WHO – IRCH Workshop on Herbal Medicine Safety and Regulations

Context: India will host the WHO–International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH) workshop from August 6 to 8.

• Organised by: The Ministry of Ayush in collaboration with WHO and supported by the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H).

Objectives of the Workshop

• Global Collaboration: To foster international cooperation and technical exchange in herbal medicine regulation.
• Regulatory Convergence: Support alignment of regulatory practices across countries.
• Safety & Efficacy: Enhance safety mechanisms and efficacy evaluation of traditional medicines.
• System Empowerment: Promote the global acceptance and empowerment of traditional medicine systems.
• Focused Sessions: Includes discussions on pre-clinical research, regulatory frameworks, and safety case studies, with special attention to Ashwagandha.

Ashwagandha: Medicinal plant that reduces stress, boosts immunity, and supports overall vitality.

Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H)

• Established in  2020 under the Ministry of Ayush.
• Develops Pharmacopoeial Standards for Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathy (ASU&H) drugs.
• Acts as a Central Drug Testing cum Appellate Laboratory for ASU&H systems.
• Formed by merging
  • Pharmacopoeia Commission of Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H)
  • Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM), Ghaziabad
  • Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL)

Tobacco Board

Context: The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is not implementing any programme or scheme for promotion of tobacco or tobacco cultivation in the country.

Tobacco Board

• Established: 1st January 1976 under Section 4 of the Tobacco Board Act, 1975.
• Headquarters: Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry
• Key Functions:
• • Development and regulation of the tobacco industry in India.
  • Promotion of exports of all types of tobacco and related products.
  • Regulation of production and distribution of Flue Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco for both domestic use and export.

What is curing?

Curing standardizes harvested tobacco by removing moisture and enhancing desired leaf qualities for market.

• Air-Cured: Leaves are dried naturally in the open air.
• Fire-Cured: Leaves are exposed to smoke and heat during the drying process.
• Flue Cured

Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) 

• FCV Tobacco is a type of tobacco that undergoes a specific curing process to achieve its desirable qualities.
• Grown during kharif as rainfed crop predominantly on red sandy loam soils.
• Primarily used for cigarette production.
• It contains a higher sugar content.
• It has medium to high levels of nicotine.
• Mainly produced in India in 2 states, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
• The FCV tobacco cultivated in Karnataka Light Soils is known as ‘Mysore style tobacco’

India’s Global Position in Tobacco Sector

• 2nd largest producer of tobacco globally (after China).
• 4th largest producer of Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco (after China, Brazil, Zimbabwe).
• 2nd largest exporter of unmanufactured tobacco (in quantity terms) after Brazil.

Eighty Years on from Hiroshima

Context: Hiroshima Day (6th August) marks the 80th Anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, one of the darkest events in world and human history.

More on News: Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and Fat Man on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.

Hibakusha

• Hibakusha is a Japanese term meaning “bomb-affected people“, referring to survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
• Nijū Hibakusha refers to the double survivors — over 160 individuals who were exposed to both bombings.
• Nihon Hidankyo, a Japan-based organization promoting nuclear disarmament, preserves the testimonies and memories of Hibakusha—the survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings.
• It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 for its efforts.

Leap-1 Satellite Mission

Context: Dhruva Space, an Indian space-tech company, is set to launch LEAP-1, its first commercial satellite mission, aboard SpaceX’s Falcon-9.

About LEAP-1 Mission

• Indigenous Technology: LEAP-1 is built on the P-30 satellite platform, developed in-house by Dhruva Space and space-qualified during ISRO’s LEAP-TD mission on PSLV-C58 in January 2024.
• Collaboration: The mission will be launched using the SpaceX Falcon 9, highlighting Indo-Australian-American cooperation in commercial space deployment.
• Mission Objective: Marks Dhruva Space’s transition from tech demonstrations to operational, customer-driven payload hosting, establishing its presence in the global commercial satellite market.

Payloads Onboard

• Nexus-01 by Akula Tech:

• • • Carries an AI/ML-enabled module with real-time data processing and model re-training capabilities.
    • Applications include fire detection, spectral analysis, and adaptive Earth observation based on live sensor inputs.

• OTR-2 by Esper Satellites: 

• • Features an advanced hyperspectral imager, offering high-resolution Earth data via the EarthTones API.
  • Supports sectors like agriculture, defense, mining, and environmental monitoring.

Mission Capabilities

• Ground Station-as-a-Service (GSaaS): Dhruva provides GSaaS for ground support and satellite tracking.
• Integrated Space Operations & Command Suite (ISOCS): Ensures real-time mission control and data downlinking, streamlining operations for hosted payload clients.

Strategic Significance

• Global Positioning: LEAP-1 is a strategic milestone that positions Dhruva Space as a global player in hosted payload solutions, competing in the high-value space applications market.
• Symbolic Synergy: Represents the tripartite collaboration between India, Australia, and the USA, with motifs for AI, hyperspectral Earth imaging, and space heritage.

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