📰 Centre moots policy on synthetic biology
It deals with engineering life forms for applications in making designer medicines to foods
•The Centre is working on a national policy on synthetic biology, an emerging science that deals with engineering life forms for a wide range of applications from making designer medicines to foods.
•A range of experts from India, who were consulted for a guidance report ahead of the formal drafting of the policy, concluded in their report that “...It is time for India to consolidate its stand on the science of synthetic biology and communicate its interests and aspirations in relevant international fora with clarity and should avoid conflicting stands on science on one hand and policy on the other. “
•The 70-page ‘compilation’ document as it is called lays out the state of synthetic biology internationally with respect to research and development and the involvement of private sector, globally, in dealing with synthetic biology.
•“Though it is not customary to elaborate the principles of international law and policies, as presented in this compilation, it is important to consider these elements while developing the national policy, especially since the science and regulatory framework related to use of the science is driven by global considerations and decisions,” the experts note.
•As part of the 12th Five-Year Plan, India had set up a task force on systems biology and synthetic biology research in 2011. This body underlinedthe potential benefits from synthetic biotechnology in biofuels, bioremediation, biosensors, food and health and made a strong case for a push for the technology and highlighted that India could be a world leader as a protector and supporter of “open source biological platforms”.
•However, Parliament is yet to clear the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India Bill, 2013, that had mooted the creation of an independent regulator to adjudicate research around genetic engineering that could have also encompassed synthetic biology. There’s also a ban on commercial genetically modified brinjal and many States have restrictions on field trials on GM food crops.
•Synthetic biology, the report notes, is seen as one of the top 10 breakthrough technologies as part of the “new industrial revolution“ that are “most likely to change the world”, and the regulation of both the benefits and risks become important for the international community and the accelerating pace of scientific research and research irregularities about the specific benefits of synthetic biology created “complex challenges” for national regulation.
•“The regulatory challenge is how to leverage its anticipated benefits while guarding against its potential risks. The laws and regulations framework governing traditional tools and products of biotechnology can be applicable to this relatively nascent field in some ways, but most often it fails to fully adapt to the evolving possibilities of synthetic biology,” it notes.
•Instances of application of synthetic biology include the use of gene editing systems such as CRISPR that allow defective genes in animals, plants and even people to be silenced, or changed, and control biological outcomes. The discovery of the CRISPR system earned scientists Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2020.
India must raise the standard of living for citizens, besides regulating the use of antibiotics
•If lack of data was an impediment to roll out action plans against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), now that excuse has been yanked off. The recent publication of The Lancet’s global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance — an elaborate and studied estimate validated by using counterfactual analysis for the first time — comes at a time when the world, weary with battling COVID-19, seems to have lost steam to mount a robust AMR policy. But the report makes it clear that no slacking can be allowed on this front any longer; it estimated that 4.95 million deaths were associated with bacterial AMR in 2019 alone. It also identified the pathogens and pathogen-drug combinations that cause such resistance. Bacterial AMR occurs when the drugs used to treat infections become less effective, as a result of the pathogens becoming resistant to the drugs. This happens due to indiscriminate use of antibiotics, availability of antibiotics over the counter, poor hygiene and sanitation, antimicrobial use in the farming and poultry industry, lack of vaccines and newer antibiotics, and poor infection control practices in hospitals. While data on exact number of deaths might not have been available, there was no doubt about the alarming nature of associated mortality and morbidity. And yet, few nations have a policy to counter this pernicious problem.
•In 2008, when the NDM1 enzyme that renders bacteria resistant to a range of antibiotics was traced back to India, it served as an urgent call for action. India released its own AMR action plan in 2017, and announced a task force for implementation. By 2019, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh had rolled out State action plans. Since then, little progress has ensued: 11 other States are still framing their action plans. The Chennai Declaration, a consortium of doctors and health-care institutions against AMR, was also formed in 2012 to draw up a road map. The ban on Colistin in the poultry, aqua farming and animal feeds supplements sectors, which India enforced from July 2019, was considered a strong strike in countering the AMR challenge. No doubt AMR offers humanity one of the most complex challenges that it has faced; but the recognition that solutions are not only in the realm of science is necessary. Scientific publications have established the correlation between AMR and poor hygiene, lax administrative governance and poor ratio of public-private expenditure. While the scientific community looks for solutions in its ken, governments must raise the standard of living for citizens, provide them accessible and affordable quality health care, besides regulating the sale and use of antibiotics. Not doing so in studied haste will only land up eroding the significant health-care gains India has proactively, and painfully at times, secured over the years.
📰 The Budget spells green shoots for agri-subsectors
Though there were are no major announcements on agriculture and rural development, the allocations seem to be right
•At the time it was presented, and in the context of the Assembly elections in five States — now underway in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa — the Union Budget was expected to contain measures to boost consumption expenditure. But the Government chose instead to focus more on capital expenditure. There were no major announcements on agriculture or rural development. Given the recent turmoil as a result of the farmers’ protests and the repeal of the farm laws, this was a little surprising. However, a closer look at the Budget presents a different picture.
Allotments, key subsectors
•It is important to look at the budgetary allocations for agriculture from the perspective of agricultural growth and farmers’ income. Agriculture has registered a robust performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and has clocked decent growth rates of 4.3% and 3.6% during 2019-20 and 2020-21. Growth is projected to be about 3.9% in 2021-22, which is a very satisfactory performance indeed! This performance may partly explain the lack of any extra focus on agriculture. However, there is a different story. Within agriculture, livestock and fisheries are two subsectors that have shown an average annual growth rate of 8% or more in the last five years.
•These two subsectors roughly contribute about 33% of the gross value added in agriculture. Also, as per the Situation Assessment Survey 2019, more than 15% of income is derived from livestock subsector. Thus, from a growth perspective as well as the viewpoint of farmers’ income, livestock and fisheries are important. In keeping with this, these two subsectors have attracted decent allocations in the Budget.
An increase
•The allocation for livestock health and disease control — a major concern for those working in the sector — has rightly been increased from ₹886 crore to ₹2,000 crore, a 126% increase. The allocation for the National Livestock Mission has also increased by more than ₹100 crore (42%). Similarly, the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, a flagship programme of fisheries, has received an increase of about ₹679 crore (57%). Value addition in agriculture has also got increased attention. The production-linked incentive scheme for food processing has received a huge increase, from ₹10 crore to ₹1,022 crore (a 10,000% jump). Similarly the allocation for micro food processing, which can help in really small enterprises such as pickle and jaggery making, has increased by 125% to ₹900 crore.
•Within the crop subsector also major changes in allocations have been made. In keeping with the broad thrust on capital expenditure in the Budget, the allocation for the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, or RKVY (a programme to “ensuring holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors”) has been increased by a whopping ₹8,000 crore, a 400% increase. This programme provides a lot of flexibility to States to devise and implement their own agricultural development programmes.
•However, it needs to be mentioned here that various other programmes such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) — to improve farm productivity — the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (a programme to “increase soil fertility and also the production of healthy food through organic practices” among other things), etc. have been brought under the RKVY fold this year.
•Even after factoring in this inclusion, the allocation has gone up by more than 90%, which is substantial. Continuing the focus on agri-infrastructure, the allocation for the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) has been increased by 150% to ₹500 crore. The central sector scheme called the “Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Produce Organisations (FPOs) has also received an allocation of ₹500 crore (100% increase).
But a decrease here
•Turning to allocations for output price support, the policy appears to be a little unclear at present. For instance, the Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA), which is the flagship programme to provide enhanced Minimum Support Price (MSP) of 50% above the cost of production to farmers (started with a lot of expectation in 2018), has received an allocation of just ₹1 crore! The only conceivable reason for this could be the impending formation of the committee to address the issue of MSPs, which was announced by the Prime Minister while announcing the repeal of the farm laws. The allocation for the price support programme of pulses and oilseeds (the Market Intervention Scheme and Price Support Scheme, or MIS-PSS) has decreased by 58% to ₹1,500 crore. The allocation for price stabilisation fund, meant to address extreme volatility in the prices of perishables, has declined by ₹750 crore (33%). The allocations for price support have declined; so too the budgeted allocation for important subsidies. The budgeted estimate of fertilizer subsidy has shown a decline of nearly ₹35,000 crore (25%). Similarly, the food subsidy has shown a decline of nearly ₹79,000 crore (28%). Such a large decline in fertilizer and food subsidies does not appear achievable.
Not much for NREGA
•Agriculture is not a stand-alone activity but is intrinsically linked to overall rural development. With nearly 40% of income being derived from wages by agricultural households, it is imperative that rural development is looked at in conjunction with agriculture. Most major rural development programmes such as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (connectivity to unconnected habitations), the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (housing for all in urban areas), and the National Rural Livelihood Mission have received small increases in allocations. One exception is the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). This flagship rural employment programme, which has been instrumental in reducing distress in the rural economy during the waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, has received lower allocation — by about ₹25,000 crore (25% decrease) from RE 2021-22 of ₹98,000 crore. This is a large decline indeed! A plausible reason is the possible reduction in the need for MGNREGS with the decline in the severity of the pandemic.
Transformative steps
•The announcement of measures to promote kisan drones and encourage start-ups to improve value chains of farm produce are welcome steps. The adoption of modern technology in agriculture should not only help reinvigorate the rural economy but could also possibly encourage the younger generation to consider agriculture as a career option — generally perceived to be a laborious and drudgery-laden sector.
•Finally, though there were no big ticket announcements on agriculture and rural development, the allocations appear to be in the right direction. The thrust seems to be on important subsectors such as livestock, fisheries and food processing and also on improving infrastructure in the crop sector. Although the allocations on MGNREGS and food and fertilizer subsidies are somewhat lower, there are positives in terms of adoption of technology. The Budget is in the right direction for agriculture. And now, implementation holds the key!
📰 Tapping technology for multilingual learning
As the theme of International Mother Language Day 2022, it has much relevance in reshaping Indian higher education
•It is my conviction that expression in one’s mother tongue lies at the heart of an individual or community’s cultural identity. For centuries, India has been home to hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects, making its linguistic and cultural diversity the most unique in the world. In fact, our linguistic diversity is one of the cornerstones of our ancient civilisation. As I always emphasise, it is our mother tongue that lends expression to our vision and aspirations, our values and ideals, as also our creative and literary endeavours.
•In a speech some years ago, the former UNESCO Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, underscored the importance of mother tongue when he remarked that “the language we learn from our mothers [mother tongue] is the homeland of our innermost thoughts.” He aptly described each language to be “as valuable and distinct as every irreplaceable human life”.
Vanishing languages
•While languages are among the key bridges that ensure cultural and civilisational continuity, globalisation and Westernisation have impacted not just the growth but also the survival of many of our dialects in this rich cultural and linguistic tapestry. Therefore, International Mother Language Day has special significance to the Indian context.
•In November 1999, the UNESCO General Conference approved the declaration of February 21 as International Mother Language Day, in response to the declining state of many languages; it has been observed throughout the world since 2000. UNESCO has been striving to protect the cultural and linguistic diversity of member-states through such pro-active international measures. According to the UN agency, at least 43% of the estimated 6,000 languages spoken in the world are endangered — an alarming figure indeed!
This year’s subject
•The theme of International Mother Language Day in 2022 — “Using Technology for Multilingual Learning: Challenges and Opportunities” — is one of special relevance to us. The underlying concept is to discuss the role of technology to further the cause of multilingual education. The central idea is to leverage technology to support and enrich the teaching-learning experience on a multi-lingual level. It also aims at achieving a qualitative, equitable and inclusive educational experience. Inevitably, the widespread use of technology would fast-track development. As the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, observed in her message, “Technology can provide new tools for protecting linguistic diversity. Such tools, for example, facilitating their spread and analysis, allow us to record and preserve languages which sometimes exist only in oral form.”
•Multilingual education predicated on the increasing use of one’s mother tongue is a key component of inclusion in education. To underscore the importance of mother tongue in laying the foundation for one’s intellectual development, I have always likened it to eyesight and spectacles to other languages. Spectacles can function only if there is eyesight. When applied to Indian classrooms, a multi-lingual approach would also create new pathways of learning by addressing the emerging challenges on a regional and global scale. Seen in its entirety, this is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas”.
•Globally, the role of technology came to the fore during the COVID-19 pandemic when school shutdowns forced educators and learners to adapt themselves to online education. Over weeks and months, this became the new normal across the world, though it did present a host of new challenges. These include the requisite skills employed in distance teaching, Internet access, and, importantly, adapting materials and content in diverse languages. While the central and State governments are taking active measures to promote digital learning, it becomes our responsibility to ensure that there is no digital divide.
Direction of the NEP
•It would be pertinent to note that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is a visionary document which encourages the use of mother tongue as the medium of instruction till at least Class five but preferably till Class eight and beyond. In drawing up a road map for the future, the NEP seeks to tailor the teaching and learning process and modify it by making it holistic, value-based and inclusive. The use of mother tongue in teaching is bound to create a positive impact on learning outcomes, as also the development of the cognitive faculties of students.
•There is a pressing need to create and improve scientific and technical terminology in Indian languages. This would help transform the educational experience by making existing knowledge systems in a range of disciplines accessible to learners. It would be relevant to recall the words of the renowned physicist, Sir C.V. Raman, who observed with great clarity and vision that “we must teach science in our mother tongue. Otherwise, science will become a highbrow activity. It will not be an activity in which all people can participate.”
Helping students
•Sir C.V. Raman’s observation has a prophetic ring of truth when we see it in the light of the fact that we have been able to create a large English-based education system which includes colleges that offer courses in medicine and multiple disciplines of engineering. This impressive system paradoxically excludes a vast majority of learners in our country from accessing higher education. Therefore, the need to build an effective multilingual education system across diverse streams and disciplines becomes all the more imperative. It is important to bear in mind that in a survey conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in 2020 involving over 83,000 students, nearly 44% of students voted in favour of studying engineering in their mother tongue, highlighting a critical need in technical education.
•In this context, the collaboration between the AICTE and IIT Madras to translate some courses on the central government’s e-learning platform, Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) into eight regional languages such as Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam and Gujarati, is commendable. Such tech-led initiatives will serve to democratise higher education. At the same time, the decision of the AICTE to permit B. Tech programmes in 11 native languages, in tune with the NEP, is a historic move which would open the door for students to a wide range of opportunities; the languages are Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Malayalam, Bengali, Assamese, Punjabi and Odia.
•Additionally, learning in (your) mother tongue is at the core of building a sense of self-esteem and identity. While I feel that one must accord equal respect to all languages, there is a tendency, which must be noted with regret, among some educators and parents to take a condescending view of education in Indian languages in preference to English language learning. As a result, children’s access to their mother tongue becomes restricted, leading to a sort of socio-cultural rootlessness, especially if corrective steps are not taken. We have to teach our children not to mistake competence in English to be a yardstick of intellectual superiority or as a prerequisite for achieving success in life.
Examples to emulate
•Our policy-planners, educators, parents and opinion leaders must bear in mind that when it comes to education in mother tongue and local languages, we can take the cue from European countries as well as Asian powers such as Japan, China and Korea, among others.
•According to the Language Census, whose findings were widely reported in 2018, India is home to 19,500 languages or dialects, of which 121 languages are spoken by 10,000 or more people in our country. It is our collective responsibility to revive and revitalise the 196 Indian languages which fall under the “endangered” category. Let us not forget that every single language constitutes a cultural crucible which stores the distilled knowledge and the wisdom of our collective consciousness — our values, traditions, stories, behaviour and norms, proverbs, sayings and idioms. Co-existing over centuries, borrowing from and nurturing each other, our languages are interwoven with our individual, local and national identity.
📰 On an equal footing
There should be a uniform energy tariff, and electricity duty should be included under the ambit of GST
•India has a population of about 135 crore people. It is the sixth largest economy in the world with a high growth potential. But this growth potential cannot be achieved without giving equal opportunity to every State.
Do all States get equal opportunities?
•The low-income States (LIS) are deprived on many fronts. They have low accessibility to credit, low investments, low power availability and accessibility, and high energy costs. The high-income States (HIS), on the other hand, have a big share in industry and commerce because they are not deprived on the same fronts. The six HIS (Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) together account for 56.4% of factories and 54.3% of the net value added to the country, while their share in population is only 32.3%. Among other reasons, this is because they have higher credit and financial accessibility (55% of total institutional credit and 56% of total industrial credit went to these five HIS) at the credit-deposit ratio. On the other hand, the six LIS (Bihar, Jharkhand, U.P., M.P., Odisha, and Rajasthan) access only 15% of total institutional credit and barely 5% of total industrial credit, while their share in population is 43%. These States together receive only 50% credit from their hard-earned savings. The maximum benefit of the Atmanirbhar package (₹20 lakh crore) also went to the HIS as they have a higher share in industry.
Does power play any role in the disparity?
•Among other reasons, the availability of adequate quality power at the cheapest rate attracts investments, either private or public, in a particular location. This is an important factor to start electricity-intensive industrial production. Of the total consumption of electricity, industry and commerce account for more than 50%. Energy India Outlook 2021 concludes: “Electricity prices vary not just among end users, but also between states, where a complex patchwork of different taxes and subsidy regimes can leave consumers in some states paying five times more for their electricity than their counterparts in neighbouring states.” This article provides two solutions in the power sector to attain higher economic growth.
•The first is to eliminate price discrimination in the power sector. The power-producing States have the advantage of power, especially hydel power, being available at lower prices. This problem can be addressed by synchronising all the regional grids. This will help the transfer of energy (without compromising quality). The idea is of ‘One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency’. Further, this will pave the way for establishing a vibrant electricity market and facilitate the trading of power across regions through the adoption of the ‘one tariff’ policy. Without this policy, States with higher power purchasing costs face the difficulty of making energy traffic competitive by paying high subsidies from already scarce resources. Thus, they are unable to attract investments. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission is in the process of implementing a framework of the Market-Based Economic Dispatch and moving towards ‘One Nation, One Grid, One Frequency, One Price’.
•The second is the inclusion of electricity duty under the Goods and Services Tax (GST). Apart from uniform cost, the power sector also needs uniformity in electricity duty charged by different States. In general, the association between income and electricity consumption is direct. The HIS consume a higher proportion of electricity. According to the the Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power, Government of India, in 2020-21, six States consumed 50% of the total installed capacity of power. Thus, only 32% of the population used 50% of power. Contrary to this, six backward States got only 25% of the power though their share of the population is 43%. Therefore, it is clear that the substantial proportion of the power cost incurred in HIS is also borne by the LIS which buy those industrial products, as the input cost of power has already been included in the product’s price. Further, this situation justifies the fact that the final costs of power consumption are also borne by other States. Thus, the electricity duty should be redistributed among the States under the ambit of GST equally shared by the CGST and SGST. However, 100% CGST should be devolved among the States through the Fifteenth Finance Commission formula, without being shared with the Centre (as electricity duty is State subject).
•In order to attain higher economic growth, the States should raise the issue of uniform energy tariff and inclusion of electricity duty under the ambit of GST. This decision will benefit the whole nation through rational tax devolution and, therefore, provide the opportunity to attain higher growth.
