Functioning of the National Investigation Agency (NIA)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe into the terrible beheading of a person in Udaipur by Jihadi radicalists.

What is the NIA?

Headquartered in Delhi, the NIA has its branches in Hyderabad, Guwahati, Kochi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Kolkata, Raipur, Jammu, Chandigarh, Ranchi, Chennai, Imphal, Bengaluru and Patna.

It is a central agency mandated to investigate all the offences affecting:

Sovereignty, security and integrity of India

Friendly relations with foreign states

Offences under the statutory laws enacted to implement international treaties, agreements, conventions and resolutions of the United Nations, its agencies and other international organisations

The offense include terror acts and their possible links with crimes like smuggling of arms, drugs and fake Indian currency and infiltration from across the borders.

The agency has the power to search, seize, arrest and prosecute those involved in such offences.

When did the NIA come into being?

In the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack in November 2008, which shocked the entire world, the then United Progressive Alliance government decided to establish the NIA.

In December 2008, former Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram introduced the National Investigation Agency Bill.

The agency would deal with only eight laws mentioned in the schedule and that a balance had been struck between the right of the State and duties of the Central government to investigate the more important cases.

The agency came into existence on December 31, 2008, and started its functioning in 2009.

Till date, the NIA has registered 447 cases.

What are the scheduled offences?

The list includes the

Explosive Substances Act,

Atomic Energy Act,

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act,

Anti-Hijacking Act,

Suppression of Unlawful Acts against Safety of Civil Aviation Act,

SAARC Convention (Suppression of Terrorism) Act,

Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Maritime Navigation and Fixed Platforms on Continental Shelf Act,

Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act and

Relevant offences under the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act and

Information Technology Act

In September 2020, the Centre empowered the NIA to also probe offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act that are connected to terror cases.

How wide is NIA’s jurisdiction?

The law under which the agency operates extends to the whole of India.

It also applies to:

Indian citizens outside the country;

Persons in the service of the government wherever they are posted;

Persons on ships and aircraft registered in India wherever they may be;

Persons who commit a scheduled offence beyond India against the Indian citizen or affecting the interest of India.

How does the NIA take up a probe?

As provided under Section 6 of the Act, State governments can refer the cases pertaining to the scheduled offences registered at any police station to the Central government (Union Home Ministry) for NIA investigation.

After assessing the details made available, the Centre can then direct the agency to take over the case.

State governments are required to extend all assistance to the NIA.

Even when the Central government is of the opinion that a scheduled offence has been committed which is required to be investigated under the Act, it may, suo motu, direct the agency to take up/over the probe.

100 years of Rampa or Manyam Rebellion

Hundred years ago, in August 1922 the “Rampa Rebellion” or “Manyam Rebellion” took place in the forests of the Godavari Agency in the Madras Presidency.

Rampa Rebellion

The Rampa Rebellion of 1922, also known as the Manyam Rebellion, was a tribal uprising led by Alluri Sitarama Raju in Godavari Agency.

It began in August 1922 and lasted until the capture and killing of Raju in May 1924.

Forced labour, embargoes on collecting minor forest produce and bans on tribal agriculture practices led to severe distress among the Koyas in the area.

Sitarama Raju did not belong to the tribal community, but understood the restrictions that the British colonial administration placed on the tribal way of life.

Background of the revolt

The Rampa administrative area comprised around 1,800 square km and had a mostly tribal population of approximately 28,000.

They had traditionally been able to support their food requirements through the use, in particular, of the podu system, whereby each year some areas of jungle forest were burned to clear land for cultivation.

The British Raj authorities had wanted to improve the economic usefulness of lands in Godavari Agency, an area that was noted for the prevalence of malaria and blackwater fever.

The traditional cultivation methods were greatly hindered when the authorities took control of the forests, mostly for commercial purposes such as produce for building railways and ships.

This was done regardless of the needs of the tribal people.

Why did people revolt?

The tribal people of the forested hills, who now faced starvation had long felt that the legal system favoured the muttadar (estate landowners) and merchants.

This had also resulted in the earlier Rampa Rebellion of 1879.

Now they objected also to the Raj laws and continued actions that hindered their economic position and meant they had to find alternate livelihood.

They objected to attempts at that time to use them as forced labour in the construction of a road in the area.

Role of Raju

Raju was a charismatic sanyasin, believed by many tribal people to possess magical abilities and to have an almost messianic status.

He saw the overthrow of colonial rule in terms similar to a millenarian event and he harnessed the discontent of the tribal people to support his anti-colonial zeal.

Course of revolt

Alluri Sitarama Raju, along with 500 tribal people, attacked the police stations of Chintapalli, Krishnadevipeta and Rajavommangi.

They walked away with 26 police carbine rifles and 2,500 rounds of ammunition.

Legend has it that Alluri himself would forewarn the British officers of an imminent attack and would challenge them to stop him with the superior resources that they had at hand.

He was finally captured, tied to a tree and shot dead.

Mayurbhanj’s superfood ‘Ant Chutney’

The Kai Chutney made from Red Ants by the tribals of Mayurbhanj district in Odisha are seeking a Geographical Indications (GI) tag.

Ant Chutney

Despite this, weaver ants are popular among the people, mostly of the tribes,

This food item, rich in proteins, calcium, zinc, vitamin B-12, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium, copper, fibre and 18 amino acids, is known to boost the immune system and keep diseases at bay.

Applied under food category, the GI tag will help develop a structured hygiene protocol in the preparation of Kai chutney for standard wider use.

Geographical Indications labels enhance the reputation and value of local products and support local businesses.

How is the Chutney prepared?

Weaver ants, Oecophylla smaragdina, are abundantly found in Mayurbhanj throughout the year.

They make nests with leaves of host trees.

The chutney is prepared by mixing and grinding salt, ginger, garlic and chilly and is sold by tribal people in rural markets.

Researchers found gene regulating Nitrogen absorption in Plant

Researchers led by those from the National Centre of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru (NCBS-TIFR), have found a new pathway that regulates nitrate absorption in plants.

Nitrogen in plant nutrition

Nitrogen is one of the most important macronutrients needed for development of a plant.

It is a part of chlorophyll, amino acids and nucleic acids, among others.

It is mostly sourced from the soil where it is mainly absorbed in the form of nitrates and ammonium by the roots.

Nitrates also play a role in controlling genome-wide gene expression that in turn regulates root system architecture, flowering time, leaf development, etc.

Thus, while a lot of action takes place in the roots to absorb and convert nitrogen into useful nitrates, the absorbed nitrates in turn regulate plant development apart from being useful as a macronutrient.

What is MADS27?

The gene MADS27, which regulates nitrate absorption, root development and stress tolerance, is activated by the micro-RNA, miR444, therefore offers a way to control these properties of the plant.

The researchers studied this mechanism in both rice (monocot) and tobacco (dicot) plants.

Regulatory switches

In addition to this route, several gene regulatory switches that regulate nitrate absorption and root development, such as the micro-RNA, miR444, are known in monocot plants, such as rice.

The micro-RNA ‘miR444’ is specific to monocots.

When this is not made, its target, MADS27, is produced in higher abundance, and it improves biosynthesis and transport of the hormone auxin, which is key for root development and its branching.

This regulatory miR444 switch is known to turn off at least five genes called MADS box transcription factor genes.

The speciality of the MADS box transcription factors is that they function like switch boxes of their own.

They bind to their favourite specific DNA sequences and they switch the neighbouring genes “on.”

Why is the discovery important?

Presence of nitrates is important for the plant development and also for grain production.

However, the overuse of nitrates in fertilizers, for instance, can lead to the dumping of nitrates in the soil which leads to accumulation of nitrates in water and soil.

This accumulation adds to soil and water pollution and increased contribution to greenhouse gases.

Also, since the whole process of nitrate absorption takes place in the roots, a well-developed root system is needed for this to take place optimally.

At one level, it is known that the hormone auxin is responsible for well-developed roots across all plants.

A number of genes are known to help with auxin production, improved nitrate transport and assimilation in plants.

Significance of MADS27

The MADS27 transcription factor has a three-pronged effect on the plant.

First, it regulates nitrate absorption by switching “on” proteins involved in this process.

Second, it leads to better development of the roots by regulating auxin hormone production and transport.

Finally, and somewhat surprisingly to the researchers, it helps in the abiotic stress tolerance by keeping the main stress player proteins “on.”