Blue Food

• According to a recent study, blue food from aquatic habitats can aid in reducing nutritional deficiencies, creating jobs, and increasing export revenue in India.

About blue food:

• It is widely acknowledged that food systems need to change Rs 250 million people may be on the verge of hunger as nearly 700 million people go hungry.
• Conflict, economic slowdowns, and climate variability and extremes are some of the major factors that are contributing to an increase in food and nutrition insecurity.
• In addition, food systems are a major contributor to the loss of biodiversity and account for 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Being involved in every aspect of how food systems operate is necessary to steer them in the direction of wholesome, sustainable, and just ones.
• Aquatic creatures, plants, and algae that are caught or grown in freshwater and marine habitats are considered to be sources of blue food.
• More than 800 million people, the majority of whom work in small-scale systems, depend on blue foods, which are animals, plants, and algae harvested from freshwater and marine environments.
• Blue foods provide protein to over 3.2 billion people and are a major source of nutrients in many coastal, rural, and indigenous communities.
• They are found to be more nutritious and have a larger potential for sustainability benefits than foods made from terrestrial animals.
• Vital vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids are rich in a variety of blue food species.
• It has been found that the main meat from aquaculture sources—tilapia, salmon, catfish, and carp—had a smaller environmental impact than meat from other sources.
• There is also catch fishing involved. Capture fisheries relate to all forms of naturally occurring live resource gathering in freshwater and marine environments.
• Tilapia, salmon, catfish, and carp are some of the varieties, along with seaweed, sea cucumber, and bivalves (mussels, oysters, etc.).

Importance of Blue Food:

• Compared to foods generated from terrestrial animals, they are proven to be more nutrient-dense and to have a greater potential for sustainability benefits. Let's examine some of the key meanings of the blue foods.
• Blue foods have the potential to increase national GDP and benefit indigenous communities in both the global north and the global south by enhancing their nutrition and quality of life.
• Reduced burden on the Land: Aquaculture and marine farms now free up the space that previously needed for conventional agriculture to accommodate the growing population.
• Food Security Achieved by Blue Food: Investing in innovation and improved fishing management may lead to more consumption and noticeably lower rates of malnutrition.
• They can feed the masses by addressing both the Real Hunger and Hidden Hunger issues.
• Low Emission and Tackle Deficiencies by Blue Food: In comparison to beef from the farm, they emit fewer emissions.
• Overall, it was discovered that the primary species raised in aquaculture had less of an environmental impact than meat from other sources.
• Aquatic meals can also be used to correct India's deficiencies in B12 and omega-3 fatty acids. Around 91% of countries with vitamin B12 deficiency also have widespread omega-3 insufficiency.
• Blue Food May Decrease Cardiovascular Diseases: The promotion of blue foods over excessive red meat intake could alleviate health and environmental issues in almost 82% of the 22 countries with a high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Issues Associated with Blue Food:

• Overfishing and other illegal fishing practices, as well as other unsustainable techniques of producing aquatic food, are to blame for the overexploitation of nearly 90% of all marine fish populations, according to the World Bank.
• Acceptance of Blue Food: Sea cucumbers and related types still have a very low level of acceptance. It necessitates a change in dietary habits.
• High-end technology and capital are required in this area, which is one of the main problems with blue food.
• Absence of resources and skilled labour: It rarely requires expert labour.
• Absence of adequate cuisine and dishes: Chefs and scientists must engage in more R&D efforts to create foods that the general public will enjoy.

Draft Blue Economy Policy:

• The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has produced a draft Blue Economy policy and is looking for feedback from various stakeholders. It is in line with the "New India" vision for 2030 set forth by the Indian government.

Important Elements of the Policy:

• The blue economy was listed as one of the 10 key areas for national growth.
• It stresses policies in a number of important sectors in order to accomplish the overall growth of India's economy.
• The following 7 thematic areas are acknowledged:
• National accounting framework for ocean governance and the blue economy.
• Tourism and coastal marine planning.
• aquaculture, fish processing, and marine fisheries.
• Creating things, developing new industries, trading, using technology, using services, and developing skills.

Way Forward

• Governments, NGOs, and the corporate sector should work together to increase awareness of the benefits of blue foods and their capacity to solve malnutrition, poverty, and environmental degradation.

Promotion of Aquaculture:

• Aquaculture can be a practical way to produce blue foods when done ethically and responsibly. By offering technical help, education, and incentives, governments can encourage the development of sustainable aquaculture techniques.
• Small-scale fishers are highly diversified and play a significant role in the world's seafood industry. Small-scale fishers must therefore be supported if blue food systems are to be produced sustainably.

Mad Cow Disease

• After a case of Mad Cow Disease was identified in the northern state of Para, Brazil has stopped exporting beef to China.

Mad Cow Disease: What Is It?

• Commonly known as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), this lethal virus affects the adult cattle's central nervous system and is degenerative, contagious, slowly progressing, and fatal.

Causes:

• A prion protein, which is typically located on cell surfaces, is what causes BSE when it transforms into a dangerous, aberrant form.

• The brain and spinal cord's nervous system tissue is destroyed by these proteins after they are changed.
• The aberrant prion is completely unknown to the ill cow's body. The disease cannot be fought off by the cow's body if it is unaware that it is there.

Transmission:

• A cow contracts BSE after consuming feed tainted with animal byproducts from another cow that has the disease.

Symptoms:

• Incoordination is a typical symptom of BSE in cows. A sick cow has problems standing and walking, and she could also act agitated or aggressively.
• It usually takes four to six years from the time a cow is infected with the abnormal prion to when it first shows symptoms of BSE. This is called the incubation period. During the incubation period, there is no way to tell that a cow has BSE by looking at it.
• A cow usually succumbs to the illness within two weeks to six months of first exhibiting signs.
• BSE has no known cure, and there is no vaccine to protect against it.

INS Sindhukesari in Indonesia

• The Kilo class conventional submarine of the Indian Navy, INS Sindhukesari, has docked in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the first time.
• An Indian Navy Kilo class conventional submarine, INS Sindhukesari, made its first port call in Jakarta, Indonesia, from February 22 to 24, 2023, as part of the region's growing military relations.
• It crossed the Sunda Strait and made its first docking attempt in Indonesia for an operational turnaround (OTR).

Evolution:

• India's Look East Strategy was established in 1992 with the primary goal of reuniting India with its neighbours in South East Asia on an economic and cultural level.
• Increasing trade connections have led to the relationship's extension into the fields of security and defense.
• When Act East Policy was implemented in 2014, the relationship, which had initially been purely political and economic, had taken on a strategic component.

What is the Indian Navy's current conventional submarine strength?

• The Indian Navy currently operates 16 conventional submarines, including 5 French Scorpene class submarines, 4 German HDW submarines, and 7 Soviet Kilo-class submarines.
• A Medium Refit cum Life Certification (MRLC) program is being implemented to extend the lifespan of the Kilos and HDWs, which are aging.
• In 2018, the MRLC was performed at Severodvinsk, Russia, on the INS Sindhukesari, which had been commissioned in February 1989.
• Sindhurakshak was lost in an accident, Sindhuvir was transferred to Myanmar, and Sindhudhvaj was retired in July 2020 after 35 years of service out of the original 10 Kilo class submarines purchased from Russia.
• In the meantime, the INS Sindhukirti of the Kilo class arrived at Visakhapatnam's Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL).

India’s exercises with Asian countries:

• Institutional measures, joint exercises, training exchanges, and the provision of defense equipment are the main categories of defense cooperation with ASEAN nations.

Exchanges Of Training and Joint Exercises:

• India conducts combined naval drills with ASEAN nations like Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Bilateral Training:

• India undertakes IND-INDO CORPAT and IND-INDO BILAT with Indonesia.
• India conducts Exercise Table Top with Malaysia.
• India manages IMCOR with Myanmar
• India undertakes SIMBEX Multi-Lateral Exercises with Singapore.

India takes part in the subsequent multilateral exercises.

• Brunei's Multilateral Exercise =ADMM+ Exercise
• Indonesia's KOMODO multilateral exercise and
• India's MILAN multilateral exercise

Defence Exports:

• South East Asian nations received at least half of India's defense exports between 2017 and 2021.
• Recent transactions like the $375 million sale of Brahmos missiles between India and the Philippines, as well as the sale of a remote-controlled air defense station to Myanmar for $600,000, portray India as a dependable security provider for the countries of South East Asia.

India ASEAN Co-Operation :

Checks Chinese Dominance: India will be in a better position against the backdrop of China's advancements in the South China Sea if there is maritime cooperation in terms of connectivity, safety, and security.

Indo-Pacific and Act East Policy:

• With ASEAN at its center, the Indo-Pacific region is a connected geographical region.
• The Indo-Pacific Market for India's Defense Exports is fundamentally built on openness, inclusivity, rules-based order, freedom of navigation, and peaceful resolution of disputes, according to both ASEAN and India.
• India has experienced a 334 percent increase in its defence exports over the previous five years, and south east Asian countries are a significant market for our goods.

What is INS Sindhukesari?

• The Sindhughosh-class submarines are constructed in Russia and include INS Sindhukesari.
• Before being renovated in 2018, the submarine was initially commissioned by the Indian Navy in 1989.
• Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines are Sindhughosh class submarines. The submarines can carry 3,000 tonnes of weight.

Way Forward

• Up till this point, India has pursued both bilateral and multilateral collaboration with ASEAN nations.
• India ought to look into possibilities for developing trilateral cooperation on defense and strategic concerns.