Agatti, Amini and Kalpeni

The Kochi-Lakshadweep islands submarine optical fiber connection was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi that connects eleven Lakshadweep Islands including Agatti, Amini and Kalpeni.

• Agatti, Amini, and Kalpeni are islands in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India.
• The tiniest Union Territoy of India, Lakshadweep is an archipelago consisting of 12 atolls, 3 reefs and 5 submerged banks.
• The inhabited islands are Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra, Andrott, Kalpeni and Minicoy.
• More than 93% of the population who are indigenous, are Muslims and majority of them belong to the Shafi School of the Sunni Sect.
• Kochi-Lakshadweep islands submarine optical fiber connection (KLI-SOFC) Project – It covers a wide range of sectors including technology, energy, water resources, healthcare and education.
• The project submarine cable connectivity from Mainland (Kochi) to 11  Lakshadweep Islands, that includes:
  • Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Kadmat, Chetlet, Kalpeni, Minicoy, Androth, Kiltan, Bangaram and Bitra.
• It will lead to an increase in internet speed unlocking new possibilities & opportunities.
• The project is funded by Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF), Department of Telecommunication.
• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) was the Project Executing Agency and the work was awarded to M/s NEC Corporation India Pvt Ltd through Global Open Tendering process.

Access, Watch and Reserve (AWaRe)

It was recently found that using AWaRe, in India only 38% of the prescriptions were for antibiotics belonging to the Access group.

• Access, Watch and Reserve (AWaRe) is a classification tool for monitoring antibiotic consumption that was developed by World Health Organization in 2017.
• The tool defines the targets and monitors the effects of stewardship policies that aim to optimize antibiotic use and curb antimicrobial resistance.
• The 2021 update of the AWaRe classification includes an additional 78 antibiotics not previously classified, bringing the total to 258.
• This classification is a helpful tool for assessing the results of stewardship policies that seek to maximize antibiotic use and reduce antimicrobial resistance.
• A country-level goal of using Access group antibiotics for at least 60% of all antibiotic usage is included in the WHO's 13th General Programme of Work for 2019–2023.
• Antibiotics are categorized into 3 groups to emphasize the significance of their appropriate use while also taking into account the impact of various antibiotics. The 3 groups are:
  • Access
  • Watch
  • Reserve
• The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is the nodal agency for India’s national programme on AMR containment, of which one of the key components is the surveillance of antibiotic usage.

Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956

The Kerala High Court ruled recently ruled that a customer in a brothel can be charged under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956.

• The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 aims to prevent ‘the commercialisation of vices’ and the ‘trafficking of females’.
• Section 2 of the act defines a “brothel” to include “any house, room, or place, or any portion of any house, room or place, which is used for purposes of sexual exploitation or abuse.
• The term “prostitution” is defined as “the sexual exploitation or abuse of persons, for commercial purposes.
• Section 5 penalises anyone who “procures or attempts to procure a person, with or without their consent, for prostitution purposes.”
• It also punishes those “inducing persons to go from any place, for prostitution purposes, to become inmates of or frequent, a brothel.
• Causing or inducing persons to engage in prostitution is punishable with rigorous imprisonment for 3–7 years, along with a Rs 2,000 fine.
• If such an offence is committed against a person’s will or a child, the maximum sentence can be extended to 14 years or life sentence.
• The term “procure” is not defined in the Act.
• In its recent judgment, the Kerala High Court ruling has expanded the meaning of the term “procure” in Section 5 of the ITP Act.
• It has expanded by adding that a customer will be held liable in addition to pimps/brothel-keepers who “hire” persons for prostitution.
• Cases related to the act – “Mathew vs the State of Kerala”, in this case the Kerala high court ruled that a customer caught in a brothel can be prosecuted under the ITP Act.
• In “Goenka Sajan Kumar vs The State Of AP (2014)” and “Sri Sanaulla vs State Of Karnataka (2017)” the respective high courts have ruled against prosecuting brothel customers under sections 3-7 of the ITP Act.

Indian Science Congress

The Indian science congress which was scheduled to start on 3 January has been postponed.

• Indian Science Congress is the largest gathering of scientists and students of science in the country and a permanent annual fixture in the calendar of the participant group for more than a century.
• With the exception of the two years following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic (2021 and 2022), the Indian Science Congress has been held every year since 1914.
• The first meeting of the Congress was held from January 15-17, 1914 at the premises of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta.
• Department of Science and Technology is the main funding agency of the event.
• The principal organiser of the event is the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), a registered society in Kolkata.
• Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) – Was started by the initiates of British Chemists namely J. L. Simonsen and P.S. MacMahon.
• The Association was formed with the following objectives:
  • To advance and promote the cause of science in India
  • To hold an annual Congress at a suitable place in Indi
  • To publish proceedings, journals and transactions
  • To popularise science
• The 108th Indian Science Congress was the last event that was held at the Nagpur University, Maharashtra in 2023.

Tsunami

Recently Tsunami waves hit several parts of Japan’s coastal areas and urgent evacuation warnings were issued after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook the country’s north-central region.

• Tsunami is a Japanese word that means “harbour wave” is a series of giant ocean waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the ocean.
• When an earthquake takes place under the ocean, a large chunk of the ocean floor can suddenly move upward or downward, leading to a sudden displacement of a large volume of water, thereby causing tsunami waves.
• Big tsunamis usually begin in the deep ocean, where a large volume of water can be displaced.
• Not all earthquakes or volcanic eruptions lead to tsunamis.
• The formation of a tsunami can depend on a host of factors, including the shape of the ocean floor and the earthquake’s distance and direction.
• The Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC) – Is the national authority to issue tsunami advisories for India.
• It works under the aegis of Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• It is established at Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Sciences (INCOIS), Hyderabad.