1. AKIRA RANSOMWARE

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND INTERNAL SECURITY

THE CONTEXT: The Computer Emergency Response Team of India issued an alert for ransomware dubbed “Akira.”

EXPLANATION:

• The ransomware targets both Windows and Linux devices, steals and encrypts data, forcing victims to pay double ransom for decryption and recovery.
• The group behind the ransomware has already targeted multiple victims, mainly those located in the U.S., and has an active Akira ransomware leak site with information, including their most recent data leaks.

What is the Akira ransomware?

• It is designed to encrypt data, create a ransomware note and delete Windows Shadow Volume copies on affected devices.
• The ransomware gets its name due to its ability to modify filenames of all encrypted files by appending them with the “.akira” extension.
• The ransomware is designed to close processes or shut down Windows services that may keep it from encrypting files on the affected system.
• It uses VPN services, especially when users have not enabled two-factor authentication, to trick users into downloading malicious files.
• Once the ransomware infects a device and steals/encrypts sensitive data, the group behind the attack extorts the victims into paying a ransom, threatening to release the data on their dark web blog if their demands are not met.

How does Akira ransomware work?

• The ransomware deletes the Windows Shadow Volume copies on the affected device.
• These files are instrumental in ensuring that organisations can back up data used in their applications for day-to-day functioning.
• Each victim is given a unique negotiation password to be entered into the threat actor’s Tor site.
• Unlike other ransomware operations, this negotiation site just includes a chat system that the victim can use to communicate with the ransomware gang, a report from The Bleeping Computer shares.

What is Ransomware?

• Ransomware is a type of malware attack in which the attacker locks and encrypts the victim’s data, important files and then demands a payment to unlock and decrypt the data.
• This type of attack takes advantage of human, system, network, and software vulnerabilities to infect the victim’s device, which can be a computer, printer, smartphone, wearable, point-of-sale (POS)terminal, or other endpoint.

How does ransomware infect devices?

• Ransomware is typically spread through spear phishing emails that contain malicious attachments in the form of archived content files.
• Other methods used to infect devices include drive-by-download, a cyber-attack that unintentionally downloads malicious code onto a device, and specially crafted web links in emails, clicking on which downloads malicious code.
• The ransomware reportedly also spreads through insecure Remote Desktop connections.

Ransomware Attack Examples

WannaCry

• WannaCry is an encrypting ransomware that exploits a vulnerability in the Windows SMB protocol and has a self-propagation mechanism that lets it infect other machines.
• WannaCry is packaged as a dropper, a self-contained program that extracts the encryption/decryption application, files containing encryption keys, and the Tor communication program.

Cerber

• Cerber is ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) and is available for use by cybercriminals, who carry out attacks and spread their loot with the malware developer.
• Cerber runs silently while it is encrypting files and may try to prevent antivirus and Windows security features from running to prevent users from restoring the system.

NotPetya and Petya

• Petya is ransomware that infects a machine and encrypts an entire hard drive by accessing the Master File Table (MFT).
• This makes the entire disk inaccessible, although the actual files are not encrypted. Petya was first seen in 2016 and was spread mainly through a fake job application message linking to an infected file stored in Dropbox. It only affected Windows computers.
• Petya requires the user to agree to give it permission to make admin-level changes. After the user agrees, it reboots the computer, and shows a fake system crash screen while it starts encrypting the disk behind the scenes. It then shows the ransom notice.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/what-is-the-akira-ransomware/article67134462.ece

2. PRADHAN MANTRI AWAS YOJANA – URBAN (PMAY-U)

TAG: GS 2: SOCIAL JUSTICE

THE CONTEXT: A total of 75.51 lakh houses have been completed, out of which 71.39 lakh have been occupied till now under the Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana (PMAY-U), the Centre’s flagship programme to provide housing to the urban poor.

EXPLANATION:

• Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha that Uttar Pradesh had the largest number of houses completed, and Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh were other high-performing states.
• The release of central assistance is incumbent upon the fulfilment of mandatory compliances by the concerned States and UTs.
• This includes the submission of Utilization Certificates (UCs) for central assistance released earlier, commensurate physical progress and Aadhaar seeding of beneficiaries in the Management Information System (MIS).

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Programme

• It is a flagship Mission of the Government, which is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). It was launched in 2015.
• The mission aimed to address the urban housing shortage among the economically backward sections, including the slum dwellers, by ensuring a ‘pucca’ house to all eligible urban households by the year 2022.
• The scheme period though, has now been extended up to December 2024 in order to complete all the houses sanctioned without changing the funding pattern and implementation methodology.

Beneficiaries

• The mission seeks to address the housing requirement of urban poor, including slum dwellers.
• Beneficiaries include Economically weaker sections (EWS), low-income groups (LIGs) and Middle Income Groups (MIGs).
• The annual income cap is up to Rs 3 lakh for EWS, Rs 3-6 lakh for LIG and Rs 6 + -18 lakhs for MIG. The EWS category of beneficiaries is eligible for assistance in all four verticals of the Missions, whereas LIG and MIG categories are eligible under only Credit linked subsidy scheme (CLSS) component of the Mission.
• For identification as an EWS or LIG beneficiary under the scheme, an individual loan applicant will submit a self-certificate/ affidavit as proof of income.
• A beneficiary family will comprise a husband, wife, unmarried sons and/or unmarried daughters.
• The beneficiary family should not own a pucca house either in his/her name or in the name of any member of his/her family in any part of India to be eligible to receive central assistance under the mission.
• The ownership of houses is provided in the name of the female member or in a joint name.
• Preference is also given to differently-abled persons, senior citizens, SCs, STs, OBCs, Minorities, single women, transgender and other weaker & vulnerable sections of society.
• All eligible beneficiaries under all components of the scheme should have an Aadhaar/ Aadhaar Virtual ID which should be integrated with the details of beneficiaries

Scope:

• The Mission covers the entire urban area consisting of Statutory Towns, Notified Planning Areas, Development Authorities, Special Area Development Authorities, Industrial Development Authorities or any such authority under State legislation which is entrusted with the functions of urban planning & regulations.
• The mission will be implemented as Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) except for the component of credit-linked subsidy, which will be implemented as a Central Sector Scheme.

Implementation Methodology

• The Mission will be implemented through four verticals giving options to beneficiaries, ULBs and State Governments. These four verticals are as below.

Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs)

• Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has initiated Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs), a sub-scheme under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U).
• This will provide ease of living to urban migrants/ poor in the Industrial Sector as well as in the non-formal urban economy to get access to dignified, affordable rental housing close to their workplace.
• Beneficiaries for ARHCs are urban migrants/ poor from EWS/ LIG categories.
• ARHCs will be a mix of single/double bedroom Dwelling Units and Dormitory of 4/6 beds, including all common facilities, which will be exclusively used for rental housing for a minimum period of 25 years.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/parliament-proceedings-7551-lakh-houses-completed-under-pmay-u/article67142907.ece

3. CORPORATE DEBT MARKET DEVELOPMENT FUND (CDMDF)

TAG: GS 3: ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The Union government has approved a scheme providing complete guarantee cover for debt raised by the Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF), a backstop facility for investment-grade corporate debt.

EXPLANATION:

• SEBI released guidelines for investment by mutual fund schemes and asset management companies in CDMDF units.

Guarantee Scheme for Corporate Debt (GSCD):

• This scheme aims to provide a safety net for the Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF), established under SEBI Regulations, and facilitate investments in corporate debt securities.
• The scheme, managed by the Guarantee Fund for Corporate Debt (GFCD), seeks to stabilize markets and foster investor confidence.
• It operates as a Trust Fund formed by the DEA, Ministry of Finance, and is managed by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Ltd. (NCGTC).

Purpose of the Scheme

• The primary objective of the Guarantee Scheme for Corporate Debt (GSCD) is to offer a 100% guarantee cover against debt raised or to be raised by the Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF) during market dislocation.
• By providing this safety net, the government aims to instil confidence in investors, thereby stabilizing the corporate debt market and fostering economic growth.
• The guarantee extends to the principal amount, interest accrued, and other bank charges up to a limit of Rs. 30,000 crore.

Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF)

• The CDMDF is a fund wherein the corpus of Rs 3000 crore will be created by contributions from the fixed-income schemes of mutual funds and asset management companies
• The government will provide a guarantee of up to Rs 30,000 crore additionally.
• In times of market dislocation and drying up of liquidity in secondary markets, the CDMDF can buy investment-grade corporate bonds of up to 5-year maturity from the mutual funds to the extent of the enlarged corpus.

Access to the fund

• The respective mutual funds shall have access to sell corporate debt securities during market dislocation, held in the portfolio of contributing schemes, to the CDMDF.
• Access to the fund shall be in proportion to the contribution made to the Fund at a mutual fund level (i.e., in the ratio of total units of CDMDF held by all specified debt schemes of each mutual fund).

Key benefits

• The CDMDF will become a lender of last resort to mutual funds and enable them to meet redemptions in extraordinary times when there is little or no secondary market liquidity in the corporate bond market.
• CDMDF, an alternative investment fund, will act as a backstop for the purchase of investment-grade corporate debt securities.
• It will enhance secondary market liquidity by creating a permanent institutional framework for activation in times of market stress. The fund will be launched by Finance Minister.
• During normal times, CDMDF will deal in low-duration government securities (G-sec), treasury bills, tri-party repo on G-secs, and guaranteed corporate bond repo with a maturity not exceeding seven days.
• Corporate debt securities to be bought by CDMDF during market dislocation include listed money market instruments, for which the long-term rating of issuers will be considered, Sebi said.
• CDMDF will buy only investment-grade securities from secondary markets, listed and having residual maturity of up to five years. 1It will not buy any unlisted, below-investment-grade or defaulted debt securities or securities in respect of which there is a material possibility of default or adverse credit news or views.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/business/economy/govt-clears-guarantee-scheme-for-corporate-debt-sebi-issues-guidelines-8864175/

4. AMOUNT OF PLASTIC EXCEEDING THE GLOBAL WASTE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY AS PER PLASTIC OVEERSHOOT DAY REPORT 2023.

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Earth saw its first Plastic Overshoot Day on July 28, 2023.

Plastic Overshoot is the point at which the amount of plastic exceeds the global waste management capacity.

EXPLANATION:

• Swiss-based research consultancy Earth Action (EA), published The  Plastic Overshoot Day Report 2023.
• Swiss-based research consultancy Earth Action (EA), pointed out that nearly 68,642,999 tonnes of additional plastic waste will end up in nature this year.
• India is among the 12 countries, along with China, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Mexico, the United States, Saudia Arabia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, and Kazakhstan, which are responsible for 52 per cent of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste.
• Increased production of plastics will lead to global plastics pollution tripling by 2040.
• The report pointed out that 159 million tonnes of plastics are to be produced globally in 2023, and 43 per cent (68.5 million tonnes) will end up causing pollution.
• Plastic Overshoot Day sheds light on a critical aspect of the world’s plastic consumption: Short-life plastics, encompassing plastic packaging and single-use plastics.
• These categories account for approximately 37 per cent of the total plastic commercialised annually.
• According to the report, three countries (followed by India) with the highest mismanaged waste are Mozambique, Nigeria and Kenya, all belonging to Africa.
• According to Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment  (CSE) report, The Plastic Life Cycle, India recycles 12.3 per cent of its plastic waste and incinerates 20 per cent.
• Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change also suggest India has a cumulative capacity to process 14.2 million tonnes of plastic waste annually.
• This includes recycling and incineration, indicating that the country has the capacity to process 71 per cent of all the primary plastic that is produced.

GOVERNMENT POLICIES

The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 aim to:

• Increase the minimum thickness of plastic carry bags from 40 to 50 microns and stipulate a minimum thickness of 50 microns for plastic sheets.
• Expand the jurisdiction of applicability from the municipal area to rural areas because plastic has reached rural areas also.
• To bring in the responsibilities of producers and generators.
• To introduce a collection of plastic waste management fees through pre-registration of the producers, importers of plastic carry bags/multilayered packaging and vendors selling the same for establishing the waste management system.
• To promote the use of plastic waste for road construction as per Indian Road Congress guidelines or energy recovery, or waste to oil etc., for gainful utilization of waste.

The Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2021 aim to:

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
• It did not override 2016 rules and subsumed its provisions.
• Littered plastic impacts adversely on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
• The rules prohibit identified single-use plastic items which have low utility and high littering potential by 2022.
• The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the following single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st of July 2022: –
• earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, and polystyrene [Thermocol] for decoration.
• plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns, stirrers.
• In order to stop littering due to lightweight plastic carry bags, the thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from fifty microns to seventy-five microns and to one hundred and twenty microns with effect from the 31st of December 2022.
• This will also allow reuse of plastic carry due to increase in thickness.

MITIGATION:

• To mitigate plastic pollution, India must Invest in waste management policies like Extended producer responsibility (EPR).
• Plastics that are not designed for circular use must be phased out.
• India was among the few countries in 2019 to propose a global ban on single-use plastics.
• The idea was later widened, and the world agreed in March 2022 to draw up a global treaty on plastic pollution by 2024.
• The UN Plastic Treaty represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spark global action against plastic pollution.

SOURCE: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/india-among-the-12-countries-responsible-for-52-of-the-world-s-mismanaged-plastic-waste-report-90927

5. CELL FREE DNA (cfDNA): A USEFUL TOOL TO UNDERSTAND HUMAN DISEASES.

TAG: GS 3: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: The world is increasingly finding cfDNA to be a useful tool to understand human diseases and to use the knowledge to improve diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis.

EXPLANATION:

• In the human body, most of the DNA in a genome is neatly packed inside cells with the help of specific proteins, protecting it from being degraded.
• Some fragments of DNA are ‘released’ from their containers and are present outside the cell in the body fluids.
• These small fragments of nucleic acids are widely known as cell-free DNA (cfDNA).
• Scientists have been aware of degraded fragments of nucleic acids in body fluids since 1948.
• Since genome sequencing technologies started to become more accessible.

CELL FREE DNA (cfDNA)

• cfDNA can be generated and released from a cell in several possible situations:
• When a cell is dying, the nucleic acids become degraded.
• An array of processes modulates the degradation; the amount, size, and source of the cfDNA can vary across a range as well.
• The release of cfDNA could occur together with a variety of processes, including those required for normal development, those related to the development of certain cancers, and those associated with several other diseases.
• One of the initial reports of the levels of cfDNA in diseases came from studies that were taking a closer look at an autoimmune disease: systemic lupus erythematosus – where the body’s own immune system attacks specific cells.

APPLICATIONS OF cfDNA:

 Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing:

• cfDNA has been widely used in screening foetuses for specific chromosomal abnormalities, an application known as non-invasive prenatal testing.
• The application stems from one of the first reports of cfDNA in pregnancies, published in The Lancet in August 1997.
• The availability of affordable genome-sequencing approaches will allow clinicians to sequence cfDNA fragments that correspond to foetal DNA.
• They can then use it to understand specific chromosomal abnormalities that involve changes in the chromosomal copy number.
• Such changes can lead to conditions like Down’s syndrome, which is due to a change in chromosome 21 (there are three copies of chromosome 21 in place of two, so it is also called trisomy 21).
• cfDNA-based technique helps clinicians to screen mothers from a few millilitres of blood obtained after nine or ten weeks of pregnancy to ensure the developing foetus is devoid of such chromosomal abnormalities.
• The test is almost 99% accurate for trisomy 21 or Down’s syndrome and a bit less so for other common trisomies (of chromosomes 13 and 18).
• Earlier screening for such abnormalities would have entailed inserting a fine needle into the body to retrieve the amniotic fluid and cells covering the developing foetus lab, which carried risks to both the foetus and the mother.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancers:

• The application of cfDNA is the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers.
• Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Centre, Maryland, reported developing a new test they have dubbed ‘Genome-wide Mutational Incidence for Non-Invasive Detection of Cancer’, or ‘GEMINI’.
• They adopted a whole-genome-sequencing approach to cfDNA extracted from patients.
• They examined a type of genetic mutation, when combined with machine-learning approaches, that could provide a way to detect cancer early.
• Using a particular machine-learning model, some genomic data, and data from a computed tomography (CT) scan, the researchers have successfully detected lung cancer, including those with early-stage disease, in more than the 90% of the 89 people they studied.
• They found that combining the new approach with the existing approaches could significantly enhance their ability to detect cancers early.
• The researchers also identified seven individuals who did not have cancer but had a high chance of developing it – and subsequently did so 231 to 1,868 days after the initial test.
• The team’s findings were published in the journal Nature Genetics.

Other Applications:

There are several emerging applications of cfDNA:

1. Understanding of a body rejecting a transplanted organ.
2. Some cfDNA obtained from the donor who is donating the organ called donor-derived cfDNA, dd-cfDNA could provide an early yet accurate estimate of how well the organ is being taken up.
3. This is an attractive proposition because changes in the levels of cfDNA in the blood would precede any biochemical or molecular markers that researchers currently use as a proxy for organ acceptance.
4. cfDNA could send a signal earlier than other markers if something is going to go wrong.
5. cfDNA could be used as a biomarker for neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, neuronal tumours, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and even metabolic disorders like type-2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

In a true sense, cfDNA genomics promises to set us on the path of more effective disease screening and early diagnosis and on course for a healthy world.

SOURCE: https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/cell-free-dna-cancer-screening-high-risk-pregnancy/article67135117.ece

THE CONTEXT: In November 2022, the premier medical institute in the country, All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi (AIIMS) was crippled by a major cyberattack. Most of its servers stopped working as also the eHospital network. All functions including the emergency, out-patient, in-patient and laboratory wings had to be shifted to manual management. This article discusses the issue of cyberattacks, especially on Critical Information Infrastructure in detail.

RANSOMWARE ATTACK ON AIIMS

DEVELOPMENTS SO FAR

• On 23 November 2022, patients and doctors complained about the hospital’s services working slowly or not at all. As a result, the hospital was forced into working in a manual mode.
• The National Informatics Centre investigated the issue and found signs of a ransomware attack on the hospital’s servers.
• The attack corrupted all the files stored on the main and backup servers of the hospital.
• The cyber attack derailed many day-to-day activities at AIIMS, with OPD registrations and blood sample reports being halted at the premier institute. While AIIMS was able to restart some of these services, records were being kept manually causing delays and inconvenience to medical personnel and patients alike.
• The breach in security has particularly affected the e-hospital application, which was provided and managed by NIC since 2011-12, stopping the online functioning of OPD, emergency, and other patient care services on the AIIMS premises.
• On 30 November 2022, AIIMS decided to get four new servers from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) so it can resume its e-hospital facility for patients.
• On 16 December 2022, Replying to another question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare said

o   All the data for e-Hospital had been retrieved from a backup server and restored on new servers.

o   Most of the functions of e-Hospital application such as patient registration, appointment, admission, discharge etc. had been restored after two weeks of the attack.

• Probe agencies have still not located the person, organisation and exact physical location linked to the cyberattack. However, they have tracked a server address in China, which could be an indication towards state sponsored cyber warfare which was already flagged by various cyber threat intelligence firms.

IMPACTS AND RAMIFICATIONS

• The organisation’s critical data is encrypted so that they cannot access files, databases, or applications stored on the main and backup servers of the hospital.
• The cyberattack has frozen everyday work at AIIMS, including appointments and registration, billing, laboratory report generation, etc.
• The exploited databases also contained personally identifiable information of patients and healthcare workers — and administrative records on blood donors, ambulances, vaccination and caregivers, and employee log-in credentials.
• The data breach has reportedly compromised the data of nearly 3–4 crore patients, including sensitive data and medical records of several VIPs  including former prime ministers, ministers, bureaucrats, and judges,

RESPONSE OF SECURITY AGENCIES

Multi-agency investigation: The extent and threat of the attack was so much that multiple agencies like Delhi Police, the Centre’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the Ministry of Home Affairs, and even the National Investigation Agency have joined the probe.

• A case of extortion and cyber terrorism was registered by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police since the attackers made an undisclosed (allegedly Rs. 200 Crore) demand to be sought in cryptocurrency in exchange for a key that would decrypt the data.
• The Delhi Police’s use of the provisions of section 66 (F) of the Information Technology Amendment Act 2008 identifying this incident as a case of cyber terrorism is significant and indicates a much larger ambit than a typical ransomware case.
• The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and National Informatics Centre worked on the hospital’s servers to restore functionality.

FINDINGS

• CERT-In, the country’s premier cybersecurity agency, has found that the hackers had two Protonmail addresses – “dog2398” and “mouse63209”.
• They also found that ‘dog2398’ and ‘mouse63209’ were generated in the first week of November 2022 in Hong Kong. They also found that another encrypted file was sent from China’s Henan.
• The targeted servers were infected with three ransomware: Wammacry, Mimikatz and Trojan.
• The investigation also revealed that the main server and applications responsible for OPD services were down as all the system files in the home directory were encrypted by changing their extension to .bak9 – a new file that encrypted the extension files of the system.
• As per CERT-In’s preliminary diagnosis, the cyberattack was the result of an “unorganised ICT (information and communications technology) network without centralised monitoring or system administration”.
• This means the infected devices were connected to each other and the data on all of them could be accessed from every connected device — and no team was monitoring who was accessing these systems.

CYBERATTACK ON CRITICAL INFORMATION (CI) INFRASTRUCTURE

Cyber attacks on medical institutes are getting common, and the pandemic has been a turning point as hackers and criminal syndicates realised the dependence of these institutes on digital systems, to optimally manage medical functioning as well as store and handle large volumes of patient data, including their medical reports. In such a situation, both the aspects of security and privacy surface. Hence most countries define the health and medical sector as Critical Information (CI) Infrastructure.

In India, while health is not specified directly as a CI, an organisation like AIIMS New Delhi could be counted as a “strategic and public enterprise” as it treats crores of patients, including the top leadership of the country. It also handles and stores very sensitive medical research data. It is a natural target for cyber attackers and ransom seekers because the data available here is more precious than even oil.

The ransomware attack on AIIMS is the first such attack on an Indian healthcare institution even as such institutions have been a favoured target of ransomware over the past few years.

• The Information Technology Act of 2000 defines “Critical Information Infrastructure” as a “computer resource, the incapacitation or destruction of which shall have debilitating impact on national security, economy, public health or safety”.
• The government, under the Act, has the power to declare any data, database, IT network or communications infrastructure as CII to protect that digital asset.

SECURITY INCIDENTS IN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN INDIA

India has witnessed at least seven major cyberattacks and security incidents in critical infrastructure companies in the last two years and most of them have been in 2022. While there have been security incidents and attacks on critical assets in the past, the frequency, scale, and impact of recent episodes have demonstrated  just how close adversaries have gotten to causing irreversible damage.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) in its India Ransomware Report 2022 stated that there is a 51-percent increase in the number of ransomware attacks across multiple sectors including critical infrastructure.

THE ANALYSIS:

Though India has been paying greater attention to cyber security, the rising number of attacks on India should be very worrying to Indian security managers. A more worrying aspect of the cyber attack is that it is not an isolated incident. In fact, the number of cyber attacks on healthcare infrastructure has gone up significantly in recent years.

Cloud SEK, an AI company that has been monitoring cyber threats, noted in a report that the Indian healthcare sector was second in terms of the number of attacks, accounting for 7.7 percent of the total attacks on the healthcare industry worldwide in 2021, and 29.7 percent of all attacks in the Asia-Pacific region. This is a consequence of the greater digitalisation taking place, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also said that the number of cyberattacks against the healthcare industry has increased by 95.34 percent in the first four months of 2022 as compared to the number of cyberattacks in 2021 during the same period.

While the healthcare industry has become a particularly attractive target for hackers and criminals, cyberattacks on other sectors in India have been equally critical. The number of incidents involving data breaches and digital banking threats has been on the rise, exposing Indian vulnerabilities in the cyber security domain.

Whether these attacks lead to data or financial loss or not, the more serious issue is the ability of the perpetrators to crack the Indian cyber security system, despite India’s security efforts. They also reflect the still-inadequate protection measures afforded to critical information infrastructure in India.

CYBER SECURITY ARCHITECTURE IN INDIA

LEGAL FRAMEWORK

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACT,2000

v  The provisions of the IT Act deal with evidentiary value of electronic transactions, digital signatures, cyber-crimes, cyber security and data protection.

v  It intends to give legal recognition to e-commerce and e-governance and facilitate its development as an alternate to paper based traditional methods.

OTHER LAWS

v  Apart from IT Act 2000 there are other laws as well that govern and regulate cyberspace.

v  For online contracts- Indian Contracts Act, Sale of Goods Act 1930 etc would define legality as well

v  Provisions of Competition Act 2002 and Consumer Protect Act 1986 are also relevant for cyber space

v  Indian Copyright Act and Trade Marks Act protect the intellectual property in the cyber domain.

NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY POLICY 2013

PURPOSE

v  The policy document outlines a road map to create a framework for comprehensive, collaborative and collective response to deal with the issue of cyber security at all levels within the country.

VISION

v  To build a secure and resilient cyber space for citizens, businesses and government.

MISSION

v  To protect information and information infrastructure in cyberspace, build capacities to prevent and respond to cyber threats, reduce vulnerabilities and Minimize damage from cyber incidents through a combination of institutional structure, people, process, technology and cooperation.

IMPORTANT FEATURES

v  To build secure and resilient cyber space.

v  Creating a secure cyber ecosystem, generate trust in IT transactions.

v  24 x 7 National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Center (NCIIPC)

v  Indigenous technological solutions(Chinese products and reliance on foreign software should be reduced.)

v  Testing of ICT products and certifying them. Validated products

v  Creating workforce of 500,000 professionals in the field

v  Fiscal Benefits for businessman who accepts standard IT practices, etc.

VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS

OTHER INITIATIVES

The initiatives taken by the government so far have focused on the issues such as-

1.       Cyber security threat perceptions

2.       Threats to critical information infrastructure and national security

3.       Protection of critical information infrastructure

4.       Adoption of relevant security technologies

5.       Enabling legal processes

6.       Mechanisms for security compliance and enforcement

7.        information security awareness

8.       Training and research.

THE WAY FORWARD:

• Making threat analysis a norm: Vulnerability report should be generated followed by an audit which will highlight the loopholes in the cyber-attack preparedness of the organisation. An annual review of the software should also be conducted, as and when the software is changed/updated.
• Capacity building: The capacity enhancement for the NCIIPC and CERT-In needs to be undertaken in areas like AI/ML, Blockchain, IoT, Cloud, Automation to address the emerging sophisticated nature of threats and attacks. Sectoral CERTs also have to be set up for many areas including health.
• ‘3-2-1 backup’ approach: Healthcare entities must save 3 copies of each type of data in 2 different formats, including 1 offline. This is an industry best practice to make healthcare institutes cyber secure.
• Enhanced budgetary allocation: A minimum allocation of 0.25% of the annual budget, which can be raised up to 1% to be set aside for cyber security as recommended by the National Cyber Security Strategy. An organisation like AIIMS New Delhi could be counted as a “strategic and public enterprise” as it deals with crores of patients, including the top leadership of the country.
• Crisis Management: For adequate preparation to handle a crisis, cyber security drills can be undertaken which include real-life scenarios with their ramifications. A National Gold Standard should be created, which ensures that Indian hardware and software companies adhere to the highest safety protocols.
• Cyber Diplomacy: On countering cyber-attacks, the cyber security preparedness of key regional blocks like BIMSTEC and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) must be ensured via programs, exchanges and industrial support.
• Awareness generation: The general public needs to be made aware of what value their personal data holds or what vulnerabilities it could generate if accessed illegally.

THE CONCLUSION: Cyber-attacks and Ransomware-attacks reflect the still-inadequate protection measures afforded to critical information infrastructure in India. The government needs to step up its data protection efforts through additional measures if it is to prevent such frequent cyberattacks. The absence of awareness of cyber risks among the users and the use of old, legacy technologies are among the factors that add to the vulnerabilities. India also needs to study the evolving tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of hackers and criminals to be able to prevent these attacks

Mains Practice Questions:

• In the quest for digitalisation, India has become an easy target for cyberattacks due to poor cyber security. Discuss.
• Cyberattacks have connotations for privacy and security and highlight the importance of creating and implementing a national cyber security strategy. Comment.

BACK TO BASICS

TYPES OF CYBERATTACKS: In the current, connected digital landscape, cybercriminals use sophisticated tools to launch cyberattacks against enterprises. Their attack targets include personal computers, computer networks, IT infrastructure and IT systems; some common types of cyberattacks are:

BACKDOOR TROJAN

• A backdoor Trojan creates a backdoor vulnerability in the victim’s system, allowing the attacker to gain remote, and almost total control. Frequently used to link up a group of victims’ computers into a botnet or zombie network, attackers can use the Trojan for other cybercrimes.

CROSS-SITE SCRIPTING (XSS) ATTACK

• XSS attacks insert malicious code into a legitimate website or application script to get a user’s information, often using third-party web resources. Attackers frequently use JavaScript for XSS attacks, but Microsoft VCScript, ActiveX and Adobe Flash can be used, too.

DENIAL-OF-SERVICE (DOS)

• DoS and Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks flood a system’s resources, overwhelming them and preventing responses to service requests, which reduces the system’s ability to perform. Often, this attack is a setup for another attack.

DNS TUNNELING

• Cybercriminals use DNS tunnelling, a transactional protocol, to exchange application data, like extract data silently or establish a communication channel with an unknown server, such as a command and control (C&C) exchange.

MALWARE

• Malware is malicious software that can render infected systems inoperable. Most malware variants destroy data by deleting or wiping files critical to the operating system’s ability to run.

PHISHING

• Phishing scams attempt to steal users’ credentials or sensitive data like credit card numbers. In this case, scammers send users emails or text messages designed to look as though they’re coming from a legitimate source, using fake hyperlinks.

ZERO-DAY EXPLOIT

• Zero-day exploit attacks take advantage of unknown hardware and software weaknesses. These vulnerabilities can exist for days, months or years before developers learn about the flaws.

SQL INJECTION

• Structured Query Language (SQL) injection attacks embed malicious code in vulnerable applications, yielding backend database query results and performing commands or similar actions that the user didn’t request.

RANSOMWARE

• Ransomware is sophisticated malware that takes advantage of system weaknesses, using strong encryption to hold data or system functionality hostage. Cybercriminals use ransomware to demand payment in exchange for releasing the system. A recent development with ransomware is the add-on of extortion tactics.

JUICE JACKING

• Juice jacking is a security exploit in which an infected USB charging station is used to compromise connected devices. The exploit takes advantage of the fact that a mobile device’s power supply passes over the same USB cable the connected device uses to sync data.
• Juice jacking exploits are a security threat at airports, shopping malls and other public places that provide free charging stations for mobile devices.

BLUEBUGGING

• Bluebugging is a hacking technique that allows individuals to access a device with a discoverable Bluetooth connection. Once the target device accesses a rigged link, the attacker can take full control of it. The hacker can read and send messages, access the victim’s phonebook, and initiate or eavesdrop on phone calls.
• Initially, bluebugging focused on eavesdropping or bugging a computer with Bluetooth capability. With the increasing use of smartphones, cybercriminals shifted to hacking mobile phones. This attack is often limited due to the range of Bluetooth connections, which goes up to only 10 meters.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON

India lacks specific provisions in the IT act to tackle cyber-crime. It is more evident when we compare it to the other countries.

BASIS	USA	UNITED KINGDOM	INDIA
INTERCEPTION	Requires a court order for investigation or prevention of a crime. The long list of offences includes those related to chemical weapons and terrorism.	Can be ordered by the government in the interests of national security or for the purpose of preventing / detecting serious crime or for safeguarding the economic well-being of the country.	Can be ordered by the government in the interest of national security, sovereignty and integrity of India etc. This Bill extends this to the investigation of any offence.
CHILD PORNOGRAPHY	Distribution, reproduction and possession with intent to sell are punishable with up to 15 years imprisonment.	Possession is punishable with a maximum of five years imprisonment. Making an indecent image of a child carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.	No specific provision.
SPAM	Sending spam is illegal and punishable with one to five years imprisonment.	The European Union directive on Privacy and Electronic Communication prohibits the sending of spam.	No law on spam.
CYBER TERRORISM	Damaging protected computers or computers used for national security or criminal justice is punishable with a maximum imprisonment of 20 years.	Collecting information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing / preparing an act of terrorism is punishable with a term not exceeding 10 years.	No specific provisions to address cyber terrorism.

THE CONTEXT: In September 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) and its front organisations as an “unlawful association” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and banned the organisation and eight other organisations for five years. Against this backdrop, we analyse the procedure of declaring any association or organisation as unlawful, its impact on constitutional freedoms and the effectiveness of banning.

ABOUT POPULAR FRONT OF INDIA (PFI)

The PFI projects itself as an organisation that fights for the rights of minorities, Dalits, and marginalised communities. It was created in 2007 through the merger of three organisations: The National Democratic Front in Kerala; The Karnataka Forum for Dignity and The Manitha Needhi Pasarai in Tamil Nadu. In 2009, a political outfit named Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) evolved out of the PFI, with the stated goal of “advancement and uniform development of all the citizenry including Muslims, Dalits, Backward Classes and Adivasis” and to “share power fairly among all the citizens”.

Instances when PFI was at odds with the law:

• The court convicted the association members for the attack on a college professor in Kerala in 2010 for the alleged derogatory questions asked by the professor about the Prophet Muhammad.
• More recently, members from the group were also linked to the beheading of a Hindu man in the western state of Rajasthan in June 2022.
• In Karnataka, the government has often cited murders of workers of right-wing groups by alleged PFI cadre to seek a ban on the PFI. However, in more than 310 cases registered against the PFI in Karnataka since 2007, there have been convictions in only five.
• In Feb 2018, the then state government in Jharkhand banned PFI alleging that some of its members were internally influenced by ISIS. The state government imposed the ban under Section 16 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1908. But in August 2018, the Jharkhand High Court revoked the ban, noting that the State had not followed due procedure before announcing the ban.

REASONS CITED BY THE CENTRE FOR THE CURRENT BAN

The Union government has listed reasons to ban the group, such as:

1. The PFI and its cadre repeatedly engage in violent and subversive acts, including involvement in several criminal and terror cases, disrespect towards constitutional authority, receiving funds from abroad through hawala and using them in suspicious ways, and posing a major threat to national security.
2. Having linkages with ISIS and the Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.
3. Not functioning according to its stated objectives, and its sources of funds were not supported by the financial profile of account holders; and
4. States of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Gujarat had recommended a ban on the PFI.

LEGAL PROVISIONS UNDER UAPA FOR DECLARING ANY ASSOCIATION AS UNLAWFUL

According to legal scholars, the declaration of an outfit/association as unlawful can be made in two ways under the UAPA:

1. Under section 3 of the UAPA: declaring the organisation “unlawful” via an official notification in The Gazette of India.
2. Under section 35 of the UAPA: by amending the act and adding the organization to a list of 42 terrorist organizations.

The PFI ban came under the first method, with the Ministry of Home Affairs issuing a notification declaring PFI unlawful in September 2022

• The ban extends to other associated bodies as well, including the Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organization (NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala.
• The political arm of the PFI, the Socialist Democratic Party of India (SPPI), has not been included in the list of banned outfits.

PROCESS OF BANNING AN ASSOCIATION/ORGANISATION

1. Before issuing a notification under Section 3 of the UAPA, the government analyses threat perception to peace in the country, secession activities, territorial safety, terrorism etc. The recommendations and complaints by a state government can also be considered based on FIRs filed or incidents in the state.
2. Section 3 also allows the government to implement an “immediate ban” on an organisation by issuing a Gazette notification and is also required to give reasons and allegations against the organisation and its members.
3. Within 30 days of the notification, the government has to set up a tribunal, headed by a sitting Judge of a High Court, to consider the evidence and allegations. The tribunal has the power to consider the evidence, hear the objections from the organisation or its members/supporters and then take a decision to confirm or deny the ban. The Tribunal has six months under the law to conduct proceedings and either accept or reject the proposed ban.
4. If the tribunal upholds the ban, the organisation can also move an appeal before the concerned High Court in case it can show “patent error” or “perversity” in the tribunal order and show that the tribunal ignored vital evidence.

POSSIBLE IMPACT OF DECLARING ANY ASSOCIATION AS UNLAWFUL UNDER UAPA

SECTION 7

• The Central government can identify people who are in possession of money that is used or handled for the purposes of the unlawful association and serve prohibitory orders on them to stop them from using, managing or handling any funds for the activities of the unlawful association.

SECTION 8

• The Centre can notify any properties it identifies as being used by or for unlawful associations and initiate action to prohibit gatherings or entry at the property.

SECTION 10

• Any person who attends the meetings of the PFI, contributes money to the outfit, or solicits contributions for the PFI, can face a prison sentence of up to two years under the UAPA.
  o This will include any members of the PFI, anyone campaigning for funds or even donating/contributing money to the PFI, or anyone assisting with the operations of the outfit.
  o Anyone organizing activities or events and those attending the said events could all face arrest and fines under this provision.
• Members of the PFI or anyone who voluntarily aids the PFI, who also owns a weapon, explosive, or means of mass destruction, and commits any act that causes significant loss to property or life, or grievous injury, can face a minimum of five years in prison, which can extend to life imprisonment, and a fine.
• NOTE: Anyone arrested before the notification was issued cannot be charged under these sections of the UAPA for involvement with unlawful associations; however, they can still be charged with terror activities.

SECTION 11

• Anyone who handles, transfers, or manages the funds of the organisation, including “moneys, securities or credits”, can face up to three years imprisonment and a fine. The Centre can also order recovery of the money/funds from the person.

SECTION 13

• Anyone who incites, aids, or abets the commission of unlawful activity can face imprisonment of up to seven years.
• It also provides for up to five years imprisonment for assisting in the commission of any unlawful activities.

EXAMPLES OF BANNED ORGANISATIONS IN INDIA

• As of October 2022, there are 42 organisations termed as terrorist organisations and are included in the first schedule of UAPA (1967), such as Babbar Khalsa International, Lashkar-E-Taiba, United National Liberation Front, Maoist Communist Centre (MCC), all its formations and Front Organisations etc. however there are over 15 organisations/associations termed as Unlawful Associations under Section 3 Of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 such as Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) etc.

INTERPLAY BETWEEN THE FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION AND NATIONAL SECURITY

• Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution of India provides all citizens with the right to form associations, unions or co-operatives. It also includes the right to form political parties, societies, clubs, organisations etc. however, these rights are not absolute, and the state can impose reasonable restrictions on the exercise of this right on the grounds of sovereignty and integrity of the country, public order and morality only as mentioned under Article 19(4).
• Associations/Organisations play a significant part in determining the perception of an individual and persuading him to have a broader vision and a widened approach towards everything happening in society. The Constitution ensures that no citizen residing within the territorial jurisdiction of the country is deprived of this right granted under Art 19(1)(c). But at the same time, the citizens must ensure that in due course of the formation of a particular association as well as during the period of the membership, harmony, discipline, and order continues to persist in the society.
• The legislature also has powers to make laws for imposing reasonable restrictions; however, the provisions under UAPA are stringent and are prone to be misused by the government, so much so that it allows the government to declare unilaterally any association as unlawful. Such powers contradict constitutional schemes and more so in the context of national security. The opportunity for the association to present their side is given only when the decision is made by the government and the members can only contest that decision in the tribunal, which also goes against the philosophy of natural justice. However, in light of contemporary security challenges, such power given to the government under the UAPA becomes imperative.

WHETHER THE BAN ON ASSOCIATIONS UNDER UAPA IS AN EFFECTIVE METHOD TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF NATIONAL SECURITY

ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR 

• The law has a legal mandate as it is enacted by the Parliament after deliberations and discussions and shows the wisdom of the Parliament that after intense discussion and deliberations it came to a conclusion that, banning an association can be an effective method to deal against unlawful associations.
• There are various examples in the past when the banning of an organisation has helped in curbing the antisocial and secessionist voices.
• Banning the association is not a knee-jerk reaction. The government has had multiple scrutinises and evaluations over a period of time and then reached the decision.
• The present case is not a one-off incident in the country. We have seen associations being banned in the past across the globe for various reasons, be it their political ideologies or religious inclinations.

COUNTER ARGUMENTS

• The banning of an association might not be of much utility against the challenges of radicalisation and national security as the party can reincarnate with a changed form or name. It has also been alleged that the members of the banned SIMI are the founding members of the PFI.
• Banning an association is superficial as it may not address the underlying issues such as lack of proper implementation of laws, administrative inefficiency, social dissonance among the community members etc.
• Various scholars have also pointed out that the assertive majoritarian politics have also led to the sprouting of such associations, which also garner social acceptance at times.

NEED FOR REFORMS IN THE PROCEDURES UNDER UAPA TO BAN AN ASSOCIATION

The UAPA is a stringent law and overrides the usual safeguards provided under the Indian Penal Code. Though the statute was brought in with an objective contrary to what we see today, the general perception of the UAPA is that over the years it has degenerated into a lethal weapon to quell dissent, and has been used by successive governments to legitimise sinister motives.
Powers extended to the government under UAPA are also very wide, as the government can unilaterally declare an organisation/association as unlawful without giving an opportunity to the members of the concerned organisation. There is a likelihood of misuse of this power.
The process of setting up a Tribunal and its functioning are also not transparent and it is perceived that its decisions lean towards favouring the government.
In light of the progressive jurisprudence and increasing democratisation of society, it is held that some of the provisions of UAPA are not conforming to the modern liberal democratic principles, and it is imperative to make reforms in the law to make it more relevant to contemporary times.

THE WAY FORWARD:

1. In contemporary times the threats to national security have multiplied and have also become more complex in the present era of cyber terrorism and narco-terrorism, which makes it imperative to have some extraordinary measures to deal against them and maintain the unity and integrity of the country.
2. India being a democratic country, makes constitutional provisions for the Fundamental Rights to every citizen, which are also promoted by the government. Still, such unilateral banning of the associations should also maintain the rights of the individuals and the organisation.
3. As jurists have pointed out, there is a need to review various provisions of UAPA, not only dealing with the provisions concerned with the associations but UAPA as a whole. As per the NCRB data, the conviction rate under the UAPA law is low (2.4 % is 2018, 1.7 % in 2019 and 6% in 2020), hence it is imperative for the government to use the law wisely and sparingly and/or needed reforms in the law shall be made to keep it relevant in contemporary times.
4. Banning the organisation may help the government in achieving the short-term objectives, but the ideology behind the organisation might stay alive for a longer time as they have roots in socio-economic issues; the more comprehensive and multi pronged approach of Winning Hearts and Minds (WHAM) shall be applied by the government to address these fundamental challenges of national security.
5. The constitutionality of the UAPA Law is sub judice, and given the nature of the challenge and past criticisms of the legislation, the apex court can read down some of the stringent provisions of the law, even if not scrapping it completely to make it more relevant and in consonance with the modern democratic ethos.

THE CONCLUSION: Although the government is well within its legal and moral mandate to ban the organisation as unlawful and achieve the objective of national security, law and order might not be the only issue underlying national security and dealing with a coercive force. It is essential for the government to maintain a balance between scaring and caring. Scaring or coercive action by the government might not always be the best approach for dealing with the issues. Along with the force of law, the government shall also use a benevolent approach to address the problems of national security and devise a multipronged strategy which cuts across the rule of law, welfare, development and good governance.

Mains Practice Questions:

1. The important criticism of UAPA is that it is antithetical to constitutional freedoms. Do you agree? Justify your view.
2. Critically analyse whether merely banning an organisation as “unlawful” will provide an effective firewall against national security challenges?
3. While the politico-legal action of banning and cracking down on a radical outfit is very much needed to curb violent activities, the solution to radicalism lies in investing at the social level. Analyse the statement.

GOVERNANCE

1. NHA INITIATIVE TO GRADE HOSPITALS

TAGS: GS-II- GOVERNANCE

THE CONTEXT: The National Health Authority (NHA) in India is introducing a new system to measure and grade hospital performance under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme, with the goal of shifting the focus of hospital performance measurement from the volume of services provided to the value of healthcare services.

THE EXPLANATION:

The new initiative will introduce the concept of “value-based care,” where payment will be outcome-based and providers will be rewarded based on the quality of treatment they deliver.

Shift from Quantity to Quality

• Traditionally, the healthcare model has been focused on the quantity of services delivered, with case-based bundled payments made on the basis of the number of services provided.
• Under the new value-based care model, providers will be rewarded for helping patients improve their health, which will ultimately reduce the effects of disease in the population in the long term.
• This shift promises significant increases in overall health gains and is expected to benefit all stakeholders, from patients to healthcare providers, payers, and suppliers.

Measures Taken by NHA to Ensure Quality Care

• To ensure that PM-JAY beneficiaries receive both cashless healthcare benefits and high-quality care at every empaneled hospital, the NHA has implemented various measures.
• These measures include standardizing the cost of treatment under the scheme and adding new and advanced treatment procedures. Additionally, the NHA has made provisions to incentivize the best performing hospitals that provide quality care to patients.

Performance Indicators and Public Dashboard

• Under the value-based care system, the performance of AB PM-JAY empaneled hospitals will be measured based on five performance indicators:

1. Beneficiary Satisfaction;
2. Hospital Readmission Rate;
3. Out-of-Pocket Expenditure;
4. Confirmed Grievances; and
5. Improvement in Patient’s Health-Related Quality of Life.

• The performance of hospitals based on these indicators will also be made available on a public dashboard, allowing beneficiaries to make informed decisions about their healthcare. This will not only determine the financial incentives of hospitals, but also create a demand for quality treatment among PMJAY beneficiaries.

Connect the dots:

• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)
• NATIONAL HEALTH MISSION

HEALTH ISSUES

2. AFRICAN SWINE FLU

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE- GS-II-HEALTH ISSUES

THE CONTEXT:Amid the outbreak of African swine fever in wild boars in Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu) and Bandipur (Karnataka) Tiger Reserves, the sale of pork has been banned in the picturesque Nilgiris, a hill district in western Tamil Nadu.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The authorities have imposed a ban on transportation of animals or meat outside the Nilgiris, which boasts scenic tourist destinations including Ooty (Udhagamandalam), Coonoor and Gudalur.
• The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the district is contiguous with the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Karnataka.

What is African swine fever?

• African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease of domestic and wild pigs, whose mortality rate can reach 100%.
• It is not a danger to human health, but it has devastating effects on pig populations and the farming economy. There is currently no effective vaccine against ASF.
• The virus is highly resistant in the environment, meaning that it can survive on clothes, boots, wheels, and other materials. It can also survive in various pork products, such as ham, sausages or bacon. Therefore, human behaviours can play an important role in spreading this pig disease across borders if adequate measures are not taken.

African swine fever: a socio-economic burden and a threat to food security and biodiversity

• Pigs are a primary source of household income in many countries. The spread of ASF across the world has devastated family-run pig farms, often the mainstay of people’s livelihoods and a driver of upward mobility. It has also reduced opportunities to access healthcare and education.
• Moreover, pork meat is one of the primary sources of animal proteins, accounting for more than 35% of the global meat intake. Hence, this disease poses a serious problem for food security worldwide.
• This disease is also a concern for biodiversity and the balance of ecosystems, as it affects not only domestic farmed pigs, but also wild boars, including native breeds.

ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

3. BHITARKANIKA NATIONAL PARK

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE- GS-III- ENVIRONMENT

THE CONTEXT:According to the Odisha forest department, the Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha has seen an increase in its bird population in 2023.

THE EXPLANATION:

• In a clear indication that the Bhitarkanika National Park is a congenial spot for attracting birds, the Odisha forest department informed that the number of birds in the national park has increased this year. The staff of the forest department counted 1,39,959 birds this year compared to 1,38,107 last year.
• While the number of bird count increased, the diversity of species has decreased compared to last year. This year the Bhitarkanika National Park saw 140 species of birds compared to 144 last year, however, many rare and endangered species were spotted this time.
• Bhitarkanika National Park is a prime location for birds of different species and is located 130 km from Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar. The Chilka and Bhitarkanika wetland spots in Odisha are some of the favoured destinations for migratory birds during winter.

VALUE ADDITION:

Bhitarkanika Mangroves Conservation Area

• Bhitarkanika — a notified Ramsar wetland — is spread over 195 sq. km and is home to 62 mangrove species. Besides, 1,600 salt water crocodiles crawl on the mudflats of the Bhitarkanika mangrove forest.
• Bhitarkanika is a unique habitat of Mangrove Forests criss-crossed with numerous creeks and mud flats located in Kendrapara district of Orissa.
• It is one of the largest Mangrove Eco systems in India,Bhitarkanika is home to diverse flora and fauna.
• The Bhitarkanika mangrove conservation area comprises of Bhitarkanika National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary and Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary approximating around 3000 km2 area of which around 4.8% (145 km2 ) area has mangrove cover.
• Mangroves grow in brackish water. Proportionate fresh water flow from the Brahmani river basin and the Kharasrota river keep the salinity level of the water along the shore down. The brackish water becomes ideal for the mangroves to grow and stay healthy.
• The Bhitarkanika National Park, famous for the endangered saltwater crocodiles, has seen an increase of the rare species to 1,671, an annual census conducted by the Forest Department this year has found.

SECURITY AFFAIRS

4. GOVT DESIGNATES CANADA-BASED AARSHDEEP SINGH GILL AS TERRORIST

TAGS: GS-III-INTERNAL SECURITY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, a 26-year old resident from Punjab, presently based in Canada has been designated as an “individual terrorist” by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) under the anti-terror law UAPA.

THE EXPLANATION:

• Arshdeep Singh Gill, a resident of Moga in Punjab is associated with Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), is a banned terrorist organisation.
• MHA said that Gill alias ArshDala is very close to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and runs terror modules on the matter’s behalf.
• In a notification, MHA said that Gill is involved in heinous crimes such as murder, extortion and targeted killings besides terror activities, terror financing, cross border smuggling of drugs or weapons in large scale. It added that Gill is accused in various cases registered and investigated by the National Investigation Agency including targeted killing, extorting money for terror funding, attempt to murder, disturbing communal harmony and creating terror among the people in the state of Punjab.

VALUE ADDITION:

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2019

The Act provides special procedures to deal with terrorist activities, among other things.

• Who may commit terrorism: Under the Act, the central government may designate an organisation as a terrorist organisation if it: (i) commits or participates in acts of terrorism, (ii) prepares for terrorism, (iii) promotes terrorism, or (iv) is otherwise involved in terrorism.  The Act additionally empowers the government to designate individuals as terrorists on the same grounds.
• Approval for the seizure of property by NIA: Under the Act, an investigating officer is required to obtain the prior approval of the Director-General of Police to seize properties that may be connected with terrorism.  The Act adds that if the investigation is conducted by an officer of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the approval of the Director-General of NIA would be required for the seizure of such property.
• An investigation by NIA: Under the Act, investigation of cases may be conducted by officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendent or Assistant Commissioner of Police or above.  The Act additionally empowers the officers of the NIA, of the rank of Inspector or above, to investigate cases.
• Insertion to schedule of treaties: The Act defines terrorist acts to include acts committed within the scope of any of the treaties listed in a schedule to the Act.  The Schedule lists nine treaties, including the Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings (1997), and the Convention against Taking of Hostages (1979).  The Bill adds another treaty to the list.  This is the International Convention for Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (2005).

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

5. GLASS FROGS

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: Recently scientists gleaned insight into how glassfrogs –a species known for this ability – are able to achieve such transparency.

THE CONTEXT:

THE EXPLANATION:

• Glass frogs live in the American tropics and are nocturnal amphibians that spend their days sleeping upside down on translucent leaves that match the colour of their backs — a common camouflage tactic.
• Their translucent skin and muscle allow their bones and organs to be visible – hence the name.
• Recent research has proposed that this adaptation masks the frogs’ outlines on their leafy perches, making them harder for predators to spot.

How do some animals become transparent?

• Transparency is a common form of camouflage among animals that live in water, but rare on land.
• In vertebrates, attaining transparency is difficult because their circulatory system is full of red blood cells that interact with light. Studies have shown that ice fish and larval eels achieve transparency by not producing haemoglobin and red blood cells.
• Glass frogs use an alternative strategy. Resting glass frogs increase transparency two- to threefold by removing nearly 90 percent of their red blood cells from circulation and packing them within their liver, which contains reflective guanine crystals.
• Whenever the frogs need to become active again, they bring the red blood cells back into the blood, which gives the frogs the ability to move around — at which point, light absorption from these cells breaks transparency.

INDIAN POLITY

1. THE KARNATAKA-MAHARASHTRA BORDER ROW

TAGS:GS-II & III-INTER STATE BORDER DISPUTES

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, unanimously passed a resolution to protect its interests and called the dispute a “closed chapter”. For that the Maharashtra government retaliated by passing a unanimous resolution in its Assembly to legally pursue the inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages from Belagavi, Karwar, Nipani, Bidar, Bhalki and others in Karnataka into the State.

THE EXPLANATION:

What are the claims of the two States?

• The raging boundary dispute between the two States dates back to the reorganisation of States along linguistic lines. In 1957, unhappy with the demarcation of boundaries, Maharashtra demanded realignment of its border with Karnataka.
• It invoked Section 21 (2)(b) of the Act, submitting a memorandum to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs stating its objection to Marathi-speaking areas being included in Karnataka. It filed a petition in the Supreme Court staking a claim over Belagavi.
• Karnataka has argued that the inclusion of Belagavi as part of its territory is beyond dispute. It has cited the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report to substantiate its position.
• Karnataka has argued for the inclusion of areas in Kolhapur, Sholapur and Sangli districts (falling under Maharashtra) in its territory. From 2006, Karnataka started holding the winter session of the Legislature in Belagavi, building the massive Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in the district headquarters to reassert its claim.

What were the terms of the Mahajan Commission?

• In 1966, at Maharashtra’s insistence, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi established a one-man commission led by Mehr Chand Mahajan, which recommended that 264 villages be transferred to Maharashtra and that Belagavi (Belgaum) and 247 villages remain with Karnataka.
• Maharashtra rejected the report, while Karnataka welcomed it. Karnataka argued that either the Mahajan Commission Report should be accepted fully, or the status quo maintained.

Connect the dots: States Reorganisation Act 1956

2. WHAT IS TRIPLE TEST SURVEY?

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE-GS -II-POLITY

THE CONTEXT: Recently, the Allahabad High Court ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to hold urban local body elections without reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) because the ‘triple test’ requirement for the quota had not been fulfilled, the state set up a commission for this purpose.

THE EXPLANATION:

• The five-member commission will conduct a survey to ensure that the OBCs are provided reservation on the basis of the triple test, as mandated by the Supreme Court.
• This is the first time that the triple test exercise will be carried out in Uttar Pradesh. Sources said the law department and the urban development department will lay down the guidelines to be adopted for the process.
  a) To set up a dedicated commission to conduct a rigorous empirical inquiry into the nature and implications of the backwardness in local bodies;
  b) To specify the proportion of reservation required in local bodies in light of recommendations of the commission, so as not to fall foul of overbreadth;
  c) To ensure reservation for SCs/STs/OBCs taken together does not exceed an aggregate of 50 per cent of the total seats.
  d) These triple test/conditions were outlined by the Supreme Court in the case of Vikas KishanraoGawali vs. State of Maharashtra and others, decided on March 4, 2021.

Why triple test instead of rapid survey?

The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on said that any inquiry or study into the nature and implications of the backwardness with respect to local bodies involves ascertainment of representation in such bodies. The court said such an exercise cannot be confined to counting of heads alone, as is being done through the rapid survey.

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

3. PROPOSAL TO SHIFT FROM “MINIMUM” TO “LIVING” WAGES

TAGS:GS-II & III- SOCIAL ISSUES-ECONOMY

THE CONTEXT: The Union Labour Ministry is currently mulling to shift from the “minimum wages” to “living wages” in a bid to bring more people from poverty in the country.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is a living wage?

• The term “living wage” is the theoretical income level that enables an individual or a family to afford adequate shelter, food, healthcare and other basic necessities. It is the minimum income of that helps support a satisfactory standard of living and prevents individuals from falling into poverty.

How is the living wage different from minimum wage?

• A living wage is defined as the minimum income necessary for workers to meet their basic necessities. It is different from the minimum wage, which is based on labor productivity and skill sets.
• Minimum wage is the lowest amount of money a laborer can earn as mandated by the law. It does not change based on inflation. It can increase only with the government intervention. This is not true for the living wage.
• The living wage is determined by the average cost to live comfortably, while the minimum wage is the fixed amount set by the government.
• The difference between the minimum wage and the living wage can range between 10 and 25 percent based on the cost of living in a specific place.

About India’s decision

• The Indian government is considering to shift from the minimum wage to the living wage to eliminate poverty in the country. If such a shift happens, it would have significant financial implications for India and the government. It will make Sustainable Development Goal commitments easily achievable.
• India is planning to receive assistance from the International Labour Organization (ILO) to understand what constitutes a living wage since it is highly subjective. The ILO member states, including India, have recently requested the ILO to contribute to the improved understanding of living wages by undertaking a peer-reviewed research on the theoretical concepts and theoretical estimations.

Connect the Dots: ILO

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

4. OMEGA CENTAURI

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE- GS-III-SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

THE CONTEXT: Astronomers and scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), while studying the Omega Centauri found that hot stars and white dwarfs emitted less ultraviolet radiation than expected.

THE EXPLANATION:

• A team of Scientists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics detected strange hot stars in the Globular clusters using the Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) images on AstroSat (India’s first dedicated space observatory, which has been operating since 2015).

What are Globular clusters?

• Globular clusters are spherical aggregates of several thousand to millions of stars bound by gravity. These systems are thought to have formed early on in the Universe and can serve as perfect astrophysical laboratories for astronomers to understand how stars evolve through various phases.
• Omega Centauri is a globular cluster in the constellation of Centaurus that was first identified as a non-stellar object by Edmond Halley in 1677.
• Located at a distance of 17,090 light-years, it is the largest-known globular cluster in the Milky Way at a diameter of roughly 150 light-years.

What is Galaxy?

• A galaxy is a huge collection of gas, dust, and billions of stars and their solar systems bound together by gravity.
• Milky Way, is stuffed with between 100 billion and 400 billion other stars, many of them with planets of their own. The Milky Way got its name from the way it looks from the ground: like a streak of spilt milk across the sky.

PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

5. GARRARNAWUN BUSH TOMATO

TAGS: PRELIMS PERSPECTIVE

THE CONTEXT: A new species of bush tomato, christened Garrarnawun bush tomato (Solanum scalarium), was discovered in Australia recently.

THE EXPLANATION:

About the genus Solanum

• Genus Solanum has around 1,400 accepted species that are distributed across the world. The species belonging to this genus are found in all continents except Antarctica. It is the most species-rich genus in the Solanaceae family and is among the largest in the angiosperms (flowering plants).
• The genus includes 3 food crops having high economic value. These are the potato, tomato and eggplant (brinjal).
• Much of the species belonging to the Solanum are concentrated in circum-Amazonian tropical South America. However, its hotspots are also found in Africa and Australia.
• This genus is often recognized by its two-chambered superior ovary, fused sepals and petals, 5 stamens, poricidal anthers, and sometimes branched hairs and/or prickles.

About the new species

• The Garrarnawun bush tomato (Solanum scalarium) is currently found only in one site in world i.e., the Judbarra/Gregory National Park in the Australia’s Northern Territory.
• It is a perennial pale green shrub that is around 30 cm tall.
• This species belongs to the taxonomically challenging group called Kimberley dioecious clade in Australia. It is distinguished from other members of this group by its spreading decumbent habit and conspicuously prickly male floral rachis.
• Its common name recognizes the lookout point in the Judbarra/Gregory National Park. This point is the traditional meeting place of the Wardaman and Nungali-Ngaliwurru peoples, whose lands intersect in this region.
• This species is currently known from a single population of around 50 to 100 individuals. Hence, scientists are proposing to include in the “data deficit” category of the IUCN Red List.
• It is found on skeletal pink soil, dissected rocks and exposed sandstone pavements.
• It is expected to be found in more locations due to the prevalence of a similar and less accessible outcrops in the immediate region.