15 May 2023: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

CNA 15 May 2023:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. GS 1 Related
B. GS 2 Related
C. GS 3 Related
ECONOMY
1. The nutritional value of millets
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Explaining mitochondrial donation treatment: how a baby has three parents
D. GS 4 Related
E. Editorials
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity
F. Prelims Facts
1. Cyclone Mocha
G. Tidbits
1. Bail orders should not be too long or come too late as both violate
personal liberty: SC
2. Centre announces Praveen Sood as new CBI Director
3. Govt. nod for 4th Positive Indigenisation List for DPSUs
H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions
I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions
FIP Magazine

Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Explaining mitochondrial donation treatment: how a baby has three parents

Syllabus: Awareness in the field of bio-technology 

Prelims: About mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT)

Mains: Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT): procedure involved, significance and its associated legal aspects

Context

Recently, it was announced that a baby was born using three persons’ DNA in the U. K.

Details:

  • The baby born using mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT), technically, has three parents as the baby carried most of its genetic material such as DNA from its parents, and the mitochondria from the donor were used while fertilising the egg.
  • This mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) was employed in order to prevent the child from inheriting the mother’s mitochondrial disease.
  • Mitochondria are regarded as the “powerhouses of the cells” as they generate the energy required for the functioning of cells in the human body.
    • Defects in the mitochondrial can impact the functioning of cells which can have adverse effects on various ‘energy-hungry’ tissues of the brain, nerves, muscles, kidneys, heart, liver and can affect the functioning of these organs.
    • Such diseases that occur due to mitochondrial defects are known as mitochondrial diseases.
  • Mitochondrial diseases are only passed on by the mother, and various studies are underway to find a solution for protecting the infant from inheriting the disease.

Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT)

image 49

Image Source: ResearchGate

  • Using advanced in vitro fertilisation techniques the biological father’s sperm would be used to fertilise the eggs from the biological mother, who suffers from a mitochondrial disease and another female donor with normal mitochondria, separately.
  • Later, the nuclear genetic material from the donor’s egg is removed and replaced with the genetic material from the biological parents. 
  • The “egg” now produced will have the genetic material i.e. DNA from the parents and healthy mitochondria from the female donor.
  • This egg is then implanted in the uterus and carried to full term to yield a baby which does not inherit the biological mother’s mitochondrial disease. 

Legislations to facilitate MRT

  • MRT was pioneered in the U. K. by doctors at the Newcastle Fertility Centre and the U.K. government in  2015 had amended the law to facilitate the procedure.
  • The Newcastle Clinic later became the first centre to get a licence to perform MRT, and the first few cases were approved in 2018. 
  • The U. K.’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) provides the required approval on a case-by-case basis.
  • Australia in 2022 became the second country after the U.K. to legalize the use of MRT.

For more information on this topic, refer to the following article:

UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis dated 14 May 2023

Nut graf: A pioneering technology called “Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy (MRT)” was recently used to facilitate the birth of a baby which technically has three parents. This technology has the capability to prevent the child from inheriting mitochondrial disease. 

F. Prelims Facts

1. Cyclone Mocha

Syllabus: GS-1; Geography; Important Geophysical phenomena – cyclones

Prelims: About Cyclone Mocha

Context

Cyclone Mocha makes landfall in Myanmar.

Cyclone Mocha

  • Cyclone Mocha will be the first cyclonic storm of the year 2023.
  • The name “Mocha” (pronounced as Mokha) was suggested by Yemen.
    • It is named after the Red Sea port city, which is known to have introduced coffee to the world over 500 years ago.
  • On May 13, 2023, Cyclone Mocha became the second-most intense cyclone to develop in the Bay of Bengal in the month since 1982.
  • Cyclone Mocha was termed as “Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm” by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and a “Super Cyclone” by a frontline international weather website.
  • Cyclone Mocha had intensified from category 1 (120 kmph) to category 4 (212 kmph) in just 24 hours.
  • India has bi-annual or dual cyclone seasons namely – pre-monsoon (April-June) and post-monsoon (October-December).
  • Experts noted that cyclones are becoming more intense and more frequent in the Bay of Bengal region because of climate change.

Learn more – Cyclones

G. Tidbits

1. Bail orders should not be too long or come too late as both violate personal liberty: SC

  • The Supreme Court has said that bail orders should neither be too long and elaborate nor come too late as they violate the constitutional mandate of “personal liberty”.
  • The SC Bench noted that, once a case for bail is reserved for orders, the pronouncement of the decision should not take too long as every day of waiting affects the personal liberty of an undertrial.
  • The SC Bench highlighted the importance of brevity in bail orders and the need for the promptness in their pronouncement and criticised the practice of detailed elaboration of evidence in the orders granting/rejecting bail/anticipatory bail.
  • The court also held that courts are expected to decide the matters pertaining to the liberty of citizens expeditiously.

Read more – Bail [Meaning, History, Scope for UPSC Exam]

2. Centre announces Praveen Sood as new CBI Director

  • The centre announced the appointment of Karnataka’s Director-General of Police (DGP) Praveen Sood as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
  • The appointment of Praveen Sood was finalised by a three-member committee consisting of the Prime Minister of India, the Chief Justice of India, and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
  • The empanelment at the Centre, unlike the appointment of other Central government employees, do not apply in the case of the CBI Director, as the CBI chief derives powers under the Delhi Police Special Establishment Act, 1946.
  • The CBI Director has a fixed tenure of two years. However, the tenure can be extended up to five years.

3. Govt. nod for 4th Positive Indigenisation List for DPSUs

  • The Defence Ministry has approved the fourth Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of about 928 strategically important line replacement units (LRUs), sub-systems, spares and components.
  • The approval was granted for high-end materials and spares, with an import substitution value of ₹715 crores.
  • The approval of the fourth list is in line with the efforts to minimise imports by defence public sector undertakings (DPUSs).
  • The previous three indigenisation lists were published in December 2021, March 2022 and August 2022 respectively.

For more information on this topic, refer to the following article:

UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis dated 30 Dec 2021

H. UPSC Prelims Practice Questions

Q1. With respect to Khooni Darwaza, which of the following statements is/are correct?
(Level – Difficult)
  1. Khooni Darwaza is a gate built during the reign of Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century.
  2. The architecture of Khooni Darwaza is a blend of Mughal and Nagara Styles.
  3. The gate gets its name from the killings that took place there during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

Options:

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • Statement 1 is correct, Khooni Darwaza, which is located near the Delhi Gate, was built during the reign of Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century. 
  • Statement 2 is not correct, The architecture of Khooni Darwaza is a blend of Mughal and Afghan styles.
  • Statement 3 is correct, Khooni Darwaza gets its name from the killings that took place there during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. 
Q2. Who are the Persons entitled to vote by post at an election in an assembly 
constituency? (Level – Moderate)
  1. Special Voters
  2. Service Voters
  3. Voters on election duty
  4. Electors subjected to preventive detention

Options:

  1. 1, 2 and 3 only
  2. 2, 3 and 4 only
  3. 1, 3 and 4 only
  4. 1, 2, 3 and 4
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • As per the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, the persons are who are entitled to vote by post include:
    • Special voters;
    • Service voters;
    • Voters on election duty; and
    • Electors subjected to preventive detention
Q3. Which of the following states are recognized by Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 
(NPT) as Nuclear Weapon States (NWS)? (Level – Easy)
  1. France
  2. Russia
  3. Iran
  4. China
  5. Israel

Options:

  1. 1, 2 and 3 only
  2. 2, 3, 4 and 5 only
  3. 1, 2 and 4 only
  4. 1, 4 and 5 only
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: c

Explanation:

  • There are a total of nine nations that possess nuclear weapons.
  • The five nuclear-weapon states (NWS) officially recognized as possessing nuclear weapons by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) are:
    • China
    • France
    • Russia
    • The United Kingdom
    • The United States
  • The remaining four nations namely – India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea have not signed the treaty and thus are not a party to the treaty.
Q4. Consider the following statements: (Level – Moderate)
  1. The planet is sometimes called “The Jewel of the Solar System.”
  2. It is the least dense planet in the Solar System.

The above statements best describe:

  1. Jupiter
  2. Saturn
  3. Uranus
  4. Neptune 
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: b

Explanation:

  • Saturn, which is the sixth planet from the sun in our solar system, is often called “The Jewel of the Solar System” because of its beautiful rings. 
  • Saturn is the second largest planet in our solar system. 
  • Saturn is named after the Roman god of agriculture.
  • Saturn has the lowest density of all the planets in our solar system. Its density is lesser than water.
Q5. A layer in the Earth's atmosphere called Ionosphere facilitates radio 
communication. Why? (Level – Moderate) PYQ (2011)
  1. The presence of ozone causes the reflection of radio waves to Earth.
  2. Radio waves have a very long wavelength.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
CHECK ANSWERS:-

Answer: d

Explanation:

  • Statement 1 is not correct, Ionosphere facilitates radio communication because it reflects and modifies radio waves used for communication and navigation.
    • The Ozone layer is found in the Stratosphere.
  • Statement 2 is not correct, Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum. 
    • However, it is not the reason why the ionosphere facilitates radio communication.

I. UPSC Mains Practice Questions

  1. What do you mean by a 3-parent baby? Explain the step by step process used in such procedures. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS-3; Science and Technology)
  2. Slowly but surely, India is getting rid of its reluctance to join multiparty economic agreements.
    Elaborate with appropriate examples. (250 words; 15 marks) (GS-3; Economy)

Read the previous CNA here.

CNA 15 May 2023:- Download PDF Here

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