Comprehensive Current affairs 15th June 2020

Indian Naval LOs at Madagascar and Abu Dhabi.

India is planning to post Naval Liaison Officers (LOs) at the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) in Madagascar and the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz (EMASOH) in Abu Dhabi for improved Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).
This move comes after India joined the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) as Observer in March 2020 along with Japan and the United Nations.

Key Points

The move aims to improve linkages of the Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram with other IFCs and become the repository for all maritime data in the IOR.

India is working closely with France, who is a pre-eminent member of IOC, to post a Naval LO at the RMIFC in Madagascar.

The RMFIC functions under the aegis of the IOC and is designed to deepen maritime domain awareness by monitoring maritime activities and promoting information sharing and exchange.

The Navy LO is expected to be posted at EMASOH by July and at the RMIFC by September or October 2020.

India has a LO at the IFC in Singapore for over four years now.

Indian Ocean Commission

It is an intergovernmental body and regional forum created in 1984 to protect the interests of the western Indian Ocean islands.

It consists of Madagascar, Comoros, La Réunion (French overseas territory), Mauritius and Seychelles.

IOC has five observers which are China, European Union (EU), Malta and International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), India, Japan and the UN.
OIF is a 54 french speaking nations collective.

European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz.

France started EMASOH with the aim to monitor maritime activity and guarantee freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulfand the Strait of Hormuz.

It is based at the French naval base in Abu Dhabi (UAE).
It was declared operational by the French Ministry of Armed Forces in February 2020.

India’s Other Initiatives:

To strengthen the naval forces and surveillance, India has signed a series of white shipping agreements, Logistics Support Agreements (LSA) and maritime cooperation agreements with several countries, recently.

For example, India Australia Virtual Summit announced a joint declaration on a shared vision for maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in which they agreed to deepen navy-to-navy cooperation and strengthen MDA in the Indo-Pacific region through enhanced exchange of information.

In 2015, India unveiled it's strategic vision for the Indian Ocean i.e. Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). It is an increasing recognition of the increasing importance of maritime security, maritime commons and cooperation.

Through SAGAR, India seeks to deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours and assist in building their maritime security capabilities.

 Indian Digital Payment System outside India.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is exploring the possibility of expanding its payment system abroad, following the requests from several countries.

Key Points

Requests for Payment System:

The RBI has received requests from abroad for implementing its payment systems like Cheque Truncation System (CTS), National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT), Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and messaging solutions.

Reason:
The availability of low cost innovative digital payment products in India has led to many countries expressing their interest in Indian payment system.

Availability of Payment System Outside India:

Currently, there are no RBI authorised payment system operators providing payment services outside India.

However, there is cross-country cooperation with Bhutan with respect to CTS, National Automated Clearing House (NACH) and NEFT. NEFT is also available for one-way transfers from India to Nepal.

Scope of Payment System Outside India:

According to RBI there is scope for enhancing global outreach of its payment systems, including remittances, through active participation and co-operation in international and regional fora by collaborating and contributing to standard setting.

Efforts have been made to increase and widen the scope, coverage and usage of RuPay card scheme and UPI to enhance their brand value internationally.

Issues Involved:

Overdependence on the foreign funds (through digital payments) may lead to possible liquidity risk issues in India.

Different time zones may pose a risk in digital payments.

Digital Payments and India:

India’s growing use of retail digital payments, indicates a shift in the relationship with cash.
According to the RBI, the digital payments in the country have witnessed a growth of 61% and 19% in terms of volume and value, respectively.

The value of digital payments to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has also increased from 660% in 2014-15 to 862% in 2018-19.

The Point of sale (PoS) terminals grew at a high pace of 35%, contrastingly the deployment of ATMs has grown at a low pace (4%).

Discovery of New Drug for Amoebiasis.

Recently, researchers from the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have developed new drug molecules against the protozoa ‘Entamoeba histolytica’ that causes amoebiasis.

Key Points

The Protozoa and High Oxygen Level:

The protozoa is anaerobic or microaerophilic in nature such that it cannot survive high concentrations of oxygen.

Anaerobic organisms are those who exist in the absence of free oxygen.
A microaerophilic atmosphere is ideal for a microorganism that can grow under reduced oxygen and increased carbon dioxide levels.

However, during infection, it faces a high surge of oxygen inside the human body. The organism synthesizes large amounts of cysteine to counter oxidative stress.

Synthesis of Cysteine:

This pathogen deploys cysteine as one of the essential molecules in its defence mechanism against high oxygen levels. It expresses two crucial enzymes for synthesizing cysteine.
Cysteines are enzymes that degrade proteins in the body.

Cysteine biosynthesis is crucial for the survival of E. histolytica and for similar protozoan parasites.

JNU Research:

Researchers have characterized and determined the molecular structures of both the crucial enzymes.
They have also successfully screened for potent inhibitors for one of the enzymes, O-acetyl L-serine sulfhydrylase (OASS).

Some of these inhibitors can check the growth of this organism with high efficacy by targeting their pathways.

The identified molecules can lead to the development of drug molecules.

Behaviour Change Model for Living with Covid-19.

Recently, Meghalaya has issued a new health protocol saying that it would consider everybody as an asymptomatic (showing no symptoms) carrier of Covid-19 ‘by default’ because it is the best way to prevent the threat of community transmission with migrants returning to the state from different zones.

Key Points

Behaviour Change Model for living with Covid-19:

The pandemic has resulted in two kinds of fear: fear for the loss of life and fear for the loss of livelihood, that is why the state wants to build a system through which people can protect themselves and carry out their livelihood at the same time.
People have to live with the coronavirus now and that could be achieved through what psychologists call the ‘locus of control’, or the extent to which one feels control over events in their lives.

As soon as people think that they could be Covid-19 positive, their entire behaviour changes and they become more cautious and feel responsible for their actions and thus help to reduce the risk of community transmission.

Implementation Method:

To implement this, there is a four-pronged plan that suggests testing everyone who enters the state, isolating them, stressing on behavioural change and finally training them.
Everyone in the state shall be treated as Category A patients unless they are tested on a continuous basis.

This implies living with the assumption that every person could be an asymptomatic, mobile carrier of the Covid-19 virus, with a probability of transmitting the virus to others unknowingly.
The Category A patients will have to follow three non-negotiable practices: compulsory mask-wearing, hand hygiene and social distancing.

For that, the health department of the state has built a series of training modules by dividing the entire population into three categories:

The elderly, who are above 65.

Those who have comorbidities (It is the presence of one or more additional medical conditions often co-occurring with a primary condition and is associated with worse health outcomes, more complex clinical management and increased health care costs).

The mobile group or the mobile workforce including students who are constantly on the move.
The Health Department will carry out the training with the help of identified master trainers and a certificate will be provided to all those who have successfully completed training.
The two main components of training include checklists and self-help diaries.
Checklists: A checklist, with a set of model questions which address topics such as hand hygiene, social distancing, respiratory etiquette, will be provided for all three groups. The checklist is designed in such a way that one can rate themselves out of ten based on their performance on that day.

Self-help Diaries: The senior population and those living with comorbidities can use these as a tool to monitor themselves. Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Anganwadi teams will go to every house to train this section.

Malabar Gliding Frog.

Recently, a rare amphibian i.e. Malabar Gliding Frog (Rhacophorus malabaricus) was spotted in Pullad, Kerala.

The amphibian is endemic to the rainforest of western ghats.

Endemic species are those plants and animals that exist only in one geographical region.

Key points.

Characteristics:
It is a green frog with a slender body, webbed feet, unusual body positions and very well camouflaged.

·         Camouflage, also called cryptic coloration, is a defense mechanism or tactic that organisms use to disguise their appearance, usually to blend in with their surroundings.
The fingers and toes are like sticks to attach and walk through tree branches.
It has a high gliding abilities, with the long skin between the fingers which helps to cover 10 to 12 feet in one leap.

·         It has a body length of 10 cm, making it one of the largest mossy frogs.

·         Mossy Frogs: These frogs have the skin which is green in colour and resembles moss growing on the rock.The breeding period is during the monsoon and usually, the females choose to spawn on the lush green leaves overhanging a waterbody.
As their body is so soft, they can live only in moist forests with streams.

Foam Nests:

·         They built foam nests above small pools of water, into which the tadpoles drop after hatching.
Behaviour like cannibalism has been found among tadpoles.

Protection Status:

·         In the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List , it is placed in the Least Concern category.

·         Concern: The Malabar gliding frog population is declining due to deforestation, climate change, developmental activities, and toxic chemicals.

The Western Ghats

·         These are the mountain ranges running parallel along the western coast of India starting from Gujarat and ending in Tamil Nadu.

·         Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are the six Indian states covered by Western Ghats.

·         The mountain range is also a “Hottest Hotspot” of biodiversity.

·         The Ghats are often called the Great Escarpment of India and are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

·         High Biodiversity and Endemism are special features of Western Ghats along with the presence of Evergreen Forests.

·         Amphibia
They fall under the Chordata phylum of the kingdom Animalia, Eg., Frogs, Salamanders etc.

·         These are multicellular vertebratesthat live both on land and water.

·         They are the first cold-blooded animalsto have appeared on land.

·         Cold-blooded animals can be defined as the animals which cannot regulate their internal body temperature with the change in the environment.

·         They respire through the lungs and skin.

·         They have three chambered hearts.

Uk's  Jet Zero Policy.

Recently, the United Kingdom (U.K.) announced a ‘Jet Zero’ plan to bring down its aviation emissions.

Key Points

Aim:

The Jet Zero aims to bring down greenhouse gas emissions from aviation to make carbon-free transatlantic flights possible within a generation.

A transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe, Africa, or the Middle East to North America, Central America, or South America, or vice versa.
Jet Zero Council: A group called ‘Jet Zero Council’ has been formed by the U.K. government by bringing together leaders from the aviation sector, environmental groups and government.
This group has been given charge for making net zero emissions possible for future flights.