KANISHKBIOSCIENCE E -LEARNING PLATFORM - Help you think beyond the issue but relevant to the issue from UPSC prelims and Mains exam point of view. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. Also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background. This helps you study a topic holistically and add new dimensions to every current event to help you think analytically.
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Now, outsiders can buy land in J&K:
Context:
The Centre has notified new land laws for the Jammu and Kashmir UT region, ending the exclusive rights enjoyed by the local population over land under the now-diluted Article 370.
Who introduced the changes?
The introduction of the UT of J&K Reorganisation (Adaptation of Central Laws) Third Order, 2020, by the Ministry of Home Affairs has resulted in the repeal of at least 11 land laws in vogue in J&K earlier, including the J&K Big Landed Estates Abolition Act that had resulted in the famous ‘land to tiller’ rights.
What are the latest changes?
1 Under the newly introduced J&K Development Act, the term “being permanent resident of the State” as a criteria has been “omitted”, paving the way for investors outside J&K to invest in the UT.
2 No land used for agriculture purposes shall be used for any non-agricultural purposes except with the permission of the district collector.
3 The government may now allow transfer of land “in favour of a person or an institution for the purpose of promotion of healthcare or senior secondary or higher or specialized education in J&K”.
4 Also, No sale, gift, exchange, or mortgage of the land shall be valid in favour of a person who is not an agriculturist.
5 An Army officer not below the rank of Corps Commander can declare an area as “Strategic Area” within a local area, only for direct operational and training requirements of the armed forces.
Need for:
The Centre has been arguing that Article 370 hampered development in the U.T. as investors were unable to purchase land prior to August 5, 2019.
Implications:
People, including investors, outside Jammu and Kashmir can now purchase land in the Union Territory.
Prelims Link:
1 New Jammu and Kashmir UT land laws.
2 Who can buy land in this region now?
3 Power to declare an area as “Strategic Area”.
4 What is Article 370?
Mains Link:
Discuss the implications of the new Jammu and Kashmir UT land laws.
Sources: the Hindu.
Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.
The European Union:
Context:
France has encouraged EU allies to adopt measures against Turkey after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a boycott of French goods.
The EU Commission has now warned that Turkish membership of the European Union bloc is further away than ever in light of Erdogan’s remarks.
Background:
Turkey applied to join the then European Economic Community in 1987 and began formal accession negotiations to the European Union in 2005, but the talks are seen as effectively frozen.
About the European Union:
It is a group of 27 countries that operate as a cohesive economic and political block.
The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity (without precedent or comparison).
Origin of the European Union:
Despite not being officially formed until 1993, the European Union’s foundations actually reach further back to 1957, when the European Economic Community was established.
The EEC was formed out of a previous group called the European Coal and Steel Community – which had its own start in 1951.
1 In 1993, the EEC morphed into the European Union following the new Maastricht Treaty (also known as the Treaty on European Union).
2 Additionally, the Treaty of Lisbon, enacted in 2009, gave the European Union more broad powers that included being authorized to sign international treaties, increase border patrol, and other security and enforcement provisions.
Prelims Link:
1 About EU.
2 What is Eurozone?
3 About the European Commission.
4 Treaty of Maastricht.
5 Treaty of Lisbon.
Sources: the Hindu.
Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
IndiGen Program:
Context:
Results from the extensive computation analysis of the 1029 sequenced genomes from India were published recently.
This analysis was carried out under IndiGen Program.
Key findings:
1 The analysis led to the identification of 55,898,122 single nucleotide variants in the India genome dataset.
2 Comparisons with the global genome datasets revealed that 18,016,257 (32.23%) variants were unique and found only in the samples sequenced from India. This emphasizes the need for an India centric population genomic initiative.
Why this genome data is significant? What can it be used for?
1 It helps to classify variants involved in mendelian disorders and improve precision medicine outcomes.
2 The resource can also enable the identification of markers for carrier screening, variations causing genetic diseases, prevention of adverse events and provide better diagnosis and optimal therapy through mining data of clinically actionable pharmacogenetic variants.
3 The data will allow researchers to build Indian-specific reference genome dataset and efficiently impute haplotype information. This resource can provide useful insights for clinicians and researchers in comprehending genetics not only at the population level but at the individual level.
About the Genomics for Public Health in India (IndiGen) programme:
CSIR initiated the Program in April 2019.
It aims to undertake whole genome sequencing of thousands of individuals representing diverse ethnic groups from India.
The objective is to enable genetic epidemiology and develop public health technologies applications using population genome data.
What is Gene Sequencing?
A genome is the DNA or sequence of genes in a cell.
1 Most of the DNA is in the nucleus and intricately coiled into a structure called the chromosome.
2 Every human cell contains a pair of chromosomes, each of which has three billion base pairs or one of four molecules that pair in precise ways
3 The order of base pairs and varying lengths of these sequences constitute the “genes”.
Sequencing a genome means deciphering the exact order of base pairs in an individual.
Prelims Link:
1 What are genes?
2 What is genome sequencing?
3 What are chromosomes?
4 About IndiGen programme.
5 Applications of gene sequencing.
Mains Link:
What do you understand by Genome Sequencing? Discuss the various efforts by India in this regard and how will it lead to precision medicine and develop its commercial gene testing services?
Sources: PIB.
{ With input from news agency language)
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