Social Issue: April 2022 Current Affairs - CLAT PDF Download

1. World Health Day

Why in News?
Every year 7th April marks the celebration of World Health Day.

World Mental Health: Day is observed on 10th October every year.

What are the Key Highlights about World Health Day?

• About€
  (i)  Its idea was conceived at the First Health Assembly in 1948 and it came into effect in 1950.€
  (ii) It is being celebrated today to mark the foundation of the World Health Organization (WHO) on 7th April 1948.
  (iii) Over the years, it has brought to light important health issues such as mental health, maternal and child care and climate change.
• Aim: To create awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the WHO.
• Theme for 2022: Our Planet, Our Health

What is the Need to Recognise the Day?

• Rising Deaths due Environmental Causes: Around the world, 13 million deaths are caused due to avoidable environmental causes. This includes the climate crisis which is the single biggest health threat facing humanity.
• Rising Air Pollution:€ Over 90% of people breathe unhealthy air resulting from burning of fossil fuels.
• Impact of Pandemic: The pandemic has revealed weaknesses in all areas of society and underlined the urgency of creating sustainable well-being societies committed to achieving equitable health now and for future generations without breaching ecological limits.
• Rising Extreme Weather Events: Extreme weather events, land degradation and water scarcity are displacing people and affecting their health.
• Rising Pollution and Plastics: Pollution and plastics are also affecting people’s lives and have made their way into our food chain.
• Inequitable Distribution of Income: €The present design of the economy leads to inequitable distribution of income, wealth and power, with too many people still living in poverty and instability.

What is the Current Healthcare Landscape in India?

• Although India’s healthcare sector has grown rapidly over the last five years (Compound Annual Growth Rate of 22%), Covid-19 has brought to the forefront persistent challenges such as a weak health system, lack of quality infrastructure, and lack of quality service delivery to vulnerable populations.
• India’s healthcare spending is 3.6% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), including out-of-pocket and public expenditure. The combined total government expenditure of both central and state is 1.29% of GDP.  India spends the least among BRICS countries: Brazil spends the most (9.2%), followed by South Africa (8.1%), Russia (5.3%), China (5%).
• The Government of India has launched the flagship initiative Ayushman Bharat (AB) Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) the world’s largest non-contributory Government-sponsored health insurance scheme that enables increased access to in-patient healthcare for poor and vulnerable families in secondary and tertiary facilities.

What are Related Initiatives for the Health Sector?

• National Medical Commission (NMC) Act, 2019
• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana
• Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojana.
• India’s Health Index
• SAMRIDH Initiative

2. Child Adoption in India

Why in News?
Recently, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea seeking to simplify the legal process for child adoption in India.

• In 2021, Adoption (First Amendment) Regulations, 2021 was notified which allowed Indian diplomatic missions abroad to be in charge of safeguarding adopted children whose parents move overseas with the child within two years of adoption.
  

What are the Issues Related to Child Adoption in India?

• Declining Statistics and Institutional Apathy: € There is a wide gap between adoptable children and prospective parents, which may increase the length of the adoption process.
  Data shows that while more than 29,000 prospective parents are willing to adopt, just 2,317 children are available for adoption.
• Returning Children after Adoption:€ Between 2017-19, the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) faced an unusual upsurge in adoptive parents returning children after adopting. Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is a statutory body of the Ministry of Women & Child Development. It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions.
  According to the data, 60% of all children returned were girls, 24% were children with special needs, and many were older than six.
  The primary reason these ‘disruptions’ occur is that disabled children and older children take much longer to adjust to their adoptive families.  This is primarily because older children find it challenging to adjust to a new environment because institutions do not prepare or counsel children about living with a new family.
• Disability and Adoption:€ Only 40 children with disabilities were adopted between 2018 and 2019, accounting for approximately 1% of the total number of children adopted in the year. Annual trends reveal that domestic adoptions of children with special needs are dwindling with each passing year.
• Manufactured Orphans and Child Trafficking: In 2018, Ranchi’s Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity came under fire for its “baby-selling racket” after a nun from the shelter confessed to selling four children.
  Similar instances are becoming increasingly common as the pool of children available for adoption shrinks and waitlisted parents grow restless. Also, during the pandemic, cases of threat of child trafficking and illegal adoption rackets came into play.  These rackets usually source children from poor or marginalised families, and unwed women are coaxed or misled into submitting their children to trafficking organisations.
• LGBTQ+ Parenthood and Reproductive Autonomy: € Despite the constant evolution of the definition of a family, the ‘ideal’ Indian family nucleus still constitutes a husband, a wife and daughter(s) and son(s).

 In February 2021, while addressing petitions seeking the legal recognition of LGBTQI+

marriages, the government opined that LGBTQI+ relationships could not be compared to the

“Indian family unit concept” of a husband, wife and children. €The invalidity of LGBTQI+ marriages and relationships in the eyes of the law obstructs LGBTQI+ persons from becoming parents because the minimum eligibility for a couple to adopt a child is the proof of their marriage. To negotiate these unfavourable legalities, illegal adoptions are becoming increasingly common

among queer communities.
Moreover, provisions under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020 and Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020 completely exclude LGBTQI+ families, stripping them of

their reproductive autonomy.

What are the Laws to Adopt a Child in India?

• The adoption in India takes place under Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA) and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act).
  HAMA, 1956 falls in the domain of Ministry of Law and Justice and JJ Act, 2015 pertains to the Ministry of Women and Child Development.  As per the government rules, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs are legalized to adopt kids. 
• Until the JJ Act, the Guardians and Ward Act (GWA), 1980 was the only means for non-Hindu individuals to become guardians of children from their community.

However, since the GWA appoints individuals as legal guardians and not natural parents, guardianship is terminated once the ward turns 21 and the ward assumes individual identity

3. De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-nomadic Tribes

Why in News?
Recently, the standing committee of Parliament has criticised the functioning of the development programme for de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes.

• The committee noted that the Scheme for economic empowerment of Denotified Tribes (DNTs) communities has total outlays of Rs 200 crore for the period of five years from 2021-22 and the Department could not spend even a single rupee in 2021-22.

Who are De-Notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes?

• These are communities that are the most vulnerable and deprived.
• DNTs are communities that were ‘notified’ as being ‘born criminals’ during the British regime under a series of laws starting with the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871. These Acts were repealed by the Independent Indian Government in l952, and these communities were “De-Notified”.
• A few of these communities which were listed as de-notified were also nomadic. € Nomadic and semi-nomadic communities are defined as those who move from one place to another rather than living in one place all the time.
• Historically, Nomadic Tribes and De-notified Tribes never had access to private land or home ownership.
• While most DNTs are spread across the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) categories, some DNTs are not covered in any of the SC, ST or OBC categories.
• Many commissions and committees constituted since Independence have referred to the problems of these communities. These include the Criminal Tribes Inquiry Committee, 1947 constituted in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh), Ananthasayanam Ayyangar Committee in 1949 (it was based on the report of this committee the Criminal Tribes Act was repealed), € Kaka Kalelkar Commission (also called first OBC Commission) constituted in 1953.
  The B P Mandal Commission constituted in 1980 also made some recommendations on the issue.€
  The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (NCRWC), 2002 held that DNTs have been wrongly stigmatised as crime prone and subjected to high handed treatment as well as exploitation by the representatives of law and order and general society.  The NCRWC was established under the chairmanship of Justice M N Venkatachaliah.
• It has been estimated that South Asia has the world’s largest nomadic population. In India, roughly 10% of the population is Denotified and Nomadic. While the number of Denotified Tribes is about 150, the population of Nomadic Tribes consists of about 500 different communities.

What are the Developmental Efforts Regarding DNT?

• Background: A National Commission for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT) was constituted in 2006 by the then government. It was headed by Balkrishna Sidram Renke and submitted its report in 2008. The commission held that “It is an irony that these tribes somehow escaped the attention of our Constitution makers. € They are deprived of Constitutional support unlike Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes”. € The Renke commission estimated their population at around 10.74 crores based on Census 2001.
• Schemes for DNT: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing the following schemes for the welfare of the DNTs.  
  Dr. Ambedkar Pre-Matric and Post-Matric Scholarship for DNTs. This Centrally Sponsored Scheme was launched w.e.f. 2014-15 for the welfare of those DNT students who are not covered under SC, ST or OBC.
  Nanaji Deshmukh Scheme of Construction of Hostels for DNT Boys and Girls. This Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched w.e.f. 2014-15 is implemented through State Governments/ UT Administrations/ Central Universities.
  From the year 2017-18, the scheme “Assistance to Voluntary Organization working for the Welfare of OBCs “ has been extended for DNTs.

What is the Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC)?

• A new Commission was constituted in February 2014 to prepare a state-wise list, which submitted its report in 2018, identified 1,262 communities as de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic. The commission recommended the setting up of a permanent commission for these communities.
• The government set up the Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNC).
• DWBDNC was established under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for the purpose of implementing welfare programmes. The DWBDNC was constituted on 21st February 2019, under the chairmanship of Bhiku Ramji Idate. 

4. World Tuberculosis Day 2022

Why in News
World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed on 24th March to spread awareness about the disastrous health, social, and economic consequences of TB and to take efforts to end the TB epidemic globally.

• Earlier in 2021, Centenary celebration was observed for the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which is presently the sole vaccine available for the prevention of TB.

Why is World TB Day Observed and What is its Significance?

• On this day in 1882, Dr. Robert Koch announced the discovery of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis that causes TB and his discovery opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.
• Even today the TB is one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers. As per WHO (World Health Organisation), every day, over 4100 people lose their lives to TB and about 28,000 people fall ill with this disease. Deaths from tuberculosis have risen in 2020 for the first time in more than a decade.
  According to the WHO, in 2020, around 9,900,000 people fell ill with TB and died, around 1,500,000. Since the 2000 year, 66,000,000 lives have been saved by efforts taken globally to end TB. € India accounts for around 26% of the total TB cases across the world.
• Therefore, World TB Day is observed to educate people around the world about the disease TB and its impact.

What is the Theme for World TB Day 2022?

• The theme is “Invest to End TB. Save Lives.”
• The theme emphasises the critical need to invest resources to accelerate the fight against tuberculosis and meet the commitments made by leaders around the world to end tuberculosis.

What are the Initiatives to Combat TB?

• Global Efforts: The WHO has launched a joint initiative “Find. Treat. All. #EndTB” with the Global Fund and Stop TB Partnership. WHO also releases theGlobal Tuberculosis Report.
• India’s Efforts:€ National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis Elimination (2017-2025), The Nikshay Ecosystem (National TB information system), Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY- financial support), TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign.
• Currently, two vaccines VPM (Vaccine Projekt Management) 1002 and MIP (Mycobacterium Indicus Pranii) have been developed and identified for TB, and are under Phase-3 clinical trial.

What is Tuberculosis (TB)?

• About:€ TB is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, belonging to the Mycobacteriaceae family consisting of about 200 members. Some of Mycobacteria cause diseases like TB and Leprosy in humans and others infect a wide range of animals.€ In humans, TB most commonly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect other organs (extra-pulmonary TB).
  TB is a very ancient disease and has been documented to have existed in Egypt as early as 3000 BC. TB is a treatable and curable disease.
• Transmission:€ TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.
• Symptoms: Common symptoms of active lung TB are cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.

5. State of World Population 2022 Report

Why in News?
Recently, the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) flagship State of World Population Report 2022 titled “Seeing the Unseen: The case for action in the neglected crisis of unintended pregnancy” was launched.

What are the Key Findings of the Report?

• Rising Unintended Pregnancies: Between 2015 and 2019, there were roughly 121 million unintended pregnancies globally each year.
• Lack of Safe, Modern Methods of Contraception: Globally, an estimated 257 million women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using safe, modern methods of contraception.
• Rising Rape-Related Pregnancies:€ Nearly a quarter of all women are not able to say no to sex.
  Contraceptive use is 53% lower among women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Rape-related pregnancies are equally or more likely to occur than pregnancies from consensual sex.
• Rising Abortion: Over 60% of unintended pregnancies, and almost 30% of all pregnancies, end in abortion. 45% of all abortions performed globally are unsafe. In developing countries, unsafe abortions cost an estimated USD 553 million per year in treatment costs alone.
• Impact of Humanitarian Emergencies:€ In humanitarian emergencies, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, many women lose access to contraception and / or experience sexual violence. Some studies have shown that over 20% of refugee women and girls will face sexual violence.
  In the first 12 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the estimated disruption in contraceptive supplies and services lasted an average of 3.6 months, leading to as many as 1.4 million unintended pregnancies.

What are the Contributing Factors of Unintended Pregnancies?

• Lack of sexual and reproductive health care and information
• Contraceptive options that don’t suit women’s bodies or circumstances
• Harmful norms and stigma surrounding women controlling their own fertility and bodies
• Sexual violence and reproductive coercion
• Judgmental attitudes or shaming in health services
• Poverty and stalled economic development
• Gender inequality

What are the Issues with the Unintended Pregnancies?

• Health Risks: Unintended pregnancies can pose certain health risks and may be associated with adverse outcomes for both mother and baby. Women with an unplanned pregnancy, for example, are less likely to receive prenatal care and may have a higher risk for postpartum depression and mental health problems later in life.
• Higher Rates of Preterm Birth: Unintended pregnancies have been associated with higher rates of preterm birth and low birth weight, although some studies note the difficulty of separating confounding demographic factors from pregnancy intention.
• Impact Future of Children: Children born as a result of an unplanned pregnancy may be more likely to fare worse in school  achievement, social and emotional development, and later success in the labor market compared to children born as a result of a planned pregnancy.
  Unintended pregnancy may also be an important risk factor in predicting and understanding child maltreatment. € An unplanned pregnancy can also disrupt educational goals and severely affect future earning potential and family financial well-being—costs which extend to state budgets.

What are the Suggestions?

• Decision-makers and health systems need to prioritize the prevention of unintended pregnancies by improving the accessibility, acceptability, quality and variety of contraception and greatly expanding quality sexual and reproductive health care and information.
• Policy makers, community leaders and all individuals should empower women and girls to make affirmative decisions about sex, contraception and motherhood.
• Foster societies that recognize the full worth of women and girls. If they do, women and girls will be able to contribute fully to society, and will have the tools, information and power to make this fundamental choice—to have children, or not—for themselves.

To read more on “Social Issues” go to

• Social Issue: March 2022 Current Affairs
• Society & Social Justice: February 2022 Current Affairs
• Social Issues: January 2022 Current Affairs