacturing Bill, which would
ensure funds for the semiconductor research, design, and manufacturing initiatives. The aim is undoubtedly to counter China.
● And then, The US President travelled to Europe to rally reluctant allies around the U.S. in the emerging geopolitical contest with China.
● When the US moves forward, focusing on China, Russia remains a distraction.
Western alliance: Targeting China
● When the US president went to Europe, the focus was on China - a sign of the emerging shifts in the global power balance.
● Mr. Biden held a host of talks with separate blocs in Europe - the Group of Seven (G7), NATO and the EU, with a focus on strengthening the western alliance.
● The G7 industrialised nations — the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan — issued a communique slamming China’s human rights records.
● Issues such as the detention of Uighurs in Xinjiang, the crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, growing tensions with Taiwan and the alleged lack of transparency on Covid-19 were all mentioned in the G7 statement.
● The 30-member NATO, whose traditional focus has been on Russia, has also issued a statement in which China has been mentioned multiple times.
● NATO members warned against the “systemic challenges to the rules-based international order” emanating from China’s rise.
● The U.S. and the 27-member EU have decided to cooperate more on technology, regulation, industrial development and trade in an attempt to help the West compete better with China. They have also decided to set up a high-level trade and technology council, which would boost innovation and investment.
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● The message from the Summit is that the leaders wanted to establish rules of engagement so that the countries can better address their differences and seek common ground on issues of mutual interest.
● The US should be less pessimistic about Russia’s foreign policy goals. Whether the US likes it or not, Russia, despite its weakened economic status, remains a great power. With some predictability in ties with Russia, the US can strengthen his China-focussed foreign policy.
● If Russia wants to restore its lost glory in global politics, then it should be ready to cooperate with the West. Permanent hostility with other powers cannot be of much help to Russia. And with a less hostile America, Russia can retain Russian influence in the country’s backyard.
● Both countries should be ready to address their critical concerns and agree to a cold peace, which would help in addressing other geopolitical problems such as Syria.
START I (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)
● It was a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the
reduction and the limitation of strategic offensive arms.
● The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 December 1994. ● The treaty barred its signatories from deploying more than 6,000 nuclear warheads and
a total of 1,600 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and bombers.
New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)
● It is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and the Russian
Federation.
● It was signed on 8 April 2010 in Prague, and, after ratification, entered into force on 5 February 2011.
● It is expected to last until 2026, having been extended in 2021.
● New START replaced the Treaty of Moscow (SORT), which was to expire in December 2012.
● It follows the START I treaty, which expired in December 2009; the proposed START II treaty, which never entered into force; and the START III treaty, for which negotiations were never concluded.
● The treaty calls for halving the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers.
● A new inspection and verification regime will be established, replacing the SORT mechanism.
Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT)
● The Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation. ● It was also known as the Treaty of Moscow.
● It was a strategic arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia that was in force from June 2003 until February 2011 when it was superseded by the New START treaty.
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Science and Technology
Sale of HTBt cotton Seeds Doubles
Syllabus: GS 3/Agriculture
In News
Recently, the U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their summit meeting at Geneva, Switzerland.
About the Summit
● The leaders of both the countries met at a highly anticipated summit at a time when both leaders say relations between their countries are at an all-time low.
● The US sought for a more predictable relationship between the “two great powers”. ● The leaders decided to return their Ambassadors in an attempt to lower tensions and
follow up bilateral engagements with “a strategic stability dialogue” on arms reduction.
Plunging US-Russia Ties
● When Russia ended its post-Soviet strategic retreat and adopted a more assertive foreign
policy, partly in response to NATO expansion into eastern Europe, the West saw it as a threat to its primacy.
● The 2008 Georgia war practically ended the camaraderie between “democratic Russia” and the West.
● The annexation of Crimea in 2014 renewed tensions. Russia was thrown out of the G8, and western sanctions followed.
● Ties hit rock bottom after allegations that Russian intelligence units had carried out
cyberattacks and run an online campaign to get Donald Trump elected President in the
2016 U.S. election.
● Ties between the two countries, as both leaders have admitted, are at the lowest point
since the end of the Cold War. Recent Tensions
● Today, there are structural issues in the U.S.-Russia ties.
● In March 2021, after assuming the White House, Mr. Biden described Mr. Putin as a “killer”. He also said the Russian leader was “going to pay” for the “interference” in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
● Russia is reeling under Western sanctions and seems determined to resist any move by NATO to expand into its backyard.
● Ukraine remains an unresolved crisis. Earlier this year, Russia had assembled Russian troops on the Ukraine border in a direct challenge to the US.
● Russia’s Ambassador to the U.S. was recalled from Washington about three months ago after Biden described Mr. Putin as a killer.
● The U.S. Ambassador to Russia left Moscow almost two months ago after Russia suggested he return to Washington for consultations.
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● On the other side, Russia was steadily deepening its partnership with China.
Significance of the Summit
● Easing the hostility: One summit doesn’t resolve the serious foreign policy differences between the two former Cold War rivals, but both leaders have sought to ease the hostility. These geopolitical and bilateral issues cannot be resolved instantly but they can certainly take measures to prevent relations from worsening.
● Dealing with China’s Challenge: With the China challenge in the background, the Geneva summit suggests that policymakers in the US have at least started thinking of Russia as a secondary challenge that needs to be tackled diplomatically, not only through coercion, if the U.S. wants to take on a rising China.
● Diplomatic Engagement with Russia: The US and Russia must reset their relationship to pragmatic levels and reduce tensions. The Geneva summit between the US President and his Russian counterpart has set a pragmatic tone for engagement between the two competing powers.
● Move to Reduce Tensions: Despite the differences, the leaders held talks on all critical issues, bringing diplomacy to the centre-stage. It’s too early to see any meaningful change in Russia-U.S. relations. While there was no major breakthrough, which was not expected anyway, they could at least demonstrate a willingness to strengthen engagement and reduce tensions.
The US: Main focus on China
● The US is reorienting American foreign policy to deal with the China challenge more effectively.
● In this regard, the US ended America’s support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, and is
pulling back all American troops from Afghanistan by September 11.
● In March 2021, the US called the first summit of Quad countries - the U.S., India, Japan and Australia - which decided to boost vaccine production to help other countries. ● The U.S. Congress passed the $250 billion tech and manufacturing Bill, which would
ensure funds for the semiconductor research, design, and manufacturing initiatives. The aim is undoubtedly to counter China.
● And then, The US President travelled to Europe to rally reluctant allies around the U.S. in the emerging geopolitical contest with China.
● When the US moves forward, focusing on China, Russia remains a distraction.
Western alliance: Targeting China
● When the US president went to Europe, the focus was on China - a sign of the emerging shifts in the global power balance.
● Mr. Biden held a host of talks with separate blocs in Europe - the Group of Seven (G7), NATO and the EU, with a focus on strengthening the western alliance.
● The G7 industrialised nations — the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan — issued a communique slamming China’s human rights records.
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● The 30-member NATO, whose traditional focus has been on Russia, has also issued a statement in which China has been mentioned multiple times.
● NATO members warned against the “systemic challenges to the rules-based international order” emanating from China’s rise.
● The U.S. and the 27-member EU have decided to cooperate more on technology, regulation, industrial development and trade in an attempt to help the West compete better with China. They have also decided to set up a high-level trade and technology council, which would boost innovation and investment.
Way Forward
● The message from the Summit is that the leaders wanted to establish rules of engagement so that the countries can better address their differences and seek common ground on issues of mutual interest.
● The US should be less pessimistic about Russia’s foreign policy goals. Whether the US likes it or not, Russia, despite its weakened economic status, remains a great power. With some predictability in ties with Russia, the US can strengthen his China-focussed foreign policy.
● If Russia wants to restore its lost glory in global politics, then it should be ready to cooperate with the West. Permanent hostility with other powers cannot be of much help to Russia. And with a less hostile America, Russia can retain Russian influence in the country’s backyard.
● Both countries should be ready to address their critical concerns and agree to a cold peace, which would help in addressing other geopolitical problems such as Syria.
START I (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)
● It was a bilateral treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the
reduction and the limitation of strategic offensive arms.
● The treaty was signed on 31 July 1991 and entered into force on 5 December 1994. ● The treaty barred its signatories from deploying more than 6,000 nuclear warheads and
a total of 1,600 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and bombers.
New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)
● It is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and the Russian
Federation.
● It was signed on 8 April 2010 in Prague, and, after ratification, entered into force on 5 February 2011.
● It is expected to last until 2026, having been extended in 2021.
● New START replaced the Treaty of Moscow (SORT), which was to expire in December 2012.
● It follows the START I treaty, which expired in December 2009; the proposed START II treaty, which never entered into force; and the START III treaty, for which negotiations were never concluded.
● The treaty calls for halving the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers.
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Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT)
● The Treaty Between the United States of America and the Russian Federation. ● It was also known as the Treaty of Moscow.
● It was a strategic arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia that was in force from June 2003 until February 2011 when it was superseded by the New START treaty.
16 Facts in News
Stygarctus Keralensis
● Recently, New tardigrade species named Stygarctus
keralensis were discovered from Vadakara.
○ They are tiny, they are tough, and the latest of their ilk to be identified has been named after Kerala. ● The new tardigrade is a species of the genus Stygarctus.
○ It is the eighth species named under the genus
Stygarctus, which grows up to a length of 130
micrometres (0.13 mm).
● Stygarctus keralensis is the first taxonomically described
marine tardigrade from the Indian waters, which makes
the discovery a significant one.
● The present discovery is an outcome of an ongoing
Ministry of Earth Sciences-National Centre for Earth Science Studies study on the ecology and diversity of submarine groundwater habitats of Kerala.
Tardigrades
● Tardigrades are so small and a high-end microscope is
required to study them .
● Commonly called ‘water bears’ and ‘moss piglets’, they also rank among the hardiest animals on planet earth
despite their minuscule size.
● They are very tough animals and are found everywhere
on earth, from mountain tops to the deep sea.
● They have survived five mass extinctions.
● They are also related to insects, spiders, and crustaceans and are the lesser-known taxa of invertebrates.
● They employ a curious process to deal with environmental stress. Called ‘cryptobiosis’, it brings their metabolic activities to a reversible standstill. A death-like state, more or less.
● Certain tardigrade species can withstand extreme temperatures, pressures, radiation, and dehydration.
17 Namami Gange
Programme
● A tripartite Concession Agreement between National
Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Kolkata Metropolitan
Development Authority (KMDA) and M/s. Maheshtala Waste Water Management Private Limited was signed for the development of a 35 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant for Maheshtala on Hybrid Annuity PPP mode.
Namami Gange Programme
● It is a flagship programme of the government and is implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga
(NMCG), and State Programme Management Groups in
the states.
● NMCG is the implementation wing of the National Ganga Council established in 2016 which replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).
● It works under the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal
Shakti.
● It is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 with a budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore to
accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of
pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
● It integrates previous and currently ongoing initiatives by enhancing efficiency, extracting synergies and
supplementing them with more comprehensive & better-coordinated interventions.
● The main pillars of the programme are:
● Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure & Industrial Effluent Monitoring.
● River-Front Development & River-Surface Cleaning
● Bio-Diversity & Afforestation ● Public Awareness
Ganga River System
● The Ganga is the most important river of India both from the point of view of its basin and cultural significance. ● Origin: It rises from the Gangotri glacier near Gaumukh
(3,900 m) in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. Here, it
is known as the Bhagirathi.
● At Devprayag, the Bhagirathi meets the Alaknanda, then after, it is known as the Ganga. The Alaknanda has its source in the Satopanth glacier above Badrinath. ● Tributaries: The Ramganga, the Gomati, the Ghaghara,
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● The river finally discharges itself into the Bay of Bengal
19 EUNAVFOR Exercise
● Recently, the maiden Indian Navy and European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) exercise began in the Gulf of
Aden.
○ Concurrently, a virtual “Information sharing Exercise” was conducted between the Indian
Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region and Maritime Security Centre-Horn of Africa .
Image Courtesy: Eunavfor
Key Points
● It is the first joint naval exercise between the Indian Navy and European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR).
○ European Union Naval Force Somalia
(EUNAVFOR) is the EU’s counter-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia.
● Countries participating in the exercise are India, Italy, Spain and France.
● The two-day exercise will see high tempo-naval
operations at sea, including advanced air defence and anti-submarine exercises, cross deck helicopter operations, tactical manoeuvres, boarding operations, underway replenishment, search and rescue and other maritime security operations.
● Five warships from four navies are participating in the two-day exercise, which include Italian Navy Ship ITS Carabiniere, Spanish Navy Ship ESPS Navarra, and two
French Navy Ship FS Tonnerre and FS Surcouf.
● INS Trikand of India Navy is participating in the exercise. ● This engagement showcases increased levels of synergy,
coordination and interoperability between IN and EUNAVFOR.
Significance
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hone their war-fighting skills and their ability as an
integrated force to promote, peace, security and stability in the maritime domain
● It also underscores the shared values as partner navies, in ensuring freedom of seas and commitment to an open, inclusive and a rules-based international order.
● Under the charter of the World Food Programme (UN
WFP), EUNAVFOR and the Indian Navy converge on
21 Places in News: Lothal
● The Union ministry of ports, shipping and waterways and the Union ministry of culture signed an MoU for
‘Cooperation in the development of the National
Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC)’ in Lothal in
Gujarat.
○ The complex will be developed as an international
tourist destination, where the maritime heritage of
India from ancient to modern times will be showcased.
Lothal Site
● The city of Lothal stood beside a Bhogava river, a tributary of Sabarmati, in Gujarat, close to the Gulf of Khambhat.
● It was situated near areas where raw materials such as
semi-precious stones were easily available.
● This was an important centre for making objects out of stone, shell and metal.
● There was also a storehouse in the city.
○ Many seals and sealings (the impression of seals on clay) were found in this storehouse
● A building that was found here was probably a workshop for making beads: pieces of stone, half made beads, tools for bead making, and finished beads have all been found here
● The excavated site of Lothal is the only port-town of the
Indus Valley Civilisation.
● A metropolis with an upper and a lower town had in on its northern side a basin with vertical wall, inlet and outlet channels has been identified as a tidal dockyard. ● The site provides evidence of Harappa culture between
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Kheer Bhawani Mela
● It is the most important festival of Kashmiri Pandits and was celebrated on the occasion of Jyeshta Ashtami at the
Kheer Bhawani temple in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir.
● The festival also gives an opportunity for the separated Pandit and Mulsim communities of Kashmir to meet each
other.
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Smart Enforcement App
Launched by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, is an IT based solution for the implementation of smart enforcement of
rules and regulations related to road-based violations by trucks.
● Need: On an average, a truck in India covers 50,000-60,000 km a year, compared to over 300,000 km in advanced nations such as the United States.
○ One of the key reasons is delays due to random stoppages for physical checking of vehicles and verification of documents e
○ While GST has helped improve the situation, there is a long way to go to reach the advanced country levels.
● Features: It would fetch data related to goods being carried on the truck from the existing Goods and Services
Tax Network (GSTN) database, and the information
related to the vehicle from the VAHAN database.
○ Make this data available to enforcement officers on the road in advance for approaching trucks ○ Based on a risk matrix that uses historical patterns,
the app assigns a risk profile to the truck helping the officers decide whether to stop it for further scrutiny
○ It requires the officer to issue all fines, penalties, or any other punitive measure through the app, ensuring transparency
○ The app includes features that keep records and help reduce ad-hoc implementation of these rules and regulations
● Significance: Lead to decrease in number of physical checks of commercial vehicles by the enforcement officers
○ Overall reduction in the number of cash challan by issuing e-challan using the system
○ Reduction in deployment of work-force on Roads leading to better manpower utilization
○ Higher revenue collection due to reduced human intervention
○ Improved targeting of offenders
