Current Affairs – October 29, 2024

{GS1 – MIH – Movements} Kittur Rebellion *

• Context (PIB): The Department of Posts issued a Commemorative Stamp to mark 200 Years of Kittur Vijayotsava, marking Rani Chennamma’s victory against British rule in 1824

• Rani Chennamma was born in 1778 in the small village of Kakati in Karnataka. She was brave and well-trained in horse riding, sword fighting and archery.
• She was the second wife of Mallasarja of the Desai family, the rulers of Kittur. However, after her son died in 1824, she adopted Shivalingappa, making him heir to the throne.
• However, the British East India Company refused to recognise Shivalingappa as the kingdom’s successor under the ‘doctrine of lapse’. Under the doctrine, any princely state without a natural heir would collapse and be annexed by the Company, and the Britishers launched an attack on Kittur in October 1824.
• The Kittur army, under Rani Chennamma, retaliated, opened tremendous fire, and emerged victorious.
• However, this victory was short-lived. On December 3, 1824, the British army attacked the Kittur Fort and captured it. Rani Chennamma and her family were imprisoned, where she died in 1829.

{GS2 – Governance – Issues} Constitutional, Statutory, and Non-Statutory Bodies

• Context (IE): In the past decade, opposition parties have raised concerns about constitutional bodies’ reputation, autonomy, and integrity.

Constitutional Bodies

• These are bodies explicitly mentioned in the Constitution of India, established to oversee essential functions and maintain checks and balances in governance.
• Characteristics:
  • It was created directly by the Constitution.
  • Can only be modified or dissolved through a constitutional amendment.
  • Operates independently and enjoys a high degree of autonomy.
• Examples:
  • Election Commission of India (ECI): Ensures free and fair elections.
  • Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG): Audits govt expenditures & ensures financial accountability.
  • Union Public Service Commission (UPSC): Oversees merit-based recruitment for civil services.
  • Finance Commission: Recommends tax revenue distribution between the Centre and states.
  • National Commissions for SCs, STs, and Minorities: Promotes social justice for vulnerable groups.

Statutory Bodies

• These bodies are established through a specific law or act of Parliament or state legislatures and perform regulatory or advisory roles within defined frameworks.
• Characteristics:
  • It is established by a statute (law), not directly by the Constitution.
  • Their powers, duties, and functions are detailed in the act or statute that establishes them.
  • It can be modified or dissolved through an amendment to the act.
• Examples:
  • SEBI: Regulates the securities market and safeguards investor interests.
  • National Green Tribunal (NGT): Enforces environmental protection laws.
  • IRDAI: Monitors and regulates the insurance sector.
  • Central Vigilance Commission (CVC): Investigates corruption in public administration.
  • Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI): Regulates telecommunications & digital transactions.

Non-Statutory Bodies (or Executive Bodies)

• These are created by executive resolution or order of the govt, not by the IC or a legislative act.
• Characteristics:
  • The government establishes it for specific purposes.
  • It can be modified, reconstituted, or dissolved by a govt decision without legislative changes.
  • Typically, they have an advisory or policy-implementing role rather than regulatory power.

• Examples:
  • NITI Aayog: Replaced the Planning Commission to foster cooperative federalism.
  • National Task Force for COVID-19: Formed to coordinate efforts in managing the COVID response.
  • Expert Committees and Task Forces: Temporary bodies addressing issues like economic reform, social development, and crisis management.

{GS2 – Social Sector – Health – Issues} Patent Evergreening

• Context (IE): India’s $60 billion biopharma industry, ranked 39^th in the Global Innovation Index, needs stronger patent controls to prevent monopolies and ensure affordable biosimilars.

• Patent Evergreening is a tactic in which companies extend a drug’s patent by making minor changes, delaying generics, and keeping prices high.

Legal Framework against Patent Evergreening

• Section 3(d) of the Indian Patents Act (IPA), 1970, prevents patents on minor drug modifications that lack significant efficacy improvements. For example, Novartis’s Glivec patent was rejected in 2013.
• Section 3(e) of IPA 1970: Prohibits patents on mixtures of known substances unless a synergistic effect is demonstrated, ensuring only genuine innovations receive patent protection.
• Section 3(i) of IPA 1970: Disallows patents on medical treatment methods, ensuring essential healthcare practices remain accessible and affordable to the public.
• Patent Opposition Mechanisms enable challenges to patent applications and granted patents, allowing public intervention to prevent frivolous patents.

Challenges in Patent Evergreening

• High Drug Prices: Minor modifications and extended patents, keeping prices high. India’s biosimilar market remains small, raising healthcare expenses.
• It delays affordable biosimilars and limits patient access to essential drugs for chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes, which are critical in developing nations.
• Public Health Burden: Extended patents increase costs for public health systems. For example, Roche’s trastuzumab extension added $700 million annually to US healthcare.
• Regulatory Loopholes: Section 3(d) of the IPA 1970 faces procedural delays, as the Glivec case shows, allowing prolonged monopolies.
• Global Access Gaps: India’s strict patent rules contrast with lenient US practices, limiting Indian biosimilars‘ reach and affordability worldwide.

Way Forward

• Increased scrutiny would help ensure that only genuine innovations receive protection, as currently, 72% of granted patents are secondary, often lacking significant advancements.
• International Collaboration: Work with WHO and the World Intellectual Property Organisation to adopt best practices in balancing IP rights and public health.
• Support Generic and Biosimilar Production after patent expiry; India’s biosimilar market is projected to grow 25.2% annually, reaching $2.1 billion by 2030.
• Public Opposition via Digital Platform: Enable NGOs and advocacy groups to challenge non-innovative patents through a streamlined online platform.

Read more > Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), National IPR Policy.

{GS3 – Envi – CC} Greenhouse Gas Bulletin

• Context (TH):  Greenhouse Gas Bulletin released by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). It is published annually since 2004. Values are compared to the previous year and pre-industrial levels.

• It reports globally averaged surface mole fractions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O). It complements the UN Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap report.

Findings of the Report

• Globally-averaged surface concentration of CO₂, methane and nitrous oxide are 151%, 265% and 125% of pre-industrial levels.
• CO2 accounts for approximately 64% of the warming effect on the climate. The long-term CO2 increase is due to fossil fuel combustion, cement production, and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation.
• Methane accounts for 16% of the warming effect of long-lived GHGs. Approx. 40% of methane is emitted into the atmosphere by natural sources, and 60% comes from anthropogenic sources.
  • Growth in atmospheric methane was due to emissions from wetlands and agriculture.
• Nitrous oxide accounts for about 6% of the radiative force caused by long-lived GHGs. It is emitted from both natural sources (60%) and anthropogenic sources (40%), including oceans, soils, biomass burning, fertiliser use, etc.
• From 1990 to 2023, radiative forcing by long-lived greenhouse gases increased by 51.5%, with CO₂ accounting for about 81%.

{GS3 – Envi – RE} Phasing out of coal in India

• Context (IE | TH): The UK’s last coal-based power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, was decommissioned after over 140 years as a part of its commitment to phase out all coal plants by 2025.

Importance of Coal in India

• Primary Energy Source: Coal accounts for approximately 55% of India’s total energy consumption, and around 70% of electricity generation is from coal-based thermal power plants.
• Employment to over 1 million people directly and supports millions more indirectly.
• Affordability: Coal is one of the most cost-effective energy sources, with an average price of around ₹1,000 per tonne, helping to keep electricity tariffs low for consumers.
• Infrastructure Development: The coal industry drives infrastructure projects, such as the 1,000 km railway network built for coal transport, improving connectivity in remote areas.
• Industrial Growth: Coal is essential for industries like steel manufacturing, which produces coke and supports around 60% of India’s steel production.

Need for Coal Phase-Out in India

• Environmental Impact: Coal power plants emit around 1.1 billion tonnes of CO2 annually, contributing significantly to air pollution and environmental degradation.
• Climate Change Mitigation: Reducing coal use is crucial for India to meet its Paris Agreement commitments and limit global warming to 1.5°C.
• Health Concerns: Air pollution from coal is linked to approximately 1.2 million premature deaths.
• Transition to renewables is expected to generate around 1.5 million sustainable jobs in India by 2025 and is essential for achieving the target of 500 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
• Conserve scarce water resources as coal mining and power generation are water-intensive.
• Global Competitiveness: Moving away from coal enhances India’s competitiveness in the growing global market for renewable technologies.
• Energy Diversification: Reducing coal dependence fosters a more diverse energy portfolio, improving energy security and resilience against supply disruptions.

Challenges in Phasing Out Coal in India

• Energy Demand: India’s energy demand is projected to grow by 6-7% annually, necessitating reliable power sources, which coal currently provides.
• Economic Dependence: The coal sector contributes about ₹1.6 trillion to the economy, making a sudden phase-out politically challenging.
• Intermittency of Renewables: Renewable sources like solar and wind can only provide energy about 30-40% of the time without adequate storage, posing challenges for consistent power supply.
• Limited energy storage capacity, with only about 2 GW of grid-scale storage installed, impedes the effective integration of renewable energy into the power grid.
• Deprivation of Geographic Advantage: India’s 68% of coal reserves are located in Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh; phasing out coal threatens the economies of these states.
• Huge Job Losses as Approximately 369,053 individuals are employed by public sector coal entities, and many more work in coal-related industries

Way Forward

• Mass Deployment of Clean Energy: To achieve a net-zero target, India needs to increase the share of renewables in its power mix to 90%, as highlighted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
• Implement Carbon Sequestration Practices: Develop natural and artificial carbon sequestration methods, like afforestation and bioenergy with carbon capture.
• Increase public and private funding to secure an estimated $20 billion annually in renewable energy. For example, South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plans (JET-IP).
• Utilize district mineral foundation funds (DMF) of nearly $4 billion to support new green businesses and community development in coal-dependent regions.
• Set Clear Phase-Out Timelines: Establishing firm decommissioning dates for coal plants as it provides clarity and direction for the transition. E.g. UK set a clear goal to phase out coal by 2025.
• Investing in research and development for energy storage technologies can reduce costs and improve efficiency, as shown by the 20% drop in solar energy costs worldwide over the last decade.

Read more > Coal, Renewable & Non-Conventional Sources Of Energy, Paris agreement.

{Prelims – Bio – Diseases} Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT)

• Context (TH): SRT can help treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.

• Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the prostate gland, which is a small, walnut-sized gland in men that produces seminal fluid.

About Stereotactic Radiation Therapy (SRT)

• It is an advanced form of radiotherapy that uses high doses without involving the surgery of highly focused radiation beams to destroy cancer cells precisely, minimising damage to surrounding tissues.
• Comparison with Traditional Radiation: It can treat cancer in fewer sessions (one to five sessions over one to two weeks) compared to conventional radiation therapy (20 to 40 sessions over weeks or months).
• Reduced Side Effects: SRT has shown lower impacts on sexual function when compared to prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate).

{Prelims – Envi – Species} Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)

• Context (DTE): 38% of Taiwan’s territory is found suitable for reintroducing the clouded leopard.

About Clouded Leopard

• It has a stocky body with short legs, wide paws and the longest canine teeth among all living cats.
• It is a solitary animal found across Southeast Asia & Himalayas. It is the State animal of Meghalaya.
• IUCN Status: Vulnerable.

{Prelims – Envi – Species} Mongolian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus hemionus)

• Context (DTE): Mongolia designates October 25 as ‘Khulan Conservation Day’ to conserve the Mongolian Wild Ass.

• Khulan or Mongolian Wild Ass is a member of the Equidae family, which consists of horses, donkeys and zebras. It represents the largest population of the Asiatic Wild Ass in the world.
• India is home to two cousins of the Khulan: The Kiang or Tibetan Wild Ass (Equus kiang) and the Ghudkhur or Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur).
• Distribution: Mainly live in south of Mongolia, in the Gobi Desert area (80% of the global population), with small populations in Northern China.

Credits: Animalia

• Diet: Are herbivorous mammals. They feed on grasses, herbs and vegetation.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Near Threatened | CITES: Appendix I | CMS: Appendix II.

{Prelims – S&T – Defence} ICG Launches Fast Patrol Vessels

• Context (PIB): Indian Coast Guard (ICG) launched two Fast Patrol Vessels, ‘Adamya’ and ‘Akshar’, with over 60% indigenous content, built by Goa Shipyard Ltd.

• FPVs are high-speed, agile vessels designed primarily for coastal and offshore surveillance, patrolling, intercepting operations, rapid response to maritime threats, and Disaster Relief and Support.
• Size: They are generally smaller and more compact than larger patrol ships, ideal for short missions.