31 October 2022

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – DNA: GS III Topic – Science and Technology:

Context:

• Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA tests for the purpose of establishing the truth—whether it be to be used as evidence in a criminal case, to support a claim of marital infidelity, or to prove paternity—occupy a grey area, vacillating between the risks of self-incrimination and privacy invasion and the “eminent need” to do so.
• A senior employee of a government laboratory states that 20% more requests for DNA testing are made in complaints each year. The largest laboratory recognised by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), DNA Forensics Laboratory Private Limited, reports that it tests between 300 and 400 samples each month for both personal use and in compliance with court orders. The population was only 30 to 40 people when I first moved here five years ago.

About DNA:

• that which is genetic DNA is a deoxyribonucleic acid, whereas ribonucleic acid (RNA) is present in all living cells. Deoxyribose and ribose are identical compounds with the addition of an additional -OH group to the second (2′) carbon in the ring.
• Life as we know it would end if either DNA or RNA malfunctioned or disappeared. Protein, which sustains life and produces energy, must be produced using these components.
• While RNA is a single-stranded molecule, DNA has two.
• Unlike RNA, DNA can persist in an alkaline environment.
• In humans, DNA and RNA serve a variety of purposes. Contrary to RNA, which directly codes for amino acids and functions as a messenger between DNA and ribosomes to produce proteins, DNA is in charge of storing and transmitting genetic information.
• Contrary to RNA, which utilises adenine, uracil, cytosine, and guanine, DNA employs the nucleotides adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. The lack of a methyl group on the ring of uracil distinguishes it from thymine.

About the DNA Recombinant Technology:

• Recombinant DNA technique produces synthetic DNA by mixing genetic material from diverse sources with DNA from various sources.
• Genetic engineering is the term used to describe recombinant DNA technologies.
• Werner Arber, a Swiss scientist, discovered restriction enzymes in 1968, and as a result, recombinant DNA technology was developed.
• It is more challenging than it appears to splice the target gene into the DNA of the host. After determining which gene to be inserted into the host, the ideal vector must be chosen, and recombinant DNA must be produced.

 Source The Hindu

2 – OneWeb Satellites: GS III – Topic à Science and Technology:

Context:

• According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the simultaneous launch of 36 OneWeb satellites into space last week was a huge accomplishment and would improve internet coverage across the entire country.

About OneWeb:

• A network of 648 LEO spacecraft called OneWeb Constellation is currently being created.
• OneWeb Constellation attempted to offer complete global coverage, high data throughput, and low latency to the poles while aiming to compete on pricing with existing ground-based internet services.
• On February 27, 2019, the first six satellites of the OneWeb constellation programme were launched.
• OneWeb will have launched 36 satellites, or 70% of the total number of Gen 1 low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites it had intended to launch, to enable its high-speed global broadband initiative.
• OneWeb Constellation services are currently available in Alaska, Canada, the UK, and the Arctic area.
• The largest shareholder and investor in OneWeb is Bharti Enterprises of India, which also oversees Bharti Airtel.

 Implications of the Ukraine-Russian conflict:

• Before February 2022, OneWeb used Russian Soyuz rockets to launch each satellite. In February 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine,
• Unintentional restrictions against Russia have an influence on OneWeb’s constellation service and supply chain.
• OneWeb’s operational loss as a result increased by 631% from the previous year.

Why it is important for India:

• to offer India broadband services based on satellite.
• to aid in closing India’s digital gap.
• The country’s space industry, as well as its standing abroad, might stand to gain significantly from the space economy.
• For the fiscal year 2020–21, India’s space economy is expected to be worth 36,794 crores ($5 billion), or 0.19% of its GDP.
• In comparison to the US, Russia, China, Germany, Italy, and Japan, India spends a larger percentage of its GDP on space.
• Through its commercial arm, ISRO has launched satellites for clients all across the world, earning $279 million in foreign currency to date.

 Source The Hindu

 3 – CAA: GS II Topic – Constitution related issues:

Context:

• The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) seeks to grant specific populations from particular countries a relaxation, equivalent to an amnesty, with a predetermined cutoff date, according to the Home Ministry’s testimony before the Supreme Court on Sunday.

What is covered by the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) (the Act)?

• In order to offer citizenship to Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian illegal immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, the act changes the Citizenship Act of 1955.
• To put it another way, it aims to speed up the citizenship application procedure for immigrants from India’s three neighbours with a majority Muslim population.
• To be eligible for citizenship through naturalisation under The Citizenship Act of 1955, the candidate must have lived in India for 11 out of the previous 14 years.
• In order to accommodate applicants who practise these six religions and are citizens of the aforementioned three nations, the second requirement has been reduced from 11 to 6 years.
• If they entered India prior to December 31, 2014, it shields members of the six communities from penalties under the Passport Act of 1920 and the Foreigners Act of 1946.

What constitutes an illegal immigrant?

• Today, illegal immigrants cannot apply for Indian citizenship.
• According to the CAA, a foreign national enters the country either I without the required travel documentation, such as a passport and visa, or (ii) with legitimate documents but stays longer than is allowed.
• Illegal immigrants may be detained or expulsed in accordance with the Passport (Entry into India) Act of 1920 and the Foreigners Act of 1946, respectively.

Challenges associated:

• Country of Origin: According to the Act, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan are the only countries included under the categories for migrants’ countries of origin.
• Why only six specific religious communities are named in the Act and all other minorities are left out is perplexing.
• Unexpectedly, India shares a border with Myanmar, a nation with a record of persecuting the religious minority of Muslims known as the Rohingya.
• It’s not apparent why immigrants are treated differently depending on whether they entered India before to or following December 31, 2014.

Moving ahead:

• Every Indian has access to a safe home thanks to the constitutional democracy that acts as its fundamental foundation.
• India, formerly split along religious lines, needs to find a balance in order to safeguard the regional religious minority.

 Source The Hindu

 4 – Anti-Superstition Laws in India:GS III – Topic Internal Security of India:

Context:

• The world was appalled by the brutal murders of two women in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, which were labelled “ritualistic human sacrifices.” Early investigations revealed that the victims had been brutally tortured and sexually assaulted before having their bodies sliced into several parts. They were then buried in a pit.

In the context of Indian society, superstition is:

• Superstition is an irrational, unsupported by evidence-based science, belief in supernatural beings. In India, superstition is a significant issue.
• In India, superstitions have a long history.
• For a very long time, it has been a tradition. One instance could be
• In many areas of the country, it is still common belief that a crow cawing on a roof signals the arrival of visitors.

Why do people continue to believe in these superstitions?

• Superstition in India is mostly the result of ignorance.
• Most uneducated people frequently practise superstitions. They are unable to assess a circumstance impartially.
• When compared to other wealthy nations, India’s surprisingly low literacy rate of roughly 70.44 percent is startlingly low.
• Once more, there are many “godmen” in our nation who use religion to instil superstition in the hearts and minds of their followers.
• They fooled people and spread superstition throughout India in order to benefit from it.
• What potential negative effects can these superstitions have in the future?
• Widows are still treated poorly and are not permitted to dwell in households in contemporary India. They are not permitted to participate in auspicious events.
• Numerous innocent people have died as a result of the “witch-hunting” phenomenon.
• These superstitions not only violate people’s rights to freedom, equality, and religion but also promote caste prejudice and discrimination, making it simpler for people to be taken advantage of.

What defences does the Constitution provide against superstition?

The Indian Penal Code’s Section 295A states:

• It defines crimes as “deliberate and premeditated conduct meant to violate the faith or beliefs of any class” in order to stir up religious sentiments among any class.

The Indian Constitution’s Article 51A (h) declares:

• Promoting India’s “scientific temper, humanism, and spirit of inquiry and reform” is everyone’s responsibility.
• It ensures that religion can be publicly expressed, spread, and practised.

The ideal action to take is:

• We could be better able to comprehend the rise of need-based rituals for appeasing deities if we consider secular temptations and worries about wealth and power in contemporary society rather than only internal religious reasons.
• The same is true for those who live in poverty and are unable to afford high-quality medical care.
• The strong enforcement of current laws needs to be strengthened if the administration is sincere about stopping this kind of behaviour.
• According to research on criminal justice, a specific penalty—as opposed to a particular kind of punishment or degree of severity—is what reduces crime rates.

 Source The Hindu