6 April 2024

• Agriculture: West Bengal farmers shift from wheat to bananas and maize in border districts as wheat blast disease spreads from Bangladesh.
• International Relations: NATO turns 75, founded on 4 April 1949 in Washington.
• Science: India launches NexCAR19, the world's most affordable CAR-T cell therapy for cancer, at IIT Bombay.
• Defence: DRDO and the Strategic Forces Command night-test Agni-Prime, a canisterised solid-fuel ballistic missile.
• Elections: The Election Commission tightens rules on anonymous political hoardings under Section 127A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

GS area: Agriculture, Economy

Farmers in Murshidabad and Nadia districts of West Bengal are shifting from wheat to bananas, lentils, and maize. The trigger is wheat blast disease, which emerged in Bangladesh in 2016 and prompted a two-year cultivation ban in border districts.

Key facts:

• Wheat blast: A fungal disease caused by Magnaporthe oryzae pathotype triticum that can destroy an entire wheat crop in weeks. It first appeared in South America and reached Bangladesh in 2016.
• Maize surge: Maize production in India increased eightfold between 2011 and 2023.
• India's fruit production: India produces 10 per cent of global fruit output and ranks first in papaya, mango, and banana production.
• Policy framework for diversification:
  • National Food Security Mission (NFSM)
  • Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
  • Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY)
  • Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)
  • Crop Diversification Programme (CDP)
  • Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
• Sikkim is India's only fully organic state.
• The original Green Revolution states (Haryana, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh) are now the biggest targets for diversification away from rice and wheat monocultures.

Static linkage: agriculture, food security, geography of eastern India.

GS area: International Relations

NATO was founded on 4 April 1949 in Washington, DC. It now has 32 member countries across North America and Europe.

Key facts:

• Article 5: The collective defence clause. An attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. This has been invoked once, after the September 2001 attacks on the United States.
• Current membership: 32 countries including Finland (joined 2023) and Sweden (joined 2024).
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
• Funding: Members are expected to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence. Most European members are below this target; the US and some eastern European members exceed it.
• India and NATO: India is not a NATO member. It maintains close ties with several members bilaterally and participates in some interoperability exercises but does not seek formal membership.
• 2024 context: Russia's continued operations in Ukraine have driven NATO unity and accelerated Finland's and Sweden's membership.

Static linkage: international organisations, geopolitics, India's foreign policy.

GS area: Science and Technology, Health

India launched NexCAR19 at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. It is India's first indigenous CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy and is described as the world's most affordable version of this treatment.

Key facts:

• CAR-T cell therapy: Doctors extract T-cells (immune system cells) from the patient, genetically engineer them to recognise and attack cancer cells, and reinfuse them.
• Target cancers: Primarily B-cell blood cancers including certain types of leukaemia and lymphoma.
• Cost significance: CAR-T therapies abroad cost upwards of 50 lakh rupees. NexCAR19 aims to bring this down substantially, potentially making the therapy accessible in India's public health system.
• Developed by: ImmunoACT, a company incubated at IIT Bombay.
• Regulatory approval: Granted by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) under the Drug Controller General of India.

Static linkage: science and technology, health policy, biotechnology.

GS area: Internal Security, Science and Technology

DRDO and the Strategic Forces Command conducted a successful night trial of Agni-Prime from Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.

Key facts:

• Type: Two-stage canisterised solid-propellant ballistic missile.
• Range: 1,000 to 2,000 km.
• Canisterised design: The missile is stored and launched from a sealed canister. This improves storage life, reduces maintenance, and allows rapid deployment.
• First test: June 2021.
• Weight advantage: Lighter than earlier Agni series variants, improving mobility.
• Abdul Kalam Island: Located off the Odisha coast. It is India's primary integrated test range for missiles. Formerly called Wheeler Island, it was renamed in 2015.

Static linkage: defence technology, Atmanirbhar Bharat, internal security.

GS area: Polity (elections)

The Election Commission of India enforces the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 to govern how symbols are assigned to political parties.

Key facts:

• Recognised parties: National and state parties recognised by the ECI receive reserved symbols that no other party may use.
• Unrecognised parties: Must choose from a pool of free symbols.
• Criteria for recognition: A party must secure 1 per cent of valid votes in an election or have elected representatives in the concerned legislature.
• Symbol disputes: The ECI adjudicates splits and mergers in parties. Its decisions on symbol allocation are subject to judicial review.
• Section 127A of the RP Act, 1951: Requires all election materials (posters, hoardings) to display the printer's and publisher's name and address. The ECI cracked down on anonymous political hoardings ahead of the 2024 elections.

Static linkage: elections, Election Commission, political parties.

GS area: Science and Technology, Ethics

OpenAI demonstrated Voice Engine, a text-to-audio tool that can replicate any person's voice using a 15-second audio sample.

Key facts:

• Function: Given a text input and a short voice sample, the tool generates audio in that person's voice in any language.
• Applications: Aiding non-readers, translating content while preserving the speaker's voice, and assisting individuals who have lost the ability to speak.
• Risks: Potential for deepfake audio fraud, voice cloning of public figures, and electoral manipulation.
• ECI concern: India's Election Commission flagged AI-generated audio and video as emerging threats to electoral integrity in the 2024 campaign period.

Static linkage: science and technology, cybercrime, ethics in elections.

• Tornado in Jalpaiguri: A tornado struck Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, killing five people and injuring over 100. Tornadoes are rapidly rotating air columns extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. They are smaller and shorter-lived than tropical cyclones, lasting seconds to hours and moving at 10 to 20 mph.
• Plankton crash in Puducherry: Red discolouration of the sea near Puducherry was attributed to a crash of Noctiluca scintillans, a bioluminescent plankton. When the organism ruptures it releases a red pigment. High iron concentration in the water contributed to the bloom and crash.
• Exchange-traded currency derivatives: The RBI postponed new norms on currency derivatives because of market volatility. Under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, users must demonstrate an underlying foreign exchange exposure to participate in currency derivative markets.