Latest News
25th June 2021
Tuberculosis (TB) Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan
Recently, the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare chaired the Tuberculosis (TB) Mukt Bharat meeting with various Development Partners of the Health Ministry.
Tuberculosis (TB) Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan
Recently, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) had rescued nine crew members from sinking vessel Ganga-I off Cinque Island.
Key Highlights
- It was launched under the National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination in a mission mode for ending the epidemic by 2025.
- It is a multi-pronged approach which aims to detect all TB patients with an emphasis on reaching TB patients seeking care from private providers and undiagnosed TB in high-risk populations,
- There is need to develop an institutionalised mechanism to share the best practices, experiences and ideas used in the fight against TB.
- The importance of leadership and community involvement can be roped in to create awareness against TB.
- It is necessary to develop prototypes and clear strategies for 5 states having high TB caseload which are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana.
- The efforts to curb tuberculosis has not yielded successful results yet and said state governments have a major role to play in the elimination of TB from the country.
- It is a framework to guide the activities of all stakeholders whose work is relevant to TB elimination in India.
- It provides goals and strategies for the country’s response to the disease during the period 2017 to 2025.
- It aims to direct the attention of all stakeholders on the most important interventions or activities that the RNTCP believes will bring about significant changes in the incidence, prevalence and mortality of TB.
- It will guide the development of the national project implementation plan (PIP) and state PIPs, as well as district health action plans (DHAP) under the national health mission (NHM).
- VISION: TB-Free India with zero deaths, disease and poverty due to tuberculosis
- GOAL: To achieve a rapid decline in burden of TB, morbidity and mortality while working towards elimination of TB in India by 2025.
Tuberculosis
Smart Cities Mission (SCM), AMRUT
Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) had organized an online event to commemorate 6 years of the launch of three transformative Urban Missions viz. Smart Cities Mission (SCM), AMRUT and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U).
Smart Cities Mission (SCM)
- It is a contagious infection that usually attacks your lungs.
- It can also spread to other parts of body such as brain and spine.
- It is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- It can spread from person to person through microscopic droplets released into the air.
- It is operated as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
- It was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2015.
- It is a transformational mission aimed to bring about a paradigm shift in the practice of urban development in the country.
- Its objective is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure, clean and sustainable environment and give a decent quality of life to their citizens through the application of ‘smart solutions’.
- It aims to drive economic growth and improve quality of life through comprehensive work on social, economic, physical and institutional pillars of the city.
- Its focus is on sustainable and inclusive development by creation of replicable models which act as lighthouses to other aspiring cities.
- The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT) was launched by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2015.
- It aims to address the issues of Water Supply, Sewerage and septage management, Storm Water Drainage to reduce flooding, Non-motorized Urban Transport and creating green space/parks in 500 cities with more than 1 lakh population.
- The purpose of AMRUT Mission is to:
- Ensure that every household has access to a tap with the assured supply of water and a sewerage connection.
- Increase the amenity value of cities by developing greenery and well maintained open spaces (e.g. parks) and
- Reduce pollution by switching to public transport or constructing facilities for non-motorized transport
- The category of cities that have been selected under AMRUT is given below:
- All Cities and Towns with a population of over one lakh with notified Municipalities as per Census 2011, including Cantonment Boards (Civilian areas),
- All Capital Cities/Towns of States/ UTs, not covered in above,
- All Cities/ Towns classified as Heritage Cities by MoHUA under the HRIDAY Scheme,
- Thirteen Cities and Towns on the stem of the main rivers with a population above 75,000 and less than 1 lakh, and
- Ten Cities from hill states, islands and tourist destinations (not more than one from each State).
- It is generally referred to as whale vomit.
- It is a solid waxy substance that floats around the surface of the water body and at times settles on the coast.
- A sperm whale eats several thousand squid beaks a day and a beak makes it way to the whale’s stomach and into its looping convoluted intestines where it becomes ambergris.
- It was called as “preternaturally hardened whale dung” by a German physician Franz Schwediawer in 1783.
- It is produced only by an estimated one per cent of sperm whales.
- It contains alkaloids, acids, and a specific compound called ambreine, which is similar to cholesterol.
- It is referred to as floating gold because 1 kg of ambergris is worth Rs 1 crore in the international market.
- The reason for its high cost is its use in the perfume market, especially to create fragrances like musk.
- It is believed to be in high demand in countries like Dubai that have a large perfume market.
- The ancient Egyptians used it as incense and it is also believed to be used in some traditional medicines.
- The sperm whale is a protected species and hunting of the whale is not allowed.
- The buying or selling of ambergris in India is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
Sperm Whale
India’s First Maritime Arbitration Centre
Recently, the Gujarat Maritime University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Financial Services Centres Authority in GIFT City to promote the Gujarat International Maritime Arbitration Centre (GIMAC).
GIMAC
- They are the largest of the toothed whales and have one of the widest global distributions of any marine mammal species.
- They are found in all deep oceans, from the equator to the edge of the pack ice in the Arctic and Antarctic.
- They are named after the waxy substance i.e. spermaceti, found in their heads.
- It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- They inhabit all of the world’s oceans.
- It will be the first centre of its kind in the country that will manage arbitration and mediation proceedings with disputes related to the maritime and shipping sector.
- It will be part of a maritime cluster that the Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) is setting up in GIFT City at Gandhinagar.
- The Maritime Board has rented about 10,000 square feet at GIFT House which is part of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) area with the clearance from the development commissioner.
- There are over 35 arbitration centres in India and none of them exclusively deals with the maritime sector.
- The arbitration involving Indian players is now heard at the Singapore Arbitration Centre.
- The idea is to create a world-class arbitration centre focused on maritime and shipping disputes that can help resolve commercial and financial conflicts between entities having operations in India.
- The maritime cluster consisting of ship leasing and brokering services is being set up with the intention of drawing back all the maritime and shipping business which is located offshore like Dubai and Singapore.
Recently, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) had rescued nine crew members from sinking vessel Ganga-I off Cinque Island.
Key Highlights
- The ICG had launched a Search and Rescue (SAR) operation in coordination with Port Management Board (PMB), Port Blair in which ICG ships and PMB Tug ‘Ocean Marvel’.
- The ICG ship C-146 and ICG ship C-412 on routine deployment were diverted for assistance.
- The ICG ship Durgabai Deshmukh and PMB Tug ‘Ocean Marvel’ sailed from Port Blair with a damage control team and de-flooding equipment for immediate assistance.
- It is located between the Passage and Duncan Island towards the north side of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- It is further divided into North and South Cinque islands.
- It shares its boundaries with Wandoor Marine National Park, also commonly referred to as the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park.
- The passage between North Cinque Island and Rutland is called Manners Strait.
- The passage between South Cinque and North Cinque is called Cinque Strait.
- It is also known as Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park located in Wandoor on the Andaman Islands.
- It is located on the South Western coast of South Andaman, in the Bay of Bengal.
- It was established in 1983 for the protection of marine life including corals and nesting sea turtles.
- The islands are rocky and most of them are covered with mangroves or tropical forest.
- The area includes vast stretch of enchanting marine waters, bushy vegetated islands, magnificent coral reefs and sparkling sandy beaches and mangroves.
- Duncan Pass: It separates Rutland Island (part of Great Andaman) to the north and Little Andaman to the south.
- Ten Degree Channel: It separates the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands from each other in the Bay of Bengal.
- It was approved in 1999 following the Pokhran-II by the then union defence minister George Fernandes.
- It is largest naval infrastructure project for India which involves creation of a naval base at Karwar on the west coast of India in Karnataka.
- The first phase of the naval base called Operation Seabird was completed in 2005 and the second phase started in 2011.
- It involves a 3,000 feet long runway, docking space for 30 warships, hangars for aircraft are part of the Rs 19,000 core project spread over 11,000 acres of land.
- AECOM is the project management consultant for managing and overseeing the planning, design, contracting, construction and acceptance of the entire works, including construction of a new Naval Air Station.
- It will provide the Indian Navy with its largest naval base on the west coast and also the largest naval base east of the Suez Canal.
- It is aimed at providing fleet support and maintenance of warships.
- The expanded naval complex will be able to support several major warships and at least 30 vessels, submarines and yard crafts.
- It will house a state-of-the-art Naval Air Base and maintenance section.
- It will strengthen the country’s trade, economy and humanitarian assistance and give more teeth to the Indian Navy.
- It is an integrated strategic naval base of the Indian Navy.
- It can accommodate the operational fleet of Western Naval Command and reduce the traffic in the existing naval base located at Mumbai.
- It is India’s third functional naval base after those in Mumbai and Visakhapatnam.
- It is situated at Binaga Bay near Karwar in Karnataka.
- The first phase of the base was commissioned in 2005 under "Project Seabird".
- It included a ship lift facility, harbour and anchorage, jetty, berthing facilities and accommodation facilities.
- INS Shardul became the first warship to be commissioned at INS Kadamba in 2007.
- The event provided investors with an opportunity to engage with the Union Finance Minister and senior officials of Indian Government to discuss potential investment opportunities.
- The minister said that the overall vision to build a self-reliant modern India is driven by 5 “I’s” viz. Intent, Inclusion, Investment, Infrastructure and Innovation.
- The event highlighted that India is committed for long term relationship with US investors and proposes to meet twice yearly.
- The event showcased the opportunities possessed by India such as:
- The continuous reforms make India a great place to do business;
- Covid and its aftermath have shown Indian economy’s resilience;
- Highest ever GST collections shows the bright spot-More formalisation of economy and tax compliance;
- Innovation and R&D got a great potential;
- New opportunities emerging for foreign investors with recent FDI reforms privatisation policy and PLI scheme;
- Fiscal situation is under control and expect to improve further; and
- 15 new unicorns in first 5 years of 2021 itself reflecting growing startup ecosystem to be amongst the best in the world
- It is a non-profit organization that works for the partnership between India and the U.S.
- It is dedicated to strengthening economic and commercial ties.
- It plays a significant role in fostering a robust and dynamic relationship between the two countries.
- The six pillars of USISPF are: Business Policy Advocacy, Legislative Affairs, B-B-G Opportunities, Inclusive Development, Strategic Document and Education, Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
- It is a unified command under which all the resources of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force are pooled, depending on the threat perception.
- It could be geographical like looking at a border with a particular country or thematic, like a command for all maritime threats.
- The idea of creating an integrated tri-Services command in India is not new as it had been recommended at various levels after the Kargil conflict.
- A model with four to five integrated tri-Services theatre commands is under discussion, with each command headed by a three-star officer.
- The theatre commander will report to the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), which will include the three Service chiefs, and is headed by the CDS as its permanent chairman.
- The Service chiefs currently have all the operational control over their forces but operational powers will now move to the COSC under the new proposal of integrated theatre commands.
- The operational control over all of the assets, regardless of the force, will lie with the commander of that theatre.
- A Maritime Theatre Command, which will take care of all the maritime security needs of the country on both the eastern and the western seaboards.
- It will include air strike assets and amphibian forces of the Army.
- An Air Defence Command, which will be mandated with air defence across the country and beyond.
- The fighter jets will have reconnaissance and surveillance assets as well.
- Two or three land-based commands are proposed and there will be one each for India’s borders with China and Pakistan.
- There will be a Logistics Command, which will have the logistics of all the Services under one person.
- The Air Force does not want the Air Force chief to lose operational control of Air assets.
- The Air Force is concerned that all of its assets might be divided within these integrated theatres.
- The current problems facing the creation of the theatre commands stem from a flawed bottom up and standalone process where everything has been left to the military.
- It is criticised on the basis of that the Theatre Commands would demand large increase in expenditure with doubtful returns.
- The establishment of the CDS and theatre commands has to be enmeshed with the transformation of national security and the armed forces.
- A strategic review is necessary to forecast the likely threats and the nature of conflict/wars that India may have to deal with in the next two to three decades.
- The end goal of the review is a formal national security strategy and size/structure of the armed forces to execute it.
- The empowered committee must prepare a vision document with timelines that must be approved by the CCS.
POSTED ON 25-06-2021 BY ADMIN
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General Studies
Political Science and International Relations
Some Reference Essays
List of previous year essay topics (1997-2019)
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