Current Affair May 29

Critical Near Isothermal Forging Technology

Why in News?

• Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has established the near isothermal forging technology to produce all the five stages of high-pressure compressors (HPC) discs out of difficult-to-deform titanium alloy using its unique 2000 MT isothermal forge press.
• The technology has been developed by Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a premier metallurgical laboratory of DRDO at Hyderabad.
• This is a crucial technology for establishing self-reliance in aeroengine technology. With this development, India has joined the league of limited global engine developers to have the manufacturing capabilities of such critical aero engine components.
• Using the isothermal forge press facility available at DMRL, Hyderabad, bulk quantity (200 numbers) of HPC disc forgings pertaining to various compressor stages have been jointly (DMRL & MIDHANI) produced and successfully supplied to HAL (E), Bengaluru for fitment in to Adour Engine that powers the Jaguar/Hawk Aircrafts.
• DMRL developed this forging technology by integrating various science and knowledge-based tools.
• The methodology adopted by DMRL is generic in nature and can be tuned to develop other similar aeroengine components.

PIB

National Cadet Corps (NCC) Mobile Training App

Why in News?

• Ministry of Defence launched Directorate General National Cadet Corps (NCC) Mobile Training App Version 2.0.
• The app will assist in conducting countrywide online training to NCC cadets during the COVID-19 pandemic conditions.
• It is aimed at providing NCC-related basic information and entire training material (Syllabus, Précis, Training Videos, Frequently Asked Questions) on one platform.
• It provides the NCC cadets easy access to training material and assists in carrying out training during the pandemic.
• Using this app, the cadets will be able to attend online training, appear in certificate exams and prevent loss of academic year.

PIB

Monetary Assistance through DBT

Why in News?

• Ministry of Education has approved the proposal to provide monetary assistance to 11.8 Crore students (118 Million Students) through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of the cooking cost component of the Mid-Day-Meal Scheme, to all eligible children, as a special welfare measure.
• This will give a fillip to the Midday Meal programme. This is in addition to the Government of India’s announcement of distribution of free-of-cost food grains @ 5 Kg per person per month to nearly 80 Crore beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY).

Significance

• This decision will help safeguard the nutritional levels of children and aid in protecting their immunity during the challenging pandemic times.
• This one time special welfare measure of the union Government will benefit about 11.8 crore children studying in class I to VIII in the 11.20 lakh Government and Government aided schools across the country.
• The Centre has decided to give about ₹100 each to children studying in Class 1 to Class 8 in government schools, who are beneficiaries of the Mid Day Meal scheme.

PIB

National AI Portal (INDIAai)

Why in News?

• The ‘National AI Portal (https://indiaai.gov.in)’, celebrated its first anniversary.
• The National AI Portal is a joint initiative by Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and NASSCOM and serves as a central hub for AI related news, learning, articles, events and activities etc., in India and beyond.

PIB

Saline Gargle RT-PCR Testing Method

Why in News?

• Scientists of Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) have developed a ‘Saline Gargle RT-PCR Method’ for testing COVID-19 samples.

A Method with Numerous Benefits: Simple, Fast, Comfortable, Economical.

• It is simple, fast, cost-effective, patient-friendly and comfortable; it also offers instant results and is well-suited for rural and tribal areas, given minimal infrastructure requirements.
• Swab collection method requires time. Moreover, since it is an invasive technique, it is a bit uncomfortable for patients. Some time is lost also in the transport of the sample to the collection centre.
• On the other hand, the Saline Gargle RT-PCR method is instant, comfortable and patient-friendly. Sampling is done instantly and results will be generated within 3 hours.
• the Saline Gargle RT-PCR method uses a simple collection tube filled with saline solution. The patient gargles the solution and rinses it inside the tube.
• This sample in the collection tube is taken to the laboratory where it is kept at room temperature, in a special buffer solution prepared by NEERI.
• An RNA template is produced when this solution is heated, which is further processed for Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).
• This particular method of collecting and processing the sample enables us to save on the otherwise costly infrastructural requirement of RNA extraction.
• People can also test themselves, since this method allows self-sampling.

PIB

Assam tea workers’ daily wage

Why in News?

• The Assam government decided to hike the daily wage of tea plantation workers by ₹38.
• The wage of tea workers, who are a deciding factor in 45 of Assam’s 126 Assembly constituencies, was a major election issue.
• The hike, after implementation with retrospective effect from February 23, will take the daily wage of a tea worker in the Brahmaputra Valley from the current ₹167 to ₹205. For the Barak Valley, the hike will be from ₹145 to ₹183.

THE HINDU

Dowry deaths

Why in News?

• The Supreme Court indicated in a judgment that a straitjacket and literal interpretation of a penal provision on dowry death may have blunted the battle against the “long-standing social evil”.
• Dowry deaths accounted for 40% to 50% homicides in the country for almost a decade from 1999 to 2018.
• The judgment pronounced by a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana called dowry harassment a “pestiferous” crime where women are subjected to cruelty by “covetous” husbands and in-laws.
• In 2019 alone, 7,115 cases of dowry death were registered under Section 304-B of the Indian Penal Code.

According to Section 304-B,

• To make out a case of dowry death, a woman should have died of burns or other bodily injuries or “otherwise than under normal circumstances” within seven years of her marriage. She should have suffered cruelty or harassment from her husband or in-laws “soon before her death” in connection with demand for dowry.
• Over the years, courts had interpreted the phrase ‘soon before’ in Section 304-B as ‘immediately before’.
• This interpretation would make it necessary for a woman to have been harassed moments before she died. Such “absurd” interpretations should be avoided, the apex court noted in the judgment.
• Instead, Chief Justice Ramana said the prosecution needed to show only a “proximate and live link” between the harassment and her death.
• The court further said the phrase “otherwise than under normal circumstances” in the Section also calls for a liberal interpretation.
• “Section 304-B, IPC does not take a pigeonhole approach in categorising death as homicidal or suicidal or accidental.
• The reason for such non-categorisation is due to the fact that death occurring in ‘other than under normal circumstances’ can, in cases, be homicidal or suicidal or accidental.
• The examination of the accused about the incriminatory material against him should be done in a fair manner. The court must put incriminating circumstances before the accused and seek his response. He should be given sufficient opportunity to give his side of the story. The court should question the accused fairly, with care and cautio

THE HINDU

Mucormycosis

• India has so far recorded close to 12,000 cases of mucormycosis, or black fungus infection as it is commonly known. The Central government has now declared it a notifiable disease.
• While the increased use of steroids, which are needed for the treatment of severely ill COVID-19 patients, is being cited as one possible reason, experts have also said that a majority of cases are seen in those with poorly-controlled diabetes.
• Mucormycosis can affect many organs in the body, but what is being seen now is the rhino-orbito cerebral form — the infection affects the sinuses, nose, eyes and then brain.
• Amphotericin B is the main antifungal drug used in treatment.

THE HINDU

Drug shown to block multiple coronavirus variants in mice

Why in News?

• The drug diABZI — which activates the body’s innate immune response — was highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19 in mice that were infected with SARS-CoV-2.
• The findings, suggest that diABZI could also treat other respiratory coronaviruses.
• The researchers found that diABZI potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection of diverse strains, including B.1.351.

IE

Why Lakshadweep Administration proposals have upset locals?

Why in News?

• Over the last few weeks, public anger has been simmering in the Lakshadweep islands over a number of controversial proposals floated by the Union Territory Administrator.
• While the proposals are aimed at ensuring safety and well-being of residents along with promoting the islands as a tourist destination on par with the Maldives, residents view them as ripping the social and cultural fabric of the islands.

Cow slaughter & beef

• PROPOSAL: An order from the Administration seeks to ban the slaughter of cow, calf, bull and buffalo without a certificate from a competent authority. It prohibits the sale, transport and storage of beef and beef products. Penalties include a jail term up to one year and a fine of Rs 10,000. The Administration has not provided an explanation on why the rule was brought in.
• PROTEST: Residents view the rule as a direct infringement on their culture and eating habits. They allege the rule was decided without consultation with local bodies.

Two-child policy

• PROPOSAL: Under the Draft Panchayat Regulation 2021, the Administration aims to bar people with more than two children from becoming a member of the gram panchayat. For those who already have more than two children, the regulation does not disqualify them provided they do not have further children after the date on which the rule comes into effect.
• PROTEST: Locals have questioned the motive.

Serving liquor to tourists

• PROPOSAL: The Administration has decided to allow liquor to be served at resorts on inhabited islands. Currently, prohibition is in place on all inhabited islands, with liquor served only at resorts on the uninhabited Bangaram island.
• PROTEST: Residents have allegedthat the move will lead to a proliferation of liquor sales on the island, which had been observing near-prohibition until now.

Land acquisition powers

• PROPOSAL: The Administration brought in a draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation (LDAR) to oversee development of towns on the islands, with sweeping changes in the way land can be acquired and utilised. It talks of declaration of ‘planning areas’ and constitution of ‘planning and development authorities’ for preparing a land use map and register, ostensibly for large projects.
• PROTEST: Residents have protested against the way it was prepared and pushed through without consultation. They fear large infrastructure and tourism projects can destabilise the ecology, and that the notification gives powers to the Administration to remove small landholdings of ST residents.

IE

Rwandan genocide

Why in News?

• French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged his country’s “overwhelming responsibility” in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The Rwandan genocide

• The Rwandan genocide of April-July 1994 was the culmination of long-running ethnic tensions between the minority Tutsi community, who had controlled power since colonial rule by Germany and Belgium, and the majority Hutu.
• Hutu militias systematically targeted the Tutsi ethnic group, and used the nation’s public broadcaster, Rwanda Radio, for spreading propaganda. Military and political leaders encouraged sexual violence as a means of warfare.
• The conflict ended when the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front seized control of the country in July, and its leader Paul Kagame assumed power.
• Kagame, who has led Rwanda ever since, has been credited for bringing stability and development to the mineral-rich nation, but blamed for cultivating an environment of fear for his political opponents both at home and abroad.

What role did France play during these events?

• During the genocide, Western powers including the United States were blamed for their inaction which abetted the atrocities. France, which was then led by Socialist President François Mitterrand, gained notoriety after being accused of acting as a staunch ally of the Hutu-led government that ordered the killings.
• In June 1994, France deployed a much-delayed UN-backed military force in southwest Rwanda called Operation Turquoise– which was able to save some people, but was accused of sheltering some of the genocide’s perpetrators. Kagame’s RPF opposed the French mission.

IE

Herero and Nama Genocide

Why in News?

• Germany for the first time has recognised that it committed genocide against the Herero and Nama people in present-day Namibia during its colonial rule over a century ago, and promised financial support of over a billion euros to the Southern African nation.
• Between 1904 and 1908, German colonial settlers killed tens of thousands of men, women and children from the Herero and Nama tribes after they rebelled against colonial rule in what was then called German South West Africa.

What was the Herero and Nama Genocide?

• Between 1884 and 1890, Germany formally colonised parts of present-day Namibia — a territory which was roughly twice as large as the European nation, but not as densely populated. By 1903, around 3,000 German settlers had occupied the central high ground of the region.
• Tensions quickly rose as local tribes saw the German settlers as a threat to their land and resources. The conflict reached a boiling point in 1904, when the Herero nation — a primarily pastoral community — rebelled against the Germans, and were closely followed by the Nama tribe.
• Violence first broke out between Herero fighters and German settlers in a small town called Okahandja. The Herero, who by then had embraced some symbols of modernity such as guns and horses, laid siege on a German fort.
• Significantly outnumbered by the well-armed Hereros fighters, the military commander and governor of the colony at the time, Major Theodor Leutwein, decided to broker a settlement to end the conflict.
• But Berlin demanded a military solution. Leutwein was replaced by Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha, who opted for a far more aggressive military approach.
• He directed his troops to corner the Herero fighters, who had by then fled to the Waterberg plateau at the edge of the Kalahari desert. His strategy was to ruthlessly “annihilate” the Hereros when they least expected it.
• Around this time, the southern Nama communities, too, had led an insurrection against German colonialism. But much like the Herero, they too were brutally suppressed. Around 10,000 of them were killed.
• Over the next three years, thousands of Nama and Herero men, women and children were exiled to the Kalahari desert where many died of thirst. Several others were sent to bleak concentration camps, and used for forced labour.
• The Germans continued to rule the region till 1915, following which it fell under South Africa’s control for 75 years. Namibia finally gained independence in 1990.
• The atrocities committed in what was then known as German South West Africa have been described by some historians as the first genocide of the 20th century.

IE

Transplanting a tree

Why in News?

• The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) wants to transplant over 1,800 trees which are inside what used to be the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) complex, as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project.

Transplantation

• The transplantation of full-grown trees first came into public consciousness in Delhi when, in 2011, the voluntary organisation Green Circle helped remove five mulsari trees that were growing in front of the Bada Gumbad in Lodhi Garden.
• These trees were relocated inside the garden.
• Since then, several businesses offering professional tree transplantation services have come into existence.

How is a tree transplanted?

• A tree cannot be transplanted by simply uprooting it and placing it in a pit dug elsewhere. The process involves multiple steps and requires significant expertise.
• First, the soil around the tree is dug up to isolate the roots. The big branches are lopped off, leaving only small shoots for regeneration. This is done to make transportation of the tree to the new location easier.
• The root system is covered with wet gunny bags to protect the roots and to keep the tree hydrated.
• The tree has to be first sent to a nursery to acclimatise to a new kind of soil, and to regenerate. Once new shoots start sprouting, the tree is lowered into a pit created in its new spot.

What factors determine the success of a transplant?

• The survival rate of a transplanted tree is about 50%. If it survives, the tree may take up to 10 years to grow a full canopy similar to what it originally had.
• Not all trees can be transplanted. While peepal, ficus, semal and sheesham are tolerant to transplantation, trees such as dak, palash, arjun, shahtoot and jhilmil are not.
• Any tree that has a tap root system cannot be transplanted, as the root goes deep into the soil, and it is not possible to isolate it without damage.
• Transplanting any tree with a trunk girth of more than 80-90 cm is not advisable as the tree cannot bear the shock, and will eventually die.
• That effectively means that big, old trees cannot, in most cases, be removed to another location.

IE

Spider Cricket

Why in News?

• Jayanti has become the twelfth subgenus, or species, of cricket identified under the genus Arachnomimus Saussure, 1897.
• Found in the Kurra caves of Chhattisgarh in April 2021 by a team of zoologists the new subgenus was named Jayanti after Professor Jayant Biswas, one of the leading cave explorers in the country, who assisted the team.

What is Arachnomimus Saussure, 1897?

• Arachnomimus is the genus name given by Swiss Entomologist Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure in 1878 to crickets that resembled spiders.
• The word Arachnomimus is derived from two Ancient Greek words — ἀράχνη (arákhnē, means “spider”) and μῖμος (mîmos, means “imitator, actor”).
• This is apt because crickets of this group are commonly called spider crickets because of their smaller body size and long legs.

How is the newly discovered subgenus different?

• The newly discovered subgenus, Indimimus, is different from the two subgenera, Arachnomimus and Euarachnomimus, because of the male genitalia structure
• Insects have a lock-and-key model genitalia structure which is unique to each subgenus. Genus and subgenus are taxonomic levels created by taxonomists to classify organisms.
• A genus is represented by a set of diagnostic characters. Certain variations in characters compel taxonomists to divide the genus into subgenus and document the variation.

Why is the discovery significant?

• Crickets are noticeable for their loud calls, especially at night. Male crickets produce this sound by rubbing their wings against each other to attract females.
• The females listen to these calls using ears located on their legs and approach the males for mating and reproduction.
• Interestingly, males of the new Jayanti subgenus cannot produce sound and their females don’t have ears.
• The crickets were found on the walls of the Kurra caves which don’t have light inside.
• They may be communicating by beating their abdomen or any other body part on the cave walls.
• Vibrational communication is one of the softest but fastest modes of signal transmission.
• Further studies on their skills of vibrational communication may help in designing hearing aids for human which can capture quietest signals and amplify to an audible hearing range.

IE