Daily Current Affairs 7 December 2019

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Daily Current Affairs 7 December 2019 Daily News Teller


    1) PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases-Existing antivenom therapy for snakebite inefficient

    • The study was conducted by scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
    • Bangalore, in collaboration with the Gerry Martin Project and the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology, has revealed that commercially available antivenom in India can be ineffective in treating bites from some snakes that are poorly studied. 
    • India is the snakebite capital of the world. Annually, about 46,000 people die and 1,40,000 others are disabled in the country because of snakebites

    AntiVenom in India

    • The only scientifically validated treatment for snakebites is the use of antivenom, for which manufacturing protocols have remained unchanged for over a century. In India, a polyvalent antivenom is produced against the so­called ‘big four’ snakes: the spectacled cobra, the common krait, Russell’s viper, and the saw­scaled viper
    • India is home to many other species of venomous snakes that have the potential to inflict deadly, even fatal bites about 60 of the 270 species are considered ‘medically important’
    • The researcher's first characterized the venoms of neglected, yet medically important Indian snakes, including the Sochurek’s viper, the Sind krait, the banded krait, and two populations of monocled cobras, as well as that of the big four.

    Results of venom

    • The results revealed dramatic differences in venom compositions of these snakes, and that venom composition differed between geographically separated populations of the same species. 
    • Secondly, the team evaluated how effective commercially marketed Indian antivenoms were in treating snakebites from the neglected species and found that the antivenoms were “highly inefficient” in overcoming the effects of the toxins.  
    • The researchers have underscored the need to develop region­-specific snakebite therapies. 

    2) Weight issue halted Train18 construction

    • One of the main reasons why the Indian Railways decided to halt the production of Train18 rakes at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) here is that the self­propelled train set is heavier and consumes more power compared to Shatabdi Express on the same route and speed, according to a note prepared by the Railway Board. 
    • The Railway Ministry is looking at a lightweight version that could conserve power and hence the plan to float global tenders to procure the train sets and not from the ICF that indigenously built Train18 in a record 18 months
    • The axle load of Vande Bharat was less than 17 tonnes, which was similar to world­class trains. The Vande Bharat had the potential to evolve into a perfect train, built in India for Indian needs. An increase in power consumption as a result of high acceleration and any train set, indigenous or imported, would demand so. 

    3) Centre objects to Uttarakhand’s definition of forest

    The Union Ministry for Environment and Forests (MoEF) has objected to a Uttarakhand government’s notification defining the term ‘forest’.

    About the definition of forest in the notification

    In a notification on November 21, the Uttarakhand government said that in areas recorded as “deemed forest”, only tracts 10 hectares and more, and having a canopy density of greater than 60%, would be considered as forests. Land already registered as ‘reserved’ and ‘protected’ forests would be out of the remit of this definition. However, land recorded in government records as ‘revenue’ land could potentially be influenced by this definition of deemed forest

    Ministry of Environment and Forest retaliation

    The MoEF’s Forest Conservation division said in a note on December 5 that the Uttarakhand order was in “contravention” of the Supreme Court's orders. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 would apply to all areas recorded as forest in any government records....the State should not issue any communication that is violative of any order passed by the Supreme Court

    Deemed forests

    Deemed forests, which comprise about 1% of India’s forest land, are a controversial subject as they refer to land tracts that appear to be a “forest”, but have not been notified so by the government or in historical records. Environmentalists say Uttarakhand’s criteria paves the way for large parts of forestland to be captured by builders and industrialists

    4) CSIR Developed Anti-Diabetes Medicine

    • The diabetic population in the country is close to hitting the alarming mark of 69.9 million by 2025, which denotes that the country is expected to witness an increase of 266%.
    • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), through its constituent laboratories namely CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow; and CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Lucknow developed scientifically validated herbal product NBRMAP-DB as anti-diabetic formulation and the knowhow for the product was licensed to M/s AIMIL Pharma Ltd., Delhi who are manufacturing and marketing it as BGR-34, across the country.
    • The Central of Research in Ayurveda Sciences (CCRAS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of AYUSH has been engaged in extending research-oriented Ayurveda based on integrative health care services for the management of Madhumeha which is Diabetes Mellitus.

    5) China imposes ‘reciprocal’ restrictions on U.S. diplomats 

    • China had taken “reciprocal” measures against U.S. diplomats in the country, ordering them to notify the Foreign Ministry before meeting with local officials
    • China had notified the U.S. embassy of the new “countermeasure” to Washington’s decision in October to restrict Chinese diplomats.
    • In October, the U.S. ordered Chinese diplomats to notify the State Department in advance of any official meetings with U.S. diplomats, local or municipal officials, and before any visits to colleges or research institutions. At the time, Washington called the move “reciprocal”, with a senior State Department official citing the inability of U.S. diplomats to meet with a range of Chinese officials and academics
    • U.S. diplomats would have to notify the Foreign Ministry five working days in advance
    • China’s move to restrict U.S. diplomats comes as tensions between Washington and Beijing spike over human rights issues.
    • U.S. President Donald Trump signed a law that supported pro­democracy protests in Hong Kong, which has been rocked by nearly six months of often violent unrest demanding greater autonomy — which Beijing has frequently blamed on foreign influence
    • U.S. lawmakers also voted to pass a Uighur rights Bill, which could impose sanctions against senior Chinese officials over the crackdown on Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang.

    6) National AYUSH Grid

    • The AYUSH Grid is envisaged as a comprehensive IT backbone covering the different silos of the AYUSH Sector. Ministry of AYUSH has finalized components of the AYUSH Grid Project in consultation with various stakeholders. The process of Expression of Interest (EOI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) for on-boarding of Project Management Consultancy (PMC) for the AYUSH Grid Project has been completed and the eligible agency discovered through the process has been selected. Ministry of AYUSH has taken up various pilot projects like AYUSH Hospital Management Information System (A-HMIS), Yoga locator application, Telemedicine, Yoga Portal, A-HMIS training, IT course for AYUSH Professionals, etc. which shall be merged into AYUSH Grid Project after completion of the pilot period.
    • Ministry of AYUSH has also signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for technical help in AYUSH Grid Project and accordingly, Ministry has handed over projects of Dashboard, GIS facility for various functionalities of AYUSH and AYUSH Information Hub to National e-Governance Division(NeGD)/ Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics(BISAG).

    7) No Indian study links pollution to mortality

    There were no Indian studies that showed a “direct correlation” between pollution and mortality, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said in the Lok Sabha
    The India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative (ISLDBI) — which consists of at least 100 health professionals — reported that one in eight deaths in India were attributable to air pollution and that the average life expectancy in India would have been 1.7 years higher had the air pollution levels been less than the minimal level causing health loss

    About ISLDBI

    The ISLDBI studies are funded by the Union Health Ministry and involve the Public Health Foundation of India, the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). They were part of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 and appeared in the peer-­reviewed  Lancet Planetary Health

    20-city study

    By January, India is expected to report the results of a 20­-city study, begun last year, on the extent to which exposure to air pollution correlated with respiratory diseases. It will also examine whether pregnant women exposed to polluted air made their fetuses and babies more vulnerable to birth defects.

    8) Vijay Kumar appointed Senior Security Adviser 

    • Retired IPS officer K. Vijay Kumar has been appointed Senior Security Adviser to the Union Home Ministry, an official order said. The 1975 batch officer will “advise the Ministry on security-related matters of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Left Wing Extremism (LWE)­ affected States,” it said. The December 3 order by the Ministry stated that Mr. Kumar will be in the position for one year from the date of his taking charge.
    • Mr. Kumar was serving as an Adviser to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik till October 31, when the erstwhile State was bifurcated into two Union territories J&K and Ladakh. 
    • He had earlier also served in the Home Ministry as Senior Security Adviser (LWE).

    9) Auto part units shed one lakh casual jobs

    • About one lakh temporary workers in the auto components sector lost their jobs between October 2018 and July 2019 due to the slump in the auto industry, the Auto Components ManufacturersAssociation (ACMA) said 
    • Auto component sales in the first half of the year declined by 10% to ₹1.79 lakh crore, while exports and the aftermarket segment grew
    • Primarily, it is the temporary employees who have lost the job
    • It was due to component makers adjusting production to demand
    • The vehicle sales in all segments continued to plummet for the last year. Considering that the auto component industry grows on the back of the vehicle industry, a current 15%­20% cut in vehicle production has adversely impacted the auto components industry’s performance and investment
    • The component industry, in tandem, posted a some­what subdued performance with de­growth of 10.1% over the first half of the last fiscal, registering a turnover of ₹1.79 lakh crore
    • The transition to BS­-VI compliant parts and the implementation of safety norms will progressively increase the value­addition from the component industry
    • While exports to Europe witnessed a contraction, those to North America, Asia, Africa, South America, and Australasia all saw growth

    10) French government sticks by pension reforms

    • The French government expressed determination to plow ahead with far­reaching pension reforms in the face of the biggest strikes in years, which have brought public transport in much of the country to a standstill.
    • The strikes have seen most high­speed trains canceled, flights affected and most of the Paris metro shut down in a major challenge to the ambitious reform agenda of President Emmanuel Macron.
    • Prime Minister M Edouard Philippe insisted that the government would not abandon a plan which would require the French “to work a bit longer.”
    • He pledged to work with trade unions to introduce a single “fairer”, points­based pension scheme for all, scrapping the 42 more advantageous plans currently enjoyed by train drivers, soldiers and a host of other workers in the process.
    • The government was “very determined” to implement the reform, adding he did not believe the French would always accept a situation where some retire earlier with more money than others doing comparable jobs.

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