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Type: Prelims Only

  • Modern Indian History-Events and Personalities

    Martand Temple in Kashmir

    Prelims Only | History | Mains Paper 1: Arts & Culture

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Martand Sun Temple

    Mains level: Not Much

    In May this year, some pilgrims offered prayers inside the Martand Temple, an Archaeological Survey of India-protected (ASI) monument

    About Martand Sun Temple

    • The Martand Sun Temple is a Hindu temple located near the city of Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley.
    • It dates back to the eighth century AD and was dedicated to Surya, the chief solar deity.
    • The temple was destroyed by Sikandar Shah Miri in a bid to undertake mass conversion and execution of Hindus in the valley.
    • According to Kalhana, the Temple was commissioned by Lalitaditya Muktapida in the eighth century AD.
    • The temple is built on top of a plateau from where one can view whole of the Kashmir Valley.
    • From the ruins the visible architecture seems to be blended with the Gandharan, Gupta and Chinese forms of architecture.

    Why in news now?

    • According to ASI, prayers are allowed at its protected sites only if they were “functioning places of worship” at the time it took charge of them.
    • No religious rituals can be conducted at non-living monuments where there has been no continuity of worship when it became an ASI-protected site.

    What are the living/non-living monument?

    • If some activity, like any kind of worship, has been going on for years in the structure, then it is taken over as a living monument.
    • But where no activity has taken place, say an abandoned building, then it is declared a dead monument.
    • The latter is difficult to restore because it is generally covered by a lot of overgrowth.
    • The best-known example of a living ASI monument is the Taj Mahal in Agra, where namaz is held every Friday.

     

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  • Land Reforms

    What is Kurki, and why is it a big issue in Punjab?

    Prelims Only | Agriculture | Mains Paper 3: Agriculture and related issues

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Kurki

    Mains level: Not Much

    A farmer in Punjab has committed suicide outside the office of the Muktsar DC against kurki orders for his land based on a court case filed against him by the local moneylender for defaulting on loan payment.

    What is Kurki?

    • Kurki means attachment of a farmer’s land, already pledged to the money lending institution or individual, in case of a loan default.
    • Apart from banks, private moneylenders, commission agents also get these decrees against farmers from time to time.

    How is kurki executed?

    • Kurki orders are executed under Section 60 of Civil Procedure Code, 1908.
    • The land which is pledged by the farmer to the bank or money lender gets registered in their name. In some cases, the land is auctioned as well.
    • The process begins after the money lender moves court to get kurki orders in case the farmer is unable to pay back his loan.
    • In kurki, attachment of farmer’s land as well as his tractor can be done as per the Section 60.

    Was kurki not banned in Punjab?

    • Both Akali Dal and Congress governments of the past have claimed to have banned kurki.
    • Congress fought the 2017 Assembly polls on the slogan ‘karza kurki khatam, fasal di poori rakam’.
    • Soon after winning polls in 2017, the then government abolished Section 67-A of Punjab Cooperative Societies Act that enabled cooperatives to recover unpaid loans through auctioning of land mortgaged by farmers.
    • However, Section 63-B, 63-C of the Act were not dropped to prevent attachment of land.
    • Former Punjab CM has also claimed that kurki was abolished by his government. Activists accuses governments of issuing vague orders on the matter.

    Why has a total ban on the century-old kurki law not been achieved?

    • A plea filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2018 sought complete ban on kurki.
    • However, the Punjab government in its affidavit stated that there was no need to ban kurki as relief was being given to farmers in terms of loan waiver, compensation etc.
    • Moreover, it stated that Section 60 of Civil Procedure Code, 1908 – under which kurki takes place — was over 110 years old and needed complete revision.

    What is the ground reality?

    • Farmers point out that they are made to give post-dated cheques for loan, which are then used to get arrest orders issued in cheque bounce cases.
    • They have also accused money lenders of using pronotes signed by them to get kurki orders.
    • “Pro-notes” (promissory notes) are written documents taken from farmers, and signed by them at the time of giving the loan.
    • In April 2022, over 2,000 arrest warrants were issued against farmers for non-payment of loans to cooperative societies and Punjab agriculture development banks.

     

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  • Indian Navy Updates

    Exercise Vostok-22

    Prelims Only | Security Issues | Mains Paper 3: Various Security Forces, Agencies & Their Mandates

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Vostok 2022

    Mains level: India-Russia Relations

    Russia is holding Vostok exercises. However, India has only sent its army contingent of the 7/8 Gorkha Rifles, and will not take part in the maritime section of the two-part event.

    Vostok-2022

    • It is an annual, multilateral, strategic and command exercise hosted by Russia.
    • This year it will see the participation of more than 50,000 troops from 13 countries such as India, China, Algeria, India, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria and many more.
    • While the exercises in Vostok-2022 are routine, they are the first such multilateral exercises to be held since the Russian war in Ukraine began.

    Why in news now?

    • India has only sent its army contingent and will not take part in the maritime section of the two-part event.
    • This is because the maritime part of the exercises would be held in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.
    • These are near the disputed South Kuril Islands.
    • India’s decision not to take part in the naval exercises is believed to be in deference to Tokyo’s sensitivities.

    What does India’s participation mean?

    By sending an army contingent to join Russian and Chinese troops in the exercises at this time, New Delhi is aiming to send a four-pronged message:

    1. Continuing relationship with Russia despite the Ukraine war: The Modi government has decided not to join the Western sanctions regime, or to curb oil imports and other economic engagement with Moscow.
    2. Signal balance and non-alignment in the current crisis: India has mostly abstained from votes at the United Nations seeking to criticise Russia.
    3. India also takes part in routine Indo-Pacific exercises: This is with its Western partners including the Quad, as well as in bilateral exercises, like the India-US Ex. Yudh Abhyas.
    4. Willingness to conditional engagement with China: The message the government continues to give is that it is willing to engage with China on a number of fronts, even as military talks at LAC (Line of Actual Control) remain stuck.

    Conclusion

    • There might be some discomfort for Indian soldiers in dealing with their counterparts at a time when they are facing each other off along the LAC.
    • But that’s a small price to pay if it means keeping India-Russia ties on an even keel.
    • India needs to start communicating its intent better.
    • Strategic communication is an art. It’s time to master it.

     

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  • Climate Change Impact on India and World – International Reports, Key Observations, etc.

    What causes Rainbow Clouds (Cloud Iridescence)?

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Cloud iridescence

    Mains level: NA

    Last week, pictures of an unusually-shaped rainbow cloud that appeared over China were widely shared on social media.

    What is the news?

    • The cloud in question resembles a pileus cloud.
    • Such phenomenon of bright colours appearing on a cloud is called cloud iridescence.

    What is a Pileus Cloud?

    • A pileus cloud is usually formed over a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud.
    • It is formed when the base cloud pushes a moist current of air upwards and the water vapour from the current condenses to somewhat resemble wave-like crests, or umbrellas.
    • In popular western culture, it is called as an “accessory cloud” that is “rather like a cloud haircut”.
    • A pileus cloud is transient in nature and lasts barely for a few minutes, making it difficult, and at the same time, exciting, to spot.

    What is cloud iridescence?

    • Cloud iridescence or Irisation is an optical phenomenon that mostly occurs in wave-like clouds, including pileus and Altocumulus lenticularis.
    • Iridescence in clouds means the appearance of colours on clouds, which can either be in the form of parallel bands like in a rainbow, or mingled in patches.
    • In ancient Greek mythology, Iris is the goddess of rainbow. “Irisation”, the phenomenon of rainbow-like colours in clouds, is derived from her name.

    What is a photometeor?

    • Iridescence of clouds is a photometeor.
    • It is an optical phenomenon produced by the reflection, refraction, diffraction or interference of sunlight.

    What causes cloud iridescence?

    • In pileus clouds, small water droplets or ice crystals, usually of a similar size, diffract the sunlight falling on them.
    • The thinness of the cloud ensures more exposure to sunlight for each water droplet or ice crystal.
    • To ensure its wave crest-like appearance, water droplets or ice crystals in these clouds are always moving – droplets form at one side of the cloud and evaporate from the other end – and hence these clouds remain small and thin since the droplets have no way of combining and growing in size.
    • In its International Cloud Atlas, the World Meteorological Organisation says that iridescence or Irisation is caused by diffraction within 10 degrees from the sun.
    • Beyond ten degrees and up till about 40 degrees, interference of light is the main cause of iridescence.

     

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  • Monsoon Updates

    Abnormal’ La Nina conditions impacting India’s monsoon

    Prelims Only | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 1: Important Geophysical Phenomena

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: El-Nino, La-Nina

    Mains level: ENSO impact on Indian Monsson

    In what may be termed as an uncommon ocean phenomenon, the prevailing La Nina conditions over the equatorial Pacific Ocean have entered the third consecutive year.

    What is the news?

    • The current La Nina phase has been prevailing since September 2020.
    • Since the 1950s, La Nina lasting for more than two years has been recorded only on six instances (see graph below), data by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated.
    • It confirmed that India’s La Nina conditions are here to stay till the end of 2022.

    What is El Nino and La Nina?

    • While El Nino (Spanish for ‘little boy’), the more common expression, is the abnormal surface warming observed along the eastern and central regions of the Pacific Ocean (the region between Peru and Papua New Guinea).
    • The La Nina (Spanish for ‘little girl’) is an abnormal cooling of these surface waters.
    • Together, the El Nino (Warm Phase) and La Nina (Cool Phase) phenomena are termed as El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
    • These are large-scale ocean phenomena that influence the global weather — winds, temperature and rainfall. They have the ability to trigger extreme weather events like droughts, floods, hot and cold conditions, globally.
    • Each cycle can last anywhere between 9 to 12 months, at times extendable to 18 months — and re-occur after every three to five years.
    • Meteorologists record the sea surface temperatures for four different regions, known as Nino regions, along this equatorial belt.
    • Depending on the temperatures, they forecast either as an El Nino, an ENSO neutral phase, or a La Nina.

    Why has La Nina conditions continued for 3 years?

    • It is surprising that it has continued for the last three years. It may be good for India but not for some other countries.
    • Under climate change conditions, one must expect more such instances. Climate change could be a factor driving such anomalous conditions.

    Issues with La Nina

    • La Nina years are infamous for frequent and intense hurricanes and cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.
    • Chances of more cyclones are likely due to multiple aiding factors, including high relative moisture and relative low wind shear over the Bay of Bengal.

     

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. La Nina is suspected to have caused recent floods in Australia. How is La Nina different from El Nino?

    1. La Nina is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperature in equatorial Indian Ocean whereas El Nino is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
    2. El Nino has an adverse effect on south-west monsoon of India, but La Nina has no effect on monsoon climate.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) Only 1

    (b) Only 2

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

    Post your answers here.

     

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  • Foreign Policy Watch: India-China

    Importance of Tibetan Democracy Day

    Prelims Only | International Relations | Mains Paper 2: Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and agreements involving India

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Tibetan Democracy Day

    Mains level: India's asylum to Tibetans

    A little more than six decades ago, Tibetan Democracy Day was marked with the inauguration of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala on September 2.

    Tibetan Democracy Day

    • In February 1960, a little less than a year after he crossed over into India, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama outlined in Bodh Gaya, where The Buddha attained Enlightenment, a detailed program of democratic practice for exiled Tibetans.
    • According to the website of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE), he advised them to set up an elected body with three exiled representatives each from the three provinces, and one each from the four religious schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
    • After elections were held, 13 elected representatives, called ‘Deputies’, were designated as the ‘Commission of Tibetan People’s Deputies’ (CTPD). They took oath on September 2, 1960.
    • Subsequently from 1975 onward, this date began to be formally observed as Tibetan Democracy Day.

    Parliament-in-Exile

    • The TPiE is the highest legislative body of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
    • It is described as one of the three pillars of Tibetan democratic governance — the others being the Judiciary and the Kashag, or Executive.
    • The website of the TPiE underlines the Dalai Lama’s commitment to the democratic principle — it quotes the Dalai Lama from the Foreword to the Constitution for Tibet, drafted in 1963:
    • The CTA is based in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.
    • Elections are held every five years to elect Members of the TPiE, and their Sikyong (Prime Minister). The 16th TPiE was elected in 2016.
    • This was the second direct election after the Dalai Lama distanced himself from the political functioning of the TPiE in 2011.

    The Government-in-Exile

    • On March 10, 1963, the Dalai Lama promulgated the Constitution of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile (TGiE).
    • From 1991 onwards, TPiE became the legislative organ of the CTA, the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission became the judicial organ, and the Kashag the executive organ.
    • The TGiE is not recognised officially by any country, including India.
    • However, many countries, including the US, deal directly with the Sikyong and other Tibetan leaders through various forums.
    • The TPiE says its democratically elected character helps it manage Tibetan affairs, and raise the Tibetan issue across the world.
    • The current Sikyong (known as Kalön Tripa until 2012) of the CTA is Lobsang Sangay, who has been the head of the Kashag or Cabinet (first as Kalön Tripa and then as Sikyong) since 2011.

    What is India’s official policy towards the CTA?

    • India considers the Dalai Lama as a revered religious leader and an honored guest, but it does not encourage political activities by Tibetans.
    • It does not recognize any separate government of Tibet functioning in India.

     

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  • Women empowerment issues – Jobs,Reservation and education

    Cervavac: India’s first indigenously developed Vaccine for Cervical Cancer

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Achievements Of Indians In S&T

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Cervavac, Cervical cancer

    Mains level: Menstrual hygiene and related diseases

    Cervavax

    Union Minister of Science and Technology has announced the scientific completion of Cervavac, India’s first indigenously developed quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer.

    What is Cervavac?

    • Cervavac was developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India in coordination with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
    • The project to develop the vaccine was implemented by the then secretary of the DBT, Dr. M K Bhan in 2011.
    • Since then, 30 meetings of scientific advisory groups and site visits conducted by DBT have helped review the scientific merit of the entire journey to develop the vaccine.
    • Cervavac received market authorisation approval from the Drug Controller General of India on July 12 this year.

    What is so unique about Cervavac?

    • HPV vaccines are given in two doses and data has shown that the antibodies that develop after both are administered can last up to six or seven years.
    • Unlike Covid vaccines, booster shots may not be required for the cervical cancer vaccine.
    • Until now, the HPV vaccines available in India were produced by foreign manufacturers at an approximate cost of Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,500 per dose.
    • Cervavac is likely to be significantly cheaper, slated to cost approximately Rs 200 to 400.
    • It has also demonstrated a robust antibody response that is nearly 1,000 times higher than the baseline against all targeted HPV types and in all dose and age groups.

    Significance of the vaccine

    • Despite being largely preventable, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women globally, according to the WHO.
    • In 2018, an estimated 57000 women were diagnosed with the disease and it accounted for 311,000 deaths across the world.

    How common is cervical cancer in India?

    • India accounts for about a fifth of the global burden of cervical cancer, with 1.23 lakh cases and around 67,000 deaths per year.
    • Almost all cervical cancer cases are linked to certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that is transmitted through sexual contact.
    • The body’s immune system usually gets rid of the HPV infection naturally within two years.
    • However, in a small percentage of people, the virus can linger over time and turn some normal cells into abnormal cells and then cancer.

    How dangerous is cervical cancer?

    • Cervical cancer is preventable if detected early and managed effectively.
    • Screening and vaccination are two powerful tools that are available for preventing cervical cancer.
    • Still, there is little awareness among women about the prevention of this cancer and less than 10% of Indian women get screened.
    • All women aged 30-49 must get screened for cervical cancer even if they have no symptoms and get their adolescent daughters vaccinated with the HPV vaccine.

    What are the challenges?

    • The biggest task will be in allocating adequate resources and manpower for vaccinating the massive demographic of adolescent girls aged between 9 and 15, to ensure that they are protected from HPV early.
    • There is a huge need for stepping up awareness about the disease and the vaccine in the community.
    • Unlike Covid and the vaccination programme, there is very little awareness about cervical cancer.
    • Overall awareness and screening are very low in the community and that is a concern.
    • Since this is a preventable disease and hence a huge awareness programme is required

    Way forward

    • School-based vaccination programmes might work effectively.
    • Currently, none exist and therefore planning will have to be done along those lines.
    • Those accessing public health programmes will get the vaccine free of cost at government-aided schools.
    • However concerted efforts will have to be made to ensure the involvement of private healthcare facilities and NGOs towards an effective rollout.

     

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  • Health Sector – UHC, National Health Policy, Family Planning, Health Insurance, etc.

    Bhang, Ganja, and criminality in the NDPS Act

    Prelims Only | Governance | Mains Paper 2: Health & Education

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: NDPS Act

    Mains level: Issues with NDPS Act

    While granting bail to a man arrested on June 1 for possessing 29 kg of bhang and 400 g of ganja, Karnataka High Court recently observed that nowhere in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is bhang referred to as a prohibited drink or prohibited drug.

    What is Bhang?

    • Bhang is the edible preparation made from the leaves of the cannabis plant, often incorporated into drinks such as thandai and lassi, along with various foods.
    • Bhang has been consumed in the Indian subcontinent for centuries, and is frequently consumed during the festivals of Holi and Mahashivratri.
    • Its widespread use caught the attention of Europeans, with Garcia da Orta, a Portuguese physician who arrived in Goa in the 16th century, noting that, “Bhang is so generally used and by such a number of people that there is no mystery about it”.

    Bhang and the law

    • Enacted in 1985, the NDPS Act is the main legislation that deals with drugs and their trafficking.
    • Various provisions of the Act punish production, manufacture, sale, possession, consumption, purchase, transport, and use of banned drugs, except for medical and scientific purposes.
    • The NDPS Act defines cannabis (hemp) as a narcotic drug based on the parts of the plant that come under its purview. The Act lists these parts as:
    1. Charas: “The separated resin, in whatever form, whether crude or purified, obtained from the cannabis plant and also includes concentrated preparation and resin known as hashish oil or liquid hashish.”
    2. Ganja: “The flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant (excluding the seeds and leaves when not accompanied by the tops), by whatever name they be known or designated.”
    3. “Any mixture, with or without any neutral material, of any of the above forms of cannabis or any drink prepared therefrom.”
    • The Act, in its definition, excludes seeds and leaves “when not accompanied by the tops”.
    • Bhang, which is made with the leaves of the plant, is not mentioned in the NDPS Act.

    Cannabis and criminal liability

    • Section 20 of the NDPS Act lays out the punishment for the production, manufacture, sale, purchase, import and inter-state export of cannabis, as defined in the Act.
    • The prescribed punishment is based on the amount of drugs seized.
    • Contravention that involves a small quantity (100 g of charas/hashish or 1 kg of ganja), will result in rigorous imprisonment for a term that may extend to one year and/or a fine which may extend to Rs 10,000.
    • For a commercial quantity (1 kg charas/ hashish or 20 kg ganja), rigorous imprisonment of not less than 10 years, which may extend to 20 years, including a fine that is not less than Rs 1,00,000 but may extend to Rs 2,00,000.
    • Where the contravention involves quantity less than commercial, but greater than small quantity, rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years is prescribed, along with a fine which may extend to Rs 1,00,000.

    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Substance Abuse in India

     

     

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  • Port Infrastructure and Shipping Industry – Sagarmala Project, SDC, CEZ, etc.

    Why are the fisherfolk protesting over Vizhinjam Port Project?

    Prelims Only | Economics | Mains Paper 3: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways Etc.

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Vizhinjam Port Project

    Mains level: Port-led development in India

    Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram, is on the boil due to the under-construction Vizhinjam Port Project, from both sea and land.

    Vizhinjam Port Project

    • The Vizhinjam International Transhipment Deep-water Multipurpose Seaport is an ambitious project taken up by Government of Kerala.
    • It is designed primarily to cater container transhipment besides multi-purpose and break bulk cargo.
    • The port is being currently developed in landlord model with a Public Private Partnership component on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (“DBFOT”) basis.

    Why protests are erupted?

    • The protestors have been opposing the construction work by the Adani Vizhinjam Port Private Limited.
    • Adani group is developing the port on DBFOT basis.

    What lies at the heart of the protest?

    • According to fisherfolk, the port work has aggravated the coastal erosion along the coast of Thiruvananthapuram.
    • A scientific study to assess the impact of the port work on the shoreline has to be conducted urgently by stopping the construction.
    • Further, around 300 families along the coastline were shifted to relief camps after their houses were destroyed due to high-intensity coastal erosion.
    • The protesters demand a comprehensive rehabilitation package, an assured minimum wage when the sea turns rough due to inclement weather and subsidised kerosene for boats.

    Why the Vizhinjam project is considered important?

    • The port is located on the southern tip of the Indian Peninsula, just 10 nautical miles from the major international sea route and east-west shipping axis.
    • It has a natural water depth of more than 20 m within a nautical mile from the coast.
    • The Vizhinjam port is likely to play a pivotal role in the maritime development of the country and Kerala.
    • The commissioning of the port is expected to leverage the growth of 17 minor ports in the State along with creating thousands of employment opportunities.

     

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  • Innovations in Biotechnology and Medical Sciences

    Edible coating to prolong shelf life of fruits and vegetables

    Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Awareness in various sc and tech fields

    Note4Students

    From UPSC perspective, the following things are important:

    Prelims level: Dunaliella tertiolecta

    Mains level: Not Much

    A team of researchers at the IIT — Guwahati has developed an edible coating using marine alga that coated on vegetables and fruits, substantially extends their shelf-life.

    Dunaliella tertiolecta: The Edible coating

    • The team used a mix of an extract of a marine microalga called Dunaliella tertiolecta and polysaccharides to produce it.
    • The microalga is known for its antioxidant properties and has various bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and proteins.
    • It is also used to produce algal oil, a non-animal source of omega-3 fatty acid and is considered a good source of biofuel.
    • After the oil is extracted, the residue is usually discarded.
    • The researchers used extracts from this residue in formulating their film, in combination with chitosan, which is a carbohydrate.
    • It also has antimicrobial and antifungal properties and can be made into an edible film.

    Benefits of this Edible coating

    • The films displayed superior antioxidant activity, thermal stability, mechanical strength, total phenolic content and water vapour barrier property.
    • They also had excellent UV-Vis light-blocking properties.
    • The researchers also tested the biosafety of these coatings.

    Why is it viable?

    • The new coatings can be mass-produced.
    • They are very stable to light, heat, and temperature up to 40C, edible, and can be safely eaten as part of the product formulation and do not add unfavourable properties to it.
    • They retain texture, colour, appearance, flavour and nutritional value.
    • The material can be either directly coated on the vegetables and fruits or made into a vegetable storage pouch.
    • In both cases, the shelf-life of the vegetables can be extended.
    • It is a simple dip coating technique with no significant cost added to the post-harvest processing.

    Economic significance of Edible coating

    • According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, between 4.6 and 15.9 per cent of fruits and vegetables go waste post-harvest, partly due to poor storage conditions.
    • In fact, post-harvest loss in certain produce items like potato, onion, and tomato could even be as high as 19%, which results in high prices for this highly consumed commodity.

     

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