11th March 2021
Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN)
Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN) as a single non-lapsable reserve fund for share of Health from the proceeds of Health and Education Cess levied under Section 136-b of Finance Act, 2007.
- The Health Outcomes depend substantially on public spending on health because one extra year of population life expectancy raises GDP per capita by 4%.
- The investment in health creates millions of jobs, largely for women, through a much needed expansion of the health workforce.
- In the budget speech 2018, the Finance Minister while announcing Ayushman Bharat Scheme, also announced replacement of existing 3% Education Cess by 4% Health and Education Cess.
- The better health improves productivity, and reduces losses due to premature death, prolonged disability and early retirement.
Salient Features of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Nidhi (PMSSN)
- It is a non-lapsable reserve fund for Health in the Public Account.
- The proceeds of share of health in the Health and Education Cess will be credited into PMSSN.
- The revenues earned from the PMSSN will be utilized for the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare namely:
- Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)
- Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs)
- National Health Mission
- Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)
- Emergency & disaster preparedness and responses during health emergencies
- Any future programme/scheme that targets to achieve progress towards SDGs and the targets set out in the National Health Policy (NHP) 2017.
- The administration and maintenance of the PMSSN is entrusted to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
- The expenditure on such schemes of the MoHFW would be initially incurred from the PMSSN in any financial year and thereafter, from Gross Budgetary Support (GBS).
Benefits of PMSSN
- It aims to ensure enhanced access to universal & affordable health care through availability of earmarked resources.
- The scheme aims to ensure that the amount does not lapse at the end of financial year.
King Bhumibol World Soil Day 2020 Award
Recently, the Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Thailand has received the prestigious King Bhumibol World Soil Day 2020 Award on the behalf of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
- India bagged the award for ICAR's awareness initiative undertaken in December 2019, involving participation of more than 13,000 people through a social media campaign.
- The ICAR organised interactive sessions in universities, awareness-raising activities in schools, exhibitions, screenings, field visits and training sessions, and reached out to all soil stakeholders.
- ICAR has placed particular emphasis on youth by raising awareness about importance of soil for food security and climate change mitigation through quizzes, debates and on-site demonstrations.
King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award
- The 6th GSP Plenary Assembly endorsed the establishment of the annual King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award (WSDA).
- It was launched in 2018.
- It is conferred by the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
- It is aimed at raising awareness about importance of soil health among all stakeholders.
- It acknowledges individuals or institutions that raise public awareness of soils by organising successful and influential World Soil Day celebrations.
- The award is sponsored by the Kingdom of Thailand.
- It is named after King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand for his lifelong commitment to raising awareness of the importance of sustainable soil management and rehabilitation for food security.
- The formers winners of the King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award include Practical Action in Bangladesh in 2018 and the Costa Rican Soil Science Society (AACS) in 2019.
Eligibility under King Bhumibol World Soil Day Award
- The Award may be granted to individuals, institutions, NGOs, academia, colleges and universities, private companies or any other entities;
- A wide range of WSD events can be considered for the award.
World Soil Day
- It is held annually on 5 December as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and advocating for the sustainable management of soil resources.
- An international day to celebrate Soil was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002.
- The FAO has supported the formal establishment of WSD as a global awareness raising platform.
- The FAO Conference unanimously endorsed World Soil Day in June 2013 and requested its official adoption at the 68th UN General Assembly.
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
- It is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE).
- It was established in 1929 as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
- It is the apex body for co-ordinating, guiding and managing research and education in agriculture including horticulture, fisheries and animal sciences in the entire country.
INS Karanj
Recently, the INS Karanj was commissioned to the Indian Navy.
INS Karanj
- It is India’s third Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarine.
- The two submarines of this class, INS Kalvari and INS Khanderi, have already been commissioned into the Navy.
- The fourth of the class, INS Vela, has been undergoing trials at sea.
- The Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines are one of the quietest conventional submarines currently in service around the world.
- The submarines have been designed by France’s Naval Group and built in India by Mazagon Dock Limited under Project 75.
- The Scorpene-class submarines will be fitted with indigenous air-independent propulsion systems after successful trials of the system.
- The Kalvari-class submarines can be deployed in different roles which include guarding strategic points in the sea, laying mines, gathering intelligence, dropping marine commandos and engaging with enemy ships when required.
INS Khanderi
- It is India’s second Scorpene-class attack submarine.
- It has been manufactured by the state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai.
- The attack submarine is inspired by the fish 'Kanneri' which is found in the Arabian Sea.
- It is equipped with a set of missiles and torpedoes that can be fired upon detecting enemy targets.
- It has been equipped with advanced Exocet SM39 anti-ship missile.
France launched First Military Exercise in Space
Recently, France has launched its first military exercise in space.
- The French Space Forces Command, Commandement de l'Espace (CdE) was created in 2019 and is set to have 500 personnel by 2025.
- The investments in the space programme are also set to reach $5 billion during 2019-25.
- The military drill comes after a Russian “spy-satellite” had tried to approach a Franco-Italian satellite in what Paris called an “act of espionage”.
- In 2017, Russia’s Olymp-K attempted to intercept transmissions from the Athena-Fidus satellite which is used by both Italian and French armies for secure communications.
- In 2020, the United States also accused Russia of having “conducted a non-destructive test” of an anti-satellite weapon from space.
Military Exercise in Space
- The exercise is codenamed 'AsterX 2021' in memory of the first French satellite from 1965.
- The aim of the exercise is to evaluate French military’s ability to defend its satellites and other defense equipment from an attack.
- Under the exercise, the French military will monitor a potentially dangerous space object as well as a threat to its own satellite from another foreign power possessing a considerable space force.
- The new US Space Force and German space agencies are taking part in the French exercises.
- The military drill is part of the French government’s strategy to make the country the world’s third-largest space power.
Novel Coronavirus and its Key Variants
Recently, the cases of infection with new variants of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 have been rising.
- The first detected respectively in the UK, South Africa and Brazil and they are defined as variants of interest (VOIs).
SARS-CoV-2 VOI
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has given a working definition for SARS-CoV-2that it will be considered as a VOI if:
- It is phenotypically changed compared to a reference isolate, or has a genome with mutations that lead to amino acid changes associated with phenotypic implications; and
- It has been known to cause community transmission/multiple Covid-19 cases or has been detected in multiple countries.
- The WHO has specified three types of phenotypic changes associated with a VOI:
- Increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in Covid-19 epidemiology;
- Increase in virulence or change in clinical disease presentation; and
- Decrease in the effectiveness of available vaccines and treatment.
First variant detected in UK
- It is known as B.1.1.7 or VOC 202012/01.
- In the B.1.1.7 variant are multiple mutations in the spike protein.
- One mutation, called N501Y, makes the variant more effective at binding to the ACE2 receptor
- The other significant spike protein mutations are D614G, A570D, P681H, H69/V70 deletion, and Y144 deletion.
Detection of UK Variant across the globe
- According to the WHO, 106 countries across all six WHO regions have reported cases of this variant.
- The community transmission has been reported in at least 42 countries across four regions.
- In India, only 280 cases of infection with the UK strain have been detected during genomic surveillance.
South African Variant
- It was first detected in South Africa October 2020.
- It is called 501Y.V2 or B1.351 (VOC202012/02 in the UK).
- It is defined by nine changes in the spike protein in comparison to the reference the “Wuhan-1 D614G spike mutant” that previously dominated in South Africa.
- It is considered highly transmissible.
- The concerns associated with it are that the spike mutations could lead to antigenic changes that are detrimental to monoclonal antibody therapies and vaccine protection.
Detection of South African Variant across the globe
- According to WHO, this variant has now been reported from 56 countries across all six WHO regions.
- The community transmission has been reported in eight countries across three regions, and transmission classification is currently incomplete for 42 countries reporting this variant.
- In India, only 11 cases of this variant have been detected during surveillance.
Variant from Brazil
- It is called P.1, a branch of the B.1.1.28 lineage.
- It was first reported by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan in four travellers from Brazil.
- According to the WHO, this variant is reported in 29 countries across all six regions.
- The community transmission has been reported in at least three countries in one WHO region.
- In India, only one case of this variant have been detected during surveillance.
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