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The BF.7 variant of COVID-19, believed to be driving the recent surge of cases in China, was first identified in India as far back as July.
Four instances of the Omicron subvariant had been genome-sequenced in people in Gujarat and Odisha in subsequent months, but it was not linked to increased severity or infectiousness in the two States, two senior officials who were part of a meeting convened by Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya independently confirmed.
As of now this [BF.7] is not a matter of concern, but what we should be focussing on is surveillance and that’s what States have been told to focus on,” one of them told. Both declined to be identified.
With a rise in coronavirus cases in China triggering global alarm, the Health Minister had convened a meeting of senior officials in the Centre and the National Covid Task Force to assess the situation in India.
COVID is not over yet. I have directed all concerned to be on the alert, and strengthen surveillance. I also urge people to take COVID vaccination.
Omicron BF.7 was detected in Odisha in a single sample tested on September 30, 2022, the State’s Health and Family Welfare department said.
At the time of testing, it was neither a VOC (Variant of Concern) nor VOI (Variant of Interest). In the 3 months since, no other sample of BF.7 has been detected in Odisha.
India has been reporting a “steady decline” in cases, with average numbers around 158 every day in the week ending December 19.
Globally however, there has been a rise in daily average cases in the last six weeks, with about 6 lakh instances reported weekly as of December 19, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Editorial
The need to make cancer drugs affordable (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
The subject of the spiralling costs of cancer medicines and their implications that have frequently been highlighted the world over were dwelled on in a recent report (“Cancer Care Plan and Management”) by the Rajya Sabha’s Standing Committee on Health.
Alluding to the implications of the high cost of cancer care, the Committee noted that “about 40% of cancer hospitalization cases are financed mainly through borrowings, sale of assets and contributions from friends and relatives”.
This situation has arisen, according to the Committee, because “even average out of pocket spending on cancer care is too high” and that “spending for cancer care in private facilities is about three times that of public facilities”.
The Committee has, thus, highlighted the seriousness of problems concerning the treatment of cancer, the estimated incidence of which in India was nearly 1.4 million in 2020.
The catastrophic treatment cost has seriously impacted survival rates in developing countries. In breast cancer, while the five-year survival rates in India and South Africa are estimated to be 65% and 45%, respectively, in contrast, in high-income countries, it is nearly 90%.
In its explanation of this dismal situation, a World Health Organization (WHO) report on pricing of cancer medicines and its impacts had stated that the cost of a course of standard treatment for early stage HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor) positive breast cancer would be equivalent to about 10 years of average annual wages in India and South Africa and 1.7 years in the United States.
According to WHO, the costs associated with other medical care and interventions (such as surgical interventions and radiotherapy) and supportive care would make overall care even more unaffordable.
In the treatment protocol for breast cancer, CDK (cyclin-dependent kinase) inhibitors constitute a major therapeutic tool, especially for metastatic breast cancer.
Three drugs, Ribociclib, Palbociclib and Abemaciclib, belong to this therapeutic class, which help in slowing the spread of cancer cells in the body.
The ‘invincible originality’ of Srinivasa Ramanujan (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
The English computer scientist Alan Turing’s “imitation game” or “Turing test” takes the stance that a machine successfully represents a human if it responds to a question like a human mind does.
From Plato’s mimesis (representation) as the principle of art, to the Turing test, and to recent progresses in artificial intelligence, “the key to artificial intelligence has always been the representation” (Jeff Hawkins).
Taking representation further, can a machine “create” new things? Latest advancements in technology have attempted to “create”. The recent buzz around ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer), a software tool that can answer questions on almost any topic, carry on conversations with humans, write poems, computer programs and perform many more complex tasks that require intelligence, is testimony that artificial intelligence can “create”.
One can also mention here Google’s product LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) that is similar to ChatGPT and other sophisticated products (Dall E) that can create image from verbal descriptions.
Broadly speaking, the products mentioned above learn to be creative from already existing information: human conversations and documents and pictures, to synthesise and create.
Extending these capabilities, can a machine do research? In early 2021, a team of Israeli scientists announced a software tool called The Ramanujan Machine that creates mathematical conjectures which are equations without proof.
Mathematicians then prove or disprove these conjectures, thereby establishing theorems. Conjectures in mathematics shed light on newer frontiers that otherwise lurk in tenebrous corners.
Srinivasa Ramanujan was famous for such conjectures. From 1904 till his passing in 1920, Ramanujan, recorded more than 3,000 equations that were mostly conjectures because he did not supply proof.
The American mathematician Bruce C. Berndt, an expert on Ramanujan’s works, says that most of Ramanujan’s conjectures are correct as established by the proofs provided pari passu with their generalisation in the last 100 years.
Opinion
Benchmarks for ECs’ appointments (Page no. 7)
(GS Paper 2, Constitutional Bodies)
The way India’s constitutional and political structures have evolved over the years seems to have made elections almost a mechanistic and ritualistic exercise.
The reason behind this is the setting up and functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI). This has come into public discourse because of the hearings in the Supreme Court on the appointment of Election Commissioners (ECs).
While many issues related with the ECI have been discussed in court hearings and outside, a deeper look at the ECI may be useful, given its role in the preservation of democracy in the country.
Article 324 of the Constitution is the fountainhead that creates the ECI. This brings to mind the larger issue of the working of the Constitution.
For this, it is worth recalling what two stalwarts of Constitution-making (the President of the Constituent Assembly (CA) and the Chairman of the Drafting Committee for the Constitution) said in their final speeches in the CA when the Constitution was finally adopted.
While commending the adoption of the Constitution to the CA on November 25, 1949, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said, “However good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot.
However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot. The working of a Constitution does not depend wholly upon the nature of the Constitution.
The next day, on November 26, 1949, almost echoing Dr. Ambedkar’s words, Dr. Rajendra Prasad said, “Whatever the Constitution may or may not provide, the welfare of the country will depend upon the way in which the country is administered.
That will depend upon the men who administer it... If the people who are elected are capable and men of character and integrity, they would be able to make the best even of a defective Constitution.
If they are lacking in these, the Constitution cannot help the country. After all, a Constitution, like a machine, is a lifeless thing. It acquires life because of the men who control it and operate it, and India needs today nothing more than a set of honest men who will have the interest of the country before them.”
Explainer
The INS Mormugao and its capabilities (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
In a boost to the country’s maritime capabilities, INS Mormugao has officially joined the Indian Navy’s fleet, marking a significant milestone for indigenous military expedition.
The warship ‘Yard 12705’, named after the Goan port city of Mormugao, is the second of the four Visakhapatnam-class destroyers being built under the Indian Navy Project 15B, or P15B.
The destroyer has multi-dimensional combat capabilities which include surface-to-surface missiles, surface-to-air missiles and modern surveillance radar.
Project 15 was launched in the 1990s to add guided missile destroyers to the inventory of the Indian Navy. The project was named ‘Delhi class’.
It was followed by Project 15A or Kolkata class which primarily focused on advanced technology and equipment in surface ships. Project 15B or the Visakhapatnam class is a follow-on class of weapon-intensive Project 15A destroyers.
The project was launched in January 2011 to incorporate advanced design concepts such as state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, advanced stealth features and a high degree of automation for “improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and manoeuvrability”. The lead ship of Project 15B, INS Visakhapatnam, was the first of the class to be commissioned. Besides INS Mormugao, the other two destroyers are expected to be commissioned between 2023 and 2025.
Regarded as “one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in the country”, the destroyer is 163 metres long, 17 metres wide and displaces 7,400 tonnes when fully loaded.
The ship is propelled by four gas turbines in a combined gas and gas (COGAG) configuration. The propulsion system allows the ship to achieve a speed of more than 30 knots (50km/h) and a maximum range of 4,000 nautical miles. It can accommodate a crew of about 300 personnel.
INS Mormugao’s firepower comprises BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles (SSM), Barak-8 surface-to-air (SAM) missiles for a long range of shore and sea-based targets and a 76mm super rapid gun mount.
The ship is armed with RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers and 533mm torpedo launchers. It is also equipped to carry and operate multi-role helicopters. Its enhanced stealth features ensure a reduced Radar Cross Section or radar signature.
What is the latest clash between AAP and the Delhi L-G? (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
Delhi Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena has directed Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to implement a 2016 order of the Committee on Content Regulation in Government Advertising (CCRGA).
The order calls for recovering ₹97.14 crore plus interest from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for “political advertisements” published or telecast as government advertisements in 2015 and 2016. The move added to the long list of escalations between the AAP-led Delhi government and the L-G.
A three-member body, the CCRGA was formed by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in April, 2016, on the directions of the Supreme Court in its judgment in the Common Cause vs. Union of India case inMay, 2015.
The body is set up to regulate the content of Central and State government advertisements in all media platforms. The SC had also mandated States to constitute their own respective bodies.
While some States have set up committees to regulate public advertising content, some have given consent to the CCRGA to monitor their advertisements.
The SC, in its order had also issued a set of guidelines for public-funded advertising by governments. Some of the guidelines mentioned include that government advertising should maintain political neutrality and avoid glorification of political personalities or projecting a positive impression of the party in power or a negative impression of parties critical of the government. They also should not be used at patronising media houses.
Months after its formation, the CCRGA, following a complaint from Congress leader Ajay Maken, issued notices to the Delhi government on allegations of violation of the SC-mandated guidelines in publishing advertisements.
In its response, the Delhi government informed the CCRGA that it was going to form a committee of its own as per the 2015 order of the SC, which mandated that States have to set up their own respective bodies to regulate government advertisements’ content.
Mr. Maken meanwhile had also approached the Delhi High Court in the matter, which ruled in August, 2016, that Union Territories are not authorised to constitute their own committees and will therefore, come under the jurisdiction of the CCRGA.
News
Maritime Anti-Piracy Bill passed in Rajya Sabha (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Governance)
The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Maritime Anti-Piracy Bill on Wednesday, two days after the Lok Sabha passed it.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the Bill would fulfil all the expectations of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which India is a signatory to, for cooperation and repression of piracy in high seas.
Addressing the concerns raised by the Standing Committee on Transport and Shipping, the Centre has dropped the provision for trial in absentia through official amendments brought in the Lok Sabha.
The Bill also addresses the issue of death penalty “as an exceptional case”. The quantum of punishments envisaged in the Bill are in line with the gravity of offences.
Mr. Jaishankar, replying to a brief debate on the Bill, said ensuring maritime security is key to safeguarding India’s security and economic well-being.
He said that between 2008 and 2011, there were 27 maritime incidents where 288 Indian nationals were involved. “Between 2014 and 2022, there were 19 piracy cases in which 155 Indian crew members were involved and the numbers show why the country needs this Bill so badly,” he added.
He said passing of the Bill would enhance the country’s global credentials and standing in the comity of nations. “It will strengthen our maritime security, including the safety of our maritime trade routes and the well-being of Indian seafarers in international waters,” Mr. Jaishankar said.
During the debate, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya of the CPI(M) demanded that the death penalty provision be removed from the Bill.
Business
India said to plan stabilisation fund to bolster carbon market (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
India is planning a stabilisation fund to keep prices of credits in its planned carbon market above a certain threshold, ensuring that they remain attractive for investors and that the market succeeds in cutting emissions, two government sources said.
Money in the fund would be used by a market regulator to buy carbon credits if prices fell too low, one of the officials said.
Consistent investor interest in credits and a floor under the price would be needed because sharp falls in the market could discourage industries from reducing carbon dioxide emissions, that official added.
Planning envisages the market becoming fully operational in 2026, covering 37% of the country's emissions, according to slides, seen by Reuters, that the Power Ministry has shown to stakeholders. The sources said the government intended to publish the market's rules soon.
Details would be announced next year, said a third person, Samrat Sengupta, vice-president for new businesses and market strategy at carbon offsetter EKI Energy Ltd, which has been briefed by the government.
In creating a carbon market, a country sets a limit on emissions and then allocates a corresponding quantity of tradable permits, or credits, to emitters.
The quantity reduces over time. If a company wants to emit more, it can buy more credits at the market price, but it will also consider whether constraining or even cutting its emissions might more profitable.
The source said the federal government would set up the stabilisation fund. Exactly how it would work and where the money would come from was still under discussion.
The second source said the World Bank had shown interest in financing the carbon market if a stabilisation mechanism were created. The bank extended an $8 million grant to India in 2016/17.
The World Bank continues to remain committed to support India in developing a carbon trading market and other instruments to help scale up financing for key climate transitions.India's Power Ministry did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment.
The plans for creating a stabilisation fund and funding details have not been reported previously. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.