8 May 2024

• Health: ICMR-NIN released 17 new dietary guidelines for Indians, linking unhealthy diets to 56.4 per cent of India's total disease burden.
• Technology: Google DeepMind released AlphaFold 3, extending AI-driven protein structure prediction to interactions with DNA, RNA, and small molecules.
• Space: ISRO conducted the first successful pre-burner ignition test of the semi-cryogenic SCE-200 engine at Mahendragiri.
• Defence: BRO began work on the Shinku La Tunnel, set to be the world's highest road tunnel when complete.

GS area: Health Policy, Science and Technology

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) released 17 new Dietary Guidelines for Indians, the first revision since 2011.

• ICMR: The Indian Council of Medical Research is the apex body in India for biomedical research. It functions under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Its director-general is the Secretary of the Department of Health Research.
• NIN: The National Institute of Nutrition is an autonomous institution under ICMR, headquartered in Hyderabad. It is India's leading research centre on nutrition science.
• Disease burden: Unhealthy diets are responsible for 56.4 per cent of India's total disease burden, primarily through non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
• Key guidelines: Limit salt to a maximum of 5 grams per day; engage in 30 to 45 minutes of moderate physical activity daily; minimise ultra-processed food consumption; ensure dietary diversity.
• Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs): The NOVA classification system groups foods by degree of processing. UPFs (NOVA Group 4) include packaged snacks, ready meals, carbonated drinks, and mass-produced bread. They are associated with higher rates of obesity and NCDs.

Static linkage: Public health policy, non-communicable diseases, nutrition governance.

GS area: Science and Technology

Google DeepMind released AlphaFold 3, a major advance over AlphaFold 2 in predicting how proteins interact with other molecules.

• Protein folding problem: A protein's function depends on its three-dimensional shape, which is determined by the sequence of amino acids. Predicting this shape from the sequence alone was unsolved for 50 years.
• AlphaFold 2 (2021): Solved the protein folding problem, predicting protein shapes with near-experimental accuracy. It used an attention-based neural network.
• AlphaFold 3: Goes beyond protein structures alone. It predicts the 3D structure of proteins interacting with DNA, RNA, small molecules (potential drugs), and ions. It uses a diffusion-based model architecture.
• Applications: Drug discovery (predicting how drug molecules bind to target proteins), understanding disease mechanisms at the molecular level, and designing new proteins for therapeutic use.
• Accuracy: Approximately 80 per cent precision for protein structure prediction.
• Developer: Google DeepMind, in collaboration with Isomorphic Labs (a sister company focused on drug discovery).

Static linkage: Biotechnology, AI applications in medicine, structural biology.

GS area: Science and Technology (Space)

ISRO successfully conducted the first pre-burner ignition trial of the SCE-200 semi-cryogenic engine at the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

• SCE-200: A 2,000 kN (2 MN) thrust-class engine using Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and refined kerosene (RP-1) as propellants. "Semi-cryogenic" refers to the use of cryogenic oxygen with non-cryogenic kerosene.
• Staged combustion cycle: The engine uses an oxidiser-rich staged combustion cycle, where a fraction of the propellant is combusted in a pre-burner to generate hot gas that drives the turbopumps, before the main combustion chamber ignites. This is more efficient than gas-generator cycles.
• IPRC: The ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu, is the main engine test facility for ISRO. It is operated by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC).
• Purpose: SCE-200 is being developed to power the LVM-3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-III) and future heavy-lift launch vehicles, significantly increasing payload capacity to geostationary orbit.
• Significance: Mastery of semi-cryogenic propulsion will reduce dependence on imported engines and give India a higher payload capacity for heavier satellites.

Static linkage: ISRO's propulsion technology, heavy-lift launch vehicles, space indigenisation.

GS area: Internal Security, Geography

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) commenced work on the Shinku La Tunnel, which will connect Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh with the Zanskar valley in Ladakh.

• BRO: The Border Roads Organisation functions under the Ministry of Defence. It constructs and maintains roads in strategically sensitive border areas.
• Location: The tunnel will pass under Shinku La, a high-altitude pass at 16,615 feet (approximately 5,059 metres) above sea level.
• Strategic significance: The tunnel provides a third road axis to Ladakh (the existing two are via Zoji La and Baralacha La). It uses the Nimmu-Padam-Darcha alignment. It will reduce the Manali-Leh distance by approximately 60 km and provide all-weather connectivity that is currently blocked by heavy snow.
• Record: When complete, it will be the world's highest road tunnel.
• Operational benefit: Currently, Ladakh is cut off by road during winter months. The tunnel ensures year-round access for both military logistics and civilian needs.

Static linkage: Border infrastructure, Ladakh geography, BRO's strategic role.

GS area: Governance (Consumer Protection)

The Department of Consumer Affairs (Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution) designated drip pricing as a prohibited dark pattern under the 2023 Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns.

• Dark patterns: User interface designs that manipulate consumer behaviour against their interests, typically used by e-commerce platforms.
• Drip pricing: The practice of advertising only a partial price of a product and revealing additional charges (platform fees, handling charges, taxes) only at the checkout stage. By the time consumers discover the full price, they are psychologically committed to completing the purchase.
• Regulatory basis: Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), established under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, issued the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns in 2023. The CCPA functions under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
• Total prohibited patterns: 13 dark patterns are listed in the 2023 guidelines, including false urgency, bait-and-switch, and disguised advertisements.
• Reporting: Consumers can report violations through the National Consumer Helpline (number: 1915).

Static linkage: Consumer protection, e-commerce regulation, CCPA.

• Mindgrove Technologies chip: Mindgrove Technologies, incubated at IIT Madras, produced India's first indigenous commercial-grade microcontroller chip. The RISC-V-based System-on-Chip runs at 700 MHz at a 28 nm fabrication node. It is 30 per cent cheaper than comparable imported chips and is targeted at wearables, EV systems, and industrial IoT.
• India's solar power ranking: India surpassed Japan to become the world's third-largest solar electricity generator in 2023, behind China and the United States. India generated over 108,000 GWh of solar power in 2023.