Today's Headlines - 26 July 2023
Centre withdraws DNA Bill
GS Paper - 3 (Biotechnology)
The Union government withdrew the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019, from the Lok Sabha. First proposed in 2003, the Bill has gone through numerous changes, led by both the Department of Biotechnology and the Law Ministry, over the years. In 2019, it was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee after being introduced in the Lok Sabha. Two years later, the panel’s report was released, in which it highlighted the fears of a number of MPs, saying the Bill could be misused to target segments of society based on religion, caste or political views.
What is the Bill?
The Bill seeks to create a regulatory framework for obtaining, storing and testing DNA samples of human beings, mainly for the purposes of criminal investigations, and with the objective of establishing the identity of a person.
DNA testing is already being used for a variety of purposes, such as criminal investigations, establishment of parentage, and search for missing people.
The proposed law seeks to bring in a supervisory structure to oversee these practices, and frame guidelines and rules so that the DNA technology is not misused.
To achieve these objectives, the Bill proposes to set up two institutional structures — a DNA regulatory board and a DNA data bank — at the national level. Regional centres of the board as well as the data bank can be set up at the state level too.
The board, which is proposed to be the main regulatory authority, would frame the rules and guidelines for DNA collection, testing and storage, while the data bank would be the repository of all DNA samples collected from various people under specified rules.
The Bill proposes that testing of DNA samples can be carried out only at laboratories that are authorised to do so by the regulatory board.
It also specifies the circumstances under which a person can be asked to submit DNA samples, the purposes for which such requests can be made, and the exact procedure for handling, storing and accessing these samples.
What are the objections against the Bill?
The main debate over the proposed law has been around three issues — whether DNA technology is foolproof, whether the provisions adequately address the possibility of abuse of DNA information, and whether the privacy of the individual is protected.
DNA information can be extremely revelatory. It can not only establish a person’s identity but also reveal a lot about physical and biological attributes of the person like eye, hair or skin colour, susceptibility to diseases, possible medical history, and possible clues to biological relatives.
For years, critics of the Bill have been claiming that collecting and storing such intrusive information could lead to abuse, besides being violative of a person’s privacy.
What has the government said?
The government has defended the Bill by arguing that nearly 60 countries have enacted similar legislation and that all important matters related to privacy, confidentiality and data protection have been taken into account.
It has also claimed that very limited information is proposed to be stored in the indices — just 17 sets of numbers out of billions that DNA samples can reveal. These can tell nothing about the individual and only act as a unique identifier.
#upsc #news #DNAbill #withdraws #technology #Department #biotechnology #lawministry #parliamentary #loksabha #criminal #parliamentary #committee #bill #government #violative #privacy #attributes
Centre withdraws DNA Bill
GS Paper - 3 (Biotechnology)
The Union government withdrew the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019, from the Lok Sabha. First proposed in 2003, the Bill has gone through numerous changes, led by both the Department of Biotechnology and the Law Ministry, over the years. In 2019, it was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee after being introduced in the Lok Sabha. Two years later, the panel’s report was released, in which it highlighted the fears of a number of MPs, saying the Bill could be misused to target segments of society based on religion, caste or political views.
What is the Bill?
The Bill seeks to create a regulatory framework for obtaining, storing and testing DNA samples of human beings, mainly for the purposes of criminal investigations, and with the objective of establishing the identity of a person.
DNA testing is already being used for a variety of purposes, such as criminal investigations, establishment of parentage, and search for missing people.
The proposed law seeks to bring in a supervisory structure to oversee these practices, and frame guidelines and rules so that the DNA technology is not misused.
To achieve these objectives, the Bill proposes to set up two institutional structures — a DNA regulatory board and a DNA data bank — at the national level. Regional centres of the board as well as the data bank can be set up at the state level too.
The board, which is proposed to be the main regulatory authority, would frame the rules and guidelines for DNA collection, testing and storage, while the data bank would be the repository of all DNA samples collected from various people under specified rules.
The Bill proposes that testing of DNA samples can be carried out only at laboratories that are authorised to do so by the regulatory board.
It also specifies the circumstances under which a person can be asked to submit DNA samples, the purposes for which such requests can be made, and the exact procedure for handling, storing and accessing these samples.
What are the objections against the Bill?
The main debate over the proposed law has been around three issues — whether DNA technology is foolproof, whether the provisions adequately address the possibility of abuse of DNA information, and whether the privacy of the individual is protected.
DNA information can be extremely revelatory. It can not only establish a person’s identity but also reveal a lot about physical and biological attributes of the person like eye, hair or skin colour, susceptibility to diseases, possible medical history, and possible clues to biological relatives.
For years, critics of the Bill have been claiming that collecting and storing such intrusive information could lead to abuse, besides being violative of a person’s privacy.
What has the government said?
The government has defended the Bill by arguing that nearly 60 countries have enacted similar legislation and that all important matters related to privacy, confidentiality and data protection have been taken into account.
It has also claimed that very limited information is proposed to be stored in the indices — just 17 sets of numbers out of billions that DNA samples can reveal. These can tell nothing about the individual and only act as a unique identifier.
#upsc #news #DNAbill #withdraws #technology #Department #biotechnology #lawministry #parliamentary #loksabha #criminal #parliamentary #committee #bill #government #violative #privacy #attributes
Today's Headlines - 29 July 2023
Jan Vishwas Bill passed
GS Paper - 3 (Economy)
The Lok Sabha on 27 July 2023 approved the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, to enhance ease of doing business, decrease compliance burden for individuals and industry, and alleviate judicial load by decriminalising minor economic offences.
More about the Bill
Spearheaded by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Bill proposes to revise 183 provisions across 42 laws under 19 government ministries.
At present, existing laws contain clauses for imprisonment for minor and procedural defaults, as well as lesser fines and penalties.
This resulted in fear and mistrust towards the government. The intended changes of this proposed law aim to avoid unnecessary imprisonments and impose higher penalties and fines where necessary.
According to the Bill, offences will be decriminalised by either eliminating both imprisonment and/or fine; removing imprisonment while retaining or increasing fines; or changing imprisonment and/or fine to penalties.
Conversion of fines and penalties implies that court prosecution can be bypassed for punishment.
The government over the past nine years removed roughly 40,000 provisions and procedures, which had the potential to create problems for people.
#upsc #news #todayheadline #janvishwas #bill #loksabha #business #industry #alleviate #judicial #economy #DPITI #department #promotion #internal #trade #laws #government #potentional #conversion
Jan Vishwas Bill passed
GS Paper - 3 (Economy)
The Lok Sabha on 27 July 2023 approved the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, to enhance ease of doing business, decrease compliance burden for individuals and industry, and alleviate judicial load by decriminalising minor economic offences.
More about the Bill
Spearheaded by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Bill proposes to revise 183 provisions across 42 laws under 19 government ministries.
At present, existing laws contain clauses for imprisonment for minor and procedural defaults, as well as lesser fines and penalties.
This resulted in fear and mistrust towards the government. The intended changes of this proposed law aim to avoid unnecessary imprisonments and impose higher penalties and fines where necessary.
According to the Bill, offences will be decriminalised by either eliminating both imprisonment and/or fine; removing imprisonment while retaining or increasing fines; or changing imprisonment and/or fine to penalties.
Conversion of fines and penalties implies that court prosecution can be bypassed for punishment.
The government over the past nine years removed roughly 40,000 provisions and procedures, which had the potential to create problems for people.
#upsc #news #todayheadline #janvishwas #bill #loksabha #business #industry #alleviate #judicial #economy #DPITI #department #promotion #internal #trade #laws #government #potentional #conversion
Today's Headlines - 18 August 2023
IITG produces pluripotent stem cells
GS Paper - 3 (Biotechnology)
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) in collaboration with scientists from Christian Medical College, Vellore, have reported a method to convert regular human skin cells into pluripotent stem cells. The human body is made of many kinds of cells – nerve cells, heart cells, liver cells, pancreatic cells, and so on, with unique structures and functions.
More about the News
All these distinctive cells originate from stem cells to perform a specific function. Lack of any of this cell type in a human body will result in a disease or disorder.
Thus, stem cells can be programmed to develop into mature functional cells, which can be used to replace damaged cells.
Stem Cells have to be extracted from embryos or parts of the adult human body like the brain or bone marrow, which is challenging from both ethical and practical aspects.
Thus, scientists are exploring techniques to convert ordinary cells, like skin or blood cells, into pluripotent stem cells – stem cells that can be programmed to develop into any other form of an adult cell type. These cells are called Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs).
The most important advantage of iPSCs is their potential to produce patient-specific cells which can be transplanted to the site of injury or the site of tissue degeneration due to various disease conditions, and thereby, eliminate any chance of immune rejection.
The conversion of mature cells into iPSCs was first shown by Prof. Shinya Yamanaka, who won the Nobel Prize in 2012 for his discovery.
How it Prepared
This research involved introducing specific genes into mature cells to convert them into iPSCs.
The researchers have used a safe, integration-free method, and have introduced genes such as OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, L-MYC, LIN28 and a p53 shRNA into skin cells to transform them into iPSCs.
The iPSCs produced by the IITG and CMC researchers were versatile, maintained their genetic makeup well, and could potentially differentiate into a range of body cell types.
Additionally, tests confirmed that the DNA structure of the cells was not altered and matched that of the original cells. Importantly, these iPSCs were found to be free from bacterial contamination.
iPSCs are useful for the design of stem-cell therapies for a range of ailments. iPSCs can be programmed to become beta islet cells to treat diabetes, blood cells to treat leukaemia, or neurons to treat disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer’s diseases.
Given the importance and potential of stem cells, the Government of India actively supports stem cell research through the Department of Health Research-Indian Council of Medical Research (DHR-ICMR).
This commitment spans two decades and includes initiatives such as advanced research centres, thematic task forces, and iPSC generation.
The collaboration between IIT Guwahati and CMC Vellore aligns seamlessly with these efforts and India’s endeavour to be at the forefront of stem cell research.
#upsc #news #headline #IITG #pluripotent #stem #cells #biotechnology #technology #guwahati #biotechnology #christian #medical #college #vellore #human #pluripotent #nervecells #pancreaticcells #unique #functions #disease #adult #practical #IPSC #shinyayamanaka #nobelprize #parkinson #alzheimer #diabetes #forces #research #DHR #ICMR #department #taskforces #india
IITG produces pluripotent stem cells
GS Paper - 3 (Biotechnology)
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) in collaboration with scientists from Christian Medical College, Vellore, have reported a method to convert regular human skin cells into pluripotent stem cells. The human body is made of many kinds of cells – nerve cells, heart cells, liver cells, pancreatic cells, and so on, with unique structures and functions.
More about the News
All these distinctive cells originate from stem cells to perform a specific function. Lack of any of this cell type in a human body will result in a disease or disorder.
Thus, stem cells can be programmed to develop into mature functional cells, which can be used to replace damaged cells.
Stem Cells have to be extracted from embryos or parts of the adult human body like the brain or bone marrow, which is challenging from both ethical and practical aspects.
Thus, scientists are exploring techniques to convert ordinary cells, like skin or blood cells, into pluripotent stem cells – stem cells that can be programmed to develop into any other form of an adult cell type. These cells are called Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs).
The most important advantage of iPSCs is their potential to produce patient-specific cells which can be transplanted to the site of injury or the site of tissue degeneration due to various disease conditions, and thereby, eliminate any chance of immune rejection.
The conversion of mature cells into iPSCs was first shown by Prof. Shinya Yamanaka, who won the Nobel Prize in 2012 for his discovery.
How it Prepared
This research involved introducing specific genes into mature cells to convert them into iPSCs.
The researchers have used a safe, integration-free method, and have introduced genes such as OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, L-MYC, LIN28 and a p53 shRNA into skin cells to transform them into iPSCs.
The iPSCs produced by the IITG and CMC researchers were versatile, maintained their genetic makeup well, and could potentially differentiate into a range of body cell types.
Additionally, tests confirmed that the DNA structure of the cells was not altered and matched that of the original cells. Importantly, these iPSCs were found to be free from bacterial contamination.
iPSCs are useful for the design of stem-cell therapies for a range of ailments. iPSCs can be programmed to become beta islet cells to treat diabetes, blood cells to treat leukaemia, or neurons to treat disorders like Parkinson's and Alzheimer’s diseases.
Given the importance and potential of stem cells, the Government of India actively supports stem cell research through the Department of Health Research-Indian Council of Medical Research (DHR-ICMR).
This commitment spans two decades and includes initiatives such as advanced research centres, thematic task forces, and iPSC generation.
The collaboration between IIT Guwahati and CMC Vellore aligns seamlessly with these efforts and India’s endeavour to be at the forefront of stem cell research.
#upsc #news #headline #IITG #pluripotent #stem #cells #biotechnology #technology #guwahati #biotechnology #christian #medical #college #vellore #human #pluripotent #nervecells #pancreaticcells #unique #functions #disease #adult #practical #IPSC #shinyayamanaka #nobelprize #parkinson #alzheimer #diabetes #forces #research #DHR #ICMR #department #taskforces #india