Asia Tea Alliance discourages promotion of genetically modified tea

• The meeting of the Asia Tea Alliance (ATA) held on November 7 brought together tea producers from several Asian countries, including India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 
• The discussions centered on key industry concerns such as climate change, genetically modified tea, and market diversification.
• The alliance’s primary objectives include strengthening tea trade, fostering cultural and technological exchanges, and increasing tea’s global appeal. 
• A key focus is to encourage worldwide tea consumption and to develop sustainable practices that secure the future of tea production across Asia.

What are GM crops and how is it done?

• Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”.
• It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species. Foods produced from or using GMOs are often referred to as GM foods.
• Resistance against insects is achieved by incorporating into the food plant the gene for toxin production from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). 
• Virus resistance is achieved through the introduction of a gene from certain viruses which cause disease in plants. Herbicide tolerance is achieved through the introduction of a gene from a bacterium conveying resistance to some herbicides. 
• GM crops can mitigate several current challenges in commercial agriculture. Current market trends project them as one of the fastest growing and innovative global industries, which not only benefit growers but also consumers and major country economies.
• However, some experts say that GM foods can have harmful effects on the human body. It is believed that consumption of these genetically engineered foods can cause the development of diseases which are immune to antibiotics.

Are GM crops allowed in India?

• Bt cotton was the only GM crop approved in 2002 by the GEAC for commercial cultivation in the country.
• Cultivation of other unapproved GM crops was banned in India. Few incidences of suspected open cultivation of Bt brinjal and herbicide-tolerant Bt cotton (HTBT) cotton were reported in Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
• The department of agriculture, cooperation and farmers welfare have issued advisories to states to take appropriate necessary action to curb and control the spread of Bt Brinjal and HTBT cotton. 
• State governments have given directions to all district administrations to take necessary legal steps to curb the production and sale of illegal GM crops.

India is world’s second-largest producer of tea

• The Indian tea industry holds a prominent position globally, ranking as the world’s second-largest producer of tea. In terms of production, northern India dominates, accounting for approximately 83 per cent of the nation’s total tea output in the 2021-22 period. 
• Most of this production is concentrated in Assam, followed by West Bengal. 
• Assam’s tea cultivation is primarily centered in two regions: the Assam Valley and Cachar. 
• In West Bengal, the primary tea-growing areas are Dooars, Terai, and the famous Darjeeling region.
• South India contributes around 17 per cent of India’s tea production, with Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka as the main tea-producing states. 
• Nationwide, India’s tea production reached 1,283 million kilograms in the 2020-21 fiscal year.
• India is also one of the leading tea-consuming countries worldwide, with the domestic market consuming 80 per cent of the tea produced within the country. 
• This high domestic demand underscores tea’s cultural significance and widespread popularity across various regions.

Advantages of Genetically Modified Crops

GM Crops have several advantages which include:

• Better than conventional breeding: Genetic Modification is one of the best methods to develop pest-resistant crops such as Bt crops.
• It is faster to introduce the required traits than by the conventional breeding process.
• It enables genetic modification in such a way that may not have been possible through conventional breeding methods, such as the introduction of a gene from different organisms.
• Pest resistance: The Bt genes are toxic to many pests, thus eliminating the need for externally applied chemicals.
• This reduces the need for environmentally damaging pesticides.
• This increases yield, saves farmers’ money and reduces environmental pollution.
• Virus resistance: Virus-resistant traits can be introduced into vulnerable plants that lack natural resistance.
• This increases the productivity of crops.
• Drought-resistant plants: Plants can be modified to express tolerance to drought hence, it reduces the use of groundwater.
• Herbicide tolerance: GM crops are engineered to be resistant to specific herbicides that can be used to control weeds.
• It reduces soil erosion because the weed removal process such as ploughing and tilling is not required for these crops.
• This also reduces soil, water and air pollution.
• Sustainable agricultural practice: Genetically modified crops enable farmers to use more sustainable agricultural practices, such as no-till farming, which keeps the carbon within the soil rather than in the atmosphere.
• Enhanced nutritional value: Food crops can be modified genetically to increase their nutritional value.
• This can be beneficial to health, and increase food security around the world.

Disadvantages of Genetically Modified Crops

The unknown consequences of GM crops that can lead to the horizontal gene transfer of pesticide, herbicide, or antibiotic resistance thereby affecting the metabolism and response to the external environmental stimulus of the hosts are some of the concerns of this technology.

• Impact on Health: Horizontal gene transfer of pesticide, herbicide, or antibiotic resistance to other organisms would put not only humans at risk but also cause ecological imbalances by causing the spread of disease among both plants as well as in animals.
• Impact of herbicide-tolerant crops: Herbicide overuse in fields may allow weeds to develop resistance to them.
• For example: Glyphosate has been used as a herbicide in the United States since 1974, and its widespread usage has resulted in glyphosate-resistant weeds.
• Impact of pest resistance:Pests may acquire resistance to pest-resistant traits such as Bt toxins produced by the Genetically Modified crop, which can overcome the efficacy of these crops.
• Impact on genetic diversity in crop varieties: Concerns have been raised about the possibility of GM crops reducing the genetic diversity of neighbouring crops, close relatives, and weeds.
• Herbicide-resistant weeds: Weeds may also cross-breed with herbicide-tolerant crops, resulting in herbicide-tolerant weeds, which is more worrisome.
• Effect on honeybees and other pollinators:There is a worldwide growing concern that Genetically Modified crops may endanger the honeybee population and other pollinators.

Applications of GM Crops

Following are some of the applications of GM technology in plants that are being used today.

• Biofortification: Biofortification is the process of enhancing micronutrient content. 
• Genetic modification has proved to be the best method for biofortification. 
• Example: β-carotene-enriched ‘Golden Rice’ was the first application of GM biofortification in 2000.
• It can also prevent many diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

• Edible Vaccines: Edible vaccines can be produced from GM plants.
• They offer many benefits than the traditional ones due to lower manufacturing costs and much fewer side effects.
• Biofuels: Fourth-generation biofuels, which is biofuel obtained from genetically modified (GM) algae and cyanobacteria, have gained considerable attention.
• Phytoremediation: Genetic modification can be utilised to clean up soil and water pollutants by expressing the particular genes that express enzymes dealing with these pollutants.

India and GM Crops

There is an array of GM crops, brinjal, tomato, maize, and chickpea which are in various stages of trials in India. India is one of the leading producers of Genetically Modified crops in the world.

Regulatory Framework

Stringent laws are in place to address threats to animal health, human safety, and biodiversity in general during the development, cultivation, and transboundary movement of GM crops.

• Statutory bodies on GM crop regulation:

• Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RDAC): It monitors the development of biotechnology at national and international levels.
• Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM): It reviews ongoing projects involving high-risk and controlled field experiments.
  • It also approves the applications for generating research information on GM plants.
• Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC): It is responsible for the overall evaluation of proposals related to the release of GM organisms as well as products into the environment. It works under the Ministry of Environment.
  • GEAC Safety Assessment tests: Molecular characterisation, food safety studies, and Environmental safety studies including field trials, impact on soil, pollen flow studies, etc.
    • The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) functions under the environment ministry. As per Rules, 1989, it is responsible for the appraisal of activities involving large-scale use of hazardous microorganisms and recombinants in research and industrial production from the environmental angle.
    • The committee is also responsible for the appraisal of proposals relating to release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms and products into the environment, including experimental field trials.
    • It has 24 members and meets every month to review the applications in the areas indicated above.
• State Biotechnology Coordination Committee (SBCC): It reviews safety measures in various institutions handling GM organisms and acts as the state-level nodal agency in this regard.

Status of GM Crops in India

• Bt-Cotton: In 2002, India commercialised Bt Cotton, which resulted in a significant improvement in cotton production, export, and the textile industry.
• It is the only approved GM crop for commercial cultivation in 2002. 
• It was created to combat the widespread infestation of bollworms.
• Bt-Brinjal: The fruit and borer-resistant Bt-brinjal was approved for commercial cultivation by GEAC in 2009, but it was put on a 10-year moratorium due to public outrage and recommendations from brinjal-growing states.
• GEAC has approved field trials of new varieties of indigenously developed Bt-brinjal in eight states from 2020 to 2023.
• GM Mustard: Commercial cultivation of high-yielding GM mustard in India has not begun yet.

Animal Health Security

•  The central government recently launched a project 'Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response' initiative to better monitor animal health for the prevention of future pandemics.
• The project aims to strengthen India’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to animal health threats, reducing zoonotic disease risks through enhanced surveillance, laboratory systems, and regional collaboration.

 Funding:

• The project is funded by the Pandemic Fund established by the G20 countries, which aims to help low- and middle-income countries improve their pandemic preparedness. The fund’s first round raised $2 billion, and India’s project received a $25 million grant.

Implementing organization:

• Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Need for the Projects:

 The grant will finance activities across the following key areas:

Expected outcomes

• The Project is expected to increase the efficiency of laboratory systems to detect pathogens of epidemic potential and to equip labs to handle high consequence biological agents; improve integrated surveillance systems capacity to provide accurate and timely data; strengthen veterinarian and paraprofessionals’ capacity to meet the competency requirement for a quadripartite One Health; and improve institutional capacity to support operationalization of the country’s One Health policy. 

FSSAI asks states to enhance surveillance at tourist destinations

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) held its 45th Central Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting in New Delhi on November 7. 
• It urged states and Union Territories to ramp up surveillance at popular tourist destinations to ensure heightened safety standards in preparation for the upcoming tourist season.
• Keeping in mind the high footfall of both domestic as well as international tourists at popular destinations during the season, states/UTs were advised to utilise Food Safety on Wheels Mobile Labs at these tourist spots.
• It also asked state authorities to increase surveillance in warehouses of e-commerce operators and issue standard operating procedures (SoPs) for delivery personnel to ensure safe food to consumers.
• Over 60 officials participated in the meeting, including Commissioners of Food Safety (CFS), representatives from States and UTs, senior FSSAI officials, and members from the food industry, consumer groups, agriculture sector, laboratories, and research bodies.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

• • The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which consolidates various Acts and orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various ministries and departments. 
• The FSSAI is a statutory body established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

 FSSAI was created for laying down scientific standards for food articles and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

The main functions of FSSAI include:

• i) Setting globally benchmarked regulations, standards and guidelines.
• ii) Facilitating compliance through licensing, registration, inspection and improved laboratory network.
• iii) Building capacity of regulatory staff as well as food business operators.
• iv) Driving public health initiatives in the true spirit of convergence.
• v) Leveraging IEC (Information, Education & Communication) and BCC (behaviour change communication) techniques to build a food safety culture.
• vi) Embracing technology to streamline processes. 
• vii) Forging strategic partnerships to generate and exchange knowledge and best practices.

International Day for PEEWAC

• The International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict is observed annually on November 6, with the aim of raising awareness about the often-overlooked environmental impacts of armed conflicts. 
• Established by the UN General Assembly in 2001, this day serves as a reminder that environmental degradation during wars not only harms ecosystems but also jeopardizes livelihoods and health for generations to come. 
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights that over 40% of internal conflicts in the last six decades have been linked to natural resource exploitation, emphasizing the need for sustainable management to prevent such conflicts from arising. 
• Activities on this day include seminars, discussions, and educational events that promote understanding of how military actions can lead to severe environmental consequences, such as pollution, habitat destruction, and resource depletion. 
• The observance also calls for integrating environmental considerations into conflict prevention and peacebuilding efforts to foster long-lasting peace and sustainability.

SC overturns 1967 verdict that nixed Aligarh Muslim University’s minority status

• A seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court overturned its 1967 decision in the Azeez Basha case that denied minority status for the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), holding that its status would need to be re-assessed based on principles and direction defined in the present judgment.
• The court issued four separate judgments, with the Chief Justice writing the majority opinion, joined by Justices Sanjiv Khanna, J.B. Pardiwala, and Manoj Misra. 
• However, three judges — Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Satish Chandra Sharma — presented dissenting opinions. 

Highlights of the judgment:

• Supreme Court Ruling on Minority Status: A seven-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), ruled that a legislation or an executive action that discriminated against religious or linguistic minorities in establishing or administering educational institutions, was ultra vires Article 30(1) of the Constitution. The view taken in Azeez Basha vs Union of India (1967) that an educational institution is not established by a minority if it derives its legal character through a statute, is overruled.
• Article 30 deals with the right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions. Article 30(1) says all minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
• Review Ordered: The Supreme Court directed that case papers be placed before the CJI to potentially set up a new bench to review the validity of the 2006 Allahabad High Court ruling that had invalidated the 1981 law granting AMU minority status.
• 1981 Amendment’s Insufficiency: The court observed that the 1981 amendment to the AMU Act, which aimed to re-establish AMU’s minority status, fell short of fully restoring the university’s original character as a minority institution before the 1951 changes.

Timeline of the AMU minority status legal row

• The imperial legislature passed the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Act, 1920.
• The AMU Act was amended by the AMU (Amendment) Act, 1951, and AMU (Amendment) Act, 1965.
• In 1967, a five-judge Constitution bench in the Azeez Basha vs Union of India case held that since AMU was a central university, it cannot be considered a minority institution.
• In 1981, a two-judge bench of the apex court questioned the correctness of the verdict in the Azeez Basha case and referred the matter to a bench of seven judges.
• AMU got back its minority status when Parliament passed the AMU (Amendment) Act in 1981.
• In January 2006, the Allahabad High Court struck down the provision of the 1981 law by which AMU was accorded the minority status. Later, appeals were filed in the Supreme Court challenging the high court verdict.
• In February 2019, a three-judge bench of the apex court referred the matter to a seven-judge bench.
• On January 9, 2024, a seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud commenced hearing arguments on the vexed question of minority status of AMU.
• On February 1, 2024, the seven-judge bench reserved its verdict on the issue. 

Different cases in Supreme Court related to minority community

• T.M.A. Pai Foundation Case (2002)
• This landmark case examined the rights of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions under Article 30 of the Indian Constitution.
• The Supreme Court ruled that both religious and linguistic minorities should be identified on a state-by-state basis, rather than at the national level, for the purposes of Article 30. This meant that what constitutes a minority community could vary from one state to another.
• This interpretation provided clarity for minority communities in establishing educational institutions, acknowledging regional diversity within the definition of minorities.

Bal Patil Case (2005)

• The Supreme Court, in its judgment in the Bal Patil case, revisited the principles set forth in the T.M.A. Pai ruling.
• The court reiterated that the unit for determining the minority status of religious and linguistic communities should be the “state”, as established in the T.M.A. Pai case.
• This judgment further solidified the stance that minority status is state-specific, reinforcing state-level autonomy in determining the rights of religious and linguistic minorities to establish and manage educational institutions.

P.A. Inamdar Case (2005)

• The Inamdar case addressed issues around state-imposed reservations in private unaided institutions, including professional colleges.
•  The Supreme Court ruled that the state could not enforce its reservation policies on private unaided minority or non-minority educational institutions. The court declared that reservation in such institutions, particularly those unaided and private, was unconstitutional.
• This decision protected the autonomy of private and minority institutions from state-imposed reservation policies, allowing them greater independence in admissions and administration.

The Rise of Ozempic- a semaglutide-based drug for weight management.

 What is Ozempic Drug and how does it work?

• Ozempic is a prescription injectable drug known generically as semaglutide.
• Working of Ozempic: It mimics the hormone GLP-1, which helps regulate blood sugar by stimulating insulin release and slowing glucose release from the liver.
• FDA Approval: Approved in 2017 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for managing blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes.
• In 2021, the FDA approved another form of semaglutide, Wegovy, for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or weight-related health conditions (e.g., high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol).

Benefits of Semaglutide beyond Diabetes

• Blood Sugar Control: Effective in maintaining stable blood sugar levels without causing hypoglycemia, a common side effect of insulin.
• Cardiovascular and Renal Health: Reduces risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney-related issues in high-risk patients.
• Weight Loss: Reduces weight gain associated with insulin use in diabetic patients

Concerns regarding Ozempic use

• Side Effects: Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, bloating, and more severe risks like pancreatitis and stomach paralysis, which affect tolerability for some patients.
• “Ozempic Face”: Rapid weight loss from Ozempic can lead to facial aging and skin sagging, which some patients find concerning.
• Cost and Accessibility: Ozempic is expensive, making it difficult for many patients to afford, especially in countries where health insurance may not cover such medications.
• Misuse for Weight Loss: Despite FDA approval only for diabetes, many non-diabetic individuals are using Ozempic for weight loss, risking side effects without medical oversight.
• Dependency and Rebound Weight Gain: If patients stop using Ozempic, they may regain weight quickly, as the drug requires long-term or lifetime use for sustained results.

What is the World Urban Forum?

 • The 12th edition of the World Urban Forum (WUF) wrapped up on November 8 with the adoption of the ‘Cairo Call to Action’, after intense discussions focused on the global housing crisis and financing urbanisation.

• The conference took place from November 4 to 8 in Cairo, Egypt.

• WUF12, convened biennially by UN-Habitat, explored urbanisation through dialogues, roundtables, assemblies, and partner-led events. Over 63,000 people, in person or online, attended dialogues, sessions and discussions. 

• The theme of WUF12 was “It All Starts at Home”.

• The delegations adopted the Cairo Call to Action, pledging to act with urgency to address the global housing crisis as well as leveraging local action to achieve global goals and targets.

• The Cairo Call to Action also emphasized, among other points, the need for sustaining a systemic representation of local actors at all levels, sharing urban spaces and opportunities inclusively, urban planning to deliver better local outcomes, and unlocking finance for cities and communities.  

• Delegations also committed to ensuring equity and justice for sustainable cities, leveraging local and grassroots data for decision-making, harnessing culture and heritage as an asset for sustainability, and building coalitions and alliances to scale local impact.

What is World Urban Forum?

• The World Urban Forum (WUF) was established in 2001 by the United Nations to address one of the most pressing issues facing the world today — rapid urbanisation and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies.

• It is a non-legislative technical forum convened by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), hosted in a different city every two years.

• The Forum is a high level, open and inclusive platform for addressing the challenges of sustainable urbanization.

• The first WUF took place in 2002.

Objectives of WUF:

i) Raising awareness of sustainable urbanisation among stakeholders and constituencies, including the general public.

ii) Improving collective knowledge on sustainable urban development through open and inclusive debate, exchange of best practices and policies, and sharing of lessons learnt.

iii) Promote collaboration and cooperation between different stakeholders and constituencies engaged in the advancement and implementation of sustainable urbanisation.

• Since its launch, the forum has helped the UN-Habitat to collect information on cases and trends and build partnerships and coalitions in order to support its work and find solutions to the global housing crisis and such major crises as climate change, conflicts and poverty.

Why is it important?

• Today, around 50 per cent of the global population live in cities, and this is expected to rise to 70 per cent by 2050. The move to urban centres is having a major impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies.

• Many of the cities and towns were never expected to house such huge populations and are at breaking point. Unplanned growth and development of cities results in lack of proper housing and growth of overcrowded slums, inadequate and outdated infrastructure such as roads, escalating poverty and unemployment, safety and crime problems, growing pollution, disease outbreaks from lack of proper sanitation, lack of green spaces or basic services.

WHO identifies 17 pathogens as top priorities for vaccine development

• A new study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has named 17 bacteria, viruses and parasites that regularly cause disease as top priorities for new vaccine development.
• The study is the first global effort to systematically prioritise endemic pathogens based on criteria that included regional disease burden, antimicrobial resistance risk and socioeconomic impact.
• The study reconfirms longstanding priorities for vaccine research and development (R&D), including for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis — three diseases that collectively take nearly 2.5 million lives each year.
• Attention is also given to pathogens such as Group A streptococcus, which causes severe infections and contributes to 280,000 deaths from rheumatic heart disease, mainly in lower-income countries.
• Another new priority is Klebsiella pneumoniae — a bacteria that was associated with 790,000 deaths in 2019 and is responsible for 40 per cent of neonatal deaths due to blood infection (sepsis) in low-income countries. 

WHO Priority endemic pathogens list

• Pathogens where vaccine research is needed:
• Group A streptococcus
• Hepatitis C virus
• HIV-1
• Klebsiella pneumoniae

Pathogens where vaccines need to be further developed:

• Cytomegalovirus
• Influenza virus (broadly protective vaccine)
• Leishmania species
• Non-typhoidal Salmonella
• Norovirus
• Plasmodium falciparum (malaria)
• Shigella species
• Staphylococcus aureus

Pathogens where vaccines are approaching regulatory approval, policy recommendation or introduction:

• Dengue virus
• Group B streptococcus
• Extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli
• Mycobacterium tuberculosis
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Significance of the new study

• WHO asked international and regional experts to identify factors that are most important to them when deciding which vaccines to introduce and use. The analysis of those preferences, combined with regional data for each pathogen, resulted in top 10 priority pathogens for each WHO region. 
• The regional lists were then consolidated to form the global list, resulting in 17 priority endemic pathogens for which new vaccines need to be researched, developed and used.
• Global decisions on new vaccines have often been solely driven by return on investment, rather than by the number of lives that could be saved in the most vulnerable communities. This study uses broad regional expertise and data to assess vaccines that would not only significantly reduce diseases that greatly impact communities today but also reduce the medical costs that families and health systems face.
• This new WHO global priority list of endemic pathogens for vaccine R&D supports the Immunization Agenda 2030’s goal of ensuring that everyone, in all regions, can benefit from vaccines that protect them from serious diseases. 
• The new study supports the goal of ensuring that everyone, everywhere, can benefit from vaccines that provide protection against serious diseases.
• This global prioritisation exercise for endemic pathogens, complements the WHO R&D blueprint for epidemics, which identified priority pathogens that could cause future epidemics or pandemics, such as COVID-19 or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)