📰 Why is the pact on Rohingya important?
Who signed the deal?
•Bangladesh and Myanmar announced last week that they had signed a Memorandum of Agreement to begin the repatriation of more than 6,20,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh in the past few months. According to Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali, who travelled to Naypidaw to negotiate and sign the ‘Arrangement on Return of Displaced Persons from Rakhine State’, this was a “first step.”
•He stipulated that a joint working group including officials from Bangladesh, Myanmar and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) will be set up in three weeks, and Myanmar would begin to repatriate the refugees within two months, by January 23, 2018.
What had led to the exodus?
•The agreement was welcomed by many countries. Since August, when the Myanmar military began a crackdown on Rohingya villages in Rakhine after a series of terror strikes on army camps, the numbers that have escaped burning homes and alleged atrocities by the authorities, have risen rapidly, with most seeking shelter across the border in Kutupalong camp of Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazaar. The UN has condemned the violence as a case of “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide”, putting pressure on Myanmar’s leadership to end it.
How did China help?
•What sets this agreement apart is that talks between Bangladesh and Myanmar appear to have been guided not by international agencies, but by China. After back-to-back visits to Naypidaw and Dhaka by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Beijing announced that it favoured a “three-step” solution, comprising a ceasefire in Rakhine, a bilateral repatriation deal for the Rohingya to Myanmar and long-term solutions including the economic development of the Rohingya areas.
Why is it interested?
•Beijing has deep interests in Rakhine, especially in the Kyaukpyu Port, with oil and energy pipelines to Yunnan province forming part of a $10 billion economic zone in its Belt and Road Initiative.
•While on the one hand, China has protected the Myanmar regime from international sanctions at the UN thus far, it has tied itself to the success or failure of the repatriation agreement, on which the fate of the Rohingya now rest.
What is Myanmar’s stand?
•The signing came as a surprise to many because the Myanmar government led by the National League for Democracy as well as its military leadership have thus far been categorical about not accepting more repatriation, and have denied any wrongdoing by the security forces. The turnaround may be ascribed in part to growing international pressure as well as United Nations resolutions, particularly pushed by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. In September, the Human Rights Council in Geneva voted to extend the mandate of an international fact-finding committee to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Myanmar, and the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee voted overwhelmingly in condemning Myanmar’s actions. International human rights agencies have also called for targeted sanctions and an arms embargo against the Myanmar security forces. The signing of the deal also came at a time when Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi faced international criticism for not stopping the violence, and several awards and honours given to her for her work in restoring democracy have been revoked over the past month.
What lies ahead?
•According to the deal, Myanmar has committed not to delay sending those repatriated back to their original homes, but this task will be made more difficult by the fact that that many of the Rohingya villages have been burnt down. Also of concern is the stipulation that those who will be accepted by Myanmar must show their Myanmar-issued identity cards, not just their Bangladesh-issued refugee cards. Finally, international human rights agencies have warned that refugees cannot be forced to return while threat of violence against them persists, even as they process the trauma borne of the atrocities they fled from.
📰 Xi Jinping backs China-Myanmar economic corridor during talks with Suu Kyi
On her part, Ms. Suu Kyi “agreed with China's proposal of building the Myanmar-China economic corridor,” the report added.
•China and Myanmar have moved a step closer to negotiate the China-Myanmar economic corridor — an initiative that is being given high priority on account of the stalled Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) connectivity proposal.
•On Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping advocated that Beijing and Naypyidaw should “nurture new growth points, such as discussing the construction of China-Myanmar economic corridor, so as to advance bilateral ties,” Xinhua reported. He made these remarks during a meeting with visiting State Counsellor from Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi.
•On her part, Ms. Suu Kyi “agreed with China's proposal of building the Myanmar-China economic corridor,” the report added.
•President Xi’s backing for the corridor followed last month’s announcement of this plan in Myanmar by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. During his visit to Myanmar, Mr. Wang said that the Y-shaped corridor can start from China’s Yunnan province, and head towards Mandalay in Myanmar. From there it could extend towards the east and west to Yangon New City and Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone, in the Rakhine province.
•During his stay Mr. Wang had also proposed a three-point plan to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis, for which Ms. Suu Kyi has been widely criticised in the West. Ethnic Rohingyas have flooded into neighbouring Bangladesh, amid allegations of human rights abuses by Myanmar's military.
•Mr. Wang had advocated a ceasefire, followed by the repatriation of refugees, followed by a long term plan, with international support, for the economic development of Myanmar’s affected Rakhine state.
•The state-run tabloid Global Times is reporting that Bangladesh-China-Myanmar cooperation will be given first priority given “India's reluctance to participate in the BCIM cooperation”.
•Negotiations for the formation of the BCIM corridor, which would link Kolkata with the Chinese city of Kunming, have virtually stalled after Beijing went ahead with its plans to establish the China-Pakistan economic corridor. The daily said that the China-Myanmar corridor will connect Beijing with the Indian Ocean.
•“The China-Myanmar corridor will enhance connectivity between the two countries. The existing highways, oil and gas pipelines, as well as the railroads and expressways under construction will give China the best access to the Indian Ocean,” the write up observed.
•It added: “The corridor will also accelerate the transfer of China's industries to Myanmar. Due to the rising cost of labour, overcapacity and industrial development, China has begun to transfer some of its
•industries abroad. In this aspect, the corridor will also help turn Myanmar into an important destination for China and other East Asian countries, and will help create more jobs and bolster development locally.”
•Despite a flurry of diplomatic interaction between China and Myanmar in the aftermath of the Rohingya crisis, the Myanmar side, shedding a zero-sum approach, is also actively engaging with India.
•As Ms. Suu Kyi was preparing for her China visit, Zaw Myint Maung, Chief Minister of Mandalay Region Government, was in Kolkata, seeking Indian investments in the central Myanmar region. Speaking at an international conference, late last month, he backed India’s Act East Policy and Neighbourhood First approach that promoted New Delhi’s relationship with the ASEAN countries including Myanmar, the news portal Mizzima reported.
•Last week the India-Myanmar Bilateral Military Exercise (IMBAX-2017) also concluded at the Joint Training Node in Umroi, Meghalaya.
📰 Sushma makes Iran stopover on eve of Chabahar port inaugural
It opens Afghanistan and Central Asia to Indian commerce.
•Indicating continued commitment to build strong bilateral ties, India and Iranheld talks on Saturday even as preparations got under way for the Sunday inauguration of the port of Chabahar which will open Afghanistan and Central Asia to Indian commerce. Saturday’s talks were held in Tehran where External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made an unannounced stopover on her way back from Sochi, Russia, where the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of Governments meeting was held.
•“Inauguration of Chabahar port was discussed between the two sides,” said a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs to a question on what the agenda of the lunchon meeting between Ms. Swaraj and her Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif was.
•The inauguration of the first phase of the port, known as the Shahid Beheshti port, is likely to be attended by President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Minister of State for Finance and Shipping R. Ponniah Ayyappan Radhakrishnan. Representatives from 25 other countries are expected to attend the event, Iranian media reported.
•Even as Ms. Swaraj and Mr Zarif sat for talks, Mr. Rouhani arrived in Sistan-Balochistan province in southeast Iran on Saturday where he would also attend connectivity-related events in Zahedan and Zabol. The agreement for the port was sealed last year during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tehran.
•Iran also wants to develop the hinterland of Chabahar for which it seeks broader international collaboration.
•The Iranian media reported that Mr. Zarif said the port would expand mutual and regional cooperation and highlighted its significant role in boosting contacts and cooperation between countries in Central Asia with other countries via the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean.
•Laying out India’s plan for Chabahar, Mr. Radhakrishnan said here the port would help India reach out to Afghanistan. “Strategically, Chabahar is very important both for Iran and India. Development of this port will add to the connectivity of the two countries and will also help the link with Afghanistan which is very important to us,” he told IRNA, the Iranian state news agency, declaring that India was looking forward to Mr. Rouhani’s visit at the earliest.
•Mr. Radhakrishnan also announced that during his visit to Chabahar he would hold trilateral talks with Afghanistan and Iran on firming up the overall connectivity project to provide Afghanistan an alternative sea route away from Pakistan.
•According to the Iranian assessment, the port will reach the annual discharge capacity of 1.8 million tons soon. India on October 29 sent the first of several wheat shipments for Afghanistan through Chabahar. The other shipments are to follow shortly.
📰 Centre rolls back curbs on cattle sale
Controversial notification was withdrawn in a terse notice dated November 30
•The government withdrew its controversial notification banning the sale of cattle for slaughter in cattle markets. Earlier in May this year, the Centre had amended the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and laid down strict guidelines that spelt out conditions under which cattle could be sold in these markets.
•A terse communiqué — dated November 30 but made public only on Saturday — from the Environment Ministry said: “…the Central government hereby withdraws the notification number G.S.R. 493(E), dated the 23rd May, 2017 of the Government of India in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.”
•According to that notification bulls, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers and camels could be sold only after sellers formally stated that the animals had not been “brought to the market for sale for slaughter”.
•At the same time, buyers would have had to verify whether they are agriculturalists and declare that they would not sell the animal/s for six months from the date of purchase.
•This, and other rules, had led to a furore among animal traders and farmers, who said this impacted their business, and others who argued that the government was imposing a Hindutva agenda. Several cattle traders, whom The Hindu had earlier spoken to in the aftermath of the notification, also complained that the curbs were a double blow given the continuing attacks by cow vigilantes.
•The notification drew the strongest response from Kerala, where Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said it was part of a plan to further the RSS agenda. He said in a statement that the Centre’s action was contrary to diversity, which is the core of Indian democracy. All major parties in the State, barring the BJP, were critical of the decision with the Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, of the Congress, describing the notification as a threat to human rights.
•The Madras High Court stayed the order and subsequently the Supreme Court extended the order to the whole country, on July 12.
•With the backlash, the government backed off and suggested that it was having a rethink. Union Science and Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan, in June, had told The Hindu that it would consider “amending” the notification. There also followed discussions with States and various industry groups — from leather makers, the meat industry and to those who convened agricultural fairs — on the implications of the move. Dr. Vardhan was unreachable on Saturday for comment.
•The notification, banning the sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017, followed a Supreme Court directive to the government to form an inter-ministerial committee to recommend ways of preventing cattle smuggling. The court directive itself was in response to a 2014 writ petition by Gauri Maulekhi of People for Animals. “This is just the government buckling under pressure from the meat mafia,” she said. “We will challenge the withdrawal in court. The purpose of the notification was to reign in trafficking and the government was enjoined to address this. It was expected to amend rules, not withdraw them,” she told The Hindu on the phone.
📰 What is the Babri Masjid case all about?
What is it?
•At the core of the nearly 70-year-old Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is the belief that Lord Ram was born 9,00,000 years ago in the Treta Yuga, in a room located under what was the central dome of the Babri Masjid. The masjid was built on the orders of Mughal emperor Babur in the 16th century and had occupied 1,482.5 square yards before its demolition by kar sevaks on December 6, 1992.
•On September 30, 2010, a three-judge Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court upheld the Hindu belief, reasoning that the “world knows” where Ram’s birthplace is. The Bench ordered a partition of the site occupied by the Babri Masjid equally among the U.P. Sunni Central Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla, the deity.
•In May 2011, on appeals by the Sunni Waqf Board and other parties, the Supreme Court stayed the judgment, calling it a “leap of faith.” The stay ensured status quo, which meant that a lone priest would continue to worship in the makeshift temple built at the site — a custom legitimised in the Ayodhya Act of 1993. The ban continued on any mode of activity on the 67 acres acquired by the Centre following the Supreme Court orders of March 13 and 14, 2002. Now, the appeals are due for hearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on December 5. The hearing coincides with the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition. The case banks mostly on documents written in languages as varied as Persian and Arabic, dating back to the 16th century.
How did it come about?
•The idols of Ram Lalla were placed “surreptitiously” under the central dome of the Babri Masjid in 1949. The next year, Gopal Simla Visharad filed the first suit in the Faizabad civil court for rights to perform puja to Ram Lalla. Paramahansa Ramachandra Das filed a suit for continuation of puja and keeping idols in the structure. In 1959, Nirmohi Akhara filed a third suit, seeking a direction to hand over charge of the disputed site. The U.P. Sunni Central Wakf Board filed the fourth suit in 1961 for declaration and possession and a fifth was filed in 1989 in the name of Ram Lalla Virajman for declaration and possession. In 1986, the district court ordered locks to be removed for the site to be opened for Hindu worshippers. In 1991, the Uttar Pradesh government acquired land around the structure for the convenience of devotees coming for Ram Lalla darshan. In 1993, the Centre took over 67 acres of land around the area and sought the Supreme Court’s opinion on whether there existed a Hindu place of worship before the structure was built. In 1994, the litigation reached the Lucknow Bench. The suits were heard from 1996 till September 2010.
Why does it matter?
•The Supreme Court’s decision will be a deciding factor in the backdrop of the movement for building a Ram temple at the disputed site gaining momentum. The Ram temple was a major promise in the BJP manifesto. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, in April 2017, decided to revive the criminal conspiracy charges against senior BJP leaders, including L.K. Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, in the Babri Masjid demolition cases.
What next?
•With just days left for the Supreme Court to hear the appeals on December 5, U.P. Central Shia Waqf Board chairman Syed Waseem Rizvi informed the court about a settlement reached between the Board and “non-Muslim stakeholders” for the building of the Ram temple at the disputed site. The Board said it would bear the expenses and construct a mosque in Lucknow. Rizvi had earlier claimed the Babri Masjid was a Shia waqf (endowment), and termed the Sunnis, who had been at the frontlines of the title dispute, as “hardliners.” The so-called settlement may face resistance from the Sunni faction in court. Though the Supreme Court has leaned in favour of an out-of-court settlement, this Sunni-Shia rift may compel it to adjudicate the dispute.
📰 Gathering the tribe
With different groups involved in the Naga peace talks process, hope of a solution grows
•Perhaps one of the most talked about issues as far as the Northeast is concerned is the Naga struggle for sovereignty which started a day before India’s Independence. In the Naga mind, this issue oscillates between nostalgia for its unique history and the promise of a better future without disturbing this irreplaceable past. The problem with reality is that it does not allow us to romance the past.
Myth and reality
•The Naga national workers are no longer in the prime of their lives. The chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (I-M), Isak Chisi Swu, has passed away and Thuingaleng Muivah too is getting on in years. In an article, ‘The Presence of the Past’, Roger Cohen says, “As we grow older the past looms larger. The past is full of possibilities. The future may seem wan by comparison and, for each of us, we know where it ends. With a bang or whimper...”
•Reams have been written, several seminars and workshops organised, and there have been daily cogitations on the Naga peace talks since they started in 1997. In August 2015, when the Framework Agreement was signed between the Government of India and the NSCN (I-M), expectations were high that an “honourable settlement” was in the offing. The problem is with the use of words which lend themselves to several interpretations depending on who the stakeholders are. What is honourable for the NSCN(I-M) may not seem honourable enough to Naga society as a whole, with disparate aspirations and interpretations. Be that as it may, the Centre’s Interlocutor for the Naga Peace talks, R.N. Ravi, has taken on a formidable task.
•No other interlocutor has interacted with and met so many Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs) and civil society groups. For the first time, Mr. Ravi was able to push the envelope and create that integral space where all voices are heard with equal respect, sometimes at the risk of the NSCN (I-M) calling off the talks, since they felt that being signatories to the Framework Agreement, they alone have the right to call the shots. This fact needs to be appreciated. And it has to be understood that the Indian establishment too is not an easy customer. There is scepticism and there are doubts whether wider consultations would result in cacophony, making the task of arriving at a solution much more difficult.
A difficult path
•For the interlocutor it’s a tightrope walk. The Naga people are a proud race and have held fast to their cultures, traditions and language. Yet it cannot be denied that tribal loyalty often comes in the way of a collective discourse for the future of Nagaland. Perhaps one organisation that has brought together people from all tribes is the ACAUT (Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation), which is seemingly inclusive of all tribes and a mass movement of sorts to protest against taxation by different armed groups and factions. So far, about 33 delegations, including the different tribal Hohos and recently the six NNPGs, have had their say. For Mr. Ravi, it is an opportunity to further understand how the Framework Agreement should pan out.
•But Mr. Ravi’s visit to Dimapur last month was also seen with some scepticism. A video clip of the public reception given to him drew some uncharitable comments. Is the pent-up rage and frustration among the youth due to the protracted peace talks or does the rage spring from something else?
The way forward
•For the Naga people at this juncture, the most pragmatic step is to take a balanced view of the past. Obsession with one point of view hinders any kind of progress. With 16 major tribes, each with a sense of nationality of its own and every tribe having its village republics which is a crucial part of their culture, there will be divergent ‘national’ narratives. Naga nationalism is both a sentiment and a movement.
•Ethnic boundaries of yore which went beyond geopolitical borders of the present nation can be both problematic and defy pragmatism. Then there is the issue of the Indian nation state, a term that is also problematic but which has provided its own stability for 70 years. If one were to go by Benedict Anderson’s “Imagined Communities”, then all the communities of the Northeast fall in that ambit.
•In an interview to theNagaland Post, Mr. Ravi said the ongoing peace talks may have been initiated by the NSCN (I-M) but it has now become more inclusive. One ray of hope as far as the Framework Agreement is concerned is that there appears to be a political consensus and faith in the process. This in itself is a huge step forward. Now that the tribal Hohos and the NNPGs have all thrown in their support, there is hope that the much-awaited political solution will arrive sooner than later.
📰 Bitcoin keeps enforcers on edge
Investigation agencies say cryptocurrencies aiding criminals
•Bitcoin, dubbed a bubble by economist Joseph Stiglitz, has been implicated in several crimes being investigated by police, the Narcotics Control Bureau and the Enforcement Directorate. The value of the cryptocurrency soared from $1,000 a unit to $10,000 last week, before dipping.
•India’s policy on Bitcoin regulation is still evolving and no legal framework exists. The RBI has cautioned against its use, informing users, holders, investors and traders dealing with virtual currencies that they are doing so at their own risk. Investigating agencies worry about the absence of controls. They see any transaction using cryptocurrency and involving foreign exchange as a contravention of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and the FEM (Manner of Receipt & Payment) Regulations.
•Yet, domestic digital exchanges and platforms have been facilitating sale of cryptocurrency, while the RBI says it has not licensed any entity for this.
•The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance (2016-17) report submitted earlier this year says, “On being asked about the legality of Bitcoin, representative of Ministry of Finance submitted while deposing before the Committee that it is illegal.” The role played by such virtual currency payments in crime has been recorded by the global Financial Action Task Force, an inter-governmental body. It says these are potential modes for money laundering and funding of terrorist activities.
•The Enforcement Directorate views threats from virtual currency as real and extreme. Cryptocurrency use has been detected in crime and money laundering.
•A recent case involves an investment of over ₹1 crore in cryptocurrency allegedly channeled through Delhi-based businessman Gagan Dhawan, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in the Sterling Biotech group case on October 31.
•An FIR, dated August 30, 2017, filed by the CBI says that the group acted as “a depository for receiving funds on behalf of persons, including public servants, and for further delivery to them at a place of convenience”. Such undisclosed funds were allegedly invested in real estate and other assets.
•In November, Delhi Police unearthed an international racket involving drugs bought using Bitcoin via the dark web.
•The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) says it detected three syndicates that used Bitcoin to buy banned or regulated drugs. It also led to the arrest of an NCB official who allegedly helped unlock 470 Bitcoin found during a probe into a Surat-based drug syndicate in June 2015.
•In April last year, the NCB arrested an IT professional in Chennai for allegedly sourcing drugs from Europe using cryptocurrency.
Purchase channels
•Virtual currencies can be bought through a banking channel, and the investor’s identity is recorded using PAN card.
•But some platforms are said to offer peer-to-peer sale or purchase through various payment gateways, including cash and credit cards. “Investments can be made via hawala networks,” said an ED official.
•But transfer of property for cryptocurrency, which has a speculation-driven value, can be treated as “dishonest or fraudulent” and amounts to a crime under Section 423 of the Indian Penal Code attracting a punishment of two years imprisonment, said a senior police officer.
•Probe agencies say the generation and transaction of non-fiat (private) digital currencies are accompanied by exchange into a foreign currency without the government’s knowledge.
•Unlike government-backed payment systems, non-fiat virtual currencies have neither “inherent value” as in the case of gold or any other precious metal or stone, nor are they backed by sovereign guarantee.
•The current cryptocurrency market cap for over 1,300 options, led by Bitcoin, stands at an estimated $300 billion. Cyber law expert Pavan Duggal says “they are the present and the future. So the quicker governments wake up to the reality and start legalising them and earning revenues through appropriate taxation, the better it is going to be..”
•Sandeep Goenka, co-founder of Zebpay, a Bitcoin platform that uses PAN, bank and Aadhaar details for trade said, “The Indian investor base exceeds 2 million.”
📰 Can the state spur start-ups?
Yes it can, but some conditions apply
•Last week’s gigantic entrepreneurship jamboree in Hyderabad — the Global Entrepreneurship Summit — has turned the spotlight once again on India’s booming start-up economy.
•India is now the rockstar of the start-up world. Over the past three years, it has become the third largest start-up ecosystem, big enough to pull not only the likes of Ivanka Trump, but also serious money. According to data compiled by Inc42, as of end September, over $9.4 billion in funding has flowed into Indian start-ups in 2017, up 1.3 times over last year. There are more than a hundred funds registered with markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India alone.
•This is over and above the money the government is prepared to put in. The Centre alone has announced a corpus of ₹10,000 crore to fund start-ups, of which 75 have actually received some money so far. Earlier this year, India’s policy on foreign direct investment was specifically amended to include start-ups, with start-ups now allowed to accept up to 100% of their funding requirement from foreign venture capital investors.
Schemes galore
•Then there are other schemes run by various arms of the government, all of which provide tax breaks, incentives, grant money and other forms of assistance to wannabe technopreneurs. At last count, there were more than 44 such schemes. The Department of Electronics and Information Technology offers not only technical assistance for filing patents, up to ₹15 lakh per invention, or up to 50% of the costs incurred in filing a patent, but also has a multiplier grants scheme which chips in with up to ₹2 crore for start-ups in the IT services, analytics, artificial intelligence, and Internet of things space. The Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small enterprises underwrites borrowings of up to ₹1 crore per unit. The Centre’s Atal Innovation Mission funds up to ₹10 crore for each Atal Incubation Centre set up under the scheme. The Atal Mission also provides funding to schools to set up ‘Atal Tinkering Laboratories’ to spur the spirit of innovation and enterprise amongst the young. And so on.
•State governments are not lagging behind either. As many as 16 State start-up policies are listed on the Startup India hub, but even this is not exhaustive, since early movers like Tamil Nadu and Kerala had rolled out schemes of their own before the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, the nodal body charged with looking after all things start-up, started compiling information.
•All of this begs the question: can something as individualistic and innovation-driven as a start-up ecosystem actually be created through state intervention and policy? More importantly, is it more important to sort out the operational issues impeding the ease of doing business on the ground — although India gained several places in the Ease of Doing Business Index this year, it still ranks a lowly 100th in the world — rather than coming up with more policies and schemes administered by the same bureaucracy being blamed for impeding business?
•There is mixed evidence from around the world. Israel is the most celebrated success story of state intervention and policy creating and shaping an innovations powerhouse. It set up a technology incubator programme way back in 1991, under the office of its Chief Scientist. Since then, it has gone on to become a major world power in IT innovation, as well as innovation in the pharma sector. According to an OECD report, “Since the first companies emerged from the incubator programme in 1993, 61% have secured follow-on funding and 40% are active to this day.” It also set up a venture capital fund, Yozma, in 1993, with a corpus of $100 million. In just four years, the Israeli government received its $100 million back with a 50% return as a bonus, and the funds were privatised.
Following the Israel model
•Many countries have tried to follow the Israel model, but with far less success. This is probably because Israel’s policy was clearly focussed in a few areas of technology where it enjoyed a human capital advantage, the ecosystem was small and manageable, and the policy was administered by science and technology experts rather than administrative generalists.
•On the other hand, the U.S., with the largest start-up ecosystem (Silicon Valley alone has more than 25,000 start-ups compared to the 5,430 registered so far in India), has no clear start-up policy, though almost every state and several major cities have specific policies. But its vibrant business and financial environment, as well as ease of not only doing business but exiting it — about 3,75,000 businesses ‘die’ every year in America, almost the same as the number of businesses created — means that the U.S. dominates the global start-up environment.
•It is too early to tell in India’s case. But given the proliferating schemes, the ever-growing involvement of the government and the lack of a targeted focus, we may end up repeating the mistakes of others.
📰 The top ten genes of medical genetics
From the entire human genome, just 100 account for over a quarter of scientific papers and reports published
•The human body is made up of cells, tiny factories that perform much of the action in the body. They make up tissues, which make up organs, which in turn make up the body. The cell is thus the ultimate action site. What cells do is governed by the information packed inside its head office — the nucleus. The information there is packed in the collection of chromosomes, each of which has this information written in the collection of genes. Genes contain this information for what a cell does, and hence the tissues and organs do, and the body itself does. An error in the information contained in one or several of the genes can reflect itself in the form of a malfunction in the tissue, organ or the body.
•This information in the genes is written in the form of DNA molecules, each of which is a long sequence of four molecules, known as ‘bases’, strung together in a long polymeric chain. While the English alphabet has 26 letters and punctuation marks, the alphabet of the genes has four bases, called A, G, C and T, as letters. The sequence in which these are arranged makes the genetic words and punctuation marks.
Book of life
•The human genome is the collection of information contained in the genes packed into the chromosomes, which in turn are packed inside the nucleus of cells. Our genome is thus our book of life containing chromosomes as chapters, each packed in sentences written in the genes, which in turn are coded in the collection and sequence of the four-letter genetic alphabet.
•As the cell reads out the information stored in its chromosomes, it performs its action. The major part of this action is in the form of translating the genetic language into action molecules called proteins. In essence it is the reading out of the codes in the DNA software that leads to action in the cell and the “hardware,” or the body.
•It is an interesting fact of biological history that we had already started learning about and identifying genes before we understood the nature and chemical structure of DNA and the genetic code. The Austrian monk Gregor Mendel, experimenting with pea plants, between 1856 and 1863, identified inheritable traits or “factors” (we now call them genes) that form the colour of the flowers. That certain traits such as haemophilia run in families was understood as faults in genes, though how to read them in molecular terms was still far away.
•Proteins in the body are made from the message inscribed in the genes. While it became possible to read the sequence of bases in the DNA of genes only in the last 50 years or so, reading the sequence of amino acids in protein chains became popular even by the 1950s. Scientists began studying the properties of proteins associated with diseases. Even one change in the amino acid sequence can sometimes lead to alterations in the properties of a protein and lead to health issues. As Drs Pauling and Ingram showed over 70 years ago, replacement of the amino acid ‘glu’ in the sequence of a haemoglobin molecule by the amino acid ‘val’ changes its properties dramatically, leading to a form of anaemia.
Genetic basis of disease
•Errors of this type in protein sequences often arise due to errors in the sequence of the parent genes. Once it became possible to read the sequence of the DNA in genes, it led to an understanding of the genetic basis behind the disease, and the field of medical genetics was born. With the rapid pace in which gene sequencing has developed in the last two decades, medical genetics has flowered fast. Cancer genetics is a busy area, and a study of the genes associated with cancer has become popular. So has the field of understanding the genetic connection to Alzheimer’s and similar neural disorders.
•The 23 November issue of the journal Nature lists the “Greatest Hits of the Human Genome.” It points out that out of the 20,000 or so protein-coding genes in the human genome, just 100 account for more than a quarter of scientific papers and reports published! And out of this 100, there are but 10 genes that are most studied and thus on the High Table.
•And of this ten, the topper is the gene for the protein named as p53. This protein has a role in suppressing tumours. No wonder it has been studied in 8,479 publications. Next to p53 is the gene for TNF, coding for another molecule called tumour necrosis factor, which plays a role in killing tumour cells; this has been discussed in 5,314 publications. Fifth in the list is the gene termed APOE, studied in 3,977 papers. The coded protein APOE is associated with a risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The reason behind these large citations is the hope that once we understand the molecular basis of a disease, we may devise treatment modes, which focus on the genetic, and hence, the cellular basis behind the disease. Thus the Top 10 hits here do not represent a fashion parade or a Guinness Book entry, but a reflection of the attempts to alleviate human suffering through medical genetics.
📰 An opportunity for India
•With a huge talent pool and growing demand for innovation in drugs and medical devices to address the rising disease burden, it is time we created a favourable environment for clinical trials in the country. Epidemiological transition, in recent decades, compounded with the burgeoning population as well as widespread malnutrition and poverty, have resulted in the steep rise in both communicable and non-communicable diseases in the country, across all age groups. To counter this rising burden of disease, there is a compelling need for local clinical trials.
Clear advantages
•Despite the pressing demand for clinical trials, after a peak in 2009-2010, the clinical research sector in India is continually contracting. According to theJournal of Clinical Research and Bioethics, India represents 17.5% of the world’s population but conducts only 1.4% of global clinical research. This is unfortunate, considering we have all the requisite factors, such as English-speaking health-care professionals, a large number of experts, steady economic growth, access to world-class technologies, strong IT- and data-management infrastructure, access to ethnically diverse patient populations and competitive operational costs. All these factors present clear advantages for clinical research.
•We have been lagging in this area primarily because the regulatory system in India for clinical research has become increasingly a deterrent for biopharmaceutical- and device-companies which sponsor clinical trials. The existing legal framework lacks credibility, in terms of predictability and transparency, in the criteria and protocols governing clinical research. Data suggest that improvements in the overall policy environment can have a significant impact on attracting and securing greater investment and the associated economic gains. A study, “Medical research in India and the rise of non-communicable disease”, published in the British Medical Journal in 2016, brings out the multifaceted and far-reaching benefits of clinical trials to the health-care delivery system. It states: “health research is not only crucial to the development of new diagnostic tools and treatments, it goes on to guiding the planning of health-care services in the appropriate direction, facilitating continuous evaluation and improvement of medical care, and allowing a thorough investigation of risk factors and disease associations”.
•Clinical trials also seem to be misunderstood in the media and have sometimes been portrayed as experimental procedures, where new products are being unsafely tested on people. Admittedly, there have also been instances of lapses in confidentiality or non-adherence to protocols or shortcomings in getting informed consent from participants and these are to be totally condemned. However, this cannot be a cause for throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and everyone conducting clinical trials must not be looked at with suspicion. There are numerous honest doctors and scientists, who do world-class research in India, and these individuals and their institutions should be encouraged to conduct clinical research.
Fixing the edges
•Fortunately, things have started to change recently. Recognising the importance of local clinical trials in developing better and safer drugs, the Government of India is now working on new policies that could ensure swift approvals to begin clinical trials without making compromises on patient safety. The Government has taken steps such as recognising ethics committees, centralising a system whereby adverse side-effects can be appropriately investigated by the Drugs Controller General of India and formally recognising centres which are capable of conducting clinical trials in accord with regulations. To reap the benefits of clinical trials, our objective should be to bring about more clinical research in the country while maintaining high standards to ensure patient safety and accuracy of data. The new policy, which also promises to be more transparent, includes some major amendments such as single-window clearance for clinical trials. To further speed up the availability of new and effective drugs, the Government has proposed waiving off clinical trials for those drugs that have already proved their efficacy in developed markets.
•Hopefully, with increasing political will to create a favourable environment for research by foreign investors and to give domestic research and development the essential push, we will be able to build a stronger research ecosystem that promotes ongoing innovation.
📰 One virus, an unequal life
Social discrimination and isolation are still the biggest challenges HIV/AIDS patients face
•“I was nine years old when I first found out about my human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status. Life after that was like a roller-coaster where I was trying to be happy, driving away thoughts that I had HIV, and trying to believe that I was a healthy person,” says Chinmaya Modi* who was born with HIV. “But society keeps bringing us back to the same spot, where everyone was stigmatising us.”
Still a struggle
•Social stigma, discrimination and a lack of access to medicines continue to be the biggest problems for people living with HIV, according to an ‘experience sharing session’ on HIV – “Life with a Virus”. It was organised by the American Center, USAID/PEPFAR (the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the largest and most diverse HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment initiative in the world), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) to commemorate World AIDS Day, on December 1, in New Delhi.
•Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic in 1981, 35 million people have died of the disease globally and over 78 million people have been reportedly infected. According to the latest UNAIDS (The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) report in 2016, one million people have died due to the disease.
•India has over 2.1 million people living with HIV, the third largest number of people with HIV in the world.
•Experts say that despite the success of the India’s National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) to bring down incidence and mortality rates, only 43% of those affected have access to antiretroviral therapy (ART).
•Dr. Naveet Wig, Professor, Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) says: “Until 2003, antiretroviral therapy drugs were not available in India. However, with the collective help of massive campaigns led by activists, the media, health-care professionals and the government, drugs became available in India. Now, the NACP is doing well. Through the efforts of institutions such as the National Aids Control Organization (NACO), UNAIDS and CDC, things have changed. These institutions should be supported.”
•But patients will tell you that access to medicines alone isn’t enough. The discrimination they face doesn’t allow many to even go to a hospital/dispensary to collect their medicines.
•Maria* and her husband have been on antiretroviral therapy treatment for five years with their children unaware of their ailments.
•She said: “The ART medicines and its side-effects make my life so dreadful that I wonder if I would ever be able to lead a normal life without the constant headache and lethargy that the treatment brings along with it. I wonder how my children will feel on finding that their parents are HIV positive. Would that break them and make them all the more vulnerable, or would they be able to live with it?
•“People wouldn’t lose lives and I wouldn’t be scared of losing mine if there was an HIV vaccine,” she said, at the workshop.
Reaching out
•In an attempt to bridge this gap, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, earlier this year, launched the “Test and Treat Policy”. Here, anyone who tests and is diagnosed as HIV positive will have access to ART treatment, irrespective of their immunity status or clinical stage of the disease. HIV disease management is expensive and a long-drawn process. What adds to the trauma are the many myths around it. There are many misconceptions about this disease. You can get or transmit HIV only through specific activities. Most commonly, people get or transmit HIV through unsafe sexual behaviours and improper needle or syringe use. AIDS, a disease caused by a virus called HIV, alters the immune system, making it more vulnerable to infections and diseases. No effective cure currently exists, but with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled.
📰 Measles vaccination decreases acute respiratory infection, diarrhoea
The study was conducted based on data from five countries
•Researchers from the International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai have found that among children who received measles vaccination there was a decrease in acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea. The study was conducted based on data from five countries, namely, Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan, and 12-59-month-old children were considered in the analysis.
•Measles is a highly contagious disease transmitted through a virus belonging to the Morbillivirus genus. Children below five years are prone to the infection. “The virus can supress the immune system leading to infection in various organs of the body. Pneumonia and diarrhoea occur either as a complication or as a secondary infection,” explains Rahul Bawankule, research scholar at the institute and corresponding author of the paper published in PLOS ONE.
•In 2010, diarrhoea and pneumonia were responsible for over 600,000 deaths of children in India under-5. India along with four other countries accounted for nearly 50% of the deaths globally from diarrhoea and pneumonia in this age group.
Surveys and analysis
•The study is based on data from recent rounds of surveys from Demographic and Health Surveys in the selected countries. The survey collects information on vaccination status of children born in last five years. The mean age of measles-vaccinated and unvaccinated children and any occurrence of acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea after the vaccination were examined.
•Researchers also examined the effect of socioeconomic and demographic risk factors on occurrence of acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea. These risk factors included cooking fuel, toilet facility, source of drinking water and household wealth status.
•In India, 62% of the children were vaccinated. In all countries, the vaccination coverage was higher in urban than in rural areas. In India, vaccination reduced acute respiratory infection cases by 15% and diarrhoea by 12%.
•“Measles vaccination works as a preventive measure against the complications or secondary infections. There are several other causative pathogens for pneumonia and diarrhoea also. Our study shows the protective effects of measles vaccination on acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea in countries which report the highest number of child deaths. Measles vaccination campaigns must highlight the many preventive benefits of the vaccine as well,” he adds.
