Apr 22, 2019 AIR

All India Radio (AIR) IAS UPSC - 10% Reservation for EWS and Social Justice

10% Reservation for EWS and Social Justice ARCHIVES Search 13th March, 2019 Spotlight news analysis here: http://www.newsonair.com/Main_Audio_Bulletins_Search.aspx General studies 2 Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections. Parliament and State Legislatures, structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these In News: The BJP-led government has tabled a constitutional amendment bill to provide 10 per cent reservation in jobs and higher education to economically backward sections among the upper castes – ‘the economically weaker sections of citizens have largely remained excluded from attending the higher educational institutions and public employment on account of their financial incapacity to compete with the persons who are economically more privileged’. The Union Cabinet has approved the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Fourth Amendment) Bill. Now that it has been passed in the Lower House, the Bill will be moved in the Rajya Sabha. The government move comes in the backdrop of an upper caste backlash against the Modi government’s decision against the Supreme Court’s attempt at ring-fencing apprehensions of misuse of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. The Supreme Court move had sparked nation-wide protests from Dalit groups across the country after which the government brought a legislation in the last monsoon session to nullify the SC order. Why: The Bill needs to be passed by a special majority of two-thirds of members present in each House, not less than half the strength in both. Following this, it will have to be ratified by at least half of the state legislatures. It will also have to face legal challenges if any. The Constitution 124th Amendment Bill The bill has to be a constitutional amendment as it overshoots the Supreme Court’s 50% cap on quotas and takes the total to 60%. Any increase from that limit will be subject to judicial scrutiny. Amended two fundamental rights: Article 15, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, caste, sex or place of birth Article 16 which prohibits discrimination in employment in government office The amendment provides for the advancement of the “economically weaker sections” of the society. It also makes a note of the Article 46, which asks the government to promote the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the society. Who comes under the “Economically Weaker Sections”? People who have an annual income of less than Rs.8 lakhs, or People who own less than five acres of farm land, or People who have a house lesser than 1,000 sq feet in a town (or 100 sq yard in a notified municipal area). Criticisms The latest amendment giving reservation to the poor has done away with the constitutionally permitted gatekeeping mechanism of social and educational backwardness and opened up reservation to everyone — irrespective of social backwardness. The solution is to free the reservation policy of the chains of constitutional reasonableness as mandated by the judiciary. This overemphasis on the idea of reservation is marked by four critical aspects that signify a move away from the constitutional scheme of positive discrimination. A complete absence of genuine debate on the question: No party could take a nuanced position on the issue of “reservation for poor”. There is a complete closure of the public debate on reservation. The reservation regime has expanded in many directions: Ironically, most of the times, expansion has contributed to the de-legitimation of the original idea behind reservation. When the reservation policy went beyond SCs and STs, despite the fact that the expansion was justified, it effectively diluted the sharpness of the tool — that it would be employed for extreme cases of discrimination and exclusion. The moral basis of the reservation policy is almost lost. Now, the reservation policy will no more be seen as an intermediate tool to address ingrained social injustice in the Indian social order. The enabling provision in the Constitution was predicated on the logic that the social order is fundamentally unjust and therefore the state should intervene in favour of the most oppressed sections to enable them to compete in the public sphere and stake their claims for a share in public power. This logic is no more applicable. Instead, the logic now is that there are different groups in society and they need to be accommodated, as far as possible, in a proportionate manner. This new logic implies that reservation is not a remedy for traditional social ills but a routine policy tool to arrange political and administrative power. Caste as the primary basis for making claims on the state: Not the injustice perpetrated by the caste system, but caste in itself has emerged as the primary social group for which demands are made, robbing policy-making of the more justifiable bases of deprivation. Instead of an expectation that policy should be directed at and based on some agreed ways of assessing deprivation and its amelioration, now policy can be based merely on the fact that it addresses specific groups. India’s entire public discourse and political calculus are deeply influenced by single-caste considerations. Finally, the language of pseudo-justice being popularised by the “quota-for-poor” policy is symptomatic of a larger failure. It replaces the principle that welfare should be the basic raison d’être of public policy, it hides the colossal failure of the state in handling questions of poverty and deprivation and, at the same time, it indicates a dead end in policy making. As Austin put it, “Among the upper castes-classes, ‘individual rights’ and ‘economic comfort’ have meaning; among the bottom castes-classes…they mean little or nothing”. If the custodians of the constitution do not course-correct immediately, the result will only be social conflict. Connecting the Dots: Reservation appears to be the only answer to all our socio-economic complications. Examine. Essay topic: We have a consensus on reservation and yet social groups continue to agitate for reservation — representing the closure of imagination in public policy-making.

Apr 22, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 22nd April 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 22nd April 2019 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Serial blasts across Sri Lanka Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II and III – International affairs; Security and Terrorism related issues; Indian Diaspora In news: Over 200 people were killed and nearly 500 injured in a series of blasts that shook Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Churches and luxury hotels were targeted in the deadliest incidents since the civil war ended a decade ago. Blasts occurred in and around the capital Colombo and in the eastern city of No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts. Four Indians among blast victims. Pic: https://d39gegkjaqduz9.cloudfront.net/TH/2019/04/22/DEL/Delhi/TH/5_01/132b6ce8_2888158_101_mr.jpg Pic: https://d39gegkjaqduz9.cloudfront.net/TH/2019/04/22/CNI/Chennai/TH/5_12/8ff74172_1ac952b7_101_mr.jpg China draws up tighter rules on human gene and embryo trials In news: China to consider tougher rules on research involving human genes and embryos. It is the first such move since a Chinese scientist (He Jiankui) sparked controversy last year by announcing he had made the world’s first “gene-edited” babies. Do you know? He Jiankui attracted condemnation from the global scientific community when he said he had used a technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to alter the embryonic genes of twin girls born in November. About CRISPR-Cas9 CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) is a naturally occurring defence mechanism in bacteria. CRISPR-Cas9 was adapted from this naturally occurring genome editing system. The bacteria capture snippets of DNA from invading viruses and use them to create DNA segments known as CRISPR arrays. The CRISPR arrays allow the bacteria to "remember" the viruses (or closely related ones). If the viruses attack again, the bacteria produce RNA segments from the CRISPR arrays to target the viruses' DNA. The bacteria then use Cas9 or a similar enzyme to cut the DNA apart, which disables the virus. The CRISPR-Cas9 system works similarly in the lab. Researchers create a small piece of RNA with a short "guide" sequence that attaches (binds) to a specific target sequence of DNA in a genome. The RNA also binds to the Cas9 enzyme. As in bacteria, the modified RNA is used to recognize the DNA sequence, and the Cas9 enzyme cuts the DNA at the targeted location. Once the DNA is cut, researchers use the cell's own DNA repair machinery to add or delete pieces of genetic material, or to make changes to the DNA by replacing an existing segment with a customized DNA sequence. Special kits to probe sexual assault cases Part of: GS Mains II – Women safety issues; Government policies and schemes In news: Over 3,100 special kits for collecting blood and semen samples, besides other evidence, to carry out immediate investigation into sexual assault cases have been distributed among the States and Union Territories by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits (SAECK) or ‘rape investigation kits’ are designed to carry out immediate medico-legal investigation and aid in furnishing evidence in sexual assault and rape cases. The kits are expected to help law enforcement agencies to ensure effective probe in a timely manner for better prosecution and conviction in sexual assault cases. Animal in news: Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo, Zappey’s Flycatcher and Javan Pond Heron Sighting of news species on the Andaman island chain increased In news: Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo (Chalcites basalis) is a bird, native of Australia and New Guinea. It is known for its repeated, loud and piercing whistle. It was sighted in a tsunami ravaged coastal forest in the Great Nicobar Island of the Andaman and Nicobar island chain. The sighting was the first recorded instance of the bird in India. Zappey’s Flycatcher It is a song bird that breeds in China and spends the winters in the Malay peninsula, Sumatra and Java. It was spotted six times in different areas of Andaman and Nicobar Islands between December 2017 and March 2018 — at least thrice in pairs. Javan Pond Heron It is usually found in Thailand and Cambodia. It is larger than Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo and Zappey’s Flycatcher Do you know? Sighting of news species on the island chain has gone up since the 2004 Indonesian tsunami, say researchers of the ZSI. The three new records from India from the Andaman and Nicobar Island have been discussed in detail in a recent publication of journal Birding ASIA. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with just about 0.25 % the country’s landmass, is home to about 350 species of exotic birds. Miscellaneous: 205 rail projects report cost overrun of ₹2.21 lakh crore Part of: Prelims and Mains II – Governance issues In news: According to a latest flash report of the Statistics and Programme Implementation Ministry (MOSPI) – Indian Railways accounts for nearly three-fifths of 344 Central sector projects that are facing huge cost overruns due to delay in implementation for various reasons. Around 205 rail projects report cost overrun of ₹2.21 lakh crore. After the Railways, the power sector reported the second highest incidence of overall cost overrun. Do you know? The MOSPI monitors Central sector projects involving an expenditure of ₹150 crore and above. Medicine labels in regional language In news: In order to counter fake, sub-standard and expired drugs, the Union Health Ministry plans to label medicines in Hindi and regional language. Drug names and expiry date will be in Hindi/regional language. (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL/POLITY TOPIC: General studies 2  Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these. Elections; Role of Election Commission and Governance issues. Being fair and transparent Context: Two phases of the 2019 general election have been completed. Since the Model Code of Conduct came into effect, in just the first two phases this time, the Election Commission (EC) has seized cash, drugs, alcohol, precious metals and other items worth Rs 2,600 crore. The amount seized has already surpassed the entire seizures made in the nine phases of the general election in 2014. Huge hauls of drugs were smuggled into Gujarat. Uttar Pradesh is awash with liquor. Tamil Nadu has seen the largest seizures of illicit cash —over ₹514 crore. These vast sums intended to bribe or influence voters prove several things. These sums represent only a fraction of current illegal spending, as the amount seized is just the tip of the iceberg. Bulk of illegal tranches of money, liquor or freebies (which have not been detected by the EC’s machinery or by the vigilance of electoral officials) would have reached their destination. Political players have refined their methods to move their funds to their destinations even before the elections are announced. (They are steps ahead of the EC’s observers or vigilance teams) Rs 70 lakh is the legal upper limit of expenditure per candidate for Lok Sabha elections (prescribed under Rule 90 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961). However, simple arithmetic would show that the seized amount can fully finance up to six to seven candidates from each of the 543 constituencies. Why there is a need to re-examine our rule book? From the above it is clear that, every rule in the book is being broken. There is no transparency on how political parties collect or spend their funds. Limits of candidate spending are exceeded in every single case. EC had deployed over 2,000 Central observers and thousands of vigilance squads were set up – huge cost to exchequer. Major concern: Electoral Bonds Electoral bonds, far from enabling a legitimate and transparent means of political funding, have proved to be the reverse. The EC, in its own affidavit before the Supreme Court, has admitted as much. Electoral bonds are a pathetic admission of government’s failure to curb black money in political funding. Most political parties receive funds from corporates as well as rich individuals. The ruling parties usually get the lion’s share of these funds. The electoral bonds scheme has been designed in such a way as to keep the identity of the donor absolutely confidential. Far from reducing the large-scale corporate funding of elections, the introduction of electoral bonds does not even address this issue. The way ahead: Any serious reform with regard to funding must come from the EC itself. The EC should convene a conference of all stakeholders, including of course all recognised political parties, both Central and State. The list of stakeholders must also include the best constitutional and legal minds in our country. EC has powers inherently enshrined in Article 324 of the Constitution — powers so great that there is arguably no other electoral management body with similar powers. The powers of the EC are so enormous and so all-encompassing that they exceed the powers of the executive in all election-related issues during the course of the election period. Therefore, these powers must be exercised judiciously, fairly and equitably. Connecting the dots: What are various electoral and political funding reforms which need to be undertaken to bring in transparency and accountability in the Indian political environment. Describe. The need for transparency in electoral funding for a level playing field in elections is a fundamental requirement. Discuss. Also suggest measures needed to address the problem of unchecked money power visible during every election. ENVIRONMENT/CLIMATE CHANGE TOPIC: General studies 3 Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Towards a lower GHG future Context According to a World Bank report – Climate change could cost India 2.8 per cent of GDP, and depress living standards of nearly half of its population by 2050, as average annual temperatures are expected to rise by 1-2 per cent over three decades. A number of factors are causing climate change and the efforts to address them have been manifold. Among a number of factors causing climate change, large-scale use of environmentally damaging refrigerants (especially Hydrofluorocarbons) is one of the key areas identified, with a direct impact on the depletion of the ozone layer and subsequently on global warming. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) HFCs have many everyday applications. These include refrigerants to cool cars, appliances and buildings, foam-blowing agents that create cushioning and insulating foam, solvents used in manufacturing to clean and sanitise, and certain specialty propellants used in products like aerosols. When HFCs are released into the atmosphere, they trap GHGs with significant global-warming-potential (GWP) and take years, sometimes decades, to break down in the atmosphere—thus contributing to the overall warming of the planet. Replacing high GWP HFCs with low-GWP HFO alternatives could help avoid up to 0.5°C of warming by the end of this century. Kigali Amendment The Kigali Amendment, an amendment to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, aims to phase out high-global-warming-potential hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a family of potent greenhouse gases (GHG), by late 2040s. India was part of a historic global climate deal that was reached in Kigali, Rwanda, at the 28th Meeting of the Parties (MoP28) to the Montreal Protocol, on substances that deplete the ozone layer. Under this amendment, 197 countries, including India, agreed to a timeline to reduce the use of HFCs by 80-85% of their baselines over the next several decades. The Kigali Amendment provides a significant opportunity to live up to the promise of better environment. It highlights the need to develop new technologies and transition to the use of more environmentally preferable alternatives. Important value additions: A global climate deal was reached in Kigali, Rwanda at the Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (MOP28). The Kigali Agreement amends the 1987 Montreal Protocol that aims to phase out Hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), a family of potent greenhouse gases by the late 2040s. It is a legally binding agreement between the signatory parties with non-compliance measures. It will come into effect from 1st January 2019 provided it is ratified by at least 20-member parties by then. It has shown a considerable flexibility in approach while setting phase-down targets for different economies accommodating their developmental aspirations, different socio-economic compulsions, and scientific & technological capabilities. It has divided the signatory parties into three groups- The first group consists of rich and developed economies like USA, UK and EU countries who will start to phase down HFCs by 2019 and reduce it to 15% of 2012 levels by 2036. The second group consists of emerging economies like China, Brazil as well as some African countries that will start phase down by 2024 and reduce it to 20% of 2021 levels by 2045. The third group consists of developing economies and some of the hottest climatic countries like India, Pakistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia who will start phasing down HFCs by 2028 and reduce it to 15% of 2024-2026 levels till 2047. It also has a provision for a multilateral fund for developing countries for adaptation and mitigation. The Technology and Energy Assessment Panel (TEAP) will take a periodic review of the alternative technologies and products for their energy efficiency and safety standards. India’s position: India is the world’s fourth-largest emitter of CO2. According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the share of space cooling in peak electricity load is projected to rise sharply in India, from 10% today to 45% in 2050. Government has recognised the importance of lowering the country’s GHG emissions as part of an international effort to limit global warming. Govt and NITI Aayog are working towards an India Cooling Action Plan, meant to meet the country’s growing cooling needs in a climate-friendly manner. One of the key focus areas in the Action Plan is in-room air conditioners (ACs). Conclusion: Successful implementation of the Kigali amendment will require a high level of national cooperation from our government, along with industry, research institutes and regulators coming together in sustaining efforts. A cleaner and healthier environment, along with improvements in quality of life, can all support a world of increasing action on climate change. India has been a key partner in the quest for reducing emissions and should continue to take the lead in efforts to protect the planet from climate change. Connecting the dots: Discuss how India can succinctly respond to address global warming and its impact on climate change? What is Kigali Amendment? Why is it a significant step against climate change? Examine. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note: Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Which of the following statements is/are incorrect regarding Kigali agreement? It aims to phase out Chloro fluorocarbons (CFC) by the late 2040s. It is non-binding agreement similar to Paris agreement. It has provisions for penalties for non- compliance. Under it developed countries will provide funding support globally. Choose the appropriate code 1 and 2 3 and 4 1, 3 and 4 None Q.2) Consider the following statements about ‘Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol’ It is legally binding According to the amendment, India will start to phase down Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 2019 and reduce it to 15% of 2012 levels by 2036 Select the correct statements 1 Only 2 Only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.3) Consider the following statements with reference to the CRISPR It is a naturally occurring defence mechanism in bacteria. CRISPR-Cas9 technique can be used to cut DNA at specific location. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.4) Consider the following statements about CRISPR-CAS9 It is a genome editing technique that can edit DNA at precise locations. It does not modify genes permanently and they can revert back to their original state. Which of the statements above is/are correct? Only 1 Only 2 1 and 2 None MUST READ Workers and refugees are not criminals The Hindu Expropriation in the name of conservation The Hindu On the sexual harassment complaint against CJI Indian Express The danger of silver bullets Indian Express The gold standard for gold reserves Financial Express Strengthening India’s economic fundamental may be the best route to enhance its influence as a strong economy Financial Express

Apr 22, 2019 RSTV Video

RSTV IAS UPSC – Tuberculosis (TB)

Tuberculosis (TB) Archives 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, Education, Human Resources Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but they can also damage other parts of the body. TB spreads through the air when a person with TB of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, or talks. If you have been exposed, you should go to your doctor for tests. You are more likely to get TB if you have a weak immune system. TB is, by and large, easily diagnosable and curable. It is unacceptable that it nevertheless remains the leading causes of death from any single infectious agent worldwide. Each day, thousands of people with TB die, often because of inequitable access to quality diagnosis and treatment. In addition, the rapid emergence of drug-resistant forms of TB (DR-TB) in many countries brings a fresh set of needs including new and comprehensive diagnostic tests and second-line TB drugs, and health systems trained anew to manage DR-TB. Three processes: Infection, Progression, Transmission Infection: Infection occurs when TB bacilli are inhaled. Bacilli may stay in the lungs or travel to other organs. Infection is lifelong, with bacilli lying dormant. This phase is “latent TB”, diagnosed by a tuberculin skin test (TST). The “annual rate of TB infection” (ARTI) is about 1%. Cumulatively, 40% to 70% of us are living with latent TB. From this reservoir pool, a few progress to TB disease, one by one, 5-30 years, average 20 years, later. Progression: Progression occurs when bacilli become active, multiply and cause pathology; now we have “active TB”. Transmission: When active TB affects the lungs, the bacilli find an exit route to the atmosphere, necessary for transmission. Symptoms of TB in the lungs may include A bad cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer Weight loss Loss of appetite Coughing up blood or mucus Weakness or fatigue Fever Night sweats In India: India not only accounts for a fifth of the world’s TB burden, it also has the largest number of people living with multidrug-resistant TB. India has fought to retain its status as a maker and distributor of generic medicines, thereby protecting the right to health of people in developing countries. Indian patent law contains important provisions that help protect and promote public health goals — for example, by overcoming bids by big pharma to evergreen patents of old drugs, through compulsorily licensing for certain drugs, and by permitting pre- and post-grant opposition to patents to challenge unfair patenting practices by big pharma. Reasons for the rising crisis In addition to the failure of political machinery, the other major reasons for this are as follows: Adult and child under-nutrition Lack of active door-to-door detection Shortage of drugs Increasing Multi-Drug Resistant TB (MDR-TB) and Extensive Drug Resistant TB (XDR-TB) Total Drug Resistant TB acting as an assured death warrant Inadequate prescription by doctors and inadequate follow up of proper prescription by patients is aggravating the problem of antibiotic resistance Disease becoming expensive and difficult to treat Poor quality serological tests for diagnosis; poor quality diagnosis and treatment by medical practitioners Delay in implementation of critical programmes under the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) such as expansion of the GeneXpert pilot programme, scaling up of drug sensitivity testing, and the introduction of a child-friendly paediatric TB drug. India’s vision: To end TB by 2025, five years ahead of the World’s Target under SDG’s India’s estimated annual TB burden is 28 lakhs, 27% of the global total; our population is only 18%. Every day 1,200 Indians die of TB — 10 every three minutes. According to Health Ministry data, only 63% of the patients infected with the airborne disease are currently under treatment. Further, 1,47,000 patients are resistant to first- and second-line TB medicines. At the current rate of progress, global targets to eliminate TB by 2030 will be missed by a 150 years. India’s War on TB – The Way Forward Countering Delay in Diagnosis: To block transmission, treatment should begin as soon as a symptom shows up. As cough is a very common symptom of many diseases, doctors don’t think of TB until other treatments fail. Partnership with the private sector is essential for early diagnosis of TB. Universal primary health care, a basic human right, and a diagnostic algorithm for early diagnosis are essential for TB control. To retard progression: Employ the biomedical method is drug treatment of latent TB. Experts recommend an age window of 5-10 years when all children must be screened with TST; those with latent TB must be treated to prevent progression. Private Sector: The private sector has a very crucial role to play in checking the rise of TB as it is the first place a patient from an urban area visits. We need to make them a partner in this fight. Strict guidelines need to be followed to report cases of TB to government. Developing a comprehensive set of national guidelines could strengthen private sector engagement in TB Efforts should be made to map and categorise private practitioners based on the nature of their education, experience and services provided. Private hospitals need to be penalised for failure to report early TB cases to government. This will enhance the accountability of the private players. If cannot provide free treatment, it needs to refer the patient to a government clinic. Identification, focusing, messaging and testing (IFMeT): Key to successful private-public partnerships to fight TB Strengthening research: We urgently require rapid and cost-effective point-of-care devices that can be deployed for TB diagnosis in different settings across the country. Additionally, new drug regimens are necessary for responding to the spread of drug-resistant strains as is an effective vaccine for preventing TB in adults. It is a big challenge in current times, which is due to irregular treatment. Operational research for optimising service delivery is also critical because it is often the case that diagnostics and drugs do not reach those who need them the most. TB with other disease like HIV is difficult to treat and the research needs to be strengthened in this field. The India TB Research and Development Corporation launched in 2016 must play a pivotal role in accelerating these efforts. Technology: Technology has to be introduced and utilized in the most effective manner to ensure early access and monitoring. Ending social stigma: TB is not a health issue alone. It is a broader societal challenge. Patients often hesitate to seek treatment or deny their condition altogether for fear of losing social standing. The consequence is that TB becomes a death sentence for many even though it is a fully curable illness. Women are disproportionately affected with estimates suggesting that 100,000 Indian women are asked to leave their homes every year after being diagnosed with TB. Mass awareness campaigns like ‘TB Harega Desh Jeetega’ can play an important role in breaking social taboos. Local communication channels such as community radios and street plays must also be leveraged. Children should be engaged through anganwadis and schools for disseminating accurate messages about TB to their families. Paediatric TB is often a neglected area. Children come from low socio-economic strata with social stigma and discrimination which needs to be de-stigmatised. Major initiatives taken by India– Shift to Daily regime of medication: With DOT Centres, the treatment will be at individual door level leading to no defaulter. Cash benefit for TB patients & Medical Practitioner: About 35 lakh identified Tuberculosis patients across the country will soon get Rs. 500 every month from the Centre as social support. The cash benefit for social support will cover loss of wages, travel and mainly nutrition. INR 500/- to the private medical practitioner for notification of the disease Will this work: Need to incentivise both the patients and the private practitioners as both the sides will ensure that they stand to gain from the treatment, which, in the long term, might lead to behavioural change. Web-based Application – Nikshay: To enable health functionaries at various levels across the country to monitor TB cases in their areas Patients receive daily SMSes to ensure they continue their medication. The medicines come with a toll free number that is visible only after the medicine has been taken out of the foil pack; patients are required to give the number a missed call. Every missed call is tracked, and when there are too many gaps, the patient is traced, often by treatment supervisors who travel to remote areas on bikes that the programme pays for. Introduction of Cartridge-Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT): It is a revolutionary rapid molecular test which simultaneously detects Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin drug resistance. This test is fully automated and provides results within two hours. It is a highly sensitive diagnostic tool and can be used in remote and rural areas without sophisticated infrastructure or specialised training. Note: March 24th is celebrated as World Tuberculosis Day Connecting the Dots: Tuberculosis can be one of the major hurdles in converting the human capital in India to Demographic Dividend. Highlight the reasons for the rising TB problem and suggest measures to eliminate the problem. TB remains one of the leading causes of death from any single infectious agent worldwide. Comment on the national and global efforts to eliminate the disease by 2035.

Apr 22, 2019 60 Days Plan 2019 - Daily Prelims Test

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019- History and Current Affairs (Day 43)

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - History and Current Affairs (Day 43) 60 Day plan has been published on the website (www.iasbaba.com - Click here). Since we have come up with the 'Quiz Format', it will not be feasible to publish it on the app. For feasibility and getting to know where you stand among your peers (we have a leaderboard which gives your marks and rank) it would be advisable to take the test on the website. All the best. make the best use of the initiative ! Before taking the Test, read the post below, ARCHIVES Hello Friends,  The most beloved 60 Days for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019  has finally begun :) Once again the time has come for the battle (Prelims). And who else than your best companion in the last preparatory phase for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 i.e 60 days plan. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  Hope the message given above makes sense to you all. The productive utilization of this programme demands consistency, honesty, faith and strong determination to be in the process of learning and unlearning. You might not be fully prepared to solve all the questions but the learning and unlearning through these questions will prepare you for the real battle on 2nd June 2019. You have to unlearn your repetitive mistakes, gut feeling on which you mark doubtful questions. You have to learn new things and also those concepts that you were very sure of but somehow because of traps in the option, got it wrong. You have to learn 'how to convert knowledge into marks' (Because most of the times, after ending the exam, you regret making mistakes in known concepts).  Secondly, keep a long distance from following too many things at this point. It will always backfire. Once you are here, put complete faith and follow this initiative along with whatever you were doing. It is very important to consolidate your preparation with many revisions. Simply following many things will leave you in despair. You can cross check this with veterans. Everything that seems attractive is not productive. You should always go for productivity. Be wise! Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days of this plan! Importance of Self - Tracking: Learning from Last Year Last year, aspirants used to type/post their answers in the comment box on a daily basis. There were huge participation and discussion below the test post. Putting answers in the comment box has been very effective to self-track yourself after updating the score. In the end, you can cross check your performance through Disqus profile. It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes. The importance of this initiative stands time-bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last few months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice. So, take out a few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise. How can you make the best use of it? Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 25 minutes only.  Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then? The same will be replicated in the UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So, make effort to know the answers to all questions. Do not cheat :P DETAILED MICRO ANALYSIS MATRIX SAMPLE- is given here. You can download this and do an assessment for yourself (the excel sheet must be modified as per this years planning. The provided excel sheet is only for reference).  DOWNLOAD You can copy paste the same format/modify as per your need in Google Spreadsheet and update it on daily basis. Feedback talks about daily test results. Follow-up talks about daily target achieved from sources and the number of revisions to do/done and dates. Sources column is to ensure that aspirants do not run behind various sources and follow the same throughout. Would like to end on this quote:  Either you run the day or the day runs you.  Are you ready? Let's start! Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)  You can post your comments in the given format  (1) Your Score (2) Matrix Meter (3) New Learning from the Test

Apr 21, 2019 Motivational Articles

Creative Guidance – You are in control – Inspirational Educative Articles

You are in control: How often have you thought to yourself that you are not in control of a situation? I am sure more than a few times. In fact most people think that they are not in control of a situation most of the time. The feeling of not being in control is a very common feeling indeed. So, why do we feel this way? Are we really not in control is it just a feeling? The reality is almost always that we have control over what is happening within and around us. Very rarely are we in a situation that we absolutely cannot control. How do we know this? The simple way to know this is to recollect a situation when it was next to impossible for you to be in control. When was the last time you totally lost it? I am sure even if you can recollect, it is not very often that you lose complete control. The reason why we feel that we are not in control is because we somewhere deep down want to believe that we are not in control. It is infinitely easy to put the blame on another person or a situation just to escape the pain of taking the responsibility. Very often things go wrong in our lives. But very rarely do we accept that it is our fault. This escapism mentality is what pushes us to believe that we are not in control of a situation. Let us take a simple example of a heated argument with a friend. We almost always at the end of the heated conversation realize that it is our mistake – more often than not. And yet, during the conversation we absolutely believe that what’s happening is not our fault. We purposely push things too far just to prove that the situation is totally out of control. Just think about how many daily challenges of life can be handled easily if only we can take full responsibility for our actions. The moment we take full responsibility for everything that is happening in our lives, we immediately feel in control. Even if a situation is not in control we will try and bring it under control because now we know that knowing or unknowingly we have contributed to the situation. Accepting responsibility is a great quality. It does not make one weak. Accepting responsibility is a sign of strength and maturity. Almost 90% of all our daily conflicts can be easily resolved by accepting responsibility. Instead of trying to control everything that is happening in your life, just try and accept responsibility. The more responsibility you accept, the more control you will have over your life. Almost all internal as well as external conflicts are simply a result of our unwillingness to stand up to ourselves, our intentions and actions. Notice how your mind constantly goes back to situations where it was not your fault just to prove that you are perfect and others are not. This is a common problem of our minds that we need to deal with. Accepting responsibility will help you to gain control over this faulty mind. “This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Inner-Revolution and IASBABA.”

Apr 20, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 20th April 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 20th April 2019 Archives (PRELIMS+MAINS FOCUS) Suspension of cross-LoC trade Part of: GS Mains II and III – Centre-State Relations; Security issues; Economy and issues related to it. Context: In previous DNA, we read that Ministry of Home Affairs suspended the cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade in Jammu and Kashmir, citing “funnelling of illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency” as reasons. The decision is set to impact around 300 traders, and more than 1,200 people who are directly and indirectly associated with the trade on this side. Now in news: Traders and politicians in Kashmir have criticised the government over the sudden suspension of cross-Line of Control trade. Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs said the government was particularly alarmed by the case of U.S.-origin California almonds, which was not just a violation of the barter arrangement but also was under-invoiced to provide funds to anti-national elements and terrorist organisations in the Valley to fuel anti-India operations. The government will revisit the issue of resuming trade after stricter measures are put in place. Ganga has higher proportion of antibacterial agents: study In news: According to a study commissioned by the Union Water Resources Ministry – Ganga river water contains a significantly higher proportion of organisms with antibacterial properties (called bacteriophages) Bacteriophages are a kind of virus that kill bacteria. In the river Ganga, the bacteriophages were detected to be approximately 3 times more in proportion. International Fleet Review In news: Indian Navy has sent two ships to take part in the International Fleet Review to be held in Qingdao, China. The ships are stealth destroyer INS Kolkata and fleet tanker INS Shakti. Do you know? Pakistan’s Navy is not taking part in the event. The Indian Navy had last held an International Fleet Review in February 2016, in which 50 navies of different countries took part with nearly 100 warships. (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL TOPIC: General studies 2 and 3 Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. Humanise the law: draft Indian Forest Act Context: Indian Forest Act, 1927 is considered to be unsuitable as its provisions having been drafted to suit the objectives of a colonial power that had extractive uses for forests in mind. In the colonial era, the British diverted abundant forest wealth of the nation to meet their economic needs. While procedure for settlement of rights was provided under statutes such as the Indian Forest Act, 1927, these were hardly followed. As a result, tribal and forest-dwelling communities, who had been living within the forests in harmony with the environment and the ecosystem, continued to live inside the forests in tenurial (land) insecurity, a situation which continued even after independence as they were marginalised. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has finalised the draft Indian Forest Act, 2019 to modernize the colonial era law. Draft Indian Forest Act, 2019 Currently, only 2.99% of India’s geographic area is classified as very dense forest; the rest of the green cover of a total of 21.54% is nearly equally divided into open and moderately dense forest. Therefore, the new law aims at expanding India’s forests and ensuring the well-being of traditional forest-dwellers and biodiversity in these landscapes. It encourages community-led, scientifically validated conservation. Concerns: However, the draft Bill reinforces the idea of bureaucratic control of forests, providing immunity for actions such as use of firearms by personnel to prevent an offence. In other words, as per the new draft, forest officials have been given the absolute authority to shoot tribals for "violation of laws". The draft bill also contains some of the hardline policing approach such as – emphasis on creating infrastructure to detain and transport the accused, and to penalise entire communities through denial of access to forests for offences by individuals. Such provisions invariably affect poor inhabitants, and run counter to the empowering and egalitarian goals that produced the Forest Rights Act. The way ahead: India’s forests play a key role in moderating the lives of not just the adivasis and other traditional dwellers, but everyone in the subcontinent, through their impact on the climate and monsoons. Their health can be improved only through collaboration. Any new forest law must, therefore, aim to – Reduce conflicts, incentivise tribals and stop diversion for non-forest uses. Recognize all suitable landscapes as forests and insulate them from commercial exploitation. Develop partnership with communities on the one hand, and scientists on the other. Connecting the dots: The recent amendments to the Indian Forest Act, 1927 contains some of the hardline policing approach which might invariably affect poor inhabitants, and run counter to the empowering and egalitarian goals that produced the Forest Rights Act. Discuss. The recent amendments to the Indian Forest Act, 1927 is even more colonial and frightening. Critically comment. ECONOMY TOPIC: General studies 3 Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Jobs in India: The challenge of creating more employment Context: Job creation has become the big challenge for policymakers. The lacklustre performance of Indian manufacturing has prevented the absorption of labour force displaced from agriculture. Although some have found employment in services such as travel, tourism and hospitality, much of these are stopgap arrangements. Labour-intensive manufacturing could have been the most fitting option to absorb the mass labour force. But this did not happen. Why job-creation in manufacturing sector has failed to take off? Rigidities in labour laws preventing easy hire and fire of workers Entry and exit barriers for firms High capital requirement of labour-intensive sector The way ahead: The idea that labour-intensive industries will work without appropriate capital is misguided. Therefore, it becomes fundamental to reassess the capital proportion of labour-intensive sectors so that appropriate finance policies can be designed for their revival and promotion. Infusing appropriate capital into labour-intensive sectors gains primacy for their success in employment creation. A coordinated effort involving industry participation in finalising skill development curriculum, ‘on the job’ training as part of skill development and making learning & development a priority in general will go a long way in ensuring that our demographic dividend can truly be realised. Do you know? Government of India plans to increase the share of manufacturing sector in gross domestic product (GDP) from 16% to 25% by 2022 thereby creating 100 million new jobs. Conclusion: With the right policies, the manufacturing sector can help bring about economic resurgence as it has the highest multiplier effect as compared to any other sector of our economy. Thus, the development of an emerging economy significantly depends on the performance and structure of its manufacturing sector. Connecting the dots: Do you think the manufacturing sector has enough potential to create jobs for the burgeoning labour force in India? Critically comment. In India, 12 million young people enter the labour force each year, and millions transfer out of low productivity agricultural jobs. To ensure that such individuals get gainful employment is a mammoth challenge. Discuss the measures to tackle this challenge. Examine the role of manufacturing sector in employment generation in India. MUST READ Either way, the news is bad for Pakistan The Hindu Half MPs half votes Indian Express Kapu agitation in Andhra Pradesh Indian Express India-Pakistan Talks: Imran Khan wants peace and dialogue Indian Express Saving the Indian statistical system Financial Express

Apr 20, 2019 60 Days Plan 2019 - Daily Prelims Test

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019- Environment and Current Affairs (Day 42)

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - Environment and Current Affairs (Day 42) 60 Day plan has been published on the website (www.iasbaba.com - Click here). Since we have come up with the 'Quiz Format', it will not be feasible to publish it on the app. For feasibility and getting to know where you stand among your peers (we have a leaderboard which gives your marks and rank) it would be advisable to take the test on the website. All the best. make the best use of the initiative ! Before taking the Test, read the post below, ARCHIVES Hello Friends,  The most beloved 60 Days for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019  has finally begun :) Once again the time has come for the battle (Prelims). And who else than your best companion in the last preparatory phase for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 i.e 60 days plan. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  Hope the message given above makes sense to you all. The productive utilization of this programme demands consistency, honesty, faith and strong determination to be in the process of learning and unlearning. You might not be fully prepared to solve all the questions but the learning and unlearning through these questions will prepare you for the real battle on 2nd June 2019. You have to unlearn your repetitive mistakes, gut feeling on which you mark doubtful questions. You have to learn new things and also those concepts that you were very sure of but somehow because of traps in the option, got it wrong. You have to learn 'how to convert knowledge into marks' (Because most of the times, after ending the exam, you regret making mistakes in known concepts).  Secondly, keep a long distance from following too many things at this point. It will always backfire. Once you are here, put complete faith and follow this initiative along with whatever you were doing. It is very important to consolidate your preparation with many revisions. Simply following many things will leave you in despair. You can cross check this with veterans. Everything that seems attractive is not productive. You should always go for productivity. Be wise! Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days of this plan! Importance of Self - Tracking: Learning from Last Year Last year, aspirants used to type/post their answers in the comment box on a daily basis. There were huge participation and discussion below the test post. Putting answers in the comment box has been very effective to self-track yourself after updating the score. In the end, you can cross check your performance through Disqus profile. It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes. The importance of this initiative stands time-bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last few months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice. So, take out a few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise. How can you make the best use of it? Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 25 minutes only.  Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then? The same will be replicated in the UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So, make effort to know the answers to all questions. Do not cheat :P DETAILED MICRO ANALYSIS MATRIX SAMPLE- is given here. You can download this and do an assessment for yourself (the excel sheet must be modified as per this years planning. The provided excel sheet is only for reference).  DOWNLOAD You can copy paste the same format/modify as per your need in Google Spreadsheet and update it on daily basis. Feedback talks about daily test results. Follow-up talks about daily target achieved from sources and the number of revisions to do/done and dates. Sources column is to ensure that aspirants do not run behind various sources and follow the same throughout. Would like to end on this quote:  Either you run the day or the day runs you.  Are you ready? Let's start! Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)  You can post your comments in the given format  (1) Your Score (2) Matrix Meter (3) New Learning from the Test

Apr 19, 2019 RSTV Video

RSTV IAS UPSC – El Nino Effect

El Nino Effect Archives TOPIC: General Studies 3 Conservation, Climate change El Nino is the name given to a slight warming of the surface waters of the Pacific. It is opposite of La Nina, which is a cooling. As the ocean is one of the biggest influences in our weather, both of the phenomena have a dramatic effect on the weather around the globe. Collectively, El Niño and La Niña are parts of an oscillation in the ocean-atmosphere system called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO cycle, which also has a neutral phase. El Nino was discovered far earlier than La Nino, as it had a direct impact on the Peruvian fishermen. They noticed that every three to seven years, in the months of December and January, there would be virtually no fish in the seas. As it was noticed around Christmas time, they named this phenomenon El Nino (Spanish for ‘the baby boy’). What happens ‘normally’, at a time when there is no El Nino or La Nina? The warmest part of the Pacific Ocean is the region near the equator. Due to the spinning of the earth, the prevailing winds flow from east to west. This pushes the warm waters westwards, towards Indonesia. In the east, around the coast of South America, cool waters would normally well up. These waters are rich in nutrients and fish, and provide plenty of food for the Peruvian Fisherman. During a normal year it’s cool and not too rainy along the western coast of the Americas, and warm and wet in the western part of the Pacific. During an El Nino event: But when the trade winds die, two things happen: The wind-forced upwelling that draws cool water to the surface slows down, and the warm water that has pooled up in the western part of the Pacific basin starts to slosh back toward the east. And as the warmth spreads eastward, the trade winds—which are partly controlled by the temperature and air pressure differences between the two sides of the Pacific—get even weaker. So the chilly waters that usually help cool down the South American coast stay trapped deep below the surface, and the winds that would help cool things down stagnate. The prevailing winds across the Pacific weaken, and sometimes they can even reverse and blow the other way. This allows some of the warmer waters to move eastwards, away from Indonesia and towards South America. Easy to explain events: The location of tropical storms shifts eastward during an El Niño because atmospheric moisture is fuel for thunderstorms, and the greatest amount of evaporation takes place above the ocean's warmest water. Waters near the coast of South America are warmer than usual, which makes the weather in the region warmer than usual. This increases evaporation and therefore the region also sees more rain than in a typical year. Because the warmer waters are moving away from Indonesia, the weather here is drier than usual. Difficult events for some: Usually decreases the hurricane activity in the Atlantic Higher global temperatures: During an El Niño, the warmer tropical waters in the Pacific can transfer their energy to the atmosphere. When combined with man-made global warming, this can push global average surface temperatures to new highs. In 2016, Corals, which aren’t great at dealing with either extreme heat or extreme cold, languished in the tepid waters. Stressed by the heat, they started to sicken and bleach, and in some cases die. By the end of the season, vast swaths of the Pacific’s reefs were bleached bone white. The strongest El Niño event that has ever been recorded occurred in 1997- 1998. Its impact was felt in many parts of the world. Droughts hit Indonesia and other islands in the western Pacific, triggering uncontrollable forest fires. Peru suffered deadly flooding. Record-breaking rainfall hit the US state of California, causing mudslides and flooding. Kenya too, was hit by severe flooding. El Nino decreases earth’s rotation rate, the Coriolis force and increases the length of day. (La Nina creates opposite): As it changes the wind pattern, Earth needs a change in speed to conserve its angular momentum of Earth-Atmospheric system. The weak push to Monsoon winds towards India leads to less rainfall or weak monsoon. Rise in prices of commodities (sugar, pulses and edible oil) which leads Government to stock them up and put restriction on exports to avoid the hoarding via black market. This is the case especially in the western regions as the cost of raw materials increases hurting the manufacturing sector. Farmers suffer the most as they have to work on their strategy depending on the drought like situation. Connecting the Dots: What do you understand by an El Nino year? Also explain the mechanism of its occurrence. How does it affect the Indian subcontinent? What is La-Nina? Examine its effects on India’s climate.

Apr 19, 2019 IASbaba's Daily Current Affairs

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 19th April 2019

IAS UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 19th April 2019 Archives (PRELIMS + MAINS FOCUS) Govt. suspends cross-LoC trade in J&K Part of: GS Mains II and III – Centre-State Relations; Security issues; Economy and issues related to it. In news: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) suspended the cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade in Jammu and Kashmir, citing “funnelling of illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency” as reasons. The decision is set to impact around 300 traders, and more than 1,200 people who are directly and indirectly associated with the trade on this side. A probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the MHA revealed that trade are being operated by persons closely associated with banned terrorist organisations. And especially after India withdrew the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan aftermath Pulwama attack and imposed higher duty, the LoC trade was likely to be misused to a much larger extent. CSIR plans genome sequencing to map population diversity Part of: GS Prelims and Mains III – Science and Technology In news: In an indigenous genetic mapping effort, nearly 1,000 rural youth from the length and breadth of India will have their genomes sequenced by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The project aims at educating a generation of students on the “usefulness” of genomics. Globally, many countries have undertaken genome sequencing of a sample of their citizens to determine unique genetic traits, susceptibility (and resilience) to disease. This is the first time that such a large sample of Indians will be recruited for a detailed study. Important Value Additions: What is Genome Sequencing? Genome sequencing is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides, or bases, in a genome—the order of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts that make up an organism’s DNA. The human genome is made up of over 3 billion of these genetic letters. Pic: https://thesequencingcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/seqprocess_blog.jpg Applications of genome sequencing: Forensics: Used in criminal identification since every individual has different genome sequence. It helps to understand and comprehend the internal structure of genes in the DNA. It helps to understand which sequence codes for what kind of proteins. Medicine: The knowledge of sequence can tell you if you have any disease acquired or hereditary. The knowledge of sequence can be used to prepare proteins. The knowledge of sequencing will help to cure many diseases. [which are currently not being solved] Agriculture: Mapping of genome of micro-organism have enabled researches to make it useful for food crops and plants. Do you know? Genome sequencing project is considered to be a boon for mankind. Human Genome Project, a first of its kind was taken up by multi- institutes and took 13 years from 1990 to 2003 to produce a blueprint of the sequence of genes and spaces between genes that make up typical human genome. The human genome sequence of an Indian was mapped during 2009, putting the country in the league of then five others — United States, Britain, Canada, China and South Korea — who had demonstrated similar capabilities. This means the 3.1 billion base pairs describing every function of the body of an Indian are now available for further study and as an important diagnostic tool for predictive healthcare. Devoting over two years on the background work, a team of young scientists from the Indian Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) in New Delhi mapped the genome sequence of a man in his fifties from Jharkhand. The world’s first human genome sequence was completed in 2003 by the International Human Genome Project with scientists from the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan and China. Resource constraints hindered India’s participation in that project. Human Genome Project (HGP) The Human Genome Project (HGP) was a large, international and multi-institutional effort that took 13 years [1990-2003] and $2.7 billion to produce a blueprint of the sequence of genes and spaces between genes that make up a typical human genome. Human Genome Project – Write (HGP – Write) Fast forward to 2016 and another project, called the Human Genome Project–write (HGPwrite), now underway to synthesise a human genome from scratch. The original HGP was a “read” in that it used chemicals and instruments to decipher the genome for the first time. The new project, its proponents say, is to write or build an artificial human genome with sophisticated bioengineering tools. A group of scientists from United States recently proposed an ambitious project named as Human Genome Project-Write (HGP-Write) to create a genetic blueprint or synthetic human genome. The project envisions on the same scale as the Human Genome Project-Read (HGP-Read) which had sequenced human genome in 2003. HGP-Write seeks to reduce the cost of engineering DNA segments synthetically in the laboratory. The potential benefits of HGP-write to India include providing new solutions to diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya. The tools, techniques and technologies that are going to be developed through HGP-write will be universally applicable to all organisms, especially at an earlier stage for organisms with smaller genomes (for example, viruses), towards building individual genes and genomes efficiently and in an inexpensive manner. It also aims at improving the ability to chemically manufacture DNA, with one of the goals being to synthetically create an entire human genome. Plea in SC on voting rights of undertrials and convicts Part of: GS Prelims and Mains II – Polity; Fundamental Rights; Election and Voting Rights In news: Supreme Court is hearing a plea filed by a law student questioning an electoral law which denies undertrials and convicts their right to vote. The petition highlights how the Section sees both an undertrial and a convicted person equally. The former’s guilt is yet to be proved in a court. A person is innocent until proven guilty by law. Despite this, it denies an undertrial the right to vote but allows a detainee the same. However, a person out on bail is allowed to cast his vote. The plea argued that the provision violates the rights to equality, vote (Article 326) and is arbitrary. It is not a reasonable restriction. Do you know? Section 62(5) of the Representation of People Act of 1951 mandates that “no person shall vote at any election if he is confined in a prison, whether under a sentence of imprisonment or transportation or otherwise, or is in the lawful custody of the police”. The provisions however exempt a person held under preventive detention from this rigour. Article 326 of Indian Constitution: Elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States to be on the basis of adult suffrage Indians in Libya told to be careful Part of:  GS Prelims and Mains II – Indian Diaspora; International Affairs In news: In view of the worsening security situation in Libya, India asked its nationals to exercise extreme caution and stay in contact with others in the community. The Libyan Crisis (2011 to present) refers to the ongoing conflicts in Libya, beginning with the Arab Spring protests of 2011, which led to a civil war, foreign military intervention, and the ousting and death of Muammar Gaddafi. The civil war's aftermath and proliferation of armed groups led to violence and instability across the country, which erupted into renewed civil war in 2014. The ongoing crisis in Libya has so far resulted in tens of thousands of casualties since the onset of violence in early 2011. Miscellaneous Person in news: Yusuf Hamied Why in news? Scientist and businessman (Cipla chairman) Yusuf Hamied is among a host of Indian-origin experts honoured in the 2019 list of new fellows of the U.K.’s Royal Society. (top U.K. honour) The Royal Society is an independent scientific academy of the U.K. and the Commonwealth, dedicated to promoting excellence in science. Among the Indian-origin scientists elected as fellows this year are microbiologist Gurdyal Besra, mathematicians Manjul Bhargava and Akshay Venkatesh and health experts Gagandeep Kang and Anant Parekh. (MAINS FOCUS) NATIONAL/HEALTH TOPIC: General studies 2 Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. A manifesto for health Context: In India, health systems are in critical condition and there is significant public discontent over the lack of quality and affordable healthcare. Concerns: In the past five years, The Union health budget has stagnated in real terms and allocations to the National Health Mission do not cover inflation There have been avoidable deaths of scores of children in public hospitals in Gorakhpur and other places that can be ascribed to the lack of material and human resources. Governments have failed to regulate private hospitals There were numerous instances of mismanagement and massive over-charging of patients Ayushman Bharat scheme - An attempt to transform India’s Healthcare Map PM Modi had launched the Ayushman Bharat scheme a year before the elections. The scheme claims to benefit 50 crore Indians Coverage of up to ₹5 lakh a family a year will be provided for secondary- and tertiary-care hospitalization (50 crore beneficiaries) 5 lakh centres health and wellness centres will be established. However, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna (component of the Ayushman Bharat scheme) is seriously underfunded (current funds being less than one-fourth of required) and will only scratch the tip of the iceberg of healthcare requirements in India. Given this context, India needs a major health policy reboot.   Suggestions by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan Do you know? The Jan Swasthya Abhiyan is a ‘People’s Health Movement’ in the country, which is aimed at establishing health and equitable development through comprehensive primary health care and action on the social determinants of health. It is a worldwide network of peoples' organizations, NGOs, social activists, civil society organizations, health professionals, researchers, etc. As per People’s Health Manifesto 2019 by Jan Swasthya Abhiyan - There is a need to adopt “Right to Healthcare” legislation at the Centre and state levels. This would ensure that all residents of the country are entitled to healthcare facilities. There is a need to develop a system for Universal Healthcare (UHC) and which would require expansion and strengthening of public health services at all levels. Private providers should also be involved, as per need, to supplement the public health system. There is a need to increase the public health expenditure exponentially through taxation. (as current GDP expenditure on health is just mere 1.2 per cent and it is vital to reach 3.5 per cent of the GDP in the next five years). In order to increase staff and infrastructure, strengthen public health services, major reforms are needed. Guaranteed provision of free essential medicines and diagnostics to all patients. There should be a comprehensive health sector human resource policy, which provides upgraded skill training, fair wages, social security and decent working conditions for all public health services staff. The services of all contractual health workers, including ASHAs and anganwadi workers, should be regularised. Community-based monitoring and planning of health services should be upscaled and user-friendly grievance redressal systems put in place to ensure social accountability and participation. Private hospitals must be brought under the ambit of regulations by modifying and adopting the Clinical Establishments Act in all states. There is a need for effective legislation which ensures the Charter of Patient’s Rights, which provides grievance redressal mechanism to patients, the rates for services must be regulated and standard treatment guidelines should be adopted in healthcare institutions. These initiatives must be accompanied by measures to ensure that people with special needs — women, children, differently-abled persons, people living with HIV — enjoy appropriate health services. Traditional social determinants of health such as nutrition, water supply, sanitation and healthy environment must be ensured. There should be plans in place to tackle new determinants like air and water pollution and addictions. Conclusion: Such a paradigm shift towards a rights-based system for universal healthcare, based on massive increase in health budgets and strengthened health systems, is not an unrealistic dream. Connecting the dots: Ayushman Bharat is one of the most ambitious health schemes ever launched in India. What can be the key challenges in proper implementation of this scheme? What do you understand by universal health coverage? Explain the measures taken by the government to achieve universal health coverage in India. Enacting a Right to Health Act and setting up of an independent regulatory authority to manage and monitor the delivery of health care services are the two most important steps in the direction of universal health coverage. Comment. GOVERNMENT POLICY/SCHEMES 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 Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources. Why Ujjwala LPG scheme is a half-baked programme? Context: We know that, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana is a scheme of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for providing LPG connections to women from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households. Under the scheme, five crore (now 8 crores) LPG connections are to be provided to BPL households. PMUY aims to safeguard the health of women & children by providing them with a clean cooking fuel. Recently, the Union government claimed that it has provided over 51 million—51,407,565 at last official count—free cooking gas connections, distributed in standard-sized cylinders familiar to most people in India. However, most households in rural Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh—despite having an LPG connection—have not switched over to exclusive use of gas. What RICE survey says? According to Research Institute for Compassionate Economics (RICE), a non-profit research organization, which surveyed 1,550 households in late 2018 to know their cooking fuel choices – Burning solid fuel for cooking causes high levels of indoor air pollution and this smoke is dangerous. Solid-fuel use not only affects the health of the family that uses it, but is also harmful to their neighbours. Between 2014 and 2018, the region saw 44.2 percentage point increase in households with a cooking gas connection. In fact, over three-fourths of all households in Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh now have LPG connections, and 43% of them reported having received one from the government. But almost all households still own a chulha. As many as 37% of the households reported having used both a chulha and LPG stove the day before they were asked as part of the survey exercise. And about 36% were found to be only using solid fuel for cooking. Reasons: Poverty and high cost of LPG – Since they are poor, and the cost of a gas cylinder or re-filling it forms a large portion of their monthly expenditure, Ujjwala beneficiaries are less likely to exclusively use LPG for cooking. Beliefs and attitudes of people – Over two-thirds of the respondents considered cooking with LPG easier and healthier for the person who cooked. However, over 85% of the survey’s respondents also saw solid fuel as a better option for taste and the health of family members eating the food. Therefore, a household’s fuel use is associated with its beliefs. Conclusion: But the effect of air pollution on people’s health is a scientific fact. By delivering so many LPG connections, the government has finished its job. However, the real goal has not, and it may take a long while before it does. If the Ujjwala scheme is to accomplish its goal, which is the improvement of cooking conditions for women and enhancement of Indian citizens’ health, the government needs to work on changing the people’s attitudes and beliefs. This could be a long-drawn process. Connecting the dots: Does there exist a direct relation of smokeless kitchens with economic development. Discuss. Why having an LPG connection important for woman empowerment? In this regard, do you think Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana can make a difference? Examine. Also discuss its other advantages. If the Ujjwala scheme is to accomplish its real goal, then the government needs to work on changing the people’s attitudes and beliefs. Elucidate. (TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE) Model questions: (You can now post your answers in comment section) Note: Featured Comments and comments Up-voted by IASbaba are the “correct answers”. IASbaba App users – Team IASbaba will provide correct answers in comment section. Kindly refer to it and update your answers. Q.1) Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause under WTO regime is based on the principle of Non discrimination between the member nations Differential treatment between the locals and foreigners Uniform tariffs across commodities Top status in its strategic dealings Q.2) A massive project to sequence, catalog and analyze the genomes of all eukaryotic species on the planet. The project is Human Genome Project Human Genome Project-write Earth BioGenome project Eukaryotic-Genome Project Q.3) Consider the following statements with regard to Human Genome Project (HGP): Goal of the project was complete mapping and understanding of all the genes of human beings. The potential benefits of HGP include providing new solutions to diseases like malaria, dengue and chikungunya. A group of scientists from India recently proposed an ambitious project named as Human Genome Project-Write (HGP-Write) to create a genetic blueprint or synthetic human genome. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1 only 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 Q.4) Consider the below statement with regard to human genome sequencing: India is among the league of countries who have demonstrated the capability of mapping all the genes of a human. The world’s first human genome sequence was completed in 2003 by the International Human Genome Project, in which Indian scientists had also participated. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Q.5) Consider the following regarding Universal Adult Franchise The elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assembly of every State follows adult suffrage Our Constitution which provides for Universal adult suffrage was drafted by a Constituent Assembly that was composed of members elected by restricted franchise The Motilal Nehru report of 1928 advocated unlimited adult franchise and equal rights for women Which of the given statements is/are correct? 1 and 3 2 and 3 1 and 2 1, 2 and 3 Q.6) Article 326 of the Indian Constitution is associated with Bar to interference by courts in certain disputes Universal Adult Suffrage Discretionary power of President Original jurisdiction of Supreme Court MUST READ A struggle to breathe The Hindu Is the Election Commission toothless or is it refusing to bite? The Hindu Coming down from ivory towers Indian Express The enigmatic finances of India’s states Financial Express India’s silent chickpea revolution: How agri-scientists in Andhra Pradesh are resurrecting the crop Financial Express Why a global constitution is an idea whose time has come Livemint

Apr 19, 2019 60 Days Plan 2019 - Daily Prelims Test

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019- Science & Technology and Current Affairs (Day 41)

60 Days Plan: UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 - Science & Technology and Current Affairs (Day 41) 60 Day plan has been published on the website (www.iasbaba.com - Click here). Since we have come up with the 'Quiz Format', it will not be feasible to publish it on the app. For feasibility and getting to know where you stand among your peers (we have a leaderboard which gives your marks and rank) it would be advisable to take the test on the website. All the best. make the best use of the initiative ! Before taking the Test, read the post below, ARCHIVES Hello Friends,  The most beloved 60 Days for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019  has finally begun :) Once again the time has come for the battle (Prelims). And who else than your best companion in the last preparatory phase for UPSC IAS Prelims 2019 i.e 60 days plan. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  Hope the message given above makes sense to you all. The productive utilization of this programme demands consistency, honesty, faith and strong determination to be in the process of learning and unlearning. You might not be fully prepared to solve all the questions but the learning and unlearning through these questions will prepare you for the real battle on 2nd June 2019. You have to unlearn your repetitive mistakes, gut feeling on which you mark doubtful questions. You have to learn new things and also those concepts that you were very sure of but somehow because of traps in the option, got it wrong. You have to learn 'how to convert knowledge into marks' (Because most of the times, after ending the exam, you regret making mistakes in known concepts).  Secondly, keep a long distance from following too many things at this point. It will always backfire. Once you are here, put complete faith and follow this initiative along with whatever you were doing. It is very important to consolidate your preparation with many revisions. Simply following many things will leave you in despair. You can cross check this with veterans. Everything that seems attractive is not productive. You should always go for productivity. Be wise! Let us pledge to make it a big game changer (better than last year) in the next 60 days of this plan! Importance of Self - Tracking: Learning from Last Year Last year, aspirants used to type/post their answers in the comment box on a daily basis. There were huge participation and discussion below the test post. Putting answers in the comment box has been very effective to self-track yourself after updating the score. In the end, you can cross check your performance through Disqus profile. It was highly effective in the last edition of 60 Days that propelled aspirants to monitor their performance and learn through discussion. Let you solve these questions with full honesty and write your result in the comment box. Interact with peers to know your mistakes. The importance of this initiative stands time-bound and aggressive reverse engineering to learn the concepts. Many of you must be busy with your own strategy but let us tell you honestly that in the last few months, it is very important to revise and consolidate your learning. Just reading won’t suffice. So, take out a few hours from your schedule and make it a revision exercise. How can you make the best use of it? Be honest to your effort and do not start competing with XYZ aspirants just for the sake of marks. It is more important for you to introspect and check your learning than focusing on others. Try to answer the questions in 25 minutes only.  Do not get into negative feeling that I don’t have enough knowledge to answer these questions. Feel like you are taking the real exam. What would be your response then? The same will be replicated in the UPSC exam. Here, you get marks only and nothing else matters. So, make effort to know the answers to all questions. Do not cheat :P DETAILED MICRO ANALYSIS MATRIX SAMPLE- is given here. You can download this and do an assessment for yourself (the excel sheet must be modified as per this years planning. The provided excel sheet is only for reference).  DOWNLOAD You can copy paste the same format/modify as per your need in Google Spreadsheet and update it on daily basis. Feedback talks about daily test results. Follow-up talks about daily target achieved from sources and the number of revisions to do/done and dates. Sources column is to ensure that aspirants do not run behind various sources and follow the same throughout. Would like to end on this quote:  Either you run the day or the day runs you.  Are you ready? Let's start! Important Note Don't forget to post your marks in the comment section. Also, let us know if you enjoyed today's test :)  You can post your comments in the given format  (1) Your Score (2) Matrix Meter (3) New Learning from the Test