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1. Govt ends monopoly over coal, opens mining sector to private players

Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology

As a part of its measures to reform the economy, the govt. has launched the auction for 41

coal mines for commercial mining. It is aimed at reviving the economic growth and marks

the end of seven decades of policy restrictions in this sector.

The Details

Under this scheme, coal and lignite blocks will be auctioned on revenue sharing basis.

Earlier, blocks were awarded on ️a fixed payment per tonne basis which as per govt. belief,

was keeping the bidders away.

There will be no restriction on both the sale and utilisation of coal from these mines as well

as the transfer of mining leases.

About: Investments and Revenues

These coal mines will require an investment of around Rs. 33,000 crore. They are expected

to hit peak production of 22.5 crore million tonnes and will account for around 15% of India’s ️total ️coal ️production ️in ️2025-26.

Besides, such commercial mining will bring an annual revenue of Rs. 20,000 crore for the

state govts.

A sorry state of affairs Despite ️having ️the ️world’s ️4th ️largest ️coal ️reserves, India imports over 23 crore tonnes of

coal each year. However, out of this figure, around 13 crore tonnes could be sourced from

domestic supplies.

Aiming for a balance

The govt. is also taking steps to promote coal gasification to address pollution concerns.

Under this technique, instead of burning the coal, it is chemically transformed into

synthetic natural gas (SNG).

The govt. plans to gasify 10 crore tonnes of coal each year by 2030.

2. India secures non-permanent member seat in U.N. Security Council

polls

Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR

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India’s ️term ️as ️non-permanent member in Security Council for two-year term will begin in

January 2021. In the election decided overnight on Wednesday, India secured 184 of the

192 votes, far in excess of the 128, or two-thirds minimum, it needed to be confirmed.

Others that won were Mexico with 187 votes, Norway 130 and Ireland 128, defeating

Canada, which won 108. Significantly, in June 2019, both China and Pakistan had endorsed

India as the Asia-Pacific ️grouping’s ️nominee.

Neither Kenya (113 votes) nor Djibouti (78), both contesting for one seat from Africa, won

a two-thirds majority.

8th time India’s ️term ️on ️the ️15-member Council will be its eighth. In its last bid for the UNSC seat in

2010, India had won 187 votes.

India’s vision for UNSC Earlier ️ in ️ June, ️ External ️ Affairs ️ Minister ️ Mr. ️ Jaishankar ️ gave ️ India’s ️ overall ️ objective ️during ️ its ️ forthcoming ️ UNSC ️ tenure ️ as ️ an ️ acronym ️ ‘NORMS’ ️ — New Orientation for a

Reformed Multilateral System, making it clear that U.N. reforms, including the push for

expanding the UNSC permanent membership, would be high on agenda when it assumes

the UNSC seat.

Source: The Hindu

3. Indian economy to contract by 4% in 2020-21, forecasts ADB

Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Economics

Hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian economy is expected to contract by 4%

during the current financial year, the ADB said in a supplement to its Asian Development

Outlook (ADO) on Thursday.

Countries ️ in ️ ‘Developing ️ Asia’ ️ will ️ ‘barely ️ grow’ ️ in ️ 2020, ️ the ️ ADB ️ forecast. ️ For ️ the ️countries ️ in ️ Developing ️ Asia, ️ ADB ️ forecasts ️ growth ️ of ️ 0.1% ️ in ️ 2020. ️ ‘Developing ️ Asia’ ️refers to a group of over 40 countries that are members of the ADB.

China, however, is expected to record a positive growth of 1.8% in 2020, sharply down

from 6.1% in 2019, the lender said.

Performance before Covid struck India “Growth ️ in ️ Indian ️ GDP ️ slowed ️ to ️ 3.1% ️ in ️ the ️ last ️ quarter...its ️ slowest ️ since ️ early ️ 2003. ️Economic growth slowed to ️4.2% ️in ️the ️whole ️of” ️the ️last ️fiscal ️year ️as ️both ️exports ️and ️investment started to contract, the ADB said.









Hit hard by COVID-19, South Asia is forecast to contract by 3 per cent in 2020, compared to

4.1 per cent growth predicted in April. Growth prospects for 2021 are revised down to 4.9

per cent from 6 per cent, ADB said.

Bleak 2020-2021 for India International ️ rating ️agencies ️ like ️Moody’s ️ Investors ️Service, ️Fitch ️Rating ️and ️S&P ️Global ️Ratings have all predicted a 4-5 ️ per ️ cent ️ contraction ️ in ️ India’s ️ economic growth rate during ️April ️2020 ️to ️March ️2021 ️fiscal. ️Crisil ️has ️said ️this ️would ️be ️the ️country’s ️ fourth ️recession since Independence, first since liberalisation, and perhaps the worst to date.

Source: The Hindu

4. How TrueNat test works

Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology

A few weeks ago, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved the use of

TrueNat machines, manufactured by a Goa-based company, for carrying out confirmatory

tests for Covid-19 disease. Before that, these machines, which were originally developed for

detecting tuberculosis in patients a few years ago, were being used in the current

coronavirus pandemic only for screening patients.

Following the ICMR approval, these machines are now being sought by a number of states,

especially those that lack a strong laboratory network that is required to carry out the

traditional RT-PCR tests. While Uttar Pradesh has got 117 machines to be deployed in all its

75 districts, Bihar has ordered 50 machines. Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana,

Andhra Pradesh all have sought these machines, and many of these have already been

deployed.

How does TrueNat work?

To understand that, it helps to understand how the traditional PCR tests work. PCR is a

method to capture a specific gene from the DNA in the swab sample, and multiply it

through a series of chemical processes so that it can be detected using fluorescent dyes.

Most modern PCR tests, which are used for detecting other kind of viruses as well, work in

real time. The result is visible even while the chain reaction is happening.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, does not have a DNA, but an RNA molecule.

The reverse transcription process (the RT in RT-PCR) converts the RNA into the DNA

molecule before the gene can be captured in the test.

TrueNat is a chip-based, battery-operated RT-PCR kit. Initially, it could only identify the E-

gene in the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This is the gene that helps the virus build a spherical

envelope around it. At this point, TrueNat machines were used as a screening test. Samples

that were detected with the E-gene could be sent for confirmatory RT-PCR tests in









laboratories. But the new machines are now equipped to detect the RdRp enzyme found in

the virus RNA, and hence the ICMR has ruled that these tests can be treated as a

confirmation for the presence of the novel coronavirus.

The big difference is that the machine is portable, and tests with it cost much less than the

traditional RT-PCR tests. That make it extremely useful for deploying in interior districts

and faraway places from where collecting and sending swabs for testing in big cities is a

difficult task. In fact, these machines have already been deployed in villages of northern

coastal belt of Andhra Pradesh, and inside the forested regions of Gadchiroli district.

How is the test conducted?

Once the swab is collected at kiosks set up at these places, or in containment zones or

health camps, it is dipped in a viral transmission medium where it gets neutralized. At the

primary healthcare centre or a nearby laboratory, it is transferred to another liquid, a viral

lysis bugger, in which the cells break and the impurities are removed. A part of this liquid is

then transferred into a cartridge that looks like a flattened tape cassette and is inserted

inside a machine very much like a cassette player. The play button activates the process. In

just about 20 minutes, the process extracts the RNA, the signature set of genome

instructions which command a cell to multiply the virus once it enters a human cell. This

RNA extract is then transferred to another machine where the liquid is released into a

miniature well that is attached to an electronic chip that is no bigger than a human thumb.

While the miniature well is where the reagent activates the RNA, it is the chip that is fed

with all the calculations of the viral load that helps in detecting whether a person is

carrying the virus or not. Unlike in the conventional RT-PCR tests, the reagents do not

require extreme temperatures in this process, and the quantity of swab required for testing

is also much less.

Given that the machines were developed for testing for tuberculosis, did they require

adapting for Covid-19 testing?

The machine, designed by Goa-based Molbio Diagnostics Private Limited, was originally

developed for the diagnosis of tuberculosis, which affects at least one million children

every year. A result of at least a decade of research, these machines had only recently been

approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), which attested that these machines “showed ️similar ️accuracy” ️to ️other ️WHO ️approved ️commercial ️products ️for ️this ️purpose. ️These machines were ready to be deployed from April this year.

The heart of the machine is designed to detect different kinds of infections. It is the chip

that is specific to every infection. The company took 15 days to design the chip which had

all the viral load diagnosis for detecting Coronavirus.

According to Sriram, the company was busy making delivery arrangements for the

consignee list ️ provided ️ to ️ it ️ by ️ Ministry ️ of ️ Health ️ for ️ TB ️ diagnostics. ️ “Five ️ hundred ️machines were divided between all the states, and union territories. After that, the states

had started placing orders on their own. As of today, about 1,000 machines are already









booked, and we are expecting another 3,000 to 4,000 to be ordered in the next two months,” ️he ️said.

It was Goa that first purchased the new modified machine for Covid-19 screening. But

Andhra Pradesh was the state that used it most extensively, running more than 2.5 lakh

screening tests.

The demand grew when the cases began to rise in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and

Odisha, as migrants began to return in the second week of May. The machine has already

enabled door-to-door surveys in many parts of these states.

How does TrueNat compare with conventional tests?

Conventional RT-PCR requires RNA extraction and analysis to be done in two different

rooms backed with cold storage and trained experts handling laboratory designed

equipment. TrueNat on the other hand is designed primarily to work at remote locations, and ️considered ️as ️‘last ️mile ️diagnostics’. “The ️machine ️ is ️ portable ️ and ️ can ️be ️ carried ️ in ️ a ️briefcase, ️ is ️ battery ️operated ️with ️one ️charge lasting ten hours. An eight-hour shift gives 45 tests and most of the states are currently ️ running ️ three ️shifts ️a ️day,” ️ said ️Sriram. ️ “Most ️states ️have ️also ️ordered ️ for ️ the ️four ️slot ️machine ️which ️allows ️four ️tests ️to ️be ️conducted ️simultaneously,” ️he ️said.

Each of the four slot machines costs upward of Rs 13 lakh but the test kit comes only for

about Rs 1,300.

Source: The Indian Express

5. Dexamethasone: its use, action, and what a Recovery Trial found

Relevant for GS Prelims &Mains Paper III; Science & Technology

A low-cost, widely used steroid, dexamethasone, has become the subject of discussion after

researchers from the Recovery Trial reported that it helps reduce death rates in certain

Covid-19 patients.

What is dexamethasone?

It is an anti-inflammatory drug, ️ commonly ️ used ️ to ️ treat ️ conditions ️ in ️which ️ the ️ body’s ️immune system does not function properly, and causes inflammation and tissue damage.

Dexamethasone reduces the production of the chemicals that cause inflammation and also

reduces the activity of the immune system by affecting the way white blood cells function.

Dexamethasone falls in a category called corticosteroids, which closely mimic cortisol, the

hormone naturally produced by the adrenal glands in humans. It is commonly used in

treatment for rheumatological inflammatory conditions: inflammations of muscles,









inflammation of blood vessels, chronic arthritis, and lupus. It is used in lung diseases,

kidney inflammation and eye inflammation, and to reduce swelling associated with

tumours of the brain and spine. In cancer patients, it is used to treat nausea and vomiting

caused by chemotherapy drugs.

How useful is it in Covid-19 treatment?

There is no specific proven treatment for Covid-19 yet. Patients are being administered

different drugs that are approved for treating for other diseases.

During the SARS outbreak in 2003, corticosteroid therapy was used to reduce

inflammatory-induced lung injury. In Covid-19, too, many countries are investigating the

effectiveness of corticosteroid therapy on patients with an acute respiratory infection. Also,

the World Health Organization (WHO) has prioritised the evaluation of corticosteroids in

clinical trials to assess safety and efficacy.

In interim guidelines on Covid-19 treatment released on May 27, the WHO has recommended ️ “against ️ the ️ routine ️ of ️ systematic ️ corticosteroid” ️ for ️ treatment ️ of ️ viral ️pneumonia. It said a systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of corticosteroid

therapy on persons with SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV revealed corticosteroids

did not significantly reduce the risk of death, did not reduce hospitalisation duration, ICU

admission rate and/or use of mechanical ventilation, and had several adverse effects.

So, what has newly been reported?

The Recovery Trial in the UK has an arm investigating dexamethasone. Oxford researchers

this week announced the results of the dexamethasone trial, where 2,104 enrolled patients

were administered 6 mg of the drug for 10 days. The drug was found to have reduced

deaths by one-third in ventilated patients and by one-fifth in patients receiving only

oxygen.

“Based ️ on ️ these ️ results, ️ 1 ️ (one) ️ death ️ would ️ be ️ prevented ️ by ️ treatment ️ of ️ around ️ 8 ️ventilated ️patients, ️or ️around ️25 ️patients ️ requiring ️oxygen ️alone,” ️ the ️university ️ said. ️ It ️said the drug was found to have reduced the 28-day mortality rate by 17 per cent, with a “highly ️significant” ️trend ️showing ️“greatest ️benefit” ️among ️patients ️requiring ️ventilation.

How significant are these findings?

First, the study found no evidence of benefit for patients who did not require oxygen. Peter

Horby, professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Nuffield Department of Medicine,

Oxford University, acknowledged that survival benefit is clear and large only in patients

who are sick enough to require oxygen treatment.

Also, the trial did not study patients outside the hospital setting. Therefore, the drug is not

recommended to the large population of mild patients.

Does India use corticosteroid therapy?









Yes. The clinical management protocol for Covid-19 released by the Health Ministry allows

the use of the corticosteroid methylprednisolone. For moderate cases, the protocol is:

“Consider ️IV ️methylprednisolone ️0.5 ️to ️1 ️mg/kg ️for ️3 ️days ️(preferably ️within ️48 ️hours ️of ️admission or if oxygen requirement is increasing and if inflammatory markers are increased)”. ️ And ️ for ️ severe ️ cases: ️ “For ️ patients ️ with ️ progressive ️ deterioration ️ of ️oxygenation ️indicators, ️rapid ️worsening ️on ️imaging ️and ️excessive ️activation ️of ️the ️body’s ️inflammatory response, glucocorticoids can be used for a short period of time (3 to 5 days).

It is recommended that dose should not exceed the equivalent of methylprednisolone 1 – 2mg/kg/day”.

Dexamethasone: What are the side effects?

The Health Ministry protocol says a larger dose of glucocorticoid will delay the removal of

coronavirus due to immunosuppressive effects.

On ️May ️25, ️ The ️Lancet ️ published ️ a ️ correspondence ️ that ️ said ️ “improper ️ use ️ of ️ systemic ️corticosteroids ️ can ️ increase ️ the ️ risk ️ of ️ osteonecrosis ️ of ️ the ️ femoral ️ head ️ (ONFH)”. ️Osteonecrosis refers to the death of bone tissue due to lack of blood supply.

Also, ️ the ️ WHO ️ says ️ that ️ “given ️ the ️ lack ️ of ️ effectiveness ️ and ️ possible ️ harm”, ️ routine ️corticosteroids ️ should ️ be ️ avoided ️ unless ️ they ️ are ️ indicated ️ for ️ another ️ reason. ️ “Other ️reasons may include exacerbation of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

(COPD), septic shock or ARDS, and risk/benefit analysis needs to be conducted for individual ️patients.”

Source: The Indian Express





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