Psychological tests of death row convicts essential: SC

Paper 2 – Governance

Why You Should Know?

Recently, the Supreme Court stressed on the importance of conducting psychological assessment of death row convicts

In detail –

• A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) U U Lalit, Justice Ravindra Bhat and Justice Bela M Trivedi passed the order.
• Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit said these reports will give invaluable assistance to the court in creating an independent and holistic picture of the physical and mental condition and background of the condemned  person, whose life hangs in the balance.
• The court was hearing an appeal against the death sentence filed by convicts Prakash Vishwanath Darandale and Ramesh Vishwanath Darandale, who are currently lodged in Nashik Central Jail. He was found guilty of a brutal murder in 2013.
• His death sentence was confirmed by the Bombay High Court. His appeals were accepted by the Supreme Court in May 2020 and his death sentence was stayed.
• Considering the present case, the bench said that since the appellant(s) have been sentenced to death, aspects of the case “touching upon the character and behaviour of the appellant(s) would be necessary for a full assessment.” “
• For this, the Supreme Court directed the Director/Director  of  Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Nashik, Maharashtra. the chief, Dr Vasantrao Pawar, has been arrested for the accused/accused in these cases. ordered the formation of a suitable team for psychological evaluation of the appellants and send a report before the next date.

Death penalty

• The death penalty is a legal process where a person is sentenced to death by the state as punishment for the crime committed by him.
• Crimes that can  result in the death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences.
• The constitutional validity of the death penalty was first challenged in the United States, which stepped in to abolish the death penalty, with Pennsylvania being the first state to abolish the death penalty.
• But even after such decisions have been taken, many countries have not completely abolished the death penalty. For example,  the death penalty still exists in countries like Saudi Arabia, India, etc.

Death penalty in India

• In India, the death penalty is given by the method of hanging. This method has been going on since the time of the British and has not been abolished till date.
• Section 53 of the  Indian Penal Code 1860 provides for the death penalty and Section 368  of the Code of Criminal Procedure empowers the high courts to confirm the death penalty.
• The death penalty is awarded in cases known as rarest of rare cases, i.e. cases in which the collective conscience of the community is so shocked that it would expect the judiciary to award death penalty to the accused.
• The Supreme Court of India has held that cases where murder is committed  at an extreme stage can be placed in the ambit of rarest of rare cases.

Cases

• In Mithu vs State of Punjab (2001), the Supreme Court decided that compulsory death penalty is unconstitutional in nature.
• While the resulting law prescribes the mandatory death penalty for drug and criminal offences, the Supreme Court has not explicitly struck down the death penalty as unconstitutional.
• Also, Indian courts have not actually implemented the mandatory death penalty for these crimes.
• Similarly, in Bachchan Singh vs State of Punjab (1980), the Supreme Court of India held that the death penalty can only be said to be constitutional if it has been applied as an extraordinary punishment in the rarest of rare cases.

Status of death penalty in India

• For the last 20 years in India,  the execution rate of the death penalty has come down drastically.
• Article 21 of the Constitution of India  guarantees its citizens the right to life and personal liberty, including the right to live with dignity.
• According to this article, no person will be deprived of his life and personal liberty in accordance with the procedure established by law.
• This means that a person’s life and personal liberty can be disputed only if that person has committed a crime.
• The state may therefore take away or curtail the right to life in the name of law and public order following the procedure established by law.
• But this process should be a “due process” conducted in Maneka Gandhi v Union of India (1978). The process that takes away the holy life of man must be just, fair and reasonable.
• In Mithu vs State of Punjab (2001), the Supreme Court declared that Section 303 (death penalty for murder) is unconstitutional as it is  not in consonance with Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
• In India, NGOs are fighting against inhuman, degrading and cruel punishment and protection of human rights.
• Although the judiciary has developed the principle of “rarest of rare cases” and indicated that it is for special reasons that the death penalty should be imposed in cases of exceptional and serious circumstances, where the offences are very serious in nature
• Justice V.R. Eminent jurist and former Judge of the Supreme Court of India Krishna Iyer himself was against the death penalty.
• According to Justice Iyer, life is given by God and can only be taken by God himself. The state has no right to take the life of any person.
• Execution by the state amounts to inhumanity. He further said that Gandhi’s country should set an example by abolishing the death penalty. Even when supported by a judicial decision, the state should not hang a person.

Source – TH

Campaign- 2.0 of Department of Agricultural Research and Education

Paper 3 – Agriculture, Science and Technology

Why You Should Know?

The government has announced special Campaign 2.0 from October 2 to October 31, 2022 to focus on “cleanliness and reducing pendency of cases in government”. This reinforces the importance of timely disposal of cases and sanitation in government offices.

In detail –

• During this campaign, special attention is being paid to the field/external offices of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education and its affiliated and autonomous bodies.
• All 113 institutes of ICAR and more than 700 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) are participating in special Campaign 2.0.
• Under this campaign, pending MPs/VIPs are also organizing various activities besides disposal of cases and public grievances and sorting of hardcopy files/records.
• These activities include –
• adoption of villages for microbial based agricultural waste management using vermicompost,
• awareness programmes about cleanliness,
• crop residue management,
• demonstration of techniques on waste and property,
• cleaning programme of villages with farmers,
• It includes making school children aware on various subjects such as cleanliness and hygiene etc.
• A total of 7,215 activities were conducted in the above mentioned theme areas of KVK during this campaign, involving participation of more than 3 lakh people (KVK employees, farmers, civil society members, school children and other dignitaries).
• Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) have adopted 900 villages to showcase and promote microbial based agricultural waste management and vermicomposting.
• 22,678 farmers were showcased techniques related to microorganism-based decomposition of agricultural residues (stubble etc.) and conversion of agricultural residues and other organic wastes into worm fertilizers.
• Apart from farmers, awareness about worm fertilizer was created among 3000 school children.

Valuable crop residue

• Crop residues are valuable organic matter when used after decomposition appropriately to improve soil health and crop productivity.
• Due to the long duration of the natural fertilizer-forming process of most crop residues, farmers work to dispose of it by burning it.
• In addition to the wastage of a valuable property as a result, it also leads to environmental pollution.
• Composting techniques accelerate the decomposition process using efficient microbial decomposer such as “Pusa decomposer”, resulting in the obtaining of high-quality organic fertilizer in a short period of time.
• Instead of residue ash, the organic fertilizer produced from it provides organic carbon and other essential nutrients in the soil to the plants and promotes microorganism-based activity in the soil.
• These can be converted into worm fertilizer using efficient species of earthworms in it after crop residues and other agricultural wastes such as cow dung and kitchen waste etc. are partially decomposed.
• Worm fertilizer supplies essential nutrients to plants, promotes soil beneficial microorganisms and improves soil health.
• This increases crop productivity and ensures affordability. Further, surplus worm fertilizer produced can also be sold in the market to ensure additional income.

About Indian Council of  Agricultural Research –

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research  (ICAR) is an autonomous body under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education in the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.
• Registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, it was established  on July 16, 1929, in pursuance of the Report of the  Royal Commission on Agriculture.
• It is headquartered in New Delhi. The first name of this society was the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research.
• It aims to promote and educate about science and technology programmes in the field of agricultural research.
• The Council is directly involved in research activities in traditional and marginal areas to conserve and manage resources in the agricultural sector to overcome problems related to crops, animals and fish and related areas etc.
• It plays an important role in developing new technology in the agriculture sector
• The Council is an apex body for coordination,  guidance and research management and education in the field of agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the country.
• At present , it has 103 ICAR institutes and 73 agricultural universities spread all over the country and thus it is one of the largest national agricultural systems in the world.

Important role in green revolution

• The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has played a leading role in the development of the country’s agriculture sector through its R&D after bringing green revolution in the country.
• From 1951 to 2014, the country has 5 times in food grain production, 9.5 times in horticulture crops, 12.5 times in the field of fisheries .
• It has been able to increase milk production by 7.8 times and egg production by 39 times, thus reflecting a clear impact on national food and nutritional security.
• The Council has played a major role in promoting excellence in higher education in agriculture.
• The Council has been engaged in working in innovative areas of science and technology development and its scientists are internationally known in their disciplines.

Source –PIB

‘Simbex’ – 2022

Paper 2 – International Relations

Why You Should Know?

The Indian Navy is hosting the 29th edition of Singapore-India Bilateral Naval Exercise (SIMBEX) from October 26 to 30, 2022 at Visakhapatnam.

In detail –

• SIMBEX-2022 is being conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the coastal exercise at the port at Visakhapatnam was held from 26 to 27 October 2022.
• This is followed by the sea phase exercise in the Bay of Bengal from October 28 to 30, 2022.
• Two ships of the Republic of Singapore Navy, RSS Stalwart (a formidable class warship) and RSS Vigilance (a Victory class yacht) arrived in Visakhapatnam on October 25, 2022, to participate in the exercise.
• The port phase exercise saw wide range of professional and naval engagement between the two navies.
• During this time, work like cross deck visits, Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) and action plan of the meeting has been done.
• It is noteworthy that this exercise is an example of high level of cooperation between India and Singapore in the maritime sector. It also highlights the commitment and contribution of the two countries towards enhancing maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.
• The 28th edition of SIMBEX was held as an ‘At-Sea Only’  exercise on the southern bank of the South China Sea from September 02 to 04 last year.

Background-

• The Simbex series of exercises began in the year 1994. Initially it was known as Exercise Lion King.
• The scope and scope of this naval exercise has increased to a great extent in the last two decades.
• It also includes advanced maritime naval exercises covering a broad spectrum of naval operations.
• The exercise is an example of high level of cooperation between India and Singapore in the maritime domain.
• It also expands the commitment and contribution of the two countries towards enhancing maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.

India-Singapore relations

• India and Singapore share cultural, commercial and strategic ties for a long time, Singapore is part of the “Greater India” cultural and commercial zone.

Historical Relationship:

• India-Singapore  relations were maintained under trade  relations with the Chola dynasty.
• More than 300,000 people of Indian origin live in Singapore.
• After its independence in 1965, Singapore was concerned about china-backed communist threats as well as the dominance of Malaysia and Indonesia, which led to it developing closer  ties  with India.

Political relations:

• India is the first country to establish relations with Singapore after independence.
• Former Singapore PM M Goh Chok Tong was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for understanding in international relations.
• Singapore supports India’s UN security bid.

Economic Relations:

• Singapore overtook Mauritius to become the largest source of FDI in 2013-2014
• Singapore has India’s largest flight connection
• The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Free Trade Agreement) was signed in 2005. Singapore became the first country with which India signed such an agreement.

Cultural relation:

• Tamil is one of the official languages.
• Most of the Indian population is in white collar jobs.

Military Cooperation:

• In 1994, India and Singapore began their annual naval combat exercise, now called “Simbex”, with several warships from India and Singapore taking part in this interoperable combat exercise.
• In 2003, India and Singapore signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement, allowing the Singapore Army and Air Force to conduct training on Indian soil.
• In 2016, India and Singapore signed  agreements for “strategic ties” across the board,  including defence and military, security and intelligence cooperation, political exchanges, increased trade and investment, improving financial ties, improving air connectivity and cooperation in multilateral fora.

Sources – PIB

Cheetah Awareness Programme

Paper 3 – Biodiversity

Why You Should Know?

Cheetah awareness programme is being organised by National Natural History Museum

In detail –

• The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is an institution dedicated to creating environmental awareness among the public, especially among children.
• Based in  New Delhi,  it functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• NMNH, New Delhi along with its regional museums Mysore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar and Sawai Madhopur is organising a cheetah awareness programme.
• This is a month-long special campaign that  has started from 2 october 2022, which is also the first day of wildlife week, and will continue till 31 october 2022.
• Thousands of children visiting schools, colleges and in natural history museums and national parks every day are being sensitised towards wildlife conservation.
• Earlier, a week-long awareness campaign “Reintroduction of Cheetah” (October 09 to 17) has also been successfully conducted in which more than 1.5 lakh students from more than 500 schools across India participated.

About Cheetah –

• The cheetah (Acinonics jubatus), which falls in the cat’s family (Vidal), is known for its amazing agility and speed.
• The word cheetah is derived from the Sanskrit word Chitrakayah which comes through Hindi cheetah and which means multicolored body
• It is the only living member living under the species Acinonics, which is recognized due to the conversion of its claw texture.
• For this reason, it is the only Vidal genus whose claws are not closed and due to which its grip is weak, so it cannot climb into the trees, although due to its agility, it goes into the lower twigs).
• It is the fastest animal on the ground that achieves speeds of up to 120 km per hour in  a small jump and  can cover a distance of up to 460 km and in just three seconds it increases its speed  by 103 km per hour, which is faster than the speed of most supercars.
• Recent studies have proved that the cheetah is the fastest animal on earth.
• Cheetah is a sensitive species. Among all large cat species it is a species that does not quickly accept new environments.
• It has always proved that it is difficult to keep it in captivity, although recently some zoos have succeeded in raising it.
• It is noteworthy that due to its widespread hunting for its skin, cheetahs are now becoming unable to both natural habitat and hunting.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)  has included the cheetah in the list of vulnerable species (African subspecies in crisis, Asian subspecies in critical condition) as well as on the Endangered Species Act of the US:  Species being in crisis in the APPENDIX to CITES.

Project Cheetah

• Project Cheetah is an initiative by the Government of India to bring back extinct people in Indian forests.
• Under Project Cheetah, 8 cheetahs were brought to India from Namibia.
• These cheetahs brought from Namibia are being preserved in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

Source – PIB

Appellate Panel for  Social Media

Paper 2 –  Governance

Why You Should Know?

The central  government  is going  to set up an appellate panel in 3 months to resolve the complaints of social media users.

In detail –

• The government is going to increase more strictness on social media intermediaries like Facebook, Twitter and  a  notification was issued recently in this direction.
• The central government has made major changes in the rules related to information technology.
• Under the amended IT rules, social platforms Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram have become mandated to comply with the provisions of the Constitution of India and the rules of sovereignty of the country.
• An appellate panel will be set up for complaints regarding content and other matters on social media platforms, which will address the problems of users.
• These committees will be able to review content moderation decisions by social media companies like Meta and Twitter.
• According to the gazette notification, ‘Grievance Appellate Committees’ will be constituted  within three months.

Right of  appeal

• Any person dissatisfied with the decision of the Grievance Officer of the Intermediaries  will be able to appeal to the Complaint Appellate Committee within 30 days.
• The appellate committee will adopt an online dispute resolution mechanism and the entire process of hearing will be conducted in digital mode.
• According to the revised code of conduct rules of social media, the grievance officer of intermediaries will have to give an acknowledgement of the complaint within 24 hours of receipt of the complaint and redress the complaint  within  15 days from the date of receipt of the complaint.
• But the serious type of complaint  has to be disposed of within 72 hours.

Eyeing the  wrong content

According to the amended rule, content like the following will have to be removed from the platform immediately or  within a maximum of 72 hours.

• pornographic content,
• Harmful to children,
• objectionable by the form of religion,  caste,
• those who encourage gambling,
• content to be posted for the purpose of inciting violence,
• excessive infringement of patents, trade marks,  and other rights and content,
• Unity, integrity, defence and sovereignty of the  country
• They have to ensure that such content does not come on their platform.

Changes in IT rules

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has issued the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2022.
• The biggest thing is that under the new rule, intermediaries will have to arrange for their users to give information about their rules and policies in the language given under the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• At least once a year, its users will have to inform the rules and other privacy policy in English or the language of users’ choice as per the Indian Constitution.

Sources – IE

‘Emission Gap Report 2022’

Paper 3 – Environment

Why You Should Know?

Ahead of COP 27, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released the Emission Gap Report 2022

In detail –

• TheEmission Gap Report 2022: The Closing Window – Climate Crisis Calls for Rapid Transformation of Societies has been released  .
• It has been reported that various countries are constantly making efforts to cut global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• However, these efforts are not enough to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.
• The international community is still far from its Paris climate summit 2015 goal to limit “global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius” to pre-industrial levels, the report said.

Highlights of the report

• The report states that India’s per capita greenhouse gas (GHG)  emissions were significantly lower than the world average of 6.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2e)  in 2020.
• India emitted 2.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide during this period, which is much lower than the world’s greenhouse gas emissions.
• The top seven emitters (China, EU27, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Russian Federation and The United States) and international transport accounted  for 55 per cent of global GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions in 2020.
• Collectively,G20 members account for 75 per cent of global GHG  emissions, the report said.
• The world average per capita GHG  emissions in 2020 were 6.3 tCO2e.
• According to the report, the US  is far above this level with 14 tCO2e. This is followed by 13 tCO2e in Russia, 9.7 tCO2e in China, about 7.5 tCO2e in Brazil and Indonesia and 7.2 tCO2e in the European Union  .
• According to the report, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions as well as the unfolding food and fuel crisis have undermined nations’ ability to implement ambitious carbon-cutting measures.
• To accelerate progress towards carbon neutrality,  the report calls for rapid changes in the energy, transport, industrial and financial sectors, to ensure they are less carbon-intensive.

About The United Nations  Environment Programme

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) controls the environment-related activities of the United Nations.
• It was established in June 1972 as a result of the United Nations Human Environment Conference.
• Its mandate is to provide leadership, provide science, and develop solutions on a range of issues,  including climate change, management of  marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and green economic development.
• The organization also develops international environmental agreements;  Publishes and promotes environmental science and helps national governments achieve environmental goals.
• Its headquarters are located in Nairobi. It also has regional offices in six other countries.
• The UNEP is providing integrated environmental information service in more than 175 countries.
• In 1988,  the World Meteorological Organization and UNEP established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
• UNEP is one of several implementing agencies for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

UNEP’s Major Reports:

1. Adaptation Gap Report
2. Emission Gap Report
3. Frontiers
4. Invest in Healthy Planet
5. Global Environment Outlook

Source – IE

Turkey’s new ‘disinformation ‘ law

Paper 2 – International Issues

Why You Should Know?

Recently, Turkey’s parliament adopted the highly critical ‘disinformation law’ that sentences social media users and journalists to  up to three years in prison for spreading ‘  disinformation’.

In detail –

• President Recep Erdogan’s ruling AK Party voted for the  bill along with its nationalist ally MHP.
• This has expressed concern about possible curtailment of social media and journalistic freedom in the country, particularly in lieu of the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in 2023.

What is included in the law?

• It contains about 40 articles that will amend about 23 different laws.
• Of the 40,  the most controversial is Article 29. It designates an offence to publicly disseminate misleading information about the internal and external security, public order and general welfare of the country with the aim of creating fear or panic among the public.
• The Turkish government has argued that the law will combat cases where the Internet is used to share illegal content under false names and where anonymous accounts bring disrepute to individuals of different political views, religion or ethnicity.
• This article introduces a jail term between one and three years for any violation.
• To enforce this law, social media platforms can now be asked to hand over user data to Turkish courts.
• This is an extension of the law passed in 2020 that empowered the government to exercise control  over social media platforms.

What are the concerns?

• Critics, including the Venice Commission, which is the advisory body of the Council of Europe on constitutional matters,  have pointed to some important terminology, particularly  a vague interpretation of ‘disinformation’.
• This law gives prosecutors the responsibility to determine it.
• Critics here argue that Turkey is a heavily polarised country and that courts have previously turned against journalists and other social-scientists, who do not give a convincing picture.
• The commission  also highlighted concerns over claims about what constitutes disturbances in ‘public peace’.
• “After a meeting with officials, what seems most worrying is that a public protest in itself can be considered a disturbance to public peace,” it said in its report. “
• It also questions the ‘spread’  of alleged ‘disinformation’, especially when the boundaries between physical and online spaces are blurred.
• Thus, the law lacks clarity on how the entity will be held guilty, i.e. for sharing or constructing information (especially in an offline space).
• The Venice Commission maintains that intervention is needed when there is a “coercive social need” and must be “proportionate to the legitimate objective implemented” and, in other words, that the means must meet the specified ends. Only under certain circumstances can the state choose to restrict expression.

Why are journalists worried?

• The law will now recognise news websites as part of mainstream media and thus they will have to follow the same rules as newspapers.
• This would mean that websites would be legally required to publish a rebuttal of a certain news as newspapers.
• This would make investigative journalism “practically impossible”.
•  Turkey already has an impressive record related to press freedom. It is ranked 149 out of 180 in the Press Freedom Index (2022).
• Additionally, more than 270 journalists were prosecuted last year, while 57 others were physically assaulted and 54 news websites and 1,355 articles were blocked, according to a report by the journalists’ union Turkey.

Sources –TH

ASEAN-India Start-up Festival 2022

Paper 2 – International Relations

Why You Should Know?

The first ASEAN-India Start-up Festival 2022 is being organized, whichwill boost ASEAN-India cooperation

In detail –

• Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar, Secretary,  Department of Science and Technology inaugurated the first ASEAN-India Start-up Festival (AISF) in Bogor, Indonesia on October 27, 2022.
• The festival is part of the comprehensive ASEAN-India Science,  Technology and Innovation Cooperation Programme between the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI) and the Department of Science and Technology (Government of India)
• It is supported by the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund (AISTDF) of the Government of India, to which the Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) jointly contribute.
• The four-day event, in conjunction with the Indonesia Research and Innovation Expo (INA-RIE), is being held from October 27 to 30, 2022 at the Innovation Convention Centre, Sibinong Bogor, Indonesia.
• The AISF is part of various events being organised to commemorate the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India diplomatic relations.
• It has four main iosno— startup exhibition;  seminars and talk shows;  Government officials, startups, research institutes, universities,  inventors and innovators and other financial institutions have been brought together by coordinating startup pitch battle with G2G meeting and B2B meeting.

Objective

• The festival provided a platform for the national startup ecosystem to expand into a global network, with an aim to provide support for holistic development and create more opportunities.
• The festival promotes and empowers cooperation in science, technology and innovation between ASEAN countries and India.

About ASEAN

• ASEAN stands for Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
• It is an organization of ten Southeast Asian countries is a regional organization that also works to promote economic development and prosperity among themselves and to maintain peace and stability in the region.
• It is headquartered in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
• ASEAN was founded by its founding members – Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore  – on  August 8, 1967, in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
• Later Brunei (1984), Vietnam (1995), Laos and Myanmar (1997), and Cambodia (1999) joined the member states.
• Thus, it currently has 10 member countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Objective

• The primary objective is to accelerate economic development through social progress and cultural development.
• A secondary objective is to promote regional peace and stability based on the rule of law and the principle of the UN Charter.
•  Promote active cooperation and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields.
• To cooperate more effectively in greater use of  agriculture and industries, expansion of trade, improvement of transport and communication facilities and improvement of living standards of the people.
• To establish close and beneficial cooperation relations with international and regional organizations.

Sources – PIB

Ozone hole is getting smaller

Paper 3 – Environment

Why You Should Know?

Recently, scientists said in a research that the hole of the ozone layer at the South Pole has decreased. 

In detail –

• The hole in the ozone layer at the South Pole decreased to an average area of 23.2 million square kilometers in the period between September 7 and October 13 this year.
• The US Department of Space, NASA has said that the hole area of the ozone layer was slightly smaller than last year. In recent years it has usually been steadily shortening.
• had reached 2.64 lakh sq km. The hole has been steadily shrinking over the past two decades.
• Scientists say that this hole is decreasing due to the reduction of substances that damage ozone through the Montreal Protocol.
• This international agreement was signed in 1987 to prevent chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) damaging the ozone layer.
• Scientists have been monitoring the ozone layer for several decades. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),  the hole has shrunk to the smallest size since 2006 this year.
• The ozone layer is present 15-40 kilometers above the Earth. It protects the earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.
• This hole starts to occur due to the depletion of the ozone layer in september every year in the stratosphere over the southern pole.

What is ozone hole?

• Every year during the spring of the Southern Hemisphere for the past few decades, ozone is rapidly and dangerously destroyed in the southern polar region due to chemical reactions involving chlorine and bromine.
• This blank area is known as the “ozone hole”. The area of the ozone hole is determined from the map of the total ozone column.
• Every year in the month of September, the layer weakens due to the formation of an “ozone hole” over the South Pole.
• Sincethe ozone layer prevents the most harmful UVB wavelengths (270–315 nm)  of ultraviolet light from entering the Earth’s atmosphere, ozone depletion remains a concern all over the world for the same reason.
• Therefore, the Montreal Protocol has been adopted, according to which the production of CFCs and halons and the production of other ozone depletion chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethane have been banned.

Montreal Protocol –

• The Montreal Protocol  is an international treaty to prevent ozone depletion.
• The objective is to phase out the production and use of ozone depleting substances and preserve the ozone layer.

• In this meeting, discussions were held on reducing chlorofluorocarbons, CTC helons, methyl bromide, methyl chloroform and carbontetrachloride. This resolution  was passed by 197 countries around the world.
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) played a major role in this agreement the Montreal Protocol is a binding agreement based on emissions

Sources – DE

Discovery of new class of antibiotics

Paper 2 – Health

Why You Should Know?

Recently, scientists discovered a new class of antibiotics, which are also effective against many drug-resistant bacteria.

In detail –

• Scientists at The University of Umea have discovered a new type of antibiotic that is effective against bacteria that also survive many antibiotics.
• This antibiotic is also effective against infections such as VRE as well as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is resistant to many antibiotics.
• Researchers have named this new class of antibiotics GmPcides . which fight the so-called Gram-positive bacteria.
• Scientists say that these antibiotics are effective in themselves, but they can be much more effective than mixing with existing antibiotics.
• Research has shown that GmPcides can not only prevent bacteria from dividing, but also kill bacteria that are not growing and against which other antibiotics do not prove to be effective.
• The discovery has been made under the leadership of scientist Fredrik Almquist, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Umea University and has been researching new alternatives to antibiotics since the 90s.
• Significantly, the World Health Organization (WHO) has listed antibiotic resistance as one of the biggest challenges on earth. They are believed to be as dangerous as the climate crisis.
• Antibiotics are playing an important role in saving lives not only in areas such as cancer, surgery and intensive medical care. It is also effective in treating diseases like chlamydia and pneumonia.
• But as these antibiotics are being used indiscriminately without any hindrance, it is giving rise to a new problem called antibiotic resistance.

What are antibiotics?

• In common use, antibiotic is a substance or compound, which kills the bacterium or inhibits its growth.
• Antibiotics are a broad group of antimicrobial compounds used to treat infections caused by bacteria seen by microscopes, including fungi and protozoa.

Increased antibiotic resistance

• According to a recent report released by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), antibiotic resistance directly killed 1.27 million people.
• It is estimated that 49.5 lakh people who died in 2019 were suffering from at least one drug-resistant infection.
• Antibiotic resistance is killing more people than malaria and AIDS every year, a report published in the journal Lancet has been quoted as saying.
• According to the report, weak countries are the most affected by this, but it is also true that antibiotic resistance is a threat to everyone’s health.
• Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are carrying the highest burden in the world. Antibiotic resistance was directly responsible for 27.3 deaths per 100,000 in western sub-Saharan Africa, while 114.8 deaths per lakh were linked to AMR.
• In such a situation, new antibiotics have an important role in combating this resistance.

Sources – DE