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GS Paper I- Important Geophysical Phenomena
1. Atmospheric River
GS Paper II & III- Issues related to Health & Sci-Tech
2. CAR-T cell therapy
GS Paper II- Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability.
3. A critical view of the ‘sanitation miracle’
GS Paper II- Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability.
4. Bills to Include PVTGs of Odisha, A.P. in ST Lists
Prelims Booster:-
5. Vidyanjali Scholarship Programme
6. Himalayan griffon
7. Annual Survey of Industries (ASI)
GS Paper I- Important Geophysical Phenomena
Context:-
California witnessed heavy rains, near-hurricane force winds and flooding as the state was hit by the second and most severe of two back-to-back atmospheric river events of the past week.
California's recent rainy seasons:
Before the current two consecutive wet years, California had been facing drought conditions for decades.
California's water year, which is measured from October to September, has seen welcome rainfall as a result.
What is an Atmospheric River?
An atmospheric river is a narrow band of water vapour that moves from tropical regions and can cause heavy precipitation in a specific area.
These rivers are often found on the east side of powerful mid-latitude storms.
At any given time, the Earth has around four to five active atmospheric rivers, each of which moves an amount of water equivalent to the Amazon River.
When an atmospheric river hits land, it can result in heavy rainfall and snowfall.
The Pineapple Express is an atmospheric river that begins in the subtropical waters surrounding Hawaii and brings heavy precipitation to California.
Duration of Atmospheric Rivers:
Research has shown that atmospheric rivers typically persist for about 20 hours along the coastal region.
Additionally, these weather phenomena can travel for up to five days in the ocean before making landfall.
Once they do, it's common for an atmospheric river to bring heavy rainfall to a single coastal location for anywhere between 12 to 72 hours.
El Niño impact:
El Niño is a natural climate pattern that occurs when ocean waters in the tropical Pacific become abnormally warm, leading to increased rainfall and storms.
Every year, California is affected by an average of seven to 10 powerful atmospheric rivers.
During El Niño years, moisture levels tend to be higher and atmospheric rivers along the West Coast of the U.S. become more frequent.
However, scientists are not completely certain whether El Niño is the only factor contributing to increased precipitation and storm intensity.
Impact of Climate Change:
Climate change may have a significant impact on atmospheric rivers in the coming years.
It could affect these weather patterns:
GS Paper II & III- Issues related to Health & Sci-Tech
Context:
India’s drug regulator approved the commercial use of CAR-T cell therapy.
Key Info:
India's first CAR-T cell therapy, NexCAR19, gained market authorization from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in November 2023.
ImmunoACT, an IIT Bombay incubated company, received the authorization.
According to doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mr. Gupta, the first commercial patient to undergo the procedure, is now cancer-free.
This marks a significant milestone for the hospital.
CAR-T cell therapy:
CAR-T therapy is an innovative treatment that involves modifying immune cells, specifically T-cells, into potent cancer fighters.
T-cells are white blood cells that locate and fight off illness and infection, with their primary function being cytotoxic, meaning they can kill other cells.
With CAR-T therapy, we genetically modify these cells into cancer-fighting agents.
Once they are supercharged, they are reintroduced into the body where they actively seek out and destroy cancer cells, especially in blood cancers such as leukaemia and lymphomas.
The Advantages of Cell-and-Gene Therapy over Traditional Cancer Treatments:
Unlike traditional treatments, which may only add a few months or years to a patient's life, cell-and-gene therapy is designed to provide lifelong benefits and potentially even a cure.
With a one-time therapy, it can make treatment more convenient and straightforward, compared to the multiple sessions required with chemotherapy.
For non-responsive cancer patients, cell-and-gene therapy could be their last hope and a path to a better quality of life.
NexCAR19:
NexCar19 is a specific type of CAR-T and gene therapy.
Developed by ImmunoACT, a company incubated at IIT Bombay, it is India's very own innovation.
The therapy targets the CD19 protein found in cancer cells, which acts as a marker for CAR-T cells to identify and eliminate cancer cells.
India is now among the first developing countries to have its own CAR-T and gene therapy platform.
Who can get the therapy?
A therapy has been developed for patients with B-cell lymphomas who did not respond to standard treatments leading to relapse of cancer.
The therapy involves genetically modifying T-cells from the patient's blood sample and re-infusing them back into the patient within a week to 10 days.
The therapy is currently approved for patients aged 15 years and older, and a pediatric trial phase is underway.
Recovery typically occurs within two weeks after one cycle of treatment.
Side-effects:
NexCar19 therapy reduces drug-related toxicities and has minimal neurotoxicity and cytokine release syndrome (CRS).
Neurotoxicity can occur when CAR-T cells enter the brain and cause life-threatening situations.
CRS is characterized by inflammation and hyperinflammation due to the death of tumor cells targeted by CAR-T cells.
GS Paper II- Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability.
Context:
In the past decade, improving sanitation coverage has been one of the key public policy miracles in India.
It is aligned with Goal 6 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Swachh Bharat Mission:
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, also known as the Clean India Mission, is a nationwide cleanliness and sanitation campaign launched by the Indian government.
The campaign was officially launched on October 2, 2014, on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary.
To promote cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation across India.
Achievements so Far:-
The Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G) aimed to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status in India by October 2019, to transition to ODF Plus by 2024-25. Sanitation coverage surged from 39% in 2014 to 100% in 2019.
Currently, 85% of villages have attained ODF Plus status.
According to the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey, 95% of India's rural population had toilet access, with 79% owning their facilities.
Additionally, over 6 lakh community and public toilets were constructed across India. Waste management systems were strengthened with an investment of over Rs 20,000 crores.
The mission also emphasized behavioural change through mass awareness campaigns, with positive competition between towns and cities to improve cleanliness systems and practices.
Limitations of SBM:-
The limitations include low toilet usage, quality and infrastructure issues, water scarcity, behavioural and social norms, caste-based variances, challenges in larger households, issues in solid waste management, partial focus on plastic waste, and a centralized approach with fewer community-driven efforts.
Similar initiatives:
India's rural sanitation initiatives include the Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) and the Total Sanitation Campaign, followed by Phase II of SBM-G, which focuses on sustainability and waste management.
The National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) shows that 95% of rural India has toilet access.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti's Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) has launched the Rural Sanitation Strategy 2019 to 2029.
Context:
Rajya Sabha passed the Constitution (STs) Order Amendment Bill 2024 and the Constitution (SCs and STs) Order Amendment Bill 2024, presented by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
Highlights of the bill:
Notably, seven additions were made to the list-
The additions included four PVTGs (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) in Odisha and three in Andhra Pradesh
These PVTGs were specifically added as synonyms or sub-tribes of communities that were already on the ST lists of these States.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has identified 75 PVTGs in India.
These groups are characterized by their pre-agricultural level of technology, stagnant or declining population, extremely low levels of literacy, and subsistence-level economy.
In 1961, the Dhebar Commission recognized PVTGs as a separate category, which expanded the list from 52 to 75 across 18 states and union territories.
Based on data from the MoTA and the 2011 Census, Odisha has the largest PVTG population at 8.66 lakh, followed by MP at 6.09 lakh and Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) at 5.39 lakh.
The total PVTG population is over 40 lakh, with the largest PVTG being Odisha's Saura community, numbering 5.35 lakh.
Government initiatives for the development of PVTGs:
Context:
The Union Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship recently launched the EdCIL Vidyanjali Scholarship Programme.
About Vidyanjali Scholarship Programme:
The Vidyanjali programme is an initiative that ensures access to top-quality education systems while helping Navodaya Vidyalaya students transition seamlessly from secondary to higher education.
It aims to provide financial support to meritorious students who lack the means, particularly those belonging to economically disadvantaged sections.
This programme symbolizes a whole-of-society approach to empowerment through education and opportunities.
To garner assistance and funding from non-government partners and private sources, such as CSR grants, national, and international donors, and impact investors, Vidyanjali intends to curate a fintech platform.
Advantages:
Context:
A synchronised vulture survey across protected areas in Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu found 320 individual vultures, with the Himalayan griffon only reported in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.
About Himalayan griffon:
The Old-World Vulture is a species of bird in the Accipitridae family. Here are some interesting facts about this vulture:
It belongs to the true Raptor family and is one of the two largest Old-World vultures.
Old-world vultures are mostly solitary and diurnal.
They are known to be monogamous and often return to the same nesting and roosting sites year after year.
Habitat:
Himalayan and Tibetan regions are where you can find it, as well as in the mountains of Central Asia.
Although it occasionally migrates to northern India, it typically only moves altitudinally.
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary:-
Context:
The Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) for the years 2020-21 and 2021-22 revealed significant growth across various parameters in the manufacturing sector.
Key Findings:
Gross Value Added (GVA) increased by 8.8% in 2020-21 and an outstanding 26.6% in 2021-22 as compared to the previous years.
Industrial output grew by over 35% in 2021-22 compared to the previous year.
Total employment in the sector displayed robust growth, increasing by 7.0% in 2021-22 over the previous year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels by over 9.35 lakh.
Among the major states, Gujarat held the top spot in 2020-21, followed by Maharashtra in 2021-22.
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh were among the top five states that contributed significantly to manufacturing GVA and employment in both years.
About the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI):
Since 1959, a statutory survey known as the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) has been conducted in India.
It serves as the primary source of industrial statistics across the country.
The ASI plays a vital role in evaluating changes in the structure and growth of registered manufacturing units.
Additionally, it allows for the creation of a database on labour cost, earnings, employment, labour turnover, and absenteeism in the manufacturing sector.