EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
5th July 2021
Clinical Trials Registry India (CTRI)
Recently, the Ministry of AYUSH has announced that the Ayurveda Dataset on Clinical Trials Registry India (CTRI) Portal will be launched.
Highlights
- The Ayurveda Dataset of CTRI has been jointly developed by ICMR and Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of Ayush.
- Its key feature is the provision of selection of the Ayurveda Health conditions from drop down of 3866 Ayurveda morbidity codes incorporated from the NAMASTE portal.
- It provides that the information, results etc. of Ayurveda Clinical Trials will be available in Ayurvedic vocabulary in the clinical trials registry of India.
Clinical Trials Registry India (CTRI)
- It is a primary register of Clinical Trials under WHO’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP).
- It hosted at the ICMR’s National Institute of Medical Statistics (NIMS).
- It is a free and online public record system for registration of clinical trials being conducted in India.
- It was initiated as a voluntary measure since 2009.
- The trial registration in the CTRI has been made mandatory by the Drugs Controller General (India) (DCGI).
Objectives of CTRI
- Improve transparency and accountability: By disclosing all required details of the protocol of trials, public confidence in clinical trials is likely to be enhanced.
- Improve the internal validity of trials: Empirical research has shown that some aspect of the methods of the trial are particularly important to produce reliable results by minimizing biases, confounders and the effects of chance or coincidence.
- Conform to accepted ethical standards: The Indian Council of Medical Research through its Bio-ethics initiative has developed ethical guidelines for the conduct of trials and for ethics committees.
- Reporting of all relevant results of registered trials: The CTRI is working with the WHO ICTRP to ensure that results of all trials registered with the CTRI are adequately reported and publicly available.
Significance of Clinical Trials
- It holds enormous potential for benefiting patients, improving therapeutic regimens and ensuring advancement in medical practice.
- A need has been felt on the imperative for transparency, accountability and accessibility in order to re-establish public trust in clinical trial data.
- The registration of trials will ensure transparency, accountability and accessibility of clinical trials.
International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP)
- It is a project of the World Health Organization, based within the Health Metrics and Measurement cluster.
- It was established in August 2005.
- It is based in WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Its aim is to facilitate the prospective registration of the WHO Trial Registration Data Set on all clinical trials, and the public accessibility of that information.
- Its purpose is to strengthen accountability and transparency in the conduct of clinical research and dissemination of results generally and in particular for clinical trials.
NIPUN Bharat Mission
Recently, the Ministry of Education has announced that it will launch NIPUN Bharat Mission.
NIPUN Bharat
- It is a National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat).
- It marks an important step undertaken by the Department of School Education and Literacy, among a series of measures taken for implementation of the National Education Policy 2020.
- Its vision is to create an enabling environment to ensure universal acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy.
- Its primary focus will be on that every child achieves the desired learning competencies in reading, writing and numeracy by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27.
- It will be implemented by the Department of School Education and Literacy.
- Under the mission, a five-tier implementation mechanism will be set up at the National- State- District- Block- School level in all States and UTs, under the aegis of the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha.
- It will help in improving the overall education and literacy standards in the country.
Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan
- It was announced in the Union Budget of 2018-19.
- It proposed to treat school education holistically without segmentation from pre-nursery to Class 12.
- It is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school to class 12.
- It has been prepared with the broader goal of improving school effectiveness measured in terms of equal opportunities for schooling and equitable learning outcomes.
- It subsumes the three erstwhile Schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
- It aims to harmonise the implementation mechanisms and transaction costs at all levels, particularly in using state, district and sub-district level systems and resources.
- It aims to achieve Sustainable Development Goals under:
- The SDG-4.1 states that “By 2030, ensure that all boys and girls complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
- The SDG 4.5 states that “By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of Education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations”.
Project BOLD to Boost Tribals
Recently, the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has announced a Project BOLD in order to boost tribals’ lives and livelihoods.
Project BOLD
- It is a unique initiative of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
- It is named as “Bamboo Oasis on Lands in Drought” (BOLD).
- It is the first of its kind exercise in India which was launched from the tribal village Nichla Mandwa in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
- Under the project, 5000 saplings of special bamboo species i.e. Bambusa Tulda and Bambusa Polymorpha have been planted over 16 acres approx. of vacant arid Gram Panchayat land.
Significance of Project BOLD
- It seeks to create bamboo-based green patches in arid and semi-arid land zones.
- It is aligned with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call for reducing land degradation and preventing desertification in the country.
- It has been launched as part of KVIC’s “Khadi Bamboo Festival” to celebrate 75 years of independence “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”.
- The green patches of bamboo in Gujarat, Leh-Ladakh region and Rajasthan will help in reducing the land degradation percentage of the country.
- It will benefit a large number of women and unemployed youths in the region by connecting them to skill development programs.
- It will create additional income for the local tribal population while it will also support the local bamboo-based industries and thus boost the rural economy.
KVIC
- It is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament in 1956.
- It is under the administrative control of Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
- The broad objectives that the KVIC has set before it are:
- The social objective of providing employment;
- The economic objective of producing saleable articles; and
- The wider objective of creating self-reliance amongst the poor and building up of a strong rural community spirit
- It is charged with the planning, promotion, organisation and implementation of programs for the development of Khadi and other village industries in the rural areas.
- Its functions also comprise:
- Building up of a reserve of raw materials and implements for supply to producers;
- Creation of common service facilities for processing of raw materials as semi-finished goods; and
- Provisions of facilities for marketing of KVI products.
Eklavya Model Residential Schools in Jharkhand
Recently, the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs has laid foundation stone for construction 5 Eklavya Residential Model Schools (EMRS) in three districts of Jharkhand.
Eklavya Model Residential Schools
- It was started in the year 1997-98 to impart quality education to ST children in remote areas.
- It is a flagship intervention of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
- The grants for construction of schools and recurring expenses to the State Governments were given under Grants under Article 275 (1) of the Constitution.
- Target: It has been decided that by the year 2022, every block with more than 50% ST population and at least 20,000 tribal persons, will have an EMRS.
Objectives of EMRS
- Comprehensive physical, mental and socially relevant development of all students enrolled in each and every EMRS;
- Provide quality middle and high level education to Scheduled Tribe (ST) students in remote areas;
- Focus differentially on the educational support to be made available to those in Standards XI and XII, and those in standards VI to X;
- Support the annual running expenses in a manner that offers reasonable remuneration to the staff and upkeep of the facilities; and
- Support the construction of infrastructure that provides education, physical, environmental and cultural needs of student life
Significance of Eklavya Model Residential Schools
- It aims to enable them to avail of opportunities in high and professional educational courses and get employment in various sectors.
- It focuses not only on academic education but on the all-round development of the students.
- They have become an island of excellence in the remote tribal hinterlands attracting large number of tribal children.
- The focus under the scheme is to ensure holistic development of the students in both academic and extracurricular sphere.
Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021
Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has invited comments/suggestions from all the stakeholders on the draft ‘Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Care and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2021’.
Features of Trafficking in Persons Bill, 2021
- It provides a person found guilty of trafficking can be imprisoned for a minimum term of seven years, which can be extended to 10 years.
- It shall apply to every offence of trafficking in persons with cross-border implications.
- It proposes stringent punishments for offenders, including hefty fines seizing of their properties.
- It will also allow the properties of the convicts, bought using money from trafficking, to be forfeited.
- The property bought via such income as well as used for trafficking can now be forfeited with provisions set in place, similar to that of the money laundering Act.
- It also does away with the provision that a victim necessarily needs to be transported from one place to another to be defined as a victim.
Objectives of Trafficking in Persons Bill, 2021
- The objective of the bill is to:
- Prevent and counter trafficking in persons, especially women and children;
- Provide for care, protection, and rehabilitation to the victims, while respecting their rights; and
- Creating a supportive legal, economic and social environment for them
- It aims to ensure prosecution of offenders and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Coverage of Trafficking in Persons Bill, 2021
- It will extend to all citizens inside as well as outside India.
- It will cover persons on any ship or aircraft registered in India wherever it may be or carrying Indian citizens wherever they may be.
- It will also cover foreign national or a stateless person who has his or her residence in India at the time of commission of offence under this Act.
- The scope of the Bill viz a viz offenders will also include defence personnel and government servants, doctors and paramedical staff or anyone in a position of authority.
- It extends beyond the protection of women and children as victims to now include transgenders as well as any person who may be a victim of trafficking.
Arguments of Government on Trafficking in Persons Bill, 2021
- The Ministry has said that the proposed bill will provide care, protection, and rehabilitation to the victims of trafficking.
- It will also create a supportive legal, economic and social environment for them and also to ensure prosecution of offenders.
RBI’s Financial Stability Report
Recently, the Reserve Bank of India released its latest Financial Stability Report (FSR).
Highlights
- The FSR has found that the actual level of bad loans as of March 2021 is just 7.5%.
- The FSR is quick to point out that “macro-stress tests” for credit risk show that the GNPA ratio of Scheduled Commercial Banks may increase from 7.48 per cent in March 2021 to 9.80 per cent by March 2022.
- It highlighted that SCBs return on assets (RoA) and return on equity (RoE) maintained a positive uptrend through 2020- 2.
- Their capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) improved by 130 bps year-on-year to reach 16 per cent in March 2021.
- The gross non-performing assets (GNPA) and net NPA (NNPA) ratios remained stable during the second half of 2020-21, amounting to 7.5 per cent and 2.4 per cent respectively in March 2021.
- The overall provisioning coverage ratio (PCR) increased from 66.2 per cent in March-2020 to 68.9 per cent in March 2021.
- The sectors of concern for NPAs:
- CGEM (construction, gems and jewelry, engineering and mining) have over 15% ratio while metals, infra, power, textiles, food etc. are in double digits.
- Chemicals and auto have done well with 5-7% range.
- The gross NPA ratio for private banks could rise to 5.82% by March 2022 from 4.78% as of March 2021 under the baseline scenario.
- The PSU Banks could see their bad loans rise to 12.52% which reported a gross NPA ratio of 9.54% as of March 2021.
Financial Stability Report (FSR)
- It is one of the most crucial documents on the Indian economy as it presents an assessment of the health of the financial system.
- It is published twice a year.
- It puts together a wealth of data and information that also allows the RBI to assess the state of the domestic economy.
- It allows the RBI to assess the macro-financial risks in the economy.
- Macro-financial risks refer to the risks that originate from the financial system but affect the wider economy as well as risks to the financial system that originate in the wider economy.
Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR)
- It is also known as Capital adequacy Ratio.
- It is the ratio of a bank’s capital to its risk.
- It is arrived at by dividing the capital of the bank with aggregated risk-weighted assets for credit risk, market risk, and operational risk.
- The higher the CRAR of a bank the better capitalized it is.
- It is calculated by adding a bank’s tier 1 capital and tier 2 capitals and dividing the total by its total risk-weighted assets.
- It is decided by central banks and bank regulators to prevent commercial banks from taking excess leverage and becoming insolvent in the process.
Provisioning Coverage Ratio (PCR)
- It refers to the prescribed percentage of funds to be set aside by the banks for covering the prospective losses due to bad loans.
- The Reserve Bank advised the banks to segregate the surplus of the provision under PCR vis-a-vis as required as per prudential norms into an account styled as “countercyclical provisioning buffer”.
- A coverage ratio of the bank will be measured by dividing net equity (equity minus net NPA) by total assets less intangible assets i.e. Coverage ratio= (Equity- net NPA) / (Total assets – intangible assets).
Child Soldier Recruiter List
Recently, the United States US State Department has released the Child Soldier Recruiter List.
- The countries which have been added to the annual TIP list are Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
Child Soldier Recruiter List
- It identifies foreign governments having government-supported armed groups that recruit or use child soldier.
- It is a designation that could result in restrictions on certain security assistance and commercial licensing of military equipment.
- The US Child Soldiers Prevention Act (CSPA) requires the publication in the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report.
Child soldier
- The recruitment or use of children below the age of 15 as soldiers is prohibited by both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the additional protocols to the Geneva Conventions.
- It is considered a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
- The Optional Protocol to the CRC on the involvement of children in armed conflict further prohibits kids under the age 18 from being compulsorily recruited into state or non-state armed forces or directly engaging in hostilities.
Legislation of Child Soldier
- The United States Congress adopted the CSPA in 2008, as an amendment to the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act of 2008.
- It prohibits the US government from providing military assistance to countries identified as having government or government-supported forces that recruit and use child soldiers.
- It requires the US Secretary of State to designate portions of the annual Human Rights Report to the issue of child soldiers.
- It allows the President to issue a “national interest waiver” for countries even if they are in violation of the Act.
- The President has the authority to provide assistance if that country has taken “steps” to come into compliance with the law.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
- The CRC was adopted on November 20, 1989 and entered into force on September 2, 1990.
- 193 countries have ratified the CRC.
- The CRC requires state parties to “take all feasible measures” to ensure that children under 18 are not engaged in direct hostilities.
- It further prohibits the state parties from recruiting children under 15 into the armed forces.
- In 2000, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
- The Optional Protocol raises this age to 18 while the CRC requires states to refrain from using children under 15 in direct hostilities.
What are prohibited for countries in the list?
- The following types of security assistance are prohibited for countries that are in the list:
- Licenses for direct commercial sales of military equipment
- Foreign military financing for the purchase of defense articles and services, as well as design and construction services
- International military education and training
- Excess defense articles
- Peacekeeping operations
- The countries will also not be eligible for the US Department of Defence’s “train and equip” authority for building the capacity of foreign defense forces.
Arctic’s ‘Last Ice Area’
Recently, the researchers note that in August 2020 the area where the Last Ice Area (LIA) is located experienced a record low concentration of sea ice.
Arctic’s Last Ice Area
- It is located north of Greenland.
- It spans more than 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers), reaching from Greenland's northern coast to the western part of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
- The National Geographic noted that while climate projections forecast the total disappearance of summer ice in the Arctic by the year 2040.
- The only place that would be able to withstand a warming climate would be that area of ice which is called the “Last Ice Area”.
- The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) notes that climate change is shrinking the extent of Arctic summer sea ice, which is not only important for animals but also the local Inuit communities.
- The extent of summer sea ice projected for 2040 and beyond, as viewed from the north pole.
Importance of Arctic’s Last Ice Area
- It was thought to be able to help ice-dependent species as ice in the surrounding areas melted away.
- The area is used by polar bears to hunt for seals who use ice to build dens for their offspring.
Reasons for low concentration of sea ice
- The researchers noted that the sea ice concentration was at a record low of 50 percent.
- The researchers found out that about 80 percent of thinning can be attributed to weather-related factors such as winds that break up and move the ice around.
- The remaining 20 percent can be attributed to longer-term thinning of the ice due to global warming.
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