IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs Analysis

IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs (Prelims + Mains Focus)- 17th November 2017

NATIONAL

TOPIC:General Studies 2:

Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections

Tackling Inequality through Gender and Region-based Reservations

Introduction:

A report released by Credit Suisse revealed that the richest 1% Indians owned 53% of the country’s wealth, while the share of the top 10% was 76.30%. In other words, 90% of India owns less than a quarter of the country’s wealth.

The main theme of World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Annual Meet 2017 which took place in Washington, DC during October month focused on tackling inequality.

IMF 2017 Annual Meet Main Theme: “Fiscal Monitor, Tackling Inequality”

The Fiscal Monitor observed that inclusive growth is receiving attention because of rising inequalities and slowing economic growth.
Tackling Inequality is important as excessive inequality can erode “social cohesion, lead to political polarization, and ultimately lower economic growth”.

IMF Fiscal Monitor also observed that inequality of opportunity is higher in emerging countries and recommended that effective public policy, especially on education, can help address this inequality which can lead to enhancing human capital and productivity.

India’s position:

India is characterised by high inequality – due to diversity in income, language, religion, culture and social status.

Nearly one third of youth (especially of under-privileged classes) are unemployed and are not engaged in training or learning institutions.
The literacy rate in India remains lower than most emerging economies. Inequality in access to education is large.
In 2015, nearly 60 per cent of employers had reported difficulties in recruitment because of talent shortages and nearly half of our skilled youth are unemployable.
There is also a need to do more to integrate North-East with the rest of India. In the North-Eastern States, unemployment, and poverty rates are generally higher than that of All-India.
These unemployed youth are most vulnerable to drug abuse, as in Punjab, and other anti-social activities within the country.
Illustratively, the incidence of stone pelting in Kashmir for payment of Rs. 500 per day as was widely reported in media, is a clear example of unemployed youth being vulnerable to exploitation by vested interests.

Tackling inequality by expanding reservations:

To provide equality of status and opportunity in education and employment, the principle of reservation was adopted so that the underprivileged classes could come at par with so-called privileged classes.

India’s affirmative action policy has largely been confined and practised in the government sector, including jobs, and public education institutions.

Indian government now considers expanding reservation to other social parameters, for instance – expanding reservation based on gender and region-based.

Gender-based reservation:

The participation of women in economic and formal workforce has been rather low.
Nepal has 80 per cent of women are in the formal workforce while in India only 31 per cent are in the economic workforce.
In emerging economies, as well as advanced countries, female participation is significantly higher than that of India.

There are empirical studies, including those from the multilateral institutions like the IMF, demonstrating that female participation enhances economic growth.

Also, following principles of Gandhiji, it would be useful to consider having more women through gender-based reservations in educational and vocational institutions, and in work places.

Region-based reservation:

In order to usher prosperity and achieve better integration with rest of country, the Union Government had mooted the idea of Second Green Revolution in North-East.

However, the policy of reservation can be effectively used to achieve objectives such as – education, employment and to tackle inequality in North East.

The government through University Grants Commission has launched special schemes like Ishan Uday and Ishan Vikas to encourage undergraduate students.

Components of Ishan Uday and Ishan Vikas:

Visit of Class IX and Class XI students to 22 premier institutes [IITs, National Institutes of Techonology (NITs) and Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs)]
Summer Internship for Engineering College students of the North-East for a duration of seven weeks at the Premier Institutes like IITs, NITs and IISERs.

The Ministry of Human Resource Development has approved release of Rs. 605.45 lakhs from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to IIT, Guwahati under the Ishan Vikas programme.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has launched “Ishan Uday” a Special Scholarship Scheme for North East Region (NER) from academic session 2014-15. Under the scheme ten thousand fresh scholarships are to be provided for general degree course, technical and professional courses including medical and para-medical courses.

Also, the Government has been making numerous efforts in spreading quality education in different states by opening institutions of excellence like All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management.

Conclusion:

It looks more prudent now to consider and expand such ‘Gender and Region-based reservations’ along with ‘Caste-based reservation’ not only in areas of education but others such as employment.

In a diverse country like India, to begin with, the government could consider such reservations in employment in government educational institutions and public sector enterprises.
Annual reports of government institutions could publish a diversity index where region-wise employment status could be provided along with traditional caste-based reservation status.
This adequate diversity of both language and culture, could help in achieving one and new India as in the case of the Naga, Assam or Madras regiments in the Indian Army.

The lack of opportunity to different citizens of India, which prides in diversity, could also be stifling economic growth. Therefore, the increase in gender and regional diversity in workforce will achieve sustainable and inclusive growth, as well as equitable distribution of progress and income.

Connecting the dots:

Reservation is an affirmative action taken by the Government to cater to the needs of the backward classes. However, there is a need to compliment Caste-based reservations with Gender and Region-based reservations for tackling inequality effectively. Elucidate.
Critically examine the need for expanding reservations to effectively tackle inequality, enhance human capital and productivity.

HEALTH/NATIONAL

TOPIC: General Studies 2:

Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health

Antimicrobial Resistance: On rise

In news:

Antibiotic awareness week is being observed globally.

Introduction:

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global threat and developing countries like India are at the epicentre of this problem. The emergence of drug resistant pathogens happens when bacteria adapt to the presence of low dose antibiotics.

Public health at risk:

AMR poses big challenges to treating common infectious diseases, resulting in prolonged infection, disability and death.
Without effective antimicrobials, to check and treat infections, medical procedures such as organ transplantation, chemotherapy, diabetes management and major surgeries become high-risk affairs.
This situation becomes a public health issue but it also threatens to undermine the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

How grave is the situation?

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) AMR surveillance network recently reported that resistance to the broad-spectrum antibiotics was more than 70 per cent in case of various bacteria.
All classes of antibiotics have been reported for resistance in at least some of the pathogens they have been intended to treat.
The emergence and spread of resistance mechanisms to last-resort antibiotics is a major threat for infection control and treatment worldwide.

Main sources of AMR:

Pharmaceutical industry effluents:

In India, effluents generated from pharmaceutical industries are treated as per the pharmaceutical wastewater discharge guidelines prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board.
The current standards do not include antibiotic residues, and they are not monitored in the pharmaceutical industry effluents.
No consensus guidelines on the antibiotic residue discharge limits in industrial waste globally.
The existing framework under the WHO (2016) is restricted to drug safety and does not include environmental safeguards.

Discharge of untreated urban waste:

The uncontrolled discharge of untreated urban waste is another major source for AMR.
Large proportions of the wastewater from hospitals, communities and urban runoff is discharged untreated or partially treated into rivers, lakes and seas.

Veterinary source:

Antibiotic consumption in animal food. The misuse of antibiotics in poultry, livestock and fish to treat and prevent infections is very common.

National Action Plan:

In India, a national action plan, meant to deal with the issue of AMR, focuses on six priority areas —

Awareness and understanding through education.
Communication and training.
Strengthening knowledge and evidence through surveillance.
Infection prevention and control.
Optimised antimicrobial use in health, animals and food.
AMR-related research and innovation and strengthened leadership and commitment at international, and national.

It highlights the need for the integrated approach in multiple sectors such as human health, animal husbandry, agriculture and environment to overcome the AMR issues.

Global action plan (GAP) on AMR, 2015:
It was developed by the WHO, the Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Organization for Animal Health.

Way forward:

The issue of substandard drugs must be dealt with by enforcing tighter regulations.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has set standards for antibiotic residues in food products of animal origin.
Improving the implementation of existing regulations around antibiotic use in poultry, livestock and fisheries will help in reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in veterinary sector.
A global standard must be developed on limits of antibiotic residue in industrial discharge.

Conclusion:

AMR threatens to undo the gains made by India in the control of infectious diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, HIV and other infections. Addressing the issue is the need of the hour. Given the complex nature of the problem, no individual nation has the capacity to address this problem independently and thus a global cooperation is required.

Connecting the dots:

Antimicrobial resistance in India is only rising despite the National Action Plan, for tackling the same, in place. In this light discuss what more needs to be done in India and the need of global cooperation.

Further reading: New Rules on Antibiotic Resistance by WHO

PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS

National Anti-Profiteering Authority

Part of: Main GS Paper III – Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment

The Union Cabinet recently approved the creation of the National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA).

Key PT Pointers:

NAA, the apex body is mandated to ensure that the benefits of the reduction in GST rates on goods or services are passed on to the ultimate consumers by way of a reduction in prices.
The authority has been granted wide ranging powers, including to cancel the registration of offending firms in extreme cases.

Central focus:

According to the rules, if the NAA confirms that there is a need to apply antiprofiteering measures-

It can order the sup plier to reduce its prices or return the undue benefit availed by it along with interest to the recipient of the goods or services.
If above can’t be done, then the company can be ordered to deposit the amount in the Consumer Welfare Fund.

Article link: Click here

International Conference on SDGs held in India

Part of: Main GS Paper III – Environment and Ecology, Pollution, Health Issue

Key PT pointer:

The first major international conference on the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be organised in India, was held in Mysuru.

Keynotes:

Values of sustainable living must be imbibed at a young age if planet Earth had to be saved.
By 2070 the world will be 70% urban, and therefore, the future of the world was one with the future of cities. Goal 11 of the SDGs pertained to sustainable cities.
The challenge facing us now is that the “do-how” or ways of adopting change is lacking.
The youth of today are going to be the force to make the change possible.

Article link: Click here

Al-Qaeda’s vernacular push

Part of: Main GS Paper III – Internal Security

Key pointers:

Al-Qaeda has launched its first organised campaign to use the Internet to recruit support across India.
In the Indian Subcontinent it has begun online distribution of Tamil, Bengali and Hindi translations of key jihadists.
The organisation’s vernacular push reflects the increasing reliance of the jihadist movement on recruits from states in the southern, western and eastern regions.

The organisation appears to want to use the online world to raise its image, as the Islamic State did.

Article link : Click here

Universal Health Coverage definition

Part of: Main GS Paper II – Social issue, Welfare and Health

WHO’s definition of UHC:
One of the goals of sustainable development the definition includes-

Financial risk protection (against medical expenses).
Access to quality essential health care services.
Access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

In 2011, a high-level expert committee, was formed by the erstwhile Planning Commission. It submitted its report on UHC but nothing much came of it.

TB elimination in India: Steps being taken

India has adopted the National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination 2017-25.
TB kills an estimated 480,000 Indians every year and more than 1,400 every day.

India is spending $3 billion of domestic funds towards TB elimination. The three pillars of TB elimination are Aadhaar, Jan Dhan Yojana and Nikshay, a web-based platform for notification and tracking of TB patients.
Commercial serological tests for TB has been banned and every district is being provided with a GenExpert machine (for TB detection).

Article link : Click here