09 September 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

. No.	Topic Name	Prelims/Mains
1.	Monkeypox	Prelims & Mains
2.	Build Operate Transfer Model	Prelims & Mains
3.	DTP Vaccine	Prelims & Mains
4.	Rafale Jets	Prelims Specific Topic

1 – Monkeypox: GS II – Topic Health related issues

• About:
• The term “monkeypox” refers to a viral zoonotic disease that spreads from animals to people and is recognised as a pox-like illness in monkeys. It is widespread in Nigeria.
• It is brought on by the monkeypox virus, a species of the Orthopoxvirus family.
• The virus’s original host is still unknown. However, several reports of the illness in animals exist.
• Monkeys, apes, a variety of rodents (including rats, mice, squirrels, and prairie dogs), and rabbits are all known to be carriers of the monkeypox virus.

Outbreaks:

• It was initially discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1958 in monkeys then in humans there in 1970.
• 40 years after the last confirmed case, Nigeria saw its largest-ever outbreak in 2017.
• The illness has since been documented in other West and Central African nations.

Symptoms:

• People who are infected develop a rash that resembles chicken pox. However, compared to chicken pox, monkeypox typically causes more severe fever, malaise, and headache symptoms.
• Because the lymph gland enlarges in the early stages of the illness, monkeypox can be recognised from smallpox.

Transmission:

• Direct contact with an infected animal’s blood, body fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal sores results in primary infection. Eating meat from diseased animals that has not been prepared properly also increases danger.
• Close contact with infectious respiratory tract secretions, an infected person’s skin lesions, or recently contaminated objects with patient fluids or lesion materials can all cause human-to-human transmission.
• Other methods of transmission include vaccination and placental transfer (congenital monkeypox).

Vulnerability:

• If infected, it spreads quickly and can result in one fatality for every ten people.

Therapy and vaccination:

• There is no specific medication or vaccine to prevent monkeypox. The effectiveness of the anti-smallpox vaccine in preventing monkeypox has previously been demonstrated to be 85%.
• The vaccine is no longer readily available, though, as smallpox was proclaimed eradicated from the planet in 1980.
• Since there is currently no international system in place to control the spread of monkeypox, every nation struggles to control any outbreaks as they happen.

Way ahead:

• Increased illness awareness, better surveillance and response, and avoidance of contact with wild animals, particularly monkeys
• Animals that may have interacted with an infected animal need to be confined, handled with regular safety measures, and monitored for signs of monkeypox for 30 days.
• It is critical to shift focus to other illnesses. Due to Covid-19, fewer endemic disease cases are being documented since fewer people are seeking medical attention in hospitals.

Source The Indian Express

2 – Build Operate Transfer Model: GS III – Topic Investment-related issues

Build Operate Transfer (BOT): What is it?

• For significant infrastructure projects created through public-private partnerships, a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract is a type of financing.
• A public organisation, like a municipal government, making an initial concession to a private company to build and run a project is referred to as a BOT.
• After a predetermined amount of time, typically two or three decades, control of the project is given back to the government agency.

The PPP Model: What Is It?

• One of the three investment types where a government agency and a private enterprise collaborate to achieve a social or infrastructure growth aim is the public-private partnership.
• India is reportedly one of the nations that is most open to PPPs, according to the World Bank.

What is the Process of a BOT Model?

• In a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract, a public organisation (often the government) gives a private corporation the right to fund, develop, and manage a project.
• In order to return its investment, the corporation runs the project for a predetermined amount of time (perhaps 20 or 30 years), after which it turns over management to the government.
• Large-scale greenfield infrastructure projects that would normally be fully funded, constructed, and operated by the government are frequently the subject of BOT projects.
• Just a few examples include a power plant in the Philippines, a wastewater treatment facility in China, and a six-lane national highway in India.
• BOT contractors are typically special-purpose businesses established exclusively for a project.
• When the contractor is running the project it has created, revenues often come from a single source and during the project duration.
• It’s possible that this business is owned by the government or a state.
• Power purchase agreements, in which a public utility functions as an off-taker and buys electricity from a privately held plant, serve as proof of this arrangement.
• In a conventional concession, the business would sell to customers without going through the government.
• The off-taker is frequently required to pay minimum pricing under BOT contracts.

Build Operate Transfer (BOT) advantages include:

• Governments profit from BOT since it lowers infrastructure and development spending while also shifting risk to the concessionaire.
• The concession firm gains from improved management of a variety of construction hazards as well as the potential to lessen any unfavourable outcomes through advantages during operation.
• BOT offers a structure and incentives for businesses to increase efficiency through performance-based contracts and output-oriented targets.
• Due to a fully competitive bidding process, the projects are finished at the lowest potential cost.
• A portion of the project’s risks are borne by the private sector.

Build Operate Transfer (BOT) has some restrictions:

• A BOT finance arrangement may take a long time to prepare and close since it involves numerous organisations and necessitates a comprehensive institutional and legal framework.
• Small projects there might not be suited for the BOT.
• Building the institutional capacity necessary for realising the full benefits of BOT, including the creation and enforcement of open and transparent bidding and assessment processes as well as the resolution of possible conflicts during implementation, may take some time.
• By charging fees over an extended period of time, the contractors’ extract money above the profit margin negotiated at the start of the projects.

Conclusion:

• Public-private partnerships and infrastructure projects both frequently use BOT. A BOT project is often utilised to build a single asset rather than a whole network. Among the nations with a high prevalence of BOT are Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey, Taiwan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Israel, India, Iran, Croatia, Japan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Egypt, Myanmar, and a few US states. However, some nations, like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Nepal, use the term build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT).

Source The Indian Express

3 – DTP Vaccine: GS II – Topic Health-related issues

Uses of the DTP vaccine:

• As previously established, the DTP immunisation offers defence against three contagious diseases:
• Diptheria:This illness has a significant mortality rate. Among the symptoms is the development of a membrane that covers the tonsils and upper region of the throat and makes breathing challenging. From 1998 to 2008, India was responsible for between 19 and 84 percent of all cases worldwide. Inadequate immunisation campaigns and filthy circumstances in urban areas make it difficult to totally eradicate the disease, even though the numbers have decreased in recent years.
• Tetanus:often known as lockjaw, is a condition that impairs motor function and results in excruciating muscle contractions. Frequently, the illness is fatal. Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus, or MNT, is a variation that frequently affects babies. A significant factor in the frequency of MNT in India is the lack of access to prenatal and postnatal care.
• Pertussis:Whooping cough is the common name for the disease pertussis, which is named after the characteristic cough pattern, which begins with a deep inhalation, is followed by a series of quick, short coughs that continue until the air is expelled from the lungs, and ends with a long, shrill whooping inhalation. Because their immune systems are still developing, young children are most negatively impacted by infectious illnesses.

What components make into a DTP Vaccine?

• The DTP vaccine includes diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis toxoids that have been adsorbed. It is made of a sterile, isotonic sodium chloride solution with sodium phosphate buffer to regulate pH. After shaking, the vaccine turns into a cloudy liquid with a whitish-grey hue. The combination vaccines, ActHIB® or OmniHIB, have a whitish appearance when used to reconstitute the Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Tetanus Toxoid Conjugate).
• Cultures of Corynebacterium diphtheriae are produced in a customised Mueller and Miller medium. Cultures of Clostridium tetani are cultivated in a medium based on peptone. Formaldehyde detoxifies both pollutants. Serial ammonium sulphate fractionation and diafiltration are used to separate the detoxified components for further purification.

Side Effects of the DTP vaccine

• Itching, redness, and discomfort at the injection site
• Fever
• reduced appetite
• Drowsiness
• Irritability
• Convulsions and vomiting are infrequent.
• For children younger than seven years old, the recommended initial series of DTP immunizations consists of four intramuscular injections of 0.5 mL each. The first dose is often given at two months of age, however it can be administered as early as six weeks old and up until the sixth birthday.

Source The Indian Express

4 – Rafale Jets: GS III – Topic Internal Security-related issues

About Rafales:

• The Rafale is a French twin-engine, multipurpose fighter jet developed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was first flown in 2001 and is used by both the French Air Force and the French Navy for carrier-based operations.
• After a nearly seven-year exercise to obtain 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force did not succeed, India signed a Rs 59,000 crore contract in 2016 to purchase 36 Rafale planes from French aerospace company Dassault Aviation.
• Disagreements regarding production in India caused the MMRCA agreement to be put on hold.
• Rafale has much improved technology compared to the previous agreement, or MMRCA, has a reduced life cycle cost, and is built to India’s specific military requirements.

Specification:

• Air Supremacy:The Rafale is designed to execute air superiority, interdiction (act of disrupting), aerial reconnaissance (observing to locate an enemy), ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike, and nuclear deterrence missions. It is outfitted with a broad variety of weaponry.
• Wide Range of Weapons:The MICA weapons system, Scalp cruise missiles, and Meteor missiles will make up the bulk of the Rafale jets’ arsenal.
• It is the next-generation Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile (BVRAAM), which will completely change how air-to-air warfare is conducted.
• From 150 km away, the Meteor missile can intercept hostile aircraft. Before the hostile aircraft ever approaches the Indian aircraft, it can destroy them.
• Cruise Missiles SCALP:300 kilometres away, it can still hit targets.
• MICA Missile System: This air-to-air missile is incredibly adaptable. It has a built-in radar seeker and can shoot for both short- and long-range targets up to a distance of 100 km.
• Mirages, which are now in service with the IAF, and Rafales both use it as their main armament.
• Target:Air to Air They are among the deadliest fighter jets operating today due to their capacity to safely strike land targets 300 km inside of enemy territory and engage air-to-air targets up to 150 km away.
• Flight Hours:The aircraft has completed 30,000 flights.

Relevance To India:

• Joint Strategic Vision:The Rafale would help the India-France cooperation in the Indian Ocean region achieve its goal of reducing overflights and the threat of WMDs in the region.
• Enhancement of Air Combat Capabilities:This will help India’s air combat capabilities, especially when it comes to dealing with adversarial neighbours like China and Pakistan.
• Unparalleled Capabilities:In recent air combat missions in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Iraq, and Syria, the aircraft demonstrated its unmatched capabilities.
• After France, Egypt, and Qatar, India is the fourth nation to have the Rafale strategic platform.
• In order to integrate with the Rafale planes, the Indian Air Force is also in the process of purchasing a next generation medium-range modular air-to-ground weapon system called Hammer.
• The French defence giant Safran has created a precision-guided missile called The Hammer (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range).
• Rafales could change the game for India once all 36 planes are enlisted in the Indian Air Force because no aircraft in the region can compete with their better kinematic performance and potent electronic warfare equipment.
• The stealth F-35 and F-22 aircraft from the USA are frequently contrasted with the Rafale jet.
• Border conflict with China:It is significantly more sophisticated and deadly than the fighter jets that China currently has at its disposal, the J-20. In light of this, it unquestionably improves India’s defence readiness, particularly during times of border conflict with China.

Related worries:

• In many aspects, the introduction of Rafale aircraft will change the game, but it might not be enough to overcome the difficulties the Indian Air Force will confront in the near future:
• The IAF’s Fighter Jet Strength is Declining: The IAF’s fighter squadrons had shrunk to a worrying 31 from the minimum authorised size of at least 42, prompting concern that the IAF’s combat capacity was eroding.
• Its fleet currently consists of 30 fighter jet squadrons.
• Therefore, increasing the authorised strength of fighter squadrons as soon as possible is one of the primary areas of concentration.
• The Pakistan Air Force will have 27 fighter squadrons by 2023, whereas China’s PLA Air Force is estimated to have the ability to support at least 42 squadrons against India.
• India must therefore keep an eye on events in the North and West as both China and Pakistan, its enemies, are constantly building up and modernising their stockpiles.
• Two Front Challenge: Despite the IAF’s ambition to have 45 fighter squadrons for a two-front conflict (a war with China and Pakistan), the last time it possessed the full complement of 42 squadrons allowed by law was in 2002, following the Parliament terror assault.
• Five squadrons of outdated Russian MiG aircraft have since been deactivated, continuing a trend in which the numbers have gradually decreased since then.
• Similar to this, the IAF requested information from foreign manufacturers including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Airbus Defence and Space, Russian Aircraft Corporation, and Sukhoi Company in June 2018 for 114 multirole fighters. Within 12 years of the contract, it intends to introduce the aircraft. A request for proposals is still awaited, though.

Source The Hindu