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  • Plasmodium Ovale and Other types of Malaria

    A not very common type of malaria, Plasmodium Ovale, has been identified in a jawan in Kerala.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. Widespread resistance of malarial parasite to drugs like chloroquine has prompted attempts to develop a malarial vaccine to combat malaria.

    Why is it difficult to develop an effective malaria vaccine?

    (a) Malaria is caused by several species of Plasmodium

    (b) Man does not develop immunity to malaria during natural infection

    (c) Vaccines can be developed only against bacteria

    (d) Man is only an intermediate host and not the definitive host

    What is Malaria?

    • Malaria is caused by the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito if the mosquito itself is infected with a malarial parasite.
    • There are five kinds of malarial parasites — Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax (the commonest ones), Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi.
    • Therefore, to say that someone has contracted the Plasmodium ovale type of malaria means that the person has been infected by that particular parasite.
    • Malaria is treated with prescription drugs to kill the parasite. Chloroquine is the preferred treatment for any parasite that is sensitive to the drug.

    Plasmodium Ovale

    • P ovale rarely causes severe illness and there is no need for panic.
    • Symptoms include fever for 48 hours, headache and nausea, and the treatment modality is the same as it is for a person infected with P vivax.
    • P ovale is no more dangerous than getting a viral infection.
    • It is termed ovale as about 20% of the parasitised cells are oval in shape.

    Burden of Malaria in India

    • In 2018, the National Vector-borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) estimated that approximately 5 lakh people suffered from malaria.
    • 63% of the cases were of Plasmodium falciparum.
    • The recent World Malaria Report 2020 said cases in India dropped from about 20 million in 2000 to about 5.6 million in 2019.

  • Renewable Energy Generation: Betting on the green power market

    The article takes stock of the progress India made on renewable energy capacity and the steps taken for its trade through the creation of green markets.

    India increasing share of renewable energy

    • As a signatory to the Paris Climate Agreement, India is committed to increasing its share of renewable energy capacity to 450 GW by 2030.
    • India has an installed renewable energy capacity of 89 GW.
    • India has today become the most attractive destination for investment in the renewable sector.
    • During the last six years, has attracted over Rs 4.7 lakh crore of investment, including FDI of about Rs 42,700 crore.
    • India witnessed 20% CAGR growth in the renewable generation since FY16 while total electricity generation saw 4.3% growth in the same period.
    • The current levelised cost of energy (LCOE) for large scale solar in India is around Rs 2.5 per kWh, compared to ~Rs 12 in 2010. 

    Factor’s responsible

    • Waiver of inter-state transmission charges for the sale of solar and wind power, the renewable purchase obligation (RPO) trajectories for states, focus on maintaining the sanctity of contracts, permitting FDI in the renewable sector have accelerated the progress.

    Trading in renewable power

    • Most renewable power generation companies in India are committed to selling their power to consumers—mostly discoms  under the long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).
    • It is also a matter of gratification that most generation companies have adopted a robust system of forecasting and scheduling of power.
    • It is in this context, the CERC was approached for creating a market for green energy.
    • Ultimately, the CERC approved trading of renewable energy contracts under Green Term Ahead Market (GTAM) on the energy exchange.
    • The green market commenced trade on August 21, in day-ahead contingency (DAC) and intra-day contracts in both solar and non-solar segments.
    • The green market has now launched two more options—daily and weekly.
    • This will further strengthen the market and allow participants to buy green energy through contracts available for trade in all the segments.
    • The energy will be delivered to the market participants leveraging the national, regional and state-level transmission and distribution network.
    • With robust value proposition such as transparency, competitive prices, flexibility, and payment security and financial savings that the exchange market offers, a pan-India green market has the potential to drive and facilitate the country to meet its renewable energy targets.
    • The green market will ultimately encourage green generators to adopt multiple models of sale and trading.

    Conclusion

    Going forward, the introduction of new segments such as green day-ahead market, long-duration green contracts, contract for difference (CfD), etc, will play a crucial role in furthering sustainability goals, and ensuring that all the renewable energy generated within the country is dispatched in the most efficient manner through a pan India wide exchange-based energy markets.

    Source:-

    https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/renewable-energy-generation-betting-on-the-green-power-market/2147657/

  • Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT)

    In a first, BSNL launches world’s largest NB-IoT to provide connectivity for millions of unconnected machines, sensors and industrial IoT devices across the country.

    What is NB-IoT?

    • NB-IoT is a Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technology that works virtually anywhere.
    • It will connect many more devices to the Internet of Things and make many new applications a reality.
    • It is optimized for applications that need to communicate small amounts of data over long periods of time.
    • Since it operates in licensed spectrum, it is secure and reliable providing guaranteed quality of service.
    • It connects devices more simply and efficiently on already established mobile networks and handles small amounts of fairly infrequent 2‑way data, securely and reliably.

    And the best is, it provides-

    • very low power consumption
    • excellent extended range in buildings and underground
    • easy deployment into the existing cellular network architecture
    • network security & reliability
    • lower component cost

    Back2Basics: Internet of Things (IoT)

    • The IoT describes the network of physical objects—“things”—that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the Internet.
    • The definition of the IoT has evolved due to the convergence of multiple technologies, real-time analytics, AI, sensors, and embedded systems.
    • In the consumer market, IoT technology is most synonymous with products pertaining to the concept of the “smart home”, including devices and appliances.
    • It supports one or more common ecosystems and can be controlled via devices associated with that ecosystem, such as smartphones and smart speakers e.g. Alexa.

    Remember this PYQ?

    When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning, you wake up and tap it to stop the alarm which causes your geyser to be switched on automatically. The smart mirror in your bathroom shows the day’s weather and also indicates the level of water in your overhead tank. After you take some groceries from your refrigerator for making breakfast, it recognises the shortage of stock in it and places an order for the supply of fresh grocery items. When You step out of your house and lock the door, all lights, fans, geysers and AC machines get switched off automatically. On your way to office, your car warns you about traffic congestion ahead and suggests an alternative route, and if you are late for a meeting, it sends a message to your office accordingly.

    In the context of emerging communication technologies, which one of the following terms best applies to the above scenario?

    (a) Border Gateway Protocol

    (b) Internet of Things

    (c) Internet Protocol

    (d) Virtual Private Network

    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Internet of Things (IoT)

  • Mystery illness in Eluru

    Over 550 people in Eluru town of Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district have been suffering from convulsions, seizures, dizziness and nausea.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q.Which of the following can be found as pollutants in the drinking water in some parts of India?

    1. Arsenic
    2. Sorbitol
    3. Fluoride
    4. Formaldehyde
    5. Uranium

    Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

    (a) 1 and 3 only

    (b) 2, 4 and 5 only

    (c) 1, 3 and 5 only

    (d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

    Eluru illness

    • The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has found traces of lead and nickel in blood samples of 25 victims out of the 45 samples sent by the state government.
    • The primary suspicion is on water contamination by heavy metals. Scientists suspect that pesticide or insecticide has seeped into drinking water sources.
    • Experts from Hyderabad who collected water, blood, and food samples say there are indications of lead contamination but can confirm this only after detailed test reports.

    Possible cause: Water contamination

    • Eluru receives water through canals from both Godavari and Krishna rivers.
    • The canals pass through agricultural fields where runoff laced with pesticides mixes with water in the canals. Many aspects of the mystery illness have baffled scientists.
    • People who only use packaged drinking water have also fallen sick.

  • Public Wi-Fi Access Network Interface

    In a bid to improve wireless connectivity, the Union Cabinet approved setting up of the public WiFi was part of the Prime Minister WiFi Access Network Interface (PM- WANI).

    Do you know?

    According to TRAI, in most major economies, for 50%-70% of their total usage time, mobile users use WiFi technology to communicate. However, in India, this figure is less than 10%.

    PM- WANI

    • The WiFi will be provided through public data offices (PDOs) for which there will be no licence, registration or any other fees.
    • The PDO, to be set up along the lines of public calling office, can be a mom-and-pop store in the area or the common services centre present in various small towns, gram panchayats, and villages in the country.
    • The PDOs can either provide the internet on other own or lease it from other telecom and internet service providers.

    The centre-stage: Public Data Offices (PDO)

    • The idea of a PDO was first floated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in 2017.
    • Like a PCO, the PDO allows users to connect to a public WiFi system for a limited session depending on the internet pack chosen by the user.
    • These internet packages can either by charged on per minute or per hour basis by the PDOs.

    Licensing of PDOs

    • There will be no licence for PDOs. A simple registration system will be put in place for PDO aggregators as well as app providers, which will be approved within seven days of the application being submitted.
    • In addition to the PDOs, there will also be PDO aggregators, which will look after the authorisation and accounting of PDOs.

    A note for users

    • A third layer will of app providers, available for download on the Play Store as well as the Apple Store, will enable users to register for using the public WiFi at a particular place.
    • Users, however, will not be required to download different apps, as a single app will provide seamless connectivity to any PDO across the country.

  • [pib] Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA)

    The Union Ministry of Finance and UN-Based Better Than Cash Alliance (BTCA) organized a joint Peer learning exchange on fintech solutions for responsible digital payments at the last mile.

    Make a note here that it is a BTCA is a global partnership with diverse funding, a UN office as its secretariat and Indian being its member.

    Better Than Cash Alliance

    • The BTCA is a global partnership of 75 governments, companies, and international organizations that accelerates the transition from cash to digital payments in order to reduce poverty and drive inclusive growth.
    • The United Nations Capital Development Fund serves as the secretariat. It was created in September 2012.
    • The Alliance is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Citi, MasterCard, Omidyar Network, USAID, and Visa Inc.
    • By the time it launched, the program was already being rolled out in Peru, Kenya, Colombia, and the Philippines.

    India and the BTCA

    • India became a member of the alliance in 2015 to digitize payments to achieve financial inclusion and to share success stories from Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the world’s largest financial inclusion program.
    • The alliance is working with several state governments towards the goal of building knowledge and programs where people, governments, and businesses can make and receive digital payments.

  • Places in news: ‘Mini Kaziranga’

    Too many cattle are robbing the one-horned rhinos of Assam’s Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, referred to as ‘Mini Kaziranga’ for similar features, of their nutritious food.

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. Consider the following statements:

    1. Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only.
    2. Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only.
    3. One-horned rhinoceros is naturally found in India only.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) 1 only

    (b) 2 only

    (c) 1 and 3 only

    (d) 1, 2 and 3

    About Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

    • Pobitora WLS is located on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra in Morigaon district in Assam.
    • It was declared in 1987 and covers 38.85 km2 (15.00 sq mi), providing grassland and wetland habitat for the Indian rhinoceros.
    • It provides a habitat and food resource for the Indian rhinoceros, hosting Assam’s second-largest population.
    • Other mammals occurring in the sanctuary are golden jackal, wild boar and feral water buffalo.
    • Barking deer, Indian leopard and rhesus macaque live foremost in the hilly parts. It is an Important Bird Area and home for more than 2000 migratory birds and various reptiles.

    Why in news?

    • Pobitora is running a successful Rhino breeding program within its sanctuary.
    • It is running under the government as “Indian Rhino vision 2020”.

    Back2Basics: Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve

    • The KNTPR is a national park in the Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam.
    • The sanctuary, which hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site.
    • Kaziranga is home to the highest density of tigers among protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006 (now the highest tiger density is in Orang National Park, Assam).
    • The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer.
    • It is also recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for the conservation of avifaunal species.

  • Need for avoiding misplaced optimism over economic recovery

    Overoptimism stemming from the signs of recovery shown by the figures for the second quarter could result in reduced spending and the rollback of the stimulus. However, other features indicate that fiscal conservatism at this moment is not a good idea.

    Hype over recovery

    •  India’s economy contracted by 7.5% in the second quarter of financial year 2020-21.
    • There are two ways to look at that figure:-
    • 1) That figure is far lower than the 23.9% contraction registered in the first quarter of this financial year.
    • 2) A 7.5% second quarter contraction is high both in itself and when compared with most similarly placed countries.
    • The government, however, has chosen to focus on the unsurprising evidence that GDP rose sharply, by 23%, between the first quarter and the second when restrictions were substantially lifted.
    • Based on that evidence, the Finance Ministry’s Monthly Economic Report, for November, speaks of a V-shaped recovery reflective of “the resilience and robustness of the Indian economy”.
    • The danger is that such optimism would provide the justification to avoid adoption of the measures crucially needed to pull the economy out of recession.

    India economy is still demand constrained: 3 signs

    • 1) The decline in private final consumption expenditure at constant prices, which accounts for 56% of GDP, has come down from minus 27% in the first quarter to minus 11% in the second, it still remains high.
    • Though there are signs of a short-run recovery in private consumption demand with the lifting of lockdowns, net incomes and consumer confidence are not at levels that can even restore last year’s levels.
    • 2) As is to be expected, with production restraints relaxed, depleted stocks are being replenished with a fall of 21% in the first quarter turning into an increase in stocking of 6.3% in the second quarter.
    • 3) The decline in fixed capital formation has fallen from a high minus 47% in the first quarter to minus 7% in the second, investment is still falling year-on-year.
    • These are all signs of an economy that is severely demand constrained, requiring a significant step up in government expenditure.

    Impact on spending by the Centre and the States

    • Figures from the Office of the Controller General of Accounts for the first seven months of 2020-21 (April to October) indicate that the total expenditure of the central government stood at only 55% of what was provided for in the Budget for 2020-21.
    • In fact, in a non-COVID-19 year, 2019-20, the ratio of actual spending by the central government over April-October relative to that budgeted figure was a higher 59%.
    •  Meanwhile, with Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues having fallen from their lower-than-expected levels during the COVID-19 months, the States have been cash-strapped.
    • Yet, the government has decided not to compensate them for the shortfall, as promised under the GST regime.
    • States have been left to fend for themselves by going to market and borrowing at high interest rates, which they would find difficult to cover.
    • Needless to say, as a consequence, State spending has also been curtailed.

    Why government should avoid fiscal conservatism

    • The loss of jobs and livelihoods that happened during lockdown is sure to affect demand now.
    • This leads to increased indebtedness and the bankruptcies well after restrictions are relaxed.
    • So, the tasks of providing safety nets, reviving employment and spurring demand become crucial.
    • Since the market cannot deliver on those fronts, state action facilitated by substantially enhanced expenditure is crucial.
    • And since government revenues shrink during a recession, that expenditure has to be funded by borrowing.
    • This is no time for fiscal conservatism, as governments across the world have come to accept.
    • Trend suggests that allocations for welfare expenditures — ranging from subsidised food to minimal guaranteed employment — needed to support those whose livelihoods have been devastated by the pandemic, would be reduced over time.
    • As collateral damage, this frugality in a time of crisis is likely to prolong the recession.

    Conclusion

    The optimism that a V-shaped recovery is imminent, and that optimism, in turn, would justify the view that fiscal conservatism pays. It does not, as time would tell.

    Back2Basics: What is V-shaped recovery?

    • A V-shaped recovery is characterized by a quick and sustained recovery in measures of economic performance after a sharp economic decline.
    • Because of the speed of economic adjustment and recovery in macroeconomic performance, a V-shaped recovery is a best case scenario given the recession.
    • The recoveries that followed the recessions of 1920-21 and 1953 in the U.S. are examples of V-shaped recoveries.
    V-shaped recovery of the U.S. economy

  • The rise of the AI economy

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform the Indian economy. In the last few years, India made significant progress in its adoption. However, there are several areas India need to focus on to make the most of what AI offers.

    AI adoption and capacity building in India

    • NITI Aayog’s national strategy for AI envisages ‘AI for all’ for inclusive growth.
    • NITI Aayog identifies healthcare, agriculture, education, smart cities and infrastructure, and smart mobility and transportation as focus areas for AI-led solutions for social impact.
    • The Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra governments, among others, have announced policies and strategies for AI adoption.
    • Technology companies have established AI centres of excellence to create solutions for global clients.
    • India has a thriving AI start-up ecosystem.
    • Our talent pool in AI/ML (Machine Learning) is fast-growing, with over 5,00,000 people working on these technologies at present.

    AI will boost Indian economy

    • Nasscom believes that data and AI will contribute $450 billion-$500 billion to India’s GDP by 2025, which is around 10% of the government’s aspiration of a $5 trillion economy.
    • The growing AI economy will create employment opportunity by creating an estimated over 20 million technical roles.
    • AI can create not just niche solutions to specific problems that banks and other service providers are deploying, such as speeding up loan application processing or improving customer service; it can also provide solutions for better governance and social impact.
    •  AI can create not just niche solutions to specific problems that banks and other service providers are deploying, such as speeding up loan application processing or improving customer service; it can also provide solutions for better governance and social impact.

    Way forward: Focus on 3 areas

    1)Talent development

    • In 2019, we nearly doubled our AI workforce to 72,000 from 40,000 the year before.
    • However, the demand continues to outpace the supply.
    • That means our efforts to develop talent must pick up speed.

    2) Policies around data

    • Without data, there cannot be AI.
    • However, we need a balanced approach in the way we harness and utilise data.
    • We need a robust legal framework that governs data and serves as the base for the ethical use of AI.

    3) Providing the right amount of training data

    • Though the use of digital technologies has gone up, the level of digitisation continues to be low.
    • This poses a big challenge for organisations in finding the right amount of training data to run AI/ML algorithms, which in turn affects the accuracy of the results.
    • Then there is the problem of availability of clean datasets.
    • Organisations need to invest in data management frameworks that will clean their data before they are analysed, thus vastly improving the outcomes of AI models.

    Consider the question “What is Artificial Intelligence? How it could help in providing a boost to the India economy?”

    Conclusion

    The future for AI looks promising but to convert the potential into reality, India will need better strategies around talent development, stronger policies for data usage and governance, and more investments in creating a technology infrastructure that can truly leverage AI.

  • Fortified rice in PDS

    As the Odisha government is preparing to launch fortified rice in the Public Distribution System (PDS), some 100 activists have opposed the move.

    Q.What is Fortification of Food? Discuss its various advantages and limitations.

    What is Fortified Rice?

    • Rice can be fortified by adding a micronutrient powder to the rice that adheres to the grains or spraying of the surface of ordinary rice grains with a vitamin and mineral mix to form a protective coating.
    • Rice can also be extruded and shaped into partially precooked grain-like structures resembling rice grains, which can then be blended with natural polished rice.
    • Rice kernels can be fortified with several micro-nutrients, such as iron, folic acid and other B-complex vitamins, vitamin A and zinc.
    • These fortified kernels are then mixed with normal rice in a 1:100 ratio, and distributed for consumption.

    Its advantage

    • Fortified staple foods will contain natural or near natural levels of micro-nutrients, which may not necessarily be the case with supplements.
    • It provides nutrition without any change in characteristics of food or course of our meals.
    • If consumed on a regular and frequent basis, fortified foods will maintain body stores of nutrients more efficiently and more effectively than will intermittent supplements.
    • The overall costs of fortification are extremely low; the price increase is approximately 1 to 2 per cent of the total food value.

    Issues with fortified food

    • Fortification and enrichment upsets nature’s packaging. Our body does not absorb individual nutrients added to processed foods as efficiently compared to nutrients naturally occurring.
    • Supplements added to foods are less bioavailable. Bioavailability refers to the proportion of a nutrient your body is able to absorb and use.
    • They lack immune-boosting substances.
    • Fortified foods and supplements can pose specific risks for people who are taking prescription medications, including decreased absorption of other micro-nutrients, treatment failure, and increased mortality risk.

    Why did the activists protest?

    • Vitamin C and calcium are available in abundance in natural food. Vitamin C is water soluble.
    • If the rice is laced with Vitamin C, it will get washed away while the rice is cleaned before cooking.
    • It is a futile exercise to add Vitamin C to uncooked rice.
    • In our traditional cooking practices, lemon juice is squeezed into cooked food before its consumption.
    • The decision would lead to wasteful expenditure of taxpayers’ money.

    Note: Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology. It differs from conventional fortification in that Biofortification aims to increase nutrient levels in crops during plant growth rather than through manual means during the processing of the crops.

    Regulating fortification

    • FSSAI has formulated a comprehensive regulation on fortification of foods namely ‘Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2016’.
    • These regulations set the standards for food fortification and encourage the production, manufacture, distribution, sale and consumption of fortified foods.
    • The regulations also provide for the specific role of FSSAI in promotion for food fortification and to make fortification mandatory.
    • WHO recommends fortification of rice with iron, vitamin A and folic acid as a public health strategy to improve the iron status of population wherever rice is a staple food.

    Why it is necessary ?

    • Reaching target populations
    • Avoiding over-consumption in non-target groups
    • Monitoring nutritional status