In News

Bharat Biotech’s intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, iNCOVACC (BBV154), which was granted emergency use approval for primary vaccination of adults three months ago, has now been given emergency use approval as a heterologous booster in adults over 18 years.

About the News:

• iNCOVACC (BBV154), is an intranasal vaccine, where the solution is sprayed into the nostrils and inhaled instead of injecting it. It uses a viral vector platform that utilizes a recombinant adenovirus as a vector.
• Since it is a heterologous booster, it can be injected to any person irrespective of what vaccine was used for primary doses.

What is iNCOVACC?

• The iNCOVACC is a recombinant replication-deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine with a pre-fusion stabilized spike protein.
• This vaccine has been specifically formulated to allow intranasal delivery through nasal drops. The nasal delivery system has been designed and developed to be cost-effective in low and middle-income countries.
• It was developed in partnership with Washington University, St. Louis, which had designed and developed the recombinant adenoviral vectored construct and evaluated in preclinical studies for efficacy.
• Product development related to preclinical safety evaluation, large-scale manufacturing scale up, formulation and delivery device development, including human clinical trials were conducted by Bharat Biotech.

What are the advantages of intranasal vaccines?

• Intranasal vaccines can potentially prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection at the point of viral entry in the respiratory tract.
• It is non-invasive, needle-free thus, easy to administration as it does not require trained health care workers.
• Since it is stable at 2-8°C, it easy to store and distribute along with scalable manufacturing.
• Elimination of needle-associated risks such as injuries and infections.
• High compliance, hence ideally suits for children and adults).
• Reduces the overall cost of a vaccination drive as for example BBV154 requires a single-dose regimen.

What are the associated concerns with nasal vaccines?

• The effectiveness of the intranasal vaccine to prevent infection and severe disease and death when used as the primary vaccination and as a booster dose is yet to be verified.
• Unsuccessful past attempts as in the case of the Oxford vaccine, which was developed as an intranasal vaccine, did not elicit a “consistent mucosal antibody response nor a strong systemic response”.

Source:

• https://www.bharatbiotech.com/intranasal-vaccine.html
• ne-choices-the-hindu-editorial-on-bharat-biotechs-intranasal-covid-19-vaccine/article66200477.ece/amp/
• https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/more-vacci

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Why in news?

• Farmers in China are now growing a perennial variety of rice which does not need to be planted every year.

Associated Features

• Higher productivity & Perennial in Nature- Contrary to conventional rice, which is planted each season, PR23 can produce eight harvests (6.8 tons per hectare) in a row over the course of four years (as these plants with stronger roots grow back vigorously after each harvest).
• Cheaper– Growing PR23 is significantly less expensive because it needs less labour, seeds, and chemical inputs.
• Other benefits– as per the journal Nature Sustainability–growing perennial rice over a period of four years resulted;
  • Environmental advantages like increased water availability for plants and soils that accumulate about a ton of organic carbon per acre each year.
  • Drought resistance: Because of its shallow root system, annual rice is highly vulnerable to drought.
  • Resist weed invasion: As the fallow period has reduced, weed pressure has increased in upland rice systems.
  • Plant nutrition: Deep-rooted perennial plants can get a large amount of their phosphorus from the subsoil, whereas shallow-rooted species, like rice, get the majority of their nutrients from the topsoil.

Rice Cultivation in India

• In India, rice is grown from 8 to 35°N latitude and up to 3000 meters above sea level.
• A hot, humid atmosphere is necessary for rice production.
• It works best in areas with high humidity, continuous sunshine, and a reliable supply of water.
• The crop needs an average temperature between 21 and 37°C for the duration of its life.
• The crop can withstand temperatures up to 40 to 42°
• The two main soil types in India where rice is farmed are uplands and lowlands.
• West Bengal has the highest production of rice in India followed by UP, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Content Source Link:

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/why-perennial-rice-developed-in-china-is-a-big-deal/amp-11669658142476.html,

Image Source Link: 

https://tractorguru.in/blog/top-10-rice-producing-states-in-india-with-rice-cultivation-method/

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In news

Nai Chetana, a gender campaign launched under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission in all States, is set to start in Kerala soon, under the umbrella of the Kudumbashree Mission.

About Nai Chetna

• ''Nai Chetna-Pahal Badlav Ki'' is a nationwide campaign, launched by the Ministry of Rural Development, which aims to enable women to acknowledge gender-based violence, prepare them to raise their voices against it, and provide them with knowledge about their rights.

• It is a four-week campaign, whose activities will be centred on the theme of ‘Gender equality and gender-based violence.’
• The campaign includes the following activities under it:
  • Twenty-five gender resource centres have been started under Kudumbashree in various districts.
  • Activities will be centred on the theme of ‘Gender equality and gender-based violence.’
  • Awareness programmes of internal complaints committees will be organised in association with the Women and Child Development department.
  • Leaflets, posters, and short films prepared by the NRLM will be used for the awareness programmes.
  • Awareness will be created on how to use institutional mechanisms effectively to prevent violence.
  • Further, Maximum public participation will be ensured in all activities taken up as part of the campaign.

Gender-Based Violence

• The UNHCR defines Gender-Based Violence as “harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender, which is rooted in gender inequality, the abuse of power and harmful norms.''
• The repercussions of such forms of violence include sexual violence, child marriage, honour crimes, etc.
• Gender-Based Violence in India
  • According to NCRB, Crime against women rose by 15.3% in 2021 from the previous year.
  • A majority of these cases fall in the category of Cruelty by the husband or his relatives, followed by Assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty, kidnapping, abduction, and rape.
  • The highest rate of crime against women in 2021 was registered in Assam; while Nagaland registered the lowest crime rate against women.

About Kudumbashree

• Kudumbashree is the poverty eradication and women empowerment programme implemented by the State Poverty Eradication Mission (SPEM) of the Government of Kerala.
• Set up in 1997, it has a three-tier structure for its women community network, with Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs) at the lowest level, Area Development Societies (ADS) at the middle level, and Community Development Societies (CDS) at the local government level.
• In 2011, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India recognised Kudumbashree as the State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM).

Source:

• Nai Chetna campaign against gender-based violence gets under way in Kerala
• Crime against women rose by 15.3% in 2021: NCRB
• The Kudumbashree StoryImage source

Image Source:

https://images.indianexpress.com/2022/08/NCRB-data-1.jpg

https://mobile.twitter.com/IANSAnetwork/status/1468978747587973121/photo/1

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In News:

• Economists propose DBT route to ease the burden of tenant farmers

About the News:

• Economists have recently advocated the conversion of all agricultural subsidies including inputs such as supplying fertiliser, power, and water at below cost or outputs such as procuring crops at above market prices into direct income support to farmers.
• At present, agri- direct benefit transfers (DBT) schemes do not reach tenant farmers which consist of farmers who undertake cultivation on leased land.
• The exclusion of tenant farmers from income support and also zero/low-interest loans, crop insurance, disaster compensation and other agri-related schemes is significant, given the rising trend of owners no longer directly cultivating their lands.
• With the rapid rollout of Aadhaar in the country, it was felt possible to move to a system of transferring cash benefits directly to the poor.
• In this regard, a proposal has been pushed in the form of DBT on a per-acre or per-farmer basis for the transparent system without causing distortions in input/output markets.

Major issues:

• Left-out beneficiaries: PM-Kisan provides annual income support of Rs 6,000 to all landholding farmer families in India which effectively excludes tenant farmers from income support.
• Huge burden: According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) nearly 17.3 per cent out of the total estimated 101.98 million operational holdings (i.e., farms) in rural India were on leased lands.
• Geographic discrepancy: The incidence of non-owners cultivating agricultural lands is highest for Andhra Pradesh at 42.4 per cent followed by Odisha while in agri-developed states of Haryana and Punjab the share of the leased-in area is higher than the percentage of tenant holdings.
• Exclusion error: Farm tenancy agreements in India are largely oral, unwritten contracts and seldom recorded leases which makes it difficult to recognise legitimate beneficiaries for any scheme.

Source: 

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/why-dbt-schemes-need-to-fix-the-problem-of-tenant-farmers-8293280/

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-economics/why-dbt-schemes-need-to-fix-the-problem-of-tenant-farmers-8293280/

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• Context: Recently Scientists have discovered new species of black corals near the Great Barrier Reef.

• Black corals can be found growing both in shallow waters and down to depths (over 8,000 m).
• Some of them are feather-like while others are straight and are not as colourful as the other corals that depend on sun and photosynthesis for energy.
• Black corals are filter feeders and eat tiny zooplankton that is abundant in deep waters.
• Coral Reefs are underwater ecosystems which are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate.
• Conditions for the formation of Coral Reefs:

1. Grow only in shallow photic zones in a symbiotic relation with zooxanthellae
2. Warm tropical water (25°-27° C)
3. Low nutrient water
4. Cannot survive near river mouths

• Types of Corals:

1. Fringing Reef: found in continent margins.
2. Barrier Reef: wide, elongated and extensive corals away from the land.
3. Atoll: they are circular-shaped corals found in open seas far off from lands.

• Threats

1. Coral bleaching
2. Dredging and trawling methods
3. Global climatic change
4. Unsustainable fishing
5. Land-based pollution

Source:

https://www.noaa.gov/explainers/coral-reefs-essential-and-threatened#:~:text=The%20top%20threats%20to%20coral,invasive%20species%2C%20exacerbate%20each%20other.

Image source: 

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/scientists-discover-five-new-species-of-black-corals-near-the-great-barrier-reef/article66186857.ece

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• Context: Recently Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii erupted after 38 years.
• It is a Caldera type of volcano. Eruptions took place in 2 sites, Kilauea's lava lake and a Mauna Loa fissure.

• There are 5 active volcanos in Hawaii presently. Mauna Lao is the largest volcano lying on the southernmost island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is an active volcano (volcano that has had a recorded eruption since the last glacial period, about 10,000 years ago.)
• A volcano is an opening in a planet or moon’s crust through which molten rock and gases trapped under the surface erupt, often forming a hill or mountain.
• Volcanic eruptions vary in intensity and explosiveness, depending on the composition of the magma. Since the magma is runny, gasses are able to escape, and Mauna Lao eruption is relatively gentle.

• Volcanos based on eruption:

1. Active
2. Dormant
3. Extinct

• The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) is a scale used to measure the explosivity of a volcano.

Source:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/mauna-loa-volcano-science-behind-volcanic-eruptions-8296584/

https://www.foxnews.com/us/hawaiis-mauna-loa-volcano-erupts-first-time-38-years-causing-concern-attracting-onlookers

Image source: 

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/volcanoes

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• Context: The Himalayan yak has been accepted as a food animal by the scientific panel of the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), after a recommendation from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD).

• Yak is found throughout the Himalayan region -- Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, North Bengal, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir -- while wild Yak is found in Tibet.
• Yaks are traditionally reared under a transhumance system which is primitive, unorganised and full of hardship.
• It is reared by pastoral nomads for earning their nutritional and livelihood security due to the lack of other agricultural activity at high altitudes.
• A drop of about 25% from the census carried out in 2019 & 2012 has been reported, and the decline is attributed to less remuneration from the bovid, thus, discouraging the younger generations from nomadic yak rearing.
• The FSSAI’s recognition will help farmers rear the yak economically, with benefits for both farmers and food processors.
• Research at the NRC-Yak has revealed yak milk is highly nutritious, rich in fat, contains essential minerals and has medicinal values and yak meat is known to be lean.
• The products which are traditionally produced from yak milk are churkum, churpi, ghee and paneer.

Sources:

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/himalayan-yak-accepted-as-food-animal-by-fssai/article66187141.ece

Image Source: 

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/8/2344

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• Context: The Supreme Court has rejected a plea by Tarun Tejpal for an in-camera hearing of a rape case against him.

• In-camera proceedings are private and are an exception to the rule of an open court. In an open court or open justice system, the people & press are allowed to report on the matter being heard.
• In-camera proceeding (usually held through video conferencing or in closed chambers) is used in sensitive cases essentially to protect the privacy of the parties, like matrimonial disputes (judicial separation, divorce proceedings etc.), and during the deposition of witnesses of terrorist activities as per the court’s discretion, so as to protect them and maintain national security.
• Section 327 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) has detailed the types of cases that should be recorded on camera.
• Open court allows the public to inspect the case and make an opinion. This system functions on the principles of natural justicee., right to hearing and right against bias and only when there is access to the court proceedings will laws be amended.

Sources:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/tarun-tejpal-case-in-camera-proceedings-explained-8297224/

Image source: 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/now-watch-sc-proceedings-streaming-live-on-your-screen/articleshow/94491552.cms?from=mdr

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Why in news? The 18th edition of the India-U.S. Army exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ is currently underway in Uttarakhand.

About:

• It is the largest running joint military training and defence cooperation.
• The exercise was started in 2004 under the US Army Pacific Partnership Program. The exercise is hosted alternately between both countries.
• Aims at enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between two Armies.
• This will help them in undertaking joint operations at the battalion level in mountainous terrain with cold climatic conditions under the ambit of the United Nations.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/five-bilateral-army-exercises-under-way-including-yudh-abhyas-in-uttarakhand/article66201755.ece/amp/

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Why in news? Recently, the GSLEP seeks to address high-mountain development issues using the conservation of the charismatic and endangered snow leopard as a flagship.

About:

• The GSLEP is a high-level inter-governmental alliance of all the 12 snow leopard range countries.

• It majorly focuses on the need for awareness and understanding of the value of Snow Leopard for the ecosystem.
• The GSLEP Program’s secretariat is based in Bishkek, and is hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic.
• In 2013, the Bishkek Declaration led to the formation of GSLEP.
• India is a part of the GSLEP since 2013.

https://globalsnowleopard.org/gslep-program/

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Why in news? Recently, two cyclones, namely Hinnamnor and Gardo interacted showcasing Fujiwhara Effect.

About:

• It is any interaction between tropical storms formed around the same time in the same ocean region with their centres or eyes at a distance of less than 1,400 km, with intensity varying between a depression and a super typhoon.
• The interaction could lead to changes in the track and intensity of either or both storms’ systems.
• In rare cases, the two systems could merge, especially when they are of similar size and intensity, to form a bigger storm.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/amp/perfect-storm-what-is-the-fujiwhara-effect--85337

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Why in news? Recently, WHO recommended the new name “mpox” for monkeypox disease as the current name was perceived to be racist and stigmatising.

About:

• Assigning names to new and existing diseases is responsibility of WHO under the International Classification of Diseases and WHO Family of International Health Related Classification.

 About Monkeypox:

• It is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of central and west Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions.
• The infection was first discovered in 1958.
• It is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus.

https://www.news-medical.net/amp/news/20221129/Monkeypox-renamed-mpox-in-an-effort-to-combat-stigma.aspx

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Why in news? Recently, Mamangam's performance series titled MANDALA recently hosted a Kolkali team from Malabar.

About:

• Kolkali is a folk-art form performed in the North Malabar region of Kerala.
• In Tamil Nadu, this art form is referred to as Kolattam and in Andhra Pradesh, as
• In this, the artist moves in a circle by rotating small sticks, maintaining the rhythm with special steps.
• It is performed during the paddy harvest season.
• It drew elements from Kalaripayattu, a martial art practised in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

https://m.timesofindia.com/entertainment/events/kochi/mamangams-mandala-performance-series-pictures-are-here/articleshow/70751820.cms#_ga=2.117625098.2055978377.1669780315-amp-Il7N-GUkMEXnVCujsn-pVw

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Why in news? Recently, stock exchanges announced that all F&O stocks will be transitioned to T+1 or 'Trade plus one' settlement cycle from January 2023.

About:

• In T+1, the settlement of trade takes place in one working day and the investor will get the money on the following day.
• It means that trade-related settlements must be done within one day of the transaction's completion.
• If a stock exchange opts for T+1 settlement cycle, it has to mandatorily continue with it for a minimum 6 months.
• It reduces settlement time and also reduces and frees up the capital required to collateralise that risk.

https://m.economictimes.com/markets/stocks/news/t1-settlement-for-all-fo-stocks-from-january-2023/amp_articleshow/95715258.cms

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Exam View:

In News: While sharing experiences of violence was a powerful step for women, accessing services and support often resulted in uncertainty, fear and disappointment.

It can be defined as a pattern of behaviour in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. This includes any behaviours that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure, or wound someone.

Domestic violence is a punishable offence under the Protection of Women from the Domestic Violence Act 2005 (PWDVA). It is a violation of human rights.

Type of domestic violence:

• Physical abuse: It means any act or conduct which is of such a nature as to cause bodily pain, harm, or danger to life, limb, or health or impair the health.
• Sexual abuse: It includes any conduct of a sexual nature that abuses, humiliates, degrades, or otherwise violates the dignity of a woman.
• Economic abuse: It includes activities such as not providing money for maintaining the woman or her children, not providing food, clothes, medicines, etc., deprivation of all or any economic or financial resources etc.
• Verbal and emotional abuse – It includes Insults, ridicule, humiliation, name calling and insults or ridicule, especially with regard to not having a child or a male child.

Constitutional Provisions for the protection of women:

Challenges:

• National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21): It reveals that 32% of ever-married women aged 18-49 years have ever experienced emotional, physical, or sexual violence. only 14% of women who have experienced domestic violence have sought help (much lower in the rural areas).
• More rural than urban women: reporting experiences of domestic violence.
• Domestic violence: Almost a third of women are subject to domestic violence.
• Role of the police: Women who reported experiences of violence to the police were cynical about the outcome. Across the States, it is observed that the police were more likely to send women back to violent households to reconcile with the perpetrator use violence against perpetrators as a deterrent instead of filing an official complaint.
• Protection officers: Several States are yet to implement Protection officers. And where they are in post, they are under-resourced, under-skilled and overworked, making their remit impossible.

Way Forward:

• Access to legal justice through the courts was a material possibility only for women with independent wealth and connections or those supported by specialist non-governmental organizations.
• Financial Independence: Improving women’s access to paid employment.
• Helplines, psychosocial support and online counselling should be boosted, using technology-based solutions such as SMS, online tools and networks to expand social support and to reach women with no access to phones or the internet.
• The legislature recognises that domestic violence is a crime, and civil remedies exist through protection orders, managing the fallout of domestic violence is still being subcontracted to survivors and their families.
• Police and justice services should ensure that incidents of violence against women and girls are given high priority with no impunity for perpetrators.
• The increase in violence against women should be dealt with urgently with measures embedded in economic support and stimulus packages that meet the gravity and scale of the challenge and reflect the needs of women who face multiple forms of discrimination. Grassroots and women’s organizations and communities need to be supported strongly in their current frontline role.

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/still-a-nightmare-for-domestic-violence-survivors/article66196621.ece/amp/

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Background

British manufacturer Rolls-Royce has successfully tested an aircraft engine running on hydrogen. It is the first major step by the aviation sector towards decarbonizing air travel.

About Hydrogen Fuel:

• Rolls Royce and EasyJet modified an aero-engine to use hydrogen produced from wind and tidal power to run an early concept engine.
• Hydrogen is one of the competing technologies that could help the aviation industry achieve its goal of becoming net zero by 2050.
• Other technologies in the pipeline are electric engines, which would be initially suitable for short flights, and the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
• But a switch to hydrogen-powered engines would require a complete redesign of airframes and infrastructure at airports.
• Engines that are already in service can use a mixture of SAF and conventional fuels, but it is only currently produced in minuscule amounts.
• Different methods for the production of Hydrogen are:
  • Hydrogen can be separated from hydrocarbons through the application of heat, a process known as reforming.
  • An electrical current can also be used to separate water into its components of oxygen and hydrogen through the process of
  • Some algae and bacteria, using sunlight as their energy source, even give off hydrogen under certain conditions.
• Advantages of Hydrogen fuel:
  • Hydrogen has high energy content per unit mass, which is three times higher than gasoline.
  • It has the potential to contribute towards decarbonized, sustainable, secure energy future.
  • Hydrogen fuel releases no polluting by-products

Source:

https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/2022/28-11-2022-rr-and-easyjet-set-new-aviation-world-first-with-successful-hydrogen-engine-run.aspx

Image Source:

https://www.rolls-royce.com/~/media/Files/R/Rolls-Royce/documents/others/hydrogen-from-tides-to-take-off.pdf

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