On January 8, 2022, the body of Nobel Peace Prize winning Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu underwent aquamation in Cape Town. Aquamation is a green alternative to traditional cremation methods.

What is aquamation?

• Aquamation, also called as alkaline hydrolysis, is a process in which the dead body is immersed in a mixture of water and a strong alkali in pressurized metal cylinder, for a few hours. It is then heated to about 150 degrees centigrade.
• Combination of gentle water flow, alkalinity and temperature accentuate the breakdown of organic materials.
• As per Cremation Association of North America (CANA), alkaline hydrolysis is a “flameless cremation”.
• This process is considered as an environment friendly way of disposing of a body.
• It is also dubbed as water cremation, green cremation or chemical cremation.

What is left behind the water cremation?

The process of water cremation leaves behind bone fragments and neutral liquid called effluent. Decomposition through this process is similar to what happens during burial, just sped up dramatically by using chemicals. The effluent is sterile, and it comprises of amino acids, salts, sugars, and peptides. No tissue and DNA is left after this process. The neutral liquid is discharged with all other wastewater and it can be added to the water systems.

When was this process developed?

Amos Herbert Hanson had developed and patented this process in 1888. He was a farmer who was trying to develop an ingenious way of making fertilizer from animal carcasses. However, the first commercial system was installed in 1993 at Albany Medical College. After that, this process continued to be in use by hospitals and universities. In 2011, this process was used in funeral industry in Ohio and Florida.

Significance of Aquamation

Aquamation uses five times less energy than fire. It reduces the amount of greenhouse gases by about 35%, as compared to other way of cremation.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is going to organise “Start-up India Innovation Week” during January 10-16, 2022.

Start-up India Innovation Week

• Start-up India Innovation Week is a virtual innovation celebration, to be organised with the aim of commemorating the 75th year of India’s independence.
• It has been designed to showcase the spread and depth of entrepreneurship in India.
• The programme is likely to bring together top policy makers, industry, investors, academia, all ecosystem enablers and start-ups from

Start-up India Innovation Week will comprise of the sessions on topics including:

1. Enhancing market access opportunities
2. Discussions with industry leaders
3. Best practices by states
4. Capacity building of enablers
5. Reverse pitching by incubators
6. Technology exhibitions
7. Corporate connects etc.

Background of Start-up India initiative

Start-up India campaign was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2015 at Red Fort. The campaign was introduced as an initiative of developing more than 75 start-up support hubs across India.

What is Start-up India Scheme?

Start-up India scheme was launched on January 16, 2016 with the aim of promoting and supporting the start-ups in India by providing bank finances. Scheme was inaugurated by the former finance minister, Arun Jaitley. It is organised by the Department for promotion of industry & internal trade. Scheme was started with the objective of discarding restrictive States Government policies including License Raj, Foreign Investment Proposals, Land Permissions and Environmental Clearances

The National Water Awards is presented annually by Union Ministry of Jal Shakti. The third round of the awards, for the year 2020 was recently announced.

State Awards

Uttar Pradesh was awarded the first prize. Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu were awarded the second and third prizes.

District Awards

• Muzzafarnagar of Uttar Pradesh was presented the “Best District”.
• In the North Zone, Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar of Punjab was awarded the best district.
• Thiruvananthapuram: South Zone
• Indore, Madhya Pradesh: West Zone
• East Champaran, Bihar: East Zone
• Goalpara, Assam and Siang, Arunachal Pradesh: North East Zone

Purpose of the Awards

• To encourage organizations doing exemplary work in the field of water resource management.
• To provide good opportunities for startups to engage with senior policy makers of water resource management.
• It encourages stakeholders to step towards water management
• It motivates the stakeholders to adopt better water usage techniques
• It creates awareness about efficient and minimal use of water

The Assam Government recently signed an agreement with the National Dairy Development Board. Under the agreement, the signatories agreed to establish Rs 2000 crore joint venture.

About the Agreement

• The joint venture to be established can process ten lakh litres of milk. Around six new units will be established. The units are to be established in seven years. The processing unit will collect milk from more than 4,100 dairy cooperative societies. This is to benefit more than 1,75,000 farmers.
• In addition, two manufacturing units are to be established. They are cattle feed manufacturing unit and organic manure manufacturing unit.

Supportive measures by the Government

• The Government of Assam is to provide market subsidies to the milk producers. With this, they will be saved from market fluctuations. Also, the government is creating awareness among the cooperatives to engage in healthy competition.
• The Assam Government is also looking for ways to adopt new technologies in animal husbandry.
• More than 15,000 high milk-yielding Gir cows are to be brought to Assam.

Concerns

The milk production in Assam is dominated by the small-scale milk producers. These small holders have to be pulled into the supply cycle. Also, the milk producers face shortage of feed, late maturity in Indian cattle breeds, lack of education and training, lack of hygiene conditions, poor marketing and pricing.

United Kingdom has reported the first human case of Avian flu. A 79-year-old man named Alan Gosling is the first UK resident to catch the H5N1 strain of bird flu. He kept pet ducks at his home in England.

What is Avian Influenza?

Avian influenza is also known as avian flu or bird flu. It is a type of influenza caused by viruses adapted to birds. The type with greatest risk is highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). It is similar to swine flu, horse flu, dog flu, and human flu, because illness caused by strains of influenza viruses in all the flu adapts to a specific host.

Out of the three types of influenza viruses namely A, B, and C, influenza A virus is a zoonotic infection. It is having a natural reservoir almost entirely in birds. For most purposes, Avian influenza refers to the influenza A virus. Influenza A is adapted to birds, but it can also stably adapt and sustain person-to-person transmission.

Types of influenza based on Pathogenicity

Based on pathogenicity, Avian influenza strains are divided into two types:

1. High pathogenicity (HP)
2. Low pathogenicity (LP).

China recently took an experiment on ‘Artificial Sun’ at the Hefei Institute of Physical Science China’s eastern province of Anhui. The experiment lays a solid scientific and experimental foundation for running of a fusion reactor.

Highlights

• More than 10,000Chinese and foreign scientific researchers took part in this $948-million project called Experiential Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST).
• EAST is a fusion reactor, that ran successfully for around 20 minutes at 70 million degrees Celsius in the recent test. It was five times hotter than Sun.

Experiential Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST)

• China is conducting experiment with an “artificial sun,” which is dubbed as Experiential Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), for making way to clean energy in the future.
• The experiments started in December 2021 and is likely to last until June, 2022.
• EAST seeks to utilise the power of nuclear fusion. This is a less explored way of harnessing nuclear energy.
• The setup is similar to nuclear reactions taking place inside the sun, where hydrogen and deuterium gases are used as fuel.
• These experiments have potential to bring scientists closer to “unlimited clean energy.”

Why is reactor being tested?

The EAST reactor is being tested in order to make its auxiliary heating system becomes “hotter” and “durable.”

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recently launched helpline numbers for E – Commerce. The helpline will aid in smooth functioning of e – commerce supply chains.

Who can use the helpline?

Wholesaler, manufacturers, transporters, E – commerce companies facing transport difficulties, mobilization of resources and distribution of goods.

Significance of the helpline

It is essential to maintain the supply chain of E – Commerce sector, especially during the pandemic times. The helpline will contribute to the growth of government initiatives such as Startup India, Skill India, Digital India, Make in India. It is essential to encourage the growth of e – commerce firms because they have now become the most important element in multilateral and bilateral discussions such as RECP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership), BRICS and World Trade Organization.

Steps taken to boost E – commerce in India

E – Commerce Policy aims to address six main issues such as E – Commerce Market places, infrastructure development, regulatory issues, stimulating domestic digital economy, export promotion through E – commerce. The limit of Foreign Direct Investment was increased to 100%. Reserve Bank of India has allowed the interoperability of PPIs (Prepaid Payment Instruments) such as prepaid telephone top – up cards, prepaid cash coupons, digital wallets, etc.

Concerns

The issued faced by E – Commerce sector in the country are domestic trade, international trade, consumer protection, competition policy, information technology, etc.

Why are E – Commerce firms important to a country?

They make buying and selling easy. They help in perfect competition and increased productivity. They help in transaction cost reduction. Starting a business online is easy and simple. Growth and Development in E – Commerce firms help in increasing revenues from export, boost employment, increase tax collection.

Challenges faced by E – Commerce Sector

Accountability of E – Commerce sector is less. Lack of legislation and clear rules. Loss of sensitive financial information and fraudulent transactions. Protecting IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) is the biggest challenge in the E – Commerce sector.

As per new study on Children Asthma, traffic-related air pollutants accounts for around 2 million new cases of paediatric asthma, from Mumbai to Los Angeles.

Highlights

• Asthma is a chronic illness, causing inflammation of the lung’s airways.
• Researchers studied ground concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is a pollutant coming from tailpipe vehicle emissions, industrial sites and power plants. They tracked new cases of asthma in children from 2000 to 2019 across 13,000 cities.

Key Findings of the report

• As per study, nitrogen dioxide puts children at risk of developing asthma. This problem is especially acute in urban areas.
• Study suggest that clean air must be a critical part of strategies that are aimed at keeping children healthy.
• Out of 1.85 million new paediatric asthma cases due to NO2 globally in 2019, two-thirds were from urban areas.
• Despite the improvements in air quality in Europe and the US, dirty air or NO2 pollution, has been rising in South Asia, Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Paediatric asthma cases, associated with the NO2 pollution, represent a large public health burden for Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Number of deaths

As per study, in 2019 alone, 1.8 million excess deaths can be linked to urban air pollution.

According to first advance estimates of National Statistical Office (NSO), India’s gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to grow 9.2% in the financial year 2021-22.

What is supporting the growth?

Growth in GDP is supported by an uptick in the farm sector output, mining sector output and manufacturing sector outputs.

What was the scenario in 2020-21?

In 2020-21, GDP had contracted to 7.3 percent, amid the covid-19 induced lockdown.

NSO vs RBI estimate

• The NSO estimate is lower as compared to GDP forecast by RBI in December 2021 policy review. RBI had projected a GDP growth of 5 per cent.
• The RBI has further estimated the growth of 6.6 per cent and 6 percent respectively in the third quarter (Oct-Dec 2021) and fourth quarter (Jan-Mar 2022).

NSO’s estimate

• As per NSO data, absolute GDP and Gross Value Added (GVA) will recover and better the numbers as compared to 2019-20.
• Government’s spending will remain buoyant. Investments have picked up and are likely to be more than the level in 2019-20.
• Demand is expected to remain sluggish, at 55 per cent of the GDP, lower than the level in 2019-20.
• Government final consumption expenditure is expected to be 7.6 per cent more than FY21 while 10.7 per cent more than FY20.
• Investment activity has also increased and buoyant gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) is growing by 14.9 per cent in FY22, 2.6 per cent more than 2019-20.

The Jammu & Kashmir police force is going to become the first police force in India, to possess modern American weaponry.

Key Facts

• Government has decided to equip the police force in Jammu & Kashmir with Sig Sauer MPX 9mm American pistols and American Sig Sauer rifles, in order to modernise it.
• Jammu and Kashmir Police recently invited global bids for arms procurement on the GeM (Government e-Market) portal.
• Police force will get 500 ‘Sig Sauer 716 rifles’ and 100 ‘Sig Sauer MPX 9mm pistols’ for special operations groups (SOGs).

Significance of the import

Import of the modern pistols will make Jammu Kashmir police more aggressive against terrorism. The new weaponry will also help the police to face any tough situation such room intervention of any building, where terrorists hide as well as during long-range attacks on terrorists.

Sig Sauer-716 assault rifle

The 7.62x51mm cartridges of Sig Sauer-716 assault rifle is more powerful as compared to 5.56x45mm intermediate cartridges of Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifles used by the police currently. The rifle can fire 650-850 bullets per minutes, without a magazine. It can prove to be an effective weapon in counter-insurgency operations because of its range of 500 meters. The weapon is gas powered.

SIG MPX 9mm pistol

The 2.94 kg SIG MPX 9mm pistol can fire 850 bullets in a minute, without the magazine.  It is a gas-powered pistol.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation recently made certain suggestions on using drones. The suggestions were made from surveillance to disaster management. Also, the ministry suggested the Home Ministry to deploy UAVs for crime control, aerial vehicles for surveillance, disaster management, VVIP security and situational analysis. Different suggestions were made to different ministries. The suggestions made on drones are as follows:

Power and Petroleum

The Ministry of Power and Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas were asked to use drones for inspection, theft prevention, construction planning, surveillance of assets, etc.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

To use for evidence gathering, monitoring forests, anti – poaching activities, pollution assessment.

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting

• For high quality videography events and in places that are difficult to reach
• This will facilitate videography without noise. Also, the drones shall be replaced with helicopters thereby reducing costs and resources to great extent.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

Collection of samples from remote areas, delivery of medicines and also to collect samples from pandemic affected areas

Ministry of Defence

To deploy drones for communication in remote areas, for combat, counter drone solutions.

Recommendation made on Unmanned aerial Vehicles

It can be used for incidence response, disaster management, project monitoring, inspection or maintenance works.

External Affairs Minister of India Dr S Jaishankar and Indonesia’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi discussed issues including the Aceh and Andaman Nicobar Island connectivity recently.

Highlights

Both the countries had decided to cooperate in connectivity between Andaman & Nicobar Island and Aceh Province of Indonesia, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Indonesia in 2018. During 2018 visit, both sides also decided to set up a joint task force for undertaking projects for port-related infrastructure around the Sabang.

Distance between both the countries

Sabang port in Aceh is about 90 nautical miles from Indian islands of Andaman & Nicobar. Sabang is at the entrance of Strait of Malacca, which is considered as a key global choke point. Any stoppage of traffic at this point can impact countries like China, as major chunk of energy & trade passes through the strait.

India-Indonesia Talk

• During the conversation, India and Indonesia also discussed the Covid-19 crisis and situation in Myanmar & Afghanistan.
• Indonesia, being is member of ASEAN, has been concerned about the developments in Myanmar.

Situation in Myanmar

Myanmar went through a coup in February 2020, with major political leaders being detained. There are reports on large-scale violence in the country.

Why Indonesia is concerned about Afghanistan?

Because, Indonesia has been a key stakeholder in Afghanistan, just like India.

The AgFunder and Omnivore, a capital released the “India AgriFood Startup – Investment Report”. According to the report, the investment in agri and food tech start ups increased by 97% in 2020-21. It increased to 2.1 billion USD. The investments are mainly driven by restaurant funding.

Key Findings of the Report