Social Issue Notes by Dr. Shivin
Social Issue Notes by Dr. Shivin
Social Issue Notes by Dr. Shivin
Adoption in India 7
Marital Rape 8
Child Marriage 11
Other Initiatives 11
Thiruvananthapuram Declaration 12
Guiding Principles for Children on the Move in the Context of Climate Change 12
Manual Scavengers
Transgenders
Tribals
Denotified Tribes 18
1
National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI) 19
Urban Poverty 20
Education
Learning Poverty 24
NIPUN Bharat 28
PARAKH 28
PM eVIDYA 29
Health
Anganwadi system 30
2
National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS) Report 33
Mental Health 36
Notified Disease 38
Paalan 1000 38
The State Of Food Security And Nutrition In The World (SOFI) Report, 2022 40
Miscellaneous
Habitus 46
Other Initiatives 46
Report Compilation 48
3
Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WEST)
What is WEST?
WEST is a new I-STEM (Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map: Linking
Researchers and Resources) initiative.
What is I-STEM?
● It is a national web portal for sharing research equipment/facilities and for promoting
collaborations in R&D and technological innovation in academia and industry.
● I-STEM is an initiative of PSA under the Prime Minister's Science, Technology, and
Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) mission.
4
All schemes under DST or DBT. Keep an eye on the options luring you to mark MoWCD.
Recently, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a “pay equity policy” for its
contracted women cricketers in the country.
Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) extended the right to safe and legal abortion up to 24 weeks
of pregnancy to all women in the country, regardless of marital status.
5
● The Act was amended in 2021 to make the MTP more accessible to women.
● Acknowledges marital rape : forcible sex\
○ Women can go for abortion without anyone else’s consent
● Expanded definition of ‘women’
● Privacy of minors : abort without disclosing identity under POCSO.
The government has issued Surrogacy (Regulation) Rules, 2022 under Surrogacy (Regulation)
Act, 2021.
1. Surrogate Mother
● Number of attempts of any surrogacy procedure on a surrogate mother is limited
to 3 times only.
● She may be allowed for abortion under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy
Act, 1971.
● She has to give her consent through an agreement for giving up all her rights
over the child and shall hand over the child/children to the intending couple.
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● Intending couples: Purchase a general health insurance cover in favour of the
surrogate mother (for a period of 36 months) to cover all expenses for all the
complications arising out of pregnancy and postpartum delivery complications.
2. Punishment for commercial surrogacy: Imprisonment which may extend to five years
and with fine which may extend to five lakh rupees.
4. NART and Surrogacy Registry: An online public record system of ART Clinics/Banks
and Surrogacy Clinics in India.
Adoption in India
Definition: The process through which the adopted child is permanently separated from his
biological parents and becomes the lawful child of his adoptive parents with all the rights,
privileges and responsibilities that are attached to a biological child.
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● The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA): Governs case where a
Hindu parent or guardian can give a child in adoption to another Hindu parent. Children
adopted under HAMA are not required to register with CARA.
● The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act (JJ Act), 2015 including
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Model Rules, 2016 and
Adoption Regulations, 2017: Governs Inter and Intra country adoption of orphaned,
abandoned or surrendered children and children of relatives.
Institutional Structure:
● Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA): Statutory body acting as the nodal
body governing all aspects of inter and intra country adoption under JJ Act.
● State Adoption resource Agency (SARA): Nodal body within the State to promote and
monitor adoption and non-institutional care in coordination with CARA.
● District Child Welfare Committee: Mandatorily constituted by States for each district
for dealing with children in need of care and protection and declaring them legally free
for adoption.
● District Child Protection Unit (DCPU): identifies orphan, abandoned and surrendered
children in the district, places them in Child Care Institutions (CCIs).
● Specialized Adoption Agency (SAA): Recognized body for the purpose of lacing
children in adoption.
● Authorized Foreign Adoption Agency (AFAA): Recognized foreign social or child
welfare agency coordinating all matters relating to adoption of an indian child by citizen
of that country
● All adoptions shall be registered on Child Adoption Resource Information and
Guidance System (CARINGS) and the confidentiality of the same shall be maintained
by the Authority.
Marital Rape
● Recently, a two-judge Bench of the Delhi High Court delivered a split verdict in a batch of
petitions challenging the exception provided to marital rape in the Section 375 of Indian
Penal Code (IPC).
● In India, There is no legal provision that define Martial Rape. However, It is mentioned
under Section 375 of IPC.
8
Dowry System In India
● Recently, the deaths of three young brides in alleged dowry related cases in Kerala has
brought attention back to this social evil.
Dowry
● Dowry is defined in the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961: The legal definition does not
include the dower or mahr in the case of persons to whom the Muslim Personal Law
(Shariat) applies. Also, parents of the girl can give gifts on her marriage, as Stridhana,
to enable her to meet her financial needs in case of an emergency.
● The opposite custom is called dower or bride-price in which payment in cash or kind is
paid from the bridegroom's side to the bride's parents. In some tribal communities in
India like Yanadis of Andhra and Baria, Pagi, Damor of Gujarat.
9
Protection Of Children From Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012
● Recently, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) requested the Parliament to examine the age of
consent issue under the POCSO Act, 2012.
Age Punishment for the offence For the protection of children only.
irrespective of the age of the
victim.
Definition of sexual Generic definition The Act for the first time, defines
assault "penetrative sexual assault",
"sexual assault" and "sexual
harassment".
Burden of proof Lies on the prosecution. The Lies on the accused. The accused is
accused is 'deemed to be 'deemed to be guilty until proven
innocent until proven guilty'. innocent'
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Child Marriage
Context: As per National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), An overall declining trend of early
marriage in both the sexes has been observed.
Other Initiatives
Baal Swaraj It is a portal for online tracking and digital real-time monitoring
mechanism of children in need of care and protection.
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The portal has two functions- COVID care and CiSS.
The initiative is taken under direction of the Supreme Court.
Digital Shakti 4.0 It is a pan-India project for making 10 lakh women digitally skilled
and aware to stand up against any illegal/inappropriate activity
National Commission online.
for Women, CyberPeace
Foundation and Meta
Thiruvananthapuram Declaration
● The ‘First National Women Legislators’ Conference in Kerala held in 2022 with
adoption of Thiruvananthapuram Declaration.
● Thiruvananthapuram Declaration laments the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill
(since 1996) for 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Legislatures.
Guiding Principles for Children on the Move in the Context of Climate Change
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Organizations related to Women and Children
Manual Scavengers
13
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National Action for Mechanized Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE)
Transgenders
Context: Recently, Karnataka has become the first state in the country to provide 1% horizontal
reservation for transgender people in all government services.
Provisions:
● It defines a Transgender person as one whose gender does not match the gender
assigned at birth.It includes trans-men and trans-women, persons with intersex
variations, gender-queers, and persons with socio-cultural identities, such as kinnar and
hijra.
● Prohibits discrimination against Transgender: In employment, education, housing,
healthcare and other services.
● Allows self-perception of gender identity: However, each person would have to be
recognised as 'transgender on the basis of a certificate of identity issued by a district
magistrate.
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● Grievance redressal mechanism: Mandates every establishment shall designate a
person to be a complaint officer to deal with the complaints relating to violation of the
provisions of this Act.
● Right of residence: No child shall be separated from parents or immediate family on the
ground of being a transgender, except on an order of a competent court, in the interest
of such child.
● Obligation of educational institutions: Every educational institution funded or
recognised by the appropriate Government shall provide inclusive education and
opportunities for sports, recreation and leisure activities to transgender persons without
discrimination on an equal basis with others.
● National Council for Transgender Persons: To advise the Central Government on
the formulation of policies, programmes, legislation and projects with respect to
transgender persons.
Judicial pronouncements:
Context: Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has released the draft of
the national policy for persons with disabilities for public comments.
Features:
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First Global Report On Assistive Technology (GREAT)
● The World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) have jointly launched the first Global Report on Assistive Technology
(GReAT).
● The GReAT report was developed in response to the World Health Assembly
resolution (WHA 71.8) on improving access to assistive technology adopted in May
2018.
● The report aims to present a comprehensive dataset and analysis of current global
access to Assistive technology.
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● WHO defines assistive technology is the application of organized knowledge and skills
related to assistive products, including systems and services. Assistive technology is a
subset of health technology that includes GPS, power chairs, walkers, etc.
Tribals
Denotified Tribes
Evolution:
● DNTs were 'notified' as being 'born criminals' during
the British regime under Criminal Tribes Act, 1871.
● Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 was repealed by Habitual
Offenders Act, 1952.
● Several DNTs were included in Scheduled Tribe
(ST), Scheduled Caste (SC) and Other Backward
Caste (OBC) lists.
Current status:
● As per Renke Commission, 2008, there are nearly
1,500 nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes and 198
Denotified tribes, comprising 15 crore Indians.
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● 31 August is celebrated as Vimukta Jatis day in India by the DNTS communities.
● Launched by: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs with Facebook India to digitally upskill 10
lakh youth from tribal communities and open up opportunities for them using digital
technology.
● It will create a platform for Self-Help Groups and families associated with TRIFED
(Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India) to take their products
global.
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● SC has issued directions under Article 142 of the Constitution to make conditions
conducive for sex workers to live with dignity as per Article 21.
○ No police interference or criminal action against adult and consenting sex
workers,
○ No separation of child from mother merely on the ground that she is in sex trade,
○ Media should not publish their pictures or reveal their identity while reporting
rescue operations.
○ Centre and States must involve sex workers or their representatives to reform
laws.
○ UIDAI to provide Aadhaar cards to sex workers even if they are unable to furnish
residence proof. It is issued on the basis of proforma certificates issued by a
gazzeted officer at National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) or the State
Health Department.
Legal Position of Sex Work in India: Under IPC, Voluntary sex work or prostitution is not
considered illegal but pimping, owning and running a brothel is unlawful under the Immoral
Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956
Urban Poverty
Education
Initiative Purpose
Skill India Partnership For the three-year degree programme and Skill Hubs ✓
with IGNOU under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
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NSQF Qualifications 100+ National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF)
aligned future skill qualifications to be developed under
various areas.
IKS-MIC Virtual hub of Joint program of the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) ✓
Innovation Division and the Ministry of Education Innovation Cell
to Promote the development of products, processes
inspired from the Indian’s traditional knowledge systems.
● NCrF, proposed as part of NEP 2020, is an umbrella framework for skilling, re-skilling,
up-skilling, accreditation and evaluation in educational and skilling institutions and
workforce.
● Developed by: Jointly developed by a High-Level Committee with members from UGC,
AICTE, CBSE, NCERT, etc.
Key Features:
● Aim : Seeks to integrate credits earned through school, higher, vocational and skill
education to ensure flexibility. These will become the guiding principles to be followed by
school, colleges and universities in adopting the credit system.
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● NCrF will enable learners to earn credits not just through classroom learning but through
co-curriculars, extracurriculars, recognition of prior learning etc.
● Framework enables seamless integration and coordination across regulators and
institutions to enable broad based, multi-disciplinary, holistic education.
● NCrF would be only one credit framework for higher education, school education and
skill education and shall encompass the qualification frameworks for:
○ Higher Education i.e., National Higher Education Qualification Framework
(NHEQF),
○ Vocational & skill education i.e., National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF),
○ School Education i.e., National School Education Qualification Framework
(NSEQF) also known as National Curricular Framework (NCF)
● Current System :
● School education : no system of credits, but NIOS follows it.
● Higher education :
○ Choice based credit system : requirements for awarding a degree is prescribed in
terms of number of credits
○ Skill assessment matrix for vocational advancement of youth (SAMVAY) : credit
framework for vocational courses by Ministry of Education.
○ UGC guidelines for skill based education under National Skill Qualifications
Framework.
Colonial Debate
● Anglicists-Orientalist Controversy
● Macaulay’s minute of 1835
● Wood's Despatch (1854)
Read these in detail in Modern History.
Official Language Progressive use of the Hindi language for all official purposes
Commission (1956) of the Union.
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Later, the Emotional Integration Committee (1962), National Education Policies (1968,
1986) also discussed the medium of instruction in higher education.
● NCF Development: As per the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, following
four NCFs will be developed
○ National Curriculum Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education
(NCFECCE)
○ National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE)
○ National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education (NCFTE)
○ National Curriculum Framework for Adult Education (NCFAE)
● Integrated Framework: NCF, under NCF-ECCE, for foundational stage is the first ever
integrated Curriculum Framework for children between ages 3-8 in India.This is the
first Stage in the 5+3+3+4 Curricular and Pedagogical restructuring of School Education
covering education for children up to the age of 18. It will be the basis for all pedagogy
adopted by schools, pre-schools and anganwadis for children studying between nursery
and Class 2.
● Features:
○ Importance to mother tongue: Students should be taught exclusively in their
mother tongue until the age of eight.
○ Less burden on children: For ages three to six, there should not be any
prescribed textbooks for the children, instead NCF recommended simple
worksheets for curricular goals and pedagogical needs.
○ Panchakosha system for education: The Panchakosha description is in the
Taittiriya Upanishad. It comprises Physical development (sharirik vikas),
Development of life energy (pranik vikas), Emotional and mental development
(manasik vikas), Intellectual development (bauddhik vikas), Spiritual development
(chaitsik vikas).
○ Others: Other areas include ethics, learning through play, gender balance,
avoiding stereotypes in textbooks and better learning environment.
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Learning Poverty
● Learning Poverty means being unable to read and understand a short, age-appropriate
text by age 10.
● Literacy Rate: Total percentage of the population of an area at a particular time aged
seven years or above who can read and write with understanding.
● Learning Loss : general loss of knowledge and skills or reversal in academic progress,
most commonly due to gaps in education.
● A person can be called functionally literate when he or she is able to write his or her
own name, to count and read and write. It also refers to the capacity of a person to
engage in all those activities in
which literacy is required for
effective function of his or her
group and community.
○ Mandla district, a tribal
dominated region in
Madhya Pradesh has
been reported as a fully
'functionally literate'
district.
Mains Relevant:
● According to a simulation data
by World Bank, Before the
pandemic about 53% of
children were not able to read a
simple text by the age of 10, but with the pandemic this has shot up to 70%.
● The shocks to education systems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is aggravating the
global learning crisis and impacting education in unprecedented ways.
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Department of School Education and Literacy (Ministry of Education) released Unified
District Information System for Education Plus report 2020-21 and Performance Grading
Index (PGI) for States/UTs for 2020-21
● It is a tool to provide insights on the status of school education in States and UTs.
● So far, 3 PGI reports were released, starting 2017-18.
● PGI evaluation classifies States and UTs into grade/ levels, as opposed to ranking.
● It comprises a total weightage of 1000 points across 70 indicators.
● 2 categories of indicators : Outcomes and Governance & management
Highlights of PGI
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National Achievement Survey (NAS)
Recently, The State of Education Report for India, 2022: Artificial Intelligence in Education’ was
released by UNESCO.
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● India’s current status in AI: India has the highest relative AI skill penetration rate (3.09
times the global average).
○ AI in Education systems have contributed ed to reach US$7.8 billion by 2025 at a
rate of 20.2% CAGR.
● AI & Women
○ India leads the world by far in terms of women with AI skills.
○ Women account for a third of AI-related scientific publications in India.
○ In 2018, India had the world’s second-largest AI talent pool, of which 22%
comprised women.
Open to school students studying in classes 8-12 across India to foster a deeper
understanding of AI-tech and encourage youngsters to become human-centric designers.
National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mission Prime Minister's Science, Technology, and
Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).
● Study titled “Foundational Learning Study 2022” was jointly conducted by the Union
Ministry of Education and National Council of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT).
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NIPUN Bharat or National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and
Numeracy
● NIPUN Bharat has been launched under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme ‘Samagra
Shiksha’ to create an enabling environment to ensure the universal acquisition of
foundational literacy and numeracy by 2026-27.
● Implementing agency: Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of
Education.
● Beneficiaries: Children (3 to 9 years) including preschool to grade 3 & children who are
in class 4 and 5 and have not attained the foundational skills.
● Implementation strategy: A five-tier Implementation mechanism will be set up at
National-State-District-Block-School level.
PM eVIDYA
● PM eVIDYA (by Ministry of Education) unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air
education to enable multimode access for imparting education by using technology to
minimise learning losses. It has been initiated as part of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan.
● Use of ICT under PM eVIDYA, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, has won
UNESCO’s recognition (UNESCO’s King Hamad Bin Isa AlKhalifa Prize).
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UGC e-samadhan Portal
● It is a single window portal for submitting grievances by merging the different portals and
helplines that exist currently by UGC.
● It aims to fast-track resolution of complaints and monitor institutes that are slow in
responding to them. Portal will be available 24x7 and also specific timelines have been
laid down for addressing the grievances registered at the portal.
Health
Anganwadi system
● The Anganwadi system, launched under the Anganwadi Services Scheme (now
renamed as Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0), is an integral part of the
Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS) scheme.
● The Anganwadi Services Scheme is a
Centrally Sponsored Scheme under
MoWCD.
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● It represents one of the world’s largest and unique programmes for early childhood care
and development.
● Aim: The scheme aims to improve the nutritional and health status of children (0-6
years), pregnant women and lactating mothers, and reduce the incidences of
mortality, morbidity and malnutrition.
● Integrated Child Development Scheme :
○ Supplementary nutrition
○ Pre School Education
○ Health and Nutrition education
○ Immunization
○ Health Checkups
○ Referral Services
■ One village / area is managed by a single anganwadi worker who is
chosen from the community and trained in health, nutrition and childcare.
Digital Interventions
● e ‘Poshan Tracker’ is a job-aid to the AWWs for efficient delivery of services along with
reflection of their efforts. This mobile based application is being leveraged for dynamic
identification of stunting, wasting, under-weight prevalence among children and last mile
tracking of nutrition service delivery.
● ICDS-Common Application Software (CAS) facilitates the capture of data by frontline
functionaries. It’s a six-tier dashboard that replaces registers with smartphones
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Honorarium
● AWW are paid fixed honorarium per month.
● They are also given incentives for using ICDS - CAS.
● Certain additional benefits are also given / additional honorarium is paid by the states.
Key Terms
● Stunting : Low height for age
● Wasting : Low weight for height
● Underweight : Low weight for age
History of CRS:
● In 1886 a Central Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act was promulgated to
provide for voluntary registration throughout British India.
● Post-independence, the Registration of Births and Death Act (RBD Act) was enacted in
1969 to promote uniformity and comparability in the registration of Births and Deaths
across the country and compilation of vital statistics based thereon.
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● Under MHA.
● Established by Census act, 1949.
● Conducts the decadal census, birth and death registration act.
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National Health Account (NHA) Estimates, 2018-19
● NHA estimates 2018-19 is the 6th consecutive NHA estimates report prepared by
National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC),
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● NHSRC was designated as NHA Technical Secretariat (NHATS) in 2014 by the
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW).
● It is based on the framework of System of Health Accounts, 2011, developed by
WHO.
● These estimates enable the policymakers to monitor the progress in different health
financing indicators of the country.
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● The preliminary enquiry from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)
has revealed that the manufacturer is licensed by the State Drug Controller for the
products under reference.
● The tentative results on syrups have shown presence of Diethylene Glycol (DEG)/
Ethylene Glycol. Present as impurities in propylene glycol, they are toxic in nature.
● In India also, at least five cases of DEG poisoning have happened since 1972 including
the 2020 incident in Jammu leading to the death of 17 children.
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Good manufacturing practice (GMP) is a system to ensure that products are consistently
produced and controlled as per quality standards.
It helps in ensuring therapeutic effect and boost pharmaceutical export opportunities through
international organization. Currently, around 2,000 manufacturing units in India are GMP
certified.
Mental Health
Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) initiative
● It is an initiative under the National Tele Mental Health Programme (NTMHP)
(announced in the Union Budget 2022-23) aimed to provide free tele-mental health
services all over the country.
● Working Structure: At least one Tele-MANAS Cell in each State/UT. National Institute
of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) is the nodal centre.
● Technical Support: International Institute of Information Technology-Bengaluru
(IIITB), IIT-Bengaluru and National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHRSC). A
toll-free, 24/7 helpline number has been set up with the language of choice for availing
services.
● Integration: with other services like National tele-consultation service, eSanjeevani,
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, mental health professionals, Ayushman Bharat health
and wellness centres and emergency psychiatric facilities.
● Tele manas helpline : 1800914416
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Drug Trafficking In India
Context: UNODC recently released the World Drug Report 2022.
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● India is one of the countries with highest illicit cultivation and production of cannabis.
● Worst affected regions : North east, Punjab, now Haryana too.
● Many precursor drugs and synthetic chemicals are smuggled out of the country.
Notified Disease
● Context: In its 139th report, the Parliamentary standing committee on health and family
welfare suggested that Cancer be classified a notifiable disease to tackle its
under-reporting.
● A notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government
authorities.
● It becomes legally binding (failure amount to a criminal offense) for a medical
practitioner or its institutes to report cases of the disease to the government.
● Examples of notified diseases: Cholera, diphtheria, encephalitis, leprosy, meningitis,
pertussis, plague, tuberculosis, AIDS, malaria, dengue, etc.
Paalan 1000
● Government launches Paalan 1000 campaign and parenting app to focus on child
health.
● The app will provide caregiver with practical advice on what they can do in their
everyday routine.
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● The 'Paalan 1000 - Journey of the First 1000 Days', focuses on the cognitive
developments of children in the first 2 years of its life.
● The first 1000 days establish a solid platform for a child’s physical, mental, emotional,
cognitive and social health.
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● Africa South of the Sahara and South Asia are the regions with the highest hunger
levels.
● The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation.
● Climate change is increasingly impeding efforts to meet human needs.
The State Of Food Security And Nutrition In The World (SOFI) Report, 2022
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○ 345 million people in 82 countries/territories are facing Acute Food Insecurity.
○ Key Drivers and Aggravating Factors: Conflict/insecurity, Displacement, Dry
Conditions, Economic Shocks, Flood, Political Instability/unrest and Tropical
cyclone.
● The Centre has launched ‘PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY)’ to provide free of
cost food grains for a year under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013.
● Under the newly launched PMGKAY, rice, wheat and coarse grains shall be provided
free of cost for all eligible households (both Primary HouseHolds and Antodaya Anna
Yojana) under section 3 of the NFSA from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023.
○ Earlier beneficiaries were paying the subsidised price called Central Issue Price
(CIP) worth Rs.1, Rs.2 and
Rs.3 for Coarse-grains, wheat
and rice respectively.
○ The subsidised prices are
specified in Schedule-1 of the
NFSA 2013, which the
government can change by
executive order.
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National Food Security Act, 2013
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Swachh Survekshan (SS) 2023
● Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched the 8th
edition of SS survey 2023 with the theme of ‘Waste to Wealth’.
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Progress on WASH in Health care Facilities, 2000–2021 Report
● Released by: WHO and UNICEF
● It focuses on WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and infection prevention and
control (IPC).
Key Findings:
● Half of the world's healthcare facilities lack basic hygiene services, nearly 4 billion
people at risk.
● Lack of potential infection prevention in health facilities impacts pregnant mothers,
newborns and children's health.
● Unhygienic health care facilities influence disease transmission and emergence of
antibiotic resistance.
Swachh Ranks the States and Districts on the basis of their performance attained
Survekshan on key quantitative and qualitative Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).
Grameen (SSG)
Retrofit to Twin Promotes twin pit toilets in households towards improved faecal sludge
Pit Abhiyan" management.
‘Swachh Jal Se Creates awareness on the importance of clean and safe drinking water.
Suraksha’
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Miscellaneous
Recently, the government panel has recommended a Universal Pension Scheme for gig workers
and the self employed citing concerns on sustainability of the Employees’ Pension Scheme
(1995).
Social Security in India
● Part of Directive Principles of the State Policy such as
○ Article 41 (Right to Work),
○ Article 42(Provisions for Just and Humane work and maternity relief)
○ Article 47 (Duty of the state to raise the level of nutrition).
● Centre and State’s Responsibility: Since the subject of Labour falls under the
concurrent list, the extension of Social Security and Social Assistance benefits to citizens
is from the centre as well as from state governments.
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Habitus
● The term was popularized by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu in his book Outline of
a Theory of Practice (1977).
● Habitus refers to a collective entity by and into which dominant social and cultural
conditions of a society are established and reproduced. It explains how inequality is
reproduced through the dominant social and cultural conditions that an individual is
accustomed to, which then determines their position in society.
● What one considers, 'natural', 'taboo', 'neutral' and 'good' or 'bad' is constructed by
one's habitus. It helps instill a sense of the world in individuals by attributing cultural
value to material or immaterial objects.
Other Initiatives
● Action Agenda sets out commitments by the UN system to better resolve, prevent and
address internal displacement crises.
● Action Agenda sets out UN’s commitments to realize three goals:
○ Help IDPs find a durable solution to their displacement.
○ Better prevent new displacement crises from emerging.
○ Ensure those facing displacement receive effective protection and assistance.
National Air Sports Policy (NASP) 2022 The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA)
● Vision: To include India among the top air sporting nations by 2030.
● Covers 11 different air sports and provides a four-tier governance structure.
● Air Sports Federation of India an autonomous body under MCA will be the apex
governing body.
● It represents India at Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), headquartered in
Lausanne, Switzerland and other global platforms related to air sports.
● FAI is world governing body for air sports.
● The portal will bring relief to victims’ families, check fake claims etc. through
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Digitalised Detailed Accident Reports (DAR).
● It will be linked with Vahaan and the Integrated Road Accident Database (iRAD)- to act
as an e-version of IRAD.
● Also, it will alert PWD/Local Body to examine and record details, helping in identifying
the accident hotspots for necessary solutions to avoid future accidents.
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Report 2021
● Key findings:
○ Over 60% of unintended pregnancies end in abortion and 45% of abortions are
unsafe, causing 5% to 13% of maternal deaths.
○ 13% of women in developing countries begin childbearing before they turn 18
● In India, in a quarter of rural households’ women and girls devote more than 50
minutes per day to collecting water.
Cities Alive: Designing Cities that Work United Nations Development Programme
for Women’ Report
Global Gender Gap (GGG) Report, 2022 World Economic Forum (PYQ)
● Finding: Nearly 5 million people in India were internally displaced due to climate
change and disasters
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Key findings
● All-India migration rate was 28.9%, with 26.5% and 34.9% migration rate in rural and
urban areas respectively.
● Females recorded a higher share of migration rate as compared to males.
● Among females, the highest level of migration rate was seen at 86.8% for marriage.
● Reverse migration during the pandemic led to higher rates of unemployment
agglomeration in rural areas, which caused rural distress.
The State of Inequality in India Report Released by: The Economic Advisory
Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM).
Prepared by: Institute for Competitiveness.
● Findings:
○ An Indian earning a monthly wage of ₹25,000 is among top 10% of earners in
the country.
○ Top 1% accounts for 6-7% of total incomes earned while top 10% accounts for
one-third of all incomes earned.
○ Failure of trickle-down approach as incomes of the top 1% earners grew 15%
during 2017-18 to 2019-2020 while that of the bottom 10% declined 1%.
Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC, Global Network Against Food Crises
2022) (GNAFC)
● Finding: By 2030, India’s food production could drop 16% and the number of those at
risk for hunger could increase 23%.
● Key Findings:
○ Half of the world's healthcare facilities lack basic hygiene services, nearly 4
billion people at risk.
○ Lack of potential infection prevention in health facility impacts pregnant
mothers, newborns and children's health.
○ Unhygienic health care facilities influence disease transmission and
emergence of antibiotic resistance.
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Unified District Information System for Department of School Education and
Education Plus (UDISE+) Report Literacy
Health
The State Of Food Security And Nutrition Food and Agriculture Organization,
In The World (SOFI) Report, 2022 International Fund for Agricultural
Development, UNICEF, UN World Food
Programme and WHO.
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Table of Contents : Security
Mission Defspace 58
FATF 59
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Weapons Of Mass Destruction (WMD)
Context: Recently, Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of
Unlawful Activities) Amendment Act, 2022 to ban funding of weapons of mass destruction was
enacted.
Key provisions of the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems
(Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Act, 2022:
● The 2005 Act prohibits unlawful activities (such as manufacturing, transport, or transfer)
related to weapons of mass destruction, and their means of delivery. The recent
amendment extends the scope of banned activities to include financing of already
prohibited activities.
● It bars persons from financing any prohibited activity related to WMD and their delivery
systems directly or indirectly.
● It empowers the central government to freeze, seize or attach financial assets and
economic resources of people engaged in such activities.
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specifically designed for use in connection with the employment of these munitions and
devices.Eg: Nerve gas, tear gas and pepper spray
● Biological Weapons: Microbial or other biological agents, or toxins of types and in
quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful
purposes; and weapons, equipment or delivery systems specially designed to use such
agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict. Eg: Anthrax via mail attacks
in the US (2001).
Biological and ● It supplements the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which had Yes
Toxic Weapons prohibited only the use of biological weapons.
Convention ● Prohibits the development, production, acquisition,
(BWC), 1972 transfer, stockpiling and use of biological and toxin
weapons.
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Australia Group (AG) for control of chemical and biological Yes
technology that could be weaponized.
War Crimes ● According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
(ICC), war crimes refer to serious violations of humanitarian laws
during a domestic conflict or a war between two states.
● Genocide and crimes against humanity can happen in peacetime or
during the unilateral aggression of a military towards a group of
unarmed people.
● This definition is derived from the 1949 Geneva Conventions
(regulates the conduct of armed conflict and seeks to limit its effects)
● It is based on the idea that individuals can be held liable for the
actions of a state or its military.
Scorched Earth ● Scorched earth tactics form part of a military strategy which seeks to
Tactics destroy anything that could be of use to the enemy, including
energy supplies, bridges, agricultural fields, road and railway links, etc.
(being used by Russia against Ukraine)
● Harming civilians as part of this strategy has been banned under the
1977 Geneva Convention.
● In India, armies of Chhatrapati Shivaji were known for their scorched
earth tactics.
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‘Dirty bomb’ ● Russia has claimed that Ukraine is planning to use a dirty bomb.
● Dirty Bomb is a bomb that contains radioactive material, such as
uranium, which is scattered through the air when its conventional
explosive detonates.
● It doesn't need to contain highly refined radioactive material, as is
used in a nuclear bomb.
● Instead, it uses radioactive materials from hospitals, nuclear power
stations or research laboratories. This makes them much cheaper
and quicker to make than nuclear weapons.
Data Free Flow ● The G20 Bali Declaration, 2022 is pushing the commitment of all G20
with Trust members to continue the discussion on Data Free Flow with Trust
(DFFT) (DFFT).
DFFT
● It aims to eliminate restrictions on cross-border transfer of
information by electronic means, including personal information,
and storing data in foreign servers, for productivity, innovation, and
sustainable development.
● It was first proposed by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,
as a basic principle for rulemaking in the field of cross-border data
transfers. After its debut in Davos, DFFT was endorsed in 2019 by
members of the G20 group of nations under the Osaka Track.
● Osaka Track is a process that aims to intensify efforts on international
rulemaking on digital economy, especially on data flows and
e-commerce, while promoting enhanced protections for intellectual
property, personal information, and cybersecurity.
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● It was the 1st major event under the newly created Financial Crime and
Anti-corruption Centre (IFCACC) from Interpol.
● From India, CBI participated in it.
● The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports
Competitions, known as the Macolin Convention, is a multilateral
treaty aimed at checking match-fixing.
Open Skies ● Russia pulled out of the Open Skies Treaty (OST) citing earlier
Treaty (OST) withdrawal of the USA from the treaty.
● OST is an agreement that permits each state-party to conduct
short-notice, unarmed, reconnaissance flights over the other’s
territories to collect data on military forces and activities.
● OST was signed in 1992 and came into effect in 2002.
● Currently 32 states are party to the treaty.
● India and China are not members of the treaty.
● Open Skies Consultative Commission (OSCC), composed of
representatives of all states parties, is responsible for implementation
of OST.
● It is different from the Open Sky Agreements which are bilateral
agreements that the two countries negotiate to provide rights for
airlines to offer international passenger and cargo services. Recently,
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has expressed interest to have an
Open Sky Agreement with India.
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Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
Context: Recently, NPT's five-year review meeting took place. Also, NPT completed 50 years in
2020.
Establishment: In 1968
Members: All countries of the world except South Sudan, India, Pakistan, Israel and North
Korea.
● Zangger Committee was formed following the coming into force of NPT. It maintains a
Trigger List (triggering safeguards as a condition of supply) of nuclear-related strategic
goods
India's stand on NPT India has not signed or joined the NPT.
● India supports the commencement of negotiations on a comprehensive Nuclear
● Weapons Convention in the Conference on Disarmament, which is the world's single
multilateral disarmament negotiating forum working on the basis of consensus.
● India supports the proposed Fissile material cut off treaty under it that would prohibit the
production of two main components of nuclear weapons: highly enriched uranium (HEU)
and plutonium.
Treaties and initiatives establishing nuclear-weapon-free zones in Asia and the Pacific
Interpol is an intergovernmental organization which helps the police in all member countries to
work together to make the world a safer place.
Objective: To strengthen ties among the member states, coordinate their policies, and promote
their common interests.
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Headquarter: Lyon, France; Est.1923
Mission Defspace
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India’s space diplomacy:
● India launched the South Asia satellite to boost regional communication and
improve disaster links among its six neighbours.
● In 2019, India conducted Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite missile test.
● Also, in 2019, India operationalised Defence Space Agency (DSA) for operating in
the domain of space warfare.
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Crore in Aerospace and Defence goods and services by 2025.
Context: Government gave in-principle approval to indigenous defence projects light tanks,
airborne stand-off jammers, communication equipment and simulators under Defence
Acquisition Procedure(DAP), 2020.
● Leasing: It has been introduced as a new category for acquisition in addition to the
existing ‘Buy’ and ‘Make’ categories to substitute huge initial capital outlays with
periodical rental payments.
What is offset?
● Under the offset policy, the foreign
defense entities were mandated to
spend at least 30% of the total
contract value in India through
procurement of components, transfer of
technologies or setting up of research
and development facilities.
● This condition was for all contracts worth more than Rs 2,000 crore.
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● It was meant to improve domestic defense manufacturing.
Associated terms:
● Make-I: refers to government-funded projects
● Make-II: covers industry-funded programmes.
● IBGs are brigade-sized, agile, self-sufficient combat formations, which can swiftly launch
strikes against adversary in case of hostilities. They will be able to mobilize within 12-48
hours based on the location.
● The integrated units for the border will be all-encompassing, with artillery, armoured,
combat engineers and signal units.
● The IBGs are to perform both offensive roles, involving cross-border operations, and
defensive roles to withstand an enemy attack.
● Each IBG would be tailor-made based on Threat, Terrain and Task
● Each IBG will be headed by a Major General and comprise around 5,000 troops. •
● It will help in effectively implementing the Cold Start doctrine. Cold Start’ doctrine of
the Indian Armed Forces envisages swift deployment of troops on the western border
within days if a situation of a full-blown war arises.
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