📰 India plans a riposte to slavery report
To pressure ILO to distance itself from Australian NGO’s survey, which can potentially harm India’s image
•After sending a rebuttal to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) challenging India’s ranking in a global slavery report, India will build pressure on the global body to distance itself from the Australia-based NGO-Walk Free Foundation.
•It was the WFF, founded by Australia’s mining mogul Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, that had compiled the report. Indian security agencies informed the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) that though the methodology of sampling was not clear, the WFF’s entire focus was on India and had “enough potential to substantively harm India’s image and kill its exports market”.
•The PMO was warned that there was “evidence of rising interest of private and multilateral institutions in highlighting human trafficking and forced labour as modern-day slavery, with India being the largest hub of slaves”.
Point-wise rejoinder
•The Centre has tasked the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, an autonomous body under the Labour and Employment Ministry, to prepare a point-wise rejoinder to the ‘modern slavery’ report.
•“The entire thrust is to get WFF out of United Nations and ILO matters. The NGO published its first report in 2013 and the methodology adopted by them is opaque,” said a senior government official.
•Asked about the methodology adopted by the WFF in conducting the survey in India, its spokesperson Martina Ucnikova in an e-mail response shared the web link of the methodology made public recently.
•“While not without gaps and limitations, the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery provide the international community with the best available data and information that exists about the scale and distribution of modern slavery today,” the methodology paper said.
•As per the report, the highest number of people, 17,000, were surveyed in India and it was placed in a cluster of 53 countries like Honduras, Belize, Iraq, Pakistan and China.
•Elaborating on “debt bondage,” the report cited an interview from an unidentified person, which said, “For example, a 30-year-old male victim of forced labour in India described the situation he and his wife faced as having ‘…become a curse on both of us. We had threats against our family and we also got the threat that we would be evicted from our house and the village. There were also threats of violence’.”
‘Not recognised’
•The Labour Ministry shot off a strong letter to the ILO regarding its report titled ‘Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage 2017,’ The report released on September 19 did not contain any India-specific findings, barring one mention that 17,000 people were interviewed for the survey.
•An official said it did not recognise the WFF’s work in the area of labour study.
•“We note that the ILO report uses data primarily from independent surveys conducted by WFF, a private organisation. We would like to know why the ILO tied up with WFF to produce a report on ‘modern slavery’ – a term ILO hasn’t so far defined in its own conventions,” said a senior Labour and Employment Ministry official.
•Another official said the ILO had defined ‘forced labour’ and ‘bonded labour’ and the Indian laws were aligned with the ILO’s conventions.
📰 India acts against bottom trawling
•India on Saturday informed Sri Lanka that it has taken measures to stop bottom trawling by its fishermen in the waters near the Sri Lankan coastline. During a weekend meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) in Delhi, officials expressed satisfaction over the release of Indian fishermen by Colombo, and reiterated the need to bring the rest of them back to India.
•“Recent initiatives taken by the Government of India to end bottom trawling in the Palk Bay area include the launch of a programme on diversification of bottom trawlers into deep-sea fishing vessels for tuna long lining under the Blue Revolution Scheme, construction of Mookaiyur and Poompuhar fishing harbours, and capacity-building programmes for fishermen of the Palk Bay area in deep sea tuna long lining. Besides, fresh registration for bottom trawlers in the Palk Bay area has been banned by the Government of Tamil Nadu,” said a joint press communiqué issued after the Ministerial meeting held on Saturday.
•The Ministerial meet was attended by India’s Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh and his Sri Lankan counterpart, Mahinda Amaraweera, which came after the third JWG meeting on October 13.
•India also informed that schemes promoting seaweed farming and sea-cage farming have begun in the Palk Bay area to wean away fishermen from deep-sea trawling.
•Bottom trawling by Indian fishermen had emerged as a major issue because of the disruptive impact it left on the coastal communities of Sri Lanka.
•Earlier in July, Sri Lanka banned bottom trawling, increasing the chances of interception of more Indian bottom trawlers.
Indian plea
•The JWG was co-chaired by Secretary-level officials of India and Sri Lanka, in which the Indian delegates praised Sri Lanka for releasing fishermen from Tamil Nadu and urged the release of the fishermen remaining in the custody of the Sri Lankan government.
•The JWG mechanism commenced on November 5, 2016, to find a permanent solution to fishermen’s issues between the two countries.
•In Saturday’s meeting also, both the ministers emphasised the agenda of the JWG and asked it to find a permanent solution soon.
📰 A plan to stamp out animal TB
Zoonotic TB continues to remain largely hidden, posing many health risks
•The first-ever road map to combat animal tuberculosis(bovine TB) and its transmission to humans, referred to as zoonotic TB, was launched at the 48th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Guadalajara, Mexico this week.
•Four partners in health, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) have joined forces to develop the road map and, address the major health and economic impact of this disease.
How it spreads
•Zoonotic TB spreads through consumption of contaminated untreated meat or dairy products from diseased animals. New data released by the WHO estimates that over 140,000 people fall ill and more than 12,000 people lose their lives each year to zoonotic TB — mostly in Africa and Southeast Asia. In India, consumption of raw milk and living in close proximity to cattle has been attributed to high incidence rates of bovine TB in the central Indian populations. According to a paper published in Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health last month, farmers, dairy workers, and zoo keepers were at greater risk.
•There is no cure for bovine TB and it threatens animal welfare and those with livelihoods based on livestock. “We have made progress towards ending TB yet, to a large extent, people with zoonotic TB are left behind. The priorities outlined in this road map highlight the need for multi-sectoral action to tackle this neglected form of TB and achieve the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and WHO’s End TB Strategy,” says Dr. Mario Raviglione, Director of the Global TB Programme at the WHO. “Together we can save lives and secure livelihoods”
Enhance surveillance
•Bovine TB is most often communicated to humans through food consumption, usually non-heat-treated dairy products or raw, or improperly cooked meat from diseased animals. Direct transmission from infected animals or animal products to people can also occur. Experts maintain that for countries to achieve the global TB elimination targets, interventions addressing zoonotic TB must be introduced in the national programmes.
•Dr. Matthew Stone, OIE Deputy Director General, International Standards and Science, notes that, “Preventing and controlling bovine TB at its animal source is crucial to avoid its transmission to humans, improve food safety and protect the livelihood of many rural communities. To this aim, the implementation of strategies based on international standards and a cross-sectoral approach will enable improved surveillance and diagnosis of the disease in animals and consequently reduce the risks for humans.”
•While governments have agreed to TB elimination goals, zoonotic TB continues to remain largely hidden. “We must recognise the interdependence of the health of people and animals in the fight against TB. Specifically, bovine TB, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, affects cattle, threatens people’s livelihoods and results in major economic and trade barriers, as well as posing a major risk to food safety and human health,” says Dr. Berhe Tekola, Director, Animal Production and Health Division, FAO.
📰 DNA barcodes reveal adulteration in traditional medicines
Spurious plant extracts in place of rare ones and toxic lead found in samples taken from 12 wholesale markets in different States
•Traditional medicines in the large unorganised market contain spurious plant extracts and, sometimes, heavy metals that pose serious risks to health, an exhaustive genetics-based study has revealed.
•The set of studies shows that traditional medicinal markets are replete with unrelated plant materials that substitute for endangered or rare ones, while the final product, in some instances, contains heavy metals, particularly lead. In a review published in the journal Drug Safety earlier this year, scientists from Bengaluru working with their counterparts in Canada, have called for a herbal trade authentication system to address “concerns over widespread adulteration.”
Tracing the genes
•Among the researchers is G. Ravikanth from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) who stumbled upon significant adulteration of herbal products. In 2008, while attempting to trace the genetic history of Phyllanthus (Leaf flower), his team was surprised to see claims of the plant being used in abundance in herbal medicines, despite its relative rarity. Taking samples from 12 wholesale markets across South India (such as Bengaluru, Kollam, Madurai and Thiruvananthapuram), their DNA analysis showed that nearly 25% of samples were not Phyllanthus amarus (used to treat Hepatitis B), but a mixture of other species which did not contain the curative elements of Phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin.
•Taking off from this, they focussed their attention on species adulteration and developed DNA barcodes — short genetic sequences, much like a supermarket barcode, which becomes an identifying mark — for 150 species commonly used in traditional medicine.
•“The process was long. We collected samples from across the country, certified them through taxonomists, analysed the DNA and found two or three genes that were consistent. These codes can provide undeniable proof of adulteration which molecular analysis cannot,” said Dr. Ravikanth.
•The team set about comparing raw herbal products marketed with the ‘barcodes’ of the actual species. Between 2010 and 2016, five published studies or reviews detailed the scale of the adulteration. Ashoka bark, which is used to cure many ailments including leucorrhea, uterine disorders, and as an anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial drug — whose harvesting is highly regulated under forest laws — was found to have an astounding 90% adulteration by seven other species, including papaya or drumstick bark in Tamil Nadu and Sal trees in Central India.
📰 External ground delays holding up GSAT-9 benefits
We will support the partner governments through the Indian industry, says ISRO
•Some five months after the South Asia Satellite or GSAT-9 was put up in space as New Delhi’s gift to six neighbours, ground delays outside India seem to be holding up its planned harvest.
•The Indian Space Research Organisation, which owns and operates the roughly ₹200-crore communication spacecraft, says it has initiated the processes to set up ground stations for the partners to receiver/send satellite communication. It has invited expressions of interest to find suitable Indian industry players who will set up the ground equipment.
•While half of the satellite’s 12 Ku-band transponders is reserved for the partners, the Indian part has been in use without a hitch.
•A.S. Kiran Kumar, ISRO Chairman, told The Hindu, “It is work in progress. We are now trying to get the partner governments to start using the services of the satellite. They must first set up the ground segment depending on what they need.” The satellite has a planned life of 12 years.
•It would be a slow build-up as work must be coordinated with each of the six governments. “We are trying to push it as much as possible but it does not move at the pace that we would like. Eventually we will support them through Indian industry,” said Mr. Kiran Kumar, who is also Secretary, Department of Space, that functions under the Prime Minister.
•In India, which has a 50-year active space history, satcom-based activities can routinely kick in a couple of months after a communications satellite is launched. But for the smaller neighbours, space is a relatively new area.
•The Indian space hug wraps Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Their satellite-based services are said to be small and some may be using commercial foreign satellites.
Speed in Bhutan
•In the case of Bhutan, Mr. Kiran Kumar said there had been significant progress and many interactions, because of which “We are going ahead” faster than with the others.
•To begin with, ISRO has enabled video transmission uplinked from India. Once the countries start using their part of satellite fully, he said it could open or spur activities for poor and unconnected areas — tele-education and tele-medicine or consultations with doctors; besides a SAARC library link of regionally relevant information.
•India has offered each country one Ku-band transponder free of cost along with services. The gesture is meant to spread the use of DTH television and VSATs to support Internet-based applications.
•The South Asia Satellite was first announced by the Prime Minister in 2014. India itself has been grappling with an old shortage of Ku-band transponders — because of which Indian DTH operators lease their capacity on private foreign satellites.
📰 Elevated enzyme for cancer diagnosis
The application of this technique may be during surgery to know tumour spread
•Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar, Punjab, and IIT Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, have utilised the overexpression of biotin receptors on cancer cells and enhanced production of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) enzyme in cancer cells for cancer diagnosis. Breast and cervical cancer cell line studies showed encouraging results.
•The researchers developed a hybrid assembly by binding naphthalimide moiety to carbon dots using disulphide covalent bond; naphthalimide analogues are used as anticancer agents. In the presence of normal amount of TrxR enzyme seen inside normal cells, the carbon dots behave as an energy donor and the naphthalimide moiety as an acceptor, thus establishing fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). There is a typical yellow emission when irradiated with visible light.
•But in the presence of elevated levels of TrxR enzyme, which is seen in cancer cells, the disulphide covalent bond gets disrupted freeing the naphthalimide moiety from the surface of carbon dots. As a result, the FRET gets disrupted and there is blue emission when the cells are irradiated with visible light. In normal cells, the amount of TrxR enzyme is very little and hence the FRET mechanism is not eliminated, resulting in yellow emission.
Colour reveals
•“We can distinguish cancer cells from normal cells by the colour of the emission. The presence of yellow emission indicates normal cells while blue indicates cancer cells,” says Dr. Narinder Singh from the Department of Chemistry at IIT Ropar and the corresponding author of the paper published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
•Unlike normal cells, cancer cells have large number of biotin receptors. Since biotin is present on the surface of carbon dots, the hybrid assembly is absorbed in large numbers by cancer cells.
•“Within 30-45 minutes of treatment, we could see the change in emission from yellow to blue. The blue emission could be seen up to two hours after its appearance,” says Dr. Singh.
•“When the bond is intact the emission comes from the naphthalimide moiety, and when the bond is broken, the emission comes from the carbon dots,” says Jagpreet Singh Sidhu from the Department of Chemistry at IIT Ropar and the first author of the paper. “The band gap between carbon dots and naphthalimide moiety is different leading to different emissions.”
•“Since visible light cannot penetrate human tissue, the potential application of this technique may be during surgery to know tumour spread. We will know more about its applicability only during animal studies,” he says.
Therapeutic
•The naphthalimide used here can also function as a cancer therapeutic. The nanosensor was found to reduce the viability of cancer cells up to 70%. The naphthalimide that gets released when the disulfide bond is broken is responsible for the destruction of cancer cells.
•“We had used higher concentration (100 microgram per millilitre) of naphthalimide to kill 70% of cancer cells. Usually, much lower concentration of drug is used for therapeutic purposes,” says Ashutosh Singh from the School of Basic Sciences at IIT Mandi and one of the authors of the paper.
•Since naphthalimide is expensive, the researchers are trying to develop a cheaper substitute. “We will test the new hybrid material on more cancer cell lines before testing it on animal models. The focus is on using the assembly for diagnostics. If it offers therapeutic benefits then it will be an added advantage,” says Dr. Singh.
