SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

&

ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT

1. Deep Ocean Mission (DOM)

It is an initiative of Ministry of Earth Sciences

It will help in improving India’s position in ocean research field.

The mission proposes to explore the deep ocean similar to the space exploration started by

ISRO

Key Deliverables

It is working to deliver offshore desalination plant that will work with tidal energy, and

developing a submersible vehicle that can go to a depth of at least 6,000 metres with three

people on board.

So, the focus will be on technologies for deep-sea mining, underwater vehicles, underwater

robotics and ocean climate change advisory services

India’s Exclusive Rights to Explore Polymetallic Nodules

India has been allotted a site of 1,50,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin

(CIOB) by the UN International Sea Bed Authority for exploitation of polymetallic nodules

(PMN).

These are rocks scattered on the seabed containing iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.

International Seabed Authority (ISA) ISA is a UN body set up to regulate the exploration and exploitation of marine non-living

resources of oceans in international waters. It has responsibility for the regulation of seabed

mining beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. It was established in 1994.

India actively contributes to the work of International Seabed Authority.

2. National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS)

Context India is in talks with the U.S. to procure an advanced air defence system to defend the

National Capital Region (NCR) from aerial attacks.

Details

The NASAMS was developed by Raytheon in partnership with KONGSBERG Defence and

Aerospace of Norway.

The system can be deployed to identify, engage and destroy aircraft, helicopters, cruise

missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as protect high-value assets and mass

population centres against air-to-surface threats.

NASAMS-II is an upgraded version of the NASAMS and features new 3D mobile

surveillance radars and 12 missile launchers for quicker reaction.

Owned by seven countries, it has been integrated into the US National Capital Region’s air

defense system since 2005. Apart from the US, it is also in service in Norway, Finland, Spain

and the Netherlands.

3. How safe is CRISPR?

The clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR/CRISPR-

associated protein 9 (Cas9) (CRISPR-Cas9) system has revolutionised genetic manipulations

and made gene editing simpler, faster and easily accessible to most laboratories.

The technique has gained considerable traction recently to repair defective genes for

potential therapeutic applications.

Based on this promise, multiple clinical trials have been initiated in the U.S. and China

(using the CRISPR-Cas9 system) to produce gene-edited cells for cancer and HIV-1 therapy.

Various studies

A study by Stanford University, U.S., found that the CRISPR-Cas9 system introduces

unexpected off-target (outside of the intended editing sites) effects in mice.

Although the manuscript describing the study results has since been retracted (due to the lack

of proper controls ascribing a causal role of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in introducing off-

target effects), the fear that the CRISPR system is being prematurely rushed for clinical use

lingers.

Two studies, one from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and the other from the

biopharmaceutical company Novartis, have highlighted that CRISPR-Cas9-edited cells might

trigger cancer.

A third study, published this month in the scientific journal, Nature Biotechnology, and from

the Wellcome Sanger Institute, U.K., provided further evidence for the unintended

consequences of the CRISPR-Cas9 system.

The study found that both the mouse and the human gene edited cells suffered from large

DNA deletions far from the intended editing sites.

The scientists have argued that the commonly used techniques to screen for off-target effects

may not be sufficient to identify the adverse-effects sites and comprehensive genomic

analyses of the edited cells, using long-read DNA sequencing technology, may be required to

pinpoint those.

P53 protein

In the Karolinska study, the authors showed that the CRISPR-Cas9 system induced

activation of a protein called P53. This P53 protein acts like a gatekeeper or guardian in the

cells to keep them healthy and prevents them (the cells) from turning cancerous.

In many cancers, cells lose their ability to repair deleterious genetic changes due to an

impaired P53 function. Researchers in the study claim that a functional P53 protein swings

into action in the target cell and repairs the edited site rendering the Cas9-mediated editing

process ineffective.

In cells where editing is adequate, the cell’s P53 protein may be dysfunctional. Therefore, a

functional P53 protein is good for the cells to be healthy but makes the Cas9-mediated

editing process less effective.

On the contrary, a defective P53 protein is ideal for Cas9-mediated editing but makes the

cells cancer-prone by introducing genetic changes elsewhere in the genome (outside of the

editing sites).

Like in the earlier study, the Novartis study found that a high efficiency of the CRISPR-Cas9

system in human pluripotent stem cells (cells that can self-renew indefinitely in cell culture)

is linked to the presence of a dysfunctional P53 protein.

Pluripotent stem cells usually have very low editing efficiency due to high Cas9 toxicity in

those cells.

A possible workaround to decrease Cas9 toxicity and, therefore, enhance the editing

efficiency by inhibiting P53 function may increase the risk of mutations elsewhere in the

genome in those cells.

Way forward

The studies, which have showed the dark side of the CRISPR-Cas9 editing system, have,

however, not deterred those who think that the system is ready for the clinic.

The proponents argue that mice with genome-edited cells developing cancer have not been

reported and the cells with adverse studies are not the ones currently in clinical trials.

The cautious ones, however, say that it’s only a matter of time that a comprehensive whole-

genome sequencing of the edited cells will show the adverse consequences of the CRISPR-

Cas9 system.

No matter which side wins, it will take years before the CRISPR system is ready for prime

time and clinical use.

It is no surprise, therefore, that George Church of Harvard University, a CRISPR pioneer

himself, chose an older gene editing system TALEN over the CRISPR system to create

virus-resistant human cells as the TALENs, although with less cleavage efficiency, have

more editing precision.

View from India

Although there are no clinical trials or studies to use CRISPR-Cas9 edited cells in the clinic

currently undergoing in India, blood-related disorders such as haemophilia, sickle cell

anaemia, and Beta-Thalassemia, and other disorders such as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

are promising candidates for gene editing.

In fact, for many of these diseases, results from the proof-of-concept studies have been

published from elsewhere.

There are many Indian researchers actively working in this area, and for them, the recent

studies provide a cautionary tale to conduct a comprehensive genomic analysis before

moving to use the CRISPR-Cas9 edited cells in the clinic.

4. Formaldehyde in fish

Background It began with the Kerala government finding formaldehyde in fish being transported into the

State.

The use of this chemical is banned in fresh foods, like fish, by the Food Safety and Standards

Authority of India.

But unscrupulous vendors sometimes use it to preserve fish for longer.

After Kerala’s findings, other States began investigating.

Eventually, Goan officials also found the chemical in fish, as did an investigation in Chennai.

The Kerala government has followed up the detection with fish seizures.

Does it occur naturally in fish?

Yes, it occurs naturally not only in fish, but other foods like mushrooms as well. However,

levels vary widely.

A 2005 Italian study of 12 fish species found between 1.45 mg/kg (1 mg/kg is 1 part per

million or 1 ppm) in haddock fish, and 293 mg/kg in hake fish.

Another study by Chinese researchers on the Bombay Duck found formaldehyde of up to 45

ppm.

In general, marine fish are more likely to have the chemical than freshwater fish.

This natural phenomenon makes detecting contamination tough.

This is why, the CIFT developed a screening kit, which the Kerala government used in its

recent findings.

This kit exploits the fact that most naturally occurring formaldehyde is bound to fish tissue,

while added formaldehyde is free.

So, the kit detects only free formaldehyde.

Still, the CIFT kit can only tell if the fish has the chemical, and not its levels.

And the Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu governments have not revealed the levels after further

testing, although this data are crucial.

Should you panic?

Not yet, because people ingest low levels of formaldehyde regularly; a 1990 study estimated

that humans ingest 11 mg a day.

While formaldehyde is classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research

on Cancer (IARC), this refers to the chemical’s cancer-causing potential when it is inhaled,

and not when it is ingested.

The people at the greatest risk are workers in textile, automotive and other industries, where

formaldehyde fumes are often released.

Also, when we wash and cook fish, formaldehyde levels drop. Yet, non-carcinogenic effects

do pose a danger.

But these effects, too, occur at concentrations that are impossible due to natural reasons.

There are no estimates for humans, but one rat study showed that when they consumed

formaldehyde at 82 mg per kg of body weight every day for two years, they lost weight and

their stomach lining changed.

What level of ingestion is safe?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has calculated that eating up to

0.2 mg per kg of body weight is safe. Calculating how much formaldehyde one is eating

requires knowing one’s fish consumption.

In a 2012 Taiwanese study of squid, researchers found up to 45 ppm of free formaldehyde.

Food consumption data show that Taiwanese eat 9-15 gm of seafood per day.

The researchers calculated that if all the seafood eaten by Taiwanese was squid (an unlikely

scenario), they would still not consume more than 0.011 mg/kg of body weight per day. This

is lower than the EPA limit.

Further, even if all daily protein consumption was squid, the maximum exposure to

formaldehyde would still be 0.074 mg/kg/day.

So, is all hunky dory?

No, because the State governments have not revealed fish-formaldehyde levels.

Even if low-level ingestion is safe, unscrupulous vendors do not calculate safe limits before

dousing fish.

So, contamination can reach dangerous levels; one Taiwanese squid study found 4250 ppm.

It is imperative for the States to monitor fish regularly.

5. Tackling HIV

Context:

A new report from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) bears good

news for the global war against HIV.

What does the report say?

Between 2010 and 2017, several countries made rapid progress in reducing HIV incidence

and getting antiretroviral therapy to patients.

Today, 3 out of 4 people with HIV know their status, and 21.7 million get treatment.

The largest reduction in incidence came from eastern and southern Africa.

Asia also made significant progress in terms of reduction in incidence of HIV.

What is the status in India?

India brought down the number of new cases and deaths by 27% and 56%, respectively,

between 2010 and 2017.

Tuberculosis is the biggest killer of HIV patients across the world. India is now able to treat

over 90% of notified TB patients for HIV.

Social stigma surrounding AIDS-infected people in India, while high, is declining slowly

too.

Critical gaps in India’s strategy:

Even as India celebrates such progress, it is important to be mindful of the scale of the challenge.

With 2.1 million cases, India is among the largest burden countries in the world.

Homosexual men, drug-users and sex workers are at the highest risk of HIV.

There are troubling patterns in the society with respect to social stigma attached to HIV

patients. India must find ways to reach such groups.

The UNAIDS report points out that a country’s laws can legitimise stigma and give licence

to the harassment of such groups at the highest risk of HIV. India’s laws it must do more in

removing social stigma

India criminalises several aspects of sex work and Section 377 of the IPC criminalises gay

sex. Studies show that fear of prosecution under such laws prevents such groups at high risk

of contracting the infection seek screening and treatment. As a result, these groups lag behind

average treatment rates.

Stigma isn’t just social: it frequently means that patients end up having to spend much more

money for either insurance or medical treatment simply because of their condition. Some

places even simply turn away people with HIV or AIDS.

HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2017:

The Lok Sabha in April 2017 passed the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired

Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2017.

The Bill seeks to give a legislative framework to existing norms of non-discrimination

against people living with HIV/AIDS, most crucially, making it a legally punishable offence

to deny such a person health insurance on the ground of the infection.

Way forward:

Short of changing the law, the Centre can consider targeted interventions.

Sensitising police personnel and educating female sex workers can greatly reduce arbitrary

police raids and arrests.

The right to health is universal. India must take note of this to ensure that no one is left

behind in the fight against HIV.

India has brought down HIV incidence, but it must do more in removing social stigma.

6. Parker Solar Probe

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe will study sun’s outer atmosphere and to understand how

sun works.

It is set to fly into the sun’s corona within 3.8 million miles from the solar surface, seven

times closer than any other spacecraft.

The previous closest pass to the sun was by a probe called Helios 2, which in 1976 came

within 43 million km.

The distance of the earth from the sun is approximately 149.6 million km.

Why is it named so? The name of the probe initially called the Solar Probe Plus has been renamed as the Parker

Solar Probe in honor of astrophysicist Eugene Parker. This is the first time NASA has

named a spacecraft after a living person.

Astrophysicist Eugene Parker published a research paper predicting the existence of

solar wind in 1958.At that time, it was thought that the space between planets was a

vacuum. Parker’s theory of solar wind was later on confirmed by satellite observations.

Details

The probe will be subjected to brutal heat and radiation that has not experienced by any

other man-made probes previously.

o It has been outfitted with a heat shield designed to keep its instruments at a tolerable 29

degrees Celsius even as the spacecraft faces temperatures reaching nearly 21,370 degrees

Celsius at its closest pass.

The objective of the mission will be to study sun in detail and shed light on Earth and its

place in the solar system. o The primary science goals for the mission are to trace how energy and heat move through

the solar corona and to explore what accelerates the solar wind as well as solar energetic

particles.

The mission will work towards determining the structure and dynamics of the plasma and

magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind. This will be NASA’s first mission to the

sun and its outermost atmosphere corona.

The probe will use Venus’ gravity during seven flybys over nearly seven years to gradually

bring its orbit closer to the Sun

Why do we study the sun and the solar wind? The corona gives rise to the solar wind, a continuous flow of charged particles that permeates

the solar system. Unpredictable solar winds cause disturbances in our planet’s magnetic

field and can play havoc with communications technology on the earth. NASA hopes the

findings will enable scientists to forecast changes in the earth’s space environment.

In the most extreme cases of these space weather events, it can actually affect our power

grids on the earth

The sun is a source of light and heat for life on Earth. The more we know about it, the more

we can understand how life on Earth developed.

7. MSTrIPES

Monitoring System for Tigers Intensive Patrolling and Ecological Status

It is a software-based monitoring system launched across Indian tiger reserves by the Indian

government’s National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2010

Implementation

Forest guards in tiger reserves will be equipped with personal digital assistants and GPS

devices

This way, the signs such as bonfire, snare, tree felling, animal carcass or body parts etc

signifying illegal activities will also be recorded by the field staff with site images, which

with other set of information will reach out to the software enabled phones and systems

immediately.

The software system maps the patrol routes of forest guards, and the resulting data are then

analyzed in a geographic information system.

Advantages

MSTrIPES produces easily interpretable reports and maps that are useful for management

and policy decisions. the system reduces the response time to detrimental events like poaching or habitat

degradation and becomes a comprehensive tool to keep the pulse of a tiger reserve.

All these years, data pertaining to carnivore signs, pellets and status of habitat was

manually recorded in the prescribed format on a paper by the field staff, but this

exercise was prone to errors. With the availability of M-STRiPES, human error will be

eliminated

It paves the way for greater standardisation and elimination of inconsistencies in data

interpretation.

8. India to expand polar research to Arctic as well

Three decades after its first mission to Antarctica, the government is refocusing priorities to

the other pole — the Arctic—because of opportunities and challenges posed by climate

change.

What?

This month, it has renamed the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR)

— since 1998, charged with conducting expeditions to India’s base stations to the continent

— as the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research.

It’s also in talks with Canada and Russia, key countries with presence in the Arctic circle, to

establish new observation systems.

Now, India only has one Arctic observation station near Norway.

While annual missions to maintain India’s three bases in Antarctica will continue, the new

priorities mean that there will be more expeditions and research focus on the other poles.

Why?

Climate change was a decisive factor in India re-thinking priorities.

Sea ice at the Arctic has been melting rapidly — the fastest in this century.

That means several spots, rich in hydrocarbon reserves, will be more accessible through the

year via alternative shipping routes.

Arctic Council

The Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation,

coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic indigenous communities and

other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable

development and environmental protection in the Arctic.

India is already an observer at the Arctic Council and, in 2015, set up an underground

observatory, called IndARC, at the Kongsfjorden fjord, halfway between Norway and the

North Pole.

9. Fighting global warming, one cow belch at a time

From New Zealand to the United States and Kenya to Colombia, scientists are on a mission

to fight global warming by making livestock less gassy.

Statistics

Livestock is responsible for about 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to

the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

According to calculations by some experts, this puts the livestock sector on par with

transport.

The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says transport is responsible for

14% of emissions.

Although less prevalent than carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, methane is more

potent because it traps 28 times more heat, according to a 2016 study by the Global Carbon

Project, which groups climate researchers.

Livestock

Ruminants such as cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats produce nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and

methane, which is the most emitted gas and is released through belching.

Global research

Scientists are working on ways to reduce those emissions, including by breeding animals that

burp less, adjusting their diets so they produce less methane and planting trees in pastures.

A company is working on a type of probiotic — helpful bacteria or yeasts in the digestive

system —which has shown a 50% reduction of methane emissions in cattle during research.

New Zealand’s AgResearch has bred sheep to produce 10% less methane. In a single sheep,

a 10% drop maybe not so significant. But when there’s 19 million sheep in the country, it

starts to make a huge impact. The low-methane sheep are the result of a decade of research,

and they are also leaner and grow more wool.

In Kenya, scientists are testing various local grasses to see if they improve the productivity of

livestock, which would reduce the amount of emissions per kg of milk, meat or eggs. Cows

are placed in respiration chambers where scientists measure the methane emissions from

different feeds available in East Africa.

In Argentina, scientists took a novel approach to studying global warming, strapping plastic

tanks to the backs of cows to collect their burps. Improvements in productivity alone could

reduce up to 30% of methane emissions from livestock globally.

Latin American ranchers are experimenting with silvopastoralism — planting trees in

pastures where they absorb greenhouse gases and offset emissions, while restoring degraded

soil and improving biodiversity. They can be different types of trees — for timber, fruit trees,

even trees that animals can eat.

India

In India, a national programme to boost the milk production of cows and buffaloes by

improving their diet is also helping the environment.

The NDDB uses software to assess the ideal diet for an animal, based on its physical profile

and environment. Changes usually include adjusting the feed quantity and adding locally-

available mineral supplements.

The tailored diet means each animal produces 12 to 15% less methane.

Over the past five years, the programme has reached about 2.6 million of the nearly 300

million cows and buffaloes recorded in India’s 2014 livestock census.

10. In Delhi, Swachh focus on public toilets

The Swachh Bharat Mission was supposed to build more than 1.25 lakh new toilets in Delhi

homes.

So far, the National Capital Territory has only built 458 individual household toilets under

that scheme, according to data presented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in

response to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

The twist in the data comes in the category of community or public toilets, where Delhi has

actually exceeded its target, building 19,171 such toilets against the target of only 11,138.

Arguments of the Government

The State government said that it doesn’t have any demand from the people for individual

household toilets.

There is simply no space to construct toilets in their homes.

Community toilets are more useful in Delhi.

The purpose is that sanitation access is available, whether in homes or public toilets.

Toilet construction is only the process, becoming ODF [open defecation-free] is the goal.

While the entire amount of 5.15 crores Rupees allocated to Delhi for community toilets was

released by the Centre, only half of the 50 crore Rupees allocated for individual household

toilets was released.

When the SBM-Urban was launched, surveys were done to determine the initial targets, but a

shortage of time led to some estimates which now need to be revised according to actual

needs on the ground but the money will remain the same.

CAG report

In April 2018, the Comptroller and Auditor General’s 2016-17 audit of the Delhi government

showed that not a single toilet had been constructed under the scheme at that time, with more

than Rs. 40 crore in funding remaining unused.

The CAG report, tabled in the Delhi Assembly, had then said that the Delhi government did

not give adequate importance to implementation of the mission.

In February 2018, The Hindu had also reported that several Delhi municipal corporations had

low utilisation rates for Swachh Bharat funds partly due to a cash crunch, meaning that they

could not match the Central funds with their own.

11. NGT says no effective steps taken to clean river Ganga

Expressing displeasure over the steps taken to clean the river Ganga, the National Green

Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Uttarakhand government to take effective measures and take

into account the views of the general public.

A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel said that the information provided

on paper was different from the ground reality.

Noting that rigorous monitoring is required, the NGT further directed district Ganga

committees to furnish reports every fortnight.

12. SC lashes out at Centre on pollution

In news

The Supreme Court’s Green Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta made

clear to the government that the people of this country are more important than anything

while hearing the issue of ban on import of petcoke .

Petcoke

Petcoke is a toxic fuel used in hazardous industries.

Petroleum coke or petcoke is one of the many consumer products produced during oil

refining.

During oil refining, the crude oil is first processed into various products such as gasoline,

diesel, jet fuel, lubricating oils and waxes.

After all these products have been created, a residual crude is further undergoes additional

processing called “coking” to produce various fuels including pet coke.

Pet coke is used as a source of energy and carbon for various industrial applications.

Hazards of Pet Coke

Health and environment concerns are regarding the Higher Sulphur content in petcoke

o Pet coke is used as a substitute for coal and has a higher heat content than coal. Thus,

less pet coke is required in comparison to coal for same industrial process.

o Since less pet coke is able to replace an amount of coal; pet coke is responsible for less

CO2 emission in comparison to coal.

o Further, emission of NOx depends on the technology used in the industrial process.

However, Pet coke has more sulfur content than coal. The largest use of pet coke is in

cement industry where 90% sulfur compounds are absorbed in clinker.

Pet coke is extremely polluting because of its higher sulphur content and because pollution is

transferred from one product (coal) to another (pet coke).

Court Observations

The court has been urging the government since December 2017 to move forward towards a

nationwide ban on the use of petcoke and furnace oil to power up industries, in a bid to fight

pollution.

The court had by then, in October last year, already ordered a ban on the industrial use of

petcoke and furnace oil in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The ban on use came after an EPCA Report, including the ban on sale, distribution and use

of furnace oil and petcoke in the NCR. Their use is already prohibited in Delhi.

Pursuant to the Supreme Court ban, both the Environment Ministry and the Central Pollution

Control Board had brought into immediate effect a prohibition on the use of petcoke and

furnace oil by any industry, operation or processes within the States of Uttar Pradesh,

Haryana and Rajasthan until further orders.

The court had even highlighted how petcoke is being imported from countries like the United

States and China, which have already stopped using them after due consideration of its

harmful effects on human beings and environment.

13. Predicting solar flares

How can Solar flares be predicted?

Plasma jets inside Sun may help predict occurrences of solar flares and space storms that

sometimes render satellites useless

Plasma jets within the Sun can help foretell the erratic patterns of sunspots on its two

hemispheres, allowing scientists to predict the occurrence of solar flares and space storms

that sometimes render satellites useless.

The Sun’s activity waxes and wanes periodically and affects our space environment.

What are Sunspots and how are they related to satellites?

Sunspots, strongly magnetised blotches on the solar surface, sometimes release fierce storms

in space that severely impact our ssatellite-based communication and navigational systems.

Understanding Sunspot activity

However, a complete understanding of all aspects of the sunspot activity cycle remains

elusive.

One of its curious features is the long observed lopsided activity of its two hemispheres.

Sometimes, the northern hemisphere becomes more active, sometime the south, with no

apparent way to predict when this might happen.

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata and

the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai have uncovered a link

between plasma jets in the Sun’s interior and the sunspot cycle which may foretell the

unequal activity of the Sun’s hemispheres.

What does Plasma material explain?

Plasma material at different locations inside the Sun rotates at different rates powering a

dynamo mechanism that creates the magnetic sunspots.

The rate of rotation has been earlier observed to change with time with faster and slower

streams of plasma jets known as torsional oscillations superposed on the average rotation.

These jets accompany the progress of the sunspot cycle with their patterns of migration

similar to those of sunspots on the Sun’s surface hinting at a causal link.

What does the study reveal?

The study, showed that asymmetries in plasma jets just below the Sun’s surface precede

asymmetries in sunspot activity by about a year, a discovery with no clear theoretical

explanation yet.

Global Oscillation Network Group

The researchers used ground-based data from the Global Oscillation Network Group – a

multinational consortium of observatories involving the US, India, Spain, Australia and

Chile, and space-based data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager instrument onboard

NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

14. Care about corals

In news

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system, could suffer a bleaching

event every two years by 2034 under the current level of greenhouse gas pollution, finds a

new study.

What are Corals?

Corals are 500 million years old. Starting off as simple, solitary organisms, they have come a

long long way before evolving into the reefs we know today.

Over the years, corals formed colonies when conditions were favourable.

They withered in mass extinctions, only to reappear after each event in a different shape and

form.

They have come and gone throughout the geological record. About 210 million years ago

during the Triassic Period, things began to change.

A massive worldwide coral-reef expansion was taking place and the hitherto lonely corals

met algae.

Corals began to offer algae shelter, while in return, the latter offered nutrients from

photosynthesis.

Algae added colour to corals’ life. This symbiotic relationship has kept corals, algae and

coral reefs alive all along.

Many times corals have had to expel algae for various reasons, mostly due to ocean

warming.

And every time they expelled algae, the corals lost their colour ( bleached). The marine life

that made the reefs their home have been left in the lurch. But they have always got back

together, once the corals recovered.

Threat to Corals

But the bleaching experienced in the recent past has been different.

Scientists have predicted that the back-to-back severe bleaching events will leave little

chance for recovery, especially in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. This means two-thirds of

the reef are dying.

According to a recent study published by the Climate Council, it has been found that the

Great Barrier Reef could suffer a bleaching event every two years by 2034 under the current

level of greenhouse gas pollution.

According to the study, 70 % of coral reefs will be at risk of long-term degradation by 2100

if the global temperature rises by 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Significance of Corals

Coral reefs provide habitats for one in four marine species.

Reefs also form crucial barriers protecting coastlines from storms.

They provide billions of dollars in revenue for countries from tourism and fishing.

Many of the compounds are used in human medicines.

The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system comprising more than 2,900 individual

reefs.

The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It is the world’s

biggest single structure made by living organisms.

The new Caledonia Barrier Reef, The Red Sea Coral Reef, Rainbow Reef (Fiji), Tubbataha

Reefs (Cagayancillo, Philippines), Raja Ampat (Indonesia), Palancar Reef (Cozumel,

Mexico), Wakatobi Islands (Indonesia) and the Maldives are some of the other systems

around the world.

15. Rising cases of leprosy among Adivasis

Why in news? India officially eliminated Leprosy in 2005 by bringing the Prevalence Rate below 1/10000

at the national level.

However, the National Health Policy 2017 (NHP), which will guide the health policy

direction of the country over the next decade or so, still has elimination of Leprosy as a

national level target.

Context It is highly unlikely that India achieves elimination of Leprosy at the state or district levels

any time soon.

Yet, elimination of Leprosy remains a pet topic, and many ministers including the PM have

called for it, and the health minister has reportedly reassured the country in June that India

will be Leprosy Free in 2018 itself. The discussion is clearly about national level elimination,

yet again.

Facts and figures

Official data says that the number of new Leprosy cases detected during 2016-17 is 135485

and the prevalence Rate per 10000 population as on 2017 for India is 0.66, it is estimated that

the number underestimates the real Leprosy burden.

The Health Minister himself is on record saying that there may be 2,50,000 new Leprosy

cases every year, based on a sample survey by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

conducted in 2008-2011. Interestingly, the results of this pan India survey have not yet been

released to the public.

Data on the prevalence of Leprosy amongst the Adivasis (Scheduled Tribes) who, according

to Census 2011, constituted 8.6% of the Indian population.

The percentage of new Leprosy patients in India belonging to the Adivasi community is

18.8% – much more than their proportion in the Indian population- and that proportion is fast

increasing.

From 13.3% in 2009, it has increased to an alarming 18.8%. In the same period, overall

number of new cases have remained almost the same at the national level.

Global prevalence of leprosy In the past, India has had major advances against Leprosy.

Globally, prevalence was brought under one case per 10000 population by 2000, and there

was pressure on most endemic countries like India to achieve the same at the national level at

least by 2005, marking a significant milestone in the elimination of leprosy as a public health

problem.

The current global widespread presence is estimated by the World Health Organisation

(WHO) to be 0.23 per 10000 population. In 2017, India along with Brazil and Indonesia are

the only countries where more than 10000 new cases are reported per year.

For the year 2017, 135485 out of the 204686 new Leprosy cases detected globally were in

India – a staggering 66%. In the sense, two out of three new global Leprosy cases are

detected in India, according to official data.

National prevalence of leprosy After 2005, curiously, the number of new Leprosy cases detected in India remained around

1.3 lakhs every year, keeping the national prevalence rate safely well within the elimination

target.

Latest figures from the government, 128 districts have reported a prevalence rate which is

higher than 1/10000 population. As on March 2017, 53 districts in 11 States/UTs reported a

prevalence rate higher than 2/10,000 population.

These states are Bihar (4 districts), Odisha (8 districts), Chhattisgarh (15 districts), Gujarat (5

districts), Jharkhand (3 districts), Madhya Pradesh (2 districts), Maharashtra (6 districts),

West Bengal (6 districts), D&N Haveli (1 districts), Lakshadweep (1 districts) and Delhi (2

districts).

Leprosy commonness in Adivasi populaces.

While in 2010, there was no locale in India with a predominance level of more than 5/10000

populace, in 2017, there are four such areas.

It should be recollected that in 2010, just 20 locale in seven states had a predominance rate

higher than 2/10,000 populace.

These new areas announcing high Leprosy commonness have significant Adivasi populaces.

State level reported data paints an even more distressing picture. Leprosy is at risk of

becoming a disease exclusively of the Adivasis in certain states like Gujarat, where despite

constituting 14.8% of the state population, Adivasis bear 64.9% of the total new Leprosy

case load. 21% of Madhya Pradesh’s Adivasis bear 39.4% of the new leprosy case load in the

state.

Maharashtra, which has under 10% Adivasis, had 33.7% of all new Leprosy cases reported

from the community. West Bengal’s Adivasis report 20.3% of all new Leprosy cases when

their proportion in the state population is just 5.8%.

Tripura, with 31.8% Adivasis and Dadra and Nagar Haveli with 52% Adivasis report 64.7%

and 98.2% new Leprosy cases from among the Adivasi communities, respectively.

Government’s own specific information from areas like Tapi in Gujarat with over 80%

Adivasis demonstrate that Incidence of Leprosy has gone up from 9.37 for every 10000

populace in 2010 to 17.16 for each 10000 populace in 2014.

Conclusion

That Leprosy is still a major public health problem for the country and the fact that the

strategies to contain it are simple and drugs are available in the public sector, draw into

question the ethical priorities of our national and state health policies and their

implementation.

The prior additions in containing the illness have stagnated and we are in danger of a re-rise

of Leprosy as a general medical issue in generous zones of the nation.

16. Revolutionise 3D medical imaging

Why in news? Half a century after Sir Godfrey Hounsfield invented the CT scanner, the next wave in

medical imaging.

Context

The technology that caught the God particle has spun off chips that will revolutionise 3D

medical imaging.

Now the Medipix3, which MARS Bioimaging intends to commercialise, promises a

single solution superior to its predecessors.

Significance The hybrid pixel detector technology which the Large Hadron Collider used to track

accelerated particles has been used by a father and son team of scientists, Phil and Anthony

Butler, to produce the first three-dimensional colour images of the human body.

A chip of the Medipix family developed by CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear

Research, has been used by MARS Bioimaging to take colour see-through images of body

parts which are a generation ahead of currently available technology.

The chip family has been in production for 20 years, and CERN’s Knowledge Transfer

Group had expected it to contribute to areas outside quantum physics, but sheer magic was

not anticipated.

Issues that are addressed by Medipix3 The traditional radiological practices are complementary.

Techniques based on X-rays suffer from the deficit that they can sharply visualise only hard

tissues.

The shadows of soft tissues are less precise. Blood vessels and other conduits are imaged

with invasive dyes. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a slightly different picture,

based on the difference in water and fat content in tissues.

Positron emission tomography (PET) finds widest use in oncology. All but MRIs use

radiation and dyes and chemical markers.

Efficacy of care by Medipix3 Now the Medipix3, which MARS Bioimaging intends to commercialise, promises a single

solution superior to its predecessors. Using algorithms to model very accurate spectroscopic

data in three dimensions, it shows all tissues with equal clarity, in colour.

In the case of a fracture, for instance, not only would it show physical damage to a bone —

which is what an X-ray depicts — but it would also reveal trauma to surrounding tissue and

reveal if blood and nerve supply is compromised.

Also, it would depict structures exactly as they are, and not all of us are built exactly the

same.

If a complete image of a human were taken by a future iteration of this technology, would it

be possible to 3D print a lost limb or a malfunctioning organ later.

Conclusion

Researchers have already used Medipix to image cancerous tissue, bones and joints and

the blood supply to the heart.

The technology is scaling up rapidly, and holds incredible promise.

17. Sustainability and energy security: A clean cooking strategy

Context

In its drive towards sustainability and energy security, India must ensure an awareness of

better cooking fuel choices.

Energy use, a key indicator of living standards across the world, is also instrumental in

raising it. The choice of cooking fuel in households (especially rural) has a huge impact on

living conditions, especially for women and children.

Need for Adaptation Among the various options available for cooking fuel

1. Firewood and pellet are the most polluting.

2. LPG and kerosene are moderately cleaner.

3. Biogas and natural gas are cleaner fuels for combustion.

Importance for India

On an average in India, household spending on cooking fuel accounts for around 5-6% of its

total expenditure. Factors such as socio-economic (availability and easy access, also

determined by household income and price of fuel, education and awareness), culture or

lifestyle, and, to a large extent, government policies also influence cooking fuel choice.

Affordable, reliable and clean energy for cooking is essential not only for reducing health

and environmental impacts but also helping women to do more productive work and

developing the rural economy.

Comparing the options for clean energy

Among the various fuel options available (firewood, pellet, biogas, kerosene, liquefied

petroleum gas or LPG, piped natural gas or PNG) biogas accounts for the lowest

effective greenhouse gas emission. PNG and then LPG are next. An assessment of annual life cycle emissions of various fuels

per household per annum is based on the estimation of life cycle emissions, feedstock

processing, fuel processing, distribution and cook-stove use.

Further, a comparison of the levelised cost of various fuels (non-taxed and not subsidised),

annual life cycle emission per household (kg/CO2 equivalent) and extent of in-house air

pollution for various cooking fuels suggests that biogas and PNG are the best cooking energy

options.

Cooking fuels emit substantial amounts of toxic pollutants (respirable particles, carbon

monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur, benzene, formaldehyde and polyaromatic

compounds) which contribute to indoor air pollution.

In households with limited ventilation — common in rural household and semi-urban areas

— these pollutants could lead to severe health problems.

National level programmes National level programmes to ensure that most switch to clean cooking fuels have been

initiated since the 1980s, the National Project on Biogas Development (NPBD) being an

example.

But the programme has been hampered by mala fide practices, poor construction material, a

lack of maintenance, misrepresentation of achievements and a lack of accountability and

follow-up services.

In order to ensure access to clean energy —A key focus area for poverty alleviation

1. The government launched a flagship programme, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana in

May 2016. with a cumulative target of providing LPG connections to more than eight

crore families.

2. Further, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has been

holding auctions across cities for distribution of gas for cooking through PNG.

However, since conventionally, governments have been subsidising LPG and as such a

consumption-based subsidy is not available for biogas and PNG, it has led to a preference for

LPG over other cleaner, safer, more cost effective and locally available options (biogas in

rural areas).

Further, LPG import along with large subsidies are a drain on government resources which

hamper the focus on other social development programmes.

What can Work?

To promote biogas in rural and semi-urban areas, adopting the service-based enterprise

model with suitable resource availability offers a sustainable approach. It will also help

self-drive the programme. The model is being successfully implemented in Hoshiarpur, Punjab using a 100 cubic meter

biogas plant. The plant supplies clean and piped cooking biogas to 44 households and a

school every day.

Such models can also generation employment significantly at the grass-root level an

important additional benefit of running a biogas programme.

However, there is a need to provide financial support and facilitate capacity building in order

to promote enterprise-based models for community-level plants.

The cost-competitiveness of natural gas (including imported re-gasified LNG) calls for

scaling its penetration in urban and semi-urban/rural areas.

PNG needs to be promoted in urban areas beginning with the densely populated Tier-I and

Tier-II/III cities, making LPG just one of the options to choose from rather than it having an

edge over others.

For this, the cost of LPG must be set as the upper-cost ceiling and the PNGRB could focus

only on the setting up of safety regulations, with distribution rights being given to

distributors.

The way forward To further enable a consumer to freely make cooking fuel choices, consumption-based

subsidies need to be replaced with a functional subsidy that is provided on the basis of

household income levels and local variables.

Possibility of leakages must also be eliminated by ensuring that subsidies of any kind are

provided only through direct benefit transfer. Such an approach will provide a neutral thrust

and promotion to different types of cooking fuels on the basis of their original virtues.

As India takes a long-term view on sustainability and energy security, it is important to

create an environment where its citizens are aware of the options and make their

energy choices based on the nature of the fuel and not because of socio-economic

constraints.

18. Mercenary Conservation: wildlife private conservancy

Why in news?

Karnataka recently drafted Private Conservancy Rules in a bid to increase forest area

through private land.

Context Under the rules, anyone who has a minimum of 100 acres of land bordering a national

park can convert it to a “Wildlife Private Conservancy”.

Of this land, 5% can be used to construct buildings for ecotourism; the rest has to be kept for

flora and fauna.

Criticism

Allowing for private forests can lead to illegal activities and change the natural behaviour of

wildlife.

With activists and retired forest officers concerned that this could lead to illegal activities in

private spaces.

Following South Africa’s Approach Though policies are different in India and South Africa, there has been much talk about how

we are going down the Africa way with this new approach.

In South Africa, agricultural land can be converted into wildlife reserves. The government

specifies how much land is required for each animal, purchases are then made, and wildlife is

introduced.

Some game reserves allow hunting, which is legal. Hunting rights for specific animals are

auctioned regularly.

The highest bidder may gun down the animal and carry its head as a “trophy”.

Each species has a minimum bid with the Big Five — namely, the cape buffalo, rhino,

elephant, leopard and lion — being the most expensive.

The locals wholeheartedly support hunting as it brings in foreign exchange and thus

motivates the management to run the game reserve better, in turn leading to more hunting

bids.

Issues involved Private reserve owners treat wildlife in any way they deem fit.

In one game reserve, an elephant recently went rogue and broke the fence.

It was shot down and the carcass was left rotting inside the reserve for months. In another

instance, a red hartebeest with a tumour was shot down and thrown to lions.

On inspection, the “tumour” was found to be a deposit of grass that happened probably due

to a redirection of food through a cavity or hole. A veterinarian could have easily solved this,

but that was not to be.

Rules and responsibilities Though these wildlife spaces are massive, they are private and hence fenced. This constantly

challenges and changes the natural behaviour of wildlife. Some reserves have two sections:

one with lions and one without.

However, predators ensure survival of the fittest, and as a corollary, their absence leads to

overgrazing and excess population. There is also a territorial issue: in enclosed spaces, an

alpha cannot be established easily as the non-alphas are unable to find new ground.

This leads to more infighting and behavioural disturbances. Also, the rules for poaching

are still in the grey. Rhinos are regularly poached for their horns. Reserves urge people

not to geo-tag their location, for example on social media, in fear of poachers noticing.

Even though South African game reserves claim to respect wildlife, it is a business for them

as their animals are bred and gunned down for money. If money weren’t a motivating factor,

the spaces would have continued being agricultural lands.

19. Western Ghats fourth best tourist spot in Asia

Western Ghats supports the life of 7,402 species of flowering plants, 1,814 species of non-

flowering plants, 139 mammal species, 508 bird species, 179 amphibian species, 6000

insects species and 290 freshwater fish species.

Older than the Himalayas and well known for its rich and unique flora and fauna, the

Western Ghats has figured in Lonely Planet’s top five “2018 Best in Asia” list, a collection

of 10 of the best destinations to visit in the continent for the year.

One of the Hottest Biodiversity Hotspots and UNESCO World Heritage site, the Western

Ghats has come fourth in the list of the Lonely Planet, considered a Bible by travellers

worldwide.

Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana), which has started blooming after 12 years in the

famed hill station of Munnar has found mention in report.

Traversing Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra, these rugged hills are

UNESCO listed as one of the top spots for biodiversity in the world, protecting everything

from wild elephants and tigers to the neelakurinji flower, which blooms only once every 12

years and will be painting the hills in purple livery from August to October 2018.

Neelakurinji

Kurinji or Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthianus) is a shrub that is found in the shola forests

of the Western Ghats in South India.

Besides the Western Ghats, Neelakurinji is also seen in the Shevroys in the Eastern Ghats,

Annamalai hills Idukki district and Agali hills in Palakkad in Kerala and Sandur hills of

Bellary district in Karnataka.

Nilgiri Hills, which literally means the blue mountains, got their name from the purplish-blue

flowers of Neelakurinji that blossoms only once in 12 years.

Some Kurinji flowers bloom once every seven years, and then die.

Plants that bloom at long intervals like Strobilanthes kunthianus are known as plietesials.

The Paliyan tribal people living in Tamil Nadu used it as a reference to calculate their age.

20. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) questioned by SC

Context

The Supreme Court has said no one can violate the integrity and the bodily privacy of a

woman in the name of religion after the Centre condemned the practice of female genital

mutilation performed by some communities on children as a religious practice.

Background

It is a ritual performed on every girl child within the Dawoodi Bohra religious community.

The FGM is performed “illegally upon girls (between five years and before she attains

puberty)” and

o The practice of ‘khatna’ or ‘FGM’ or ‘Khafd’ also amounts to causing inequality

between the sexes and constitutes discrimination against women.

o Since it is carried out on minors, it amounts to serious violation of the rights of children

as even minors have a right of security of person, right to privacy, bodily integrity and

the freedom from cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment.

This is happening without any medical reason and does not have any reference in the Quran.

It violates the rights of the child and human rights.

SC view Such practices on children would be an offence under the Protection of Children from Sexual

Offences Act.

Govt View

The practice violated various fundamental rights of the girl child and moreover, such kind of

genital mutilation has serious repercussions on their health.

Current Status in India There is no law in India banning FGM or Khatna.

International Practice Countries like the United Kingdom, Australia and around 27 African countries have banned

this practice.

It violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It is a crime in the United States of America under the Illegal Immigration Reform and

Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.

21. Getting the generic drug plan right

Generic Drugs

The brand producing a new molecule gets a patent to be able to have selling rights.

Once a drug loses its patent protection, it can then be produced by several other drug

manufacturers and is called a ‘generic’.

A generic drug is defined as a drug product that is comparable to a brand/reference-listed

drug product in dosage, strength, route of administration, quality and performance

characteristics and intended use.

Branded generics are those that are given a unique name by their marketers to enable doctors

and patients to identify a product they can trust from the ocean of numerous alternatives.

Concerns

Though efforts have been made to draw the government’s attention to the substandard

quality of some generic drugs floating across the country there is still no clarity on the

definitions of all three categories.

The confusion is not just limited to laypersons but is prevalent among doctors too.

The government’s decision to ask doctors to prescribe a generic name has made things

complicated.

Current regulations allow doctors to prescribe branded as well as generic drugs but generic

drugs can also be produced by brands (branded generic).

Even the chemists do not have a way to know about the differences in quality as patients do

not come back and inform them about their recovery.

Way forward

There is a need to have in place stringent criteria for government agencies to ensure that

there is no difference in the dose, efficacy, potency and side-effects between generics and the

branded ones.

The government should ensure that all pharmacies have qualified pharmacists and that basic

quality is maintained for all generics produced in India.

In short, there should be a sort of star-rating for quality certification, helping people to

understand the quality of the generic.

The government’s intention to promote generics will reach its goal only if these three

important factors (clarity in definition, safe quality and standardised quality certifications

along with qualification of pharmacists) are considered.

22. ISRO to test its astronaut escape feature today

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has scheduled a ‘pad abort test’ of an

experimental space crew capsule as an important cog of its plan to send Indians to space one

day.

The launch pad abort test, or PAT, involves aborting a space capsule at launch to save the

inmates.

Significance

The priority of all space agencies in a human space mission is the safe return of its

astronauts.

With the pad abort test, ISRO aims to prove its technology that will safely parachute future

astronauts down in case their space vehicle develops snags while taking off.

ISRO describes PAT as the first milestone in qualifying its crew escape system in an

emergency.

The test is also one of the many main and supporting technologies that the space agency is

developing ahead of its ambitious Human Space Flight Programme (HSP).

Human Space Flight Programme (HSP)

The Indian human Spaceflight programme is a proposal by the Indian Space Research

Organisation (ISRO) to develop and launch a two-person crew to low Earth orbit.

There is no time-frame set for this, as manned space programme is not an approved

programme by the Government of India.

India and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on joint activities in the field of

human spaceflight programme in 2008.

23. Flood of despair: Mumbai’s flooding woes

Focus of the article: Mumbai’s capacity to deal with nature’s challenges is falling with every

passing year

Introduction

Mumbai is an efficient city in some ways, but this reputation depends on fair weather. It

turns into a soggy mess with the arrival of a monsoon.

This year the season has begun with the spectacular collapse of a pedestrian bridge on a

crucial railway line in Andheri, causing injuries and overall urban paralysis.

Not even a year has passed since the ghastly stampede on a foot overbridge at Elphinstone

Road station, that took over 20 lives.

Thinking lines

The recurrent disasters involving infrastructure are proof of the indifference among

policymakers to the city’s needs, even as they speak of a ‘global standard’ of living.

The city continues to attract a large number of people looking for opportunity

Urban managers, led by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, have not invested enough

in new infrastructure and have done a shoddy job of maintaining the old.

If Maharashtra has to achieve higher rates of economic growth and touch an ambitious 10%,

as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis desires, Mumbai’s infrastructure planning should be in

the hands of an empowered custodian who can secure the cooperation of all urban agencies.

A return to nature is needed to relieve Mumbai of its flooding woes. According to one

estimate, the city’s Mithi river, blocked by debris and garbage, has lost about 60% of its

catchment to development.

Integrated Flood Management (IFM)

IFM – to maximise the efficient use of the flood plains and minimise loss of property and life; to

enhance the benefits of floods and minimise their destruction

IFM measures can be grouped into 4 classes

Land-use measures; – aimed at “keeping people away from floods”.

Structural measures;- aimed at “keeping flood waters away from the people”.

Flood preparedness measures; aimed at “getting people ready for floods”.

Flood emergency measures; – aimed at “helping affected people cope with floods”.

Strategies to prevent floods in these two metros

Introduce better flood warning systems

Modify homes and businesses to help them withstand floods

Construct buildings above flood levels

Protect wetlands and introduce plant trees strategically

Restore rivers to their natural courses

Introduce water storage areas, Improve soil conditions, Put up more flood barriers must also

be implemented.

Municipal bodies of our cities have to come out with consistent and coherent urban policy.

Way forward

A cleaner river connected to functional drainage can aid in the speedy removal of flood

waters, and improve the environment.

In a 2015 study, the World Bank found that half of the poor did not consider moving out of

flood-prone areas, because of the uncertainty of living in a new place with severe social

disruptions and reduced access to education and health facilities.

What this underscores is the need to make the best use of all available space, densify

development where feasible, and improve conditions in situ.

It is welcome that a joint safety audit with the IIT will be conducted on public infrastructure,

in the wake of the bridge collapse. But such inspections must be regularly carried out and

quick remedial steps taken.

24. Fuel: getting the mix right

Even as the common man grapples with skyrocketing fuel prices, the Ministry of Petroleum

and Natural Gas continues to chase its ambitious targets based on ambiguous plans and

questionable technologies.

Issues

As the current policies lack a solid foundation, substance and a practical approach, the

average householder has no choice but to pay higher taxes.

While the entire country is reeling from a fuel price shock, nothing major has been done to

reduce toxic emissions and ease fuel prices.

As things stand, in States like Odisha, the fuel blending rate is 0% and there is no

explanation for this.

And it is not just Odisha, the whole country continues to flounder in the dark while the

government applies its questionable world-class ideas.

Background

In the past, the government has dithered several times on the National Policy on Biofuels

(NPB).

In 2003, the Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme (EBP) focussed on 5% blending of

molasses-based ethanol with petrol.

By 2008, it pushed for the blending target to be 10%.

Thereafter, the National Biodiesel Mission proposed a two-phase strategy for biodiesel

production from Jatropha seeds to achieve a 10% blending mandate with diesel by 2012.

These targets were not met.

Yet, in 2009, the NPB proposed a revised target of 20% blending for ethanol and biodiesel

by 2017.

This is yet to be realised.

Fuel blending with ethanol varies from 85% (E85) in Australia to vehicles run on 100%

(E100) ethanol in Brazil, where the ethanol blending mandate is 27% (E27).

In contrast, India has an abysmal 2-4% blending rate and is woefully short of the original

target of 5% due to the inconsistent supply of domestically produced ethanol.

Many States like Odisha have not even started their innings on fuel blending.

The government’s priorities in implementing the NPB were to find a solution to air pollution,

maintain affordable transportation fuel prices, promote clean and sustainable fuels, move

towards energy self-sufficiency, and reduce dependence on crude oil imports.

Unfortunately, precious little has been done so far.

Promises and problems

Against this backdrop of poor performance, the National Policy on Biofuels 2018 repeats the

pattern of promising the moon and delivering little.

There is no defined future road map for India in it.

At a time when the World Health Organisation has already declared 14 Indian cities as

among the most polluted in the world, it is surprising that the government is looking at

sourcing untested technologies like the production of 2G ethanol.

The policy is totally silent on octane, which has direct consequences on air quality and

pollution as it assists in proper combustion of fuels, thereby affecting vehicular emissions.

In the present-day scenario, petrol is blended with cancer-causing imported aromatics to

boost octane rating.

This has negative consequences on health.

The policy states that a viability gap funding scheme for 2G ethanol bio refineries of Rs.

5,000 crore in 6 years in addition to additional tax incentives, higher purchase price as

compared to 1G biofuels will be provided.

Like the NPB 2009, the NPB 2018 is overly ambitious.

This is in light of the fact that the capability of 2G has not been realised till today.

Therefore, completely relying on a mechanism which has not been proven commercially is

flawed.

Excessive expenditure from the exchequer is sought to be made by the NPB for a technology

(production of 2G) which is untested and has not taken off commercially internationally.

Further, the ways in which companies are selected for driving the NPB agenda forward is

odd.

So far, there’s an investment of Rs.10,000 crore to set up 12 2G biorefineries across 11

States.

Apart from laying the foundation stone of one biorefinery in Bathinda, Punjab, nothing more

has developed on this front.

The government has signed six MoUs with oil marketing companies, of which three have

been awarded to Praj Industries without any transparent process of selection.

The criteria and reasons for awarding these MoUs is unknown.

The biggest irony is that the government is willing to spend thousands of crores on building

statues but is unwilling to spend much on developing existing technologies to augment the

generation and production of ethanol for a better future.

The burning issues of vehicular emission, fuel octane efficiency, rising fuel prices and air

pollution remain largely unaddressed.

The way forward

Merely increasing the price of ethanol by Rs.3 and reducing fuel prices by a few paise will

not help the current scenario.

The government needs to roll back the increase of Central government taxes on fuel, which

have doubled after 2014.

The government also needs to demonstrate a clear thinking for increasing ethanol production

to reduce oil imports and the current account deficit.

If necessary, the government should look at importing ethanol in the interim, thereby

creating consistency of supply, and providing relief from the pollution created by fossil fuel

burning.

Facilitating import of ethanol will make up for the inconsistency in the availability of

domestic ethanol, thereby ensuring the accomplishment of the present blending mandate of

10% (E10).

A similar practice has been adopted by countries like the Philippines, which have seen

resounding success in achieving their blending mandate, consistency in ethanol supply, and

foreign exchange savings.

Appropriate blending of consistently available ethanol throughout the country will prevent

octane savings to the tune of approximately Rs.3,000 crore.

Further, a consistent supply of ethanol will serve as a substitute for expensive and harmful

imported aromatics like BTX.

This will additionally contribute to foreign exchange savings worth approximately Rs.1,500

crore since ethanol has an octane rating of 113, while the mandated octane rating for fuel is

91.

Interim import of ethanol should be considered while 1G production is being increased and

technology to produce 2G ethanol is still developing and proving its commercial viability.

These corrections in policy will lead to lower fuel prices, cleaner air, foreign currency

savings and efficiency in the oil economy.

25. Space Wars

Context U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the creation of a “space force” or a sixth branch

of the American armed forces

Historical background

The imperative by America to build space weapons, which is nothing new, goes back to the

Cold War, an example being the Strategic Defense Initiative of the Reagan Administration.

Why is this important for USA? The intention is to see that the U.S. establishes and maintains dominance in space.

The purpose being to deny the Russians and the Chinese advantages in space.

There is exponential growth in China’s space military capabilities over the last two decades.

Issue Area

What advantages it will bring to American war-fighting capabilities are still unclear.

U.S. Air Force — historically a major constituency and votary for space weapons — is not

entirely enthusiastic about this new service, which could take resources away from it and the

prestige

Adding another military arm would only compound the organisational challenges facing the

U.S. armed services.

Objections have also emerged from within the Administration.

o First, it could undercut ongoing missions

o Second, it could very well increase budgetary allocations in the future.

o Third, a space corps could undermine American efforts in the domain of joint warfare.

Nevertheless, the fundamental difficulty of a space corps is that the physical environment of

space is not conducive to the conduct of military operations without incurring serious losses

in the form of spacecraft and debris. And despite efforts to make spacecraft more fuel

efficient, the energy requirements are enormous.

China and Russia’s responses China has reiterated it opposes the weaponisation of space

o With a range of terrestrial interests in direct conflict with the Americans, Beijing will be

in no mood to allow U.S. space dominance.

Russia for its part has been shriller in its response, making it clear that it will vigorously take

on the U.S.

o However, given its lack of the resources for competition, it will in all probability, for

tactical reasons, align itself with China.

Implications for India American military goals, which are still undefined in space, could still have consequences for

India.

India is officially committed to PAROS, or the prevention of an arms race in outer space, it is

yet to formulate a credible official response

India has yet to establish a credible space command of its own.

Way forward

India should come out with an official white paper on space weapons.

The government needs to engage with multiple stakeholders directly about the role space

weapons will play in India’s grand strategy. More than their war-fighting attributes, space

weapons have one principal function — deterrence.