 Good evening aspirants. Welcome to the Hindu News Analysis by Shankari's Academy for the date 3rd of October 2023. Before getting into the discussion, I have an important announcement to make. The much-awaited second batch of pre-storming test series is about to begin. The test series will start from 15th October and the first test is on 22nd October. Aspirants make use of this opportunity and boost your problem score. Now coming back, today we will be discussing news articles from Sunday's newspaper and today's newspaper. We have taken 5 articles from Sunday's newspaper and 2 articles from today's newspaper and the articles that we are going to discuss today are displayed here. Now without wasting time, let's start the discussion. Now take a look at this FAQ article from October 1st newspaper. The article highlights the various concerns around the use of Aadhar in welfare programs. See recently, a report published by the Credit Rating Agency MODI highlighted the vulnerability posed by the centralized ID systems like Aadhar. Our government rejected the claims made in that report. Our government also termed Aadhar as the most trusted digital identification in the world. This is about the article. Now in our discussion today, we will understand the various advantages of using Aadhar in public service delivery, but at the same time, we will also see the various issues surrounding Aadhar. As a part of our new initiative, we will approach this topic as a mains answer rating interactive approach. Before getting into the discussion, let us look into the syllabus. In the prelims, this discussion will come under the economic and social development, sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, social sector initiative, etc part. In the mains, it comes under the GS paper 2 under the topic of welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the center and the state and the performance of these schemes constituted for the protection and the betterment of these vulnerable sections. This is about the syllabus. Now let us start the discussion. Look at this question. Let me read out the question. Aadhar is a double-edged sword. It has the potential for greater good, but it also carries the risk to privacy and security. Elucidate the statement in the perspective of the recent report titled Decentralized Finance and Digital Assets. See the key word here is elucidate. Now our response for these type of question is very simple. We just have to explain the statement in detail by giving suitable examples. Now how to approach this specific question? The statement in the question says Aadhar has advantages and concerns at the same time. So in the interaction part, you have to write some points about Aadhar. Here a report is cited so you can even start by mentioning some points from the report. In the main body of the answer, you can split it into two. In the first part, you can write some points regarding the pros of using Aadhar and in the second part you can write some counter arguments and concerns. In the conclusion part, you have to take a balanced stand. This is how you have to approach this question. Now let's start. Let's start with the introduction. In the introduction, as I already said, you can write about the report published by Rating Agency Moody's. See, recently the Global Rating Agency Moody's has released a report that raised concerns about India's Aadhar program. Its report highlighted the potential security and privacy risk of a centralized system like Aadhar. In the report, the agency questioned our government's recent announcement about making Mandrega payments through Aadhar-based system. It specifically raised concerns about the reliability of Aadhar's biometric authentication, mainly for manual laborers and rural people with lack of infrastructure. This can be one introduction. You can use this format if you have an idea about the report mentioned in the question. If you don't have any idea about the report given in the question, you can give a general intro like this. See, Aadhar is a 12-digit individual identification number issued by the government of India. It serves as a proof of identity anywhere in India. Moreover, this helps the residents to access services like banking, mobile phone connection, etc. More than 133 crore Aadhar's have been issued as of April 2022. 99.9% of adults in India have an Aadhar card. Since its inception, Aadhar card has helped bridge the digital divide and it is useful for various government direct benefit transfer schemes. This can be your alternative introduction. This introduction can be used if you have no idea about the report mentioned in the question. You can use either of the introduction as you please. Now let us move on to the body of the answer. In the first part of the body, you should highlight the advantages of using Aadhar in public service delivery. Now let us see the advantages. The first advantage is the identification of beneficiaries of the government's welfare scheme. See, Aadhar helped to curb corruption in welfare programs by eliminating ghost and fake individuals. An individual is called a ghost if they access rations in the name of a dead person. And an individual is called as a fake if they access rations even though they are not officially entitled to it. Aadhar based identification can easily eliminate this. For example, according to a report by the parliamentary committee, the Aadhar-enabled direct benefit transfer platform helped in eliminating 41.1 million fake LPG connection. It also helped in eliminating 39.9 million duplicate ration cards. These elimination of fake IDs help the government save a lot of money. This is the first major advantage. The second advantage is that it helps to improve the timely payment of wages and subsidies directly to the bank account of the beneficiary. As the data from Ministry of Electronics show that 82.9% of direct benefit transfer beneficiaries are now seated with Aadhar. This ensures a seamless flow of fund. Thirdly, using Aadhar in public service delivery helps in saving public money and it also eliminates the diversion of funds. See, Aadhar and direct benefit transfer have significantly contributed to government savings. According to RBA, as of March 2021, these reforms have saved the government of India accumulated some of 2.23 lakh crores. This is about 1.1% of our nation's GDP. For three, Aadhar is the foundation of India's digital public infrastructure. Now what is a digital public infrastructure? Digital public infrastructure or DPA is a set of platforms like digital identification, payment infrastructure and data exchange solutions. Together, they help the country deliver essential services to the people and empower the life of people by enabling them digital inclusion. Lastly, Aadhar-linked bank accounts play a dual role. They not only act as a unique identifier but also as a financial address of a person. This is a system under the Aadhar payment bridge. Under this system, amount can be deposited in beneficiary account using Aadhar number as an address. See, these are some of the advantages of using Aadhar in public service delivery. And this should be the first part of the body of the answer. You can see that we have given facts where and all possible as this is a elucidate type question. Okay, now moving on to the second part of the answer. In the second part of the answer, you have to highlight the concerns surrounding the use of Aadhar for public service delivery. Okay, now let us see the concerns. Firstly, use of Aadhar in public service delivery may lead to lot of exclusion. In Aadhar based payments, any small error will result in payment failures. Even small clerical issues like difference in the spelling in the job code and in the Aadhar database can result in authentication failure and neglect of service. This is a major issue. The second issue is the issue of privacy. An audit by Comptroller Auditor General of India found that privacy lapses and data security problem exist in Aadhar. See, there are many cases of Aadhar data breaches and unauthorized access to Aadhar data. A report by the CAG from 2022 states that UIDAI did not have a system to analyze the factors leading to authentication errors. As the country is still working on the Personal Data Protection Bill, this is a major privacy concern. This is the second issue. The third issue is that the Supreme Court ruled that Aadhar metadata cannot be stored for more than six months. But the Aadhar Act allowed the storage of data for a period of five years. And this Aadhar metadata is prone to cyber attack and it can lead to profiling of individuals. This is the third concern. The fourth concern is that even though Supreme Court struck down the section 57 of Aadhar Act, it is not correctly enforced. Now what is section 57 of Aadhar Act? Section 57 of the Aadhar Act allowed private entities to collect citizen's Aadhar details. And even though Supreme Court has struck this down, there is increasing incident of private companies demanding Aadhar for their database. This is the fourth concern. Next issue is the issue of corruption. See, even after using Aadhar-enabled payment, there is still a room for corruption. Banking correspondence using the Aadhar-enabled payment system operate without any accountability framework. Several studies have highlighted how using Aadhar-enabled payment system, money from the worker's account have been withdrawn illegally or they have been signed up for government insurance program without their concern. So, even after using Aadhar-enabled payment, there is still some room for corruption. This is another major concern. The next issue is the issue of deletion. In the name of efficiency, sometimes steps are taken. But it may lead to exclusion of some marginalized people who genuinely need the service. For example, our rural development minister recently informed that names of over 5 crore workers have been deleted under Mandrega in the financial year 2022-23. It is a hike of 247% in deletion during 2022-23. A comprehensive study is needed to ensure a balance between ensuring efficiency and combating exclusion. This is the next concern. Moving on, the next issue is regarding the reliability of biometric authentication. See, lack of reliable internet, fading fingerprints among daily wage workers, lack of phone connectivity to get OTP have led to denial of essential services. Sometimes, people need to try multiple times which can be frustrating and time-consuming. And if the biometrics are not identified properly, it may result in deprivation of essential services. For example, there are many incidents happened in India where the rations were denied due to technical glitches and non-approval of fingerprints by the E-point-of-sale machine. The last concern is the issue of quantity fraud. In India's public distribution system, the main type of corruption is quantity fraud. Here, what is a quantity fraud? Say a person is entitled to 35 kg of rice under the PDS. But the PDS shop owner tricks him and gives him only 30 kgs. This is called as quantity fraud. Aadhar has no role in either detecting or preventing this type of fraud. See, these are some of the concerns regarding Aadhar and this is how you have to write your second part of the answer. Now coming to the conclusion part. In the conclusion, you have to take a balance to position. You can quote former Prime Minister Raju Gandhi's famous remark. In 1995, Raju Gandhi made a remark stating that for every 1 rupee spent for welfare of the poor, only 15 paisae reaches them. Aadhar provides scope for arresting the leakage. But the privacy concerns surrounding the use of Aadhar should not be and cannot be taken lightly. So how to achieve balance? A balance can be achieved by following the orders of the Supreme Court in the Aadhar case. Like this, you can provide a balanced opinion in your conclusion part. Now this is how you have to approach the question and use the points from the editorial in your answer. If you have better opinion about how to approach the question, you can post your thoughts in the comment section. Now with this, let us conclude this and take up the next news article. Take a look at this news article. It is about construction of training wall on the mouth of the Kuvam river. Now what is the purpose of this wall? The training wall is built to control the flow of flood water during the northeast to monsoon season. See, there were large sand deposits called sandbars at the mouth of the Kuvam river. These sandbars have created many challenges during the flood season. The presence of Chennai harbour nearby has also contributed to the formation of these sandbars. So the construction of new training wall will reduce the formation of these sandbars. This is all about the news article given here. In this context, let us understand about these depositional landforms created by the sea waves. Now how are the depositional landforms created along the seashore? When water has lot of energy in it, it carries lots and lots of sediments with it. When water loses its energy, any sediment it is carrying will be deposited. The build up of deposited sediment can form different features along the coast. This is how depositional landforms are created along the shore. There are different types of depositional landforms created by the waves. Now let us see them one by one. First is beaches. Beaches are the most common depositional landform created by the accumulation of sediments along the coastline. The sediments include sand, gravel and sometimes even pebbles. They are dynamic environment that change frequently with time. The formation of the beaches depend upon the interaction between the waves, tides and the currents. The second one is the spits. Spits are long, narrow ridges of sand that extend from the coast into the sea. They are formed when waves carrying sediment along the coastline and deposit it in a linear manner. Spits often curve at their seaward end due to changes in the wave direction. The third one is sand bars. Bars are submerged or partially submerged ridges of sand parallel to the shoreline. They form when sediment accumulates offshore due to wave action. They act as barrier between the mainland and the sea. Here the main difference between the spits and the bars is that spits are perpendicular to the coast while the bars are parallel to the coast. The fourth one is the lagoons. Sometimes the sand bars can create shallow lagoons or estuaries behind them. Sometimes due to the deposition of waves and the currents, both ends of the bar joins to enclose a part of sea between the coast and the bar. This enclosed part of the sea forms a lake of saline water, which is also called as lagoon. A lagoon is generally connected to the sea through a narrow passage. Chilka Lake and the Pulikat Lake in India are examples of lagoon lake. The fifth one is the Tambolo. Tambolos are similar to spits, but they connect an island to the mainland or another island. They form when sediment accumulates and joins two landmasses. Tambolos often have a characteristic neck where the land connects to the island. The last one is the barrier islands. Barrier islands are long, narrow, low-lying landforms located parallel to the coastline. They act as a natural barrier between the open sea and the mainland. Thereby, they protect the coastal area from the force of the waves and the storms. Barrier islands are composed of sand and may have a diverse ecosystem. See, these are some of the depositional landforms created by the waves along the coastline. But here you have to note that the depositional landforms along the shore are not only created by sea waves but also by the winds. For example, marine dunes are depositional landforms created by the action of the wind. These dunes are formed just behind the beaches in the form of long ridges which run parallel to the coastline. With the force of the onshore winds, large amount of coastal sand is driven landwards. They form an extensive marine dune. They may advance into inland and in some cases the marine dunes are found destroying farms, roads and even entire villages. This is why government has advised or taken steps to plant grass and trees along the marine dunes so that the marine dune does not move landward. See, these are some of the depositional landforms that you can find along the shoreline. I hope this discussion was helpful. Now with this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this news article. According to the news article, in the past 24 hours, eight people were killed in jargon due to heavy rains and lightning strikes. So, in our discussion today, let us see about the lightning disaster and the reason for the sudden increase in lightning disaster. Firstly, let us understand the working of lightning. See, lightning is a natural process of electrical discharge of very little duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud. This is normally accompanied by a bright flash, a loud sound and an occasional thunderstorm. Now let us look at its formation. Lightnings normally occur within a cumulonimbus cloud. Cumulonimbus clouds are associated with thunderstorms. These clouds are characterized by strong updraft that carry moist air upwards. Here updraft is nothing but upward movement of air. Inside the thunder cloud, water droplets and ice crystals collide as they are carried up and down by the updrafts and the downdraft. This collision causes the water and the ice particles to become electrically charged. Positively charged particles rise to the top of the cloud while negatively charged particles sink to the bottom. The separation of positive and negative charges within the cloud create an electric field. This electric field intensifies as more charges accumulate. When the electric field becomes strong enough, it can create a conductive path of ionized air which is called as a leader stroke. This stroke extends downward from the cloud. These leader strokes are not the lightning bolt that we normally see from the ground, but it is actually the precursor to them. As the leader stroke gets closer to the ground, it induces a complementary upward flow of positive charges from the earth's surface. When the leader stroke and the upward flow of positive charge meet, they complete an electrical circuit. This results in a rapid and highly visible discharge of electrical energy which is known as the return stroke. And this return stroke is the lightning bolt that we observe from the ground. The return stroke is extremely hot with temperatures reaching tens of thousands of degree Celsius. This intense heat causes the surrounding air to expand very rapidly. And this rapid expansion creates shock waves that we hear as thunder. This is how the lightning and thunder occurs. There are two types of lightning namely inter-cloud or intra-cloud and the cloud-to-grown lightning. While inter-cloud is visible and harmful, it is the cloud-to-grown lightning which causes maximum destruction due to electrocution. According to the National Crime Records Bureau 2005, lightning has been responsible for at least 2000 fatalities annually. Rural areas account for more than 96% of the lightning-related fatalities. Even though lightning causes a lot of death in our country, it is still not considered as a natural calamity. So, unlike in case of floods or earthquakes, the affected people are not entitled to government compensation. Recently, as we saw in the news article, there has been an increase in the occurrence of lightning strikes. The main culprit here is climate change. With climate change and global warming, the air is getting warmer. Thereby, the moisture level in the air is also increasing. When this moisture-laden air moves upward rapidly, it results in the formation of thunderstorms. As the frequency of thunderstorm is on the rise, the frequency of lightning is also increasing. This is the main reason why there is an increase in the occurrence of lightning strikes recently. Now finally, before concluding, let us see the geographical distribution of lightning disaster in our country. See, lightning frequency is highest in northeast states and West Bengal, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar. However, the number of lightning-related death is higher in central Indian states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh and Orissa. Here, you have to note that Bihar is the most vulnerable state to lightning strike. In Bihar, there is a significant number of death reported annually due to lightning strikes. In 2023, till July 6th, Bihar recorded 107 deaths due to lightning. This is about the geographical distribution of lightning disaster in our country. So, that is all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw some points about the formation of lightning and thunder. Then we saw about the reason for the increase in lightning disaster in recent times. Finally, we saw the geographical distribution of lightning disaster in our country. Now with this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this article. This article is taken from the science page of Sunday's newspaper. This article is about the confirmation test for NIFA virus. This article is written in the backdrop of the recent outbreak of NIFA in Kerala. See, the Indian Council of Medical Research mandates that the confirmation test for NIFA virus should be carried out in the BSL3 labs. Here BSL3 stands for Bio-Safety Level 3. Generally, the bio-safety level is defined as a protection mechanism that are employed in a testing lab which tests for harmful diseases. The biosafety levels are in place to ensure the safety of laboratory personnel and to protect the surrounding environment from containment. Now coming back to NIFA virus. Recently, the ICMR permitted Kerala to use true NAT test for confirming the NIFA virus infection. But the ICMR said that the true NAT test should be conducted only in the BSL3 labs. Here, the author of the article says that the requirement of BSL3 labs to test NIFA virus is unnecessary as the tests are done using true NAT. See, to conduct the true NAT test, the samples from the patients are collected in a lysis buffer. Here, lysis buffer is nothing but a chemical solution. Once the samples are put in the lysis buffer, it immediately inactivates the virus. So, it does not harm any laboratory personnel or the surrounding environment. And this is why the author mentioned that the BSL3 labs are not necessary to test for NIFA virus using the true NAT test. This is about the article. Now in this discussion, let us learn some important points about the biosafety levels in the lab and the true NAT test. First, let us take the biosafety levels. See, biosafety levels are simply biological safety levels or a series of protection that are taken up in biological labs which test the sample for harmful viral bacterial and other diseases. To put it in simple words, the biosafety levels are individual safeguards that are designed to protect the laboratory personnel who test the samples. It is also aimed at protecting the surrounding environment and the community from contamination of harmful microbes while testing. Basically, there are four levels of biosafety such as BSL1, 2, 3 and 4. Here, the levels are defined based on certain factors like risk associated with microbes, severity of infection, transmissibility and so on. Now look at this table here. Here the four biosafety levels and the associated factors are given. The BSL1 lab are designed to deal with less harmful organisms like E. coli. In BSL1 lab, the containment of microbes is not needed as it is unlikely to cause disease or it can cause very minimal hazard to lab personnel and the environment. Then, the BSL2 lab deals with organisms that poses moderate risk like influenza, HIV and so on. Here, the containment of samples is needed to prevent the hazard. See, these types of disease can cause moderate hazard to lab personnel and the environment. Now coming to BSL3 labs, they deal with serious diseases like tuberculosis. Here, high containment is needed as the disease of these kinds may spread through air and cause lethal disease to humans. Now finally, let us see BSL4 labs. The BSL4 labs are designed to deal with life threatening diseases like Ebola. In this type, the maximum containment is needed. This is all about the biosafety level. Now moving on, let us see some points about the TrueNAT test. First of all, know that TrueNAT is a portable chip based and battery operated machine developed by a Goa based company. The TrueNAT was originally developed to detect tuberculosis. With the help of TrueNAT, we can test the samples at any place and we will also get the result within one hour. Earlier, WHO has approved TrueNAT for detecting TB as it is easily portable and cost effective. Later, the TrueNAT was also used to detect COVID-19 and now ICMR has allowed Kerala government to use TrueNAT for detecting the Nephavirus instruction. Now, how does the TrueNAT actually work? Firstly, the sample is collected from the patient. The sample is mostly saliva or sputum. After the collection of the samples, it is added with two drops of liquefaction buffer and incubated for 10 minutes at room temperature. This allows the sample to liquefy. After that, the liquefied sample is transferred into a lysis buffer bottle using the transfer pipette. Then two more drops of liquefaction buffer added to the lysis buffer bottle. After that, the cap of the bottle is closed tightly and mixed well. Then the lysis buffer bottle is incubated at room temperature for 3 to 5 minutes. After that, the entire content of the lysis buffer bottle is transferred into a cartridge using a transfer pipette. Then the cartridge is directly loaded into the auto chip interface of the TrueNAT device to extract the DNA from the microbes. The extracted DNA is then transferred to the TrueNAT plus chip. Finally, the chip is placed into the TrueLab PCR machine. This machine detects the presence of any harmful microbes and provide automatic test results. And this is how the TrueNAT device functions. See, these two words that is BSL3 and TrueNAT are very important because UPSC might pick words like this from the science page and ask about it in the UPSC prelims examination. You are not required to remember the working of the TrueNAT, but you must know why TrueNAT is used and where it is used. Also, you must know about the BSL biosafety level. So, I hope this discussion was helpful. Now, let us conclude this and take up the next news article. Look at the science page article. According to the article, a survey of staghorn coral in the Caribbean has concluded how genetics provided it immunity against the white band disease. The findings are significant because it could be used to improve disease resistance in other regions as well. This is about the article given here. In this context, let us quickly go through some points about staghorn coral and white band disease. First of all, what is a coral? Corals are skeletons of tiny marine animals called polyps. They flourish in shallow, mud-free and warm waters. When the living polyps die, their skeletons are left behind. Now, other polyps grow on top of the hard skeleton. They grow higher and higher, thereby forming the coral islands. They also secrete calcium carbonate. This coral secretion and the skeletons from the coral deposit to form coral reefs. Remember, most of the time, corals remain in a symbiotic relationship with a single-celled photosynthetic algae called zooxanthole. Zooxanthole performs photosynthesis and the energy generated through photosynthesis provides coral with the energy required for growth, reproduction and construction of the calcium carbonate skeletons. The pigments in the zooxanthole also give corals their vibrant colors. In return, coral polyps provide a protected environment for the zooxanthole to thrive. And the waste products like nitrogen and phosphorus released by the corals are used as nutrients by the zooxanthole. Now, this does not mean corals cannot survive without the presence of zooxanthole. There are corals named azooxanthole corals that do not contain zooxanthole and they derive nourishment by capturing different forms of plankton. These are some of the basic points that you need to remember about corals. Now, let us see some points about staghorn coral. It is one of the most important corals in the Caribbean Sea. It is scientifically known as acropora cervicornis. Staghorn coral along with elk horn coral and star corals build Caribbean coral reefs over the last 5000 years. This particular form of coral can form dense group called tickets. They form in very shallow water. These corals provide important habitat for other reef animals like fish. And you have to note here that staghorn coral is a zooxanthole coral. But unfortunately, these corals are facing coral bleaching in recent times due to raising sea temperature, disease outbreaks, ocean acidification, pollution, overfishing and physical damages due to storms and anthropogenical activities. They are currently listed as critically endangered on the IUCN red list. These are some points you need to know about staghorn coral. Now, let us see some points about the white band disease. White band disease is a destructive coral disease that primarily affects species like staghorn and elk horn corals in the Caribbean Sea. It is characterized by gradual loss of living tissue on the coral branches. When affected, we can witness a distinctive white band of exposed to coral skeleton. This disease is caused by harmful bacteria such as aurantimonas, corallicida and vibrio charchariae. White band disease has had a devastating impact on the corals and the reefs they build because it can lead to complete death of the entire colonies. These are some points about the white band disease. In this discussion, we saw some points about staghorn coral and where it is located and its significance. We also saw some points about the white band disease, which is a coral disease. Now with this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this news article. This news article talks about the Asian Turtle Crisis. A new study has found that Chennai is the highest ranked node in the tortoise and hard shell turtle trafficking network. So, in our discussion today, let us understand about the Asian Turtle Crisis and some of the important points mentioned in the article. Before that, you must first understand about the difference between tortoise and turtle. See, tortoise and turtle belong to different genus and species. However, both of them belong to the order Testudines, which include odd tetrapods with a true shell. Here, turtles are mostly water-dwelling reptiles and they are usually omnivorous. They generally have lighter shells on their back and they usually have a shorter lifespan of about 20 to 40 years. On the other hand, tortoises are land-dwelling reptiles and they are primarily herbivorous. They have much heavier and a robust shell. Tortoises usually have a longer life about 80 to 150 years. Now, let us look at the significance of the tortoise and turtles. See, tortoise are considered as a keystone species in some ecosystems. For example, their foraging or eating behavior including grazing on vegetation and digging burrows can have a major impact on their habitat. They create open spaces and distribute seed and influence the plant diversity and structure. This is why tortoise in some case are considered as keystone species. Secondly, turtles help control their prey. For example, leatherback turtles help manage the amount of jellyfish in the ocean. Likewise, hawksbill turtle help the reef by eating sponges that compete with the reefs for space. Thirdly, the nutrients left behind by the eggs and the hatchlings that don't survive provide an important source of nutrient for the coastal vegetation. These are some of the significance of turtles and tortoises. With this basic information, let us see some points about the Asian turtle crisis. See, Asian turtle crisis is a situation where tortoise and freshwater turtles are harvested unsustainably and traded as a food source or for use in traditional medicine. They are mainly traded across Asia for pet trade. The term is often used to describe the current state of tortoise and freshwater turtles on Asia. According to the study conducted by scientists, wild population of tortoise and turtles have suffered immensely due to habitat destruction and illegal and unsustainable horrors. They also face heavy pressure from illegal trade as food, pet and medicine across the world. In India, at least 15 of the 30 tortoise and turtle species including those threatened by extinction are still illegally traded. The study also found that Chennai is the highest ranked node in tortoise and hard shell turtle trafficking network. In addition to Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Bengaluru, Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, Agra and the North 24 Pragana and Hawra in West Bengal are also ranked very high. So, the study simply implies that the Asian turtle crisis is still on and we need more conservation measures and strict law to conserve the native population of tortoise and freshwater turtles. So, that's all regarding this discussion. In this discussion, we saw the difference between tortoise and turtles. We saw the significance of tortoise and turtles and finally, we saw some points about the Asian turtle crisis. Now with this, let us conclude this discussion and take up the next news article. Look at this news article. The 2023 Nobel Prize in medicine has been awarded to Hungarian biochemist Kathleen Kariko and American physician and scientist Drew Weisman. Their work enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. This is about the news. In this context, let us see some points about mRNA vaccines from prelims perspective. First, let us cover the basics about vaccines so that it will be easy for us to understand the nuances with respect to mRNA vaccine. See, generally, vaccines help in preventing the infection by preparing the body to fight pathogens like bacteria, virus and etc. As we all know, most vaccines contain a weakened or dead bacteria or a virus. The working mechanism of vaccine is to introduce into the body a harmless piece of pathogen and thereby triggering a immune response to the pathogen. These are some basic points about vaccine and their working. Recently, scientists have developed a new type of vaccine that uses a molecule called as messenger RNA, that is mRNA. Messenger RNA is a type of RNA that carries instructions from the DNA to the cytoplasm of the cell. In the cytoplasm, these messages are decoded to produce various proteins. An important advantage of mRNA is that once the cell finishes this protein synthesis process, they quickly break down the mRNA. And moreover, mRNA from vaccines do not enter into the nucleus and thereby they do not alter the DNA of the cell. Now, let us see the working of mRNA vaccine. mRNA vaccines work by introducing a piece of mRNA which corresponds to the viral protein into the body. By using this mRNA, our cells produce the viral protein. And this viral protein is similar to the protein present in the virus. For example, the spike protein of SARS-CoVin. After this protein synthesis as a part of our body's normal immune response, the immune system recognizes the protein produced by our cell and it produces antibodies against it. Once the antibodies are produced by the immune cells, the antibodies remains in the body, even after the body has fully eliminated the protein. By remembering this, the immune system can quickly respond if exposed to the actual pathogen. If a person is exposed to a pathogen after receiving mRNA vaccination for it, antibodies can quickly recognize it, attach to it and mark it for destruction before it can cause serious illness. This is the basics about the working of mRNA vaccines. Now, let us see some of the significance of mRNA vaccine. Firstly, a small dose of mRNA is enough to trigger immune response. This is because the protein of the pathogen is created inside the body rather than the normal vaccine in which the protein is injected into the body. This is the first significance. The second significance is that mRNA vaccine can be produced faster, cheaper and in a standardized fashion. That is, the error rates in the mRNA vaccine is very negligible. This improves the responsiveness of the vaccine in case of outbreaks. The last significance is that mRNA vaccines are not constructed from an active pathogen or even an inactive pathogen. They are non-infectious in nature. In mRNA vaccine, as we just saw, we are tricking our own body cells to create the protein of the pathogen. And based on the protein, our immune system creates the antibodies. And this antibodies helps in preventing the future infection by the pathogen. And this makes the mRNA vaccine completely safe and non-infectious in nature. These are some of the significance of the mRNA vaccine. Since mRNA vaccine is always in use, we can expect a question about it in our upcoming examination. With this, we have come to the end of the news article discussion session. Now, let us take up the practice prelims questions. Let us take up the first question. Let me read out the question. Erosional coastal landforms are created through the action of waves, currents and coastal processes. Which of the following erosional landform is characterized by gently sloping corn cave surface, carved by wave erosion and found along the rocky coastline? The statements given here describes wave-cut platform. So, the correct answer here is option B, wave-cut platform. Moving on to the next question. The term TRUNAT sometimes seen in the news is related to. From our discussion, we know that the correct answer is option B. TRUNAT is a portable chip-based machine developed by a Goa-based company to test pathogens. Okay, now moving on to the next question. Here three statements are given. We have to find how many of the statements about star tortoise is correct. Let us take up the first statement. It is naturally found in India. This is correct. Star tortoise is widely distributed in India. They mainly inhibit semi-desert grasslands and moist deciduous forest. They are also found in sand dunes, curb forest, humid jungles and even human-altered habitats. Moving on to the second statement. Star tortoises are carnivorous. This statement is incorrect. They are actually herbivorous. They feed on fresh and leafy greens and grasses. Moving on to the third statement. They are diurnal animal that is mostly active in the morning and in the late afternoon. This statement is correct. Star tortoise are diurnal animals. Here statement one and statement three are correct. So, the correct answer is option B only two. Moving on to the last question. Three statements about the mRNA vaccine is given. We have to find how many of the statements are correct. Look at the first statement. It is a single standard RNA template which is translated for protein synthesis by ribosomes. This is correct. The mRNA or messenger RNA are coded with information that helps in the production of proteins in the ribosomes and the ribosomes are present in the cytoplasm. Moving on to the second statement. mRNA vaccines use live viruses to trigger an immune response in our body. This statement is incorrect. mRNA vaccine actually neither use a live virus or inactivated virus to trigger an immune response. Actually the mRNA vaccine tricks our body's cells to create the protein from the viruses body and this protein creates immune response. Okay. So statement two is incorrect. Moving on to the third statement. mRNA vaccines are very stable at high temperature which makes it easy to pack and distribute. This statement is actually incorrect because mRNA vaccines are highly unstable and they have to be stored at sub zero temperatures. Here only one statement that is statement one is correct. So, the correct answer is option A only one. With this we have come to the end of the discussion. If you like today's video, like, comment and share it with your friends. For more updates regarding UPSC preparation, subscribe to Shankar Iyer's Academy's YouTube channel. Thank you for listening.