In news

The Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare inaugurated “Arogya Manthan 2022”, to celebrate one year of implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

• ABDM was unveiled in September 2021.
• As per the initiative, all Indian people will receive digital health IDs which will enable hospitals, insurance companies, and individuals to electronically access medical records as needed.
• It was implemented in six States and Union Territories.
• The implementing agency will be the National Health Authority (NHA), which is a division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Features

Health ID

• It will be given to each resident and serve as their health account. Every test, illness, doctor visit, the medication used, and diagnosis will be described in detail in this health account.
• Health ID is voluntary and cost-free. It will facilitate the study of health data and result in better planning, funding, and program execution for health initiatives.

Healthcare Personnel Registry and Healthcare Facilities Registry

• The creation of a Healthcare Personnel' Registry (HPR) and Healthcare Facilities Registry (HFR), which will enable simple electronic access to healthcare professionals and infrastructure.
• The HPR will be a thorough database of all healthcare professionals engaged in providing healthcare services in both contemporary and conventional medical systems.
• All of the nation's medical establishments will have records in the HFR database.

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission Sandbox

• The Sandbox, developed as part of the mission, will serve as a framework for technology and product testing that will assist organizations, including private players, intending to be a part of the national digital health ecosystem to become a Health Information Provider or Health Information User, or efficiently link with building blocks of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.

Telemedicine

• Physical Infrastructure might be inaccessible in a remote location; Telemedicine will enable citizens to consult the best Doctors from a distant place.
• For example – Over 55 Million Consultations have been achieved through e-Sanjeevani since April 2020. (e-Pharmacy will also be available)

Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA)

• ABHA will permit individuals to incorporate all their Health Records onto one platform.
• Doctors and other parties, such as Health Insurance companies, can obtain the Patient’s Medical History (with consent). Data portability will catalyse the cure of the critically ill. 

Evidence-Based Policy Interventions

• In the long run, developing a Sustainable Health Record Repository will enhance Public Health Analysis, Monitoring and Promotion of evidence-based decisions.

End-To-End Healthcare Ecosystem

• The existing Public Digital infrastructure—including Aadhaar, UPI and expansive reach of the Internet and mobile phones (JAM trinity) facilitates Electronic Signatures, Allows paperless payments, and Securely stores digital records, It streamlines Healthcare Data through Digital Management.

Significance

• Make it simple for healthcare providers, including hospitals, doctors, and pharmacies, to conduct business.
• Enable, with authorization, the access and sharing of citizens' longitudinal health records.
• Integrate the digital health ecosystem, much like the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) did for the payment industry when it revolutionized it.
• The mission's promotion of the use of telemedicine and other technologies that enable nationwide mobility of health services would increase "equitable access" to high-quality healthcare.

Associated Concerns

• The absence of a data protection statute could result in private companies and bad actors misusing data.
• Concerns also exist about citizens being excluded and being denied healthcare as a result of systemic flaws.
• It is challenging to identify the true targeted beneficiaries due to the unequal geographic distribution of poor families. Despite the fact that many people have received treatment under the program, many others are still unaware of it.

Achievements

• Since its inception in September 2021, ABDM has achieved substantial augmentation of over 23 crores ABHA IDs (Health IDs),14 lakh Health Facilities registered in the Health Facility Registry (HFR), 33,000 Healthcare Professionals under the Healthcare Professionals Registry (HPR), 6.6 lakh ABHA App downloads and 3.4 lakh Health Records linked of individuals.

Steps taken by the Government

• The Union government has clarified that the data is stored in a federated architecture as described in the National Digital Health Blueprint published by the Government of India in 2019.
• The privacy of Indian individuals is not violated because the NDHM allows each person's health information to be used appropriately for their personal healthcare with their express consent alone.

Way Forward

• Effectively utilizing innovation and technology can help to reduce the overall cost of healthcare. Mobile apps with AI capabilities can provide better, more cost-effective, patient-centred, smart wellness solutions.
• This program must expand while retaining its integrity and long-term viability for all parties concerned.
• The government must enhance the delivery system, which means expanding the network of private providers, switching to organized care delivery, putting new ideas into practice, and offering speciality, reasonably priced, and value-based care.
• Along with providing high-quality services, the government must employ innovative financial solutions for long-term sustainability.

Content Source Link:

• https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1861702#:~:text=Dr.%20Mansukh%20Mandaviya%2C%20Union%20Minister,Bharat%20Digital%20Mission%20(ABDM),

Image Source Link:

• https://www.livemint.com/news/india/mandaviya-to-inaugurate-arogya-manthan-2022-as-ab-pmjay-completes-4-years-11663976513891.html,

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In news

The Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas has highlighted that India has demonstrated great resilience in the face of the global energy crisis while unveiling the logo for India Energy Week (IEW) 2023.

An overview of India's Energy Sector

• Electricity falls under the Concurrent list of the Seventh Schedule, and hence both Central and State Governments legislate on the matter.
• Power is among the most critical components of infrastructure, crucial for the economic growth and welfare of nations.
• India is the third-largest producer and consumer of electricity worldwide, with an installed power capacity of 401.01 GW, as of 2022.
  • Among this, installed renewable energy capacity stood at 12 GW, representing 39.43% of the overall installed power capacity.
  • The distribution of renewable power is as follows:
• India’s per-capita emissions are 60% lower than the global average. However, energy generation is highly emission-intensive.

India's self-reliance in Energy Sector

• Self-Reliance means Self-sufficiency in terms of economic activities and least dependence on other economies.
• India is 85% dependent on imports for meeting its oil needs and 50% for gas requirements.

Measures to ensure Self-Reliance in Energy Sector

• In recent times, the Government of India has taken several measures to minimise and mitigate the volatility of global crude oil and gas prices. Fuel price rise in India has been contained in comparison to an exponential rise in developed countries.

• In a bid to cut reliance on imported oil, the government is pushing for the mixing of ethanol, made from sugarcane and other Agri commodities, in petrol.
  • Achievement of 10% blending of ethanol in petrol in May 2022, ahead of the November 2022 deadline, setting up of 2G refineries to make ethanol, and a host of other initiatives, is a symbol of the Government's resolve towards just energy transitions.
• With the goal of achieving half of the total electricity generation capacity from renewable sources by 2030, India has made substantial and realistic commitments toward building and sustaining a greener and more self-reliant energy ecosystem.
  • Even though coal accounts for 50.7% of the total installed capacity, the nation’s determination to phase down coal and embrace renewables is a critical driver in achieving clean energy targets as well as national energy self-sufficiency.

• Further, India is promoting natural gas as a transition fuel in its journey to tap renewable power as the most important electricity source and has announced plans to increase the share of natural gas in its energy mix to 15% by 2030. In 2021, India launched 'The National Hydrogen Mission to produce carbon-free fuels from renewable resources and to make India a global hub of production as well as export of green hydrogen.
• Other measures needed to ensure energy independence include:
  • wider adoption of smart grid technologies that balance the infirm renewable sources
  • leverage advanced data analytics to deliver higher operational efficiency               

Source:

• Pursuing Energy-Independence Through Multiple Non-Fossil Pathways
• India has demonstrated great resilience in Face of Global Energy Crisis

Image source:

• https://youngleadersfordev.org/07-affordable-clean-energy/2017/09/affordable-clean-energy-powering-inclusive-growth-and-the-sdgs/

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In news

A new Ocean Observing System Report Card, a high-level annual report providing deep insight into the state, capacity and value of our Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) has been released recently.

About the report

• The GOOS Ocean Observing System Report Card was prepared in collaboration with WMO, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) and other GOOS partners and experts, and produced by its operational centre OceanOPS.
• The report card focuses on how an integrated observing network adds value to society across three delivery areas of climate, operational services and ocean health.

• Also, It highlights physical, biogeochemical and, for the first time, biological observations, providing a global view of the state of ocean observations and identifying progress, key challenges and opportunities to enhance the system.
• Further, the 2022 Report Card includes the following key areas:
  • Global view of the state of the Global Ocean Observing System
  • Monitoring ocean carbon uptake to allow more accurate climate model projections
  • Advancing coastal inundation forecasts and early warnings
  • Phytoplankton observations - vital for understanding changes in food webs and shifts in marine life
  • Involvement of new communities through the GOOS Ocean Decade Programmes

Key findings of the Report:

• Oceans take up 26% of 40 gigatons of carbon emitted to the atmosphere annually (48% remains in the atmosphere while the terrestrial biosphere takes the rest).
• It highlighted biological observations for the first time and identifies gaps in the system. It pointed at inequality in operational services across oceans like the Indian, Atlantic and Southern oceans.
• Only 5% cent of platforms at sea carry biogeochemical sensors, including carbon dioxide sensors.
• Argo profiling float array is providing 15% fewer data as compared to pre-pandemic.

Recommendations

• Investment in strengthening capacity to collect data.
• Ensure access to FAIR data (findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability).
• Early warning systems are essential to reduce coastal zone risks and communities which are at risk from rising sea levels.

Source:

• Global Ocean Observing System report card released
• Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)

Image source:

• https://ane4bf-datap1.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wmocms/s3fs-public/styles/featured_media_detail/public/programme/featured_media/Observations-WIGOS_0.png?QEXyBA2q4Z7HI_5UOQXtknF5Bl2YfRjx&itok=fOb7Lrak
• https://public.wmo.int/en/programmes/global-ocean-observing-system

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• Context: Capital markets regulator Sebi has allowed emerging investment vehicles, Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) and Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT), to issue commercial papers
• Commercial paper, also called CP, is a short-term debt instrument, issued in the form of a promissory note that pays a fixed rate of interest and was introduced in India for the first time in 1990.

• Commercial paper is issued by companies to raise funds (an alternative to loans) generally for a time period of up to one year.
• Companies that enjoy high ratings from rating agencies that may be specified by RBI often use CPs to diversify their sources of short-term borrowings and are issued by large banks or corporations to cover short-term receivables and meet short-term financial obligations.
• CPs have a minimum maturity of seven days and a maximum of up to one year from the date of issue and can be issued in denominations of Rs 5 lakh or multiples thereof. The maturity date of the CP should not go beyond the date up to which the credit rating of the issuer is valid.

• CPs are usually sold at a discount to their face value and carry higher interest rates than bonds.
• The most common forms of CP are the bill of exchange, promissory note, cheques, certificate of deposit, etc.
• CP may be issued to and held by individuals, banking companies, other corporate bodies registered or incorporated in India and unincorporated bodies, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs). However, investment by FIIs would be within the limits set for their investments by Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

SOURCES:

• https://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/reits-invits-with-net-worth-of-rs-100-cr-or-higher-can-issue-cps-sebi-122092201039_1.html

Image source:

• https://www.business-standard.com/article/markets/reits-invits-with-net-worth-of-rs-100-cr-or-higher-can-issue-cps-sebi-122092201039_1.html

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• Context: Madam Bhikaji Cama’s birth anniversary was celebrated recently.
• Bhikaji Rustom Cama, also known as Madam Cama, who was the first Indian to unfurl the flag of our independence on foreign soil was born on September 24, 1861, in Bombay Presidency to Sorabji Framji Patel and Jaijibai Sorabai Patel.
• Influenced by the Indian nationalist movement, Bhikaji was drawn toward political issues, had a flair for languages and soon became proficient in arguing her country’s cause in different circles.

• On August 22, 1907, Madam Bhikaji Cama became the first person to hoist the Indian flag on foreign soil in Stuttgart in Germany.
• The flag she unfurled was co-designed by Cama and Shyamji Krishna Varma and later served as one of the templates from which the current national flag of India was created.
• Cama wrote, published and distributed revolutionary literature for the Independence movement, including Bande Mataram (founded in response to the British ban on the patriotic poem) and later Madan’s Talwar (in response to the execution of Madan Lal Dhingra).
• She was an active member of Abhinav Bharat (Revolutionary freedom fighter group) and often called as Mother of the Indian Revolution.
• Assisted Shyamji Verma in the establishment of India House in London and she founded the Paris Indian Society.
• Cama remained in exile in Europe until 1935, and in November 1935, 74-year-old Bhikaji finally returned to Mumbai, where she breathed her last on August 13, 1936.
• She had bequeathed most of her personal assets to the Avabai Petit Orphanage for girls.
• On 26 January 1962, India’s 11th Republic Day, the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department issued a commemorative stamp in her honour and in 1997, the Indian Coast Guard also commissioned a Priyadarshini-class fast patrol vessel named the ICGS Bhikaji Cama.

Source:

• https://www.thebetterindia.com/69290/madam-bhikaji-cama-flag-stuttgart-india/

Image source:

• https://newsonair.com/2022/08/13/remembering-the-brave-daughter-of-india-madam-bhikaji-cama/

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• Context: NITI Aayog has been working on a draft policy regarding trading in water on commodity exchanges like gold, silver and crude oil.
• Water trading refers to buying, selling or leasing water access right enabling water to be transferred from one user to another.
• In 2020, the first, tradable water price futures index was launched on Chicago Stock Exchange.
• It is already practised in Australia, Chile, and the USA.
• Benefits of Water Trading include:
  • Better price discovery that leads to efficient use of resources and encourages water saving.
  • Increased flexibility to manage water availability and water use.
  • Reduce government expenses on drought relief measures.
  • Insure farmers against drought.
  • Attract investments in the water economy through increased business opportunities.

• ·Concerns over Water Trading:
  • Politically sensitive issues due to greater impact on poor and marginalized sections of society.
  • Against religious and cultural traditions of the community considering water with spiritual value.
  • Promote privatisation of water resources (public good or a basic human right), leaving the state with no control over them.

Source:

• https://www.reuters.com/article/us-water-trade-idUSTRE7772GM20110808

Image source:

• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-019-0228-z

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• Context: The term “shrinkflation” has been in news recently.
• Shrink inflation (also known as hidden inflation) is when a product downsizes its quantity while keeping the price the same. For example, reducing the scoops of ice cream in a container or reducing the number of chips in a packet would count as shrinkflation.
• In other words, shrinkflation occurs when goods shrink in size but consumers pay the same price.

• Shrinkflation deceives consumers into believing that the brands they buy are not affected by inflation, since container and vessel sizes are reduced by very small amounts, saving manufacturers more money in the long run. 
• If consumers are aware that the quantity is constantly declining, they would switch or change brands. To prevent this, a product can reformulate or remove ingredients while maintaining its price. For example, Cadbury Dairy Milk stopped using foil which it used to prevent chocolate from losing its quality and flavour in order to save expense. 
• This will over the long run cause a trust deficit among the customers.
• Therefore, to manage demand and supply, as well as address structural rigidities in the economy, the Right to Information has been recognised as a consumer right under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• This means that the consumer has the right to know the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard, and price of goods.
• Therefore, the Central Consumer Protection Authority needs to bring some guidelines to inform consumers when the weight of a product is reduced, instead of letting consumers be fooled by companies.

Source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/specials/text-and-context/shrinkflation/article65918802.ece

Image Source:

• https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/22/shrinkflation-for-those-struggling-its-about-more-than-just-chocolate-bars

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Essence - The editorial discusses the importance of fraternity as a basic constitutional value. It urges not to treat liberty, equality and fraternity as separate. It emphasizes the underlying meaning of " We the people of India". It highlights that Indian society lacks equality and fraternity. It mentions a few constitutional provisions to deal with these. It points out that even if the idea of fraternity was in the slogan of the French revolution,  its meaning was not clearly understood then. It then cites the view of B R Ambedkar on this concept.

Towards the end, it quotes various facts and views of scholars to describe the status of inequality in India. It brings out the mention of the Constitutional Assembly debate to present the prerequisites for building India into a cohesive society. In the end, it questions the effectiveness of adherence to the fundamental duty to promote fraternity in light of the rhetoric of national integration and 75th years of independence.

Why should you read this editorial?

• To know about the importance of fraternity as a core value in a federal and diverse country like India.

Source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-ambit-of-fraternity-and-the-wages-of-oblivion/article65919080.ece/amp/

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Essence - The article uses the case of using census data by Americans in the 1850s and 1860s to argue for their case for the abolition of slavery, in order to highlight how census data can be used in India to drive better policy formulations and social change.

While elections have been conducted and the lockdown norms have been relaxed, the discussion around conducting a census is amiss, which was to be conducted in 2021. This is in contrast to India’s 150 years of continuance in collecting data at the regular slated time for census amid all challenges. Also, countries like China, the UK, and the US went ahead with censuses even during the pandemic.

The article appropriately highlights the need to keep the data collection process ongoing without a lack of intervals for better tracking of social development parameters and indicators for policy formulation by the government. The census is not merely counting and the government should not be allowed to skip it.

Why should you read this Editorial?

• The article highlights the need and purpose for census and demographic data collection.
• The article is a good read to understand how census has been used and how it is being conducted throughout the globe for demographic data.

Source:

• https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/a-census-is-not-about-counting-sheep/article65923640.ece

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Background:

The Archaeological Survey of India has undertaken conservation measures and also introduced digital checks to track public access, as a result of the art in Sittanavasal either damaged or vandalised.

About Sittanavasal

• Sittanavasal is a small village in the Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu and was a major centre of Jain influence for 1,000 years just before the Christian era.

• The village was inhabited during the megalithic period from the 1st century BC, and Jainism flourished here from the 1st century BC to the 10th century AD.
• Sittanavasal, the hamlet and the hillock, houses the following:
  • Arivar Kovil (temple of Arihats - Jains who conquered their senses)
  • 'Ezhadipattam' (a cavern with 17 polished rock beds)
  • Megalithic burial sites and
  • The Navachunai tarn (small mountain lake) with a submerged shrine.
• The artwork on the ceiling of the sanctum and the Ardha mandapam of Arivar Kovil is an early example of post-Ajanta cave paintings of the 4-6th centuries, done using the fresco-secco technique (a process that dispenses with the preparation of the wall with wet plaster).

• Also, it is the only place in Tamil Nadu where we can see Pandya paintings.
• Unrestricted public access and general exposure to the elements have led to a gradual fading away of the artworks at Sittanavasal.
• As Sittanavasal is the best-preserved example of a Jain cave temple in Tamil Nadu, the current laxity in preservation efforts calls for better upkeep.

Quote: Archaeology holds all the keys to understanding who we are and where we come from - Sarah Parcak

Source:

• Sittanavasal, a Jain heritage site in Tamil Nadu, battles the elements

Image source:

• https://pudukkottai.nic.in/gallery/tourist-places-chithannavasal/

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