DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 15th May 2024

Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – Current Event , GS 2

Context: India and Iran signed a 10-year contract on Monday for the operation of a terminal at the strategically important Chabahar port in Iran.

Background:-

• The long-term bilateral contract was signed between Indian Ports Global Limited (IPGL) and the Port & Maritime Organisation (PMO) of Iran, enabling the operation of the Shahid Beheshti terminal at the Chabahar Port for 10 years.The pact replaces one-year contracts that were being signed to keep the port operational until now.

About CHABAHAR PORT

• Chabahar is a deep water port in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province.
• It is the Iranian port that is the closest to India, and is located in the open sea, providing easy and secure access for large cargo ships.

History and Progress

• Modern Chabahar came into being in the 1970s, and Tehran realised the strategic importance of the port during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.
• In January 2003, President Khatami and then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed off on an ambitious roadmap of strategic cooperation.
• Among the key projects the two countries agreed on was Chabahar, which held the potential to link South Asia with the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Europe.
• The timelines for the project were undone by India’s growing relationship with the United States.
• The US, which declared Iran as one of the “axis of evil” along with Iraq and North Korea, pushed New Delhi to abandon its strategic relationship with Tehran, and the Chabahar project became a casualty.
• While India spent about $100 million to construct a 218-km road from Delaram in western Afghanistan to Zaranj on the Iran-Afghan border to link with Chabahar, the port project itself progressed at a glacial pace.
• IPGL (India Ports Global Ltd) has been operating Chabahar port through its wholly owned subsidiary, India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (IPGCFZ), since December 24, 2018.
• The port has handled more than 90,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) of container traffic and more than 8.4 million metric tonnes (MMT) of bulk and general cargo since then.

Chabahar and INSTC

• To better realise Chabahar ports potential, the development of the port must be integrated with the larger connectivity project of the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
• The INSTC, which was initiated by Russia, India, and Iran, is a multi-modal transportation route envisaged to link the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran, and onward to northern Europe via St Petersburg in Russia.

Source:Indian Express

Syllabus

• Prelims – Current Event

Context: The first recipient of a modified pig kidney transplant passed away on Saturday (May 11), around two months after the surgery was carried out.

Background:

• Richard Slayman got the first modified pig kidney transplant in March this year.

Key Takeaways

• Xenotransplantation, derived from the Greek word “xenos” meaning “foreign” or “strange”, is the transplantation of living cells, tissues, or organs from one species to another. The transplanted cells, tissues, or organs are referred to as xenografts or xenotransplants.
• This process is contrasted with allotransplantation (the transplantation from one individual to another of the same species with a different genotype), syngeneic transplantation or isotransplantation (transplants between two genetically identical individuals of the same species), and autotransplantation (transplants from one part of the body to another in the same person)
• Xenotransplantation involving the heart was first tried in humans in the 1980s. The need for such a procedure was felt because of the significant gap between the number of transplantations needed by patients and the availability of donor organs.
• It offers a potential treatment for end-stage organ failure.
• A report from the Harvard Medical School, whose physicians were involved in Slayman’s operation, said 69 genomic edits were made to the pig kidney in his case. The gene editing technology CRISPR-Cas9 was employed to “Remove certain pig genes that produce sugars with antibodies our immune systems react to” and “Add certain human genes to improve the kidney’s compatibility with humans.”

Why are pigs often used for xenotransplantation?

• Pig heart valves have been used for replacing damaged valves in humans for over 50 years now. The pig’s anatomical and physiological parameters are similar to that of humans, and the breeding of pigs in farms is widespread and cost-effective.
• Also, many varieties of pig breeds are farmed, which provides an opportunity for the size of the harvested organs to be matched with the specific needs of the human recipient.
• In January 2022, the first xenotransplantation of a genetically-modified pig heart was done. However, the patient passed away after two months due to a range of factors, including being tainted with a latent virus in the pig heart, which may have contributed to the dysfunction of the transplant.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus

• Prelims – Current Event

Context: A thick atmosphere has been detected around a planet that’s twice as big as Earth in a nearby solar system, researchers reported Wednesday.The so-called super Earth — known as 55 Cancri e — is among the few rocky planets outside our solar system with a significant atmosphere, wrapped a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

Background:

• Super Earth refers to a planet’s size — bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune. The boiling temperatures on this planet — which can reach as hot as 4,200 degrees Fahrenheit – mean that it is unlikely to host life.

About 55 Cancri e :

• 55 Cancri e, also known as Janssen, is an exoplanet that orbits a Sun-like host star, 55 Cancri A.
• The planet is located in our Milky Way galaxy about 41 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Cancer.A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). Four other planets, all gas giants, are known to orbit its host star.
• It was discovered on August 30, 2004. It was the first super-Earth discovered around a main sequence star.
• The mass of the exoplanet is about eight Earth masses and its diameter is about twice that of the Earth.
• It is the innermost planet in its planetary system, taking less than 18 hours to complete an orbit.
• Temperature: Due to its proximity to its star, 55 Cancri e is extremely hot, with temperatures on the day side exceeding 3,000 Kelvin.
• Infrared observations using two instruments aboard the James Webb Space Telescope indicated the presence of a substantial – if inhospitable – atmosphere, perhaps continuously replenished by gases released from a vast ocean of magma.
• Being so close to its star, any atmosphere should be stripped away by stellar irradiation and winds. But gases dissolved in the vast lava ocean thought to cover the planet may keep bubbling up to replenish the atmosphere
• All of the previous exoplanets found to have atmospheres were gaseous planets, not rocky ones. As Webb pushes the frontiers of exoplanet exploration, the discovery of a rocky one with an atmosphere represents progress.

What is an exoplanet?

• An exoplanet is any planet beyond our solar system. Most orbit other stars, but free-floating exoplanets, called rogue planets, orbit the galactic center and are untethered to any star.

Source: Hindu

Syllabus

• Prelims – Current Event

Context: Deepfakes has emerged as a major concern during election season.

Background:

• AI-powered misinformation campaigns can influence voter behaviour by spreading false narratives or amplifying divisive content.

About Deepfake :

• Deepfakes are a type of synthetic media where one person’s likeness is convincingly replaced with that of another. The term “deepfake” is a portmanteau of “deep learning” and “fake”
• A deepfake is an artificial image, audio or video generated by a special kind of machine learning called “deep” learning (hence the name)
• Deepfake technology leverages tools and techniques from machine learning and artificial intelligence, including facial recognition algorithms and artificial neural networks such as variational autoencoders (VAEs) and generative adversarial networks (GANs).
• It is used to manipulate videos, images, and audios.
• This technology can be used to generate fake news and commit financial fraud among other wrongdoings.It overlays a digital composite over an already-existing video, picture, or audio.
• Deepfake technology can seamlessly stitch anyone in the world into a video or photo they never actually participated in.

How does deepfake technology work?

• The technology involves modifying or creating images and videos using a machine learning technique called generative adversarial network (GAN).
• The AI-driven software detects and learns the subjects’ movements and facial expressions from the source material and then duplicates these in another video or image.
• To ensure that the deepfake created is as close to real as possible, creators use a large database of source images. This is why more deepfake videos are created of public figures, celebrities and politicians.
• The dataset is then used by one software to create a fake video, while a second software is used to detect signs of forgery in it.
• Through the collaborative work of the two software, the fake video is rendered until the second software package can no longer detect the forgery. This is known as “unsupervised learning”, when machine-language models teach themselves. The method makes it difficult for other software to identify deepfakes.

Examples:

• In January 2024, during the New Hampshire primary of the Democratic Party in the US, a robocall mimicking President Joe Biden’s voice falsely advised voters not to participate, claiming it would affect their eligibility for the general election.
• In Slovakia, an AI-generated voice, mimicking that of a liberal candidate, discussing plans to raise alcohol prices and rig the election was widely circulated on Facebook.
• In Bangladesh, deepfake videos of opposition politicians Rumin Farhana in a bikini and Nipun Roy in a swimming pool surfaced on social media ahead of the national elections.

Source: Hindu

Syllabus

• Prelims – Science

Context: Recently, voters are receiving Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) calls every day and they want the Election Commission of India (ECI) should order an inquiry as to how the service providers of various telecom firms shared our mobile phone numbers with the political parties.

Background:

• The calls violate the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Act, 1997. Lakhs of voters are affected daily by these IVRS calls. It’s essential for the ECI to address this issue promptly to protect voters’ privacy and ensure a fair electoral process.

About INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE SYSTEM (IVRS) :

• An Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) is an automated telephony technology that allows a computer to interact with humans through the use of voice and DTMF tones input via a keypad.
• IVRS is commonly used in call centers to manage large volumes of calls and provide callers with self-service options.
• The benefits of using IVRS include improved customer service, reduced wait times, and lower operational costs for businesses.
• Modern IVRS can integrate with various networks, including public switched telephone networks (PSTN) and voice over IP (VoIP), and support multiple applications written in VoiceXML.

Political Campaigns and IVRS:

• During elections, political parties use IVRS to reach out to voters.
• Voters receive pre-recorded messages from candidates or party leaders, urging them to vote or highlighting campaign promises.
• These messages can be informative or persuasive, depending on the party’s strategy.

Source: Hindu

Syllabus

• Mains – GS 2

Context: In a bid to enhance road safety awareness across Uttar Pradesh, it was announced that the state government had earmarked Rs 100 million for the Transport Corporation.

Background:

• For years, India has been trying to combat road accidents. With the world’s second-largest population and a booming vehicle market, the country faces a constant battle against devastating accidents.

Factors responsible for Road Accidents:

• Sometimes highways come up haphazardly across the roads, and street design permits speeding, which leads to road safety concerns. The problem is further aggravated due to inadequate signage, road markings or incorrect location, and poor construction of speed breakers.
• Ongoing construction works astride roads restrict the availability of restricted space to the road user. Improper road markings, lack of traffic control, etc. at such sites further increase the vulnerability
• Heavy rain, dense fog, and hail storms reduce visibility and make the road surface slippery thus posing serious risks to the road users.
• Sidewalks not being available for pedestrian use who then move on the roads thereby becoming vulnerable to accidents.
• Old vehicles are relatively more prone to breakdown and malfunction. It can result in the bursting of tyres, road collapse, wearing out of brakes, overturning of the vehicle, etc.
• Violation of traffic rules, non-use of safety devices (helmets and seat belts), triple riding, overloading, distracted driving, road rage, etc.
• Suboptimal training and testing, and lack of coordination among different agencies.

Indian Initiatives Related to Road Safety:

• Motor Vehicles Amendment Act of 2019 hikes the penalties for traffic violations, defective vehicles, juvenile driving, etc. It provides for a Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, which would provide compulsory insurance coverage to all road users in India for certain types of accidents. It also provides for a National Road Safety Board, to be created by the Central Government.
• The Carriage by Road Act of 2007 provides for the regulation of common carriers, limiting their liability and declaration of the value of goods delivered to them to determine their liability for loss of, or damage to, such goods occasioned by the negligence or criminal acts of themselves, their servants or agents and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
• The Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act of 2000 provides for the control of land within the National Highways, right of way, and traffic moving on the National Highways and also for removal of unauthorized occupation thereon.
• National Highways Authority of India Act of 1998 provides for the constitution of an authority for the development, maintenance, and management of NHs and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Way Forward:

• A well-designed highway should facilitate high mobility while safely segregating the slower-moving traffic. Also merging of highways with streets should be methodical as well.
• A six-monthly audit of all roads must be undertaken to identify accident-prone zones and ensure the provisioning of adequate warning signages.
• Crash barriers, parapets, lighting provision, weatherproof roads, provision of large mirrors on sharp curves, etc. should be compulsory for all roads.
• Indigenization of new technologies for safety features will bring the cost down which will increase its accessibility.
• Implementing the Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) a rating-based safety assessment (in line with the global standards) of Indian cars.
• Vehicle Scrappage Policy to scrap old and unfit vehicles provides incentives to the owner of old vehicles to purchase a new vehicle.
• Strong public focus on wearing rear seatbelts, road safety awareness hubs, interaction with schools and colleges, etc.
• Stricter licensing norms, diligent driver training, and ensuring coordination among various departments and ministries should be implemented.

Source: ET INSIGHTS

Q1.) With reference to the Chabahar port, consider the following statements:

1. It is the Iranian port that is the closest to India.
2. It is located at the mouth of Gulf of Oman.
3. Chabahar is envisaged as a crucial link in the eastern route of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), facilitating the movement of goods between India and Central Asian countries

How many of the statements given above are correct?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All three
4. None

Q2.) 55 Cancri e recently heard in news is

1. An exoplanet with atmosphere
2. A malware infecting power grid
3. A new covid variant
4. A new type of cancer

Q3.) The transplantation of an organ or tissue from one individual to another of the same species with a different genotype is referred to as:

1. Allotransplantation
2. Xenotransplantation
3. Isotransplantation
4. Autotransplantation

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  15th May 2024 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs.st

Q.1) – b

Q.2) – d

Q.3) – c