7 May 2024, The Hindu
A half-hearted climate change verdict
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Prelims syllabus: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
- The Supreme Court of India’s extension of the constitutional rights to life and equality, to the right to be free of ill-effects of climate change, is a potential ray of hope in the midst of a gloomy ecological scenario.
- The world is staring at multiple collapses with historically unprecedented impacts on humans and the rest of life, as we race towards a 1.5° (and who knows how much more) Celsius rise in average temperatures.
- Governments across the planet have failed to act on the overwhelming scientific evidence of this scenario.
- The judgment has significant potential to be converted into actions that can undo, mitigate, or help adaptation to the ill-impacts of the climate crisis.
- The Court’s observations regarding the disproportionate share of impacts felt by already marginalised sections of society, can be the basis for much-needed corrective action.
Getting to a new level in India’s online gaming sector
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GS 3: Achievements of Indians in science & technology
- The Prime Minister’s vision to establish India as a prominent global gaming hub has received renewed attention as he engaged with seven of the top gamers in the country.
- Spending a day with them, in April 2024, he discussed the trajectory of the gaming industry and sought to understand the challenges they encounter, particularly on the nuanced distinction between skill gaming and gambling (game of chance) — it could pave the way for a more conducive and forward-looking regulatory environment.
- The online gaming industry forms a critical part of the Digital India vision and initiative. Some of the key takeaways from the discussion included the opportunity offered by the increasing number of games based on Indian mythology and the scope to encourage the participation of women, besides fostering innovation.
- The players also highlighted the issue around the perception of gaming as a career in India.
The secularism of Indian science
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GS 3: Achievements of Indians in science & technology
- Last month, a sunbeam reignited a debate on the role of science and religion in Indian society.
- The Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Abhay Karandikar, posted on X on April 17 (Ram Navami) that the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) had played a “crucial role” in the ‘surya tilak’ project in the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
- The ‘surya tilak’ was a beam of sunlight focused precisely on the forehead of Ram Lalla.
- The IIA, experts in designing mirrors and lenses to capture light from celestial bodies and galaxies in their telescopes, helped design a system of lenses and mirrors that manipulated the light into falling on the desired spot, he said.
- The IIA calculations will also account for the differing dates of Ram Navami every year, as the date is determined by the lunisolar calendar, and ensure a precise ‘surya tilak’, he added.
Amid row over fake video, EC warns parties against misuse of AI-based tools
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GS 3: General awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nanotechnology, bio-technology
- Amid the row over the doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Election Commission of India on Monday issued directions to political parties, on responsible and ethical use of social media in election campaigning.
- The poll body asked them to remove fake content within three hours of it coming to the parties’ notice.
In an advisory to political parties, the EC also warned against misuse of AI-based tools to create deepfakes that distort information or propagate misinformation, emphasising the need to uphold the integrity of the electoral process.
‘GST’s pro-poor tack has aided people’
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GS 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment
- The Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime has benefitted people through a pro-poor approach, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asserted on May 6, while underlining that the recent landmark of GST collections crossing ₹2 lakh crore was driven by heightened economic activity.
- Under the GST framework, taxes on many essential items were lower compared to pre-GST rates, the Minister said, citing the examples of hair oil and soaps (down to 18% from 28%), and electrical appliances (reduced from 31.5% to 12%) and movie tickets.
A mouth bacteria has starring role in colorectal cancer: study
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GS 3: Science and Technology- Recent developments and their applications and effects in everyday life
- The bacteria known as Fusobacterium nucleatum live in the human mouth and are rarely found elsewhere.
- But in cases of cancer of the colon or the rectum, the bacteria are found in tumours in the gut, where they help cancer cells escape from the immune system and spread to other parts of the body.
- In a new study, a group of researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in the U.S. has identified a distinct subtype of the bacterium that’s found in relatively greater quantities in colorectal cancer (CRC) tumours.
