16th March

Look Everywhere

The article talks about the danger Indian defense industry faces with it’s over reliance on Russia for defense equipments. Quality issues are major concern. The current competition to Russia from US and Israel demands free market for the defense industry. 

As Russia plans to retire its fleet of MiG-29 aircrafts due to structural defects and found several of them unsafe to fly, it poses a danger for India who relies on Russia for most of its defense equipments like Brahmos and T-90 tanks and aircrafts like MiG-29, 23 and 21. In fact India is planning to procure 45 more aircrafts besides the 60 its operating presently. It’s time now for India to diversify its defense equipment sourcing. Russia is facing serious issues with respect to quality, capabilities, capacities, contract deadline overruns and costs. The R&D is of 1970s and 1980s time. With India planning to upgrade its defense technology, it cannot happen with Russia being the primary supplier. In monetary terms, Israel is its largest defense supplier with US and European countries bidding fiercely as well. Private and foreign investment would give boost to the much needed structural changes in the defense industry. 

However, this doesn’t mean that we should cut the defense ties with Russia altogether which is neither feasible nor necessary. But at the same time we need to modernize our defense technology with the help of US and Europe which could also give us a good bargaining power with Russia. 

Aye for Science

The article talks about the new policy announcement made by the US President Barack Obama that allowed Federal funding to the stem cell research currently undergoing to cure several human diseases. 

The ban, which was renewed every year since 1996, has been revoked this year. Stem cells are the undefined cells in adults; found in embryos and umbilical cord blood. It can grow into any tissue. It is particularly the embryonic stem cells that have greater ability to virtually grow in any part of the body. It has potential to cure diseases like leukemia, Alzeimer’s, Parkinson’s, spinal cord and cardiac diseases. They are controversial because embryos are discarded once the cells are extracted from them. However, these days, due to rise in infertility treatments and people opting for assisted reproductive techniques, fertility clinic are flooded with greater number of embryos that they require. These embryos could be used of research rather then developing the new ones. 

Another objection is the use of stem cells for human reproductive cloning. US and several other countries have prohibited it. Even in India, the ICMR has laid strict guidelines for stem cell research. Cord blood banks are encouraged which might circumvent the need to source cells from embryos. The US policy change might be crucial to the stem cell research globally.