Sarat Chandra IAS Academy brings to you the daily current affairs keeping in mind the changing pattern of the UPSC civil services exam. UPSC Prelims and Mains exams mix the current affairs with static core concepts. So, we give the background explanation for every current topic
TOPICS OF THE DAY:
- The Chapare virus
- National Digital Health Mission.
- Prasanna Kumar Mohanty report
- Mission Purvodaya
- Parliamentary panel report
1) The Chapare virus:
Relevant to: GS Prelims
Context: scientists have now discovered another deadly virus, known as the Chapare virus in Bolivia.
What is it?
The Chapare hemorrhagic fever (CHHF) is caused by the same arenavirus family that is responsible for illnesses such as the Ebola virus disease (EVD).The virus is named Chapare after the province (in Bolivia) in which it was first observed.
Symptoms:
It causes a hemorrhagic fever much like Ebola along with abdominal pain, vomiting, bleeding gums, skin rash and pain behind the eyes. Viral hemorrhagic fevers are a severe and life-threatening kind of illness that can affect multiple organs and damage the walls of blood vessels.
Spread:
Arenaviruses like the Chapare virus are generally carried by rats and can be transmitted through direct contact with the infected rodent, its urine and droppings, or through contact with an infected person.
How is the Chapare hemorrhagic fever treated?
Since there are no specific drugs to treat the disease, patients generally receive supportive care such as intravenous fluids.
It includes maintenance of hydration, management of shock through fluid resuscitation, sedation, pain relief and transfusions.
What is the threat posed by the Chapare virus?
Scientists have pointed out that the Chapare virus is much more difficult to catch than the coronavirus as it is not transmissible via the respiratory route. Instead, Chapare spreads only through direct contact with bodily fluids.
The people who are particularly at risk of contracting the illness are healthcare workers and family members who come in close contact with infected people.
The disease is also known to be most commonly transmitted in more tropical regions, particularly in certain parts of South America where the small-eared pigmy rice rat is commonly found
2) National Digital Health Mission:
Relevant to: GS Prelims #Mains:GS2
Context: The Government is preparing for the nationwide launch of the National Digital Health Mission. The mission of the new digital health programme is to provide affordable medical health facilities to the citizens.
When was it launched?
In his address to the nation on Independence Day, the PM launched the National Digital Health Mission.
The scheme was rolled out through a pilot launch in the Union Territories of Chandigarh, Ladakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
Key points of the Mission:
- It is a digital health ecosystem under which every Indian citizen will now have unique health IDs, digitised health records with identifiers for doctors and health facilities.
- The scheme will come under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
- It comprises six key building blocks — HealthID, Digi Doctor, Health Facility Registry, Personal Health Records, e-Pharmacy and Telemedicine.
- The National Health Authority has been given the mandate to design, build, roll-out and implement the mission in the country.
- The core building blocks of the mission is that the health ID, DigiDoctor and Health Facility Registry shall be owned, operated and maintained by the Government of India.
- Private stakeholders will have an equal opportunity to integrate and create their own products for the market. The core activities and verifications, however, remain with the government.
- Under the Mission, every Indian will get a Health ID card that will store all medical details of the person including prescriptions, treatment, diagnostic reports and discharge summaries.
- The citizens will be able to give their doctors and health providers one-time access to this data during visits to the hospital for consultation.
3) Prasanna Kumar Mohanty report:
Relevant to: Mains: GS 3
Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had constituted an Internal Working Group (IWG) to review the extant ownership guidelines and corporate structure for private sector banks in India.
It was headed by Prasanna Kumar Mohanty, Director and Central Board of RBI.
The terms of reference of included:
- Review of the eligibility criteria for individuals/ entities to apply for banking license.
- Examination of preferred corporate structure for banks and harmonisation of norms.
- Review of norms for long-term shareholding in banks by the promoters and other shareholders.
- The group has recently submitted its recommendations.
Key Recommendations made:
- Raise the cap on promoters’ stake in private sector banks to 26% in the long run (15 years). The holding is currently mandated at 15% of the paid-up voting equity share capital of the bank.
- Large corporate or industrial houses should be allowed as promoters of banks only after necessary amendments to the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (to prevent connected lending and exposures between the banks and other financial and non-financial group entities).
- Improve the supervisory mechanism for large conglomerates, including consolidated supervision.
- Also, well-run non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), with an asset size of ?50,000 crore and above, including those owned by a corporate house, may be considered for conversion into banks subject to completion of 10 years of operations, meeting due diligence criteria and compliance with additional specified conditions.
- As regards non-promoter shareholding, it has suggested a uniform cap of 15% of the paid-up voting equity share capital of the bank for all types of shareholders.
- For Payments Banks intending to convert to a Small Finance Bank (SFB), their track record of three years should be considered sufficient.
- Small Finance Banks and Payments Banks may be listed within ‘6 years from the date of reaching net worth equivalent to prevalent entry capital requirement prescribed for universal banks’ or ‘10 years from the date of commencement of operations’, whichever is earlier.
- The minimum initial capital requirement for licensing new banks be enhanced from ?500 crore to ?1,000 crore for universal banks, and be raised to ?300 crore from ?200 crore for SFBs.
- Non-operative financial holding company (NOFHC) should continue to be the preferred structure for all new licenses to be issued for universal banks. However, it should be mandatory only in cases where the individual promoters, promoting entities or converting entities have other group entities
4) Mission Purvodaya:
Relevant to: GS prelims
Context: Mission Purvodaya will drive eastern India towards self-reliance and contribute to making of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
- Purvodaya-Accelerated Development of Eastern Region through an Integrated Steel hub, in line with Prime Minister’s Vision for focused development of the Eastern States.
- The proposed Integrated Steel Hub, encompassing Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Northern Andhra Pradesh, would serve as a torchbearer for socio-economic growth of Eastern India.
- The objective of this hub would be to enable swift capacity addition and improve overall competitiveness of steel producers both in terms of cost and quality.
- In addition to increased steel capacity, this hub would also help enhance best-in- class value addition capabilities. The Integrated Steel Hub would focus on 3 key elements:
- Capacity addition through easing the setup of greenfield steel plants
- Development of steel clusters near integrated steel plants as well as demand centres
- Transformation of logistics and utilities infrastructure which would change the socio-economic landscape in the East
- These elements would be supported through additional enablers such as ensured availability of raw materials, presence of supporting industries such as capital goods and well-established avenues for skill development.
5) Parliamentary panel bats for laws to counter bio-terrorism:
Context: a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health has said in a report, “The Outbreak of Pandemic COVID-19 and its Management Key points
Pandemic have taught the lesson on the importance of controlling bio- logical agents and the need for strategic partnerships among different nations.
Seven-point action plan that is needed to ensure security against biological weapons
- Strengthening disease surveillance, including at animal-human interface
- Training and capacity building for management of public health emergencies arising from.
- Use of bio-weapons and strengthening research and surveillance activities related. to development of diagnostics, vaccines and drugs
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