A new target found to combat AMR Salmonella

• The rapid and unselective use of traditional antibiotics gives rise to the emergence of drug resistant phenotype in typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars.
• It has increased the difficulties in curing Salmonella-induced food-borne illnesses (majorly typhoid or paratyphoid fever, gastroenteritis, and diarrhoea) worldwide.
• Salmonella typhimurium ST313 is an invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella serovar, causes bloodstream infection in the malnourished and immunocompromised population of sub-Saharan Africa.
• The MDR phenotype in this pathogen was provided by Salmonella Genomic Island-1 (SGI-1), which confers protection against a wide range of antibiotics, including ampicillin (pse-1), chloramphenicol/florfenicol (floR), streptomycin/spectinomycin (aadA2), sulphonamides (sul1), and tetracycline (tetG) (ACSSuT).
• Further emergence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) S. Typhimurium ST313 (having multi-drug resistant (MDR) and resistance against extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and azithromycin) in Africa posed a significant threat to global health.
• Recent studies reported an annual incidence of as many as 360 cases of typhoid fever per 1,00,000 people, with an annual estimate of 4.5 million cases and 8,930 deaths (0.2% fatality rate) in India.
• The continuous adaptation of this bacteria to the available antibiotics creates a risk of developing antimicrobial resistance in the future.
• The recent study showed that outer membrane porins of Salmonella Typhimurium play an essential role in the survival of the bacteria in the presence of antibiotics.

Salmonella infection:

• It is a disease caused by the bacteria Salmonella.
• Salmonella Typhimurium and salmonella typhi are two types of salmonella bacteria.
• It is usually characterized by acute onset of fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and sometimes vomiting.
• Salmonella is 1 of 4 key global causes of diarrhoeal diseases.

Tuberculosis deaths and disease increase during the COVID-19 pandemic

• With 28% cases, India was among the eight countries accounting for more than two-third (or 68.3%) of the total TB patients’ count.
• The other countries were Indonesia (9.2% cases), China (7.4%), the Philippines (7%), Pakistan (5.8%), Nigeria (4.4%), Bangladesh (3.6%) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2.9%).
• The burden of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) also increased by 3% globally between 2020 and 2021.
• India was among the three countries — others being Indonesia and the Philippines — that accounted for most of the reduction in 2020 (67% of the global total).
• They made partial recoveries in 2021, but still accounted for 60% of the global reduction compared with 2019, according to the report.
• Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by **bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis)**that most often affect the lungs.
• It is curable and preventable disease.
• Two kinds of tuberculosis infection:
  • Latent TB The bacteria remain in the body in an inactive state. They cause no symptoms and are not contagious, but they can become active.
  • Active TB - The bacteria do cause symptoms and can be transmitted to others.
  • About one-quarter of the world''s population has latent TB.
  • People infected with TB bacteria have a 5–15% lifetime risk of falling ill with TB.
  • However, persons with compromised immune systems, such as people living with HIV, malnutrition or diabetes, or people who use tobacco, have a much higher risk of falling ill.
• Transmission:
  • TB is spread from person to person through the air.
  • When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.
  • Even after inhaling a few drops of these germ, a person can get infected.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB)

• Drug resistance emerges when anti-TB medicines are used inappropriately, through incorrect prescription by health care providers, poor quality drugs, and patients stopping treatment prematurely.
• Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to first-line anti-TB drugs.
• MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs.

Kinnaur youth seek affidavit from candidates against construction of hydropower projects

• It is a proposed 804 megawatt project over the Satluj River.
• The run-of-the-river (ROR) project envisages construction of a concrete gravity dam of ±88 metre high above the deepest foundation level across river Satluj near Jangi village, and underground powerhouse on the right bank upstream of Tehsil boundary (Kashang Nallah).
• The diversion of water will involve construction of a 12-km-long tunnel.
• Construction of the dam will result in the submergence of about 156.2917 ha of land, out of which 143.2093 ha is forest land and 13.0824 ha is private.
• The length of the reservoir will be 10.6 km.
• Kinnaur district is mainly marked by its cold desert, tribal population, fragile topography, rich and diverse culture, apple orchards, off-season vegetables and the Satluj River.
• The river has been dammed at multiple places along the valley to create an additional feature to Kinnaur’s identity as Himachal’s hydropower hub, which locals believe is a malediction.
• An integral part of the old Hindustan-Tibetan Route, Jangram Valley, lies on the right bank of the Satluj river in the district.
• Chilgoza pine:
  • Another major impact is connected to the forest of Chilgoza pine, which has a patchy distribution across arid mountain valleys in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
  • Kinnaur has the largest Chilgoza forests, covering an area of around 2,000 hectares.
  • Chilgoza pine is well-known for its edible seeds and is rich in carbohydrates, proteins, and other medicinal values.
  • It is classified as an endangered and rare tree species.
  • Jangi, one of the affected Gram Panchayat from this JTP HEP, has one of the largest patches of chilgoza in the country, according to Himachal Pradesh’s State of Environment report.

Run-of-river hydro projects:

• ROR projects are seen as a “green” alternative to high-dam hydropower projects such as the Tehri Hydropower Project.
• This is because an ROR dam diverts the river flow in a controlled environment to generate electricity and sends the water back to the river, whereas a high-dam project stores river water in a reservoir.

Gujarat to form panel to study all aspects of Uniform Civil Code

• A Uniform Civil Code is one that would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption etc.
• Article 44 of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.

Directive Principles of State Policy:

• Article 44 is one of the Directive Principles of State Policy.
• These, as defined in Article 37, are not justiciable (not enforceable by any court) but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.
• While Article 44 uses the words “state shall endeavour”, other Articles in the ‘Directive Principles’ chapter use words such as “in particular strive”; “shall in particular direct its policy”; “shall be obligation of the state” etc.

Uniform Civil Code (Goa):

• Goa, a former Portuguese colony, was incorporated into the Union of India in 1961. In 1987, Goa was made a separate state.
• The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was introduced in Goa in the year 1870 by the erstwhile Portuguese rulers.
• It was retained even after the territory was merged with India in the year 1961.

Kalanamak rice, ''Buddha''s gift to people, is now small, strong

• Kalanamak is a traditional variety of paddy with black husk and strong fragrance.
• It is considered a gift from Lord Buddha to the people of Sravasti when he visited the region after enlightenment.
• Grown in 11 districts of the Terai region of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh and in Nepal, the traditional variety has been prone to ‘lodging’, a reason for its low yield.
• Its yield is barely two to 2.5 tonnes per hectare.
  • Lodging:
    • Lodging is a condition in which the top of the plant becomes heavy because of grain formation, the stem becomes weak, and the plant falls on the ground.
• The traditional Kalanamak rice is protected under the Geographical Indication (GI) tag system.
• It’s recorded in the GI application that Lord Budhha gifted Kalanamak paddy to the people of Sravasti so that they remembered him by its fragrance.

New varieties:

• Addressing the problem, the Indian Agriculture Research Institute (IARI) has successfully developed two dwarf varieties of Kalanamak rice.
• They have been named
  • Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 and
  • Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652.
• The IARI says the new name is in recognition of its association with the Acharya Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology in Ayodhya, for testing the two varieties.
• The yield of the new varieties is double that of the traditional variety. The IARI and the Uttar Pradesh Council of Agriculture are working together to make the seeds available to farmers at the earliest.

Northeast monsoon arrives over South India, declares IMD

• India receives rainfall during two seasons.
• About 75 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall is received from the Southwest monsoon between June and September.
• The Northeast monsoon, on the other hand, occurs during October to December, and is a comparatively small-scale monsoon, which is confined to the Southern peninsula.
• Also called the winter monsoon, the rainfall associated with the Northeast monsoon is important for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, north interior Karnataka, Mahe and Lakshadweep.

AMPRI converts red mud into X-ray shielding tiles

• It has converted red mud into X-ray shielding tiles in a green and economically viable manner through a ceramic route by adding a certain weight percentage of high Z material and binder with it.
• These tiles can be used to build radiation shielding structures in diagnostic X-rays, CT scanner rooms, Cath labs, bone mineral density, dental X-rays, etc., instead of the toxic lead sheet to protect the public from radiation hazards.
• Red Mud is the waste generated in the Bayer process of alumina production from bauxite.
• It is also known as bauxite residue.
• Red Mud is defined as a “High Volume Low Effect Waste”.
• Nearly 1 to 1.5 tonnes of RM is being generated while producing one tonne of alumina from the bauxite ore through the Bayer process.
• It is considered to be toxic due to its extreme alkalinity and heavy element leaching.
• Annually about 175 million tonnes of red mud have been generated globally and stored in a specially designed clay-lined pond.
• Among that India is producing nearly 9 million tonnes of red mud every year.
• The clay-lined ponds often broke out and pollute soil, groundwater, and air and become fatal for both humans and wildlife.
• Red mud is one of the underutilized industrial wastes and getting accumulated over the years due to an increase in alumina production as well as inadequate technologies for its large-scale utilization.
• The red mud contains 30 – 55% of Fe2O3, which is suitable for attenuating high-energy ionizing radiations like X- and gamma rays.

4th edition of Goa Maritime Symposium to be conducted from October 31

• The theme of GMS-2022 is “Maritime Security Challenges in the Indian Ocean Region: Converting Common Maritime Priorities into Collaborative Mitigation Frameworks”.
• The theme is underpinned by the idea of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ (SAGAR) and five principles of Maritime Security enunciated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
• The participants of the Symposium comprise Captains/ Commanders and equivalent-rank officers from Navies/ Maritime forces from friendly foreign countries viz., Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, besides India.

Goa Maritime Symposium (GMS):

• It was conceptualised and instituted by the Indian Navy in 2016.
• It is a forum for fostering collaborative thinking, cooperation and mutual understanding between India and key maritime nations of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• The symposium is conducted biennially by the Naval War College (NWC), Goa, and three editions of the event have been organised thus far.

INDIAN NAVY PARTICIPATES IN MAIDEN TRILATERAL EXERCISE WITH MOZAMBIQUE AND TANZANIA

• Indian Navy is represented by the guided missile frigate, INS Tarkash, a Chetak helicopter and MARCOS (Special Forces).
• The exercise has three broad objectives:
  • capability development to address common threats through training and sharing of best practices,
  • enhancing interoperability, and
  • Strengthening maritime cooperation.
• These exercises reflect India''s and the Indian Navy''s commitment to enhancing maritime security and cooperation with maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and promoting SAGAR, Safety and Growth for All in the Region.

ECI to host a two day International Conference on ‘Role, Framework & Capacity of EMBs’ as the lead for the Cohort on ‘Election Integrity’ as a follow on to the Summit for Democracy”

• Theme is ‘Role, Framework & Capacity of Election Management Bodies’.
• It will have discussions on the current & future challenges being faced by the Election Management Bodies’ with respect to their role and framework to ensure ‘election integrity’.

‘Summit for Democracy’:

• It was an initiative of US President and hosted in December 2021.
• Following this Summit, a "Year of Action" was proposed with events and dialogues on themes related to Democracy and to host an in-person ‘Leaders'' Summit for Democracy’ subsequently.
• The Summit also developed two platforms - ‘Focal Groups’ and ‘Democracy Cohorts’ to facilitate participation in the Year of Action.
• As part of the ‘Summit for Democracy’ Year of Action, India through the ECI, is leading the ‘Democracy Cohort on Election Integrity’ to share its knowledge, technical expertise and experiences with other democracies of the world.
• ECI, as its lead, has proposed to also provide training and capacity building programmes to Election Management Bodies (EMBs) across the world and provide technical consultancy as per needs of other EMBs.