POLITY AND GOVERNANCE                                                                                       

1. Health Ministry launches WHO India Country Cooperation Strategy                 

2. Union HRD Minister to launch a unique Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme (PMILP)- ‘DHRUV’                                                                          

3. More than a quarter of the world's population has vision impairment: WHO      

ECONOMY                                                                                                                     

1. Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launches fellowship programme                                                                                        

2. Global economy in synchronized slowdown, impact 'more pronounced' in India: IMF chief                                                                                                             

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY                                                                                 

1. Advanced Air Quality Early Warning System                                                     

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY                                                                                    

1. Ten years after 'suicide' mission, NASA thirsts for lunar water                          

2. Satellite-based advisory service launched for deep sea fishermen                   

3. Saturn Overtakes Jupiter as Planet With Most Moons in Solar System           

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

Health Ministry launches WHO India Country Cooperation Strategy

GS PAPER - 02 POLITY - Issues related to Health

Context :

• WHO India Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) 2019–2023: A Time of Transition” has been launched.

Country Cooperation Strategy :

• It provides a strategic roadmap for WHO to work with the Government of India towards achieving its health sector goals, in improving the health of its population and bringing in transformative changes in the health sector.

• Focus Area :

  • Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

  • Health and wellness by addressing the determinants of health.

  • Protection against health emergencies.

  • India’s global leadership in health.

India country Cooperation Strategy :

• The India CCS is one of the first that fully aligns itself with the newly adopted WHO 13th General Programme of Work and its ‘triple billion’ targets, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO South-East Asia Region’s eight Flagship Priorities.

• It captures the work of the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework for 2018–2022.

• The CCS outlines how WHO can support the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and other allied Ministries to drive impact at the country level.

• The strategy document builds on other key strategic policy documents including India’s National Health Policy 2017, the many pathbreaking initiatives India has introduced — from Ayushman Bharat to its National Viral Hepatitis programme and promotion of digital health amongst others.

                                                                                                                    Source :- The Hindu ; PIB

Union HRD Minister to launch a unique Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme (PMILP)- ‘DHRUV’

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE -  Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Context :

• Union Human Resource Development Minister will launch the Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme- ‘DHRUV’ from Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) on 10th October,2019.

Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme- ‘DHRUV’:

• The objective of the Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme program would be to allow talented students to realize their full potential and contribute to society.

                                                                                                                                            Source :- The Hindu ; PIB

More than a quarter of the world's population has vision impairment: WHO

GS PAPER - 02 GOVERNANCE - Issues related to Health

Context :

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the first World Vision Report.

Key Highlights of the Report :

• The report says  that more than a quarter of the world’s population which is around 2.2 billion people suffer from vision impairment.

• The report has said that the prevalence of vision impairment in low- and middle-income regions was estimated by the report to be four times higher than in high-income regions.

• It also said that the rural populations face greater barriers to accessing eye care due to them having to travel greater distances and poor road quality, among other factors.

• It also highlighted that there was a gender disparity in accessibility to eye care services, with women standing a lesser chance of availing them.

• It warned that population ageing would lead to a dramatic increase in the number of people with vision impairment and blindness.

Main causes of rising cases of vision impairment

• Ageing populations

• changing lifestyles

• limited access to eye care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Common vision impairments:

• Presbyopia which is a condition in which it is difficult to see nearby objects has affected 1.8 billion people.This condition occurs with advancing age.

• The common refractive error called myopia, which is a condition in which it is difficult to see objects at a distance has affected 2.6 billion with 312 million being under the age of 19 years.

• Diabetic retinopathy has affected 3 million.It occurs to people who are living with diabetes, particularly Type 2 diabetes.It can impact vision if not detected and treated.

• Cataracts which is a clouding of the lens in the eye which leads to a decrease in vision has affected around 65 million people.

• Further,the trachoma has affected 2 million and several other vision impairments were also listed in the report.

• Trachoma is caused due to bacterial infection in the eye.Many countries have eliminated it including India.

India specific Findings :

• The report has praised India for its National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB).

• According to the report, in 2016-17,the NPCB has provided cataract surgery to a total 6.5 million people in India,achieving a cataract surgical rate of over 6,000 per million population.

• During this period, the school screening was also provided to nearly 32 million children and approximately 750,000 spectacles were distributed.

                                                                                                                 Source :- Down To Earth

ECONOMY

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launches fellowship programme

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY  - Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Context :

• The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has signed a contract with Indian Institute of Management(IIM)-Bangalore to launch a new programme ‘Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF)’.

Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship(MGNF):

• Aim :

  • Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF) programme aimed at boosting skill development at the district level.

  • The program aims to address the challenge of non-availability of personnel for implementation of various programmes at national, state and district levels.

•  Implementation :

  • The two-year Fellowship programme will be delivered by IIMB’s Centre of Public Policy(CPP).

  • CPP is an independent public interest-oriented policy think-tank engaged in research, teaching, training, and capacity-building.

• Eligibility :

  • Those who have a graduate degree from a recognised university and are citizens of India in the age group of 21-30 years will be eligible to apply for it.

Features :

• The programme will identify and train a group of young, committed and dynamic individuals who will use the IIMB ecosystem to work with the district administration in strengthening the process of skilling to create a vibrant local district economy.

• It will be launched on a pilot basis in 75 districts in 6 states including Gujarat, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

• It has been designed under Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion(SANKALP).           

                                                                                                                       Source :- The Hindu

Global economy in synchronized slowdown, impact 'more pronounced' in India: IMF chief

GS PAPER - 03 ECONOMY - Effects of liberalization on the economy

Context :

• The International Monetary Fund(IMF) President has said that the world economy is experiencing a synchronized slowdown and emerging economies such as India and Brazil are the most affected by the slowdown.

More in the news:

• The growth this year will fall to its lowest rate since the beginning of the decade.

• The IMF chief said that she expects slower growth in nearly 90% of the world this year.

• IMF chief said trade tensions had "substantially weakened" manufacturing and investment activities worldwide.

  • Further,she said that the trade conflicts could impact around $700 billion reduction in global gross domestic product (GDP) output by 2020 or around 0.8%.

• The IMF chief warned that there is a serious risk that services and consumption could soon be affected as global trade growth has come to a near standstill.

Recommendations :

• IMF chief called for using monetary policy wisely and enhancing financial stability.

• Now is the time for countries with room in their budgets to deploy or get ready to deploy fiscal firepower. In fact, low interest rates may give some policymakers additional money to spend

Way Forward :

• Structural reforms can raise productivity and generate enormous economic gains, these changes are key to achieving higher growth over the medium and long-term.

• The right reforms in the right sequence could double the speed at which emerging markets and developing economies reach the living standards of the advanced economies.

                                                                                                                                                        Source :- The Hindu

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

Advanced Air Quality Early Warning System

GS PAPER - 03 ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY - Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment

Context :

• The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has launched an advanced Air Quality Early Warning System, which can predict places neighbouring Delhi that are likely to burn crop residue on a given day.

  • It is the first time that stubble burning is being forecast.

Advanced Air Quality Early Warning System:

• It has been developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, under MoES.

• The system uses data of stubble burning incidents from the past 15 years to predict the date and place of the next burning.

• Using the data, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), under the aegis of the Central Pollution Control Board, will create probability maps to alert government agencies about areas where the chances of stubble burning is going to be high.

• The system can also track pollution load from stubble burning in places neighbouring Delhi NCR, using satellite data.

• It can predict the air pollution level for next 72 hours.

• It can also forecast the level of pollutants like particulate matter (PM) 2.5, PM10, and dust, coming from sources other than stubble burning.

Significance :

• The system would help authorities to take preventive steps to control pollution levels from stubble burning as well as mitigate pollution from existing sources.           

                                                                                                                                                    Source :- Down To Earth

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Ten years after 'suicide' mission, NASA thirsts for lunar water

GS PAPER - 03 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - Awareness in the field of Space.

Context :

• NASA's plans for renewed human exploration of the moon and ultimately visits to Mars and beyond.

• NASA might have a follow-up mission of LCROSS.

LCROSS :

• Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) was a robotic spacecraft operated by NASA.

  • It was launched in 2009 along with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

• LCROSS had an attached Centaur booster rocket which into the crater Cabeus near the south pole of the Moon.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Mission:

• Launched in 2009, it is a NASA robotic spacecraft currently orbiting the Moon in an eccentric polar mapping orbit.

• The mission seeks to help identify sites close to potential resources with high scientific value, favourable terrain and the environment necessary for safe future robotic and human lunar missions.

                                                                                                                   Source :- Economic Times

Satellite-based advisory service launched for deep sea fishermen

GS PAPER - 03 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Context :

• For seamless and effective dissemination of emergency information and communication on disaster warnings, Potential Fishing Zones (PFZ) and Ocean States Forecasts (OSF) to fishermen, the Government launched the Gagan Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation and Information (GEMINI) device.

Need :

• The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), regularly provides information, advisories, ocean data, weather forecasts, potential fishing zones (PFZ) data to beneficiaries like fishermen, Indian Navy, marine industries, shipping etc.

• But due to the limited range of mobile networks and VHFs, the erstwhile information system was not able to communicate disaster warnings to the fishermen if and when they moved away from the coast beyond 10-12 km.

Gagan Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation and Information (GEMINI)  :

•  GEMINI stands for Gagan Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation and Information.

• The device has been developed by Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and Airports Authority of India (AAI).

• It is electronically designed and manufactured by a private industry M/S Acord,Bangalore under Make in India Program.

• The GEMINI device receives and transfers the data received from GAGAN satellite to a mobile through Bluetooth communication.

• A mobile application developed by INCOIS decodes and displays the information in nine regional languages.           

                                                                                                                Source :- Down To Earth ; PIB

Saturn Overtakes Jupiter as Planet With Most Moons in Solar System

GS PAPER - 03 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - Awareness in the field of Space.

Context :

• Saturn has overtaken Jupiter as the solar system’s planet with the most moons after scientists discovered 20 more orbiting the ringed-planet.

Key Findings :

• The discovery of 20 new moons of Saturn has made Saturn the planet with the highest number of moons (82) against 79 moons of Jupiter.

  • The moons were discovered using the Subaru telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii.

  • The discovery have been released by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Centre.

• Out of the 20 moons discovered,17 of them orbit Saturn backwards.This is known as a retrograde direction.

• The other three moons orbit in a prograde direction which is the same direction as Saturn rotates.

                                                                                                                                               Source :- The Hindu

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