9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – February 24th, 2022

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

• Flashpoint Ukraine
• New Delhi’s stance on Europe’s crisis is just about right
• Drafting a new Constitution is impossible
• A reductionist approach – On health sector
• School education matters more than school uniform
• Turning to trade winds-On India-UAE Comprehensive economic partnership agreement

GS Paper 3

• A roadmap for India’s natural farming ambitions
• Is the time right for India to get a third aircraft carrier?
• A policy to replicate BrahMos’ success
• The Budget lacks the ‘power’ to transform services
• We must develop Brand India to attain global appeal and success

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

• IAF TO PARTICIPATE IN EXERCISE COBRA WARRIOR IN UNITED KINGDOM
• Hunger Watch-2 Survey: India’s second COVID-19 wave too saw penury: study
• DRDO and IIT Delhi scientists demonstrate Quantum Key Distribution between two cities 100 kilometers apart
• Meta’s AI Supercomputer
• Chinars return to iconic ‘Char Chinari’ Island on Srinagar’s Dal lake
• Explained: How umbilical cord blood was used to cure an HIV patient
• All India Institute of Ayurveda launches ‘Ayush Start-up Challenge’
• Explained: Who are Angadias?

Mains Oriented Articles

GS Paper 2

Flashpoint Ukraine

News: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and possible sanctions by US will impact India adversely.

What are the probable adverse impacts on India?

Inflationary impact: the significant upward pressures on oil prices, exacerbated by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ recent unwillingness to raise output. It will accentuate inflationary impulses and increase risks for the Reserve Bank of India’s inflation projections

Impact on Security: More than 60 per cent of India’s defence forces are equipped with Russian weapons, and India recently bought its SS-400 missile protection system. The country, therefore, remains dependent on Moscow for spare parts and technology transfers that escalating war in Ukraine could disrupt. This is a development India can ill afford in the face of sustained Chinese aggression.

Impact on Clean energy Transition: India may also find its climate change commitments under pressure as the planned transition to greater use of gas as one clean energy source may fall out of reach as prices spiral.

Impact on Tea Industry: Additional sanctions from the US on Russia will create huge problems for the tea industry. Russia accounts for 18 per cent of Indian tea exports. With sales to the other major buyer, Iran, constrained by sanctions for some years, the employment-intensive Indian tea industry, already struggling with low productivity and rising costs.

Impact on Other Exports: Other Europe- and Russia-facing exporters, such as in engineering and pharmaceutical, may also come under pressure in the event of a full-scale war over Ukraine.

Impact on India’s Indo-Pacific strategy: The crisis could cause a readjustment of US attention away from the Indo-Pacific at a time when India may urgently require a robust counterbalancing alliance to China’s expansionary ambitions in the region.

New Delhi’s stance on Europe’s crisis is just about right

News: At the Munich Security Conference recently, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar was asked why India keeps pointing fingers at China’s violation of the sovereignty of smaller states while not condemning Russia’s incursions into Ukraine.

Western officials have sought to rope India in as part of a unified worldwide opposition to Russia’s incursions into Ukraine. But India abstained on a Western resolution in the UN Security Council that intended to apply pressure on Russia.

This article illustrates the reasons given by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar for the question asked with respect to India’s differential approach towards China and Russia.

What were the reasons given by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar that justified India’s stand against Russia?

Firstly, Jaishankar’s response was that India did not see the tussle between Russia and the West in Europe as equal to China’s hegemonic push for dominance in Asia. The reasons are,

– Russia’s economy is tiny compared to that of China. Therefore, Russia cannot sustain a costly military campaign of conquest of all of Eastern Europe.

– Russia’s annual defence budget averages about $60 billion, which is very small compared to China’s defence expenditure of over $250 billion per year.

– Moreover, Russia can’t overturn the fundamental balance of power in Europe due to the presence of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops and hi-tech weaponry placed all along its western land borders.

Secondly, for India, there are “legitimate security interests of all countries”, implying that Ukraine should not be invaded. But Russian grievances about NATO’s eastward expansion must also be addressed.

Thirdly, Jaishankar criticized the selective application of universal values and principles when it suits the interests of powerful countries. For example, the US has condoned and shielded its allies that committed war crimes. The heart-wrenching human tragedy of the war in Yemen is a recent illustration of Washington supporting, financing and arming partners in Latin America, West Asia, Africa and other parts of Asia despite their murderous conduct.

Fourthly, he stated that, given India’s geopolitical location in the Indo-Pacific, its chief focus is on deterring Chinese expansionism. Whereas, the confrontation over Ukraine’s possible NATO tilt does not have a significant impact on India’s national security or power-projection goals.

Fifthly, India needs Russian weaponry and cooperation to ‘internally balance’ Chinese influence in Eurasia.

Finally, India sees the diversion of fighting Russia over Ukraine as a neglect of the reality that there is only one great power other than the US today, China, which seems keen on global supremacy.

Drafting a new Constitution is impossible

News: Chief Minister of Telangana said that the governments at the Centre over the years have been suppressing the powers of the State, so there is a need for a new Constitution.

Why the demand for drafting a new constitution is not feasible?

First, Dr. Ambedkar was originally elected from the Bengal assembly, which went to Pakistan after partition. After this, at the behest of Congress, he was elected from the Bombay presidency. This shows the accommodative stance of the biggest party of that time. Despite being from a marginalized community, he was trusted and appointed as chairman of the Drafting Committee.

While today, caste and nepotism play a pivotal role in electing members. Consensus over a new constitution would be impossible.

Second, the Drafting of the constitution took 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days. During this period, members read the constitution of other nations, consulted experts, drafted and debated the constitution. Value for a time was reflected in the fact that even if 5 minutes were lost in the house, the house would assemble 5 minutes early the next day and sit till night to complete the work. In terms of value, dissenters and hardcore critics were tolerated and reasonable views accommodated.

This whole thing and efforts are absent in the present scenario.

Third, Members of the constitutional assembly knew the sufferings of the nation had undergone under the foreign rule. So, they drafted the constitution by putting the nation first. But, today’s leaders tend to choose their party first.

Fourth, Constitution states that India is a “Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic”, which protects the rights of every section of society. While today’s leaders give priority to particular ideologies and castes. Given this, drafting a new Constitution will be a chaotic exercise and will shut the voices of some sections, especially the vulnerable.

Last, An unelected body was trusted by the Constitution framers to declare the law. The purpose behind that body was not answerable to anyone except the Constitution. The judiciary can adjudicate disputes in an independent, free, fair, and impartial manner. Today, leaders can choose to become judges as well as rulers. For example, through the 73 Amendment Act, 1973, a proviso to clause 5 of Article 371D gave Andhra Pradesh government the power to modify or annul any order passed by the Administrative Tribunal. Fortunately, this was reversed by Supreme Court in P. Sambamurthy v. State of A.P. (1986).

What should be the way forward?

It is true that the governments at the centre is abusing their power to cripple Opposition-ruled States. Instead of making a new constitution, people can elect regional parties in general elections so that States can have dominance in the Union

States can also approach the Supreme Court under Article 131 whenever the need arises to resolve conflicts between the Centre and State.

A reductionist approach – On health sector

News: For a long, Government has focused on a reductionist approach of private-level interventions, ignoring social determinants of health.

How did this problem arise?

In the previous decade, Government’s focus remained on maternal and child health and infectious diseases. After this, focus moved to non-communicable diseases (NCD) and chronic illness. This led to individualistic and technocratic policy measures which focus on enhanced NCD screening, management infrastructure, wellness and lifestyle interventions, patient referrals, etc.

But the need of the hour is to understand deeply inter-related issues of social, economic, and political dimensions. This can be seen from the 2007 example of the Netherlands Ministry of health initiatives. This was aimed at exploring inter-relationships between health and other sectors like social, economic, and political. But then organized medicine reduced it to personalized preventive medical care.

This has also been witnessed in India with NCD being subsumed into private sector run tests, medicines, and lifestyle change gimmicks.

Why is it a flawed perception?

The complex nature of the problem has led to the problems being passed to easily actionable but short-lived technocratic solutions. This has led to the perception that social level interventions are reserved for rich and developed countries.

But developing countries like India will benefit a lot from every penny that is invested in social level determinants.

What should India do?

For India, NCD will be a big challenge. Given the estimated losses of trillions of dollars, there is a need for a population-based and social approach. This will require a coordinated approach by various ministries and departments.

Digital and e-Governance initiatives need to be pushed. Government should come up with actionable points and work on social health determinants. All these will yield good results for the health sector in India.

School education matters more than school uniform

News

There have been massive protests across the country on Karnataka not allowing Muslim women to wear the hijab in educational institutions. There have been arguments both in favour and against the issue.

What have been the arguments of those asking for a similar uniform for all and disallowing the practice of veiling?

There have been arguments that veiling affects the status of women in society negatively and the importance of school uniforms.

Why is disallowing the practice of veiling in schools not a good idea?

Hijab may play a key role in the women finding that balance between stern religious practice and their desire for a modern education. Veiling allows them to access the world beyond their religion without losing the trust of their families and community.

This argument has also been supported by sociological studies conducted on Muslim population specially in the western countries.

Literacy and education among Muslims is already very low. According to the 2011 Census only about 42. 7% Muslims are illiterate. The stats for the Muslim women are much lower.

What is the way forward?

The low literacy rate shows that focus should be on how education can be used to nurture minds and lives of these women so that they can have more say in their own future.

There is every possibility that if hijab is banned, many of these women will find it difficult to leave their homes in Muslim neighbourhoods where access to a fast-changing modern world is often limited.

Turning to trade winds-On India-UAE Comprehensive economic partnership agreement

News

India has last week announced that it will be signing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

What is the extent of bilateral trade between India and UAE?

UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner and is also a key supplier of crude oil to India. India is its second-largest trading partner.

How India will benefit from the agreement?

Range of exports including textiles and jewellery will benefit from the zero-duty regime.

Two-way investment flows and remittances are also expected to receive a fillip. It is a major source of foreign exchange earnings for India as there is a large Indian workforce in the UAE.

The two countries are aiming to use free trade deals to lift bilateral merchandise trade to $100 billion over the next five years.

Why India needs more such Bilateral FTAs?

Lowering of tariff due to Free trade pacts will provide India with more favourable access for its exports which will boost its trade and economic output.

Although India has been keen on promoting atmanirbharta or self-reliance, the pandemic has depressed domestic consumption demand. It has lowered overall economic output while exports have rebounded strongly.

So, to leverage this opportunity India should strengthen trade ties with individual partner countries by signing FTAs on equitable terms.

GS Paper 3

A roadmap for India’s natural farming ambitions

News: In her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to natural, chemical-free, organic, and zero-budget farming.

On the lines to develop chemical-free farming, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, has been given a larger allocation of Rs 10,433 crore.

In this context, eight suggestions are given by experts to scale up chemical-free farming.

What are the eight suggestions given by experts to scale up chemical-free farming?

First, focus on promoting natural farming in rainfed areas beyond the Gangetic basin. The reasons are,

One, rainfed regions are home to half of India’s farmers. They use only a third of the fertilizers per hectare compared to the areas where irrigation is prevalent.

Two, the shift to chemical-free farming will be easier in these regions. Further, it will help the farmers to gain as the current crop yields in these areas are low.

Three, research also shows that there is higher interest among farmers from these areas, especially from tribal communities, who practice rainfed agriculture.

Second, enable automatic enrolment of farmers transitioning to chemical-free farming into the government’s crop insurance scheme, PM Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

Any transition in agriculture adds to the farmer’s risk. Covering such risks could enhance the appetite of the farmers to embark on the transition.

Third, promote microenterprises that produce inputs for chemical-free agriculture. Because lack of readily available natural inputs has been a persistent barrier for farmers in transitioning to chemical-free agriculture.

To address this challenge, combine the promotion of natural farming with the setting up of village-level input preparation and sales shops. Two shops per village across the country could provide a livelihood to at least five million youth and women.

Fourth, leverage NGOs and champion farmers who have been promoting and practicing sustainable agriculture across the country. Because, learning from peers, especially champion farmers, through on-field demonstrations has proved highly effective in scaling up chemical-free agriculture in Andhra Pradesh.

Fifth, need to evolve the curriculum in agricultural universities, upskill the agriculture extension workers on sustainable agriculture practices.

Sixth, leverage community institutions for awareness generation, inspiration, and social support.

Seventh, support monitoring and impact studies. Such assessments would ensure an informed approach to scaling up sustainable agriculture.

Finally, dovetail the ambition on millet promotion with the aim to promote sustainable agriculture.

Is the time right for India to get a third aircraft carrier?

News: The idea of buying a third aircraft carrier may have to be delayed due to the current economic situation.

There is a broad consensus in the strategic community on the Indian Navy having two aircraft carriers, one for each of the two seaboards.

There also exists a broad consensus on acquiring the third carrier to ensure the operational availability of two aircraft carriers at any given time, accounting for maintenance, repairs, and refits.

However, equally, there are fit reasons to delay the buying of a third aircraft carrier for India’s coastal security.

What is the present status of aircraft carriers in India?

At present, India has only one aircraft carrier, the INS Vikramaditya, which is a Russian-origin platform.

The indigenously-built aircraft carrier (IAC) Vikrant, the first of its kind and a symbol of India’s atmanirbharta in defence, is expected to be commissioned later this year.

Why India should go for the early acquisition of the third aircraft carrier?

One, operational necessity for sustained naval presence in the vast oceanic space.

Two, to counter the rapid expansion of the Chinese PLA Navy (PLAN) and its growing forays into the Indian Ocean. Moreover, China is building a third carrier, the Type 003, and may have a few more in the next decade.

Three, With the Indo-Pacific increasingly becoming a contested theatre, India must prepare for the future well in advance.

Four, Aircraft carriers add more strength to India’s defence capabilities due to their innate advantages. For example,

• They are mobile platforms that ensure sea control and power projection.
• They permit the use of tactical airpower over a vast region.
• Furthermore, they are equally capable of mounting offensive attacks on maritime as well as shore-based targets.
• Due to their mobility, aircraft carriers can evade hostile attacks.

Fifth, the gestation period for any such indigenous acquisition is long. The Vikrant took 17 years to complete and is yet to be commissioned.

Failure to take an early decision could result in India’s shipyards losing the expertise that has been nurtured in recent years.

Sixth, shore-based aircraft for maritime dominance has some limitations. Like, they need to develop effective jointness with the Indian Air Force and their ability to provide air defense cover to our fleets would be limited.

Why India should not push for early acquisition of the third aircraft carrier?

First, the astronomical cost of an aircraft carrier is high, while cheaper alternative options like Shore-based aircraft are available today for achieving air dominance in the area of interest.

Second, there is also the case for greater strategic utilisation of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands that has proximity to vital sea lanes of communication.

Third, India’s economic constraint due to the pandemic is also an issue.

Fourth, the navy budget is the smallest of the three services. It is doubtful whether the navy can absorb the cost of a third aircraft carrier within its existing budget.

Moreover, the prioritisation of ongoing and planned major naval acquisitions is already in the pipeline. It includes the Scorpene submarines (P-75 Programme), the Project 75 (India)-class submarines, the Visakhapatnam (P-15B) class destroyers, and the Nilgiri (P17A) class stealth frigates.

A policy to replicate BrahMos’ success

News: India recently sold BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines.

Why the Philippines is upgrading its defence capabilities?

Both China and the Philippines claim islands in the South China Sea (SCS). China has militarized Woody Island and arbitrarily claimed the Nine-Dash Line (NDL). The NDL covers 90% of the waters in the SCS and is rich in fishing and energy reserves.

Philippines dragged China over its maritime claims to the International Court of Arbitration (ICA) at The Hague. China rejected the 2016 UNCLOS  ruling, which was ordered in favor of the Philippines. This shows how major states treat international law. Chinese assertiveness over islands, the Philippines navy, and commercial shipping have led to the Philippines upgrading its defenses.

Why the deal is important for India?

What is India’s position in export in the defence sector?

According to the Ministry of Defence, India exported Rs 1,940 crore worth of defence equipment in 2014-15. In 2020-21, India’s defence exports were at Rs 8,434 crore. These military exports consist of protective gear for military personnel, mechanical engineering equipment, and defence electronics. The MoD has set an ambitious defence export target of $5 billion by 2024.

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is also developing the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), which is now under orders from Mauritius.

What should be the way forward for India?

The Budget lacks the ‘power’ to transform services

News: Budget 2022-23 demonstrates a clear intent to prioritise investments in clean energy and sustainable development, in line with the country’s promises made at COP26 in Glasgow last year.

What does the budget proposed for the health and education sector?

Health sector: The sector witnessed a 16% increase in estimated Budget allocations from last year, medical and public health spending was reduced by 45% for 2022-23.

Education sector: The sector witnessed an 11.86% increase in allocations. Despite the push for digital education, last year’s revised allocation saw a reduction of 35%. Despite these increases in estimates, health and education continue to share only about 2% each of budgetary allocations annually.

Why the role of electric supply is important for education and health services?

Availability of reliable electricity supply helps in efficient delivery of health and education services. 74% of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals are interlinked with universal access to reliable energy. Despite this, 44% of schools and 25% of India’s health sub-centres and primary health centres remain unelectrified.

The lack of integration of electrification requirements in development sector policy documents may be partly due to a lack of information about electricity and development linkages, poor coordination mechanisms between the sectors and departments, and poor access to appropriate finance.

What should be done to solve the problem?

Integration of multiple policies: It is required to achieve the larger sectoral objectives. For example, Assam lays out its Energy Vision document in conjunction with the Solar Energy Policy 2017. To successfully integrate electricity provisioning and maintenance, policy frameworks should include innovative coordination and financing mechanisms.

Local decision-makers should also be given some authority to address the local needs and mitigate policy implementation barriers.

Remove unnecessary burden: Providing reliable electricity for health centres and schools should be the responsibility of centralised decision-making entities at the State or national level.

Allocation of funds: Integrative policies are insufficient to achieve intended developmental outcomes. For policies to become transformative, instruments that operationalise them should be put in place.

For this, the allocation of funds should set up a robust data governance mechanism, as it is critical for integrative action and evidence-based policymaking.

We must develop Brand India to attain global appeal and success

News:  In recent years, country or national branding has emerged as a distinctive field in marketing and communication, and also making headways in international diplomacy.

What is country branding?

It is a process of identity creation where countries gain visibility and put themselves on the world map as distinctive entities by drawing on their history, culture, economy, society, geography, and people. It is aimed at establishing a country’s uniqueness in the global order. Furthermore, it serves as a tool to attract tourism, investments, and high-quality human capital, as well as to forge financial, military, social, and political alliances.

How far India is successful to make itself as a brand?

Within just 75 years of independence, India has not just made its mark but achieved a respectable reputation in each field.

Democracy: There are about 63 countries that gained freedom from foreign rule in the 20th century. India is only among a handful of countries in which democracy has not only flourished but deepened in every aspect.

Economy: India is the fifth-largest economy in US dollar terms in the world and the third-largest in purchasing-power-parity terms. India has the world’s largest and fastest expanding consumer markets. After the economic shrinkage caused by the pandemic, India has emerged as the fastest-growing economy among G-20 countries.

Food production: India is among the largest producers and consumers of food in the world.

Environment: India is the fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases and a major voice at meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

A responsible military power: India has fought four major wars, is nuclear-capable, with a no-first-use policy. India’s position in the global fight against terror is well respected around the world.

Technology: India has made progress in modern technology, especially in information and space technology.

Civilization, culture, and religion: Mark Twain famously said that “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great-grandmother of tradition.”

How can India make itself a competitive brand?

India should explicitly brand itself aggressively by marketing all its strengths and capabilities. India has the world’s largest young population. Harnessing their aspirations, skills, and consumption capacity will not just help power Brand India, but, with the required dedication and effort, it can eventually help reshape the world.

Prelims Oriented Articles (Factly)

IAF TO PARTICIPATE IN EXERCISE COBRA WARRIOR IN UNITED KINGDOM

What is the News?

Indian Air Force will participate in a multi-nation air exercise named ‘Ex Cobra Warrior 22’ at Waddington, UK

What is Exercise Cobra Warrior?

Aim: To provide operational exposure and share best practices amongst the participating Air Forces, thereby enhancing combat capability and forging bonds of friendship.

Conducted by: Royal Air Force(RAF) of the United Kingdom(UK).

Type: Annual multinational air exercise

From the Indian side, indigenous LCA Tejas fighter aircraft will participate in the exercise and a C-17 aircraft will provide transport support.

Apart from India, the other countries participating in the exercise are Sweden, Saudi Arabia and Bulgaria.

What are the other bilateral exercises between India and the UK?

Ajeya Warrior: It is a joint military exercise between India and the UK. It was held for the first time in 2013.

Konkan: It is an annual maritime bilateral exercise between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy of Britain.

Indradhanush: It is a joint bilateral air exercise between India and the UK.

Source: This post is based on the article “IAF TO PARTICIPATE IN EXERCISE COBRA WARRIOR IN UNITED KINGDOM” published in PIB on 24th February 2022.

Hunger Watch-2 Survey: India’s second COVID-19 wave too saw penury: study

What is the News?

According to the Hunger Watch-2 Survey, India’s second wave that didn’t see a national lockdown like in the first failed to significantly alleviate economic distress and hunger among the poor.

What is the Hunger Watch-2 Survey?

The Survey was commissioned by the Right To Food Campaign and The Center for Equity Studies to evaluate economic distress following the second wave. 

Around 6,500 respondents in 14 States had participated in the survey.

Note: The same organizations had conducted a similar survey, Hunger Watch–1 to measure the fallout of the first wave.

What are the key findings of the Hunger Watch-2 Survey?

Decrease in Income: Around 66% of the respondent’s income had decreased as compared to the pre-pandemic period. This proportion was larger among urban households, among households earning less than ₹3,000 per month and among Muslim households. 

Food Insecurity: Around 79% of the households reported some form of food insecurity and 25% reported severe food insecurity. Those belonging to socially vulnerable groups reported a higher decline in the consumption of food.

Nutritional Quality: As many as 41% of households reported that the nutritional quality of their diet had deteriorated compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Source of Income: Non-agricultural casual labour was a prominent source of employment in rural and urban areas. 

School Dropout: 18% of all households reported that a child that was in school before the pandemic had dropped out.

PDS System: PDS system is providing relief. Around 84% of the households had a ration card and over 90% of those who were eligible received some food grains. However, other schemes such as Mid–Day Meal Scheme or the Integrated Child Development Services weren’t effective. 

Source: This post is based on the article “India’s second COVID-19 wave too saw penury: study” published in The Hindu on 24th February 2022.

DRDO and IIT Delhi scientists demonstrate Quantum Key Distribution between two cities 100 kilometers apart

What is the News?

A team of scientists from the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has successfully demonstrated the Quantum Key Distribution(QKD) link between Prayagraj and Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh, a distance of more than 100 kilometers.

What is Quantum Key Distribution(QKD)?

QKD is primarily a mechanism to undertake secure communication which utilizes a cryptographic protocol involving various components of quantum mechanics. 

The technology enables two communicating sides to come up with random secret keys shared by both of them and known exclusively to them, so only they can use it to encrypt and decrypt messages, thus achieving a very highly-secure communication.

Click Here to read more about Quantum Key Distribution(QKD)

What is the significance of this demonstration?

Secure communications are vital for defence and strategic agencies across the globe and the distribution of encryption keys is the crucial factor for it. Quantum Key Distribution(QKD) offers a robust solution to sharing the keys securely. 

Hence, the demonstration of this technology will enable security agencies to plan a suitable quantum communication network with indigenous technology backbone.

Source: This post is based on the article “DRDO and IIT Delhi scientists demonstrate Quantum Key Distribution between two cities 100 kilometers apart” published in PIB on 24th February 2022.

Meta’s AI Supercomputer

What is the News?

Facebook-parent Meta has announced that it is building an AI supercomputer named “AI Research SuperCluster(RSC)”.

What are Supercomputers?

A supercomputer can perform high-level processing at a faster rate when compared to a normal computer. 

Supercomputers are made up of hundreds or thousands of powerful machines which use better artificial intelligence(AI) models to improve operations that process huge amounts of data in less time than normal computers.

AI supercomputers are built by combining multiple graphic processing units (GPUs) into compute nodes, which are then connected by a high-performance network fabric to allow fast communication between those GPUs.

What is AI Research SuperCluster(RSC)?

It is an AI Supercomputer being built by Facebook-parent Meta. The company has claimed that this will be the fastest supercomputer in the world once fully built by mid-2022. 

The RSC will be capable of quintillions of operations per second. It can perform tasks like translating text between languages and help identify potentially harmful content on Meta’s platform.

Source: This post is based on the article “Meta’s AI Supercomputer” published in The Hindu on 24th February 2022.

Chinars return to iconic ‘Char Chinari’ Island on Srinagar’s Dal lake

What is the News?

The Jammu & Kashmir administration has decided to translocate three fully-grown Chinar trees from elsewhere to the Char Chinar Island, where the decayed trees once stood in the ‘green’ of health.

What is Char Chinar Island?

Char Chinar also sometimes called Char Chinari, Ropa Lank or Rupa Lank is an island in Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. 

What are Chinar Trees?

​​Chinar trees characteristically grow in Eastern Himalayas. Their botanical name is Platanus orientalis.

Type: It is a large, deciduous tree known for its longevity and spreading crown.

These trees have survived for ages because Chinar is basically a long-living tree. It spreads wide across a region of cool climate with sufficient water. 

Application of Chinar tree: 1) Leaves and bark – medicine, 2) Wood – It is known as lacewood. It has been used for delicate furniture, 3) Twigs and roots – used for making dyes.

Significance: In autumn, its deep green leaves may change to blood red, amber, and yellow.

Source: This post is based on the article “Chinars return to iconic ‘Char Chinari’ Island on Srinagar’s Dal lake” published in The Hindu on 24th February 2022.

Explained: How umbilical cord blood was used to cure an HIV patient

What is the News?

A US patient has become the third person in the world, and the first woman, to be cured of HIV, the deadly virus that causes AIDS.

What is HIV?

Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV is an infection that attacks the immune system by destroying the body’s immune cells called CD4, which help it respond to infection. 

Once HIV attacks the CD4 cells, it starts replicating and destroying the cells, weakening the body’s immune system and making it more prone to certain “opportunistic infections” that take advantage of the weak immune system.

How is HIV transmitted?

Bodily fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids, rectal fluids and breastmilk can be carriers for HIV. 

It can also be transmitted through unprotected sex, transfusion of contaminated blood, sharing needles and syringes, and from a mother with HIV to her infant during pregnancy.

How was the woman cured of HIV?

In 2013, a woman from the US was diagnosed with HIV. She began to receive antiretroviral drugs to keep her virus levels low. 

Four years later, she was diagnosed with leukaemia. As part of her cancer treatment, she received a transplant of umbilical cord blood from someone who had a natural resistance to HIV. Since then, she has not required antiretroviral therapy.

Note: The earlier two patients who were cured of HIV received transplants from donors who have an uncommon gene that gives them protection against HIV.

Why is this news significant?

First, this was the first time an umbilical cord blood transplant was successfully carried out on an HIV patient. Doctors have indicated that this approach is likely to make treatment more widely available.

Second, the patient was a middle-aged mixed-race woman. This is significant since the majority of donors in the US are of Caucasian descent. Since this breakthrough treatment only requires partial matches and not exact matches, it opens up treatment options for people from diverse racial backgrounds.

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: How umbilical cord blood was used to cure an HIV patient” published in Indian Express on 24th February 2022.

All India Institute of Ayurveda launches ‘Ayush Start-up Challenge’

What is the News?

The Ayush Start-up Challenge has been launched.

What is Ayush Start-up Challenge?

Launched by: All India Institute of Ayurveda(AIIA) in association with Startup India 

Aim: To encourage start-ups and individuals working on innovations in the field of Ayurveda and alternative healing.

The winners of the challenge will receive both a cash prize and incubation support from the AIIA.

Categories: There are three entry categories for participating start-ups: Ayush Food Innovations, Ayush Bio-instrumentation (Hardware solutions) and Ayush IT Solutions (Software solutions).

What is the market of the Ayush Sector in India?

The Ayush market is currently estimated to be around USD 10 bn. It has grown by 17% in 2014-20.

In terms of the global share, India has grown faster in the AYUSH market as compared to the world and accounts for about 2.8 % of the market.

It is projected to see a 50% increase in the Ayush market over the course of the next five years.

Source: This post is based on the article “All India Institute of Ayurveda launches Ayush Start-up Challenge” published in Indian Express on 23rd February 2022.

Explained: Who are Angadias?

What is the News?

An FIR has been registered against three Mumbai Police officials for allegedly threatening Angadias and extorting money from them in south Mumbai.

Who are Angadias?

The Angadia system is a century-old parallel banking system in the country where traders send cash generally from one state to another through a person called Angadia that stands for courier. 

It is by and large used in the jewellery business with Mumbai – Surat being the most popular route as they are two ends of the diamond trade. 

The cash involved is huge and it is the responsibility of Angadia to transfer cash from one state to another for which they charge a nominal fee.

This system works largely on trust as huge sums are involved.Usually, traders have the same Angadias for decades together.

Is the system legal?

The Angadia system per se is legal.But since the business deals in cash and there is no account maintained for the same, there have been suspicions that it is used for transfer of black money like the hawala transaction which is generally used across countries.

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: Who are Angadias?” published in Indian Express on 23rd February 2022.