1. Two Indian military aircraft visit Australia’s strategic Cocos Islands

The planes were at Cocos Island for a week, which can be an important base for refuelling and operational turnaround for Indian armed forces; India aims to increase its military-to-military engagement, deepening interoperability in the region

Expanding the strategic reach of the Indian military and improving interoperability with Australia, an Indian Navy Dornier maritime patrol aircraft and an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130 transport aircraft visited Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI) in the Southern Indian Ocean, close to Indonesia and strategic maritime choke points earlier this month, diplomatic and official sources confirmed.

“Cocos can be an important base for refuelling and operational turnaround for the Indian military, especially once the runway there is expanded to accommodate large aircraft like the P-8 long range maritime patrol aircraft,” an official source said, while confirming the visit by the Dornier and C-130 aircraft. According to diplomatic sources, the aircraft were at Cocos for close to a week. Neither the Navy nor the IAF responded to questions from The Hindu.

In a July 7 article published by The Strategist,the commentary and analysis site of Canberra-based think tank, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, David Brewster and Samuel Bashfield wrote that this week, several aircraft from the Indian Navy and the IAF made a “ground-breaking visit” to Australia’s CKI.

“This week’s visit by Indian Navy Dornier maritime patrol aircraft and a C-130 Hercules from the IAF effectively elevates the Cocos Islands as a staging point for Australian and Indian air surveillance of the maritime choke points through Southeast Asia and the entire eastern Indian Ocean,” they wrote in the article titled ‘Indian aircraft visit Cocos Islands as Australia strengthens its maritime security network’. “The visit represents an important step in the bilateral relationship as the two countries increasingly give each other access to their military facilities in the Indian Ocean,” they added.

This is the latest in a series of India’s growing military-to-military engagements, deepening interoperability broadly in the region and especially with Australia. In February, in another first, an Indian Navy Kilo class conventional submarine, INS Sindhukesari, which was on operational deployment, travelled through the Sunda Strait and docked in Jakarta, Indonesia for operational turnaround.

Even before the Indian military reached there, Cocos Islands had been a point of cooperation between the space agencies of the two countries for India’s Gaganyaan human space flight mission. Australia’s active support in establishing a temporary ground station at CKI for the Gaganyaan missions, and potential opportunities for cooperation in earth observation, satellite navigation, space situational awareness, weather and climate studies using satellite data, were the highlights of the discussion, an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) statement had said during the visit of Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency (ASA) to the ISRO’s headquarters in September 2022.

According to reports in the Australian media, the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) plans to upgrade the runway for handling larger military aircraft to use as a forward operating base have been delayed by a significant escalation in the cost of the proposed plan.

According to the ADF, due to insufficient length and strength of the existing airfield pavement at CKI, large defence aircraft are unable to operate out of there. “Subject to Parliamentary approval, works are expected to commence in late 2023, with construction to commence in late 2024. All works are forecast to be complete by early 2026,” the ADF website states on the proposed expansion. The scope of the project has been increased to include a 150-metre runway extension and additional supporting infrastructure, according to a spokesperson of the ADF.

India’s access to CKI and Christmas Island, which is even closer to the strategic choke points, has been under discussion for a while. A turnaround from either of the islands would significantly enhance the on-station time of the Indian Navy’s P-8Is to monitor movements into the Indian Ocean, especially by China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, whose forays into the region have significantly gone up in recent years.

2. PSLV puts 7 satellites in orbit; four more missions this year

The primary satellite DS-SAR was sponsored by the Government of Singapore; to reduce space debris, PS4 stage brought to a lower orbit so that it re-enters atmosphere in less than two months

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday successfully launched the PSLV-C56 carrying Singapore’s DS-SAR and six other satellites.

The rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 6.31 a.m.

“PSLV-C56 carrying seven satellites including the primary satellite DS-SAR and six co-passengers has been successfully placed in the right orbit. This is a PSLV mission for New Space India Limited [NSIL] and I want to congratulate the customers sponsored by the Government of Singapore for having this mission onboard PSLV and their continued faith in our launch vehicle for deploying their spacecraft,” ISRO Chairman S. Somnath said.

The DS-SAR satellite is developed under a partnership between the DSTA (representing the Government of Singapore) and ST Engineering.

Co-passengers

The co-passengers on the missions were VELOX-AM, a 23-kg technology demonstration microsatellite; Atmospheric Coupling and Dynamics Explorer (ARCADE), an experimental satellite; SCOOB-II, a 3U nanosatellite flying a technology demonstrator payload; NuLIoN by NuSpace, an advanced 3U nanosatellite enabling seamless IoT connectivity in both urban and remote locations; Galassia-2, a 3U nanosatellite that will be orbiting on a low-earth orbit; and ORB-12 STRIDER, a satellite developed under an international collaboration.

After the launcher placed all the seven satellites into a 535-km circular orbit, the PS4 stage was brought back to a lower orbit of 295 km x 300 km.

“The stage is purposefully manoeuvred to a 295 km x 300 km orbit. It now spends significantly less time in space, reducing its duration from over two decades to less than two months, before re-entering the earth’s atmosphere.

“ISRO and India remain committed to reduced space debris and sustainable use of space for the benefit of all,” the space agency said after the PS4 stage de-orbiting experiment.

Mr. Somnath said ISRO was set to launch four more missions this year which included another PSLV mission in August or early September.

3. Hurdles to overcome before becoming ‘Digital India’

While digital transactions have increased substantially, India’s performance is unimpressive compared to that of other developing countries

The digital payments system in India has grown significantly in recent years. Every neighbourhood kirana store now has a QR code scanner. Has the United Payments Interface (UPI) revolutionised how Indians carry out economic transactions? Has the popularity and ease of digital transactions brought about financial inclusion across the country? Where does India stand vis-à-vis other countries?

Modes of payment

Since the introduction of UPI in 2016, transactions in this mode have grown in value and volume. It has been well documented that demonetisation in November 2016 and the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 were major push factors for the widespread adoption of digital payments. From June 2021 to April 2023, UPI payments grew at an average monthly rate of 6%. The corresponding figures for NEFT, IMPS, and debit card payments was 3%, 3%, and 1.5%, respectively. This indicates that the popularity of UPI increased at a faster rate than all other modes of payment.

The share of UPI payments in the total value of digital retail payments in the country increased from less than 20% in mid-2021 to about 27% in March 2023 (Chart 1). Conversely, the share of NEFT transactions saw a decline of about 10 points (from 64% to less than 54%) over the same period. The share of IMPS remained relatively stable (about 9%). While the share of debit card payments and prepaid payments recorded a decline, their combined share did not exceed 2.5% of the overall digital retail transactions. This suggests that that the increasing share of UPI payments has come mainly at the cost of NEFT transactions. This might be because both UPI and IMPS are real-time payment settlement systems unlike NEFT.

Financial inclusion

It is to be expected that the increasing popularity of UPI-based payments would play an important role in improving financial inclusion. The first step towards financial inclusion is to have a bank account. At first glance, it seems like India has made significant progress on this front. According to the World Bank Global Findex Survey, while 53% of the population had bank accounts in 2014, 80% of the population had bank accounts in 2017 and 2021. However, a closer look at the data reveals that of those with bank accounts, 38% have inactive accounts. India has the highest share of inactive accounts in the world compared to all the other countries in the database. This might be an outcome of the push for Jan Dhan accounts. Zero-balance accounts were opened to meet official targets, but have been lying dormant since then. More women than men have inactive accounts (32% versus 23%). While there is no urban-rural divide or income group divide in the possession of bank accounts, differences are evident when we consider the share of inactive accounts. While 31% of the population in rural areas have an inactive account, the share in urban areas is 23%. Similarly, if we consider the poorest 40% of Indians, 35% of them have inactive bank accounts, whereas the corresponding figure for the richest 60% of the population is 22%.

While the popularity of UPI has increased substantially in recent years, only 35% of the population reported carrying out any digital transaction (making or receiving a payment) in 2021. While this was an improvement from previous years (22% in 2014 and 29% in 2017), India’s figures are unimpressive when compared to the average of 57% for all developing countries and the world average of 64%.

Although digital transactions have grown in value and volume, their growth has not been equal. There is a sharp gender gap in digital transactions. While 41% of the male population carried out any digital transaction in 2021, the corresponding figure among women was only 28% (Chart 2).

Not only are these figures low to begin with, but the significant difference of 13 points between men and women is high when compared to most countries including Vietnam (48% of men and 44% of women), Brazil (80% of men and 73% of women), China (87% of men and 85% of women) and Kenya (82% of men and 74% of women), which are at comparable stages of development as India. India’s figures are also lower overall compared to the figures in these countries. Although Bangladesh reported a greater gender gap, its statistics (58% of men and 34% of women) are higher than India’s.

If we look at the rural-urban gap in digital payments, India again stands out when compared to countries such as Bangladesh and Kenya. Only 30% of Indians in rural areas made or received any digital payment in 2021 as opposed to 40% in urban areas. This again indicates that a substantial share of the population has been bypassed. There was no rural-urban divide in Bangladesh (both rural and urban figures were 45%). In Kenya, 74% of the rural population carried out digital transactions, while the corresponding figure in urban areas was 87%. While there was a significant digital divide between urban and rural areas in Kenya, the fact that more than 70% of the population was a part of the digital payments ecosystem is impressive. Therefore, while India has made big strides, it still has a long way to go in becoming ‘Digital India’.

4. Railways to study route viability for introducing Vande Bharat trains

Senior railway officials will conduct a survey along potential routes to analyse the existing train or bus services, and give their recommendations on introducing the premium Vande Bharat Express, the Centre has said.

The Railway Ministry has directed Chief Passenger Transportation Managers of Zonal Railways across the network to identify viable Origin-Destination (OD) pairs based on demand. Venues such as tourist destinations, IT hubs, business centres, and State or district headquarters could be considered.

For the introduction of Vande Bharat trains, senior railway officers were instructed to identify OD routes, particularly chair car segment, and compile information regarding number of trains or buses being currently operated on the route, comparison of fare, travel time of road and rail sector, availability of maintenance facility, and so on, sources in the railways said.

Proposals on routes that have the potential to operate Vande Bharat trains would be sent to the Railway Board. While basic infrastructure such as maintenance facilities, catering, platforms would already be available, the railways would have to ensure safety in terms of trespass and other obstacles since Vande Bharat is operated at a speed of 130 kmph on certain sections.

“Soon after the launch of the modified Vande Bharat trains last year, there were instances of cattle hits resulting in damage to the nose panel of the train-set. This is a semi-high speed train and fencing on either side of the track is essential to prevent accidents,” a senior railway officer said.

A policy decision had been taken to fence tracks where trains are operated at a speed of 130 kmph.

Innovative fencing

The Zonal Railways were permitted to try various innovative solutions apart from the methods suggested by the Railway Board. Use of steel fencing using w-beam up to 100 km length was permitted on the New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah routes planned for a speed of 160 kmph. Based on the feedback on the performance of steel fencing using w-beam, it was decided to install such fencing in other zones.

5. Cell-free DNA promises to transform how we find diseases in advance

One of the most widely used applications of cfDNA has been in screening foetuses for specific chromosomal abnormalities, an application known as non-invasive prenatal testing. The application stems from one of the first reports of cfDNA in pregnancies, published in The Lancet in August 1997

VINOD SCARIA SRIDHAR SIVASUBBU

In the human body, most of the DNA in a genome is neatly packed inside cells with the help of specific proteins, protecting it from being degraded. However, in a variety of scenarios,some fragments of DNA are ‘released’ from their containers and are present outside the cell, in body fluids. These small fragments of nucleic acids are widely known as cell-free DNA (cfDNA).

Scientists have been aware of such degraded fragments of nucleic acids in body fluids since 1948. But only in the last two decades or so, since genome sequencing technologies started to become more accessible, have they really figured out what to do with that knowledge.

A useful tool

cfDNA can be generated and released from a cell in a number of possible situations, including when a cell is dying and the nucleic acids become degraded. Since an array of processes modulates the degradation, the amount, size, and source of the cfDNA can vary across a range as well.

In addition, the release of cfDNA could occur together with a variety of processes, including those required for normal development, those related to the development of certain cancers, and those associated with several other diseases. One of the initial reports of the levels of cfDNA in diseases came from studies that were taking a closer look at an autoimmune disease: systemic lupus erythematosus – where the body’s own immune system attacks specific cells.

So it is not surprising that researchers around the world are increasingly finding cfDNA to be a useful tool to understand human diseases and to use the knowledge to improve diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis.

Checking the baby

By far, one of the most widely used applications of cfDNA has been in screening foetuses for specific chromosomal abnormalities, an application known as non-invasive prenatal testing. The application stems from one of the first reports of cfDNA in pregnancies, published in The Lancet in August 1997. The availability of affordable genome-sequencing approaches will allow clinicians to sequence cfDNA fragments that correspond to foetal DNA. They can then use it to understand specific chromosomal abnormalities that involve changes in the chromosomal copy number. Such changes can lead to conditions such as Down’s syndrome, which is due to a change in chromosome 21 (there are three copies of chromosome 21 in place of two, so it is also called trisomy 21).

As a result, thanks to a cfDNA-based technique, clinicians can now screen mothers from a few millilitres of blood, obtained after nine or ten weeks of pregnancy, to ensure the developing foetus is devoid of such chromosomal abnormalities.

The test is almost 99% accurate for trisomy 21 or Down’s syndrome and a bit less so for other common trisomies (of chromosomes 13 and 18).

Screening for such abnormalities before the genome-sequencing era would have entailed inserting a fine needle into the body to retrieve the amniotic fluid and cells covering the developing foetus, and analysing them in the lab. This method carries risks to both the foetus and the mother.

It is, therefore, not surprising that the cfDNA-based approach has now become the mainstay for screening high-risk pregnancies.

That said, the test is not without its limitations – which means a positive test result on a cfDNA test should always be followed up with a confirmation test.

Catching a cancer

Another emerging application of cfDNA is in the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers.

Last month, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Centre, Maryland, reported developing a new test they have dubbed ‘Genome-wide Mutational Incidence for Non-Invasive detection of cancer’, or ‘GEMINI’. They adopted a whole-genome-sequencing approach to cfDNA extracted from patients.

Specifically, the researchers examined a type of genetic mutation that, when combined with machine-learning approaches, could provide a way to detect cancer early. Using a particular machine-learning model, some genomic data, and data from a computed tomography (CT) scan, the researchers could successfully detect lung cancer – including those with early stage disease – in more than the 90% of the 89 people they studied.

The team also found that it could replicate the findings using cfDNA derived from a prospective observational cohort of over 300 individuals who were at high risk of developing lung cancer. They found that combining the new approach with the existing approaches could significantly enhance their ability to detect cancers early.

The researchers also identified seven individuals who did not have cancer but had a high chance of developing it – and subsequently did so 231 to 1,868 days after the initial test.

The team’s findings were published in the journal Nature Genetics.

Almost infinite applications

There are a number of emerging applications of cfDNA, including in understanding why a body is rejecting a transplanted organ. Here, some cfDNA obtained from the donor of the organ – called donor-derived cfDNA, dd-cfDNA – could provide an early yet accurate estimate of how well the organ is being taken up. This is an attractive proposition because changes in the levels of cfDNA in the blood would precede any biochemical or molecular markers that researchers currently use as a proxy for organ acceptance. That is, the cfDNA could send a signal earlier than other markers if something is going to go wrong.

Indeed, cfDNA seems to have an almost infinite number of applications, especially as nucleic-acid sequencing becomes rapidly democratised and finds more applications of its own in clinical settings. There have already been some reports suggesting that cfDNA could be used as a biomarker for neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, neuronal tumours, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and even metabolic disorders such as type-2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

In a true sense, cfDNA genomics promises to set us on the path of more effective disease-screening and early diagnosis, and on course for a healthy world.