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Kerala, TN, Telangana top states in Covid year, Delhi worst UT: Health index
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Main Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- The three southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana emerged as the top performers among the ‘larger states’ in the NITI Aayog’s annual ‘health index’ for the Covid year of 2020-21, The Indian Express has learnt. While Tripura was the best among the ‘smaller states’, Delhi ranked at the bottom of the Union territories’ list.
• NITI Aayog’s annual ‘health index’-What’s that?
• NITI Aayog’s annual ‘health index’-What are the key takeaways?
• The index is produced by the NITI Aayog in partnership with the Union Health Ministry and a famous international institution. What is the name of that institution?
• The health index assesses states and UTs on two parameters-What are those parameters?
• For Your Information-Among the 19 ‘larger states’, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have emerged as the top three performers, occupying first, second and third place respectively, in terms of overall performance. Bihar (19th), Uttar Pradesh (18th) and Madhya Pradesh (17th) are at the bottom of the list. In terms of incremental performance, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Odisha emerged as the top three performers in 2020-21, as compared to their performance in 2019-20. Among the eight smaller states, Tripura has recorded the best overall performance, followed by Sikkim and Goa; Arunachal Pradesh (6th), Nagaland (7th) and Manipur (8th) are at the bottom. And among the eight UTs, Lakshadweep has been ranked as the top performer in terms of overall performance, while Delhi ranked at the bottom. In the last (fourth) health index report for 2019-20, released on December 27, 2021, Kerala and Tamil Nadu were ranked as top overall performers among the larger states. Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Assam were the top three states in terms of annual incremental performance.
• Why NITI Aayog’s annual ‘health index’ matters?
• Do You Know-According to a statement issued by the NITI Aayog on December 27, 2021, the health index is an “annual tool to assess the performance” of states and UTs. “It is a weighted composite index based on 24 indicators grouped under the domains of ‘health outcomes’, ‘governance and information’, and ‘key inputs/ processes’. Each domain has been assigned weight based on its importance with higher score for outcome indicators,” it said.
• The ‘health outcomes’ include certain indicators or parameters-what are those?
• What are key issues faced by the healthcare sector of India?
• India’s Health Budget-Know the Statistics
• How does the pandemic affected health services?
• How does the impact of the pandemic on health services put the spotlight on the benefits of digital innovation and technology-enabled solutions?
• How implementation of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) united all stakeholders in the digital healthcare ecosystem?
• Public Health Systems in India-Know the Background
• Current state of India’s health infrastructure- What World Bank data says?
• COVID-19 Pandemic and India’s Healthcare System-Connect the dots
• Steps required to strengthen the existing state of Health infrastructure in India
• What do you understand by Universal Health Coverage (UHC)?
• PM Atma Nirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana and Ayushman Bharat Scheme-Key Highlights
• Is there any explicit/implicit recognition of the right to health or healthcare under the Constitution? (Hint: Directive Principles of State Policy in Part IV of the India Constitution provide a basis for the right to health)
• What is Supreme Court of India stand on Right to Health?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Turning the spotlight on health
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Turning the spotlight on health
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination:
• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
• General Studies III: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story-A MiG-29K fighter jet on Wednesday made its maiden night landing on INS Vikrant, a feat the Indian Navy called a “historic milestone”. The Indian Navy said it is indicative of the Navy’s impetus towards the government’s Aatmanirbharta or self-reliance in the defence sector. Spokesperson Navy tweeted, “This challenging night landing trial demonstrates the resolve, skill and professionalism of the Vikrant crew and the Naval pilots.”
• A MiG-29K fighter jet on Wednesday made its maiden night landing on INS Vikrant, a feat the Indian Navy called a “historic milestone”-Why “historic milestone”?
• Atmanirbhar Bharat or Self-Reliant India in defence sector-know the Important Components
• What is the Indigenisation of Defence?
• Why Indigenisation of Defence?
• Indigenisation of Defence and Make in India-connect the dots
• Significance of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan
• Self-Reliant and Self Sufficient-Know the Difference
• Self-Reliant India Campaign is inspired by Swadeshi Movement 1905-Do you agree?
• Aatmanirbharta or self-reliance in the defence sector -Issues and Challenges ahead
• Can you name some prominent schemes by the Government of India in Make in India programme category?
• What is Make in India policy of defence and how it can boost exports
• “Partnerships” and “joint efforts” are the two keywords that differentiate India’s defence partnership with other nations-When it comes to defence exports then why exports of defence products from India are limited to few countries like Vietnam?
• What are the India’s defence industry components?
• What is Defence acquisition?
• Why Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)?
• Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP)-know its key features
• How much India spends in defence as compared to other sectors?
• What is budget for defence imports?
• What Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) says about India’s defence and defence expenditure?
• India can recalibrate not reduce the defence expenditure-do you agree?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Indigenising defence production is a good idea whose time has come
Amul vs TN’s Aavin now: Stalin writes to Centre
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Main Examination: General Studies III: Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- AFTER KARNATAKA, it is Tamil Nadu that seems set to emerge as a political theatre for cooperative milk wars. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has written to Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah to “direct” Amul (the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation) to “desist from procuring milk from Aavin’s (Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation) milk shed area” nurtured in true cooperative spirit over decades.
• Milk War-Why Tamil Nandu is upset with Amul?
• Aavin, Nandini and Amul-Connect the dots
• The industry sources also pointed out Amul hasn’t been very successful in the southern markets where it has been present for the last 8-9 years-Why?
• Operation Flood revolutionised India’s milk production-How Operation Flood performed in Southern States of India?
• Is Amul planning to invade the Southern market?
• Do You Know-According to production data of Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database(FAOSTAT), India is the highest milk producer i.e., rank first position in the world contributing twenty-four percent of global milk production in the year 2021-22.
The milk production of India has registered fifty-one percent increase during the last eight years i.e., during the year 2014-15 and 2021-22 and increased to twenty-two crore tonne in the year 2021-22.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍CM Stalin urges Amit Shah to direct Amul to stop procuring milk from Tamil Nadu
EXPRESS NETWORK
In a record, food grains production set to cross 330.53 mn: Govt estimate
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Main Examination: General Studies III:Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– Food grains production in the country in 2022-23 is estimated at 330.53 million tonnes, the highest ever, and a big jump over 315.61 million tonnes recorded in 2021-22, according to the Third Advance Estimates of Production of major crops for agricultural year 2022-23, released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare on Thursday.
• What exactly is the third Advance Estimates of Production of major crops for agricultural year 2022-23?
• What do you understand by Advance Estimates?
• 1st advance estimates, 2nd advance estimates, 3rd advance estimates and 4th advance estimates-how they different from each other?
• Why Advance Estimates are significant?
• For Your Information-According to the statement, total rice production in 2022-23 agricultural year is estimated at a record 135.54 million tonnes, higher than last year’s 129.47 million tonnes. During 2022-23, production of maize in the country is estimated at (record) 35.91 million tonnes, up from 33.73 million tonnes in 2021-22. Total production of pulses during 2022-23 is estimated at 27.50 million tonnes, which is 0.2 million tonnes higher than previous year’s production of 27.30 million tonnes. Production of soybean and rapeseed and mustard is estimated at 14.97 million tonnes and 12.49 LMT, respectively, during 2022-23 — both higher than last year’s production. According to the statement, total production of sugarcane in the country during 2022-23 is estimated at a record 494.22 million tonnes, while cotton production is estimated at 34.347 million bales (of 170 kg each).
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Why India needs timely and reliable data on crop production
Expand scientific user community to justify expensive space missions: ISRO chief
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nanotechnology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story– Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath has urged Indian scientific institutions to identify talented students and take steps to motivate them in effectively using the data emerging from science-based space missions. “Building a science payload, putting it on a satellite, launching it… involves huge money and contributions from thousands of scientists. It implies that the data be utilised and results justifying the investment be produced,” said Somanath. He was addressing students and scientists during the day-long ‘User Meet of XPoSat’ organised at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on Thursday.
• What is the XPoSat mission?
• For Your Information-ISRO is collaborating with the Raman Research Institute (RRI) to build X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat), scheduled to be launched sometime this year. XPoSat will be India’s first, and only the world’s second polarimetry mission using X-Ray. XPoSat aims to study the dynamics of the bright astronomical X-Ray sources under extreme conditions. It has two payloads – an X-Ray Polarimeter named POLIX and X-ray SPECtroscopy and Timing identified as XSPECT.
• How are X-Rays witnessed in space?
• Do You Know- XPoSat will be India’s first, and only the world’s second, polarimetry mission using X-Ray. It aims to study the dynamics of the bright astronomical X-Ray sources under extreme conditions. It has two payloads — an X-Ray Polarimeter named POLIX and X-ray SPECtroscopy and Timing identified as XSPECT.
• What are XPoSat’s payloads?
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)-About the Organisation
• The Indian Space Policy 2023-Know key highlights
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍What is XPoSat, India’s first polarimetry mission?
Officer with ADG rank to head Special Protection Group
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Main Examination: General Studies III: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- The Special Protection Group (SPG), the force that handles the security of the Prime Minister, will now be handled by an officer not less than the rank of an Additional Director-General belonging to the Indian Police Service, while junior officers will be appointed on deputation for an initial period of six years. These parameters were fixed through a new set of rules issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday under the Special Protection Group Act, 1988 (34 of 1988).
• Special Protection Group (SPG)-Know in detail
• Do You Know-The SPG is highly trained in physical efficiency, marksmanship, combat and proximate protection tactics and is assisted by all central and state agencies to ensure fool proof security. SPG Special Agents assigned to the PM security detail wear black, Western-style formal business suits, with sunglasses, and carry a two-way encrypted communication earpiece, and concealed handguns. They wear safari suits on occasions. The SPG also has special operations commandos who carry ultra-modern assault rifles and wear dark-visor sunglasses with inbuilt communication earpieces, bulletproof vests, gloves and elbow/knee pads.
• Special Protection Group (SPG)-Role
• What makes Special Protection Group (SPG) different?
• What is Special Protection Group (SPG) Blue Book?
• Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill, 2019-Key Highlights
• What are the different forces involved in VVIP Security?
• What is the Contingency Security Plan followed by SPG for VVIP Security?
• So, what is the latest notification regarding SPG?
• For Your Information-The SPG is an elite force, specifically raised for the protection of the country’s Prime Minister, former PMs and their immediate family. The force is currently 3,000 strong and it was started in 1985 in the wake of the killing of PM Indira Gandhi in 1984. According to the notification, the officers of All India Services will be appointed to the SPG on deputation by the central government on the same terms and conditions as applicable to the officers of the corresponding ranks in the central government. “The SPG, will have its headquarters in New Delhi and the director shall be appointed by the central government at a level of not less than the ADG of police from the IPS,” the notification said.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Explained: What is SPG protection and who gets it?
THE WORLD
Iran says successfully test-launched ballistic missile amid nuke tensions
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story-Iran successfully test-launched a ballistic missile with a potential 2,000-km range on Thursday, state media said, two days after the chief of Israel’s armed forces raised the prospect of “action” against Tehran over its nuclear programme. Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programmes in the Middle East, says its weapons are capable of reaching the bases of arch-foes Israel and the United States in the region.
• Khorramshahr ballistic missile-Know its features
• Regional tensions likely played a role in Iran’s missile display-What sort of regional tensions going on?
• Do You Know-Iranian officials described the missile as having a 2,000-kilometre (1,240-mile) range with a 1,500-kilogram (3,300-pound) warhead. The Khorramshahr-4 is named after an Iranian city that was the scene of heavy fighting during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
The missile also is called Kheibar, after a Jewish fortress conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century — in what is now Saudi Arabia.
• Why does Iran views Israel as its archenemy and arming anti-Israeli militant groups in the Palestinian territories and surrounding countries?
• What is ballistic missile?
• What is anti-ballistic missile (ABM)?
• What is the difference between a missile and a ballistic missile?
• Cruise Missiles and Ballistic Missiles: How Are They Different?
• How has India responded?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Iran successfully fires ballistic missile
Germany, world’s fourth largest economy, slides into recession
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Main Examination: General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- New figures show the German economy suffered an unexpected dip in the first quarter of this year, putting the country formally into recession. Data released Thursday by the Federal Statistical Office shows Germany’s gross domestic product, or GDP, down by 0.3 per cent in the period from January to March. This follows a drop of 0.5 per cent in Europe’s biggest economy during the last quarter of 2022. Two consecutive quarters of decline constitute a technical recession.
• What is Recession?
• What is the ‘V shape recession’?
• What is Stagflation?
• What comes first stagflation or recession?
• What is worse stagflation or recession?
• Why is Stagflation so unpopular vis a vis recession?
• Know the Types of Inflation like Moderate Inflation, Galloping Inflation, Hyper-Inflation, Stagflation, Deflation, Core Inflation etc.
• How did Germany slide into recession?
• With the German economy contracting for two consecutive quarters, how will India’s exports be impacted?
• For Your Information-In 2022-23, India’s exports to Germany included machinery (USD 1.5 billion); electronics (USD 1.2 billion), including smartphones (USD 458 million); apparels (USD 990 million); organic chemicals (USD 822 million); footwear (USD 332 million); leather goods (USD 305 million); articles of iron and steel (USD 474 million); and auto components (USD 406 million).
Two consecutive quarters of contraction is a common definition of recession, though economists on the euro area business cycle dating committee use a broader set of data, including employment figures.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍India’s exports to Germany may get adversely impacted due to recession: Exporters
ECONOMY
Purview of angel tax narrows further: Investment from 21 nations exempted
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Main Examination: General Studies III:Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- The Finance Ministry has exempted investors from 21 countries including the US, UK and France from the levy of angel tax for non-resident investment in unlisted Indian startups. The list, however, excludes investment from countries like Singapore, Netherlands and Mauritius.
• Why Finance Ministry has exempted investors from 21 countries from the levy of angel tax for non-resident investment in unlisted Indian startups?
• What are the notified categories of exempted investors from angel tax?
• What is the meaning of angel tax?
• Does India have angel tax?
• Do You Know-The Finance Act, 2023, had amended Section 56(2)(viib) of the Income-tax Act. The provision, colloquially known as the ‘angel tax’ was first introduced in 2012 to deter the generation and use of unaccounted money through the subscription of shares of a closely held company at a value that is higher than the fair market value of the firm’s shares. The provision stated that when an unlisted company, such as a start-up, receives equity investment from a resident for issue of shares that exceeds the face value of such shares, it will be counted as income for the start-up and be subject to income tax under the head ‘Income from other Sources’ for the relevant financial year. With the latest amendment, the government had proposed to also include foreign investors in the ambit, meaning that when a start-up raises funding from a foreign investor, that too will now be counted as income and be taxable. The DPIIT-recognised startups were excluded from the angel tax levy.
• What are the concerns regarding the exemptions? What do experts say on this?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Why a proposed change in Angel Tax has rattled Indian start-ups
After 3 years, why RBI has become a net seller of US dollars in FY23
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Main Examination: General Studies III:Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story-In FY2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) became a net seller of the US dollar after remaining a net purchaser for three consecutive years. It sold $25.52 billion on a net basis in the spot foreign exchange market. The sale of dollars by the RBI was aimed to curb the volatility in the rupee, which came under heavy pressure due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve.
• Why did the RBI become a net seller of US dollars?
• For Your Information-The RBI’s decision to sell the greenback was to prop up the rupee, which depreciated by almost Rs 6, or 8 per cent, to 82 levels against the dollar as on March 31, 2023, from 76 as on April 1, 2022. During the previous fiscal, higher import bills due to a surge in oil prices after the Ukraine war had put pressure on the domestic currency. The rupee also declined as foreign investors pulled out money from the domestic market after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates to check inflation. In FY2023, foreign portfolio investors pulled out Rs 37,632 crore from the equity market and Rs 8,937 crore from the debt market, according to NSDL data.
• What was the value of dollars sold by the RBI?
• What income did the RBI generate from the sale of dollars?
• Did the RBI sell dollars in the forward market?
• What was the trend in FY2022?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Reserve Bank turns net seller of US dollars in FY23; sells $25.52 billion in spot market
EXPLAINED
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- Visuals of Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape touching Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s feet have been seen as a reflection of India’s global status, and the significance of its engagement with Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC). PICs is a cluster of 14 island nations dotting the Southwestern Pacific: the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. All these islands are located at the crossroads of strategically important maritime trade corridors.
• What is Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation?
• Who are the members of the FIPIC?
• Map Work- members of the FIPIC
• What was the idea behind FIPIC?
• And what is the FIPIC summit?
• What happened at the FIPIC summit 2023?
• What is Oceania?
• Significance of India-Papua New Guinea relations-Know in detail
• Do You Know-Of the 14 PICs, Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are the ones with the biggest populations and the most heft. India’s interaction with the PICs has traditionally focussed on its engagement with Fiji and PNG, mainly due to the presence of a large diaspora — about 37% of Fiji’s 849,000 population (2009 estimates) is of Indian origin, and about 3,000 Indians live in PNG.
• Indian indentured labour, Fiji and Papua New Guinea (PNG)-Connect the dots
• Indian officials say the engagement with the 14 PICs is part of India’s Act East Policy-What is India’s Act East Policy?
• China’s role in South Pacific-Know in detail
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
Previous Year UPSC Main Paper Questions covering the same theme:
📍Why indentured labour was taken by British from India to other colonies? Have they been able to preserve their cultural identity over there? (GS1, 2018)
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Main Examination: General Studies III: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Key Points to Ponder:
• What’s the ongoing story- India will unveil its new 18 petaFLOP supercomputer for weather forecasting institutes later this year, Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju said on May 24. The new supercomputer is expected to improve weather forecasts at the block level, help weather scientists give higher resolution ranges of the forecast, predict cyclones with more accuracy and better lead time (the difference between a phenomenon being forecast and actually occurring), and provide ocean state forecasts, including marine water quality forecasts, PTI reported.
• What are FLOPs in computing?
• For Your Information- FLOPs, or Floating-Point Operations per Second, is a commonly used metric to measure the computational performance – processing power and efficiency – especially in the field of high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI). Floating-point operations are a certain kind of mathematical calculation using real numbers with fractional parts.
• How many FLOPs can a computer achieve?
• What is a petaFLOP?
• Are FLOPs the only metric to judge a computer’s performance?
• Is India already using petaFLOPs computers for weather forecasting?
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍India to have new supercomputer for weather forecasting by year end: Earth Sciences Minister Rijiju
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