Acid Attacks in India

• The horrible crime of acid attacks and the accessibility of corrosive substances have once again come into the spotlight following a recent attack on a 17-year-old girl in Delhi using an acid-like substance.

The scenario of acid attacks in India:

• The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports that 150 of these cases were documented in 2019, 105 in 2020, and 102 in 2021.
• The biggest number of these instances are consistently reported in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, which account for close to 50% of all cases in the nation on an annual basis.
• In 2019, 83% of acid assault cases resulted in charges, and 54% of those cases resulted in convictions.
• The numbers were 86% and 72%, respectively, in 2020. The numbers were reported to be 89% and 20%, respectively, in 2021.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) advised all states to speed up prosecution in acid attack cases in order to achieve prompt justice.

Initiatives to deal with acid attack in India:

Law on Acid Attack:

• Prior to 2013, acid attacks were not considered a distinct offence.
• Following minor changes, acid assaults were moved to a distinct section (326A) of the IPC in 2013.

Penalty:

• A fine and a minimum term of ten years in jail, with a potential life sentence.
• Punishment for failing to provide victims with care or for police personnel who refuse to file a report or record any evidence.
• Dereliction of duty by a police officer is punishable by jail for up to two years, while denial of treatment (by both public and private institutions) is punishable by up to one year in prison.

Compensation and care for victims:

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) urged States to ensure that acid attack victims receive compensation of at least Rs. 3 lakhs from the respective State Government/Union Territory as the expense of aftercare and rehabilitation in accordance with Supreme Court orders.
• The care of acid attack victims in any hospital—public or private—is expected to be offered without charge by the state.
• The victim will only receive Rs. 1 lakh in compensation; the expense of medical care will not be covered.

Regulation on the sale of acid:

• In 2013, the Supreme Court issued an order regulating the trade of caustic substances after taking notice of acid attacks.

Model rules for possession and sale of poisons 2013:

• The MHA created the Rules under The Poisons Act, 1919 based on the ruling and made a recommendation to the states on how to control acid sales.
• Given that states had jurisdiction over the issue, it requested that they develop their own regulations based on model regulations.
• Acid sales over the counter are prohibited unless the seller has a logbook or register documenting the sales.
• The information of the person to whom acid is supplied, the amount sold, the person's address, and the justification for obtaining acid were all to be recorded in this notebook.
• Additionally, the buyer must present a government-issued photo ID with his address on it before the sale can proceed.
• Additionally, the purchaser must provide documentation proving that they are older than 18 years old.
• Sellers must notify the competent Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of all acid stock declarations within 15 days and in the event of unreported acid stock.
• For a violation of any of the instructions, the SDM has the authority to seize the stock and, if necessary, impose a fine of up to Rs 50,000.
• According to the regulations, all educational institutions, research facilities, hospitals, government agencies, and departments of PSUs that must hold and store acid are required to keep an acid usage log and submit it to the relevant SDM.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) advice:

• MHA issued a warning to all states in 2015 to quicken the criminal justice process in cases of acid assaults.
• MHA again advised all States and UTs to assess and make sure that the retail sale of acids and chemicals is properly regulated in accordance with the Poison Rules in order to prevent these from being used in crime in August 2021.

Way Forward

• Taking the Pledge to Leave No One Behind The fulfilment of women's and girls' human rights as well as equality, progress, and peace continue to be hampered by violence against women.
• Overall, ending violence against women and girls is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to "leave no one behind."
• Holistic Strategy: A court of law cannot settle crimes against women on its own. What is need is a comprehensive strategy that transforms the entire ecology.
• Participation: All parties involved—lawmakers, police, forensic investigators, prosecutors, judges, medical & health officials, NGOs, and rehabilitation facilities—must band together.

Genome Sequencing

• The banyan (Ficus benghalensis) and peepal (Ficus religiosa) whole genomes were recently sequenced by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal using leaf tissue samples.
• The research assisted in the identification of 17 genes for the banyan and 19 genes for the peepal with multiple signals of adaptive evolution (MSA), which are essential for the long-term survival of these two Ficus species.

What is Whole genome sequencing?

• The nucleotide bases adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G) make up the genetic code, or genome, that is unique to each and every living thing (G).
• Knowing the order of the bases in an organism allows one to identify the distinctive Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) fingerprint or pattern.
• Sequencing is the process of establishing the order of bases.
• An organism's genome's base order can be determined in one step via a laboratory approach called whole genome sequencing.

Methodology:

• The first step in DNA shearing is to cut the DNA, which is made up of millions of bases (As, Cs, Ts, and Gs), into manageable bits that can be read by a sequencing machine.
• DNA bar coding: To identify which fragment of sheared DNA belongs to particular bacteria, researchers add tiny pieces of DNA tags, or bar codes.
• This is comparable to how a grocery store's bar code identifies a product.
• DNA sequencing: A DNA sequencer is used to read the bar-coded DNA from several different microorganisms.
• Each bacterial sequence's A, C, T, and G bases, or building blocks, are identified by the sequencer.
• To keep track of which bases belong to which bacteria, the sequencer uses the bar code.
• Data analysis: To compare sequences from various bacteria and spot discrepancies, scientists employ computer analysis techniques.
• How similar the bacteria are to one another and how likely it is that they are associated with the same outbreak can be determined by the amount of differences.

Advantages:

• Gives a base-by-base, high-resolution image of the genome
• Captures both large and small variations that targeted techniques could overlook
• Identifies probable causal variations for additional research on the processes governing gene expression and regulation.
• Delivers substantial amounts of data quickly to aid in the construction of new genomes
• Meaning: Understanding the mutations that cause cancer to progress and tracking disease outbreaks have all been made possible thanks to genomic knowledge.
• It is useful for sequencing animals, plants, or disease-related bacteria that are significant in agriculture.

Genome: What is it?

• The term "genome" refers to all of an organism's genetic material. The human genome is largely the same in every person, but a very small portion of their DNA does differ from person to person.
• Each organism's DNA, which makes up the fundamental elements of life, has its genetic code.
• James Watson and Francis Crick's 1953 discovery that DNA is organised as a "double helix" sparked an investigation into how genes control life, its characteristics, and the development of diseases.
• Every piece of knowledge required to create and sustain that organism is contained in each genome.
• More than 3 billion DNA base pairs make up a human's whole genome copy.

Scramjet Engine

The Hot Test of the Scramjet Engine was just successfully completed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).

What is Scramjet Engine?

• A scramjet, also known as a supersonic-combustion ramjet, is a type of ramjet engine where the airflow remains supersonic, or faster than the speed of sound.
• A scramjet lacks a shock cone and instead slows the airflow utilising shockwaves generated by its ignition source.
• As a result, the scramjet can run efficiently at very high speeds.
• Vehicles powered by scramjets are expected to travel at least as fast as Mach 15.

Air Breathing Engines:

• In order to burn fuel, an engine that breathes air from its surroundings is said to be "air-breathing."
• All practical internal combustion engines for air breathing directly heat the air by burning fuel, and the hot gases that are produced are then employed for propulsion through a propelling nozzle.
• Air is continuously pumped via the air-breathing engine. Compressed air is combined with gasoline, ignited, and released as exhaust gas.
• A typical air-breathing engine produces thrust that is around eight times larger than its weight.
• The working gases are ejected from the exhaust nozzle, producing the thrust.

Types:

• Ramjet: Ramjets are a type of air-breathing jet engine that compresses incoming air for combustion without the use of a revolving compressor.
• Scramjet: Compared to ramjet engines, scramjet engines work more effectively at hypersonic speeds and enable supersonic combustion.

Ramjet vs. Scramjet: Differences

• Ramjets with supersonic combustion are known as scramjets. Ordinary ramjets slow the air to subsonic speeds prior to combustion, while a scramjet does not do this.
• Ramjets have a theoretical velocity range of 1 to 6 Mach, while Scramjets have a theoretical range of 12 to 24 Mach.
• Ramjets and scramjets require significant airflow to begin producing thrust; they are unable to do so at zero velocity.
• Ramjets don't have the same particular impulse as scramjets.
• Ramjet has more efficiency and operability due to subsonic combustion than Scramjet, which has a lower efficiency due to supersonic combustion.