Current affais- March 21, 2016
Dept. of Biotechnology launches fund to tackle anti-microbial resistance
To
tackle the threat faced by India from resistance to antimicrobial drugs, the
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) — through the Biotechnology
Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) —
has launched a fund.
About
the Fund:
§ This
is an India-focussed seed fund.
Significance
of this fund:
§ This
fund helps groups in India compete for the Longitude Prize(This is a £ 10
million prize offered by Nesta, a U.K. charity, to any individual group
anywhere in the world that develops an affordable, effective diagnostic test to
detect resistance to microbes)
§ This
is also expected to encourage biotechnology start-ups in the country.
Why
research in this field is necessary?
India
faces increasing instances of tuberculosis patients being resistant to front
line drugs. Experts say this is due to lax monitoring and profligate
prescription by medical authorities that allow these drugs to be easily
available. Indiscriminate usage means that bugs are, overtime, able to resist
these medicines.
§ The
World Health Organisation statistics for 2014 give an estimated incidence
figure of 2.2 million cases of TB for India out of a global incidence of 9
million, with instances of drug-resistant TB rapidly rising.
Background:
It
can be noted here that, in December 2015, the DBT laid out a strategy, called
the National Biotechnology Development Strategy, whereby biotechnology would be
at the foundation of a $100-billion industry by 2025, rising from the current
$7-$10 billion.
§ The
National Biotechnology Development Strategy 2015-20 aims to establish India as
a world-class bio-manufacturing hub. It intends to launch a major mission,
backed with significant investments, for the creation of new biotech products,
create a strong infrastructure for R&D and commercialization, and empower
India’s human resources scientifically and technologically.
Japan says India’s nuclear MoU “legally binding”
A
senior Japanese diplomat recently told that India
had committed to adhere to the “control of nuclear material, traceability [of
nuclear fuel] and consequence in case of a nuclear accident” under
the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on civil nuclear cooperation with Japan
signed during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to India in 2015.
§ The
Japanese diplomat pointed out that so far, the world had to rely on India’s
verbal commitments on nuclear non-proliferation, but the India-Japan MoU marked
the first occasion when India came under legal obligation to uphold
non-proliferation concerns.
This
statement has given rise to many concerns:
§ Though
the bilateral agreement leaves out India’s military nuclear programme, experts
warn that the agreed principles impinge on India’s independent nuclear
programme as they imply intrusive inspection of civilian nuclear reactors as
warranted under the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT).
§ The
Japanese diplomat has also indicated that India will be financially accountable
if it is found to be violating the principles.
§ The
MoU may also destabilise India’s established nuclear deals with Russia and
France as they too may demand similar commitments previously denied to them.
National Green Tribunal seeks Centre’s response on ban of microplastics
The
National Green Tribunal has sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking
ban on use of micro-plastics in cosmetic and bodycare products in India
alleging their use is extremely dangerous for aquatic life and environment.
§ The
NGT, in this regard, has issued notice to the ministry of environment and
forests and the ministry for water resource and sought their reply on next date
of hearing.
What
are ‘Microplastics’?
Microplastics
are plastic pieces or fibres which are very small and according to recent
United Nations reports, these are dangerous for the aquatic life and
environment. Microplastics measure less than five milimetres.
Need
for ban:
§ The
microplastics or microbeads found in personal care products are always smaller
than one milimetre.
§ Due
to the unregulated production and usage of plastics in microbeads in various
cosmetic products available in the market and the excessive usage of such
products by the end users is leading to water pollution across the globe.
§ Besides,
after being washed down the drain, microbeads flow through sewer systems around
the world before making their way into rivers and canals and ultimately,
straight into the seas and oceans, where they contribute to the huge chunk of
plastic soup in the environment.
Sculpture of Chandesvarar
A
sculpture of Chandesvarar,
believed to belong to 10th century
AD, has been found at Sundaikkai village near Umaiyalpuram in Tamil Nadu. The
sculpture was an early Chola icon.
§ Chandesvarar
is one of the 63 Nayanmars of the Saivite sect and was the first among them to
find a place in temples. He is housed in a separate shrine on the northern side
of all the Saivite temples, facing the presiding deity.
§ He
is the only devotee to have the credit of getting announced as His son by the
Lord Himself and is given the very high rank of Chandesapatham.
§ The
most distinguished shrine of Chandesvara was built by Rajaraja I at the
Rajarajesvaram at Thanjavur.
Solar for Refrigerator and air conditioner
A
Chennai-based company has showed that solar power can be used to power air
conditioner and refrigerator.
§ This
has been made possible by the use of thin film solar panels. The company has
replaced the conventional silicon crystalline panels with thin film solar
panels.
§ Though
efficiency of thin film panel is the same as silicon panel at 25 degree C, the energy yield of thin film is higher than silicon panel.
This is because power rating is done at 25 degree C. In India, the outside
temperature far exceeds 25 degree C, especially during summer. And for every 1 degree C increase in temperature, the
loss in power rating is 0.5% in the case of silicon panels; it is only 0.25%
with thin films. So 5% more energy output is achieved by thin film panels.
§ Another
advantage with the thin film panel is that unlike silicon panels where power
production gets completely cut off even if a small part of the panel is covered
by shade, only that part of the thin film panel that is not exposed to sunlight
stops producing power.
Facts
1. In
a report prepared by experts on the initiative of the Tamil Progressive
Alliance, Hill-country Tamils in Sri Lanka have suggested that the community be
called “Indian-Origin Malayaha
Thamilar (IOMT).” They do not want to be called “Indian Tamils” anymore. This nomenclature of theirs has been a source of
political and administrative discrimination and social antipathy, besides
carrying a historical baggage.
2. Astronomers
working with data from the NASA/Hubble space telescope have identified nine massive monster stars, each of which is more than
100 times the mass of the sun. These massive stars are located in theTarantula Nebula, within the Large Magellanic Cloud. This structure is 1,70,000
light years away.
3. The
‘miracle drug’ to battle multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and
extensively-drug resistant TB (XDR-TB)-Bedaquiline–
has been rolled out in six public hospitals across the country. It is perhaps
the first drug ever that has the potential to dramatically improve MDR-TB
treatment outcomes. The drug test is part of a co-ordinated programme between
the government and Johnson & Johnson. The drug can be a game changer in the
battle against the disease in India, the world’s TB epicentre. India accounts for
23% of global cases and the most deaths – 220,000 in 2014.
4. Indian
student, Geetakshi Arora, has won the first
Noor Inayat Khan prize for 2016. Arora has won the prize —
which consists of £1,000 and a certificate — for her dissertation on “Goddess Myths in Graphic Novels: Reimagining Indian Feminity.”
The award is given by London-based Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust. The Trust
awards the annual prize to a post-graduate student from the School of Oriental
and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, working in the area of gender
studies and South Asian history.
Who
was Noor Inayat Khan?
She
is an Indian descent and was a secret agent in
the Second World War, who was sent to Nazi-occupied Paris in 1943 from where
she worked as a wireless operative sending intelligence reports to the Allies.
Noor Inayat Khan’s great-great-great-grandfather was Tipu Sultan, an 18th Century Muslim ruler
of Mysore.
