Weekly Current Affairs (22nd to 31st March 2023) Part - 2 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly - UPSC PDF Download

World Tuberculosis Day 2023

Context: World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed on 24th March every year to spread awareness about the disease and how best to combat it.

• India aims to make the nation TB-free by 2025, whereas the Global Target for TB elimination is 2030.
• Theme for 2023: Yes! We can end TB!

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

• On this day in 1882, Dr. Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that causes TB, and his discovery opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.
• Even today 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 year 2000, 66,000,000 lives have been saved by efforts taken globally to end TB.
• India accounts for roughly 28% of TB cases in the world, as per the Global TB Report 2022.
• Therefore, World TB Day is observed to educate people around the world about the disease TB and its impact.

What is Tuberculosis?

About:

• Tuberculosis is an infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It can practically affect any organ of the body. The most common ones are lungs, pleura (lining around the lungs), lymph nodes, intestines, spine, and brain.

Transmission:

• It is an airborne infection that spreads through close contact with the infected, especially in densely populated spaces with poor ventilation.

Symptoms:

• Common symptoms of active lung TB are cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.

Treatment:

• TB is a treatable and curable disease. It is treated with a standard 6-month course of 4 antimicrobial drugs that are provided with information, supervision and support to the patient by a health worker or trained volunteer.
• Anti-TB medicines have been used for decades and strains that are resistant to 1 or more of the medicines have been documented in every country surveyed.
• Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most powerful, first-line anti-TB drugs.
• MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs such as Bedaquiline.
• Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) is a more serious form of MDR-TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to the most effective second-line anti-TB drugs, often leaving patients without any further treatment options.

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 the Global 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.
• In 2018 Nikshay Poshan Yojna was launched, which aimed to support every Tuberculosis (TB) Patient by providing a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) of Rs 500 per month for nutritional needs.

Technology and Innovation Report 2023: UNCTAD

Context: In its Technology and Innovation Report 2023, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has stated that developed countries are benefiting more from green technologies than developing countries, and this could deepen global economic inequality.

What are the Key Findings and Recommendations of the Report?

Findings:

• Green technologies can create a market worth USD 9.5 trillion by 2030, up from USD 1.5 trillion in 2020.
• The total exports of green technologies from developed countries jumped to more than USD 156 billion in 2021 from about USD 60 billion in 2018.
• While exports from developing countries rose to only about USD 75 billion from USD 57 billion.
• According to the ‘frontier technology readiness index’ included in the report, only a few developing countries have the capacity to take advantage of frontier technologies such as blockchain, drones, and solar power.
• Green frontier technologies such as electric vehicles, solar and wind energy, and green hydrogen are expected to reach a market value of USD 2.1 trillion in 2030.
• The frontier technology readiness index which has ranked 166 countries, is dominated by high-income economies, notably the US, Sweden, Singapore, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
• The second quarter of the list includes emerging economies – notably Brazil - ranked at 40, China at 35, India at 46, the Russian Federation at 31, and South Africa at 56.
• Here, India remains the greatest performer by ranking at 67 positions better than expected.

Recommendations:

• UNCTAD calls on governments in developing countries to align environmental, science, technology, innovation, and industrial policies.
• It urges them to prioritise investment in greener and more complex sectors, to provide incentives to shift consumer demand towards greener goods and to boost investment in research and development.
• It recommends that international trade rules permit developing countries to protect emerging green industries through tariffs, subsidies, and public procurement, so that they not only meet local demand but also reach economies of scale that make exports more competitive.
• Lastly, UNCTAD urged developed countries to provide support to their less well-off counterparts and ensure all nations can participate and take full economic advantage of the green tech revolution.

What is the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)?

• UNCTAD is a permanent intergovernmental body of the United Nations.
  • It was established in 1964 and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• It aims to promote sustainable development, particularly in developing countries, through international trade, investment, finance, and technology transfer.
• UNCTAD's work focuses on four main areas: trade and development, investment and enterprise, technology and innovation, and macroeconomics and development policies.

Directed Energy Weapons and Hypersonic Weapons

Context: Recently, India’s Air Chief Marshal highlighted the need to push the development of Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) and Hypersonic Weapons and integrate them into its airborne platforms to get the desired range and accuracy.

What are DEWs and Hypersonic Weapons?

About:

• In layman's parlance, a directed-energy weapon damages or destroys its target using focused energy by means of lasers, microwaves or particle beams.
  • Example – Microwave weapons, Lasers weapons, drone defence systems etc.
• A hypersonic weapon is one that can hit its target five to ten times (Mach 5 to Mach 10) the speed of sound.

Advantages of DEWs over Conventional Ammunitions:

• DEWs, particularly lasers, have high precision, low cost per shot, logistical benefits and low detectability.
• They transmit lethal force at the speed of light (about 300,000 kilometers per second)
• Their beams are not affected by the constraining effects of gravity or atmospheric drag.
• Their effects can be tailored by varying the type and intensity of energy delivered against targets.

Disadvantages:

• Limited Range: Most DEWs have limited range, and their effectiveness decreases rapidly as the distance between the target and the weapon increases
• High Cost: DEWs and hypersonic weapons can be expensive to develop and manufacture, and the cost may not be justified by their effectiveness in some situations.
• Countermeasures: DEWs can be countered by using reflective materials or other countermeasures, which can reduce their effectiveness.
• Arms Race: The development of hypersonic weapons and DEWs by one country leads to an arms race, as other countries seek to develop their own hypersonic weapons in response. This can lead to increased tensions and instability.

Significance for India:

• The application of these technologies in the aerospace industry can transform the way wars will be fought enabling India to produce cutting edge platforms, weapons, sensors, and networks essential to fight and win a future war.
• DEWs and Hypersonic Weapons could act as a deterrent against hostile nations such as China, Pakistan by increasing India’s defence capabilities.

Other Countries with DEWs:

• Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Israel, and China are reportedly among countries which have programmed to develop DEWs or Laser Directed Energy Weapons and militaries of several countries have also employed them.
• Earlier, US also accused Cuba of carrying out sonic attacks (Havana Syndrome)

What are the India’s DEWs and Hypersonic Technology Projects?

• 1KW laser Weapon: DRDO has tested a 1KW laser weapon which hit a target 250m away.
• Directionally Unrestricted Ray-Gun Array (DURGA) II: DRDO has initiated a project DURGA II, which is a 100-kilowatt lightweight DEW.
• Hypersonic Technology Development: Hypersonic technology in India has been developed and tested by both DRDO and ISRO.
  • In 2021, DRDO successfully flight-tested the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV), with the capability to travel at 6 times the speed of sound.
  • India is also developing an indigenous, dual capable (conventional as well as nuclear) hypersonic cruise missile as part of its Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle Programme.

Way Forward

• The concept of Atmanirbharta or self-reliance in defence should encompass evolving home-grown designs and development capabilities by utilizing the Indian defence.
• There is a need to increase investment in defence research and development to boost our defence capability.

IMF Bailouts

Context: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently confirmed a USD 3 billion bailout plan (under Extended Fund Facility (EFF)) for Sri Lanka’s struggling economy.

• It is also negotiating with Pakistan for a USD 1.1 billion bailout plan on account of its severe economic crisis marked by falling currency and price rise.

What are IMF Bailouts?

• Bailout: Bailout is a general term for extending financial support to a company/country facing a potential bankruptcy threat.
  • It can take the form of loans, cash, bonds, or stock purchases.
  • A bailout may (not) require reimbursement but is often accompanied by greater oversight and regulations.
• IMF Bailouts: Countries seek help from the IMF usually when their economies face a major macroeconomic risk, mostly currency crisis (such as the ones Sri Lanka is facing).
  • Countries seek such assistance from the IMF to meet their external debt and other obligations, to purchase essential imports, and to prop up the exchange value of their currencies.

Note

• A currency crisis is generally a consequence of:
  • Gross mismanagement of currency by a nation’s central bank (often pressured by the ruling govt. to create fresh money for populist spending).
  • Consequent rapid rise of the overall money supply, which in turn causes rise in prices and drop in exchange value of the currency.
• A currency crisis results in:
  • Lack of confidence in said currency
  • Disruption of economic activity (people become hesitant to accept the currency in exchange for goods & services)
  • Reluctance among foreigners to invest in such an economy.

What is the IMF?

• The IMF is an international organization that promotes global economic growth and financial stability, encourages international trade, and reduces poverty.
  • It was set up in 1945 out of the Bretton Woods conference.
• Originally, the primary goal of IMF was to bring about international economic coordination to prevent competing currency devaluation by countries trying to promote their own exports.
  • Eventually, it evolved to be a lender of last resort to governments of countries that had to deal with severe currency crises.
• India has sought financial assistance from the IMF seven times but never since 1993. The repayment of all the loans taken from the IMF were completed by May 2000.

How is an IMF Bailout Provided?

Procedure:

• The IMF lends money to the troubled economies often in the form of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).
• SDRs simply represent a basket of five currencies, namely the U.S. dollar, the euro, the Chinese yuan, the Japanese yen, and the British pound.
• This lending is carried out by a number of lending programs such as extended credit facility, flexible credit line, stand-by agreements, etc.
• Countries receiving the bailout can use the SDRs for various purposes depending on their individual circumstances.

Conditions:

A country may have to agree to implement certain structural reforms as a condition to receive IMF loans.

Criticism of Lending Conditions:

• Believed to be too tough on the public
• Often accused of being influenced by international politics
• Free-market supporters criticise the IMF for being too interventionist

Acclamation:

• Conditions are essential for successful lending; it may not make sense for IMF to throw money at a country if its faulty policies that caused the crisis remain untouched.
• Countries with poor institutional functioning and high corruption are most likely to misspend the bailout money.

What are the Impacts of Providing IMF Bailouts?

Advantages:

• They ensure continued survival of the country under difficult economic circumstances and help solve BoP problems without resorting to measures that can be even more harmful to national/international prosperity.
• A complete collapse of the financial system can be avoided when industries too big to fail start to crumble.
• Insolvency of institutions that are needed for the smooth functioning of the overall markets can be avoided.
• In addition to financial support, the IMF can provide technical assistance and expertise to help a country implement economic reforms and strengthen its institutions.

Disadvantages:

• IMF’s strict conditions for economic policy reforms may result in reduced govt spending, increased taxes etc. which can be politically unpopular and may lead to social unrest.
• Seeking an IMF bailout may harm a country's reputation in the eyes of investors and lenders, making it more difficult for the country to access international capital markets.
• Repeated IMF bailouts can create a sense of dependency on external funding and discourage countries from implementing necessary long-term reforms to address their economic problems.
• IMF bailouts may be viewed as an admission of economic failure by a govt, which can lead to political instability and even the collapse of the govt.

Cattle Dehorning & Castration

Context: Recently, the central government has laid down the procedures for Dehorning Cattle and Castration, branding or nose-roping of any animal.

What is Dehorning and Castration of Cattle?

• Dehorning is the process of removing or reducing the horns of cattle, while castration is the process of removing the testicles of male cattle. Both practices are commonly performed on cattle for a variety of reasons, such as to improve safety for handlers and other animals, prevent injury, reduce aggression, and improve meat quality.
• Dehorning can be done using several methods, including chemical or electrical methods, saws, and dehorning irons. In many cases, dehorning is done when the animal is young to minimize pain and discomfort.
• The existing methods involve pushing a bull to the ground to use a castrator san painkiller.
• Castration is typically done to male cattle that will not be used for breeding purposes, as it can help to reduce aggression and improve meat quality.
• The castration method involves crushing the blood vessels, nerves and vas deferns (a coiled tube that carries the sperm out of the testes) to cause the testicles to become defunct.

What are the New Rules?

• All procedures are to be carried out with the involvement of a registered veterinary practitioner, along with the mandatory use of general and local anaesthetics.
• The rules demand the breeding of naturally hornless cattle over dehorning and using face halters and other humane procedures for nose roping and preventing cold and hot branding on live tissues.
• The rules prescribe a methodology for euthanasia for ill animals to avoid a painful death.
• The issue is concerning as most dairy owners and farmers abandon their bulls on roads as it incurs extra cost or effort to sustain them.

What are the Related Existing Provisions?

• The Dehorning and Castration procedures were earlier undefined under Sections 11 and subsection 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, which made it difficult to prevent cruelty against animals.
• Section 11 defined the acts that amount to treating animals with cruelty.
• But subsection 3 allowed exceptions for animal husbandry procedures, which involve dehorning cattle and castration, branding and nose roping of animals in a prescribed manner.
• Section 3(c) of the law also offered exceptions in “the extermination or destruction of any animal under the authority of any law for the time being in force.

What is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960?

• The legislative intent of the Act is to “prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals”.
• The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) was established in 1962 under Section 4 of the Act.
• This Act provides for punishment for causing unnecessary cruelty and suffering to animals. The Act defines animals and different forms of animals.
• Discusses different forms of cruelty, exceptions, and killing of a suffering animal in case any cruelty has been committed against it, so as to relieve it from further suffering.
• Provides guidelines relating to experimentation on animals for scientific purposes.
• The Act enshrines the provisions relating to the exhibition of the performing animals, and offences committed against the performing animals.
• This Act provides for the limitation period of 3 months beyond which no prosecution shall lie for any offences under this Act.

Critical Assessment of Heat Action Plans

Context: Recently, the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), one of India's leading public policy think tanks, has released the first critical assessment, stating that most of the Heat Action Plans (HAPs) may not be suited to the risks faced by local populations.

• CPR analyzed all the 37 HAPs across 18 States, to evaluate how policy action is keeping up with the warming weather in India and found that most HAPs are not built for local contexts.

What are Heat Action Plans?

• HAPs are the primary policy response to economically damaging and life-threatening heat waves. They prescribe a number of activities, disaster responses and post-heatwave response measures to reduce the impact of heat waves.
• HAPs are documents prepared at the state, district and city levels for taking short-term actions to limit the number of human deaths and other adverse impacts of heat waves and further long- term actions to prepare for future heat waves based on the data and analysis of previous heat waves.
  • Short term actions can include alerting people to heat waves and coordinating various departments such as healthcare and agriculture.
  • Long-term actions can include infrastructural changes such as cool roofs, increase in green cover and water harvesting structures.

What are the Key Findings?

Unprecedented Challenge:

• Extreme heat poses an unprecedented challenge to health and productivity, heat waves have increased in frequency in recent decades due to Climate Change.
• Landmark heatwaves (1998, 2002, 2010, 2015, 2022) have each led to large death tolls and extensive economic damage by reducing labour productivity and affecting water availability, agriculture, and energy systems.
• Human-induced actions made the chances of extreme heat events 30 times higher in the region.

Increase in Average Heat:

• By 2050, as many as 24 urban centers are projected to breach average summertime highs of at least 35 degrees Celsius, disproportionately impacting economically weaker sections.

Not Fit for Local Contexts:

• Most HAPs are not built for local contexts. They generally focus on extreme dry heat and ignore the threats posed by humid heat and warm nights.
• Most HAPs adopt national heatwave thresholds that may not be suited to the risks faced by local populations.
• Only 10 out of 37 HAPs seem to have locally specified temperature thresholds.

HAPs are Underfunded:

• Only three of 37 HAPs identify funding sources. Eight HAPs ask implementing departments to self-allocate resources, indicating a serious funding constraint.

Weak Legal Foundations:

• HAPs have weak legal foundations. None of the HAPs reviewed indicates the legal sources of their authority. This reduces bureaucratic incentives to prioritize and comply with HAPs instructions.

Insufficiently Transparent:

• Further, the HAPs are insufficiently transparent. There is no national repository of HAPs, and very few HAPs are listed online. It also needs to be clarified whether these HAPs are being updated periodically and whether this is based on evaluation data.

India Most Vulnerable:

• India is one of the most exposed and vulnerable countries to heat.
• Between 1951 and 2016, three-day concurrent hot day and hot night events have increased significantly and are projected to increase between two and four-fold by 2050 under the intermediate and high emission pathways of RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5.

What are the Recommendations?

• There is a need for the world to reduce emissions in the next two decades to prevent warm temperatures from reaching 1.5° C.
• There is a need that HAPs to identify sources of financing, either from new funds or by combining actions with existing national and state policies and set up rigorous independent evaluations as a basis for constant improvement.
• Without implementation-oriented HAPs, India's poorest will continue to suffer from extreme heat, paying with both their health and incomes.