UPSC: Guru Padmasambhava, Namibia, Hydrogels, and More

Table of Contents

UPSC GS1

Guru Padmasambhava (‘Lotus-Born’)

News: In Bihar, a two-day International Conference on the legacy of Guru Padmasambhava began at Nava Nalanda Mahavihara in Rajgir recently took place.
Identity and Reverence:
- - According to tradition, he was a native of Udyāna (now Swat, Pakistan.), an area famed for its magicians.
  - Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, was a prominent spiritual figure in the eighth century.
  - His jayanti is still celebrated each year in India at the Hemis Festival in Ladakh on the tenth day of the Tibetan lunar month, usually in June.

Role in Tibetan Buddhism:
- - Guru Padmasambhava is recognized as one of the founding fathers of Tibetan Buddhism.
  - He arrived in Tibet in 749 A.D. and played a crucial role in establishing and spreading Buddhism there.
  - Guru Padmasambhava’s ‘loka’ or ‘pure land’ (celestial region) is called ‘Zangdok Palri’, the Copper Mountain, in Bhutan and neighbouring regions.
  - The Tibetan Buddhist sect Rnying-ma-pa (the Old Order) claims to follow most closely Padmasambhava’s teachings, emphasizing Tantric ritual, worship, and Yoga.
Spread of Buddhism in the Himalayan Region:
- - He is credited with spreading the message of Lord Buddha to several countries and regions within the Himalayan belt, including:
    - India
    - Nepal
    - Pakistan
    - Bhutan
    - Bangladesh
    - Tibet
Association with Tantric Practices and Yogācāra Sect:
- - Guru Padmasambhava was a Tantrist and a member of the Yogācāra sect.
  - He taught at Nalanda, a renowned centre for Buddhist studies in ancient India.
Cultural and Spiritual Influence:
- - Guru Padmasambhava represents a synthesis of various cultural and spiritual practices, including:
    - Yogic and Tantric practices
    - Meditation techniques
    - Art and music
    - Dance and magic
    - Folklore and religious teachings
International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) :
- - International Buddhist Confederation is the biggest religious Buddhist confederation, based in Delhi, India.
  - The architect of the International Buddhist Confederation is Lama Lobzang.
  - This confederation is named as the first organization which unites Buddhists from the whole world.

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Namibia

News: Namibia plans to cull hundreds of its most majestic wild animals, including dozens of elephants and hippopotamuses, to provide meat for its 1.4 million people .
Location: Namibia, a country located on the southwestern coast of Africa.
Borders: It is bordered by Angola to the north, Zambia to the northeast, Botswana to the east, South Africa to the southeast and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Capital: The capital of the country is Windhoek.

International Presence:
- - Namibia is a member state of the United Nations (UN), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and the Commonwealth of Nations.
Features:
- - Namibia has been inhabited since prehistoric times by the San, Damara, Nama and Bantu groups.
  - It is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa.
  - The Namib Desert, world’s oldest desert, stretches for more than 2,000 km along the coast of Namibia.
  - Namibia has the Largest Population of Free-Roaming Cheetahs in the World.
  - Namibia is Home to the Second-largest Canyon in the World: Fish River Canyon.
  - Namibia is known for mining for gem diamonds, uranium, gold, silver and base metals.

UPSC GS 2

Digital Agriculture Mission

News: The Union Cabinet Committee has approved the Digital Agriculture Mission.
Definition: Conceived as an umbrella scheme, it supports various digital agriculture initiatives such as:
- - Creating Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI),
  - Implementing the Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES),
  - Other IT initiatives by Central and State Governments and Academic and Research Institutions.
Budget: A budgetary allocation of Rs 2,817 crore has been made for the Mission, of which Rs 1,940 crore will be provided by the Centre, and the rest by the states and Union Territories.
Duration: The Mission will be rolled out across the country over the next two years (until 2025-26).
Ministry: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for Agriculture:
- - Objective: Provide comprehensive and useful data on farmers, including demographic details, land holdings, crops sown, and more.
  - Inclusion: Data will cover cultivators and tenant farmers as per State Government policies and connect to relevant digital infrastructures of State Governments and Indian Ministries.
  - Participants: A Memorandum of Understanding is being signed between the Centre and State Governments to create and implement the DPI for Agriculture.
  - Components: Agristack, Krishi Decision Support System, and Soil Profile Mapping.
Three Pillars of Mission:

AgriStack

Krishi Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS)

Soil Profile Mapping

Purpose: A farmer-centric DPI enabling efficient, easier, and faster services and scheme delivery to farmers.

Structure: Built as a federated structure in collaboration with Central and State Governments.

Foundational Registries: Farmers’ Registry, Geo-referenced village maps, and Crop Sown Registry.

Farmer ID (Kisan ki Pehchaan): Farmers will be given a digital identity, dynamically linked to various records like State’s land, livestock, crops sown, demographic details, family details, schemes, etc.

Digital Crop Survey: The Crop Sown Registry will provide details of crops planted by farmers. The information will be recorded through Digital Crop Surveys — mobile-based ground survey.

Geo-Referenced Village Maps: The maps will link geographic information on land records with their physical locations.

Function: A comprehensive geospatial system unifying remote sensing-based information on crops, soil, weather, water resources, etc.

Applications: Supports crop map generation, drought/flood monitoring, technology/model-based yield assessment, and settling crop insurance claims.

Scale: Soil Profile Maps on a 1:10,000 scale for 142 million ha of India’s agricultural land.

Progress: 29 million ha have already been completed.

Digital General Crop Estimation Survey (DGCES):
- - Objective: Provide yield estimates based on scientifically designed crop-cutting experiments.
  - Benefits: Useful in making accurate agricultural production estimates, facilitating crop diversification, and evaluating irrigation needs.
Key Benefits of the Mission:
- - Opportunities: About 2.5 lakh trained local youth and Krishi Sakhis expected to gain employment through digital crop surveys, data collection for remote sensing, etc.
  - Access to Services: The unique farmer ID will allow launch of new value-added services and farmers will be able to avail govt schemes including PM-Kisan and Fasal Bima Yojana. It will also enable them to avail financial services like farm loans and insurance.
  - Government Schemes: Trustful data will help government agencies make schemes and services more efficient and transparent, e.g., paperless MSP-based procurement, crop insurance, and credit card-linked crop loans.
  - Crop Production Estimation: Digitally captured data on crop-sown areas, combined with DGCES and remote-sensing data, will aid in accurate crop production estimation.
  - Value Chains: The DPI for Agriculture will help stakeholders establish efficient value chains for agricultural inputs and post-harvest processes.
  - Advisory Services: It will support the development of customized advisory services to farmers on crop planning, crop health, pest and disease management, irrigation requirements, ensuring timely guidance and services.

Rule 170 of Drugs Act

News: The Supreme Court recently pulled up the AYUSH Ministry over Rule 170 of Drugs Act.
Introduction and Purpose:
- - In 2018, the government introduced Rule 170 to regulate the manufacture, storage, and sale of medicines in India.
  - The primary goal of this rule is to control inappropriate advertisements of Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani medicines.

Prohibition on Advertising:
- - Rule 170 prohibits AYUSH drug manufacturers from advertising their products without prior approval.
  - Manufacturers must obtain a unique identification number from the state licensing authority before advertising.
Requirements for Approval: Manufacturers are required to submit the following details for approval:
- - Textual references and rationale for the medicine from authoritative books
  - Indication for use
  - Evidence of safety, effectiveness, and quality of the drugs
Grounds for Rejection of Application: An application for advertising approval will be rejected if:
- - The manufacturer does not provide their contact details
  - The advertisement contains obscene or vulgar content
  - The product is for enhancement of male or female sexual organs
  - The advertisement depicts photographs or testimonials from celebrities or government officials
  - The advertisement refers to any government organisation
  - The advertisement gives a false impression or makes misleading or exaggerated claims
Background and Rationale:
- - Rule 170 was introduced following a parliamentary standing committee’s report that highlighted issues with misleading claims in advertisements.
  - The rule emphasizes the need for the AYUSH ministry to address and manage these issues proactively.

Copyright Act, 1957

News: The Tamil Nadu government has announced that the collected works of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi would be “nationalised” — making them freely available for the public to publish, translate and adapt.
Copyright Laws Under the Copyright Act, 1957
Author’s Rights: The Copyright Act, 1957 grants authors a range of legal rights, including:
- - The right to reproduce their work
  - The right to issue copies of their work
  - The right to perform their work
  - The right to adapt or translate their work
Ownership After Author’s Death:
- - Upon the author’s death, the ownership of the copyright is transferred to the author’s legal heirs.
Assignment of Copyright (Section 18):
- - Section 18 of the Act permits a copyright owner to “assign” their copyright, either wholly or partially, to another party.
  - This assignment can be made in return for compensation and is entirely at the discretion of the copyright owner.
Duration of Copyright:
- - For any literary, dramatic, musical, or artistic work, the copyright remains in effect until sixty years after the death of the original author.
  - After this period, the work enters the “public domain,” meaning it can be used freely without the need for permission from the former copyright owners.

UPSC GS 3

Hydrogels

News: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have designed a sustainable hydrogel to remove microplastics from water.
News: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have designed a sustainable hydrogel to remove microplastics from water.
Definition: A hydrogel is a three-dimensional (3D) network of hydrophilic polymers that can swell in water and hold a large amount of water.
Composition: Hydrogels can be derived from natural materials like proteins (e.g., gelatin) or polysaccharides (such as alginate from seaweed), as well as synthetic polymers.
Properties: Characterized by their remarkable water absorbency, hydrogels are often described as “water-loving” or “water-swollen” due to their ability to swell and retain significant water content within their structure.

Applications:
- - Drug Delivery: Hydrogels serve as carriers for medications, gradually releasing drugs in a controlled and targeted manner when implanted in the body.
  - Wound Healing: Creating a moist environment conducive to wound healing, hydrogels can be laden with growth factors or other healing agents to enhance the recovery process.
  - Contact Lenses: Some contact lenses utilize hydrogels, providing softness, comfort, and moisture retention for prolonged wear.
  - Non-medical Applications:
  - Agriculture: Hydrogels aid in water retention within soil, optimizing moisture levels for plant growth.
  - Diapers: Utilized for their exceptional absorption properties, hydrogels enhance the effectiveness of diapers.
  - Tissue Engineering: Serving as scaffolds for tissue regeneration, hydrogels play a crucial role in tissue engineering endeavors.
Microplastics
- - Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life.
  - Type:
  - Primary microplastics are tiny particles designed for commercial use like cosmetics, microfibers shed from clothing and other textiles, such as fishing nets.
  - Secondary microplastics are particles that result from the breakdown of larger plastic items, such as water bottles caused by exposure to environmental factors, mainly the sun’s radiation and ocean waves.
    - Microplastics, like larger plastic items, resist breakdown and can persist for centuries, causing environmental harm.
    - On beaches, they appear as small colored plastic fragments in sand, while in oceans, they are ingested by marine life, posing further ecological threats.

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Polymer Fume Fever (Teflon Fever)

News: The US has seen a notable surge in polymer fume fever cases, or ‘Teflon flu,’ due to fumes from overheated non stick cookware.
What is Teflon Flu?
- - Non-stick pans or any cookware that are coated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or teflon) release toxic fumes when overheated.
  - When inhaled, it potentially causes flu-like symptoms in humans.
  - This flu is known as teflon flu and people get it due to exposure to fumes from overheated non-stick cookware that uses teflon.

Symptoms:
- - Headache, fever, shivering, shortness of breath, muscle aches, weakness, chest tightness, coughing, excessive thirst, and sweating.
Treatment:
- - Measures to relieve symptoms, including drugs to reduce fever
  - Mechanical ventilation if needed

Drp1 or Dynaminrelated Protein 1

News: By reducing the activity of a key protein that controls mitochondrial dynamics called Drp1, the scientists were able to restore mitochondria to their normal activity and function.
Role and Abundance:
- - Drp1 plays a crucial role in controlling mitochondrial dynamics and is naturally abundant in cells.
  - It is essential for the division of mitochondria into smaller sizes.
Impact of Excessive Activity: When the activity of this protein, known as Drp1, is excessive:
- - It can lead to the fragmentation of mitochondria, resulting in impaired function.
  - This dysfunction can contribute to neuronal damage and cell death, which are key features of neurodegenerative diseases: like Parkinson’s.
Connection to Neurodegenerative Diseases:
- - Imbalances in mitochondrial dynamics have been strongly linked to neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Parkinson’s disease.
Overview of Parkinson’s Disease:
- - Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting around 1 million Americans and over 10 million people globally.
  - The disease results from the death of brain cells that control movement.
Factors Affecting Mitochondrial Dynamics:
- - Certain disease-related factors can disrupt the balance between mitochondrial fusion and division, further contributing to conditions like Parkinson’s.

Navratna Status

News: The Ministry of Finance upgraded four public-sector enterprises, SJVN, Solar Energy Corporation, NHPC and RailTel Corporation of India, to the ‘Navratna’ status.
Categorization of PSUs: The government classifies Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) into three categories:
- - Maharatna
  - Navratna
  - Miniratna
Introduction of the Navratna Scheme: The Government introduced the ‘Navratna’ scheme in 1997 to enhance the operational efficiency of select PSUs.
Criteria for Navratna Status: To qualify for Navratna status, a PSU must meet the following criteria:
- - Be a Miniratna-I, Schedule ‘A’ company
  - Have an ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ MoU rating in three of the last five years
  - Achieve a composite score of 60 in six performance indicators
  - Report a net profit of more than ₹5,000 crore for three consecutive years
  - Maintain an average annual turnover of ₹25,000 crore for three years
  - Have an average annual net worth of over ₹15,000 crore for three years
Advantages of Navratna Status:
- - Financial Independence: Navratna PSUs can invest up to ₹1,000 crore without needing approval from the central government.
  - They are permitted to invest up to 15% of their net worth on a single project, or 30% of their net worth in a given year, subject to a cap of ₹1,000 crore.
  - Capital Expenditure: They can incur capital expenditure on purchasing new items or replacements without any monetary ceiling.
  - Technology and Strategic Ventures: Navratna companies are authorized to enter into technology joint ventures or strategic alliances independently.