Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DOWN TO EARTH
[16 – 31 January, 2024]
PRELIMS
FIRST ADVANCE ESTIMATES OF NATIONAL INCOME (2023-24) 12
HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA 13
ZOSURABALPIN 14
THE WORLD ECONOMIC SITUATION AND PROSPECTS 2024 14
DECLINE OF RABI CROPS 15
A CHOLERA OUTBREAK IN ODISHA 16
THE CARBON CREDIT TRADING SCHEME (2023) 16
CANCER BURDEN IN ASIA 17
MAPPIA FOETIDA 18
SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
About:
● Conservation of indigenous crop varieties does not mean just collecting and storing seeds in a container, but
it needs to cultivate and harvest the crop every year to ensure its conservation.
● The indigenous crops of India include several varieties of rice, millets, wheat, barley, and maize.
○ The indigenous varieties of rice and millets are resistant to drought, salinity, and floods.
Associated challenges:
● The Green Revolution in the 1960s introduced high-yielding varieties of rice and wheat to increase food
production.
○ However, this led to a decline in the production of other food crops such as indigenous rice varieties
and millets.
○ It led to the disappearance of many of these indigenous crops, which were widely grown and eaten
until just 100 years ago.
● Complex Harvest Licensing Procedure and Limited Seed Access: Indigenous crop farmers often face
complex harvest licensing procedures and limited access to seeds or cuttings.
● Land Dispossession and Cultural Appropriation: Indigenous farmers often face issues such as land
dispossession and cultural appropriation.
● Lack of Recognition and Limited Access to Resources and Markets: Indigenous farmers often lack
recognition and have limited access to resources and markets.
● Loss of Unique Properties: The loss of indigenous crop varieties means disruption of agriculture cycles that
have been feeding, nurturing, and sustaining human beings and other life forms for aeons.
● Shift in Consumer Preference: Consumers moving to other varieties, shifting rainfall patterns, and a change
from multi-cropping to mono-cropping are all contributing to the drop
● Negative Cultural Perception: There is often a negative cultural perception of Indigenous Food Plants (IFPs)
and a lack of preparation knowledge at the consumption level.
● Other challenges include the competition with subsidised conventional production, limited distribution
options, and capabilities and capacity of growers, and lack of institutional support.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
About:
● UNCTAD has been actively participating in discussions on climate change and global trade, and brought into
focus the profound climate-related economic inequalities between developed and developing countries.
● It raised concerns over the disruption in global trade due to the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea shipping route,
stating that it would particularly hurt developing nations and warned that it is impacting global food prices.
● Developed countries are introducing policies, including massive subsidies and tariffs, leading to a trend
towards protectionism, in the name of climate action, which could spark trade wars.
○ It could significantly change the global trade system.
Possible Solutions:
● Role of World Trade Organization (WTO): It plays an important part in helping countries to tackle climate
change by maintaining a predictable trading environment underpinned by WTO rules.
○ However, the mutual supportiveness of trade and climate change policies could be strengthened by
further international cooperation at the WTO.
○ In early 1990, when the UNFCCC was agreed at the Rio Summit, the WTO was also set up with global
rules to facilitate free trade between nations.
● Role of Trade Policies: Well-designed trade policies are essential elements of sound climate change
adaptation strategies.
○ Trade can play an essential role in helping countries reduce emissions by increasing the availability and
affordability of environmental goods, services, and technologies.
● Need for Global Coordination: Ensuring that trade and climate change policies are mutually supportive
requires global coordination and transparency about government measures.
Conclusion:
● Climate change is not only disrupting global trade but also reshaping it in significant ways. It’s crucial for
countries to work together to ensure that trade policies support global efforts to curb climate change.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
NANO UREA
Context:
● Field experiment finds problems with nano urea with a substantial decrease in rice and wheat yields when
compared to conventional nitrogen fertiliser application.
Benefits:
● Minimising the Environmental Footprint: Nano urea helps in minimising the environmental footprint by
reducing the loss of nutrients from agriculture fields in the form of leaching and gaseous emissions which are
used to cause environmental pollution and climate change.
● It promotes clean and green technology as its industrial production is neither energy-intensive or resource-
consuming.
● Effectiveness: The application of 1 bottle of Nano Urea can effectively replace at least 1 bag of Urea.
Related Concerns:
● Scientific Validity: An opinion paper published in the journal ‘Plant and Soil’ has raised the concerns
questioning the efficacy and benefits of the product, emphasising the need for rigorous scientific scrutiny
before launching nano fertilisers into the market.
● Discrepancy Between Claims and Outcomes: Nano liquid urea was introduced as a promising alternative to
traditional granular urea.
○ However, it has failed to deliver noticeable results in the field. Farmers using the fertiliser have
experienced increased input costs without corresponding improvements in crop yield.
● Misleading Statements: The product is promoted with misleading and wrong statements about its efficiency
as a fertiliser, plant uptake pathways, and environmental friendliness.
○ With the doubts about the effect of nano urea in mind, the price of the product seems excessively high.
● Nitrogen Uptake Efficiency: It is unclear how even smaller nanoparticles can boost nitrogen uptake
efficiency.
○ Scientists are unsure whether the product can reduce farmers’ reliance on urea on its own.
● Potential Consequences: Exaggerated claims could lead to severe yield losses, impacting food security and
farmer livelihoods.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
Significance:
● This amendment is a significant step forward in India’s efforts to protect the environment.
● The rules will help to reduce pollution from air emissions from Boilers used in a number of Industries.
● The revised criteria will also help to improve the management of India’s natural resources.
About:
● The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared loneliness a global public health concern that comes in
light of the increasing levels of loneliness and social isolation worldwide, exacerbated by the Covid-19
pandemic.
Impacts of Loneliness:
● It activates stress response, resulting in increased inflammation. It also leads to behavioural changes such as
dietary change, smoking, alcohol abuse and reduced activity levels.
● Behavioural Change: Loneliness increases the risk of physiological and psychological ailments and can also
lead to social isolation
● Physiological Impact: It increases risk of premature death by 26%; heart stroke by 32%, coronary artery
disease by 29%, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by 26%, type 2 diabetes by 98%, and cancer by 10%
in men.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
○ It increases risk of Depression by 14 times, Anxiety by 11 times, Dementia by 50% and Suicidal thoughts
by 27.2%
● Individual or Sociological Impacts: Loneliness restrict social roles and social prescribing (art, therapeutic
writing, group exercises) and increase expenditure due to medical bills or hospitalisations
○ Social isolation due to exclusion, alienation and lack of solidarity from people or society
About:
● The study reports that breeding programs focused on developing high-yielding varieties have altered the
nutrient profiles of rice and wheat, two major staple food grains of India.
● While chasing yield, the plant genetics have been tinkered with so much that they no longer do the
fundamental job of delivering nutrition from the soil to the grains.
● The impoverished staple grains could worsen the country’s growing burden of non-communicable diseases
(NCDs).
○ This is a significant concern as rice and wheat meet over 50% of the daily energy requirements of
people in India.
● Alarming rise in toxic elements High-yielding rice and wheat varieties released over the last 50 years show
higher accumulation of toxic elements in food grains.
● Depletion in mineral diet quality Nutritional quality of rice and wheat cultivars continue to deteriorate with
each passing decade.
● Food not for health: Adverse health effects of mineral diet quality has steadily increased in high-yielding rice
varieties, exceeding constructive effects in 2022.
○ For wheat, adverse and constructive effects continue to deteriorate.
● Malnutrition: Malnutrition is still a challenge, especially amongst children below the age of five.
○ As per NFHS-5 (2019-21), 32% of children were underweight, 35% stunted, and 19% wasted.
○ Although India made reasonably good progress in reducing infant mortality from 57/1,000 in 2005-06 to
35/1,000 in 2019-21, the progress on other indicators of malnutrition is not very satisfactory.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
● Climate change & food insecurity: Climate change and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events,
from heat waves to flash floods, pose a big challenge not only to India’s food system but also to poverty
alleviation – gains could reverse with these shocks.
● Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs): The four major NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers,
chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), and diabetes.
○ The proportion of deaths due to NCDs in India has increased from 37.9% in 1990 to 61.8% in 2016.
○ The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and
Stroke was launched in 2010 as part of the National Health Mission (NHM).
○ It provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs for prevention, early diagnosis,
management, and treatment of NCDs
FORCED EVOLUTION
Context:
● Plants shift towards self-pollination as they see disruption in interactions with insects due to changes in
climate.
About:
● Disruption in interaction between plants and pollinator species is undoing millions of years of coevolution.
● The scientists said that the new generations of field pansy flowers were 10% smaller, produced 20% less
nectar and were less visited by pollinators compared to their ancestors
● Field pansy (Viola Arvensis) has shown rapid evolution towards ‘selfing syndrome’ in which the
predominantly cross-pollinating plant begins to self-pollinate due to weakened interactions with pollinators.
○ Field pansy is a low-growing plant with pale creamy-yellow flowers, and is considered a native of
southeastern Europe and western and now grows in temperate zones.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
Cause of Concerns:
● The phenomenon of pollinator-plant mismatch is indeed a cause for concern. It refers to the disruption of
the mutualistic relationship between plants and their pollinators due to changes in environmental factors
such as global warming.
● This is a complex issue with far-reaching implications for our ecosystems and food systems.
○ It underscores the importance of biodiversity conservation and the need for strategies to mitigate the
impacts of climate change.
● Global Warming and Mismatches: Global warming can cause mismatches between plants and their
pollinators, disrupting this crucial ecological interaction.
○ While there is growing empirical evidence of phenological mismatches occurring today, the occurrence
of future spatial mismatches is predominantly theoretical and based on predictive models.
● Effects on Biodiversity: The effects of a warming climate on species fitness and persistence are becoming
more apparent, with an increasing number of studies demonstrating its multiple impacts on biodiversity.
○ This global change can directly affect the fitness of species across their current ranges but it can also
alter their ecological interactions.
● Shift in Flowering Plants’ Reproduction: Amid declines reported in many pollinator populations, a new study
on the evolution of one flower species’ mating system has revealed a remarkable shift that could exacerbate
the challenges faced by the plants’ insect partners.
○ The flowers’ reproductive evolution may be linked to environmental changes such as habitat
destruction and rapid ongoing decreases in pollinator biodiversity.
● Impact on Ecosystems: An overall decline in pollinators could affect some plant species more severely than
others.
○ If plants produce less nectar, there will be less food available to pollinators, which will in turn accelerate
the rate at which the animals’ numbers dwindle.
● The move from cross-fertilisation to self-pollination may benefit plants in the short term, but it could lead
species to an evolutionary dead end with increased chances of extinction.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
Governing Laws:
● Under the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, geographical indications are covered
as an element of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).
● At the level of the World Trade Organization (WTO), GI is governed under the Trade Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement, which was part of the Agreements concluding the Uruguay
Round of GATT negotiations.
○ Article 22(1) of TRIPS defines GIs as ‘indications which identify a good as originating in the territory of a
member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic
of the good is essentially attributable to its geographic origin’.
● In many EU nations, GI is classified in two basic categories—Protected GI (PGI) and Protected Destination of
Origin (PDO).
○ India only has the PGI Category.
● Geographical indication is also defined in the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin
and Geographical Indications.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
Related Issues:
● Low Awareness Among Producers: Many producers are not aware of the benefits of GI registration, leading
to underutilization of this intellectual property right.
● Rampant Violations: There are numerous instances of unauthorised use and imitation of GI-tagged
products.
● Lack of Proper Marketing and Promotion: Many GI-tagged products are not adequately marketed, resulting
in low demand and sales.
● Post-Registration Issues: Even after obtaining GI registration, many producers face challenges in managing
and enforcing their rights.
Way Forward:
● Since India’s GI Act was framed more than two decades ago, it is time to amend it, along with the GI
application forms and application processing time. This should be accompanied with suitable institutional
development.
● There is also a need to help producers benefit after the registration process since they are often clueless on
how to proceed after getting a GI tag.
● Health, social wellbeing and welfare policies for artisans and labourers in the non-farm sector have also not
received required attention from the policymakers. The government should bolster support to the GI
workers in this regard.
PRELIMS
About:
● These were released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation.
Key Highlights:
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
● The Indian economy is estimated to grow by a robust 7.3% in FY 2023-24, which is slightly higher than the
provisional growth rate of 7.2% during the last financial year.
● All the economic sectors have fared well by witnessing more than 6% growth, except for the Agriculture and
Allied sector, for which the estimated growth is 1.8%, a steep decline from the 4% growth in financial year
2022-23.
○ The Construction sector has been estimated to have double digits growth of 10.7%.
● Real GDP or GDP at Constant (2011-12) Prices in the year 2023-24 is estimated to attain a level of ₹171.79
lakh crore, as against the Provisional Estimate of GDP for the year 2022-23 of ₹160.06 lakh crore.
● Nominal GDP or GDP at Current Prices in the year 2023-24 is estimated at ₹296.58 lakh crore, as against the
Provisional Estimate of GDP for the year 2022-23 of ₹272.41 lakh crore.
● The growth in nominal GDP during 2023-24 is estimated at 8.9% as compared to 16.1% in 2022-23.
Significance:
● These estimates are indicator-based and are compiled using the benchmark-indicator method i.e., the
estimates available for the previous year (2022-23) are extrapolated using the relevant indicators reflecting
the performance of sectors.
● Data sourced from various Ministries/ Departments/ Private Agencies serve as valuable inputs in the
compilation of these estimates.
Types:
● Influenza A viruses infect humans and many different animals.
● Influenza B viruses circulate among humans and cause seasonal epidemics. Recent data showed seals also
can be infected.
● Influenza C viruses can infect both humans and pigs but infections are generally mild and are rarely
reported.
● Influenza D viruses primarily affect cattle and are not known to infect or cause illness in people.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
ZOSURABALPIN
Context:
● Researchers have found that Zosurabalpin is highly effective against Carbapenem Resistant Acinetobacter
Baumannii (CRAB), which is classified as a ‘priority 1’ pathogen by the World Health Organization.
About Zosurabalpin:
● It is an experimental antibiotic that targets a lipopolysaccharide transporter, and that can kill bacteria
which are resistant to most drugs.
● It is highly effective against CRAB both in the laboratory and in infected animals.
● It works by blocking a molecular machine called LptB2FGC that transports the lipopolysaccharide toxin from
the inside barrier to the outside one.
● It could also kill the bacteria in the bloodstream of crab-infected mice.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
Key Findings:
● Global GDP Growth: The report forecasts a deceleration in global GDP growth, from an estimated 2.7% in
2023 to 2.4% in 2024.
○ This signals a continuation of sluggish growth trends.
● Developing Economies: Developing economies are struggling to recover from pandemic-induced losses, with
many facing high debt and investment shortfalls.
● Regional Disparities: The United States, the world’s largest economy, is expected to see a drop in GDP
growth from 2.5% in 2023 to 1.4% in 2024.
○ China is projected to experience a moderate slowdown, with growth estimated at 4.7% in 2024, down
from 5.3% in 2023.
○ Europe and Japan also face significant economic headwinds, with growth rates forecasted at 1.2% for
both regions in 2024.
● Least Developed Countries (LDCs): The LDCs are projected to grow by 5.0% in 2024, yet this falls short of the
7.0% growth target set in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
● Risks and Challenges: Simmering geopolitical tensions, the growing intensity and frequency of extreme
weather events, tight financial conditions, and high interest rates pose increasing risks to global trade and
industrial production.
About:
● The rabi crops were sown on a total of 62.96 million ha, as of December 2023, against 64.61 million ha until
December 2022.
● Pulses have seen the most reduction in acreage (1.07 million ha). Wheat and paddy sowing has also dropped.
● The collective area coverage under Rabi crops recorded a dip of 1.91 lakh hectares.
● However, some crops like oilseeds and coarse cereals maintained the pace of sowing with their acreages
being at par with the previous year’s sown areas.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
Rabi Crops:
● These require mild cold climate during sowing period, during vegetative to pod development cold climate
and during maturity / harvesting warm climate.
● The major Rabi crops in India include: Wheat, Barley, Oats, Chickpea/Gram, Mustard, Linseed, Garlic, Onion,
Tomato, Banana, Grapefruit, and Mangoes.
Symptoms
● Cholera is an extremely virulent disease transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water.
● Cholera can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea and the severe forms of the disease can kill within hours if
left untreated.
● Among people who develop symptoms, the majority have mild or moderate symptoms. It takes between 12
hours and 5 days for a person to show symptoms.
○ A minority of patients develop acute watery diarrhoea with severe dehydration.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
Key Features:
● Formation of a National Steering Committee: The CCTS 2023 entails the formation of a National Steering
Committee or Indian Carbon Market (NSCICM) for the governance and direct oversight of the Indian Carbon
Market (ICM).
● Key Stakeholders: The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) will be the administrator for the ICM and will be
responsible for the development of the GHG emissions trajectory and the targets for the entities to be
obligated under the notification.
● Compliance Requirements: The obligated entities will be required to achieve the GHG emission intensity
targets notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
○ The entities that overachieve the set targets will be issued carbon credit certificates and entities that
fail to achieve the targets will meet the shortfall by purchasing the carbon credit certificates from the
ICM.
● Carbon Credits: Carbon credits are the primary recommendation of CCTS, with a further recommendation of
carbon taxes in the future.
● Domestic Carbon Credit Trade: The scheme talks about focusing on domestic carbon credit trade in the
country and unless India’s own climate goals are achieved, the government has prohibited the export of
carbon credit.
● Coverage: Covering approximately 72% of India’s total CO2 emissions, the CCTS will have far-reaching
implications on India’s journey to net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.
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Summary of Down to Earth [16 – 31 January, 2024]
● In India: 1.2 million new cases and 929,600 deaths due to cancer were reported in India in 2019, the second
highest in Asia.
○ India also accounted for 32.9% of global deaths and 28.1% of new lip and oral cavity cancer cases in
2019.
MAPPIA FOETIDA
Context:
● Recently, the Bombay High Court quashed a case against a pharma company by saying that Camptothecin, a
cancer drug, was not a forest produce.
○ It involves the illegal felling of Narkya trees in Chandoli National Park in Maharashtra.
Protection:
● The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972;
● The Indian Forest Act, 1927;
● The Bombay Forest Rules, 1942.
SUBJECTIVE QUESTIONS
1. Examine the role of indigenous crop varieties for sustainable food production in India. Enumerate the steps
taken by the government to promote the smart agriculture practice in India.
2. How far do you think that climate crisis determines the global trade patterns? Suggest some practical
solutions.
3. Analyse the impact of the Green Revolution in the present scenario. Do you think the green revolution has
contributed to the rise of non communicable diseases in India?
4. What do you understand about the Geographical Indication (GI) tags? How did it benefit the local
businesses? What are the major concerns?
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