22nd March 2021
International Pulsar Timing Array
Recently, the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA) approved India’s full membership as the Indian Pulsar Timing Array (InPTA).
- The observations made by upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT) will be used along with the data gathered by some large radio telescopes located in Europe, America and Australia.
- India has become the first Asian country to be a full member of IPTA consortium comprising European Pulsar Timing Array (EPTA), North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) and Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) from Australia.
- India will now be able to obtain improved observations by an order of 5, making the overall data more robust.
- The InPTA and the uGMRT are likely to play significant roles in the detection of nano-hertz GWs and gravitational astronomy with gravitational ways in the future.
What is International Pulsar Timing Array?
- It is the elite league of international radio telescopes that are involved in tracking very low-frequency gravitational waves emerging from two orbiting very large supermassive blackholes.
- Its goal is to detect and characterize the low-frequence gravitational wave universe through timing a global array of approximately 100 millisecond pulsars using the largest radio telescopes in the world.
Indian Pulsar Timing Array (InPTA)
- It was formally set up 2019.
- It has about 25 radio astronomers and research students from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), NCRA, Raman Research Institute, IIT Hyderabad and Indian Institute of Mathematical Sciences.
- It is an experiment aimed at detection of Gravitational waves (GWs) in the sub-microHertz frequency range by observing an ensemble of millisecond pulsars (MSPs).
- It aims to contribute its data and its analysis results to an international effort, called the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA), where three other experiments also contribute data.
What is upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (uGMRT)?
- It is one of the world’s largest and highly sensitive instruments offering a frequency range between 300 to 800 MHz.
- It is the only radio telescope in the world offering this wide a frequency range and sensitivity.
- It is located in Khodad village in Junnar in Pune.
- It is operated by TIFR – National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA).
India prepares to welcome cheetahs from Africa
Recently, the Ministry of Environment has announced that India will receive its first batch of the large cats from Africa by the end of December 2021.
- In 2019, the Supreme Court gave the green signal to the Union Government for the relocation cheetahs from Africa to India.
- The expert committee set up by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change have completed the assessment of the sites for relocation.
- The six sites, which had previously been assessed in 2010, have now been re-assessed by WII i.e.
- Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve and Shergarh Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan; and
- Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kuno National Park, Madhav National Park and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh
- The expert committee has identified Kuno National Park as being ready for the relocation.
Key Highlights
- Namibia and South Africa are the two countries with the highest cheetah populations in the world.
- It is the first time in the world that a large carnivore will be relocated from one continent to another.
Cheetah
- Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat native to Africa and Central Iran.
- It is the fastest land animal which is capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h.
- The animal is believed to have disappeared from the country when Maharaja Ramanuj Pratap Singh Deo of Koriya hunted and shot the last three recorded Asiatic cheetahs in India in 1947.
- Cheetah was declared extinct from India in 1952 and is considered the only large mammal that has gone extinct since the country’s independence.
- According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, cheetah’s population is ‘vulnerable’.
- Cheetah has been protected under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1 July 1975.
Kuno National Park
- It spans across 261 square kilometres and is a part of the Kuno wildlife division with an area of 1,235 square kilometres.
- It has a healthy population of chital, sambar, nilgai, wild pig, chinkara and cattle.
- The leopard and striped hyena are the only larger carnivores within the National Park, with the lone tiger having returned to Ranthambore earlier this year.
Stone from Sita Eliya
Recently, the government has announced that a stone from Sita Eliya will be used in the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
- It is said to mark the place where Goddess Sita was held captive by the Lankan king Ravana and where she regularly prayed to Lord Rama for her rescue.
- A temple in Sita Eliya is dedicated to Goddess Sita.
- The vibrant and colourful temple is known as the Seetha Amman Temple.
- It is found on the top of the rock across a brook are round markings believed to be the footprints of the elephant that belonged to Ravana.
Superbug Candida Auris
Recently, the researchers from the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute in collaboration with the Department of Ocean Studies and Marine Biology, Pondicherry University have identified Superbug Candida Auris.
Superbug Candida Auris
- Candida Auris belongs to the Superbug Candida Auris of the Metschnikowiaceae family of the order Saccharomycetales.
- It is a multidrug resistant pathogen that presents “a serious global threat to human health.
- It has for the first time been identified in the environment, off the coast of South Andaman district in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
- It was first identified in 2009 in a patient in Japan.
- It is a fungus which has now emerged in more than 40 countries across five continents in the last decade.
- The C.auris’ thermal and salinity tolerance is because of its adaptation to global warming, which makes the human body more susceptible as a host.
- The closest known relative of C.auris is C. haemulonii, which was first discovered in 1962 from the gut of a blue-striped grunt fish, the skin of dolphins, and the seawater off the coast of Portugal.
- The institute has for the first time established that the fungus is found in tropical marshes and marine environments, outside hospital environments.
- The study sampled coastal wetlands, including rocky shores, sandy beaches, tidal marshes, and mangrove swamps around the Andaman group of islands.
- The two colonies of C.auris were found at the salt marsh from the composite soil sediment and 22 colonies were found at the beach.
- The viable C.auris was detected in the marine habitat confirms C.auris survival in harsh wetlands.
- The C.auris can be deadly for immunocompromised patients.
- The fungus is deadly when it enters the bloodstream, or inhabits the body of a patient suffering from a serious disease such as cancer.
What are Superbugs?
- A superbug is resistant to all known antibiotics that can cause “severe” infections or even death is spreading undetected through hospital wards across the world.
- The WHO defines AMR as “the ability of a microorganism (like bacteria, viruses, and some parasites) to stop an antimicrobial (such as antibiotics, antivirals and antimalarials) from working against it.
China-Taiwan Clash on Pineapple
Recently, the ties between China and Taiwan, which have historically been rocky over issues such as sovereignty, foreign relations and military build-up, are now being tested by an unusual subject i.e. pineapples.
China’s views on Taiwan’s Pineapple
- In March 2021, China had banned the import of pineapples from Taiwan, alleging there was a risk of “harmful creatures” that could threaten its own agriculture.
- Taiwan has refuted China’s claims of pests being found in imported pineapples, and has gone on to insist that the move is aimed at increasing political pressure on Taiwan.
- The trade between the two amounted to $150.5 billion in 2018, up from $35 billion in 1999.
- China is Taiwan’s largest trading partner, making up nearly 30% of the island’s total trade which includes commerce in agricultural products.
Response from Taiwan on China’s claim
- China said that it would stop pineapple imports from Taiwan but the latter expressed fears that the ban could cause a glut of the produce on the island, and cause its price to fall.
- According to Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture, the island last year exported 10% of the 420,000 tonnes of pineapple that it grows annually, with most of the exports going to China.
About #Freedom Pineapple campaign
- The Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen kicked off a “pineapple challenge” on social media to attract more Taiwanese consumers to buy the fruit and counter China’s move.
- The call was seconded by the de facto embassies of the US and Canada in Taiwan, who posted pictures on social media professing their love for pineapples from the island.
- The campaign also received an enthusiastic response on social media in several other countries, including the UK, US, and India.
- The campaign helped Taiwan receive orders for 5,000 tonnes of the fruit from Japan.
- The Taiwanese government said that it had secured enough orders to cover the loss that would have been caused by the Chinese ban after it launched the #Freedom Pineapple campaign.
Larger dispute between Taiwan and China
- Under its “One China” policy, Beijing considers Taiwan a province of China, even though Taiwan is a democratic, self-ruled country.
- China repeatedly insists that Taiwan should be called “Chinese Taipei”, in efforts to prevent international recognition of Taiwan as a country.
- The dispute first began after the surrender of Japan during World War II, when the island of Taiwan was put under Chinese control.
- Taiwan was internationally recognised as the government of the Republic of China (RoC), and still officially calls itself so.
- Beijing has asserted sovereignty over Taiwan and has consistently tried to quash attempts signifying independence.
Indian OMCs planning to cut oil imports from Saudi Arabia
Recently, the state-owned oil marketing companies are set to cut crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia.
Reasons of cutting oil imports
- The cut in oil imports is in response to sustained production cuts by the OPEC+ countries amid rising crude oil prices.
- OPEC+ had cut crude oil production levels during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic as the price of Brent crude fell to below $20 per barrel.
- It is the consistent rise in crude oil prices has contributed to auto fuel prices reaching record highs in India as it import over 80 per cent of its crude oil requirements.
- Saudi Arabia alone has extended a 1 million barrel per day production cut through April contributing to elevated crude oil prices.
Impact of rising crude oil prices on India
- The consistent rise in crude oil pieces has led to the prices of petrol and diesel reaching record high level across India with the price of petrol crossing Rs 100 per litre in some parts of the country.
- The prices of both petrol and diesel have risen by Rs 7.5 per litre since the beginning of the year despite oil marketing companies partially absorbing the impact of higher crude oil prices.
- The rising crude oil prices have also magnified the impact of central and state taxes on auto fuels which were hiked significantly in 2020 to boost revenues amid lower economic activity.
- The government officials noted that oil marketing companies are unlikely to keep prices stable at current levels if crude oil pieces remain elevated.
Implication of cutting down oil imports
- Saudi Arabia which has consistently been the second-largest source of crude oil for India after Iraq was displaced by the United States.
- India imported 2.88 million tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia in January according to data collated by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics.
- The reduction in crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia would likely lead to increased imports from other gulf countries and the United States.
- Saudi Arabia will however continue to be one of the largest sources for the import of crude oil for India due to its geographical proximity and India’s large crude oil requirements.
- The Industry analysts noted that the move to diversify crude oil sourcing was also a tactic to get a better discount on procurement which is generally difficult in a rising crude price environment.
- India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer, imports more than 80% of its oil needs and relies heavily on the Middle East.
Importance of Jaapi, Xorai and Gamosa in Assam
Recently, the decorative jaapis (field hats), hand-woven gamosas and bell-metal xorais are making frequent appearances in Assam as the polling date draws closer.
Jaapi
- It is a conical hat made of bamboo and covered with dried tokou (a palm tree found in rainforests of Upper Assam) leaves.
- The landscape of rural Assam features a more utilitarian version of jaapi, which farmers wear to protect themselves from the harsh weather, both sun and rain, while working in the fields.
- The decorated ones, on the other hand, are used to felicitate people who visit Assam VIPs, politicians etc.
- The first possible recorded use of jaapi dates back to the Ahom-era buranjis, or chronicles.
- It was also seen and popularised in the first Assamese film, Joymati (1935) made by cultural icon Jyotiprasad Agarwala.
- The bulk of Assam’s jaapis are made by artisans based in a cluster of villages in Nalbari district.
Xorai
- It is made of bell-metal.
- It is essentially a tray with a stand at the bottom, with or without a cover.
- It can be found in every Assamese household.
- It is primarily used as an offering tray during prayers, or to serve tamale-paan (betel-nut) to guests.
- The bulk of xorais in Assam are made in the state’s bell metal hub Sarthebari in Bajali district.
- It was used during the time of Vaishnavite reformer Sankardeva.
Gamosa
- The Gamosa, which literally translates to a cloth to wipe one’s body, is omnipresent in Assam, with wide-ranging uses.
- It can be used at home as a towel (uka gamosa) or in public functions (phulam/floral gamosa) to felicitate dignitaries or celebrities.
- It is a “symbol of the Assamese nation”.
- Its use in that context can be traced back to 1916 and 1917 when the Asom Chatra Sanmillan (first student organisation) and Asom Sahitya Sabha (premier literary organisation) were founded.
- It assumed a new role only during the anti-foreigner Assam Agitation of the early 1980s, when Assamese nationalism reached its crescendo.
SAAMAR Campaign
Recently, the Jharkhand government has announced the launch of SAAMAR campaign.
The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey conducted in the state during March 2017 to July 2017 hs stated that:
-
- 36% of under five years of age are stunted—height for age,
- 29% are affected from wasting—weight for height, and
- 45% are underweight—weight for age, indicating the status of undernutrition.
- The National Family Health Survey-4 data states that every second child in the state is stunted and underweight.
- It also states that every third child is affected by stunting and every 10th child is affected from severe wasting and around 70% children are anemic.
SAAMAR Campaign
- SAAMAR stands for Strategic Action for Alleviation of Malnutrition and Anemia Reduction.
- The campaign is aimed to tackle malnutrition in the state.
- It aims to identify anemic women and malnourished children and converge various departments to effectively deal with the problem in a state where malnutrition has been a major problem.
- It has been launched with a 1000 days target, under which annual surveys will be conducted to track the progress.
- It talks of convergence between Rural Development Department and Food and Civil Supplies and engagement with school management committees, gram sabhas among others and making them aware of nutritional behaviour.
- It will capitalize on the Tejaswini Project functioning in the 17 districts of the state where 12, 800 youth communities are being trained in various skills, entrepreneurship and for jobs.
- It will start with every panchayat which will be treated as a unit and there will be 8-10 parameters to tackle the nutritional issue.
- Nutrition Sabhas will be conducted and the Mukhiyas will work along with every village’s Anganwadi Sevika, Sahayika, Poshan Sakhi, School Management Committee President, and Jal Sahiya among others.
- A social audit will be conducted after which a panchayat will be given the tag of Malnutrition Free Panchayat.
Right to Counsel in Custody
Recently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a special court in Mumbai that the arrested assistant police inspector Sachin Waze was insisting on his lawyer being present during interrogation.
Rights of an accused related to access to lawyer
- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights affirms the right of an accused to be informed of the reasons for an arrest, the charges against him and the right to be provided legal assistance.
- The “Miranda rights” or “Miranda warning” require a police officer to inform a suspect being arrested that he has the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before being questioned, and the right to have a lawyer with him during questioning.
- In India, the safeguards available to a person in such circumstances are enshrined in the Constitution.
- Article 20 (3) states that no person accused of any offence shall be compelled to be a witness against himself.
- Article 22 states that a person cannot be denied the right to consult and to be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice.
- It includes provisions that grant an accused the “right to consult” a lawyer.
- The section 41D of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) states that an accused is entitled to “meet an advocate of his choice during interrogation, though not throughout interrogation”.
What does the law say on lawyers’ access during interrogation?
- Unlike in some countries, the lawyers in India are not allowed to be with an accused throughout their investigation.
- The courts also rely on the Supreme Court judgment in the D K Basu case of 1997, considered the guiding principles to be followed by investigating agencies in cases of arrest or detention.
- The judgment states that “an arrestee may be permitted to meet his lawyer during interrogation, though not throughout the interrogation”.
- The Supreme Court stressed that the safeguards for accused, but also spoke of “difficulties in detection of crimes”, especially in cases of “hardcore criminals”.
- It ruled that a lawyer cannot be permitted to remain present throughout the interrogation.
Police v/s Judicial custody
- Whenever a person is arrested by police or investigating agency and detained in custody and if the investigation cannot be completed in 24 hours, the person is mandated to be produced before a magistrate court.
- The section 167 of CrPC and subsequent provisions lay down procedures that may follow in various scenarios.
- The magistrate may further remand the person to custody of police for a period not more than 15 days as a whole.
- The police custody means that the person is confined at a lock up or remains in the custody of the officer.
- After lapse of 15 days or the police custody period granted by the magistrate, the person may be further remanded to judicial custody.
- The judicial custody means that the person is detained under the purview of the judicial magistrate is lodged in central or state prison.
- In judicial custody, the person can apply for a bail as per the CrPC chapter 33 pertaining to the bails and bonds.
- The judicial custody can extend up to 60 or 90 days as a whole, depending upon the maximum punishment prescribed for the offence.
- An undertrial person cannot remain in judicial custody beyond half the time period of prescribed maximum punishment.
Difference between Judicial and Police Custodies
- In police custody, the investigating authority can interrogate a person while in judicial custody, officials need permission of the court for questioning.
- In police custody, the person has the right to legal counsel, right to be informed of the grounds which the police have to ensure.
- In the judicial custody in jails, while the person under responsibility of the magistrate, the Prison Manual comes into picture for routine conduct of the person.
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