1. Why Russian Covid-19 vaccine still has miles to go · maintaining that it would be take at least 12-18 months before any Coronavirus vaccine is able to hit the market. Even then,

https://www.prepmate.in/question/15-07-2020/

For updates on WhatsApp, share your Name, City & Email ID on WhatsApp No. 88986-30000

Website: www.prepmate.in Telegram Channel: @upscprepmate

Prepmate Cengage Books Preview:https://prepmate.in/books/ Youtube channel: PrepMateEdutech

1. Why Russian Covid-19 vaccine still has miles to go Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper III; Science & Technology Like all the other potential candidates, one being developed in Russia is also far from being ready at this point. Numerous reports on Sunday had claimed that clinical trials for a Russian vaccine had been “successfully” completed. What most of these reports did not specifically mention is that only phase-I of the clinical trials had been completed. Phase-II trials are supposed to start Monday, while there is no clarity over phase-III trials. What is the candidate vaccine being developed in Russia? There is only one candidate vaccine being developed in Russia which has reached the human clinical trial stage. That candidate, being developed by the Gamalei National Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, in partnership with the Russian Defence Ministry, had begun phase-I human trials on June 18, with 18 volunteers from the armed forces having been chosen for administering the vaccine. What is phase-I in vaccine trials? Phase-I is where ‘safety and tolerability’ of a vaccine is tested, on a small group of volunteers. The news report said the ministry had claimed that none of the volunteers had reported any complaints, experienced no side-effects, and would be discharged from the hospital soon. What is the purpose of Phase-II? It is the phase-II, in which ‘efficiency and immunogenicity (generation of immune response)’ is tested. It is in this state that researchers try to see whether the vaccine is triggering the desired immune response in humans, and what could be the suitable doses to generate this response. And there is a third phase as well? Usually, yes; vaccine development involves a third phase. In fact, no vaccine for large-scale use has been approved without the third phase of trials till now. A large number of volunteers, usually numbering several thousands, are enrolled for the third phase in which researchers try to ascertain whether the immune response triggered by the vaccine is able to fight the virus in real life situations. This process could take several months. In the case of Russian candidate vaccine, as with any other candidate, the success of phase-II trials, which could take at least couple of months, is not guaranteed. The success can only be ascertained after the completion of the trials. So, will there be phase-III if phase-II trials do succeed? It is not clear as of now whether the Russian candidate vaccine would go through phase-III trials. Usually, that is the case, but recently, considering the current emergency situation, a candidate vaccine developed in China has been approved for use after phase-II trials itself,

http://www.prepmate.in/

https://telegram.me/upscprepmate

https://prepmate.in/books/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXy_z-FjcG4CcCTYpn2DGhA




but it is supposed to be administered only on army personnel as of now. It will depend on the Russian regulatory authorities to decide whether the Russian vaccine would need phase III trials as well. There are over 150 candidate vaccines for coronavirus being developed all over the world. Nearly half of these are still in pre-clinical stages, meaning they are being tried on animals or are still in early stages of development. About 15 vaccines are in phase-I trials and about ten in phase-II trials. Three vaccines are in phase-III trials. What happens after phase-III? Even after the successful completion of phase-III, it usually takes several months before a vaccine is accessible to a general public. Several rounds of regulatory and administrative approvals are required. That is why several scientists, and even WHO officials, have been maintaining that it would be take at least 12-18 months before any Coronavirus vaccine is able to hit the market. Even then, the vaccine is unlikely to be available for all at one go. Initially, it is expected to be made available only to people who are at higher risk of getting the infection, like healthcare workers. A universal immunisation against Coronavirus can take several years, just like it has been the case with other vaccines. Source: The Indian Express

2. SC upholds right of erstwhile Travancore royal family in administration of Kerala’s Padmanabhaswamy Temple Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper I; Social Issues What is the judgement of Supreme Court? The Supreme Court held that the erstwhile Travancore royal family is the “human ministrant” or the shebait (manager) of the properties belonging to Sri Padmanabha, chief deity of the famed and fabulously rich Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple in Kerala. What was the dispute? A Bench of Justices U.U. Lalit and Indu Malhotra, in a 218-page judgment, brought quietus to a dispute of over a decade on whether the temple and its considerable assets should devolve to the Kerala government following the death of Travancore ruler Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma in July 1991. Basis of judgement Arguments were raised both to and fro – senior advocate Krishnan Venugopal for the royals and some devotees represented by a team of advocates of P.B. Suresh, Vipin Nair and Karthik Jayashankar – on whether the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which banished








rulers and privy purses, would nudge the temple and properties into the hands of the State. In fact, the Kerala High Court, in 2011, directed the State to take over the temple and exhibit its treasures for public viewing in a museum. Justice Lalit, who wrote the judgment, categorically held that the death of a ruler does not affect the royal family’s shebaitship of the temple. “Shebaitship was always in the royal family and the Ruler represented the unbroken line of shebaits,” the judgment said. Shebaitship does not lapse in favour of the State by principle of escheat (reversion of property to the State). Who is Shebait? The court defined ‘shebait’ as the “custodian of the idol, its earthly spokesman, its authorised representative entitled to deal with all its temporal affairs and to manage its property”. The court traced how the shebaitship descended from King Marthanda Varma, who rebuilt the temple and installed a new idol after a fire destroyed the temple in 1686. It referred to how the King surrendered his kingdom in January 1750 and assumed the role of ‘Padmanabhadasa’ after realising “the futility of battles as a means to an end.” Transparency in administration of temple Accepting the royals’ submission that the temple is a “public temple”, the court issued a slew of directions for its transparent administration in the future. It directed the setting up of an administrative committee with the Thiruvananthapuram District Judge as its chairperson. The other members would be a nominee of the trustee (royal family), the chief thanthri of the temple, a nominee of the State and a member nominated by the Union Ministry of Culture. This committee would take care of the daily administration of the temple. It also ordered a second committee to be constituted to advise the administrative committee on policy matters. This would be chaired by a retired High Court judge nominated by the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court. Both committees should start functioning within the next two months and an executive officer should be appointed without delay. The primary duties of the committees would be to preserve the treasures and properties. They would take a call on whether to open Kallara B, considered to be the richest among the temple vaults, for inventorisation. The committees would ensure that rituals and religious practices are conducted as per custom and on the advice of the chief thantri. The court said the committees would ensure that income to the temple would be used to augment the facilities. It ordered an audit to be conducted for the past 25 years. Audited accounts and the balance sheet should be annually filed with the office of the Accountant








General for the State. The royal family would not take any remuneration for the services they render to the temple. The idea of setting up these committees was initially suggested by the royal family itself and the court found it “quite balanced” and not loaded in favour of them. The court ordered status reports to be filed by the second week of December 2020. A further report should be filed after audit on March 31, 2021. Source: The Hindu

3. Iran drops India from Chabahar rail project Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; IOBR Four years after India and Iran signed an agreement to construct a rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with Afghanistan, the Iranian government has decided to proceed with the construction on its own, citing delays from the Indian side in funding and starting the project. Last week, Iran inaugurated the track-laying process for the 628 km Chabahar-Zahedan line, which will be extended to Zaranj across the border in Afghanistan. The entire track laying project is expected to be completed by March 2022, and that Iranian Railways will proceed without India’s assistance, using approximately $400 million from the Iranian National Development Fund. Influence of China The development comes as China finalises a massive 25-year, $400 billion strategic partnership deal with Iran, which could cloud India’s plans. Rail project was part of Trilateral agreement The railway project, which was being discussed between the Iranian Railways and the state-owned Indian Railways Construction Ltd (IRCON), was meant to be part of India’s commitment to the trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan to build an alternate trade route to Afghanistan and Central Asia, reducing dependency on Pakistan. In May 2016, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tehran to sign the Chabahar agreement with Iranian President Rouhani and Afghanistan President Ghani, IRCON had signed an MoU with the Iranian Rail Ministry. The MoU was to construct the Chabahar-Zahedan railway as “part of transit and transportation corridor in trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan”. IRCON had promised to provide all services, superstructure work and financing for the project (around $1.6 billion).








Pressure from US However, despite several site visits by IRCON engineers, and preparations by Iranian railways, India never began the work, ostensibly due to worries that these could attract U.S. sanctions. The U.S. had provided a sanctions waiver for the Chabahar port and the rail line to Zahedan, but it has been difficult to find equipment suppliers and partners due to worries they could be targeted by the U.S., said officials. India has already “zeroed out” its oil imports from Iran due to U.S. sanctions. 25-year Strategic Partnership between Iran and China Meanwhile, complicating matters further, Iran and China are close to finalising a 25-year Strategic Partnership which will include Chinese involvement in Chabahar’s duty free zone, an oil refinery nearby, and possibly a larger role in Chabahar port as well. According to leaked versions of the 18-page “Comprehensive Plan for Cooperation between Iran and China”, being finalised by officials in Tehran and Beijing, the cooperation will extend from investments in infrastructure, manufacturing and upgrading energy and transport facilities, to refurbishing ports, refineries and other installations, and will commit Iranian oil and gas supplies to China during that period. Iranian officials denied a report that also suggested Chabahar port, where India took, will be leased to China. However, Iran proposed a tie-up between the Chinese-run Pakistani port at Gwadar and Chabahar last year, and has offered interests to China in the Bandar-e-Jask port 350km away from Chabahar, as well as in the Chabahar duty free zone. Source: The Hindu

4. The curious case of Abdul Momin, convicted in Kandahar hijacking, acquitted in related trial Relevant for GS Prelims & Mains Paper II; Polity & Governance Last week, a sessions court last upheld the acquittal of Abdul Latif Adam Momin and 18 others including passport office clerks, motor training school employees and a passport agent in a case linked with the 1999 Kandahar hijacking. The court dismissed a plea by the Mumbai police against the acquittal of these 19 by a magistrate’s court in 2012. Explained: The 1999 Kandahar hijacking On December 24, 1999, Indian Airlines flight IC-814 from Kathmandu to Delhi with 179 passengers and 11 crew members took off at 4.10 pm. Forty-five minutes later, it was hijacked by five men who made it land at various places including Amritsar, Lahore and the UAE for refuelling, before finally landing at Kandahar in Afghanistan at 4 am.








The hijackers demanded the release of Maulana Masood Azhar, a designated global terrorist, who was lodged in a Jammu jail, the release of 35 other militants, and a ransom of $2 million. After negotiations, the Indian government agreed to release Azhar, Umar Sheikh and Mohammed Zargar in exchange for all the passengers. The exchange took place on December 31, 1999. One of the passengers, a 25-year old, was killed and another injured during the negotiations. Who is Abdul Momin? Momin, a Mumbai resident, was arrested on December 30, 1999, in connection with a bank robbery that October. The Mumbai police claimed that among the recoveries made from Momin were Indian passports, driving licences and documents pertaining to hotel reservations which led them towards his involvement in the hijacking. The passports were in the name of the hijackers though they were not used in the hijacking, police told the court. Momin was then named as one of the 10 accused in the main hijacking case along with another Indian national, Dilip Bhujel, and a Nepali national Bhupal Damai. In 2008, a special court in Patiala found them guilty of murder, criminal conspiracy and relevant sections of the Arms Act and Anti-Hijacking Act, 1982, and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The CBI filed an appeal in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana seeking death penalty for Momin. In 2014, the court set aside the punishment awarded to Bhujel and Damai under all sections except the Arms Act while Momin’s conviction was upheld. The court took into consideration that Momin had been behind bars since 1999 and stated that he should not be given the death penalty, but upheld his life term which he is currently serving in a Punjab prison. The Mumbai case In the Mumbai case, Momin was booked for obtaining forged documents to procure passports for the five Pakistani hijackers. He was booked along with 22 others in a separate case filed in Mumbai on charges including forgery, forgery of a passport, cheating and relevant sections of the Indian Passport Act. It was claimed that Momin had paid between Rs 300 and Rs 2500 to a passport agent, his employees, passport office clerks, employees of motor driving schools from where false documents were given to procure driving licences in names of the hijackers. In 2012, the magistrate’s court while acquitting the 19 who stood trial (four others were discharged earlier or had died) said the Mumbai police had failed to prove that there was a nexus between the accused to assist the hijackers. The sessions court upheld this view last week. The main case








In the main hijacking case, the CBI had alleged that Momin had made multiple trips to Nepal and Bangladesh to meet the conspirators and provided assistance to them. The CBI claimed that Momin had helped give accommodation to the hijackers in Mumbai, and arranged their passports and driving licences. During the trial in Mumbai, Momin’s lawyer had said that two men named as his co-accused, including the owner of a travel company and a driving school employee, were witnesses in the trial court in Patiala, and that their statements therefore should not be admitted. One of Momin’s lines of defence was also of double jeopardy, which means that an accused cannot be punished for the same offence twice. The common charge in the two cases against Momin was forgery under IPC Section 467. In 2014, the Punjab and Haryana High Court said the Mumbai case had nothing to do with the criminal conspiracy of hijacking. It also said the evidence or the findings of the Mumbai case which led to acquittal of Momin cannot be relied upon while considering the main hijacking case. Momin has appealed against the High Court order which is pending before the Supreme Court. Source: The Indian Express

5. Google bets big on India, to invest $10 billion in its digital transformation Relevant for GS Prelims In a major boost to India’s digital eco-system, tech giant Google has announced plans to invest $10 billion (Rs.75,000 crore) in the country in the next 5-7 years. Sundar Pichai, who is the chief executive of both Google and its parent company, Alphabet made this announcement at the ‘Google for India’ virtual summit. This investment will be made through buying of stakes in local companies and forging partnerships. Significantly, it will be the first time that Google will create a country-specific fund in its history. The Details As per its plans, Google will focus on following four key areas- 1. Catering to local content requirement Google will work to provide affordable internet access to all Indians in their own language.








As nearly half of the internet users in India prefer to have digital content in their own language, there is a massive potential market for tailor-made products. 2. Offer products and services relevant to India Since the Indian govt. is keenly stressing on the use of products and services that are locally made, Google is looking out for companies that work in this regard. It is trying to develop apps in India as well as investing in firms which do the same. 3. To empower local businesses Google is aiming to help small and medium-sized Indian businesses in adopting digital technologies. More and more people using its platforms, will benefit Google as it makes most of its money through online advertising. 4. Leverage tech and AI for social good Google is also looking to use technology and artificial intelligence to promote social causes such as digital literacy and support for rural economies. Q. What are the various stages of human trials in developing a vaccine? Why are some nations even ready to launch the Covid-19 vaccine before the final stage of human trial? What are the possible risks of such a launch? (GS Mains Paper III, 250 words, 15 marks) Attempt this question by clicking on the linkhttps://www.prepmate.in/question/15-07-2020/ PrepMate team will evaluate your answer. All PrepMate book readers can submit their answer. Note: You will receive a confirmation e-mail for both the submission of your answer and it’s evaluation from our experts.







https://www.prepmate.in/course-content-schedules/

Documents

1. Why Russian Covid-19 vaccine still has miles to go · maintaining that it would be take at least 12-18 months before any Coronavirus vaccine is able to hit the market. Even then,