PERIYAR IAS CURRENT AFFAIRS 13-APRIL-2018
Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the
population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.
WHO directives call for support for
breastfeeding
Context: The
World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
have issued a new 10-step guidance to increase support for breastfeeding in
health facilities that provide maternity and newborn services, which provide
the immediate health system platform to help mothers initiate breastfeeding
within the first hour and breastfeed exclusively for six months.
Highlights:
§ The guidelines describe how hospitals should have a
written breastfeeding policy in place, required staff competencies, and
antenatal and post-birth care, including breastfeeding support for mothers.
§ It also recommends limited use of breast milk
substitutes, rooming-in, responsive feeding, educating parents on the use of
bottles and pacifiers, and support when mothers and babies are discharged from
hospital.
Significance of breastfeeding:
Breastfeeding
is an important efficient and cost-effective intervention promoting child
survival and health. Breastfeeding within an hour of birth could prevent 20% of
the newborn deaths. Infants who are not breastfed are 15 times more likely to
die from pnuemonia and 11 times more likely to die from diarrhoea than children
who are exclusively breastfed, which are two leading causes of death in
children under-five years of age. In addition, children who were not breastfed
are at increased risk for diabetes, obesity, allergies, asthma, childhood
leukemia, sudden infant death syndrome etc. Apart from mortality and morbidity
benefits, breastfeeding also has tremendous impact on improved IQ.
MAA programme:
To
intensify the efforts further for promotion of breastfeeding, the Health
Ministry has initiated a nationwide programme called “MAA-Mother’s Absolute
Affection’’ to bring undiluted focus on promotion of breastfeeding and
provision of services towards supporting breastfeeding, along with ongoing
efforts of routine health systems.
§ The key components of the MAA programme are awareness
generation, promotion of breastfeeding & inter personal counselling at
community level, skilled support for breastfeeding at delivery points and
monitoring and Award/ recognition of health facility.
§ Under this programme, ASHA has been incentivized for
reaching out to pregnant and lactating mothers and provide information on
benefits and techniques of successful breastfeeding during interpersonal
communication. ANMs at all sub-centres and health personnel at all delivery
points are being trained for providing skilled support to mothers referred with
issues related to breastfeeding.
§ Under NHM, funding support has been recommended for all
States and UTs for successful implementation of the MAA programme.
What’s important?
For
Prelims and Mains: MAA programme and significance of breastfeeding.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the
population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes.
Aspirational District Programme
Context: Small
Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) has charted a plan to promote
micro enterprises in 115 aspirational districts across the country to
contribute in their development. The bank has tied up with Common Service
Centre (CSC) to meet this objective.
About Transformation of Aspirational Districts Programme:
‘Transformation
of Aspirational Districts’ was launched in January with an aim to quickly and
effectively transform some of the most underdeveloped districts in the country.
Implementation strategy:
The broad
contours of the programme are Convergence (of Central & State Schemes),
Collaboration (of Central, State level ‘Prabhari’ Officers & District
Collectors), and Competition among districts driven by a mass Movement.
This will
converge the central and state schemes, collaborate central, state and district
collectors to strengthen these districts by identifying the low-hanging fruits
for immediate improvement, measure progress and then rank the district by
getting the data on a real-time basis.
Selection of backward districts:
The 115
districts, including 35 affected by left-wing extremism, were selected on
parameters like deprivation (extent of landless households), health &
nutrition (institutional delivery, stunting of children and wasting in
children), education (elementary dropout rate and adverse pupil-teacher ratio)
and infrastructure (un-electrified homes, lack of toilets, villages not
connected by road and lack of drinking water).
Significance of the scheme:
With
states as the main drivers, this program will focus on the strength of each
district, identify low-hanging fruits for immediate improvement, measure
progress, and rank districts.
Under the
programme, identified districts are prodded and encouraged to first catch-up
with the best district within their state, and subsequently aspire to become
one of the best in the country, by competing with, and learning from others.
Need for the development of backward districts:
India
cannot grow at a high rate on a long run until these districts catch up,
whatever high are the GDP number, it has no meaning until the benefit of growth
percolates down to very basic level. Ensuring progress in areas facing the most
severe challenges and improving conditions in remote and rural regions are
prerequisites for India to reach the next stage of its economic and human development.
Through
its massive scale and innovative use of data, the aspirational districts
programme (ADP) will help India move towards its goals.
What’s important?
§ For Prelims: Transformation of Aspirational Districts
programme, Prabhari officers.
§ For Mains: Cooperative federalism and its significance.
Sources:
pib.
Topic: e-governance- applications, models, successes,
limitations, and potential.
POCSO e-Box
Context: To
equip the children with the information regarding the possible modes of
protection/complaints, the National Council Of Educational Research And
Training (NCERT) has published the information regarding Childline (1098) 24×7
Helpline for children and POCSO e-box on the back side of the front cover of
all course books from Class 6 to Class 12.
About POCSO e- Box:
Protection
of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO), e-Box, is an online complaint
management system for easy and direct reporting of sexual offences against
children and timely action against the offenders under the POCSO Act, 2012.
E-Box is very simple to operate and will help to maintain the confidentiality
of the complaint.
Background:
Sexual
offences against children are rampant but only a small percentage gets
reported. According to a study, about 53% of children surveyed, reported having
faced one or the other form of sexual abuse in their lifetime. In most cases,
the offender is a family member/near relative or an acquaintance. The child
victim in such cases generally does not report these offences. Sexual abuse
scars the psyche of the affected child for entire life. A child who is sexually
abused has to face very serious consequences such as cognitive impairment,
violent and risk behaviour including depression and anxiety. Feeling shame and
guilt with poor interpersonal relationship & self esteem are other
consequences of sexually abused children.
About POCSO Act:
Being
concerned about offences against children, the Government enacted POCSO Act,
2012 to protect them from offences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and
pornography, while safeguarding the interest of the child at every stage of the
judicial process.
§ This is achieved by incorporating child friendly
mechanisms for reporting, recording of evidence, investigation and speedy trial
of offences through designated Special Courts.
§ Any human being up to the age of 18 years is recognised
as a child under the POCSO Act.
What’s important?
§ For Prelims: POCSO Act, e- Box.
§ For Mains: Prevention of sexual offences against
children.
Sources:
pib.
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development
in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Gram Swaraj Abhiyan
Context: Haryana
government has decided to launch ‘Gram Swaraj Abhiyan’, an outreach campaign,
in the state on the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar on April 14, which
will continue till May 5.
About Gram Swaraj Abhiyan:
“Gram
Swaraj Abhiyan” will be organised starting from 14th April to 05th May, 2018.
§ The campaign, undertaken under the name of “Sabka Sath,
Sabka Gaon, Sabka Vikas”, is to promote social harmony, spread awareness about
pro-poor initiatives of government, reach out to poor households to enroll them
as also to obtain their feedback on various welfare programmes.
§ As a special endeavour during the Gram Swaraj
Abhiyan, saturation of eligible households/persons would be made under seven flagship pro-poor programmes in 21,058
identified villages.
§ The programmes covered are Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Saubhagya, Ujala
scheme, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima
Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Mission Indradhanush.
Sources:
pib.
Topic: Important International institutions, agencies and
fora, their structure, mandate.
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
Context: India
has emerged as the biggest beneficiary of the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank, soaking up a quarter of all its investment commitments to
date, despite continuing diplomatic tension between New Delhi and Beijing.
In the
first two years of its existence, the AIIB — conceived by China as an
alternative to the World Bank — approved $4.3bn worth of funding for
infrastructure projects around Asia, over $1bn worth of which is due to go to
schemes in India.
About AIIB:
What is it? The
AIIB was established as a new multilateral financial institution aimed at
providing “financial support for infrastructure development and regional
connectivity in Asia.” It was founded in October, 2014, and has its
headquarters in Beijing. Its goals are also to boost economic development in
the region, create wealth, prove infrastructure, and promote regional
cooperation and partnership.
Funding: The
value of AIIB’s authorized capital amounts to $100 billion, with almost $30
billion invested by China. India is not only one of the founding members of
AIIB but is also the 2nd largest shareholder in AIIB.
Board of Governors: All
powers of the Bank are vested in our Board of Governors, which is the highest
decision-making body under the Articles of Agreement. It consists of one
Governor and one Alternate Governor appointed by each member country. Governors
and Alternate Governors serve at the pleasure of the appointing member.
Board of Directors: Our
non-resident Board of Directors is responsible for the direction of the Bank’s
general operations, exercising all powers delegated to it by the Board of
Governors. This includes approving the Bank’s strategy, annual plan and budget;
establishing policies; taking decisions concerning Bank operations; and
supervising management and operation of the Bank and establishing an oversight
mechanism.
International Advisory Panel: The Bank has established an International Advisory
Panel (IAP) to support the President and Senior Management on the Bank’s
strategies and policies as well as on general operational issues. The Panel
meets in tandem with the Bank’s Annual Meeting, or as requested by the
President. The President selects and appoints members of the IAP to two-year
terms. Panelists receive a small honorarium and do not receive a salary.
What’s important?
§ For Prelims: AIIB- structure, voting and share of
countries.
§ For Mains: AIIB- significance, need for infrastructure
funding.
Sources:
the hindu.
Paper 3:
Topic: Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in
industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
Economic freedom index
Context: The
Heritage Foundation has released its Index of Economic Freedom report 2017. The
Heritage Foundation is an American conservative public policy think-tank based
in Washington.
About the index:
Economic
freedom is measured based on 12 quantitative and qualitative factors, grouped
into four broad categories, or pillars, of economic freedom:
§ Rule of Law (property rights, government integrity,
judicial effectiveness).
§ Government Size (government spending, tax burden, fiscal
health).
§ Regulatory Efficiency (business freedom, labor freedom,
monetary freedom).
§ Open Markets (trade freedom, investment freedom,
financial freedom).
Each of
the ten economic freedoms within these categories is graded on a scale of 0 to
100. A country’s overall score is derived by averaging these ten economic
freedoms, with equal weight being given to each.
Highlights of the report:
§ India’s economic freedom score is 54.5, making its
economy the 130th freest in the 2018 Index. In 2017, India with a score of 52.6
points was ranked at 143 among 180 countries.
§ India is ranked 30th among 43 countries in the
Asia-Pacific region, and its overall score is below the regional and world
averages.
§ China is ranked 111 and Pakistan is now at 131 position.
India’s performance:
India is
developing into an open-market economy. However, traces of its past autocratic
policies still remain. Economic liberalisation measures, including industrial
deregulation, privatisation of state-owned enterprises and reduced controls on
foreign trade and investment, that began in the early 1990s, accelerated
growth.
More
recently, the government reformed one of its more opaque operational practices
to make the auctioning of rights to exploit state-owned resources more
transparent.
Challenges:
§ Corruption, underdeveloped infrastructure, a restrictive
and burdensome regulatory environment, and poor financial and budget management
continue to undermine overall development.
§ The judiciary is independent, but the Indian courts are
understaffed and lack the technology necessary to clear an enormous backlog.
Although officials are often caught accepting bribes, a great deal of
corruption goes unnoticed and unpunished.
§ Non-tariff barriers significantly impede trade. The
government’s openness to foreign investment is below average. State-owned
institutions dominate the financial sector, and foreign participation is
limited. In public-sector banks, troubled assets account for about 10% of total
assets.
What is economic freedom?
Economic
freedom is the fundamental right of every human to control his or her own labor
and property. In an economically free society, individuals are free to work,
produce, consume, and invest in any way they please. In economically free
societies, governments allow labor, capital, and goods to move freely, and
refrain from coercion or constraint of liberty beyond the extent necessary to
protect and maintain liberty itself.
What are the benefits of economic freedom?
Economic
freedom brings greater prosperity. The Index of Economic Freedom documents the
positive relationship between economic freedom and a variety of positive social
and economic goals. The ideals of economic freedom are strongly associated with
healthier societies, cleaner environments, greater per capita wealth, human
development, democracy, and poverty elimination.
What’s important?
§ For Prelims: Economic Freedom Index.
§ For Mains: Ease of Doing Business and need for economic
freedom.
Sources:
the hindu.
Topic: Infrastructure.
India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral
Highway
Context: Work
on the 1,000 km-long India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway officially
started with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signing an
agreement with a joint-venture (JV) between Punj Lloyd and Varaha Infra to
upgrade the Yagyi-Kalewa section of the India-Myanmar Friendship Road in
Myanmar.
This is NHAI’s first international project agreement. The project has been funded by Ministry of External
Affairs, Government of India and would be executed on EPC mode at a cost of
Rs.1177 crores.
About IMT Highway:
The 1,000
km India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway will run from Moreh in Manipur to
Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar. The highway will facilitate easy movement of
goods and people among the three countries.
Significance of the Highway:
Once
completed, greater flows of trade and investment will take place along the
route, stimulating the movement of goods and people, creating jobs, promoting
tourism as well as raising the livelihoods of the peoples in the region.
Why is this highway crucial for India?
§ First, it will help improve connectivity between India’s
remote Northeastern part and Southeast Asia. For long, the lack of physical
connectivity with Southeast Asia has been an Achilles’ heel in India’s
“Act-East Policy.” The trilateral highway will improve India’s connectivity
with Myanmar and Thailand, and in the future there are plans to connect it with
pre-existing roads and take it all the way to Vietnam.
§ Secondly, with the construction of this road, which
started as the India-Myanmar friendship road way back in 2001, the recent
non-attendance by India at China’s Belt and Road Forum in Beijing seems to have
injected a new measure of earnestness among Indian policy planners when it
comes to executing such road projects.
§ Thirdly, Northeast India has been lagging behind other
parts of the country when it comes to infrastructure. When completed, the IMT
highway will also give easy access to the Northeastern states to the sea (via
Myanmar).
About NHAI:
The
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is an autonomous agency of the
Government of India, responsible for management of a network of over 70,000 km
of National Highways in India. It is a nodal agency of the Ministry of Road
Transport and Highways. The NHAI was created through the promulgation of the
National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988. In February 1995, the Authority
was formally made an autonomous body.
What’s important?
§ For Prelims: NHAI, IMT Trilateral highway.
§ For Mains: Development of North East and the need for
integration.
Sources:
pib.
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