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Medicines may soon have traces of ultramicroscopic gold powered by a super mushroom for greater efficacy.
Cordy gold nanoparticles (Cor-AuNPs), the outcome of a collaborative experiment by scientists from four Indian institutions, has earned an international patent from Germany.
These nanoparticles, derived from the synthesis of the extracts of Cordyceps militaris and gold salts, could make drug delivery in the human body faster and surer.
Cordyceps militaris is a high-value parasitic fungus, lab-grown at the Department of Biotechnology’s Technology Incubation Centre (TIC) in Bodoland University, one of the collaborators of the patented work. Gold salts are ionic chemical compounds of gold generally used in medicine.
“Penetration in the cells is more when the drug particles are smaller. Cordyceps militaris , called super mushroom for its tremendous medicinal properties, adds bioactive components to the synthesis of gold nanoparticles for better penetration. He was a contributor to developing Cor-AuNPs along with VashkarBiswa and Raju Ali from Bodoland University.
The other collaborators were Shailendra Gurav, NilambarGurav and Girish Gawas of Goa University’s Department of Pharmacology; Pradeep Gandhale from the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh; and SingamoorthyAmalraj and MuniappanAyyanar of AVVM Sri Pushpam College in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
Dr. Das and Mr. Biswa have been working extensively on the genetic diversity and medicinal properties of the wild Cordyceps mushroom found in the eastern Himalayan belt.
Over eight years, they standardised the cultivation of this mushroom with antimicrobial, antidiabetic and antioxidant properties.
“Biosynthesised nanogold particles indicate a new application of nanoparticles in the development of therapeutic drugs that can be delivered as ointments, tablets, capsules, and in other forms.
‘Punjab govt. failed to curb stubble burning’ (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
With air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) expected to deteriorate to the “severe” category, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said Punjab had fallen short of its commitments to curb stubble burning by “officially refusing” to use the biodecomposer spray that reportedly helps farmers to manage paddy straw.
Pusabiodecomposer is a microbial solution developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in Delhi that decomposes paddy stubble into manure. It has been tested for over two years in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.
“However, the AAP government in Punjab has said that they won’t be using it. Without any scientific evidence they are claiming that this doesn’t work,” said Mr. Yadav.
“On the other hand, the spray had been successfully deployed in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and had helped reduce instances of stubble burning.”
In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Mr. Yadav blamed Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for turning Delhi into a “gas chamber”, underlining that Punjab has seen a 19% increase in farm fires in comparison to last year, with 3,634 fires reported.
States
RISAT¬2 satellite makes re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Tech)
ISRO’s RISAT-2 satellite, launched in 2009, has made an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
The space agency on Thursday said the RISAT-2 satellite, weighing about 300 kg, made an uncontrolled re-entry in the Indian Ocean near Jakarta on October 30.
“Weighing only about 300 kg, the satellite has now made an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere at the predicted impact point in the Indian Ocean near Jakarta on 30th October 2022 00:06 UTC with an uncertainty of ±10 minutes,” the space agency said.
RISAT-2 was launched by the PSLV-C12 launch vehicle 13 years ago.
ISRO said that though the initial designed life of the satellite was four years, due to proper maintenance of orbit and mission planning by the spacecraft operations team in ISRO and by economical usage of fuel, RISAT-2 provided very useful payload data for 13 years.
“Since its injection, RISAT-2’s radar payload services were provided for various space applications. On re-entry, there were no fuel left in the satellite and hence there are no contaminations or explosion by fuel is expected.
Studies confirmed that the pieces generated due to aero-thermal fragmentation would not have survived re-entry heating and hence no fragments would have impacted on Earth,” ISRO said.
The orbital data available from USSPACECOM were regularly used to predict the re-entry time and impact
It further said the Indian System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operations Management (IS4OM) facility in ISTRAC, Bengaluru had been monitoring the re-entry for the last one month with analysis carried out by VSSC and ISTRAC teams through its in-house developed analysis software and tracking the object utilising Multi Object Tracking Radar (MOTR) at SDSC, Sriharikota.
MOTR tracked RISAT-2 regularly and the data were used for further analysis and orbit determination.
Editorial
China’s 20th Party Congress over, the road ahead (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, International Relations)
China’s 20th Party Congress concluded with hardly any surprises, and a predetermined script was implemented without any hitch. Xi Jinping was anointed President for an unprecedented third term, and all six of his acolytes made it to the powerful Politburo Standing Committee. Li Qiang is widely expected to take over as Prime Minister from Li Keqiang, who was unceremoniously dropped from the standing committee.
Mr. Xi’s words while introducing the new leadership — that they would not be daunted by ‘high winds, choppy waters and even dangerous storms’ — reflected the prevailing mood at the Congress.
The outcome can be summed up in the following words — maintaining the Party’s grip on power trumps all other considerations.
Mr. Xi’s ‘core’ status has been further reinforced, and he is now set to eclipse Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, placing him next only to Mao. Mr. Xi’s Thought on ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era’ will be the Chinese Communist Party/Communist Party of China (CCP)’s guiding philosophy for the future. National security would be the key factor dictating all aspects of governance.
A common theme that permeated the proceedings was affirmation of the CCP’s historical mission. There was only a single narrative, crafted in a manner that extolled Mr. Xi’s role in revitalisation of the CCP, further enhancing his cult status.
Unequivocally rejected was an earlier Xi thesis of a ‘Community of Common Destiny’ which has been replaced by the belief that international public opinion was currently anti-China and also included an incitement to overthrow the existing Communist regime.
To counter such disruptive philosophies, it had become necessary for the CCP to emphasise ideological coherence and internal discipline.
This would help to avoid the danger of a ‘Soviet style collapse’ caused by ideological laxity, corruption, divisions within the party and attempts by outsiders to foment unrest.
In the realm of geo-politics, the Congress declared that the objective is to effectively reduce the authority and the power of the United States.
This was especially true of China’s neighbourhood, essentially the Indo-Pacific. Also to be eschewed by China were the vague and contradictory goals of the past, made at a time when China sought to make rapid progress in several directions.
Vanuatu’s big plea does little to arrest climate change (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
There is a strong belief in some quarters that the next climate conference, just days away in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt this year (COP27) may not discuss climate change mitigation largely on account of the ongoing energy stress in Europe.
It is felt that the Russia-Ukraine crisis and resulting global energy supply shortages have dented everyone’s ability to reduce emissions.
This may be a legitimate view but the discussion on coal in the United Nations General Assembly, in September, points to an opposite possibility.
The President of Vanuatu, a small Pacific island, wanted the General Assembly to adopt a universal Non Proliferation Treaty to ban the use of fossil fuels across the world.
Usually, such a call by a nation whose contribution to the global energy supplies and emissions is negligible would have gone unnoticed.
But Vanuatu represents a strong and vocal group of small island-developing states whose voice is heard with attention and empathy in the UN. More so, when it is a matter that will affect the global discourse on climate change.
The small island group has gone around seeking endorsements from various quarters — governments, the corporate world and civil society. Interestingly, the Mayor of Kolkata, capital of one of the largest coal producing States in India, has lent his voice of support.
Vanuatu’s plea comes in the wake of a similar call for phaseout of coal which was made last year at the Glasgow climate conference.
After strong protest by the Indian interlocutors, the language of the decision at Glasgow was toned down from phaseout to phase down of unabated coal power and inefficient fuel subsidies.
When India argued that a phaseout was unfair to countries that were heavily dependent on coal power in the medium term, there was consternation among climate enthusiasts.
Given this background, the Alliance Of Small Island States (AOSIS) may be preparing the ground to make the fossil fuel elimination a part of national climate plans at COP27.
Some people ask why India, which agreed to the phasedown in Glasgow, would object to a non-proliferation treaty even when it offers a flexible timeline for a phasedown.
The reason may have well to do with the fact that a call to end fossil fuels through a mandate in the UN has very different implications than when it is presented under the UN Climate Change Convention.
News
India will insist on action, clear framework at COP27 (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
India will insist on “action” and a clear pathway that developed countries must follow to deliver long-promised finance to developing countries for adapting to climate change threats, Bhupendra Yadav, Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, ahead of the 27th edition of the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) in Sharm-El-Shaikh, Egypt that begins on November 7.
This ought to be a COP for action. We will seek clarity on climate finance, technology transfer and clear definitions of what constitutes climate finance.
There are several claims made on funds being given by the West but loans and grants must be clearly differentiated. We will make a strong case for this, this time,” Mr. Yadav told reporters.
Several world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden and the U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, are likely to attend the two-week-long summit.
However, it is unclear if Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend. A world leaders’ summit is expected on November 7.
Close to $100 billion annually has been promised to developing countries since 2008 for adapting and mitigating climate change but only a fraction has actually been made available, India and several other countries have maintained through the years.
India would also support initiatives that provide technical assistance to developing countries for averting, and minimising loss and damage due to the impacts of climate change, and insist on an institutional network to realise these.
There will be an India pavilion in Sharm-El-Sheikh themed on LIFE (Lifestyle for Environment), a theme frequently articulated by Mr. Modi.
Decline in pre-primary enrolments continued in 2021-22, says govt. Report (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, Education)
The number of children entering pre-primary classes in 2021-2022 saw a further decline, resulting in 30% fewer students in this school section as compared to the pre-COVID period as younger students with less access to remote learning continue to bear the biggest brunt of learning loss during the pandemic, according to a report released by the Ministry of Education.
A total of 94.95 lakh students entered pre-primary classes in 2021-2022, registering a drop of 10% as compared to the previous year when 1.06 crore children enrolled in these classes.
However, in 2020-2021, there was already a decline of 21% enrolment in pre-primary classes as compared to 1.35 crore the year before as the pandemic and lockdown measures resulted in school closures and classrooms moving online, according to the Unified District Information System for Education Plus report on school education.
Enrolment in primary classes, which include classes 1 to 5, also saw a drop for the first time—falling from 12.20 lakh in 2020-2021 to 12.18 lakh in 2021-2022. However, the total number of students from primary to higher secondary increased by 19 lakh to 25.57 crore.
Also for the first time since the pandemic, the report records a decline in number of schools due to closures as well as a lack of teachers.
There were 20,000 fewer schools in 2021-2022 as the total number of schools dropped from 15.09 lakh to 14.89 lakh. The report notes that these were primarily schools under “private and other management”.
There were also 1.89 lakh or 1.98% fewer teachers as their number reduced from 96.96 lakh in 2020-2021 to 95.07 lakh in 2021-2022.
Computer facilities were available in 44.75% of schools, while Internet access was available only in 33.9% of schools. However, their availability has improved as compared to pre-Covid when only 38.5% of schools had computers and 22.3% had Internet facilities.
The gross enrolment ratio, which compares the enrolment in a specific level of education to the population of the corresponding age group, for the primary section has improved from 101.3% in 2018-2019 to 104.8% in 2021-2022.
For secondary classes, it has risen to 79.6% in 2021-22, from 76.9% in 2018-19 and for higher secondary level, it has increased from 50.14% to 57.6%.
The Gender Parity Index (GPI) of GER, which indicates the representation of girls in school with respect to their population in the corresponding age group, was also found to be favourable to girls with a GPI value of 1.
Child Welfare Police Officers a must in all police stations (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the States/Union Territories to appoint a Child Welfare Police Officer (CWPO) in every police station to exclusively deal with children, either as victims or perpetrators.
Acting on an advisory issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Home Ministry referred to provisions under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which calls for designating at least one officer, not below the rank of an Assistant Sub-Inspector, as CWPO in every station.
In a note to all Directors-General of Police, the Home Ministry said the Commission had further requested that a Special Juvenile Police Unit in each district and city, which is headed by an officer not below the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police, be established.
The unit would comprise CWPOs and two social workers having experience of working in the field of child welfare, of whom one shall be a woman, to co-ordinate all functions of police in relation to children.
The contact particulars of the CWPOs should be displayed in all police stations for the public to contact, sources in the Tamil Nadu police quoting the advisory said on Thursday.
The advisory comes in the backdrop of increasing number of crimes against children, including murders and offences under the POCSO Act.
Commission has also requested setting up of a Special Juvenile Police Unit in each district and city
Going beyond Amur falcons: Nagaland to celebrate avian diversity, undertake census (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 1, Art and Culture)
Nagaland is undertaking the first avian documentation exercise going beyond the Amur falcons, the migratory raptor that put the State on the world birding map.
The four-day TokhüEmong Bird Count (TEBC) from Friday has been timed with the post-harvest TokhüEmong festival of the Lothas, the Naga community that dominates Wokha district, arguably the most preferred stopover of the Amur falcons while travelling from east Asia to southern Africa.
The event is a collaboration among the Wokha Forest Division, the Divisional Management Unit of the Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP) and Bird Count India.
“Amur falcons put Nagaland on the world birding map. However, the communities here can do more than just Amur falcon conservation. This event is organised to make each one of us feel proud of the birdlife and nature that we have,” ChenibemoOdyuo of NFMP’s Foundation for Ecological Security, based in Phek, said.
“Nagaland is a State with diverse festivals and diverse birdlife. The TEBC is the first of initiatives where the community is encouraged to celebrate the festival with birds,” LansothungLotha, Range Forest Officer of the Wokha Forest Division said.
“We expect more such festivals in the future where people connect with nature and also help in documenting the rich avifauna in a landscape that still remains to be explored and documented,” he added.
Pia Sethi of the Centre for Ecology, Development and Research said initiatives such as the TEBC are particularly important for the northeast, where rich bird diversity is threatened by habitat loss and hunting.
The exercise entails watching and counting birds on any or all days from November 4-7 from anywhere in Nagaland for at least 15 minutes and uploading the avian names on eBird (www.ebird.org/india), the bird recording platform.
Seven toppers in latest index on school education (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 2, Education)
Gujarat is now among the top performers in school education, according to an index released by the Ministry of Education.
Though no State found a place in the top grade, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have joined Kerala, Punjab, Chandigarh, and Maharashtra categorised under Level 2 with a score of 901 to 950 out of a total score of 1,000.
The Performance Grading Index of the Ministry of Education classifies States and Union Territories into 10 grades based on their score out of a total 1,000 points.
Their performance is assessed on a total of 70 indicators in five domains, which are learning outcome, access, infrastructure and facilities, equity and governance process.
The Index is based on data drawn from several data sources, including the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE +) 2020-21, National Achievement Survey NAS 2017, and Mid Day Meal Portal.
A total of 12 States and UTs, including National Capital Territory of Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Odisha, attained Level 3 with a score between 851-900. No State figured in the bottom three grades.
The report notes that Ladakh has seen the biggest improvement by climbing up from Level 10 in 2019-2020 to Level 4 in 2020-2021.