Non Aligned Movement: Health Ministers’ Meet

Why in News

Recently, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare virtually participated in a meeting with Ministers of Health of the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) Countries.

Key Points

• India's Stand at the Meeting:
  
  • Vaccine Maitri Initiative:
    
    • Despite its own needs, during the Covid-19 pandemic, India ensured supply of medicines to 123 partner countries including 59 NAM nations.
  • Efforts to 'Universal Health Coverage’:
    
    • Universal health coverage is defined as ensuring that all people have access to needed health services (including prevention, promotion, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation) of sufficient quality to be effective while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship.
    • Ayushman Bharat aims at providing free health assurance to over 500 million underprivileged people, making it the world’s largest health assurance scheme.
      
      • It adopts a two-pronged approach:
        
        • Firstly, the creation of health and wellness centres to bring health care closer to homes.
        • Secondly, the formulation of a Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) to protect poor and vulnerable families against financial risk arising out of catastrophic health episodes.
    • Full immunization coverage is increasing at a rapid pace with a greater emphasis on village-based micro-plans that is aimed at enhancing coverage to 90% in a year.
• About Non-Aligned Movement:
  
  • Background:
    
    • It was formed during the Cold War (1945-1991) as an organisation of States that did not seek to formally align themselves with either the USA (Capitalism) or the Soviet Union (Socialism) but sought to remain independent or neutral.
  • Foundation:
    
    • Six years after the Bandung Conference in 1955, the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries was founded on a wider geographical basis at the First Summit Conference of Belgrade, which was held in September 1961.
    • It was held under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia, Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Jawaharlal Nehru of India, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, and Sukarno of Indonesia.
  • Purpose:
    
    • The purpose of the organisation was enumerated in the Havana Declaration of 1979 to ensure "the national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of non-aligned countries" in their struggle against imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and all forms of foreign subjugation.
  • Members and Observers:
    
    • It had 120 members as of April 2018 comprising 53 countries from Africa, 39 from Asia, 26 from Latin America and the Caribbean and 2 from Europe.
    • There are 17 countries and 10 international organisations that are Observers at NAM.
  • Headquarters:
    
    • NAM does not have a formal constitution or permanent secretariat, and its administration is non-hierarchical and rotational.
    • Decisions are made by consensus, which requires substantial agreement, but not unanimity.
  • Last Summit:
    
    • In 2020, the meeting was convened at the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev (present chairman until 2022) of Azerbaijan, in his capacity as chair of the Non Aligned Movement.

Source: PIB

43rd GST Council Meeting

Why in News

Recently, the 43^rd Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting was held.

• This was the first meeting of the GST Council in the financial year 2021-22. The council’s last meeting was held in October 2020.

GST Council

• It is a constitutional body (Article 279A) for making recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues related to Goods and Services Tax.
• The GST Council is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance and Ministers in-charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.
• It is considered as a federal body where both the centre and the states get due representation.

Key Points

• Ad Hoc Exemptions for Covid-Related Equipment:
  
  • The GST Council decided to exempt the import of many such items.
    
    • The exemption has been extended to August 2021.
  • Exemptions will be granted to the import of relief items even if they have been purchased as long as they are meant for donations to state governments.
    
    • Earlier, Integrated Goods & Services Tax (IGST) exemption was granted only free of cost imports.
  • With the rising cases of Black Fungus, a particular medicine required for it — amphotericin-B — has also been included in the exemption list (for tax-free imports).
  • It also proposed to set-up a Group of Ministers (GoM) committee to look into further exemptions that can be provided on account of the Covid-19 relief measure.
• GST Amnesty Scheme:
  
  • It has been recommended for reducing late fees. Taxpayers can file pending returns, avail benefits of the scheme, with reduced late fees.
    
    • It will provide relief to small taxpayers who constitute 89% of GST payers.
  • Late fees have also been rationalised. The maximum amount of late fee has been reduced and it will come into effect from future tax periods.
    
    • This will provide long-term relief for small GST taxpayers.
• GST Compensation Cess (States’ Dues):
  
  • Same formula as in 2020 will be adopted this year too. The rough estimate is that the Centre will have to borrow Rs 1.58 lakh crore, which will be passed on to states as back-to-back loans.
  • A special session of the GST Council will be held to discuss extending paying compensation to states beyond 2022.
• Advance Payment to Vaccine Manufacturers:
  
  • Rs. 4,500 crore rupees were paid to two vaccine manufacturers as advance payment.
  • The country is engaging with suppliers and manufacturers including from Japan, and Europe for vaccines.
• Annual Return Filing:
  
  • Annual return filing has been simplified. The Council has recommended amending the Central Goods & Services Tax (CGST) Act 2017 to allow for self-certification of reconciliation statements, instead of getting it certified by Chartered Accountants.
  • The Annual Return filing will continue to be optional for 2020-21 for small taxpayers, having a turnover of less than two crore rupees while reconciliation statements for 2020-21 will be furnished only by those taxpayers whose turnover is five crore rupees or more.

GST Compensation Cess

• GST Compensation Cess is levied by the GST Act 2017. The object of levying this cess is to compensate the states for the loss of revenue arising due to the implementation of GST on 1^st July 2017 for a period of five years or such period as recommended by the GST Council.
• Compensation cess is levied over and above the amount of GST charged in relation to a particular supply. The calculation is similar to that of GST – the prescribed rate is applied to the transaction value given under section 15 of the CGST Act 2017 to arrive at the cess liability.

Source:IE

DBT for Mid Day Meal Scheme

Why in News

The Ministry of Education has approved the proposal to provide monetary assistance to students through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of the cooking cost component of the Mid-Day-Meal (MDM) Scheme, to all eligible children.

Key Points

• Implications of DBT for MDM Scheme:
  
  • With schools closed for months due to Covid-19, this move will give a fillip to the Midday Meal programme.
  • This is in addition to the Government of India’s announcement of distribution of free-of-cost food grains at Rs. 5/kg per person per month to nearly 80 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY).
  • It will help safeguard the nutritional levels of children and aid in protecting their immunity during the challenging pandemic times.
  • This one time special welfare measure will benefit about 11.8 crore children studying in class I to VIII in the 11.20 lakh Government and Government aided schools across the country.
  • The central government will provide additional funds of about Rs. 1200 crore to state governments and UT administrations for this purpose.
• About Mid-Day-Meal Scheme:
  
  • Launch: It is a centrally sponsored scheme which was launched in 1995.
    
    • It is considered as the world’s largest school feeding programme aimed to attain the goal of universalization of primary education.
  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Education.
  • Aim: To address hunger and malnutrition, increase enrolment and attendance in school, improve socialisation among castes, provide employment at grassroot level especially to women.
  • Provisions:
    
    • Provides cooked meals to every child within the age group of six to fourteen years studying in classes I to VIII who enrolls and attends the school.
    • Cooked meal having nutritional standards of 450 calories and 12 gm of protein for primary (I-V class) and 700 calories and 20 gm protein for upper primary (VI-VIII class).
    • If the Mid-Day Meal is not provided in school on any school day due to non-availability of food grains or any other reason, the State Government shall pay food security allowance by 15^th of the succeeding month.
  • Beneficiaries: All children in government and aided schools and madrasas supported under Samagra Shiksha.

Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme

• Aim: It has been visioned as an aid for simpler/faster flow of information and funds to the beneficiaries and to reduce the fraud in the delivery system.
• Implementation: It is a mission or an initiative by the government of India started on 1^st January 2013 as a way to reform the government delivery system.
  
  • Central Plan Scheme Monitoring System (CPSMS), the earlier version of the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), of the Office of Controller General of Accounts, was chosen to act as the common platform for routing of the Direct Benefit Transfer.
• Components of DBT: Primary components in the implementation of DBT schemes include Beneficiary Account Validation System, a robust payment and reconciliation platform integrated with RBI, NPCI, Public & Private Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative Banks (core banking solutions of banks, settlement systems of RBI, Aadhaar Payment Bridge of NPCI) etc.
• Other Schemes involving DBT:
  
  • Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, National Food Security Mission, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, PM KISAN, Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin, Atal Pension Yojana, National AYUSH Mission.

Source: PIB

January 30: World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day

Why in News

The ongoing 74^th World Health Assembly declared 30^th January as ‘World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day.

• The proposal to recognise the day was floated by the United Arab Emirates. It was adopted unanimously by the delegates. The first World NTD Day was celebrated informally in 2020.
• The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of World Health Organization (WHO).

Key Points

• Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD):
  
  • NTDs are a group of infections that are most common among marginalised communities in the developing regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas. They are caused by a variety of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa and parasitic worms.
    
    • NTDs are especially common in tropical areas where people do not have access to clean water or safe ways to dispose of human waste.
  • These diseases generally receive less funding for research and treatment than malaises like tuberculosis, HIV-AIDS and malaria.
  • Examples of NTDs are: snakebite envenomation, scabies, yaws, trachoma, Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease etc.
• London Declaration on NTDs:
  
  • It was adopted on 30^th January, 2012 to recognise the global burden of NTDs.
  • Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, representatives from leading global pharmaceutical companies as well as representatives of several national governments met at London’s Royal College of physicians to pledge to end the diseases.
• WHO’s New Roadmap for 2021–2030:
  
  • From measuring process to measuring impact.
  • From disease-specific planning and programming to collaborative work across sectors.
  • From externally driven agendas reliant to programmes that are country-owned and country-financed.
• NTD Scenario:
  
  • NTDs affect more than a billion people globally.
    
    • They are preventable and treatable. However, these diseases - and their intricate interrelationships with poverty and ecological systems - continue to cause devastating health, social and economic consequences.
  • There are 20 NTDs that impact over 1.7 billion people worldwide.
  • India carries the largest burden of at least 11 of these diseases, with parasitic illnesses like kala-azar and lymphatic filariasis affecting millions of people throughout the country – often the poorest and most vulnerable.
• Indian Initiatives to Eliminate NTDs:
  
  • The Accelerated Plan for Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (APELF) was launched in 2018, as part of intensifying efforts towards the elimination of NTDs.
  • A WHO-supported regional alliance established by the governments of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal in 2005 to expedite early diagnosis and treatment of the most vulnerable populations and improve disease surveillance and control of sandfly populations (Kala-azar).
  • India has already eliminated several other NTDs, including guinea worm, trachoma, and yaws.

Source: DTE

Veer Savarkar Jayanti

Why in News

On 28^th May, India paid tribute to the freedom fighter, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (Veer Savarkar) on his birth anniversary.

• He was an Indian independence activist, politician, lawyer and writer.
• He is also known as Swatantryaveer Savarkar.

Key Points

• Birth: Born on 28^th May,1883 in Bhagur, a village near Nashik in Maharashtra.
• Related Organisations and Work:
  
  • Founded a secret society called Abhinav Bharat Society.
  • Went to the United Kingdom and was involved with organizations such as India House and the Free India Society.
  • He was the president of Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1943.
  • Savarkar wrote a book titled ‘The History of the War of Indian Independence’ in which he wrote about the guerilla warfare tricks used in 1857 Sepoy Mutiny.
  • He also wrote the book ‘Hindutva: who is hindu?’.
• Trial and Sentences:
  
  • Arrested in 1909 on charges of plotting an armed revolt against the Morley-Minto reform (Indian Councils Act 1909).
  • Arrested in 1910 for his connections with the revolutionary group India House.
  • One of the charges on Savarkar was abetment to murder of Nashik Collector Jackson and the second was waging a conspiracy under Indian Penal Code 121-A against the King emperor.
  • Following the two trials, Savarkar was convicted and sentenced to 50-years imprisonment also known as Kala Pani and transported in 1911 to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Death: He died on 26th February 1966 due to fasting on his own wish of death.

Abhinav Bharat Society (Young India Society)

• It was a secret society founded by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh Damodar Savarkar in 1904.
• Initially founded at Nasik as Mitra Mela, the society was associated with several revolutionaries and political activists with branches in various parts of India and London.

India House

• It was founded by Shyamji Kishan Verma in 1905 in London.
• It was opened to promote nationalist views among Indian students in London.

Free India Society

• Savarkar went to London in 1906. He soon founded the Free India Society, based on the thoughts of the Italian nationalist Giuseppe Mazzini (Savarkar had written a biography of Mazzini).

Hindu Mahasabha

• Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha is one of the oldest organizations of India as it was formed in 1907. Eminent leaders extended this Organization in 1915 on ALL India basis.
• The Eminent personalities who founded this Organisation and who presided over the ALL INDIA Sessions held include Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Lal Lajpat Rai, Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, etc.

Source: PIB

Cyclone Yaas

Why in News

Recently, cyclone Yaas made landfall south of Balasore in Odisha.

• Earlier, another cyclonic storm named ‘Cyclone Tauktae’ had affected the Indian states of Kerala, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, along with two Union Territories: Daman & Diu and Lakshadweep.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • The cyclone has been named Yaas by Oman. The word Yaas has originated from the Persian language and means ‘Jasmin’ in English.
  • Typically, tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean region (Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea) develop during the pre-monsoon (April to June) and post-monsoon (October to December) periods.
    
    • May-June and October-November are known to produce cyclones of severe intensity that affect the Indian coasts.
• Classification:
  
  • It has been classified as a very severe cyclone.
  • The India Meteorological Department (IMD) classifies cyclones on the basis of the maximum sustained surface wind speed (MSW) they generate.
    
    • The cyclones are classified as severe (MSW of 48-63 knots), very severe (MSW of 64-89 knots), extremely severe (MSW of 90-119 knots) and super cyclonic storm (MSW of 120 knots or more).
• Areas Affected:
  
  • It affected the bordering regions of West Bengal and Odisha and weakened into a cyclonic storm, leaving behind a trail of destruction on the eastern coast.
• Bay of Bengal Getting Warmer:
  • The Bay of Bengal, where cyclone Yaas has formed, is at least two degrees warmer than what is normal for this time of the year.
  • The north Bay of Bengal is exceptionally warm with temperatures up to 32 degrees.
• Tropical Cyclones:
  
  • A tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm that originates over warm tropical oceans and is characterized by low atmospheric pressure, high winds, and heavy rain.
  • A characteristic feature of tropical cyclones is the eye, a central region of clear skies, warm temperatures, and low atmospheric pressure.
  • Storms of this type are called hurricanes in the North Atlantic and eastern Pacific and typhoons in SouthEast Asia and China. They are called tropical cyclones in the southwest Pacific and Indian Ocean region and Willy-willies in north-western Australia.
  • Storms rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
  • The conditions favourable for the formation and intensification of tropical storms are:
    
    • Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C.
    • Presence of the Coriolis force.
    • Small variations in the vertical wind speed.
    • A pre-existing weak low- pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation.
    • Upper divergence above the sea level system.

• Naming of Tropical Cyclones:
  
  • According to WMO (World Meteorological Organization) guidelines, countries in every region are supposed to give names for cyclones.
  • The North Indian Ocean Region covers tropical cyclones formed over Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
  • The 13 members, which come under the region, are Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Yemen.
  • IMD, one of the six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMC) in the world, is mandated to issue advisories and name tropical cyclones in the north Indian Ocean Region.
    
    • It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Bay of Bengal vs Arabian Sea (Cyclones)

• Bay of Bengal:
  
  • As it is concave or shallow where when strong winds push water, it gets concentrated as a storm.
  • It is shaped like a trough that makes it more hospitable for storms to gain force. Moreover, the high sea surface temperature makes matters more worse in the Bay triggering the intensity of the storms.
  • Additionally, it gets more rainfall with sluggish winds and warm air currents around it that keep temperatures relatively high all year. The constant inflow of fresh warm water from the perennial rivers like Brahmaputra, Ganga makes it further impossible to mix with the cooler water below.
  • Lack of landmass between the Pacific Ocean and the Bay of Bengal tend cyclonic winds to move into the coastal areas causing heavy rainfall.
  • The absence of air movements from north-western India towards the Bay in the post-monsoon phase is also another reason for the chances of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal.
• Arabian Sea:
  
  • It is much calmer as the stronger winds help dissipate the heat and lack of constant fresh water helps the warm water to mix with the cool water underneath, reducing the surface temperature.
  • The Arabian Sea enjoys the locational advantage as the winds from the Pacific Ocean encounter the Western Ghats and the Himalayas cutting down on its intensity and sometimes never reaching the Arabian Sea.

Source: TH

Jayanti: New Species of Cricket

Why in News

Recently, a new species of Cricket named 'Indimimus jayanti' was found in the Kurra caves of Chhattisgarh.

• The new species was named after Professor Jayant Biswas, one of the leading cave explorers in the country.

Key Points

• About the New Spider Cricket:
  
  • The new species of cricket has been identified under the genus Arachnomimus Saussure, 1897.
  • Jayanti has led to the new subgenus 'Indimimus'.
  • Males of the new Jayanti subgenus cannot produce sound and their females don’t have ears.
• About the New Subgenus:
  
  • The newly discovered subgenus, Indimimus, is different from the two subgenera, Arachnomimus and Euarachnomimus, because of the male genitalia structure.
  • Insects have a lock-and-key model genitalia structure which is unique to each subgenus.
• Arachnomimus Saussure, 1897:
  
  • Arachnomimus is the genus name given by Swiss Entomologist Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure in 1878 to crickets that resembled spiders.
  • Crickets of this group are commonly called spider crickets because of their smaller body size and long legs.
• Significance of the Discovery:
  
  • It can help in designing hearing aids for humans.
    
    • The new species may be communicating by beating their abdomen or any other body part on the cave walls.
    • Vibrational communication is one of the softest but fastest modes of signal transmission.
      
      • Vibrational communication can be regarded as an interaction between the physical properties of the environment and insect's anatomy and physiology and resulting behavior.
    • Further studies on their skills of vibrational communication may help in designing hearing aids for humans which can capture quietest signals and amplify to an audible hearing range.
  • With the discovery of Jayanti from India, the genus Arachnomimus is now known from 12 species. Distribution of these species is very wide, ranging from Brazil to Malaysia.
  • In India, the diversity of spider crickets is still unexplored. Given India is home to four biodiversity hotspots, and all the hotspots have unexplored caves, there is significant scope for many more discoveries.
• About Crickets:
  
  • Cricket, any of approximately 2,400 species of leaping insects that are worldwide in distribution and known for the musical chirping of the male.
  • They have mainly cylindrical bodies, round heads, and long antennae. Behind the head is a smooth, robust pronotum.
  • Crickets are noticeable for their loud calls, especially at night. Male crickets produce this sound by rubbing their wings against each other to attract females.
  • The females listen to these calls using ears located on their legs and approach the males for mating and reproduction.

Source: IE

Yellow Fungus

Why in News

After black and white fungus, the recent case of yellow fungus has become a cause for concern.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • Yellow fungus, also called mucor septic, initially develops by the presence of moulds (a type of fungi) in the environment.
    
    • It may be present with unnecessary fatigue, rashes, burning sensation on skin etc.
    • Humidity levels below 30-40% can promote the growth of fungus.
  • It may not start from the lungs but it invades internal organs of the body and affects the entire functioning.
• Potential Causes:
  
  • Prolonged use of steroids, contaminated environment, uncontrolled diabetes, unhygienic habits, lesser immunity, comorbidities.
  • The treatment for Covid-19 includes steroids and immunosuppressants that leave the body with weak immunity.
• Symptoms:
  
  • Weight loss, reduced appetite, lethargy are the common symptoms of yellow fungus infection.
  • If not detected in time, symptoms can become more severe including pus leakage, sunken eyes, organ failure, slow healing of wounds and necrosis (cells in the living tissues die prematurely).
• Treatment:
  
  • Till now the only known treatment for yellow fungus is Amphotericin B injection, which is an antifungal drug also being used to treat black fungus.
• Prevention:
  
  • Maintaining hygiene, not consuming stale food, keeping the humidity in the room in check, etc.

Black Fungus

• Mucormycosis, previously known as zygomycosis and sometimes termed as black fungus, is generally spread by breathing in, eating food contaminated by, or getting spores of molds of the Mucorales type in an open wound.

White Fungus

• White Fungus or Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by a yeast (a type of fungus) called Candida.

Source: IE