1. DS-SAR SATELLITE
TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently successfully launched the PSLV-C56 carrying Singapore’s DS-SAR satellite and six other satellites.
EXPLANATION:
About DS-SAR satellite:
- The PSLV-C56 carrying DS-SAR satellite, along with six co-passengers, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota and successfully placed in the right orbit. This is a PSLV mission for New Space India Limited (NSIL).
- The DS-SAR satellite is developed under a partnership between DSTA (representing the Government of Singapore) and ST Engineering.
- It will be used to support the satellite imagery requirements of various agencies within the Government of Singapore.
- It will also be used for multi-modal and higher responsiveness imagery and geospatial services for their commercial customers.
- It carries a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). This allows the DS-SAR to provide for all-weather day and night coverage and is capable of imaging at 1m resolution at full polarimetry.
- It carried
- VELOX-AM, a technology demonstration microsatellite
- ARCADE Atmospheric Coupling and Dynamics Explorer (ARCADE), which is an experimental satellite
- SCOOB-II, a 3U nanosatellite flying a technology demonstrator payload
- NuLIoN by NuSpace, an advanced 3U nanosatellite enabling seamless IoT connectivity in both urban and remote locations
- Galassia-2, a 3U nanosatellite that will be orbiting at low earth orbit
- ORB-12 STRIDER, which is a satellite developed under an International collaboration.
New Space India Limited (NSIL):
- It is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of the Government of India and commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- It is responsible for producing, assembling and integrating the launch vehicle with the help of an industry consortium.
- It was established in 2019 under the administrative control of the Department of Space (DoS) and the Company Act 2013.
Objectives:
- The main objective of NSIL is to scale up private sector participation in Indian space programmes.
- Transfer of Small Satellite technology to industry: NSIL will obtain license from DoS/ISRO and sub-license the same to industry
- Manufacture of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) in collaboration with private sector
- Production of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) through Indian industry
- Production and marketing of Space-based products and services, including launch and application
- Transfer of technology developed by ISRO Centres and constituent units of DoS
- Marketing of spin-off technologies and products/services, both in India and abroad
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV):
- It is the third generation launch vehicle of India. It is the first Indian launch vehicle to be equipped with liquid stages.
- After its first successful launch in October 1994, PSLV emerged as the reliable and versatile workhorse launch vehicle of India, with 39 consecutively successful missions by June 2017.
- Features:
- It is a four-stage launch vehicle.
- A large solid rocket motor forming the first stage,
- An earth-storable liquid stage is the second stage,
- A high-performance solid rocket motor is the third stage, and
- A liquid stage with engines as the fourth stage.
- The vehicle successfully launched two spacecraft – Chandrayaan-1 in 2008 and Mars Orbiter Spacecraft in 2013
2. MAPPING INDIA’S CHIP DESIGN ECOSYSTEM
TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: As part of the second phase of the Design-Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme for the domestic semiconductor industry, the Indian government is considering a proposal to pick an equity stake in domestic chip design-making companies.
EXPLANATION:
- The idea behind the scheme is to ensure a stable ecosystem alongside building a few “fabless companies”.
- Fabless companies are entities that design chips but outsource the manufacturing.
Scenario of domestic chip industry:
- India is an important destination for global semiconductor companies primarily because of its highly-skilled talent pool of semiconductor design engineers, who make up about 20% of the world’s workforce as part of global teams or working independently.
- About 2,000 integrated circuits and chips are designed in India every year, with engineers involved in varied aspects of design and verification.
- However, India owns a much smaller portion of the intellectual property (IP) relating to the designs, which are mostly retained by the global companies.
- The DLI scheme for chip designing introduced in December 2021 endeavoured to indigenise innovations.
Challenges:
- There is a lack of venture capitalists in the private sector focused on semiconductors in India
- The cumulative annual revenue of domestic semiconductor design companies is meagre at ₹150 crore.
- There are higher gestation periods which imply design firms are not able to attract potential investors and venture capitalists as software companies have.
DLI scheme:
- The DLI scheme aims to provide financial and infrastructural support to companies setting up fabs or semiconductor-making plants in India.
- It offers fiscal support of up to 50% of the total cost to eligible participants who can set up these fabs in the country.
- It also offers fiscal support of 30% of the capital expenditure to participants for building compound semiconductors, silicon photonics and sensors fabrication plants in India.
- It is expected to facilitate the growth of at least 20 such companies, which can achieve a turnover of more than ₹1500 crore in the coming five years.
Benefits of the scheme:
- The sudden surge in demand of chips and semiconductor components has underpinned the need to establish a robust semiconductor ecosystem in India. Several sectors, including auto, telecom, and medical technology, suffered due to the unexpected surge leading to the scarcity of chips manufactured by only a few countries.
- Schemes like the DLI are crucial to avoid high dependencies on a few countries or companies. The inception of new companies will help in meeting the demand and supply and encourage innovation in India, Sanjay Gupta, Vice President and India Managing Director, NXP India, a semiconductor multinational, said to The Hindu .
- The DLI scheme aims to attract existing and global players as it will support their expenditures related to design software, IP rights, development, testing and deployment.
- It will boost the domestic companies, start-ups, and MSMEs to develop and deploy the semiconductor design. It will also help global investors to choose India as their preferred investment destination, Gupta said to The Hindu .
- The firm reckons that this is a big step to bring India on the world map for semiconductor manufacturing.
3. MINES AND MINERALS (DEVELOPMENT AND REGULATION AMENDMENT) BILL, 2023
TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY
THE CONTEXT: The Lok Sabha passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks larger participation of the private sector in mineral exploration and production, including lithium.
EXPLANATION:
- Amendments in mining legislation are being brought to make mineral exploration and production more attractive for investors.
- The Bill brings lithium out from the list of restrictive atomic minerals, which require mining grants from the centre, with only government companies given licences.
- The amendment would allow the auction of this critical mineral, used extensively for making batteries for electric vehicles.
- The Centre will have the power to give concessions for these minerals to both public and private mining companies.
- The Bill empowers the central government to exclusively auction mining leases and composite exploration licences for certain critical high-value minerals such as gold, silver, platinum, and copper.
- The Bill also dispenses with cumbersome forest clearances for mine reconnaissance and prospecting operations, making it easier for private firms to participate in exploration of the country’s mineral resources.
- Changes in mining legislation are being brought to make mineral exploration and production more attractive for investors.
- The reform proposals in the legislation include allowing states to grant composite mineral licences without having to get a central nod. This is expected to enable state governments to put up blocks for auction at a faster pace.
- It will also raise and fix mineral-wise maximum area limits for mineral concessions to provide larger and economic mines to investors.
- The proposal on a single exploration licence has been inserted in Bill to promote specialized mineral exploration companies for reconnaissance and prospecting of mineral resources and earn revenue from its discovery after the mine is put to auction.
- At present, the MMDR Act provides for the grant of two types of mineral concessions to private entities through auction, including a mining lease for undertaking mining operations and a composite licence for undertaking prospecting operations followed by mining operations.
- The legislation has also raised and fixed mineral-wise maximum area limits for mineral concessions. Accordingly, for prime minerals such as iron ore, the maximum area for prospecting licence and mining lease has been doubled to 50 sq km and 20 sq km, respectively.
- This would allow private entries to get same land area for mining as was earlier being given to government companies and that also by the state governments itself without any need for central approval.
- The Centre has decided to exclude duties and levies (ex-mine price) such as GST, export duty, royalty, District Mineral Foundation (DMF), and National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) while calculating the Average Sale Price (ASP) of minerals.
- This will restrict the charge of royalty over royalty and limit the tax burden on companies and improve realizations for the government in mineral concession auctions.
- The changes on the sale of minerals from captive mines have also been provided to do away with the existing provision where the sale of 50% of minerals can commence only after the need of end use plant is met.
Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act (1957):
- It is an act of the Parliament of India enacted to regulate the mining sector in India.
- This act is applicable to all minerals except minor minerals and atomic minerals.
- It details the process and conditions for acquiring a mining or prospecting licence in India. Mining minor minerals come under the purview of state governments.
- It was amended in 2015 and 2016.
2015 Amendment:
- The amendment was proposed to bring transparency to the allocation of the mining licence process by auctions. The amendment seeks to introduce a system of auctions to allocate mining licenses.
- A fixed percentage of the revenue of any mine will be allocated to the development of the area around it in District Mineral Foundation. The state government will set the rates, and it will be in addition to the royalty.
- Under this, a National Mineral Exploration Trust was set up to explore and promote non-coal minerals.
- The licences have a validity of 50 years, compared to the previous 30 years, with no renewal of licences, only re-auction.
- The bill contains a new license for prospecting-cum-mining, replacing a two-stage process.
2016 Amendment:
- The amendment allows transfer of captive mining leases not granted through auction.
- Transfer of captive mining leases, granted otherwise than through auction, allow mergers and acquisitions of companies.
- It facilitates ease of doing business for companies to improve profitability and decrease costs of the companies dependent on the supply of mineral ore from captive leases.
- The transfer provisions also facilitate banks and financial institutions to liquidate stressed assets where a company or its captive mining lease is mortgaged.
4. WORLDCOIN: A BIOMETRIC PROJECT
TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took to Twitter to formally re-introduce Worldcoin, a project of his that was eclipsed by the popularity of ChatGPT. The Worldcoin venture runs on a simple model: allow your eyes to be scanned in order to prove your human uniqueness.
EXPLANATION:
WORLDCOIN
- Worldcoin is an initiative to create a digital network in which everyone can claim some kind of stake and join the digital economy.
- A Device called “Orb” is used and Worldcoin volunteers are known as ‘Orb operators.’
- It scans a person’s iris pattern to collect their biometric data and help them get a World ID through the World app.
- With the World app, scanned participants can collect a cryptocurrency called Worldcoin [WLD] at regular intervals.
- Transactions with the World ID is possible everywhere.
- The process is called “proof of personhood” and makes sure that people do not sign themselves up multiple times in exchange for crypto.
- Beta version of Worldcoin was introduced in October 2021.
- Altman launched OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT, in December 2022.
WORKING OF WORLDCOIN
- To make the Worldcoin network possible, users need to be willing to scan irises and get their own irises scanned.
- Volunteers sign up to be “Orb operators” and receive basic training and a biometric device with which to scan irises.
- Those who have their irises scanned and collect a World ID can use this to claim the WLD crypto.
- WLD crypto then used for transactions (if possible and legal) or hold on to the asset in the hope that its price might rise.
- However, users can also buy or sell WLD without getting scanned or using the app. In this sense, it resembles a standard digital currency.
- This is based on Ethereum Blockchain Technology.
- The company claimed that India had “proven the effectiveness of biometrics” through its Aadhaar system.
- Worldcoin notes that Aadhaar IDs stopped people from signing up multiple times to benefit from social welfare schemes.
ETHEREUM BLOCKCHAIN.
- A blockchain is a distributed, immutable, and decentralized ledger at its core that consists of a chain of blocks and each block contains a set of data.
- The blocks are linked together using cryptographic techniques and form a chronological chain of information.
- Ethereum has a native coin, Ether, which is the second-largest crypto by market capitalisation.
- Anyone can create a token which runs on the Ethereum blockchain. WLD is one such cryptocurrency.
BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY
- Blockchain is a shared immutable ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets across a business network.
- A Blockchain is a distributed database, which is shared over a computer network.
- Blockchain stores information electronically in a digital format to make transactions secure.
- Blockchain is a new technology, which is known as Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT).
- With the help of Blockchain technology, currency as well as anything can be converted into digital format and stored.
- It is an exchange process, which works on data blocks.
- In this, one block is connected to another block. These blocks cannot be hacked.
- Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency which is built based on Block technology.
- Blockchain has since been used in the creation of various cryptocurrencies, decentralized finance applications, non-fungible tokens and smart contracts.
5. INDIA AIMS TO REDUCE TUBERCLOSIS (TB) DEATHS BY 90% BY 2025.
TAG: GS 2: GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE; GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
THE CONTEXT: A randomised trial is being carried out in India to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an all-oral, short-course treatment for TB which is coordinated by the Chennai-based National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT).
EXPLANATION:
- The trial, which has enrolled 400 participants in all, began in October 2021 and is underway at eight sites across the country.
- The trial uses just three drugs — bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid (BPaL) — and the treatment lasts only for 26 weeks.
- This is in contrast to eight-nine tablets each day for 18 months in the case of conventional treatment for drug-resistant TB. .
- Target audience is people with pre-XDR TB or treatment intolerant/non-responsive MDR pulmonary TB.
- A person with pre-XDR TB on BPaL regimen will consume over 500 tablets over 26 weeks compared with over 4,300 tablets over 18 months with conventional treatment for drug-resistant TB.
- The more the number of tablets a day and longer the treatment duration the lower will be the treatment adherence, thus resulting in poor outcomes.
- The interim results show a cure rate of over 85% which establishes the superiority of the BPaL short-course therapy, according to scientists conducting the trial.
- The the BPaL regimen, which has been approved by the WHO but yet to be implemented in India, can help India to reduce TB incidence by 80% and TB deaths by 90% by 2025, the targets set by the GoI.
INDIA’S TUBERCLOSIS REPORT 2023
- India continues to be the largest contributor to global TB cases.
- India is targeting to reduce TB incidence by 80% and TB deaths by 90% by 2025.
- National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) is a centrally sponsored programme.
- It is being implemented under the aegis of the National Health Mission (NHM) with resource sharing between the State Governments and the Central Government.
- Despite the devastating impact of pandemic in the country, under the guiding light of National Strategic Plan (NSP) 2017-2025, NTEP shifted gears in 2022 and accelerated its pace towards ending TB by 2025.
- The four key pillars being implemented through strategic interventions under the NSP are DETECT, TREAT, PREVENT and BUILD.
- This led to various achievements by the programme as well as implementation of innovative strategies and interventions for the benefit of patients and the community.
BEDAQUILINE
- Bedaquiline is a member of the diarylquinoline class of drugs.
- It has a unique mechanism of action, targeting the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase enzyme of the TB mycobacteria.
- ATP-synthase is used in the process by which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb)generates its energy supply.
- It is active against both tband the drug-resistant TB bacteria that cause Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB).
- Laboratory tests and clinical trials have shown it to have strong bactericidal and sterilizing properties.
- Bedaquiline is used in many of the new TB and drug-resistant TB treatment regimens currently in development by TB Alliance.
PRETOMANID
- Pretomanid is a nitroimidazole, a class of novel anti-bacterial agents.
- It has been developed by TB Alliance.
- It is used to treat Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR TB) or treatment-intolerant/non-responsive.
- MDR-TB, in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid, as part of the BPaL regimen.
- Early in pretomanid’s development, it was known as “PA-824.”
LINEZOLID
- It is member of the oxazolidinone class of drugs.
- Linezolid is active against most Gram-positive bacteria that cause disease, including tuberculosis, streptococci, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
- It was discovered in the 1990s and first approved for use in 2000.
- Linezolid was the first commercially available 1,3-oxazolidinone antibiotic.
- As a protein synthesis inhibitor, it stops the growth of bacteria by disrupting their production of proteins, that is, it is a bacteriostatic agent, not bactericidal.
- Many antibiotics work this way, the exact mechanism of action of linezolid appears to be unique.
- It blocks the initiation of protein production, and Bacterial resistance to linezolid has remained very low.
GOVERNMENT POLICIES TO ELIMINATE TB:
- National TB Control Programme:
- It was started in 1962 with the aim to detect cases earliest and treat them.
- In the district, the programme is implemented through the district Tuberculosis Centre (DTC) and the Primary Health Institutions.
- The District Tuberculosis Programme (DTP) is supported by the state level organization for the coordination and supervision of the programme.
- Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP):
- It was based on the Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS) strategy, began as a pilot project in 1993.
- It was launched as a national programme in 1997 but rapid RNTCP expansion began in late 1998.
- The nation-wide coverage was achieved in 2006.
- RNTCP is being implemented with decentralised services of TB diagnosis through 13,000+ designated microscopy centres and free treatment across the nation through 4 lakh DOT centres.
- National Strategic Plan for 2012-17:
- RNTCP’s National Strategic Plan (NSP) 2012-17 was part of the country’s 12th Five-year Plan.
- The theme of the NSP 2012-17 was “Universal Access for quality diagnosis and treatment for all TB patients in the community” with a target of “reaching the unreached”.
- The major focus was early and complete detection of all TB cases in the community, including drug resistant TB and HIV-associated TB.
- The NSP was backed up by GoI’s commitment for substantial increase in the investment for TB control, with a four-fold increase in budgetary allocation.
- National Strategic Plan for 2017- 25 for TB elimination in India:
- It encapsulates the bold and innovative steps required to eliminate TB in India by 2030.
- It is crafted in line with other health sector strategies and global efforts, such as the draft National Health Policy 2015, World Health Organization’s (WHO) End TB Strategy, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN).
- Vision:TB – Free India with zero deaths, disease, and poverty due to tuberculosis.
- Goal: To achieve a rapid decline in burden of TB, morbidity and mortality while working towards elimination of TB in India by 2025.
