• Dengue:
  • Dengue is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus (Genus Flavivirus), transmitted by several species of mosquito within the genus Aedes, principally Aedes aegypti.
    • This mosquito also transmits chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika infection.
  • There are 4 distinct, but closely related, serotypes (separate groups within a species of microorganisms that all share a similar characteristic) of the virus that cause dengue (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4).
• Symptoms:
  • Sudden high fever, severe headaches, pain behind the eyes, severe bone, joint, and muscle pain, etc.
• Diagnosis and Treatment:
  • Diagnosis of dengue infection is done with a blood test.
  • There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection.
• Status of Dengue:
  • Incidence of dengue has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades, with a vast majority of cases under-reported, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
  • WHO estimates 39 crore dengue virus infections per year, of which 9.6 crore show symptoms.
  • India registered over 1 lakh dengue cases in 2018 and over 1.5 lakh cases in 2019, according to the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP).
    • NVBDCP is the central nodal agency for prevention and control of six vector borne diseases i.e. Malaria, Dengue, Lymphatic Filariasis, Kala-azar, Japanese Encephalitis and Chikungunya in India. It works under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Controlling Dengue Using Bacteria:
  • Recently researchers from the World Mosquito Program have used mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria to successfully control dengue in Indonesia.
  • Method:
    • The scientists infected some mosquitoes with Wolbachia and then released them in the city where they bred with local mosquitoes, until nearly all mosquitoes in the area were carrying Wolbachia bacteria. This is called the Population Replacement Strategy.
    • At the end of 27 months, the researchers found that the incidence of dengue was 77% lower in areas where Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes had been released, as compared to areas without such deployments.
• Dengue Vaccine:
  • The dengue vaccine CYD-TDV or Dengvaxia was approved by the US Food & Drug Administration in 2019, the first dengue vaccine to get the regulatory nod in the US.
    • Dengvaxia is basically a live, attenuated dengue virus which has to be administered in people of ages 9 to 16 who have laboratory-confirmed previous dengue infection and who live in endemic areas.

• Beema Bamboo:
  • Beema or Bheema Bamboo is a superior clone, selected from Bambusa balcooa, a higher biomass yielding bamboo species. This bamboo clone has been developed by the conventional breeding method.
  • This species is considered to be one of the fastest-growing plants. It grows one-and-a-half feet per day under tropical conditions.
  • It is said to be the best ‘carbon sink’ to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions.

• Bambusa balcooa is a very large, thick-walled, clumping bamboo, growing up to a height of 25 metres, and a thickness of 150 millimetres.
• The length and strength of Bambusa balcooa make it a useful material for the construction industry.
• It is a drought-resistant species with low rainfall requirements and can reach yields upwards of 100 metric tons per hectare.

• Importance:
  • Permanent Green Cover:
    • As it is sterile, this bamboo does not produce any seed and does not die also for several hundred years and keeps growing without death. As a result, this particular bamboo species is able to establish permanent green cover.
  • Does Not Require Replanting for Decades:
    • Since the plants are produced through tissue culture, the culms grow almost solid and adapt to different soil and climatic conditions. After every harvest cycle, it re-grows and does not require replanting for decades.
      • A culm is the hollow stem of a grass or cereal plant, especially that bearing the flower.
  • Can Mitigate Global Warming and Climate Change:
    • As its rhizome and root formation provide a strong foundation, the plant becomes robust against natural forces and plays a major role in mitigating global warming and climate change.
  • Diverse Uses:
    • The bamboo’s calorific value is equal to that of coal. Cement industries are buying this bamboo species for their boilers. Bamboo fibre is used by the textile industry for making fabric and garments.
    • Experts from the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur, are working on the design of crash barriers made of beema bamboo and coir.

• Bamboo Clusters:
  • Recently, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has virtually inaugurated 22 bamboo clusters in 9 states viz. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Karnataka.
• National Bamboo Mission (NBM):
  • The restructured NBM was launched in 2018-19 for the holistic development of the complete value chain of the bamboo sector and is being implemented in a hub (industry) and spoke model.
  • It aims at connecting farmers to markets so as to enable farmer producers to get a ready market for the bamboo grown and to increase the supply of appropriate raw material to the domestic industry.
• Removal of Bamboo from ‘Tree’ Category:
  • The Indian Forest Act 1927 was amended in 2017 to remove bamboo for the category of trees.
  • As a result, anyone can undertake cultivation and business in bamboo and its products without the need of a felling and transit permission.

• There are about 3 trillion trees on earth and there is enough space on the planet for planting an additional 1.2 trillion trees that would have huge benefits in terms of absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide.
• The Beema Bamboo can be an excellent choice for making the earth greener and mitigating climate change.

Why does Sebi want to reclassify promoters?

• It has also suggested reducing the minimum lock-in periods post a public issue for promoters and pre-Initial Public Offering (IPO) shareholders.

• SEBI is a statutory body established in April, 1992 in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992.
• The basic functions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India is to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote and regulate the securities market.

• Promoter:
  • The meaning of ‘promoter’ and ‘promoter group’ is defined in Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI (ICDR) Regulations, 2018.
  • Generally, a promoter conceives an idea for setting-up a particular business at a given place and performs various formalities required for starting a company.
  • Promoter group includes:
    • Any body corporate in which a group of individuals or companies or combinations thereof acting in concert, which hold 20% or more of the equity share capital in that body corporate and
    • Such a group of individuals or companies or combinations thereof also holds 20% or more of the equity share capital of the issuer and are also acting in concert.
      • An issuer is a legal entity that develops, registers and sells securities to finance its operations.
• Promoter to Person in Control Concept:
  • Need:
    • The shift is necessitated by the changing investor landscape in India where concentration of ownership and controlling rights do not vest completely in the hands of the promoters or promoter group because of the emergence of new shareholders such as private equity and institutional investors.
    • Investor focus on the quality of board and management has increased, thereby reducing the relevance of the concept of promoter.
    • The current definition focuses on capturing holdings by a common group of individuals or persons and often results in capturing unrelated companies with common financial investors.
  • Significance:
    • This move will lighten the disclosure burden for firms.
    • The changes in nature of ownership could lead to situations where the persons with no controlling rights and minority shareholding continue to be classified as a promoter.
    • By virtue of being called promoters, such persons may have influence over the listed entity disproportionate to their economic interest, which may not be in the interests of all stakeholders.
• Transition Period:
  • A three-year transition period for moving from the promoter to person in control concept has been suggested.
• Reducing the Locking Period of IPOs:
  • If the object of the issue involves an offer for sale or financing other than for capital expenditure for a project, then the minimum promoters’ contribution of 20% should be locked-in for one year from the date of allotment in the IPO.
    • Currently, the lock-in period is three years.

• IPO is the selling of securities to the public in the primary market.
  • Primary market deals with new securities being issued for the first time. It is also known as the new issues market.
  • It is different from the secondary market where existing securities are bought and sold. It is also known as the stock market or stock exchange.
• It is when an unlisted company makes either a fresh issue of securities or an offer for sale of its existing securities or both for the first time to the public.
  • Unlisted companies are companies that are not listed on the stock exchange.
• It is generally used by new and medium-sized firms that are looking for funds to grow and expand their business.

• It is a caveat outlining a period of time after a company has gone public when major shareholders are prohibited from selling their shares.

• Under this method, securities are not issued directly to the public but are offered for sale through intermediaries like issuing houses or stock brokers.
• In this case, a company sells securities enbloc at an agreed price to brokers who, in turn, resell them to the investing public.

• The Northeast region of India is home to more than 72% of the turtle and tortoise species in the country.
  • Scientific Name: Trachemys scripta elegans
  • Habitat: U.S. and northern Mexico
  • Description: The red-eared slider derives its name from red stripes around the part where its ears would be and from its ability to slide quickly off any surface into the water.
  • Popular Pet: This turtle is an extremely popular pet due to its small size, easy maintenance, and relatively low cost.
• Reason for Concerns:
  • Invasive Species: Since it is an invasive species they grow fast and virtually leave nothing for the native species to eat and have a negative impact on the areas and the species living in the areas they invade.
  • Catch-22 Situation: People who keep the turtle as pets become sensitive about turtle conservation but endanger the local ecosystem, probably unknowingly, by releasing them in natural water bodies after they outgrow an aquarium, tank or pool at home.
  • Impact on Human Health: They can impact human health when these species may accumulate toxins in their tissues which pass on with the food chain upto humans.

• An invasive species is an organism that causes ecological or economic harm in a new environment where it is not native.
• There are many invasive species in India. For eg: Charru Mussel, Lantana bushes, Indian Bullfrog, etc.

• Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (2000):
  • The Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by Living Modified Organisms resulting from modern biotechnology.
• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD):
  • It was one of the key agreements adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
    • The Rio de Janeiro Convention on Biodiversity (1992) had also recognised the biological invasion of alien species of plants as the second-worst threat to the environment after habitat destruction.
  • Article 8 (h) of the Convention calls on Parties to prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species.
• Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) or Bonn Convention (1979):
  • It is an intergovernmental treaty that aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range.
  • It also aims to control or to eliminate already present invasive alien species.
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES):
  • It is an international agreement adopted in 1975 that aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
  • It also considers the problems of invasive species when it is involved in trade and threatens the survival of live animals or plants.
• Ramsar Convention (1971):
  • The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
  • It also addresses the environmental, economic and social impact of invasive species on wetlands within their jurisdictions and to take account of the methods of control and solutions for combating invasive species.

• The intervention was triggered through an initiative by North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR).
• NECTAR is an autonomous society, set up under the Department of Science & Technology, with its headquarter at Shillong, Meghalaya.
  • The ‘Moorhen Yoga mat’ is named after Kam Sorai (Purple moorhen, a resident bird of Deepor Beel Wildlife sanctuary).
  • It is a hand-woven 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable mat developed from water hyacinth.
  • The mat could improve the aquatic ecosystem of the wetland (Deepor Beel) through removal of water hyacinth, help sustainable production of utility products with community engagement and generate livelihood for indigenous communities to become completely ‘Atamanirbhar’.
• Water Hyacinth:
  • Water hyacinth is a type of invasive floating plant found in water bodies across the world.
  • These invasive species block the sunlight reaching and oxygen level in water systems, which results in damaging water quality and seriously affecting various life forms in the ecosystem.
  • It is also referred to as the terror of Bengal given its effect on the local ecology and lives of the people.
  • It has an effect on irrigation, hydroelectric generation and navigation.
  • It also leads to a drastic reduction in fish production, aquatic crops and an increase in diseases caused by mosquitoes.
• Deepor Beel:
  • Deepor Beel (Beel means wetland or large aquatic body in Assamese) located about 10 km Southwest of Guwahati city is considered one of the large and important riverine wetlands in the Brahmaputra Valley of lower Assam.
  • Deepor Beel has both biological and environmental importance besides being the only major storm-water storage basin for Guwahati city.
  • It is considered one of the staging sites for migratory birds in India; and some of the large congregations of aquatic birds in Assam during winter.
  • Because of the richness of avian fauna it enjoys, Deepor Beel has been selected as one of the Important Bird Area (IBA) sites by Birdlife International.
  • Deepor Beel has also been designated as a Ramsar Site in November 2002.

• • The HakkiPikki tribes are semi nomadic tribal people, have four clans namely the Gujrathioa, Kaliwala, Mewara and Panwara.
  • They speak many south Indian languages such as Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam along with Vagribooli which is similar to Guajarati.
  • The HakkiPikki, meaning “bird catchers” in Kannada.
  • It is a Scheduled Tribe in Karnataka.
• Origin and History:
  • The origin of HakkiPikki tribal communities has a rich history and is said to be an ancestral relation with the legendary Ranapratap Singh.
  • The HakkiPikki tribal community are a Kshatriya or warrior tribal community who had to migrate to southern India after their defeat with Mughal kings.

• • It is a short-range, ground-to-air, air defence system that includes a radar and Tamir interceptor missiles that track and neutralise any rockets or missiles aimed at Israeli targets.
  • It is used for countering rockets, artillery & mortars as well as aircraft, helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).
    • It is capable of being used in all weather conditions, including during the day and night.
  • It was developed by the state-run Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries and wasdeployed in 2011.
  • Rafael claims a success rate of over 90%, with more than 2,000 interceptions, however experts agree the success rate is over 80%.
  • It can protect deployed and manoeuvring forces, as well as the Forward Operating Base (FOB) and urban areas, against a wide range of indirect and aerial threats.
• Components:
  • The Iron Dome has three main systems that work together to provide a shield over the area where it is deployed which are:
  • Radar: It has a detection and tracking radar to spot any incoming threats.
  • Weapon Control: It has a battle management and weapon control system (BMC),
  • Missile Fire: It also has a missile firing unit. The BMC basically liaises between the radar and the interceptor missile.

• Indian Alternatives:
  • S-400 TRIUMF:
    • About:
      • India has S-400 TRIUMF, which also caters to the three threats (rockets, missiles and cruise missiles). But they have much longer range.
      • It has a much larger air defence bubble to knock off threats.
      • It is a mobile, surface-to-air missile system (SAM) designed by Russia.
    • Range & Effectiveness:
      • The system can engage all types of aerial targets within the range of 400km, at an altitude of up to 30km.
      • The system can track 100 airborne targets and engage six of them simultaneously.
  • Prithvi Air Defence and Advance Air Defence:
    • About:
      • It is a double-tiered system consisting of two land and sea-based interceptor missiles, namely the Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) missile for high altitude interception, and the Advanced Air Defence (AAD) Missile for lower altitude interception.
    • Range:
      • It is able to intercept any incoming missile launched 5,000 kilometres away. The system also includes an overlapping network of early warning and tracking radars, as well as command and control posts.
  • Ashwin Advanced Air Defence Interceptor Missile:
    • About:
      • It is also an indigenously produced Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
      • It is the advanced version of the low altitude supersonic ballistic interceptor missile.
      • The missile also has its own mobile launcher, secure data link for interception, independent tracking and homing capabilities and sophisticated radars.
    • Range:
      • It uses an endo-spheric (within the Earth’s atmosphere) interceptor that knocks out ballistic missiles at a maximum altitude of 60,000 to 100,000 feet, and across a range between 90 and 125 miles.

• The infected PVTGs include the Bonda tribe of Malkangiri hills and Dongaria Kondh tribe of Niyamgiri hills.

• Tribal Groups in Odisha:
  • According to the 2011 Census, Odisha’s share of the country’s total tribal population was 9%.
  • The Tribals constitute 22.85% of the State's population.
  • In terms of numbers of its tribal population, Odisha occupies the third position in India.
  • Of the 62 tribal groups residing in Odisha, 13 are recognised as PVTGs.
    • The 13 PVTGs in Odisha are: Bonda, Birhor, Chuktia Bhunjia, Didayi, Dungaria Kandha, Hill Kharia, Juang, Kutia Kondh, Lanjia Saora, Lodha, Mankirdia, Paudi Bhuyan and Saora.
  • Tribal populations are found in the entire seven districts of Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada, and in parts of 6 other districts.
• Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs):
  • Creation of Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs): In 1973, the Dhebar Commission created Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) as a separate category, which are less developed among the tribal groups.
  • In 2006, the Government of India renamed the PTGs as PVTGs.
    • In 1975, the Government of India initiated to identify the most vulnerable tribal groups as a separate category called PVTGs and declared 52 such groups. In 1993 an additional 23 groups were added to the category, making it a total of 75 PVTGs out of 705 Scheduled Tribes.
    • Among the 75 listed PVTG’s the highest number are found in Odisha.
  • Characteristics of PVTGs: The Government classifies PVTGs on their:
    • Relative physical isolation,
    • Stagnant or declining population,
    • Low levels of literacy,
    • Absence of written language,
    • Pre-agricultural stage of economy, such as hunting, food gathering, shifting cultivation and terrace cultivation.
  • Schemes for PVTGs: PVTGs are more vulnerable among the tribal groups. Due to this factor, more developed and assertive tribal groups take a major chunk of the tribal development funds because of which PVTGs need more funds directed for their development.
    • The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has implemented the scheme of “Development of PVTGs” which covers 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) for their comprehensive socio-economic development.
      • Under the scheme, State Governments submit Conservation-cum-Development (CCD) plans on the basis of their requirement.
      • 100% grants-in-aid are made available to States as per the provisions of the scheme.

• In November 2015, the Prime Minister of India inaugurated the statue of Basaveshwara along the bank of the river Thames at Lambeth in London.
  • He was born in Karnataka in 1131 CE.
    • He was an Indian 12^th-century Philosopher, Statesman and a social reformer.
    • He was Lingayat saint in the Shiva-focussed Bhakti movement, and Hindu Shaivite social reformer during the reign of the Kalyani Chalukya/Kalachuri dynasty.
      • The Lingayats are a Hindu sect with a wide following in southern India that worships Shiva as the only deity.
    • He is also known as Bhakti Bhandari (literally, the treasurer of devotion), or Basaveswara (Lord Basava).
• Contribution:
  • Basavanna spread social awareness through his poetry known as Vachanaas.
  • Several important Lingayat works are credited to Basavanna, including Vachana such as the Shat-sthala-vachana, Kala-jnana-vachana, Mantra-gopya, Ghatna Chakra-vachana and Raja-yoga-vachana.
  • Basavanna, like Gautama Buddha, taught people how to live happily in a rational social order which later came to be known as the Sharana movement.
    • The Sharana movement attracted people from all castes, and like most strands of the Bhakti movement, produced a corpus of literature, the vachanas, that unveiled the spiritual universe of the Veerashaiva saints.
  • Basava fought against the inhuman practice of the caste system, which discriminated against people based on their birth.
  • The Anubhava Mantapa established by Basava laid down the foundation of social democracy.
  • Basava believed that man becomes great not by his birth but by his conduct in the society.
  • He taught the dignity of manual labour by insisting on work as worship.
    • He died in 1167 CE.