As many as 22 people had died after consuming spurious liquor in the Chengalpattu and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu, while others were still being treated in hospitals. The incidents occurred a month after the State government said that it had brought such deaths under control.

The science of creating alcohol -

Ø  Alcohol is produced using two basic processes: fermentation and distillation.

Ø  Fermentation is a chemical reaction where yeast or bacteria react with the sugars (from grain, fruits, sugarcane, etc.) to produce ethanol (the alcohol in the drink).

Ø  Liquor is differentiated by its alcohol content from the 5% by volume (beer) to the 12% (wine) to the 40% (distilled spirits).

Ø  Distillation is important because with more of the sugar getting converted to alcohol, the conditions become toxic.

Ø  Distillation is the process of physically separating the alcohol from the rest of the mixture using evaporation and condensation.

Adverse effect of Ethanol on Human Health -

Ø  Ethanol (C2H5OH) is metabolised in the liver and the stomach by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzymes to acetaldehyde.

Ø  Then aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzymes transform the acetaldehyde into acetate.

Ø  The adverse effects of alcohol consumption, from the hangover to cancer, are due to acetaldehyde.

Ø  Contrary to popular belief, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has found that “no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health”.

What is Hooch/Spurious Liquor?

Ø  Unlike branded liquor which is produced in factories with sophisticated equipment and rigorous quality control, hooch is made in more crude settings (in many cases homemade) without any quality checks.

Ø  The fermented mixture which is to be distilled contains more than just consumable alcohol (ethanol).

Ø  It also contains methanol (CH3OH), a different form of alcohol which is highly toxic for human beings.

Ø  During the distillation, both ethanol (boiling point of 78.37 °C) and methanol (boiling point of

Ø  64.7 °C) are concentrated.

Ø  The end product can have a high concentration of methanol (instead of harmless trace amounts), which is poisonous and can also cause cerebral edema (swelling of the brain), haemorrhage, and death.

Ø  Importantly, it is near impossible to tell whether hooch is safe to consume before actual consumption.

Regulation of methanol in India -

Ø  Schedule I of the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules 1989 includes methanol.

Ø  The Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations 2018 stipulate the maximum permissible quantity of methanol in different liquors. For example, these values span a wide range including “absent” in coconut fenny, 50 grams per 100 litres in country liquor, etc.

Ø  The Indian Standard (IS 517) applies to how the quality of methanol is to be ascertained, and together with the Tamil Nadu Denatured Spirit, Methyl Alcohol, and Varnish (French Polish) Rules 1959, what signage, methanol packaging should carry

How can methanol poisoning be treated?

Once methanol is ingested, the body takes some time to completely eliminate it. There are two immediate ways to treat methanol poisoning.

One is to administer ethanol (of a pharmaceutical grade, by healthcare workers). Ethanol competes with methanol for the ADH enzymes. As a result, the methanol is kept from being metabolised to formaldehyde.

The other option is to administer an antidote called fomepizole, which slows the action of the ADH enzymes, causing the body to produce formaldehyde at a rate that the body can quickly excrete, preventing the deadlier effects from kicking in.

In the recently-concluded Karnataka Assembly elections, political parties were provided free airtime on public broadcasters, All India Radio (Akashvani) and Doordarshan during elections.

The six recognised national parties and one recognised State party were provided free airtime on public broadcasters during recently concluded Karnataka Assembly elections.

The parties were allocated a base time of 45 minutes and additional slots based on performance in previous polls. A total of 630 minutes of free airtime was issued under this allotment.

Rationale behind the scheme -

Airwaves are public property —

Ø  The Supreme Court, in 1995, held that airwaves are public property and its use should serve the greater public good.

Ø  SC delivered this judgement in The Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting vs Cricket Association of Bengal and ANR case 1995.

Ø  Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. Hence, political parties are given free airtime.

To ensure fair and equitable coverage of political campaigns —

Ø  The concept of providing free airtime is based on the principle of giving every party an equal platform to present their policies, ideas, and vision to the electorate.

Ø  It helps to level the playing field and prevent any party from dominating the media landscape due to its financial resources or influence.

To add more diversity and colour to the electoral process —

Ø  In the Indian media landscape, due to the pattern of ownership of media houses, the public generally identify a broadcaster as being affiliated with one political party or the other.

Ø  In this regard, State-sponsored airtime provides more diversity and colour to the electoral process.

Example — The guidelines by the Election Commission of India require that a maximum of two panel discussions are also aired by Akashvani and DD.

These discussions provide an excellent platform for parties, both big and small, to debate and criticise each other’s policies and manifestos, and in general promote an informed citizenry.

Legal basis of this scheme -

Representation of People Act, 1951 — The facility to provide free airtime for political parties during elections was given statutory basis through the 2003 amendment to the Representation of People Act, 1951. The act governs the conduct of elections in India and lays down various provisions to ensure fairness and equality among political parties.

Institution involved —

Ø  The Election Commission of India (ECI), is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

Ø  The ECI, in its capacity, has issued guidelines and instructions that provide a framework for the allocation of free airtime to political parties on public broadcasters during the campaign period.

Ø  These guidelines and instructions outline the criteria for determining the eligibility and allocation of free airtime to political parties.

Ø  Factors such as past electoral performance, representation in the legislature, and the number of candidates fielded by the party are considered to ensure equitable distribution of airtime.

Working of the scheme —

Distribution of time vouchers — Time vouchers are distributed by a lottery system by the Election Commission in a transparent process to obviate any preferential treatment in getting primetime slots.

Scrutiny of transcripts of political parties —

Ø  The transcripts of political parties are vetted to ensure that they adhere to relevant codes.

Ø  These codes proscribe any content which are inter alia critical of other countries, attack religions or other communities or incites violence and personal attacks.

Role of Apex Committee —

In case of any disagreements over the content of the script as vetted by the public broadcaster, it is referred to an Apex Committee.

The committee comprises of members from Akashvani and DD. The decision of the committee is final.

Operational challenges -

Scheme is available to national and recognised State parties —

Ø  The scheme is available to national and recognised State parties. Hence, many analysts argue that it is not truly equitable.

Ø  In light of the recent retraction of the national party status for the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), this observation becomes important.

Conflict of interest in apex committee —

Ø  The Apex Committee comprises officials from Akashvani and DD.

Ø  They are expected to sit in review of their own decision in case of conflict with the political party on the content of the transcript which leaves scope for conflict of interest. 

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) came up with a regulatory framework for banks to accept green deposits from customers. Under the new framework, banks that accept green deposits will have to disclose more information on how they invest these deposits.

What are Green Deposits?

Ø  Green deposits are not very different from the regular deposits that banks accept from their customers.

Ø  The only major difference is that banks promise to earmark the money that they receive as green deposits towards environment­-friendly projects. For example, a bank may promise that green deposits will be used towards financing renewable energy projects that fight climate change.

Ø  A green deposit is just one product in a wide array of other financial products such as green bonds, green shares, etc., that help investors put money into environmentally sustainable projects.

RBI’s regulatory framework for Green Deposits -

Ø  It lays down certain conditions that banks must fulfill to accept green deposits from customers.

Ø  Firstly, banks will have to come up with a set of rules or policies approved by their respective Boards that need to be followed while investing green deposits from customers. These rules need to be made public on the banks’ websites.

Ø  The banks will also have to disclose regular information about the —

Ø  Amount of green deposits received,

Ø  How these deposits were allocated towards various green projects, and

Ø  The impact of such investments on the environment.

Ø  A third party will have to verify the claims made by banks regarding the projects in which the banks invest their green deposits.

Ø  The RBI has come up with a list of sectors that can be classified as sustainable and thus eligible to receive green deposits. These include renewable energy, waste management, clean transportation, energy efficiency, and afforestation.

Ø  The new rules are aimed at preventing greenwashing, which refers to making misleading claims about the positive environmental impact of an activity. For example, a bank may advertise that their green deposits will have a huge positive impact on the environment, while the actual impact may be minimal.

Will Green Deposits help depositors/Investors and the environment?

Depositors who care about the environment may get some satisfaction from investing their money in environmentally sustainable investment products. However, there are challenges, since the bank is only able to invest in a certain number of projects with green funds.

When it comes to protecting the environment, green investing enthusiasts believe that putting money into green projects may be one of the best ways to help the environment.

However, critics call green investing “a feel-good scam” that enriches only consultants

In a complex world, it can be extremely hard to know if a project is really environmentally sustainable.

To realise the vision of building a self-reliant technology base, the National Quantum Mission

could be a game changer. However, like any other technology, quantum technology will also need material innovation - R&D in “Quantum Materials.”

About the National Quantum Mission (NQM) -

Ø  India is the sixth country to have a dedicated quantum mission after the US, Austria, Finland, France, and China.

Ø  NQM will fund R&D in quantum computing technology and associated applications and will have defined milestones that are expected to be achieved over the course of eight years (2023-24 to 2030-31).

Ø  Four thematic hubs/T-Hubs with a focus on quantum computing, communication, sensing and metrology, and materials and devices will be established in India's leading academic and national R&D institutes.

Objectives of the Mission -

Ø  Create intermediate-scale quantum computers with 50-1000 qubits in the next eight years.

Ø  Establish satellite-based secure quantum communications between ground stations within India, as well as with other countries, covering a range of 2000 km.

Ø  It will look to provide inter-city quantum key distribution over 2000 km, multi-node quantum network with quantum memories.

Ø  It will help to advance atomic technology with highly sensitive magnetometers and precision atomic clocks that serve communication, navigation, and timing.

Ø  It will aid in designing and synthesising quantum materials, including superconductors, novel semiconductor structures, and topological materials for the fabrication of quantum devices.

What are Quantum Materials?

Ø  The concept of “quantum materials” was originally introduced to identify some of the exotic quantum systems, including unconventional superconductors, heavy fermion systems, and multi-functional oxides.

Ø  Quantum materials are a class of matter or systems that allow us to exploit some of the unique properties of quantum physics and accomplish tasks that classical technology is incapable of. It is now a powerful unifying concept across diverse fields of science and engineering.

What entails R&D in Quantum Materials?

Ø  R&D in quantum materials encompasses traditional semiconductors, superconductors, and non-linear optical crystals directly relevant to computing, communication ,and sensing.

Ø  The research encompasses materials built on complex interaction between charge and atoms.

Ø  Also, materials that area creation of the more “hidden” properties of quantum physics, such as quantum entanglement - the ability of a particle to influence the behaviour of another with whom it had an earlier ‘interaction’, even when they are separated by arbitrarily great distances.

Ø  Research will be required to develop low-loss materials for super conducting quantum electronics that preserve quantum information over a long period.

Ø  The impact of much of the research cuts across multiple verticals of quantum technologies, and this necessitates dedicated and centralised material/device infrastructures Benefits of investing in Quantum Materials -

Streamline requirements for Quantum Technology —

Ø  This will allow streamlining the material and device requirements for the core quantum technology.

Ø  The quantum materials and devices component of the National Quantum Mission will bring innovation in the field under a common umbrella.

Synergising the scattered workforce and Minimising Redundancy —

Ø  Synergising the diverse and geographically distributed material workforce in India to achieve mission deliverables, and

Ø  And it will ensure efficient resource utilisation as well as minimising redundancy and duplication.

Ø  Home Grown R&D Programme and Multi-Disciplinary Approach — It will have a project driven multi-disciplinary approach and develop strategies as well as an in-house R&D programme to

Ø  Less Dependency on Imports — Materials and devices-based innovation will create new businesses from manufacturing supporting equipment which India currently imports to high-end specialised devices, such as semiconductor-based single-photon detectors, at the bulk scale.

Ø  Can generate a cadre of highly skilled workforce — As India is set to become the world’s thirdlargest economy by 2027, a strongly networked material infrastructure in the country will be crucial and the process can generate a cadre of highly skilled workforce.

Ø  Cater to not just quantum but also other scientific mega projects — Ranging from the semiconductor mission to neutrino observatory and gravitational wave detection.

Requirements to enable the investment -

Ø  Leveraging the evolving scientific infrastructure in the country and aligning with some of the

Ø  key national mandates. For example, capacity building in the past two decades under national

Ø  initiatives, such as the Nano Mission, has enabled a five-fold increase in research publications in this area between 2011 and 2019.

Challenges associated with the investment -

Less focus on Manufacturing —

Ø  Currently nearly 12 per cent start-ups are deep tech-related. This represents an early 35 times increase between 2016 and2019.

Ø  However less than 3 per cent of these involve manufacturing materials.

Ø  Lack of Infrastructure — India lacks enough infrastructure that can support the entire chain of operation from working out the proof-of-principle to developing working prototypes.

Sub-critical size of R&D community —

Ø  The sub-critical size of the country’s R&D community.

Ø  In 2018, India had 253 full-time equivalent researchers per million of its population, about 11 percent of the researcher density of Italy.

Ø  Scattered Workforce — The workforce is distributed across the country.

What should be government’s strategy?

Integration of Scattered Workforce — Strategies will be required to integrate the initiatives of the demographically scattered human resources.

Focus on extensive Goal-Oriented Research —

Ø  The National Quantum mission will require a significant component of materials research to be carried out in goal-oriented multi-institutional consortia.

Ø  This will demand strategic recruitment of new talent, synergistic multi-institutional collaboration and political will to ease bureaucratic norms and prevent delays in infrastructure building to ensure that the mission’s deadlines are met.

Ø  Develop a Well-balanced R&D Ecosystem — Where material research for near-term goals and applications needs to coexist and collaborate with those with more fundamental and futuristic objectives.

Ø  Timely investment — For India to emerge a global leader in the field the government should focus on timely investment and efficient management.

Conclusion -

Material domains in all aspects of quantum technology; computing, communications, and sensing are still developing. A well-balanced focus on R&D, timely investment and efficient management with fundamental and futuristic objectives will bring assured outcomes for India.

India is a major developing country with a growing economy and a significant role to play in the global arena. As a member of the G-20, India is already a key player in global economic governance. Its participation in the G-7 summit is an opportunity for India to further its engagement with the world's leading economies and to make its voice heard on a range of important issues.

What will be the key focus of India at G-7?

Ø  India will be focusing on the following key issues at the G-7 summit —

Ø  The Russia-Ukraine war and its impact on the global economy.

Ø  Debt sustainability and helping countries such as Sri Lanka to avoid a "debt trap".

Ø  Building supply chain reliability.

Ø  Spearheading alternative energy coalitions.

Ø  Seeking infrastructure and development aid in the region.

Ø  Non-proliferation.

Ø  India will also be looking to align the G-7 agenda with its own agenda for the G-20 presidency. As a developing power, India has a unique perspective on many of these issues, and its participation in the G-7 summit is an opportunity to make its voice heard on the global stage.

Analysing the focus of India at G-7 -

Ø  Russia-Ukraine war — The Russia-Ukraine war is having a significant impact on the global economy, including through rising food and energy prices. India is a major importer of both food and energy, and the war is putting a strain on its economy. India has called for an end to the war and has urged both sides to come to the negotiating table.

Ø  Debt sustainability — It is a major concern for many developing countries, including Sri Lanka.

Ø  India has offered to help Sri Lanka with its debt crisis, and it is working with other countries to find a solution.

Ø  Building supply chain reliability — This is another key issue for India. India is a major producer of goods and services, and it relies on global supply chains to get its products to market. The disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the need for more resilient supply chains.

Ø  Alternative energy coalitions — Spearheading alternative energy coalitions is a key priority for India. India is committed to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels, and it is working with other countries to develop alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power.

Ø  Infrastructure and development aid — Seeking infrastructure and development aid in the region is another key priority for India. India is a major investor in infrastructure projects in the region, and it is working to promote economic development and prosperity.

Ø  Non-proliferation — Non-proliferation is a key issue for India, as it is a nuclear power. India is committed to nuclear non-proliferation, and it is working with other countries to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Conclusion -

India's participation in the G-7 summit is an opportunity to make its voice heard on the global stage and to promote its interests on a range of important issues.