Delhi Chief Minister has recently been imprisoned due to corruption charges related to the liquor policy in Delhi

Liquor Policy In India:

• In India, the Central Government sets guidelines for import duties on foreign liquor and formulates national-level policies on alcohol advertising and marketing.
• State Governments control liquor under the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution, allowing them to impose state-specific excise duties and taxes, issue licenses for liquor sales and distribution, set regulations including operating hours for liquor stores and bars, and even prohibit alcohol in certain states like Gujarat and Bihar.
• The Supreme Court banned the sale of liquor on all national and state highways in 2017.
• Different states adopt varied approaches to liquor policy; for instance, Haryana and Delhi focus on revenue from alcohol sales, while Gujarat and Bihar enforce prohibition due to cultural and socio-economic reasons respectively. Tamil Nadu regulates sales through its State Marketing Corporation to enhance safety, responding to past tragedies.

Key facts:

• India ranks as the world''s 3rd largest market for alcoholic beverages, following China and Russia.
• Karnataka was the largest-selling state for liquor in 2022-23.

World Trade Organisation (WTO) has published the latest Global Trade Outlook and Statistics Report

Global Trade Outlook and Statistics Report:

World Merchandise Trade volume:

• It is projected to grow 2.6% in 2024 and 3.3% in 2025, following a larger-than-expected decline of -1.2% in 2023.
• By the end of 2023, merchandise trade volume was up 6.3% compared to 2019. Commercial services also increased, with annual US$ values up 21% between 2019 and 2023.
• India’s share of global goods exports was 1.8% in 2023 and imports was 2.8%.

World Real GDP Growth at market exchange rates :

• It is slowed from 3.1% in 2022 to 2.7% in 2023 but is expected to remain mostly stable over the next two years at 2.6% in 2024 and 2.7% in 2025.
• linked to inflationary pressuresThe contrast between the steady growth of GDP and the slowdown in merchandise trade volume is linked to inflationary pressures, which had a downward effect on consumption of trade-intensive goods.

US Dollar Value of Merchandise Counterbalanced by Commercial Services Trade :

• The US dollar value of global merchandise trade dropped by 5% to US$ 24.01 trillion. However, this decline was largely counterbalanced by a robust 9% increase in commercial services trade, reaching US$ 7.54 trillion.
• In global commercial services, India’s share in exports is seen 4.4% in 2023 at $344 billion, up 11% on-year whereas imports is seen as 3.4% at flat at $247 billion.
• Reasons Behind the Shift : The decrease in merchandise exports can be attributed in part to the declining prices of commodities like oil and gas. Conversely, the upsurge in commercial services trade was fueled by the resurgence of international travel and the booming market for digitally delivered services.

Digitally Delivered Services :

• India is now 4th largest exporter of Digitally Delivered Services (India’s share rose to 6% in 2023 from 4.4% in 2019)and reached $257 billion in 2023 in the World, marking a 17% increase compared to the previous year.
• This growth outpaced that of Germany and China, which saw 4% growth each.
• Future Outlook :  In 2024 and 2025, inflation is expected to gradually abate, allowing real incomes to grow again in advanced economies, boosting consumption of manufactured goods.
• A recovery of demand for tradable goods in 2024 is already evident. This is related to an increase in household consumption linked to improved income prospects.

Challenges in Global Trade:

• The report highlights concerns about trade fragmentation, noting a 6% decline in the trade of intermediate goods, though non-intermediate goods trade has remained stable.
• Geographical challenges also pose significant issues:
  • The Panama Canal is currently operating at partial capacity due to freshwater shortages, impacting 6% of the global trade volume.
  • The Suez Canal, responsible for about 12% of global trade, faces complications in its operations due to attacks on vessels.
  • Trade route diversions, particularly the necessity to use the Cape of Good Hope route, have added around ten days to the travel time for journeys between Asia and Europe.

Toxic hand sanitisers! US recalls several lots of methanol (CH3OH)-containing products over risk of ‘permanent blindness, coma’

Methanol:

• Methanol is a colourless, volatile, and flammable liquid with a faintly sweet pungent odor; it is completely soluble in water and is used as an alternative fuel.
• It is also known as wood alcohol. It can completely mix with water.
• Production: Preparing methanol is based on the direct combination of carbon monoxide gas and hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst. Increasingly, syngas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide derived from biomass, is used for methanol production.
• This substance finds applications in the production of synthetic dyestuffs, copy machine fluid, gas line antifreeze, pharmaceuticals, and perfumes.
• Exposure to methanol can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, blurred vision, coma, seizures, permanent blindness, damage to the central nervous system, or death.
• Treatment for methanol poisoning involves administering ethanol or fomepizole, which serve as antidotes.

ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research (ICAR-IISR), Kozhikodei has developed and validated three new microbial formulations based on granular lime and gypsum

Novel microbial formulations:

• These formulations, namely Bactolime, Bactogypsum, and Trichogypsum, are developed to address soil pH imbalances and deliver beneficial microorganisms efficiently.

Bactolime:

• Bactolime, the first formulation, combines liming material with beneficial bacteria for promoting plant growth known as Rhizobacteria in a single product.
• The beneficial bacteria, being a potential tool for sustainable agriculture, not only ensure the availability of essential nutrients to plants but also help in enhancing nutrient use efficiency.
• ''Bactolime'' integrates liming material and beneficial bacteria to serve the dual function of ameliorating low soil pH and delivering plant beneficial bacteria through a single product.

Bactogypsum and Trichogypsum: Soil pH Management

• The other two formulations, Bactogypsum and Trichogypsum, are gypsum-based.
• Trichogypsum ensures the delivery of Trichoderma, which is a fungal biocontrol agent.
• Bactogypsum ensures the simultaneous delivery of plant-beneficial bacteria.
• Both work by buffering the soil pH to a near-neutral level, creating an optimal environment for the establishment of microbes.
• This improves soil physical condition, increases the availability of secondary nutrients, and enhances overall microbial activity.

Gypsum

• Gypsum is a soft, non-metallic mineral widely used in various applications such as plaster, drywall, and chalk production.
• It also serves as a fertilizer, supplying crops with calcium and sulfur.

‘Adjudicating Authority’ of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

Adjudicating Authority: 

• Under PMLA, an adjudicating authority determines within 180 days whether the properties attached by the ED are involved in money laundering or not.

Functioning:

• Section 5 of the PMLA: It provides for the attachment of any property that is suspected to have been acquired with the proceeds of crime in a case of any offense that is listed in the schedule of the law. 
• Provisional attachment order: It is valid for a period of 180 days within which the Adjudicating Authority (appointed by the central government) must confirm the attachment, failing which the property is automatically released from attachment.
• The accused can continue to enjoy the property until the Adjudicating Authority confirms the attachment, after which the ED has the power to claim possession.

What happens after the Adjudicating Authority confirms the attachment?

• Once ED claims possessions, the property shall remain out of bounds for the owner until the trial is completed.

• Following final confirmation, in case of a residential property, the ED will ask the owner to vacate the premises along with his belongings, and will take over possession.

• Case of a conviction:  The trial court may order confiscation of the attached property, and vest the rights to the property with the central government.
• Right to Appeal: The accused can challenge the Adjudicating Authority’s confirmation order at the PMLA’s Appellate Tribunal within 45 days. If the Appellate Tribunal too confirms the order, the accused can file a plea in the High Court, and so on.

The forest department is monitoring an outbreak of mange among a pack of Asiatic wild dogs in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris

Mange Disease:

• It is a skin disease of animals caused by mite infestations, characterized by inflammation, itching, thickening of the skin, and hair loss.
• The most severe form of mange is caused by varieties of the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which also causes human scabies.
• Some form of mange is known in all domestic animals, although many varieties of mange mites infest only one species.
• Transmission: They are transmitted between animals by direct contact and by objects that have been in contact with infected animals. Most forms of mange are treatable.

Key facts about Asiatic wild dogs:

• It is a wild canid found in the forests of central, south, and southeast Asia. 
• Other Names: Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red wolf, red dog and mountain wolf.

Distribution:

• They are found throughout Eastern and Southeastern Asia.
• They can be seen as far north as Siberia, as far south as some Malaysian islands, and as far west as the Indian peninsula. 
• They are found in three clusters across India, namely the Western and Eastern Ghats, the central Indian landscape and North East India. The Western and Eastern Ghats is a stronghold region for dholes.
• Habitat: Dholes are animals that inhabit dense jungles, steppes, mountains, scrub forests, and pine forests.

Conservation status:

• IUCN Red List: Endangered
• The Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule II
• CITES: Appendix II

The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu launched India's first home-grown gene therapy (NexCAR19) for cancer at IIT Bombay

 Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy:

• CAR-T cell therapy is a type of cancer treatment that modifies a patient’s immune cells to target cancer cells more effectively.

Process of CAR-T Cell Therapy:

• T cells are derived from bone marrow stem cells and are essential components of the immune system responsible for defending the body against infections.
• These cells are a type of white blood cell
• It is extracted through a procedure called leukapheresis.
• These T cells are then modified in a laboratory to express proteins calledchimeric antigen receptors (CARs).
• The CAR has different parts that help it recognize cancer cell antigens and activate the immune system.
• Each CAR stretches across the cell membrane, with parts outside and inside the cell.
• Outside, there are fragments of antibodies made in the lab. 
• It is chosen because they stick well to the target.
• Inside, there are two components that send signals when the receptor meets an antigen.
• The gene that makes the CAR is artificially created in the laboratory.
• They then use a carrier called a vector to deliver this gene into the patient’s T-cells. 
• Viral vectors, like lentiviral vectors,are often used in this process. 
• The modified T cells are then multiplied in the lab before being infused back into the patient’s body.
• The patient usually undergoes chemotherapy before receiving the CAR-T cells. 

FDA Approval:

• The FDA has given the green light to six CAR-T cell therapies so far.
• Four of these therapies are aimed at a protein called CD19 found on the surface of leukemia and lymphoma cells.

NexCAR19: Similarities and Differences:

• NexCAR19 shares similarities with these therapies as it also targets CD19.
• NexCAR19 is a CAR-T therapy developed in India.

Difference between US-developed therapies and NexCAR19:

• In the US, CAR-T cell therapies use antibody fragments from mice.
• NexCAR19, on the other hand, has human proteins mixed with the mouse antibodies, making it more ‘human-like.’
• Objective:This modification aims to enhance the therapy’s safety profile and effectiveness.

Applications of  CAR T-cell therapy:

• It is mainly used for certain types of blood cancers:
• B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
• Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
• Follicular lymphoma.
• High-grade B-cell lymphoma.
• Mantle cell lymphoma
• Multiple myeloma.
• Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma.

Risks of CAR-T therapy:

• Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS): This is the most common side effect and involves an intense inflammatory response. 
• This can cause Fever, Chills, Fatigue, Muscle aches, Nausea and vomiting, Difficulty breathing, Low blood pressure
• In severe cases, it can be life-threatening.
• Neurotoxicity: It can affect the nervous system and cause Confusion, Tremors, Seizures, Difficulty speaking. Loss of coordination. 
• Increased Risk of Infections: CAR-T therapy weakens the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight off infections. This is especially concerning because many patients receiving CAR-T therapy are already battling cancer.
• Low Blood Cell Counts: Treatment can decrease the production of important blood cells, leading to Fatigue, Increased risk of bleeding, Higher chance of infection. 

Challenges before CAR-T therapy implementation in India:

• Limited access to primary healthcare:  Primary healthcare facilities are a challenge in many parts of India. 

• This can be a barrier for patients considering CAR-T therapy, as this therapy requires close monitoring and management by specialists throughout the process.

• Concentration of cancer treatment facilities:  Cancer treatment facilities, especially those equipped for advanced therapies like CAR-T, are concentrated in metropolitan areas.

• This can create a disparity for patients in remote locations who may not be able to easily access the therapy or the required follow-up care.

• Infrastructure for managing side effects:  CAR-T therapy has various side effects, particularly cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Therefore, it requires intensive care support. 

• However, the limited availability of such facilities in some areas could be a challenge.

• Immunocompromised patients:  CAR-T therapy itself can leave patients immunocompromised, making them more susceptible to infections.  India’s healthcare system may not be universally equipped to handle such cases effectively, especially in areas with limited resources.
• High Cost:  Even though NexCAR19 is a more affordable option compared to similar treatments abroad, it remains expensive for many Indian patients, ranging from ₹40 to 45 lakh. 

• There are multiple aspects that contribute to the high cost of NexCAR19 production. These include Labor expenses, Logistics, Materials, Facility costs, Marketing, distribution, and intellectual property development.