Current Affairs Jun 9 – GES Reporter

Groundnuts exported to Nepal from West Bengal

Why in News?

Opening a window of possibilities of boosting groundnut exports from eastern region, a consignment of 24 metric tonne (MT) of groundnuts was exported to Nepal from West Bengal.
Traditionally, Gujarat and Rajasthan have a major share in groundnut exports. The groundnut exports from West Bengal would boost exports potential of the crop from the eastern region.
The groundnuts are exported to mostly countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Russia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Nepal.

About

Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnuts in the country, which is followed by Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Rajasthan. The crop is grown in both Kharif and Rabi seasons.
The Kharif season has a share of more than 75% of the total production.

PIB

e-Content for Children with Disabilities

Why in News?

Union Education Minister approved the release of the guidelines for the Development of e-Content for Children with Disabilities.
PM e-VIDYA was launched on 17th May 2020, with an aim to unify all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education.
The programme inter alia envisages development of special e-content for the Divyang (Children with Disabilities-CwDs).
In pursuance of this vision, the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education had constituted a Committee of experts, for recommending guidelines for developing e-content for these children.
The Committee submitted a report titled “Guidelines for the Development of e-Content for Children with Disabilities” comprising of eleven Sections and two Appendices.

The salient highlights of the e- content guidelines in the report are:

e-Content for CwDs should be developed based on the four principles namely: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
e-Content including text, tables, diagrams, visuals, audios, videos etc. should comply with accessibility standards: national standards (GIGW 2.0) and international standards (WCAG 2.1, E-Pub, DAISY etc).
Distribution platforms on which content is uploaded (e.g. DIKSHA) and Reading platforms/devices on which content is accessed and interacted (e.g. e-pathshala) must comply with technical standards.
Reasonable pedagogical accommodations have been recommended to meet specific needs of CwDs.
The Committee has also recommended that in a phased manner textbooks may be adapted into Accessible Digital Textbooks (ADTs).

PIB

Children and subsequent COVID-19 waves

Why in News?

There is no data – either from India or globally – to show that children will be seriously infected in subsequent waves.
60% to 70% of the children who got infected and got admitted in hospitals during the second wave in India, had either comorbidities or low immunity; healthy children recovered with mild illness without need for hospitalization.
COVID Appropriate Behaviour is Key to Preventing Future Waves
Waves normally occur in pandemics caused due to respiratory viruses; the 1918 Spanish Flu, H1N1 (swine) flu are examples. The second wave of 1918 Spanish Flu was the biggest, after which there was a smaller third wave.

SARS-Cov-2 is a respiratory virus.

Multiple waves occur when there is a susceptible population

When a large part of the population acquires immunity against the infection, the virus becomes endemic and infection becomes seasonal – like that of H1N1 that commonly spreads during monsoon or winters.
Waves can occur due to change in the virus (such as new variants)
Since new mutations become more infectious, there is a higher chance for the virus to spread.

PIB

Energy Efficiency measures in India

Why in News?

The Ministry of Power is implementing measures to save energy with an objective to reduce CO2 emission levels in the environment from industries, establishments and by using equipment/ appliances.
In this regard, Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT) Scheme is a key programme for large industries and establishments.
This scheme aims to enhance the cost-effectiveness of energy savings by upgrading technologies or by taking in-house actions to minimize energy consumption.
The scheme provides mandatory targets for the identified Large Units and the excess energy saved by them is issued as Energy Saving Certificate, which are tradable instruments.
The different industries and establishments are assigned separate energy efficiency targets based on their levels of energy consumption and the potential for energy savings.
By the year 2020 the scheme coverage has been extended to 13 most energy intensive sectors in the country including Cement, Iron and Steel, Fertilizer, Thermal Power Plants, Refineries, Petrochemicals, Railways and others.
To enable market transformation of efficient products, Standards and Labeling (S&L) Program was introduced by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE).
The objective of S&L is to provide the consumers, an informed choice about the energy savings potential and thereby the cost saving due to the products available in the market.
The scheme includes display of energy performance labels on key energy consuming equipment & appliances, with stipulation for minimum energy performance standards.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

It is the well-known greenhouse gas on our planet Earth. Rapid increase in its concentration in atmosphere is major cause of global temperature rise which in turn leads to many environmental and healthcare problems.
The ‘greenhouse effect’ works in case of CO2 when solar radiation hits the surface of the earth, part of the heat escapes the atmosphere while balance heat gets trapped which in turn, raises the earth’s temperature.
This is a phenomenon popularly known as global warming.
This primarily results in severe impact on climate change, which has a ripple effect over all natural ecosystems, and by extension, all industries and people around the globe.

About BEE

The Government of India has set up the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) on 1st March 2002 under the provision of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
The mission of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency is to assist in developing policies and strategies with a thrust on self-regulation and market principles with the primary objective of reducing energy intensity of the Indian economy within the overall framework of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
BEE’s span of Energy Conservation and Efficiency efforts covers areas such as Appliance, Buildings, Transport, key Demand Side Management programs in Agriculture and Municipalities and the Industry and other Establishments.

PIB

CAR-T cell therapy

Why in News?

The Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has emerged as a breakthrough in cancer treatment.
Clinical trials conducted globally have shown promising results in end stage patients, especially in patients suffering from Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.
Though this technology has a remarkable therapeutic potential for cancer patients, at present this technology is not available in India.
Each patient’s CAR-T cell therapy costs 3-4 crore (INR). The challenge therefore is to develop this technology in cost-effective manner and make it available for the patients.
The manufacturing complexity is a major reason for the therapy cost.
In order to promote and support development of CAR-T cell technology against cancer and other diseases, BIRAC and DBT have taken initiatives and launched specialized calls to invite proposals in the last 2 years.
The first CAR-T cell therapy (a type of gene therapy) was done at the Bone Marrow Transplant unit at ACTREC, Tata Memorial Center in Mumbai.
The CAR-T cells were designed and manufactured at Bioscience and Bioengineering (BSBE) department of IIT Bombay.
National Biopharma Mission supporting the development of Lentiviral vector manufacturing facility for packaging plasmids used to transfer the modified T cell inside the body, cGMP facility for T-cell transduction and expansion for CAR T-cell manufacturing to two other organizations.
The development of CAR-T cell technology for diseases including acute lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, glioblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and type-2 diabetes is supported through DBT.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy

A type of treatment in which a patient’s T cells (a type of immune system cell) are changed in the laboratory so they will attack cancer cells.
T cells are taken from a patient’s blood. Then the gene for a special receptor that binds to a certain protein on the patient’s cancer cells is added to the T cells in the laboratory.
The special receptor is called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Large numbers of the CAR T cells are grown in the laboratory and given to the patient by infusion.

About DBT

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), under the Ministry of Science & Technology, promotes and accelerates the development of biotechnology in India, including growth and application of biotechnology in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, animal sciences, environment and industry.

About BIRAC

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology (DBT), as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.

PIB

Surakshit Hum Surakshit Tum Abhiyaan

Why in News?

NITI Aayog and Piramal Foundation launched Surakshit Hum Surakshit Tum Abhiyaanin 112 Aspirational Districts to assist district administrations in providing home-care support to Covid-19 patients who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.
The Abhiyaan is being part of a special initiative, Aspirational Districts Collaborative,in which local leaders, civil societies and volunteers work with district administrations to address emerging problems across key focus areas of the Aspirational Districts Programme.
Surakshit Hum Surakshit Tum Abhiyaan will be led by district magistrates in partnership with over 1000 local NGOs.

PIB

India expected to grow at 8.3%

Why in News?

India’s economy is expected to grow at 8.3% for Fiscal Year 2021-22 as per the World Bank’s latest projections.
The world economy is expected to expand 5.6% , the fastest post-recession growth rate in eighty years, but global output will still be 2% below pre-pandemic projections by year-end.
The growth rate forecasted for India for 2021-22, the World Bank is an upward revision from its January forecast of 5.4%.
Activity will benefit from policy support, including higher spending on infrastructure, rural development, and health, and a stronger-than[1]expected recovery in services and manufacturing.
For FY 2022-23 growth is expected to slow to 7.5% as a result of the pandemic’s lingering effects on the balance sheets of households, companies and banks and possibly low levels of consumer confidence and heightened uncertainty around job and incomes.
For the world as a whole, losses to per capita income will not be reversed by 2022 for some two-thirds of emerging market and developing economies.

THE HINDU

World’s most liveable cities ranking

COVID-19 has shaken up the Economist Intelligence Unit’s annual ranking of most liveable cities, propelling Auckland to first place, replacing Vienna, which crashed out of the top 10 as the island nations of New Zealand, Australia and Japan fared best.
The Austrian capital had led the list since 2018.
New Zealand’s elimination of COVID-19 within its borders through lockdown measures helped by its geographic isolation, however, gave its cities a big boost.
The last time Auckland was in the top 10 was in 2017, when it came eighth, a position Melbourne shared with Geneva this year. Vienna fell to 12th.
Wellington also entered the top 10. It came fourth behind Osaka, which rose two spots to second place, and Adelaide, which leapfrogged its compatriots Sydney and Melbourne to third place from 10th.
The latest ranking is from 2019 as last year’s was cancelled.
The four other categories assessed are stability, healthcare, education and infrastructure.

THE HINDU

JNU enters top 1000 global universities ranking

Jawaharlal Nehru University has entered the top 1,000 of the QS World University rankings for the first time, as its new undergraduate engineering programme now makes it eligible for the rating.
It debuted at the 561-570 ranking band in the rankings, which only rate institutions offering both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Overall, there are 22 Indian institutions in the top 1,000 list compared to 21 last year, with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in Guwahati, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Madras making major strides in rankings.
IIT Bombay maintained its position as the top Indian institution for the fourth consecutive year, although it fell five places in the global rankings to the joint 177th position.
IIT Delhi (185th rank) overtook the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (186th rank), giving India three institutions in the world’s top 100.
IISc was also declared the world’s top research university by the indicator of most citations per faculty member, when adjusted for faculty size.
The citations per faculty metric were also key to the 75 rank jump by IIT Guwahati and the 73 rank jump by IIT Kanpur.

THE HINDU

El Salvador’s decision to use Bitcoin as legal tender

Why in News?

El Salvador’s President said that he would be making the Bitcoin cryptocurrency legal tender in the Central American country.
If that happens, El Salvador would become the first country in the world to formally adopt the virtual currency.
El Salvador has not had its own monetary policy since 2001, when a right-wing government made the US dollar the official currency.
Along with Ecuador and Panama, El Salvador is currently among three nations in Latin America to have a ‘dollarized economy.

Why does El Salvador want to adopt Bitcoin as an official tender?

El Salvador, with a population of around 64 lakh and an area slightly bigger than Meghalaya, depends heavily on remittances sent by Salvadorians from abroad. Around a quarter of the country’s citizens live in the US, and in 2020 they sent home more than $6 billion in remittances despite the pandemic– making up more than 20% of the GDP.
Currently a big chunk of those 6 billion dollars is lost to intermediaries. By using Bitcoin, the amount received by more than a million low income families will increase in the equivalent of billions of dollars every year.
Bitcoin will help increase financial inclusion in El Salvador, where 70% of the population does not have a bank account and relies on the informal economy.

A gene that may explain why some are asymptomatic

Why in News?

A new study has reported evidence of a genetic link explaining why some people who catch Covid-19 don’t become sick.
The gene, HLA-DRB1*04:01, is found three times as often in people who are asymptomatic. This suggests that people with this gene have some level of protection from severe Covid.
The gene they identified, HLA-DRB1*04:01, is known to be directly correlated to latitude and longitude.
This means more people in the North and West of Europe are likely to have this gene, and this suggests that populations of European descent will be more likely to remain asymptomatic but still transmit the disease to susceptible populations.
Approximately one in five people of European descent in the UK carries the gene.

Aircraft turbulence

Eight passengers on board a Vistara flight from Mumbai to Kolkata recently have suffered injuries after the Boeing 737-800 encountered severe turbulence during its descent.

What happens when an aircraft encounters turbulence?

As a bare concept, turbulence means disruption of airflow over the wings of an airplane, which causes it to enter an irregular vertical motion.
There are at least seven different kinds of turbulence which an aircraft can face.
Turbulence can be weather-related, in which the plane flies through a thunderstorm or a heavy cloud, or it can be clear air turbulence, which is mainly caused by wind or jet streams.
Other kinds of turbulence include “wake turbulence”, which forms behind an aircraft when it flies through air, creating wingtip vortices.

Fastly internet outage

Why in News?

Several big websites around the world went down for about half an hour, because of a major issue with the content delivery network (CDN) of American cloud computing services provider Fastly.

What is Fastly?

Fastly is a cloud computing services provider, which offers CDN, edge computing, cloud storage services.

What is a CDN?

A CDN refers to a geographically distributed group of servers that work together to provide fast delivery of Internet content.
They house content close to the telecom service providers’ networks. Majority of web traffic across the world today is routed through CDNs.

24,000-year-old organisms found frozen in Siberia

A microscopic worm-like creature, labelled an “evolutionary scandal” by biologists for having thrived for millions of years without having sex, has now been shown to persist for at least 24,000 years in Siberian permafrost and then reproduce.
Multicellular invertebrates that are solely female, bdelloid rotifers are already renowned for their resistance to radiation and ability to withstand rather inhospitable environments: drying, starvation and low oxygen.
They’ve also existed for at least 35m years – and can be found today in freshwater lakes, ponds, streams and moist terrestrial habitats such as moss, lichen, tree bark and soil.
These tough little critters – which have a complete digestive tract that includes a mouth and an anus – are able to survive hostile environments by halting all activity and almost entirely arresting their metabolism.
This is called cryptobiosis, which means “hidden life”. “It’s a state, kind of, between life and death.”
The rotifers found in the permafrost would have been under the feet of big woolly creatures – such as the woolly rhino – that are now extinct.

THE GUARDIAN

Colombo’s coral reefs, marine wildlife in danger

A fire that broke out on Singapore’s X-Press Pearl container ship due to leaking nitric acid recently, now threatens to bleach coral reefs near Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo and kill marine life.
An estimated three billion tiny pellets have spilled in the water and are clogging the beaches near Colombo harbour.
These low-density pellets float over the water and can absorb the oil and other toxins present in the water. Marine animals like sea turtles and fish, mistaking them for food, can ingest these pellets and eventually die.
Fishing activity in an 80-kilometre-long stretch has been banned, fearing contamination due to toxins and floating pellets in water.

Negombo’s barrier reefs

Barrier-type reefs are found in Colombo and the Negombo region. Most reefs near the shore are affected by human activities, including destructive fishing and coral mining.
The spilling of oil would damage and bleach the coral reefs by cutting off light and oxygen. It can also make the regulation of temperature difficult, leading to the death of aquatic life.

DTE

Genes to improve fertiliser nitrogen use efficiency in rice

Indian biotechnologists have identified candidate genes for nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in rice in what is a major boost to the scientific efforts for crop improvement to save nitrogenous pollution and fertilisers worth billions.
The researchers analysed over 16,600 genes compiled from their own research and dozens of others. They then systematically shortlisted ‘62 candidate genes’. They further narrowed them down to ‘06 high priority target genes’ for their potential to improve NUE in rice.
Every year, urea worth Rs 50,000 crore is lost from Indian farms, with rice and wheat accounting for about two-thirds of it.
India is emerging as one of the global hotspots of nitrogen pollution of water and air, adversely affecting our health and climate change.
Half of the solution lies in biological crop improvement, while the other half can come from improving fertiliser formulations and cropping practices. Rice is an ideal target crop for this.
According to Indian Nitrogen Assessment, rice is important for NUE, as it consumes 37 per cent of all N-fertilisers in India, the highest among all crops on account of its lowest NUE. Fertilisers like urea emit ammonia, which can deposit on particulate matter and impact human health.
Urea also accounts for 77 per cent of all agricultural nitrous oxide emission to the Indian environment.
Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is 296 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in causing climate change.
N-fertilisers also cause water pollution and algal blooms, killing fish and affecting livelihoods.

DTE