Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Daily Current Affair - UPSC/KAS Exams - 21st June 2021

What is the news : The Lakshadweep administration, which has been facing widespread protests over its policies, has mooted a proposal to shift its legal jurisdiction from the Kerala High Court to the Karnataka High Court.

Why such a proposal : The proposal was initiated by the administration after several litigation were moved before the Kerala High Court against the decisions taken by the islands’ new Administrator Praful Khoda Patel. These decisions included revising standard operating procedures for COVID-appropriate behaviour, introduction of the “goonda Act” and demolishing hutments of fishermen for widening of roads.

Who can change the jurisdiction of a high Court :

• The jurisdiction of a high court can be shifted only through an act of Parliament, according to the law.
• "Parliament may by law constitute a high court for a Union Territory or declare any court in any such territory to be a high court for all or any of the purposes of this Constitution," according to Article 241 of the Constitution.
• Section 4 of the same article mentions that "nothing in this article derogates from the power of Parliament to extend or exclude the jurisdiction of a high court for a state to, or from, any Union Territory or part thereof".

Which are the High Court’s having jurisdiction over more than one state/s or Union Territory/s:

• Bombay High Court- has jurisdiction over Maharashtra, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Daman, Diu, and Goa.
• Kolkata High Court- has jurisdiction over West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
• Madras High Court- has jurisdiction over Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.
• Guwahati High Court- has jurisdiction over Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Kerala High Court- has jurisdiction over Kerala and Lakshadweep Islands.
• Punjab & Haryana High Court- has jurisdiction over Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh.

What is in news : I&B ministry seeks public comments on proposed amendments to Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2021 by 2 July

Provisions :

The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2021 proposes

• To penalise film piracy with a jail term and fine, introduce age-based certification, and empower the central government to order recertification of an already certified film following receipt of complaints
• process of sanctioning of films for exhibition more effective, in tune with the changing times and curb the menace of piracy
• provisions relating to certification of films under ‘unrestricted public exhibition’ category are proposed to be amended so as to further sub-divide the existing UA category into age-based categories such as U/A 7+, U/A 13+ and U/A 16+
• grant revisionary powers to the government on account of violation of Section 5B (1) (principles for guidance in certifying films) of the Act.
• receipt of any references by the Central Government in respect of a film certified for public exhibition, on account of violation of Section 5B(1) of the Act, the Central Government may, if it considers it necessary so to do, direct the Chairman of the Board to re-examine the film
• Notwithstanding any law for the time being in force, no person shall, without the written authorization of the author, be permitted to use any audio-visual recording device in a place to knowingly make or transmit or attempt to make or transmit or abet the making or transmission of a copy of a film or a part thereof

Other details :

• The Standing Committee on Information Technology (2019-20) presented the Ninth Report on Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019 in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on March 16, 2020. The observations and recommendations made by the committee in the report have been examined and it is proposed to suitably revise the clauses in the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019 based on the recommendations.
• An expert committee under the chairmanship of Justice (retired) Mukul Mudgal was constituted in 2013 to examine the issues of certification under the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
• Another committee of experts was set up under the chairmanship of Shyam Benegal in 2016 to evolve broad guidelines for certification within the ambit of the Cinematograph Act and Rules.

What is in news : Hayagriva Madhava Temple in Assam has signed a memorandum of understanding with two green NGOs, the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden and the Kamrup district administration for the long-term conservation of the rare freshwater black softshell turtle or the Nilssonia nigricans.

Details :

• A vision document 2030 was also launched after Turtle Survival Alliance India and Help Earth signed the pact involving the Hayagriva Madhava Temple Committee.
• Various temple ponds in Assam such as that of the Hayagriva Madhava Temple harbour various threatened species of turtles. Since the turtles are conserved in these ponds only based on religious grounds, many biological requirements for building a sustainable wild population have since long been overlooked

Black Softshell Turtle

• The black softshell turtle is being bred in the pond of Hayagriva Madhab Temple at Hajo in Guwahati, Assam.
• India hosts 28 species of turtles, of which 20 are found in Assam. Threats to turtles include hunting for meat and eggs, silt mining, encroachment of wetlands and change in flooding pattern have had a disastrous impact on the turtle population.
• IUCN Status: Extinct in Wild
• CITES: Appendix 1
• Wildlife Protection Act (WLPA): Schedule IV
• Habitat: Bangladesh and Indian state of Assam.

About Hayagriva Madhava temple

The Hayagriva Madhava temple is one of the important centers for Vaishnavism.

The temple exists on a hilly place which located at Hajo nearby Guwahati, Assam.

It was estimated that the temple was built during the Pala period of 10th-12th century A. D.

What : The longest day of 2021 for those living north of the Equator is June 21. In technical terms, this day is referred to as the summer solstice.

Details:

• It occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, or more specifically right over 23.5 degree north latitude.
• Why do we have summer solstice?
  • Since Earth rotates on its axis, the Northern Hemisphere gets more direct sunlight between March and September over the course of a day, which also means people living in the Northern Hemisphere experience summer during this time. The rest of the year, the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight.
  • During the solstice, the Earth’s axis — around which the planet spins, completing one turn each day — is tilted in a way that the North Pole is tipped towards the sun and the South Pole is away from it.
  • Typically, this imaginary axis passes right through the middle of the Earth from top to bottom and is always tilted at 23.5 degree with respect to the sun. Therefore, the solstice, as NASA puts it, is that instant in time when the North Pole points more directly toward the sun that at any other time during the year. Solstice means “sun stands still” in Latin.
  • This day is characterised by a greater amount of energy received from the sun. According to NASA, the amount of incoming energy the Earth received from the sun on this day is 30 per cent higher at the North Pole than at the Equator.
  • The maximum amount of sunlight received by the Northern Hemisphere during this time is usually on June 20, 21 or 22. In contrast, the Southern Hemisphere receives most sunlight on December 21, 22 or 23 when the northern hemisphere has its longest nights– or the winter solstice.

What is in news : International Yoga Day (or just Yoga Day) is observed every year on the 21st of June. This year, the 7th International Day of Yoga is celebrated.

International Yoga Day

• International Yoga Day was declared by the UN General Assembly on 11th December 2014. Yoga is a mental, physical and spiritual discipline or practice that has its origins in India.
• The day of 21st June was suggested by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the UN because it is the longest day of the year.
• The day also has special relevance in several different parts of the globe. The draft resolution was introduced in the General Assembly by India’s Permanent Representative.
• The draft received support from 177 members and they adopted the text without a vote.
• Many international leaders supported this initiative.
• The resolution was co-sponsored by 175 countries, which is the highest number of co-sponsors for a UN General Assembly resolution of such a type.
• Indian diplomatic missions, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Prime Minister of India himself have ramped up their social media diplomacy on yoga. Yoga is seen as one of the best examples of soft power.

What is in news : Narippaiyur, a village in Ramanathapuram District, a drought prone area situated in the South-East corner of Tamil Nadu will benefit from 20,000 litres per day of fresh water produced from sea water – thanks to the solar thermal Forward Osmosis (FO) sea water desalination system installed in the place.

Details :

• The customized demand driven convergent water solution through FO will supply two litres of good quality drinking water per person per day for 10,000 people in the village, successfully overcoming a major drinking water shortage in the village.
• Tamil Nadu IIT Madras in collaboration with Empereal – KGDS Renewable Energy have successfully established and demonstrated this system to address prevalent and emerging water challenges in Mission Mode in the village.

REVERSE OSMOSIS

• Reverse osmosis is a membrane treatment process primarily used to separate dissolved solutes from water. Reverse osmosis is most commonly known for its use in drinking water purification particularly with regard to removing salt and other effluent materials from water molecules.
• Principle

• To break down the process further, due to the presence of membrane, large molecules of the solute are not able to cross through it and they remain on the pressurized side. The pure solvent, on the other hand, is allowed to pass through the membrane. When this happens the molecules of the solute start becoming concentrated on one side while the other side of the membrane becomes dilute. Furthermore, the levels of solutions also change to some degree.
• In essence, reverse osmosis takes place when the solvent passes through the membrane against the concentration gradient. It basically moves from a lower to a higher concentration.

• Process

• Osmotic pressure is the minimum pressure required to stop solvent flow through the semipermeable membrane. Therefore, when the solution side (the side where the solute concentration is high) is subjected to a pressure greater than the osmotic pressure, the solvent particles on the solution side move through the semipermeable membrane to the region where the solute concentration is low. Such inverse solvent movement through the semipermeable membrane is called reverse osmosis.
• It is important to note that the pressure applied to the solution side must be higher than the osmotic pressure for the reverse osmosis process to proceed. Osmotic pressure is a colligative property, which depends on the concentration of the solution. In water purification, the reverse osmosis process is very important. Many water purifiers used today use reverse osmosis in the purification process as one of the steps.

What is in news : An experimental monoclonal antibody cocktail, REGEN-COV2, has been found to be a life-saving treatment for some of the most severely affected Covid-19 patients, results of a clinical trial in the UK have shown.

What are monoclonal antibodies?

• To fight a viral infection, our bodies create proteins known as antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are artificial antibodies that mimic the activity of our immune systems. They are produced through a process that involves extracting specific antibodies from human blood and then cloning them.
• These monoclonal antibodies are designed to target a virus or a specific part of one — for instance, REGEN-COV2 is a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies developed to target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The monoclonal antibodies bind to specific parts of the spike protein, blocking its ability to infect healthy cells.
• Besides Covid-19, monoclonal antibodies have been used in the treatment of cancers as well as Ebola and HIV.

How important are they in Covid-19 treatment?

• Research during the pandemic has increased optimism in monoclonal antibodies’ ability to help reduce the risk of hospitalisation. Some monoclonal antibodies have shown the ability to retain activity against multiple variants of the virus.
• While a crucial and promising part of treatment, monoclonal antibodies also have limitations. So far, these therapies have shown the most success in high-risk groups with mild to moderate Covid-19. They are not approved for use in those hospitalised with severe Covid-19 and those requiring oxygen.
• Some emerging variants like the Delta Plus “variant of interest” have also displayed the ability to nullify the use of monoclonal antibodies.

Is this therapy available in India?

• REGEN-COV2 is available in India through a tie-up between Swiss drug giant Roche and Indian company Cipla. The therapy, a combination of monoclonal antibodies casirivimab and imdevimab, had received the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation’s restricted emergency use permission in May.
• In the beginning of June, another antibody cocktail therapy — Eli Lilly’s bamlanivimab and etesevimab —received a similar emergency approval.
• Both antibody cocktails are indicated for use in those with mild to moderate Covid-19 who do not require oxygen and who are at a high risk of progressing to severe disease.
• GlaxoSmithKline, which on May 26 had announced the US FDA’s Emergency Use Approval for Sotrivimab, is exploring options to make the monoclonal antibody therapy available for India.
• In India, Zydus Cadila plans to take an antibody cocktail, ZRC-3308, through trials.

How do monoclonal antibodies compare with convalescent plasma therapy?

• India last month dropped the use of convalescent plasma as an “off-label” option from its guidance on Covid-19 treatment. Over the last eight months, evidence from trials has shown it has no significant benefits in improving patient outcomes.
• Compared with plasma, scientists have expressed more confidence in the promise of monoclonal antibodies. Both antibody-based therapies, they differ in the way they are made.
• Convalescent plasma therapy involves providing antibodies from a recovered Covid-19 patient’s plasma. This means that those receiving this therapy would be getting all the antibodies the recovered patient has made.
• Monoclonal antibodies are when you take a specific antibody and mass-manufacture it in a factory. For antibody cocktails, you provide a combination of two or more such antibodies.

What is in news : Red Bull’s Formula One leader Max Verstappen overtook Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap to win the French Grand Prix and canter 12 points clear.

Details :

• The French Grand Prix (French: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF, is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championship. It is one of the oldest motor races in the world as well as the first "Grand Prix". It ceased shortly after its centenary in 2008 with 86 races having been held, due to unfavourable financial circumstances and venues. The race returned to the Formula One calendar in 2018 with Circuit Paul Ricard hosting the race.
• France was one of the first countries to hold motor racing events of any kind. The first competitive motor race, the Paris to Rouen Horseless Carriages Contest was held on 22 July 1894, and was organized by the Automobile Club de France (ACF).

• Work on the much-awaited 10-lane Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway project is expected to be completed only by December 2022, owing to COVID-19.The work on the 117-km long expressway had begun in two packages – about 56 km-long route from Bengaluru to Nidaghatta in Maddur in May 2019 and 61 km-long route from Nidaghatta to Mysuru in December 2019. Buildcon Ltd., which has been entrusted with the project, had been given deadline of 30 months for completion.
• ejaswini V, a student from Bengaluru's Mount Carmel College made it all the way to the giant screens of New York City's Times Square.Tejaswini was among 277 college students from India who landed an internship with financial services giant Morgan Stanley, whose individual photos were beamed on a screen at the firm's headquarters.
• Tata Memorial Centre team, headed by Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, set out to conduct a cost of illness analysis that would provide invaluable information for policy makers that make appropriate allocation of resources towards cancer. This is the first such study in India and among a handful globally, whose estimates were calculated, utilizing a bottom-up approach where data was collected prospectively for each service as it was used.
• Fleet Awards Function 2021 was held to celebrate the operational achievements of the Eastern Fleet during the last year on 19 Jun 21. Fleet Awards Function marks the culmination of the Operational Cycle of the Eastern Fleet and recognises accomplishments of the ‘Sword Arm’ of the Eastern Naval Command(ENC).
• The Central Government has constituted an Expert Group under the Chairmanship of Professor Ajit Mishra, a renowned economist, to provide technical inputs and recommendations on fixation of Minimum Wages and National Floor Wages to the Government.  The tenure of the Expert Group is three years.
• Under the aegis of COVID-19 Research Consortium, DBT-BIRAC supported product ‘SENSIT Rapid COVID-19 Ag kit’ has been developed by Ubio Biotechnology Systems Pvt. Ltd. for qualitative detection of SARS CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein with an assay time of 15 minutes. The test works on the principle of sandwich immunoassay and utilizes a pair of monoclonal antibodies which when bound to COVID-19 specific antigen, result in the appearance of a coloured line. The kit exhibits sensitivity and specificity of 86% and 100%, respectively and has a shelf life of 24 months. SENSIT Rapid COVID-19 Ag Kit has been successfully commercialised.
• Researchers have developed a non-expensive way to coat carbon on lithium metal oxide electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. The life of the lithium-ion cells prepared using these electrode materials is expected to be doubled due to protective carbon coating.
• The Tamil Nadu government will form an economic advisory council comprising Nobel laureate Esther Duflo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA and former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan to advise the chief minister. The other members of the council will be former chief economic advisor to the central government Arvind Subramanian, development economist Jean Dreze and former Union finance secretary S Narayan.
• The keel of the second frigate of the additional Krivak class stealth ships being built with technology transfer from Russia by Goa Shipyard Ltd. (GSL) was laid recently.
• In October 2016, India and Russia signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for four Krivak or Talwar stealth frigates.