Superbugs and Antimicrobial Resistance
Syllabus: GS2/Health
Context
- A silent pandemic of superbugs is going on for decades causing more havoc than one can anticipate.
About
- Quarter of antibiotics consumed in the world are in India, and there are annually 300,000 direct deaths attributable to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
- Superbugs are a factor in 10 lakh additional deaths each year.
- There have not been any innovative antibiotics developed since the last few decades.
- More patients with seemingly minor infections are going for complicated treatments and surgery.
What are Superbugs and Antibiotics?
- Superbugs are bacteria that are resistant to several types of antibiotics; they can be fungi as well.
- This happens when bacteria change over time and become resistant to drugs that are supposed to defeat them and cure the infections they cause.
- Antibiotics are medications that destroy or slow down the growth of bacteria. Doctors prescribe them to treat bacterial infections. They do this by killing bacteria and preventing them from multiplying.
- Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first natural antibiotic, in 1928.
- Antibiotics cannot fight viral infections.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
- Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to medicines, making people sicker and increasing the risk of disease spread, illness and deaths.
- Nearly 700,000 people die of AMR every year. The toll can rise to as many as 10 million by 2050 and eat up 3.8 percent of annual global gross domestic product (GDP).
- Antimicrobials: Antimicrobials are agents used to prevent, control and treat infectious diseases in humans, animals and plants.
- They include antibiotics, fungicides, antiviral agents and parasiticides. Disinfectants, antiseptics, other pharmaceuticals and natural products may also have antimicrobial properties.
Causes for Antimicrobial Resistance
- Overuse and Misuse of Antibiotics: The excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics in humans and animals is a major driver of antimicrobial resistance.
- This includes using antibiotics without a prescription, not completing the full course of prescribed antibiotics, and using antibiotics for non-bacterial infections.
- Inadequate Dosage and Duration: When antibiotics are not taken in the correct dosage and for the recommended duration, it can lead to incomplete eradication of the targeted microorganisms, allowing the surviving bacteria to develop resistance.
- Self-Medication: Self-prescription without proper medical guidance contributes to the misuse of antibiotics.
- Antibiotics Consumption in Food-Animals: Use of antibiotics as growth promoters in food animals and poultry is a common practice and later it evolves in the food chain.
- Poor Sanitation: The large proportion of sewage is disposed of untreated into receiving water bodies, leading to gross contamination of rivers with antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant organisms.
Challenges Posed by AMR
- Antibiotic resistance is emerging as the threat to successful treatment of infectious diseases, organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy and major surgeries.
- There is more focus on R&D for cancer drugs compared to antibiotics because as a society we put less value on antibiotics as drugs.
- The issue of AMR causes out of pocket expenditure on health care, especially on medicines.
- The use of high order drugs or second-line expensive antibiotics pushing treatment costs high.
| Measures Taken against Antimicrobial Resistance in India – National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR): It has a focus on the One Health approach & was launched with the aim of involving various stakeholders ministries/departments. – AMR Surveillance Network: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) established the AMR surveillance and research network (AMRSN) to generate evidence and capture trends and patterns of drug resistant infections in the country. – FSSAI has set certain guidelines limiting the antibiotics in food products such as fish and honey. – National Health Policy, 2017: It terms antimicrobial resistance as one of the key healthcare issues and prioritizes the development of guidelines regarding antibiotic use and check on restricting the growth of antibiotics. – National Antibiotic Consumption Network (NAC-NET): The network sites compile data on antibiotic consumption in their respective health facilities and send it to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). |
Way ahead
- Addressing the challenges posed by AMR requires a coordinated global effort involving healthcare professionals, researchers, policymakers, and the public.
- Further initiatives to promote responsible antimicrobial use, surveillance of resistance patterns, development of new drugs, and international collaboration are crucial to mitigating the impact of AMR on public health.
India-U.S. Sign MoU on Critical Minerals Supply Chains
Syllabus: GS33/Science and Technology, GS2/ IR
Context
- India and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand and diversify the critical minerals supply chain.
What are Critical Minerals?
- These are minerals that are essential for economic development and national security.
- The lack of availability of these minerals or the concentration of extraction or processing in a few geographical locations could potentially lead to “supply chain vulnerabilities and even disruption of supplies”.
Applications of Critical Minerals
- Clean technologies initiatives such as zero-emission vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels etc.
- Critical minerals such as Cadmium, Cobalt, Gallium, Indium, Selenium and Vanadium and have uses in batteries, semiconductors, solar panels, etc.
- Advanced manufacturing inputs and materials such as defense applications, permanent magnets, ceramics.
- Minerals like Beryllium, Titanium, Tungsten, Tantalum, etc. have usage in new technologies, electronics and defense equipment.
- Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) are used in medical devices, cancer treatment drugs, and dental materials.
List of Critical Minerals
- Different countries have their own unique lists of critical minerals based on their specific circumstances and priorities.
- A total of 30 minerals were found to be most critical for India, out of which two are critical as fertilizer minerals: Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE, Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Zirconium, Selenium and Cadmium.
Significance of partnership
- India’s participation in the network will help in diversifying and securing its supply of critical minerals from nations like Argentina, Chile, Australia, and select African countries.
- The partnership marks a critical step forward for India in its quest to reduce reliance on China for these minerals and build a robust, self-sustaining supply chain for its green energy initiatives.
Other steps taken by India
- India has joined the Minerals Security Partnership, a US-led plurilateral effort of 14 countries and the European Union.
- India has joined the US-led Minerals Security Finance Network, an initiative aimed at strengthening global cooperation in securing critical mineral supply chains.
- Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL): It was formed in 2019 as a joint venture of state-run miners NALCO, HCL and MECL to source strategic minerals such as lithium and cobalt etc. from abroad.
Way Ahead
- Critical minerals have become essential for economic development and national security in the country.
- Minerals such as Lithium, Cobalt etc. have gained significance in view of India’s commitment towards energy transition and achieving net-zero emission by 2070.
| Mineral Security Partnership (MSP) – It is a US-led collaboration of 14 countries that would focus on the supply chains of minerals such as Cobalt, Nickel, Lithium, and also the 17 ‘rare earth’ minerals. – Members: Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Norway, Sweden, the UK, U.S., and the EU. – Mandate: To catalyze public and private investment in critical mineral supply chains globally. It directly addresses four major critical minerals challenges: 1. Diversifying and stabilizing global supply chains; 2. Investment in those supply chains; 3. Promoting high environmental, social, and governance standards in the mining, processing, and recycling sectors; and 4. Increasing recycling of critical minerals. |
Nepal, India and Bangladesh Energy Cooperation
Syllabus: GS2/IR
Context
- Nepal, India and Bangladesh have signed a tripartite agreement to facilitate cross-border electricity trade.
About the Agreement
- Nepal will export its surplus electricity to Bangladesh via India from June 15 to November 15 every year.
- In the first phase, Nepal will export 40 MW of hydroelectricity to Bangladesh via Indian territory.
- The rate per unit of electricity has been fixed at 6.4 cents.
- Electricity will be exported to Bangladesh via the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur 400 KV transmission line, with the metering point in Muzaffarpur.
- From the export of electricity, Nepal will make an annual income of around USD 9.2 million.
Energy Requirements of India
- India’s energy imports more than doubled to 40 percent of total energy requirements in 2022 from 18 percent in 2002.
- In the same period, the country diversified its energy partners from 14 to 32.
- These energy supplies and diversifications are essential to India’s overall economic security.
- As the country will require more and more energy supplies to reinforce its economy, which is growing at an annual rate of approximately 8 percent.
India’s Energy Cooperation in Neighbourhood
- India is building green energy infrastructure (hydel power plants and solar parks) in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
- India is connecting these countries’ national energy apparatus to India for exporting excess energy generated in these nations.
- India loaned, invested, or extended Lines of Credit worth US$ 7.15 billion between 2005 and 2023 to further collaboration with its neighbours.
- Development assistance ranges across cross-border transmission lines, hydel power plants, oil and gas pipelines, and undersea lines for grid integration.
- Resultantly, electricity trade among the aforementioned countries has grown from 2 billion units to 8 billion units between 2016 and 2023.
- Energy Cooperation with Nepal: It culminated in the 25-year long-term power purchase partnership agreement between the two countries, wherein India will annually buy 10,000 MW of hydel energy from Nepal by 2030.
- Nepal, currently, has over a hundred hydel power plants and another one hundred and fifty in the pipeline.
- This massive and rapid hydel power capacity development will lead to a surplus that energy-needing neighbouring countries—India and Bangladesh—can utilise.
- India-Bhutan: In FY22, India imported 1500MW of electricity worth US$ 83 million from Bhutan. These imports comprised 70 percent of Bhutan’s hydel power generation capacity.
- Bhutan is currently also coordinating with multilateral development banks and India, to increase its installed hydel power capacity to cater India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
- India-Bangladesh: It involves importing through the India Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) and the newly developed electricity transmission network.
- India is also endeavouring to link Bhutan and Nepal with Bangladesh through Indian territory for greater energy connectivity across South Asia.
Significance
- Connectivity: India’s cross-border collaboration for energy infrastructure development is pivotal for connecting the geographies of India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
- Bangladesh and India are energy-deficient countries, which heavily rely on conventional energy sources in their energy production matrix.
- Bhutan and Nepal produce an energy surplus annually.
- Countering Chinese Influence: India wants to counter China’s BRI through increased development aid in the neighbouring countries because of their geopolitical and geostrategic relevance to India’s territorial integrity.
- Furthering energy cooperation is a step towards regional connectivity and economic integration, something that can act as a hedge against Chinese influence in the region.
Conclusion
- India’s energy cooperation with its South Asian neighbours is a cornerstone of its foreign policy and energy security.
- By investing in regional energy infrastructure and fostering interdependence, India aims to underpin economic growth, counterbalance China’s influence, and enhance its global standing.
- While challenges like geopolitical tensions and competing interests persist, the mutual benefits of energy collaboration are clear.
- As India continues its rise on the world stage, its energy diplomacy is set to play an increasingly pivotal role in shaping the region’s future.
Planetary Defense System
Syllabus: GS3/ Science and technology
Context
- Recently, the news regarding the potential threats of near-Earth objects (NEOs) was widespread due to asteroid 2024 ON.
Impact of asteroids on Earth
- Around 100 tons of space material hits Earth every day in the form of tiny meteoroids. These small fragments burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.
- Asteroids about 50 meters in diameter are estimated to strike Earth once every 10,000 years.
- In 2013, a 20-meter wide asteroid entered the atmosphere and exploded about 30 km above a Russian town.
- The most dangerous are those larger than 1 kilometer in diameter, like the Chicxulub asteroid that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
| Asteroids – Asteroids, also known as minor planets or planetoids, are small, rocky bodies that orbit the Sun. – They are remnants of the solar system’s formation, composed primarily of rock and metal. – Location: The majority of asteroids are found in the main asteroid belt, a region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 1. Some asteroids go in front of and behind Jupiter, which are called Trojans. 2. Asteroids that come close to Earth are called Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). – Based on their composition, asteroids are categorized into three types: 1. C-type (carbonaceous): Rich in carbon, dark, and the most common type. 2. S-type (silicaceous): Made mostly of silicate materials and metals. 3. M-type (metallic): Composed mainly of metallic nickel-iron. Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) – The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) defines NEOs as any asteroid or comet that comes close to Earth’s orbit. – In technical terms, an object is classified as a NEO if its perihelion (the point in its orbit closest to the Sun) is less than 1.3 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun. 1. One astronomical unit is the average distance between Earth and the Sun, about 149.6 million kilometers. |
Planetary Defense Efforts
- Planetary defense, the detection of asteroids and comets whose impact with Earth could significantly affect the planet and the prevention or mitigation of any such impacts.
- In 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission successfully crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid called Dimorphos. It demonstrated that a collision-based mission could change the direction of a celestial body and defend our planet.
- ESA is scheduled to launch a reconnaissance mission called Hera in 2024 to inspect the aftermath left by DART.
- Several space missions have been sent to study asteroids up close and collect samples, such as
- NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to asteroid Bennu and
- Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission to asteroid Ryugu.
India’s initiatives
- Also India is expected to collaborate with global planetary defense initiatives like International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN), a virtual network of institutions that work to detect, track, and characterize near-Earth objects (NEOs).
- India and the US signed a Space situational awareness agreement in 2022.
Way Ahead
- Advances in space monitoring have improved the ability to predict and respond to potential threats.
- Scientists estimate that 95% of large, kilometer-sized NEOs have already been discovered, and none are expected to collide with Earth in the foreseeable future.
Proposed Eco-Sensitive Zone(ESZ) around Gir forest
Syllabus :GS 3/Environment
In News
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) proposed a 3,328 sq km Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the Gir forest.
- Later, the area was reduced to 2,061 sq km to accommodate local community needs.
Eco-Sensitive Zones
- They are areas identified for their unique environmental resources that require special conservation efforts, as defined by the National Environment Policy (2006).
- The concept was established during the XXI meeting of the Indian Board for Wildlife in January 2002, leading to the Wildlife Conservation Strategy.
- Legal Framework: The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 provides the basis for declaring lands within 10 km of protected areas as eco-fragile zones.
- National Environment Policy 2006 established guidelines for ESZs to protect areas outside national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
- State forest departments prepare ESZ proposals, which are submitted to the MoEFCC for scrutiny.
- After a draft notification is issued, public suggestions and objections are invited for 60 days.
- Based on public input and expert recommendations, the MoEFCC issues a final ESZ notification.
| Prohibited Activities | Permitted Activities |
| Commercial mining and stone quarrying.Major hydroelectric projects.Handling of hazardous substances.Discharge of untreated effluents.Setting up brick kilns.Establishing polluting industries with high environmental risks. | Local communities are allowed to continue ongoing practices such as:Agriculture and horticulture.Dairy farming.Aquaculture and fisheries.Poultry and goat farming.Food-related enterprises. |
Objectives
- To protect the environment from degradation caused by human activities.
- To create a buffer for specialized ecosystems (Protected Areas).
- To serve as transition zones between areas of higher and lower protection.
- To maintain ecological balance within permissible limits regarding environmental parameters.
- To notify areas as ESZs while regulating sustainable developmental activities, considering local needs and aspirations.
Protests
- Previous proposals for Gir’s ESZ have faced public protests due to concerns about wildlife protection versus human activities.
- Politicians argue that farmers need the right to protect themselves from wild animals while working.
- Leaders have requested exemptions for certain villages to protect non-agricultural activities and local businesses.
Conclusion
- The proposed ESZ around the Gir forest has sparked significant debate about the balance between wildlife conservation and local development needs, highlighting the complexities involved in managing protected areas.
- Conservation efforts should not hinder local development.
- ESZs serve as crucial zones for protecting biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance while allowing sustainable development that considers the needs of local communities.
| Gir Forest – Gir Protected Areas include the Gir National Park, Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, Paniya Wildlife Sanctuary, and Mitiyala Wildlife Sanctuary. – The Gir Forests is the largest compact tract of dry deciduous forests in semi-arid western India and covers an area of 1,153.42 sq. km, with 258.71 sq. km declared as a National Park. – Significance : It is the last natural habitat of the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica), an endangered species that was saved from extinction through conservation efforts. The Maldharis, a pastoral community living in Gir, have a historical symbiotic relationship with the lions. Their settlements are known as “nesses.” |
