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Tag Wise Current Affairs
Tag: Reports & Indices
Government to conduct survey of all agricultural households in country
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 06 February 2019
96% usage of toilets in rural India under Swachh Bharat: NARSS 2018-19
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 06 March 2019
Women greatly outnumbered by men in political power: IPU
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 14 March 2019
Vienna ranked best city to live for 10th time: Mercer Survey
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 14 March 2019
India ranks 140th in World Happiness Report 2019
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 22 March 2019
India ranks 76th on 2019 Global Energy Transition Index
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 25 March 2019
India’s population growth rate outpaced China: UN report
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 11 April 2019
Women outlive men, maternal deaths concern: WHO report
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 08 April 2019
India short of 6 lakh doctors, 2 million nurses: Study
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 15 April 2019
India ranks 19th in Index of Cancer Preparedness
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 22 April 2019
World Press Freedom Index 2019: India ranks 140th
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 19 April 2019
SEEDS releases The Face of Disasters 2019 Report
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 17 April 2019
Road accidents still cause most deaths: WHO report
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 09 May 2019
STRI: India finds OECD index for services trade faulty
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 16 May 2019
GLOBAL DRUG SURVEY 2019: Indians top to reduce drugs intake
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 16 May 2019
Gender diversity good for businesses: UN-ILO Report
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 24 May 2019
India has 20 health workers for 10,000 people: NSSO study
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 31 May 2019
ICMR recommends complete ban on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 01 June 2019
Swachh Bharat Mission helped reduce ground water contamination: UNICEF
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 06 June 2019
SIPRI Yearbook 2019: Countries reducing nuclear-warheads but modernising arsenals
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 19 June 2019
QS World Rankings: IIT-Bombay best-ranked Indian institute
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 21 June 2019
31.4% of Indian children will be stunted by 2022: Report
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 26 June 2019
2nd edition of NITI Aayog’s Healthy States, Progressive India report
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 26 June 2019
Global warming to cause loss of 80 million jobs by 2030: ILO Report
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 03 July 2019
27% of children with disabilities never attended school: UNESCO report
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 04 July 2019
33% of India’s skilled youth jobless- Official Survey
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 12 August 2019
Education for mother can lead to better nutrition for children
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 14 October 2019
Business confidence index falls to lowest in 6 years
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 12 November 2019
Parliamentary panel finds cancer care inadequate in country
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 13 November 2019
India home to second highest diabetic patients
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 15 November 2019
India sees 2nd highest number of pneumonia deaths of children under five
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 16 November 2019
Maternity schemes reaches only one-third beneficiaries
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 19 November 2019
New investments in FY 2020 fall to 15 year low
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 22 November 2019
High anti-biotic prescription rate in private sector
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 01 December 2019
Global spam call ranking: India falls to 5th spot
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 05 December 2019
India 5th most vulnerable country to climate change
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 05 December 2019
Drop in cases of Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya
Tags: Reports & Indices
Published on: 09 December 2019
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Union Government has decided to conduct survey titled 'Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households' of all agricultural households in country to assess plight of farmers. National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) will be nodal agency for this survey and it will be conducted during NSSO’s 77th round in the current calendar year.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households </strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It aims to provide comprehensive assessment of situation of agricultural households in the country, including their income, expenditure and indebtedness.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Under it, government will conduct pan-India survey to ascertain their income and indebtedness among other issues for the current crop year (July-June).</span></span></li>
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<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The last such survey was conducted for the reference year 2012-13 (crop year). Thereafter, NSSO has not conducted any such survey. Periodicity of such survey is decided on basis of requirements of concerned ministry, adequacy of current data, availability of resources and manpower, emerging areas of concern and development priorities of the government.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As of now comparable estimates for rise in income of agricultural households during 2014-2018 are not available. The inter-ministerial committee on doubling farmers' income by 2022 has taken into consideration estimates of agriculture households' income obtained from 70th round of NSSO survey data as base level income.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is largest organisation in India conducting periodic socio-economic surveys. It functions under Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI).</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It conducts large-scale sample surveys based on scientific sampling methods throughout India. It is headed by a Director General.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was established up in 1950 and is headquartered in New Delhi.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its major activities of the NSSO pertains to survey design, field operations, processing of data collected and releasing of the results based on surveys.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Employees of the NSSO are from Indian Statistical Service (appointed through UPSC) and Subordinate Statistical Service (appointed through the Staff Selection Commission).</span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>NSSO has four departments viz.</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Survey Design and Research Division</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Field Operations Division</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Data Processing Division</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Co-ordination & Publication Division</span></span></li>
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'title' => 'IP Index 2019: India ranks 36th',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India ranked 36th position out of 50 countries on International Intellectual Property (IP) Index 2019 released by US Chamber of Commerce. This year India jumped by eight places from previous 44th position in IP index 2018. This was highest gain for any country this year.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>International Intellectual Property (IP) Index</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is released annually by US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) since 2014.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It analyses IP climate in 50 global economies accounting for over 90% of global gross domestic product (GDP).</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It ranks countries on score scale of 0 (lowest score) to 45 (highest score) based on 45 indicators that are critical to innovation development surrounding patent, copyright, trademark and trade secrets protection.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It provides IP report card for world and blueprint for policy-makers in surveyed countries that are seeking to bolster economic growth and jobs, innovation, and creativity.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Highlights of IP Index 2019</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Top Countries:</strong> United States (Rank: 1st, score 42.66 points), United Kingdom (2nd, 42.22), Sweden (3rd, 41.03), France (4th) and Germany (5th, 41.00).</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Other Countries</strong>: China was ranked 25th with 21.45 points. Pakistan was ranked at 47th spot with 12 points. Venezuela was placed at last place (50th) with 7.11 points.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>India’s performance</strong>: Improvement in its rankings reflects important reforms implemented towards building and sustaining innovation ecosystem for domestic entrepreneurs and foreign investors alike.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India's overall score has also increased substantially from 30.07% (12.03 out of 40) in the previous edition to 36.04% (16.22 out of 45) in the present edition.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India's improvement in ranking is result of specific reforms that better align its IP environment with international IP system, including its accession to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet Treaties, agreement to initiate Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) with Japan, a dedicated set of IP incentives for small businesses, and administrative reforms to address patent backlog</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">However, India continues to face substantial challenges, particularly in respect of patenting and IP enforcement environments.</span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Even there are barriers to licensing and technology transfer, including strict registration norms, patentability rules outside international standards, limited framework for protection of biopharmaceutical IP rights, lengthy pre-grant opposition proceedings and previously used compulsory licensing for non-emergency and commercial situations.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => '96% usage of toilets in rural India under Swachh Bharat: NARSS 2018-19',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2018-19, 96.5% of the households in rural India who have access to toilet use it. It also re-confirmed Open Defecation Free (ODF) status of 90.7% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF by various districts/States.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Survey</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was conducted from November 2018 and February 2019 by Independent Verification Agency (IVA) under World Bank support project to Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G). </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It had covered 92040 households in 6136 villages across States and UTs of India.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It also covered schools, anganwadis and public/community toilets in these villages.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Methodology</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">: It had used Probability Proportion to Size (PPS) sampling methodology, which yields results within confidence interval of 95% Data was collected using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) platform. </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of NARSS 2018-19</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">96.5% of households in rural India who have access to toilet use it. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">93.1% of households were found to have access to toilets during survey period (corresponding figure as per SBMG MIS in November 2018 was 96%)</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">96.5% of people who had access to toilets used them.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">90.7% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF were confirmed to be ODF. Remaining villages also had sanitation coverage of about 93%</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">95.4% of villages surveyed found to have minimal litter and minimal stagnant water.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Background</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Since its launch in October 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission, the world’s largest sanitation program, has changed behaviour of hundreds of millions of people with respect to toilet access and usage. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Around 500 million people have stopped defecating in open since its launch, down from 550 million at its beginning to less than 50 million at present. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Over 9 crore toilets have been built across rural India under it. Over 5.5 lakh villages and 615 districts have been declared ODF, along with 30 ODF States/UTs.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => '2019 Global Passport Index: India ranks 67th',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian Passport was ranked 67th in the 2019 Global Passport Power Rank released by Canada based global financial advisory firm Arton Capital. India rank has moved up by one spot as compared to 68th rank in <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738574544850091607">2018 edition</gwmw>. </span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">UAE’s passport was ranked number 1 on index</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> followed by Germany (rank 2), and US, France, Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg, Finland, Italy, Singapore, Netherlands, Spain, Norway and South Korea were jointly ranked third</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Key Facts</span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India provides visa-free access to 25 countries, visa on arrival to 39 countries and for 134 countries, visa requirement is compulsory. In this index, Indian passport has steadily strengthened in <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738606622378669585">period</gwmw> of 5 years from rank 77 in 2015 to 67 in 2019. </span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Reasons for India’s improvement</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India’s passport continues to strengthen its rank on global index as more and more nations around <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738623499878153219">globe</gwmw> are offering visa-free entry and visa on arrivals to Indians.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">More and more countries are opening up to Indian tourists in recognition <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3 gr-progress" id="gwmw-15518738632139527203660">to</gwmw> their increasing spending power and their ability to return home.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Besides, Central Government has also opened up foreign tourists over the last five years and now gives <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-2" id="gwmw-15518738643322420156139">e</gwmw>-tourist visa facilities <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738643323693693437">to</gwmw> 166 countries, up from 46 nations in 2014</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India's e-visa regime has made the process more tourist-friendly and will double foreign tourist arrival figures by 2021.</span></span></span></li>
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<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Global Passport Power Rank/Index</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is released annually by <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738664488830643093">Canada</gwmw> based global financial advisory firm Arton Capital. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It ranks passport of almost 199 countries in the world based on their Visa-Free Scores and their ranking according to UNDP human development index.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The rank of national passports is mainly based factors such cross-border access they bring, assigning visa-free score according to <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738698306016315503">number</gwmw> of countries passport holder can visit visa-free or with visa on arrival. It has become most popular interactive online tool to display, sort and rank world’s passports. </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Note:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Global Passport Power Rank is different from Henley Passport <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738718270441632962">Index which</gwmw> ranks countries on data provided by International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and aims to cover 199 passports and 227 travel destinations across the world. India had ranked 79th on their list with jump of three points as it ranked 81 on the list in 2018. </span></span></span></p>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to statistics from Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), women are totally outnumbered by men in politics, accounting for less than 7% of world's leaders and only 24% of lawmakers.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Findings of IPU Statics </span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The percentage of female elected heads of state dropped from 7.25 to 6.6</span>%, i.e.<span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> 10 out of 153 from 2017 to 2018. </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The percentage of female heads of government dropped from 5.7% to 5.2%, i.e. 10 out of 193 in the same period.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">In parliaments, the global share of women had increased by nearly one percentage point to 24.3</span>%<span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> from 2017 to 2018.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Women parliamentary speakers’ share across the world also increased by 0.6 percentage points to 19.7</span>%. Besides, s<span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">hare of women deputy speakers aslo increased by 1.6 percentage points to 28.2%.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Countries with no women ministers has decreased from 13 in 2017 to 11 in 2018. These 11 countries are Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Azerbaijan, Kiribati, Iraq, Lithuania, Saint Vincent, Papua New Guinea, Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Vanuatu.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Moreover, there is also shift in types of portfolios held by women ministers. More women are now in charge of portfolios traditionally occupied by men.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">52.9% more women across the world held Finance minister’s portfolio, 30% more women held Defence portfolio and 13.6% more women held Foreign Affair in 2018.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Nine countries have 50% or more women in ministerial positions (up from six in 2017). They are Spain, Nicaragua, Sweden, Albania, Colombia, Costa Rica, Rwanda, Canada and France.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is global inter-parliamentary institution. It is first permanent forum for political multilateral negotiations.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was established in 1889 by Frédéric Passy (France) and William Randal Cremer (United Kingdom). It is headquartered Geneva, Switzerland.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">National parliaments of 178 countries are its members and 12 regional parliamentary assemblies are associate members.</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has permanent observer status at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'Vienna ranked best city to live for 10th time: Mercer Survey',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to Mercer’s 21st annual Quality of Living survey 2019, capital of Austria- Vienna has topped the ranking among 231 cities for 10th consecutive year. Seven Indian cities have featured in this list. </span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Quality of Living survey 2019</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Top 10 Cities:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Vienna (Austria), Zurich (Switzerland), Vancouver (Canada), Munich (Germany), Auckland (New Zealand), Dusseldorf (Germany), Frankfurt (Germany), Copenhagan (Denmark), Geneva (Switzerland) and Basel (Switzerland).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Bottom cities:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Baghdad ranked last, followed by Bangui (Central African Republic), Sanaa (Yemen’s capital), Caracas (Venezuela’s capital).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian Cities in list: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Pune (143), Hyderabad (143), Bengaluru (149), Chennai (151), Mumbai (154), Kolkata (160) and New Delhi (162).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Safest countries:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Luxembourg was ranked safest city in the world. In 105th place, Chennai ranks was safest city Asia-Pacific region and Pakistan’s Karachi (226) is the least safe.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Mercer’s Quality of Living survey</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is conducted annually to rank 231 cities across the world by New York based global human resources consulting firm Mercer.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It aims to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It ranks cities based on factors such as socio-cultural environment, school and education, medical and health considerations, recreation, housing, economic environment, consumers goods availability, public services and transport, political and social environment and natural environment.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It also identifies those cities with highest personal safety ranking based which analyzes cities internal stability, crime levels, limitations on personal freedom, law enforcement, relationships with other countries and freedom of the press.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'India ranks 140th in World Happiness Report 2019',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India was ranked 140th among 156 countries World Happiness Report 2019 released by United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. India was rank has 133rd in 2018 report and has dropped by 23 positions since 2015.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">World Happiness Report</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is released very year by United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It ranks 156 countries on how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. Rank of countries depend of score ranging from 0 (least happy) to 10 (most happy).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It ranks countries on six key variables that support well-being: <em>income, trust, freedom, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity.</em></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It offers governments and individuals across the world opportunity to rethink public policies and individual life choices, to raise happiness and well-being.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Findings of 2019 Report</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Top 10 Countries:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Finland (Rank: 1st, Score: 7.769), Denmark (2nd, 7.600), Norway (3rd, 7.554), Iceland (4th, 7.494), Netherlands (5th, 7.488), Switzerland (6th,7.480), Sweden (7th,7.343), New Zealand (8th, 7.307), Canada (9th, 7.278) and Austria (10th, 7.246).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Bottom 10: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">South Sudan (156, 2.853), Central African Republic (155, 3.083), Afghanistan (154, 3.203), Tanzania (153, 3.231), Rwanda (152, 3.334), Yemen (151, 3.380), Malawi (150, 3.410), Syria (149, 3.462), Botswana (148, 3.488), Haiti (147, 3.597)</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">BRICS:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Brazil (32nd, 6.300), Russia (68th, 5.648), China (93rd, 5.191), South Africa (106, 4.722).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India’s neighbours: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Pakistan (67, 5.653), Bhutan (95, 5.082), Nepal (100, 4.913), Bangladesh (125, 4.456), Sri Lanka (130, 4.366)</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Global Happiness Scenario:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> There has been increase in negative emotions, including sadness, worry and anger across world and overall world happiness has fallen over past few years. None of world’s major economic powerhouses was placed in top 10. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India related facts:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> It has witnessed sustained drop in rankings. It is visible from 111st (2013), 117th (2015), 118th (2016), 122nd (2017), 133rd (2018) and 140 in 2019 with score of 4.01 on the scale of 10.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India has featured in list of five countries that have seen largest drop in their rankings since 2005-2008 along with Yemen, Syria, Botswana and Venezuela. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India’s per capita GDP has only increased progressively over these years, but it is not enough. It is still struggling with health, education, inequality, public services, employment.</span></span></span></li>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India was ranked 76th out of 115 economies on 2019 Global Energy Transition Index (GETI) compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF). Overall, India has moved up two places from 78th last year GETI. India is only amongst the five economies to improve its rank since last year.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Global energy transition index </span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It ranks 115 economies on how well they are able to balance energy security and access with environmental sustainability and affordability.<strong> </strong>It considers both current state of countries’ energy system and their structural readiness to adapt to future energy needs. The ‘transition readiness’ component of this index takes into account six individual indicators: capital and investment, institutions and governance, regulation and political commitment, institutions and innovative business environment, human capital and consumer participation, and energy system structure</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">2019 Global Energy Transition Index</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Top three Countries: Sweden (1), Switzerland (2nd) and Norway (3rd).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Among major economies, United Kingdom (UK) was ranked 7th, Singapore-13th, Germany-17th, Japan-18th, US-27th.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Within Asia, Malaysia is ranked highest at 31st followed by Sri Lanka-60th, Bangladesh-90th and Nepal-93rd. China was ranked at 82nd position.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Global Scenario:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Energy systems globally have become less affordable and less environmentally sustainable than they were five years ago.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Though access to energy has improved with less than 1 billion now living without access to electricity.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Small economies have achieved higher scores on readiness, with UK being the only G7 economy in the top 10.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Biggest challenge facing attempts to future proof global energy is lack of readiness among the world’s largest emitters. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The 10 countries that score highest in terms of readiness account for a mere 2.6% of global annual emissions.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The world’s transition to secure, affordable and sustainable energy has stagnated, with little or no progress achieved in the past five years.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Across 115 economies, more people than ever before now have access to energy. However, this is offset by reduced affordability and almost no progress in making energy systems environmentally sustainable.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Fossil fuels: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Its share of total primary energy supply was at 81% and has been constant over the past three decades.<strong> </strong>Consumption of coal increased in 2018, after declining for three consecutive years.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Continued use of coal for power generation in Asia mainly due to increasing commodity prices and slower-than-needed improvements in energy intensity have contributed to this year’s stagnation in performance.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Global CO2 emissions: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">They are expected to have increased by more than 2% in 2018, the highest since 2014.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India related Facts: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India is the second best in this block of emerging economies, with Brazil being the best at 46th place globally<strong>. </strong></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is amongst countries with high pollution levels and has relatively high CO2 intensity in its energy system.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Despite this, India has made significant strides to improve energy access in recent years, and currently scores well in area of regulation and political commitment towards energy transition.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India has scored low in terms of system performance, but ranks considerably higher when it comes to readiness. </span></span></span></li>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFP) State of World Population 2019 report, India’s population growth rate outpaced China in past nine years. India’s population grew at average of 1.2% annually between 2010 and 2019. It is more than double annual growth rate of China’s population, which grew by 0.5% annually between 2010 and 2019.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Highlights of report</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India’s population in 2019, stood at 1.36 billion, growing from 942.2 million in 1994 and 541.5 million in 1969.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">China’s population, on other hand, stood at 1.42 billion in 2019, growing from 1.23 billion in 1994 and 803.6 million in 1969.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India related facts:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> 27% of India’s population is in age bracket of 0-14 years and 10-24 years, while 67% of the country’s population was in 15-64 age bracket. 5% of population is age 65 and above.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Total fertility rate (TFR) per woman in In India has declined from 5.6 in 1969 to 3.7 in 1994 and 2.3 in 2019. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India has registered improvement in life expectancy at birth from 47 years in 1969, which has grown to 60 years in 1994 and 69 years in 2019.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">There is drop in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India– 488 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1994 to 174 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Findings on women aged between 15-49 years</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The report for first time has published findings on women aged between 15-49 years as part of report. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It also includes, for the first time, data on women’s ability to make decisions over three key areas: health care, sexual intercourse with their partner and contraception use.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Its analysis has found that absence of reproductive and sexual rights has major and negative repercussions on women’s education, income and safety. This leaves them unable to shape their own futures.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Early marriage continues to remain biggest obstacle to female empowerment and better reproductive rights.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Women and girls who left behind are typically poor, rural and less educated. Two-thirds of all maternal deaths today occur in sub-Saharan Africa.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">UNFPA</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Its work involves improvement of reproductive health, including creation of national strategies and protocols, and birth control by providing supplies and services. It has recently been known for its worldwide campaign against child marriage, obstetric fistula and female genital mutilation. It supports programs in more than 150 countries. It was established Formation in 1969 and is headquartered in New York City, US.</span></span></span></span></p>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to recently published World Health Statistics Overview 2019, women outlive men everywhere in health concerns such as life expectancy, road accidents, homicide, suicide, cardiovascular disease etc. The report was published by World Health Organisation (WHO) on the occasion of World Health Day (observed on 7 April).</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Report Highlights </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Life Expectancy: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The average life expectancy for men and women combined globally has increased by 5</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Cambria",serif">½</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> years since turn of century </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">—</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> from 66.5 years in 2000 to 72 years in 2016. The healthy life expectancy (number of years lived in full health) has increased from 58.5 years in 2000, to 63.3 years in 2016.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Based on recent mortality risks boys will live, on average, 69.8 years and girls 74.2 years i.e. 4.4 years more than boys. Besides, life expectancy at age 60 years is also greater for women than men: 21.9 versus 19.0 years</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Discrepancy to differing attitudes to healthcare between men and women: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It can be seen from countries with generalised HIV epidemics, where men are less likely to takeHIV test than women and less likely to access antiretroviral therapy and more likely to die of AIDS-related illnesses than women. This same principle was also seen in tuberculosis (TB) sufferers, with male patients less likely to seek care than women.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Maternal Death major concern: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Maternal deaths contribute more than any other cause to reducing female life expectancy. The risk of maternal death is hugely different between low-income and high-income countries. One in 41 women dies from maternal cause in low-income country as compared with one in 3,300 in high-income countries.</span></span></span></span></p>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to recent study by US based Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), India has shortage of an estimated 600,000 doctors and 2 million nurses. The lack of properly trained staff in administering antibiotics is preventing patients from accessing life-saving drugs. This study was conducted to identify key access barriers to antibiotics in low, middle, and high-income countries. </span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Report Findings </span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The majority of annual 5.7 million antibiotic-treatable deaths worldwide occur in low and middle-income countries, where mortality burden from treatable bacterial infections far exceeds estimated annual 700,000 deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Lack of access to antibiotics is killing more people at present than does antibiotic resistance. Even after discovery of new antibiotic, regulatory hurdles and substandard health facilities delay or altogether prevent widespread market entry and drug availability.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Of 21 new antibiotics that entered markets between 1999 and 2014, less than five were registered in most sub-Saharan Africa countries. It shows that just mere existence of effective antibiotic does not mean that they are available in countries where they are most needed.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Worldwide, irrational use of antibiotics and poor antimicrobial stewardship has led to treatment failure and propagate spread of drug resistance which, in turn, further narrowed available array of effective antibiotics.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Even if antibiotics are available in markets, patients are often unable to afford them. High out-of-pocket medical costs to patient are compounded by limited government spending for health services. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">In India, 65% of health expenditure is out-of-pocket, and such expenditures push some 57 million people into poverty each year. Besides, there is one government doctor for every 10,189 people in India (World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a ratio of 1:1,000), thus there is deficit of 600,000 doctors, and nurse to patient ratio is 1:483, implying shortage of two million nurses.</span></span></span></li>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India was ranked at 19 out of 28 countries in Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICP) released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). It was released as part of the report titled “Cancer preparedness around the world: National readiness for a global epidemic” prepared by EIU.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICO)</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Its objective is to allow benchmarking of national efforts and identify best practice in addressing the cancer challenge. It took 28 countries into consideration.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">It explores issue of cancer preparedness through three broad domains: (i) policy and planning; (ii) care delivery; and (iii) health systems and governance.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Under it, four essentials of cancer preparedness are: (i) <em>investment </em>i.e. appropriate spending and resources), (ii) <em>roadmap</em> for effective planning), (iii) <em>foundation </em>for functioning health systems and (iv) <em>intelligence </em>in availability and quality of cancer-related data).</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Findings on overall best practices for cancer preparedness: <strong>Top 3 countries are</strong>: Australia (1st), Netherlands (2nd) and Germany (3rd).</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Bottom three are: </span></span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Saudi Arabia (28th), Romania (27th) and Egypt (26th). These counties need largest room for improvement.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India and ICP: Its overall rank was 19th with a score of 64.9. India ranked 17th in cancer policy and planning.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India has relatively high score of 80.8 and it largely stems from its strong cancer research and tobacco control measures.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India ranked first for research and third for tobacco control. It ranks 23rd for its national cancer control plan. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India’s healthcare system was ranked 25th in the index. In its delivery of cancer care, it was ranked 20th with a score of 61.3.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India’s healthcare infrastructure is the second worst among these countries. It has high standard of clinical guidelines category where it is ranked first. But it falls short on immunization, screening and early detection.</span></span></span></span></li>
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<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Cancer </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">It is generic term for large group of diseases characterized by growth of abnormal cells beyond their usual boundaries that can then invade adjoining parts of body and spread to other organs. It is world’s second biggest killer, responsible for 9.6 million deaths in 2018–roughly i.e. one out of six across globe. It is second largest cause of mortality before the age of 70 in over half the world’s countries.</span></span></span></span></p>
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'title' => 'World Press Freedom Index 2019: India ranks 140th',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India was ranked 140th out of 180 countries in World Press Freedom Index 2019, released by Reporters Without Borders. In this edition of index, India dropped by two places as compared to 138th position in 2018 edition. </span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">World Press Freedom Index 2019</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Top 10 Countries are: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Norway (1st), Finland (2nd), Sweden (3rd), Netherlands (4th), Denmark (5th), Switzerland (6th), New Zealand (7th), Jamaica (8th), Belgium (9th) and Coasta Rica (10th).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Of the 180 countries and territories ranked by this index, 24% are classified as ‘good’ or ‘fairly good’ as opposed to 26% in 2018.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India’s neighbors:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Bhutan (80), Maldives (98), Nepal (106), Sri Lanka (126), Pakistan (142), Bangladesh (150).</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Violence against journalists in India</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">: It was in the form of police violence, attacks by Maoists and reprisals by criminal groups and corrupt politicians. These incidents show the growing unsafe conditions under which journalists work, especially in local media outlets in rural areas, it claimed.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) </span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders based upon its own assessment of countries' press freedom records in the previous year.<strong> </strong></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It aims to promotes and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press. It intends to reflect degree of freedom that journalists, news organisations, and netizens have in each country, and efforts made by authorities to respect this freedom.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Countries are ranked based upon various parameters including media pluralism and independence, respect for safety and freedom of journalists, and legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which media operate. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Note: This index only deals with press freedom and does not measure quality of journalism nor does it look at human rights violations in general.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'SEEDS releases The Face of Disasters 2019 Report',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to ‘The Face of Disasters 2019’ report released by Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS), the average” rainfall figures hide extremes of floods and droughts across the country.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Report Higlights </span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian Meteorological Department has predicted “normal” monsoon this year, but the “average” rainfall figures hide extremes of floods and droughts across the country. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">During June to September monsoon of 2018, Punjab experienced “normal” monsoon. However, that figure masked fact that Ropar saw 71% excess rainfall and Ferozepur experienced a 74% shortage. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Similarly, eastern Uttar Pradesh saw minimal shortage of 16% lower than usual. However, Kushi Nagar received 82% less while Kannauj actually received surplus of 62%.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Other disasters are also hidden because of slow-onset of monsoon or they may be affecting ignored populations or occurring at same time as more high profile disasters. </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS)</span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is non-profit voluntary organization that aims at protecting the lives and livelihoods of people exposed to disasters. It was established in 1994. It is headquartered in New Delhi. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Functions:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> It is involved in research activities in disaster management, environmental planning, community development and urban & regional planning. </span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It undertakes activities on behalf of government and international development agencies. </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'metatitle' => 'SEEDS releases The Face of Disasters 2019 Report',
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'title' => 'Road accidents still cause most deaths: WHO report',
'description' => '<p>According to recently released World Health Organisation (WHO) report, road accidents are the leading cause of death among people in the 5-29 age-group worldwide. The report was released during global road safety week, observed from 6 to 12 May, 2019.</p>
<p>This year it was fifth edition of United Nations Global Road Safety Week. It had focused on leadership for road safety. Its campaign theme was: Save Lives - #SpeakUp.</p>
<p><strong>Key Findings of the report</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Road accidents are leading cause of death among people in the 5-29 age-group worldwide. More than 1.35 million lives are lost each year and 50 million sustaining injuries.</li>
<li>Since 2008, India is world number one in road crash deaths, inspite of being signatory to Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety.</li>
<li>As per Government data, road accidents killed close to 1,50,000 people each year in India. However, WHO claims that over 2,99,000 people are being killed in India each year.</li>
<li>The reasons of road accidents are rapid urbanisation, poor safety, lack of enforcement, distracted, influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding and failure to wear seat-belts or helmets.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Significance of Report</strong></p>
<p>It shows that road crashes have emerged as single biggest killer of people in the age group of 15-45, making it a major pandemic. Strong political will and leadership is need of the hour to address the issue. Existing road safety enforcement systems are outdated and needs urgent revision to meet needs of present times.</p>
<p><strong>Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety</strong></p>
<p>It was adopted at 2nd Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety hosted by Brazil and WHO in November 2015. It calls for member countries to reduce the number of road accidents and deaths to half by the year 2020. India had signed this declaration in 2015.</p>
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'description' => '<h2 style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India has found problems with current methodology of Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) computed by OCED as biased and counter-intuitive. It shows Indian services sector as highly restrictive in areas such as FDI. </span></span></span></span></h2>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Grievances against STRI by India</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to study commissioned by Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries has found that this index has large number problems associated with it, including some significant design issues that render it impractical for use,</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">For example, it show Indian services sector as one of most restrictive, particularly in policy areas like foreign entry. It is against the current reality that FDI is one of the areas that has seen maximum liberalisation in India since 1991.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">STRI has both theoretical and empirical inconsistencies in its methodology. For example, change in regulatory measures in one policy area can lead to dramatic changes in another policy area which is not very useful for policy purposes.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">In addition, the data of STRI seems to have been generated by rather arbitrary procedures and reflects a developed country bias,</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India has approached several developing countries during recently-concluded WTO talks in New Delhi to try to build consensus around new method of measuring trade restrictiveness in services sector.</span></span></span></span></li>
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<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was launched by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2014. It ranks countries based on their services trade policies. In 2018 edition it has covered and ranked total of 45 economies (36 OECD and the rest non-OECD) and 22 sectors. These countries and sectors represent over 80</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of global trade in services.</span></span></span></span></p>
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'title' => 'GLOBAL DRUG SURVEY 2019: Indians top to reduce drugs intake',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recent global survey of recreational drug-use has found that Indians-more than from other nationalities surveyed are seeking help to reduce their alcohol intake. They survey was titled Global Drugs Survey (GDS) 2019 and for the first time polled respondents from </span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">GDS 2019 Findings for India </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">For the first time it polled respondents from India (surveyed online October-December 2018,). It found that alcohol, tobacco and cannabis were the most common stimulants used by Indians. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indians reported ‘being drunk’ on average of 41 times in last 12 months behind UK, US, Canada, Australia and Denmark but well above the global average of 33 times. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indians are more than from other nationalities are seeking help to reduce their alcohol intake. 51</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">%of Indian respondents wanted to ‘drink less’ in the following year.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">43</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of surveyed Indians reported using cannabis but, similar to alcohol use. 51</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">%of Indian said they wanted to use ‘less cannabis’ in the following year; more than any other nationality.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About 6</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">% of female Indians surveyed reported seeking ‘emergency medical treatment’. The global female average was about 13%.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">None of the males in India surveyed reported seeking medical treatment, compared to the global average of 12</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">.</span></span></span></span></li>
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<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Global Findings in GDS 2019</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Apart from alcohol and tobacco, the most used drugs globally were cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, MDMA (or Ecstacy), LSD (or ‘acid’), magic mushrooms, benzodiazepines, prescription opioids, ketamine, nitrous oxide. Globally approximately 14</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> (11,000) reported being taken advantage of sexually while intoxicated in their lifetime. There were no figures from India available.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Global Drug Survey (GDS)</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is an independent research organisation based in London, UK. It runs largest global survey of recreational drug-use. It is anonymised, online survey that uses detailed questionnaire to assess trends in drug use and self-reported harms among regular drug users and early adopters of new trends. 2019 GDS was 8th annual report published by it.</span></span></span></span></p>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recently released report titled “Women in Business and Management: The business case for change”, companies that improve gender diversity especially at the top perform better and rake in higher profits. It also noted that countries that increase women employment see better economic growth.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About report</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was released by United Nation’s (UN) International Labour Organization (ILO). Its findings are based on a survey of nearly 13,000 companies across 70 countries. It also had analysed data from 186 countries between 1991 and 2017,</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of the report</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Gender diversity is smart business strategy and companies that improve gender diversity perform better and reported higher profits hikes between 5 to 20</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Growing number of women at top has made it easier to attract and retain talent. Besides there are improvements in creativity, innovation and openness. Moreover, effective gender inclusivity enhanced their company’s reputation.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Countries that increase women employment also see better economic growth. Thus, it is necessary to look at gender balance as bottom-line issue, not just a human resources issue.</span></span></span></span></li>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recent study of National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), India has 20.6 health workers per 10,000 people. It is less than World health Organisation’s (WHO) minimum threshold of 22.8 per 10000 people.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Findings of Study</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
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<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The numbers have increased from 19 health workers per 10000 people in 2012. This shows that India is moving in the right direction and size of the health workforce is steadily improving</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Distribution of health workers</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">: It is highly uneven between urban and rural areas. Rural areas with nearly 71</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of India's population have only 36</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of health workers. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Delhi has highest concentration of health workers followed by Kerala, Punjab, and Haryana.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Private vs Public Health Sector:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> There is also uneven distribution of health workers is seen in private and public health sector. More than 80</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of doctors and 70</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of nurses and midwives are employed in the private sector. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Recommendations:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> The Government policy should focus on enhancing quality of health workers and bringing professionally qualified persons into the health workforce. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">There is need for public sector and private sector collaboration to overcome the shortages in human resources for health sector.</span></span></span></span></li>
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'title' => 'ICMR recommends complete ban on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems',
'description' => '<h2 style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended complete ban on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes. In this regard it has released white paper on occasion of World No Tobacco Day (observed on May 31).</span></span></span></span></h2>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">What are ENDS?</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">They are devices that heat solution to create an aerosol, which also frequently contains flavours, usually dissolved into propylene glycol and glycerin. There are various types of ENDS devices like heat-not-burn devices, vape, e-cigarettes, e-sheesha, e-nicotine flavoured hookah among others. The most commonly used is e-cigarette. These devices do not burn or use toacco leaves, but instead vaporise solution, which user then inhales (This process is called as vaping). The main constituents of vaporise solution are nicotine, flavouring agents and propylene glycol with or without glycerol.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">White paper Findings</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Use of ENDS by non-smokers can lead to regular smoking and nicotine addiction. They adversely affects cardiovascular system, impairs respiratory immune cell function and airways in way similar to cigarette smoking and is responsible for severe respiratory disease.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It also poses risk to foetal, infant and child brain development, the white paper claimed. E-cigarettes are also harmful to non-users and have adverse health impacts even when people are exposed to second-hand vapours.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Passive exposure to vapours during pregnancy can severely affect the health of both the mother and the foetus. There are reports of poisoning due to accidental swallowing by children. These devices also can cause fire and explosion.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">ENDS are advertised through various forms of media with youth beingtarget group and are being marketed as safer alternatives to conventional cigarettes or harm reduction products, in glamorous manner, so as to make them attractive under the guise of being less harmful.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Major tobacco companies have purchased or developed ENDS products, with dual commercial intent of expanding their range of tobacco products while touting their ability to offer a product that they claim reduces harm from the cigarettes.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Sale of e-cigarettes is completely banned in 25 countries, including Norway, Singapore and Brazil while market authorization is required in 17 other countries. In US, ENDS, that are marketed for therapeutic purposes are currently regulated by US-FDA and Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Preventive Measures in India</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">In August 2019, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had issued advisory to all states and UTs to stop manufacture, sale and import of ENDS. The advisory was challenged in Delhi High Court which had ruled that it to be non-binding on states and government bodies. However, some states in India including Punjab, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Jharkhand Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,, Rajasthan and Mizoram have already banned use and sale of e-cigarettes, Vape and E-Hookah.</span></span></span></span></p>
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'title' => 'India ranks 95th in SDG Gender Index',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India was ranked at 95th among 129 countries in first edition of SDG Gender Index, a new index to measure global gender equality.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">SDG Gender Index</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It has been developed by <strong>Equal Measures 2030</strong>, a joint effort of regional and global organizations viz. African Women’s Development and Communication Network, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women and International Women’s Health Coalition</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indicators:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It takes into account of 14 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that cover aspects such as poverty, education, health, political representation and equality at the workplace.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Methodology:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It ranks countries based on 14 indicators on scale of score from 100 (reflects achievement of gender equality in relation to the targets set for each indicator) to 0.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Note:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> SDG Gender Index comes close on the heels of the gender gap index of the World Economic Forum (India was ranked 108th in this WEF index).</span></span></span></span></li>
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<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key Findings of SDG Gender Index</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Global scenario</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">World is still far from achieving gender equality as around 1.4 billion girls and women living in countries that were “very poor” grade in gender equality.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The global average score of 129 ranked countries which represent 95</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of the world’s girls and women was 65.7 out of 100 (categorized “poor” in the index).</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Around 2.8 billion girls and women are living in countries that get either very poor (59 and below) or having poor score (60-69) on gender equality. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Just 8</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of world’s population of girls and women live in countries that received “good” gender equality score (80-89) and no country has achieved “excellent” overall score of 90 or above.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Top 8 Countries are</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">:</span></span> <span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Denmark (Rank: 1st, Score: 89.3), Finland (2nd, 88.8), Sweden (3rd, 88.0), Norway (4th, 87.7), Netherlands (5th, 86.8), Slovenia (6th,86.5), Germany (7th, 86.2) and Canada (8th, 85.8)</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings for India</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India was ranked at 95th with score of 56.2 among 129 countries. India’s highest goal scores were on health (79.9), hunger & nutrition (76.2), and energy (71.8). </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Its lowest goal scores were on partnerships (18.3, in bottom 10 countries worldwide), industry, infrastructure and innovation (38.1), and climate (43.4).</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India's neighbours: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">China (score: 64.7), Sri Lanka (62.1), Bhutan (58.2), India (56.2), Myanmar (54.1), Nepal (52.6), Bangladesh (49.2) and Pakistan (48.9).</span></span></span></span></li>
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'title' => 'Swachh Bharat Mission helped reduce ground water contamination: UNICEF',
'description' => '<h2 style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Recent study conducted by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has found that ‘Swachh Bharat (Grameen)’ initiative of the government has helped reduce ground water contamination. It was one of the two independent third-party studies conducted on Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) on behalf of Central Government. The other study was commissioned by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.</span></span></span></span></h2>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About UNICEF’s Study</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was titled Environmental impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission on Water, Soil, and Food. It was aimed at assessing the environmental impact and communication footprint of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) respectively. Its findings were based on analysis of groundwater samples were collected and studied from ODF and non-ODF villages of Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of the study</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The substantial reductions in ground water contamination may potentially be attributed to the improvement in sanitation and hygiene practices.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Supportive systems such as regular monitoring and behaviour change messaging, which have all been critical aspects of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), also helped reduce ground water contamination.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">In terms of faecal contamination, non-ODF villages were on average 11.25 times more likely to have their groundwater sources contaminated (12.7 times more from contaminants traceable to humans alone), 1.48 times more likely to have food contaminated, 1.13 times more likely to have their soil contaminated and 2.68 times more likely to have household drinking water contaminated.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Swachh Bharat Mission</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was launched in October 2014 to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to put focus on sanitation. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Objective:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> Make India clean by 2019, as fitting tribute to 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Feature:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It world’s largest sanitation program that aimed bring behavioural change of people with respect to toilet access and usage.<strong> </strong></span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Two sub-missions: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), implemented in rural areas, and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), implemented in urban areas. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">SBM-G: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It aims to eliminate open defecation in rural areas by improving access to sanitation by ensuring use of toilets, besides their construction. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It also seeks to generate awareness to motivate communities to adopt sustainable sanitation practices, and encourage the use of appropriate technologies for sanitation.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Present Status: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">the mission is in the final stretch of its completion with 30 States/Union Territories already have been declared open defecation free (ODF). According to Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Rural sanitation coverage in the country had crossed the 99</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">% mark. Now, it is focusing on extending momentum to the ODF-plus phase in solid and liquid waste management.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Impact:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> WHO 2018 study had estimated that Swachh Bharat Mission will save over 3 lakh lives by the time India is Open Defacation Free.</span></span></span></span></li>
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'title' => 'India's population to surpass China by 2027: UN',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recently released ‘The World Population Prospects 2019’, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2027. It was published by Population Division of United Nations (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of the report</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
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<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Global population:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It is projected to increase by another 2 billion people by 2050, from 7.7 billion in 2019 to 9.7 billion in 30 years down the line. By tend of the century (i.e. by 2100), the world population will reach peak level of about 11 billion.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> Indi’s estimated current population is of 1.37 billion and China 1.43 billion. By 2027, India’s population will surpass population of China. India is also expected to add 273 million people by 2050 and it will remain most populated until the end of the century.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Top 5 populous countries (Projections): </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Following India-China re-ordering in 2027, the five largest countries is projected to remain the same until end of the century. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India will be world’s most populous country with nearly 1.5 billion population, followed by China at (1.1 billion), Nigeria (733 million), United States (434 million), and Pakistan (403 million).</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Declining population:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> By 2050, 55 countries will see their populations shrink by at least 1</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">. This will be mainly due to sustained low levels of fertility and high rates of emigration. China’s population is projected to shrink by as much as 2.2</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">or 31.4 million by 2050.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Ageing:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> World’s overall population is ageing, with age group of 65 and above growing at fast rate. By 2050, one in six people in the world will be part of this age group as compared to 1 in 11 in 2019. </span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'metatitle' => 'India's population to surpass China by 2027: UN',
'metakeyword' => 'According to recently released ‘The World Population Prospects 2019’, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2027',
'metadescription' => 'According to recently released ‘The World Population Prospects 2019’, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2027',
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'title' => 'SIPRI Yearbook 2019: Countries reducing nuclear-warheads but modernising arsenals',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to 2019 Yearbook of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), worldwide total of nuclear warheads has decreased since 2018 but countries are modernising their nuclear arsenals. The report separately counts deployed warheads (warheads placed on missiles or located on bases with operational forces) and other warheads (stored or reserve warheads and retired warheads awaiting dismantlement).</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key Findings of report</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">9 nuclear-armed countries (including India) had total of some 13,865 nuclear weapons at start of 2019, 600 nuclear weapons less from 14,465 at the start of 2018 (It does not includes figures for North Korea on account of uncertainty). India has total 130-140 warhead” in 2019, same as in 2018.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Of these total 13,865 nuclear weapons, 3,750 are deployed with operational forces and nearly 2,000 of these are kept in state of high operational alert</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Pakistan, Israel and North Korea—possessed approximately 13 865 nuclear weapons. This marked a decrease from the approximately 14 465 nuclear weapons at the beginning of 2018.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Decrease in the overall number of nuclear weapons in the world</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">: It is mainly attributed to US and Russia (together accounting for over 90</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of all nuclear weapons) for reducing arsenals in pursuance of implementating 2010 New START, the treaty which is set to expire in 2021.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Modernisation:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> However, both Russia and US have extensive and expensive programmes under way to replace and modernize their nuclear warheads, missile and aircraft delivery systems and nuclear weapon production facilities.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""><img alt="" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/feca/oi8xw737ru4j73q6g.jpg" /></span></span></span></span></p>
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'title' => 'QS World Rankings: IIT-Bombay best-ranked Indian institute',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) was ranked number one in list of Indian universities releseased as part of QS World University Rankings 2020. Globally it was ranked 152nd position. This for third consective time IIT-Bombay has been securing top position among all Indian institutes for and overall it has improved its glaobal rank by 10 moving up places from 2018 ranking.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">QS World University Rankings</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is published annually by global higher education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). It was launched in 2004. It is one of the two most sought after rankings for educational institutes globally.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It ranks the world’s top 1,000 universities. It also gives subject rankings in 48 different subjects and five composite faculty areas of the universities, as well as for graduate employability and various other aspects.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key Higlights of 2020 QS rankings</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">US based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was placed on top of the global list for the eighth consecutive year.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">23 Indian universities are in world top 1,000. There were 24 in last year’s rankings. Out of the 23, nine Indian instituetes are in the top 500, including seven IITs.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">IIT Bombay was placed at number one in the list of Indian universities for the second consecutive year. It was globally ranked at 152.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">IISc has scored world’s second best score on research impact, but dropped in overall ranking. It is first Indian institution to see its research cited more than 100,000 times in five-year period.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Manipal Academy of Higher Education was top private university in the country in the list, which falls within the 701-750 ranking band,</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Amity University and University of Hyderabad have dropped out from India in this edition of rankings, while O P Jindal Global University is a new entrant.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""><img alt="" src="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f5aa/76n5a15egpseg6n6g.jpg&sa=D&source=hangouts&ust=1561183221233000&usg=AFQjCNH-IDgJ3pf5zT0DUOsV32dlyM3E2Q" /></span></span></span></span></p>
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'metatitle' => 'QS World Rankings: IIT-Bombay best-ranked Indian institute',
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'title' => '31.4% of Indian children will be stunted by 2022: Report',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to rencent analysis of India’s food and nutrition security, almost one in three Indian children will still be stunted by 2022. The report was prepared by United Nations (UN) World Food Programme in collaboration with Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. It is baseline analysis of Inida’s progress in achieving the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end hunger,</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of the report</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Over the last decade, child stunting measure of chronic malnutrition — has reduced at a rate of about 1% per year, the slowest decline among emerging economies.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">At this rate, 31.4% of children will still be stunted by the 2022 deadline. India must double its rate of progress to reach target of 25% by that time.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Foodgrain yields have risen 33% over last two decades, but are still only half of 2030 target yields. However, average per capita consumption of energy among poorest 30% of the population is 1811 kilo calories, much lower than the norm of 2155 kilo calories per day.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">In States like Bihar (48%) and Uttar Pradesh (46%), almost one in two children are stunted, while it is only one in five children in Kerala and Goa (20% each).</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">There are high rates of stunting among children in e poorest wealth quintile (51.4%), Scheduled Tribes (43.6%) and Scheduled Castes (42.5%), and children born to mothers with no education (51%).</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => '2nd edition of NITI Aayog’s Healthy States, Progressive India report',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">NITI Aayog released the second edition of “Healthy States, Progressive India” report. It focuses on measuring overall performance and incremental improvement over a two-year period — 2016-17 and 2017-18 — in the states and UTs.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Healthy States Progressive India Report</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It has been developed by NITI Aayog, with technical assistance from the World Bank, and in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It ranks States/UTs on their overall performance, as well as their year-on-year incremental change in health outcomes over a two year period (2016-17 and 2017-18) in the States and UTs.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Methodology: It takes into account comprehensive look at health in terms of <strong>health outcomes in several health indicators,</strong> <strong>governance </strong>and <strong>impact of policy decisions</strong>. These three domain serve as weighted composite Index.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Categorisation of states:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> The ranking is categorized as Larger States, Smaller States and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure comparison among similar entities. States are further categorized into four groups based on incremental performance: not improved (<=0 incremental change); least improved (0.01 to 2 points increase); moderately improved (2.01 to 4 points), and most improved (>4 points increase).</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Findings of Report (2nd Edition)</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Among Larger States: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Kerala ranked first followed by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra in terms of overall performance. Fourth, fifth and sixth spots were occupied by Gujarat, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh respectively. Uttar Pradesh was ranked last.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Haryana, Rajasthan and Jharkhand are top three ranking States in terms of annual incremental performance.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Among Smaller States: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Mizoram ranked first followed by Manipur in terms overall performance. Tripura followed by Manipur were raked top States in terms of annual incremental performance.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Among UTs: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Chandigarh was first followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli in terms of overall performance. Dadra and Nagar Haveli was ranked top followed Chandigarh in terms of annual incremental performance.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'UNODC releases World Drug Report 2019',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its latest World Drug Report on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (observed on 26 June).</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key highlights of report:</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Globally, around 35 million people are estimated to suffer from drug use disorders and who require treatment services. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">In 2017, an estimated 271 million people, or 5.5</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of the global population aged 15-64, had used drugs in the previous year.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The most widely used drug globally continues to be cannabis, with estimated 188 million people having used the drug in 2017.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Opioids are responsible for two thirds of 585,000 people who died as result of drug use in 2017. Globally, 11 million people injected drugs in 2017, of whom 1.4 million live with HIV and 5.6 million with hepatitis C. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Estimated global illicit manufacture of cocaine reached all-time high of 1,976 tons in 2017, an increase of 25</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">on the previous year. At the same time, global quantity of cocaine seized in 2017 rose by 13</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">to 1,275 tons, the largest quantity ever reported.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Most of the world's opioids are produced in Afghanistan (263,000 hectares of poppy seed production) with Myanmar (37,300 hectares) coming in as the second largest producer.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Prevention and treatment continue to fall short with only one in seven people with drug use disorders receiving treatment each year.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC)</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is global leader in fight against illicit drugs and international crime. It operates in all regions of world through an extensive network of field offices.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was established in 1997 by merging of UN Drug Control Programme and Centre for International Crime Prevention. It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is mandated to assist member states in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism. It relies on voluntary contributions, mainly from Governments, for 90% of its budget.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Three pillars of UNODC work programme</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Conduct field-based technical cooperation projects for capacity building of member states to counteract illicit drugs, crime and terrorism.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Conduct research and analytical work to increase knowledge and understanding of drugs and crime issues and expand evidence base for policy and operational decisions.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Assist states in ratification and implementation of relevant international treaties, the development of domestic legislation on drugs, crime and terrorism etc.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'title' => 'Global warming to cause loss of 80 million jobs by 2030: ILO Report',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recent report, growing heat stress on workers in agriculture and other sectors due to climate change will cause productivity loss equal to 80 million full-time jobs over the next decade. The report is titled<em><strong> “Working on a warmer planet: The impact of heat stress on labour productivity”</strong></em> and was released by International Labour Organization (ILO).</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Report Highlights</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
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<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">By 2030, 2.2</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of total working hours worldwide will be lost because of higher temperatures. This represents an economic losses totaling 1.4% of global gross domestic product, or $2.4 trillion.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The percentage is expected to be more than double that in hardest-hit regions, western Africa and southern Asia.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Its projections are based on global temperature rise of 1.5 degree Celsius by end of 21<sup>st</sup> century, and labour force trends. Heat stress is defined as generally above 35 degrees Celsius, in places with high humidity. </span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Effects on India: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India will be the most affected country, because of its large population. India is projected to lose 5.8</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of working hours in 2030 due to global warming, particularly impacting agriculture and construction sectors. In absolute terms, it will account for 34 million jobs in 2030 due to global warming.</span></span> <span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">These working hours will be lost because it will be too hot to work or because workers work at a slower pace.</span></span></span></span></li>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recently released report titled “State of the Education Report for India-2019: Children with Disabilities”, 27% of children with disabilities (CwDs) have never been to school in India. The report was prepared by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of report</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
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<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Citing 2011 census data it was found that there are more than 78 lakh CwDs in the country between age of 5 to 19 years.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Only 61% of them were attending an educational institution, about 12% had dropped out, and 27% had never been to school at all.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Around 75% of five-year-olds with disabilities are not in school. There are fewer girls with disabilities in school than boys. But the differences remain among various types of disabilities.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Only 20% of children with visual and hearing impairments had never been in school. However, among children with multiple disabilities or mental illness, that figure rose to more than 50%.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It recommends amending Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 to make it align with Right of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.</span></span></span></span></li>
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'title' => 'Henley Passport Index 2019: India ranks 86',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India’s passport was ranked at 86th of the total 199 passports in Henley Passport Index (HPI) 2019 with mobility score of 58. India’s rank has improved from earlier 79th position in January 2019 HPI. India shared 86th position in July 2019 HPI with Mauritiana and Sao Tome and Principe. India’s score in July 2019 HPI points out that Indian passport holders can access (visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel) 58 countries around the world without prior visa. </span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Henley Passport Index (HPI) </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom for their citizens. It was started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index (HVRI). It was modified and renamed to its present form in January 2018. It ranks passports based on number of countries holder can go to without visa or number of countries holder can go to where they can obtain visa, visitor’s permit, or electronic travel authority upon arrival. It shows that countries around world increasingly view visa openness as crucial to economic and social progress. It covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations and is based on data provided by International Air Transport Authority (IATA).</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Top powerful passports of the world</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">1. Japan, Singapore: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Both countries have the world’s most powerful passports. Both have secured top position out of 199 countries. Their passports have visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to 189 places.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">2. Finland, Germany, South Korea: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Citizens of all three countries have access to 187 destinations around the world without a prior visa.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">3. Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg: </span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">4. France, Spain, Sweden</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">5. Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">6. Belgium, Norway, Greece, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Global performance in July 2019 HPI</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Asian countries dominate rankings with Japan and Singapore jointly holding top spot.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">With few exceptions, countries around the world increasingly view visa openness as crucial to economic and social progress.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Afghanistan at 109th position was ranked last on July 2019 HPI list with visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of just 25.</span></span></span></span></li>
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'title' => '33% of India’s skilled youth jobless- Official Survey',
'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Issue</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The PLFS data from official survey has pointed out that 33% of Indian youth population (15-29 years) who received formal technical training were not part of labor force or seeking any employment opportunities. This also involves substantial share of women force.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Background</span></span></strong></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">After the launch of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the government’s skill imparting flagship scheme, there was widespread belief of improving employment rate.</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government appointed committee led by Sharda Prasad found the targets too ambitious and funds spent were not subject to adequate monitoring leading to stagnant employment rates.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align:justify"> </p>
<p style="text-align:justify"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Highlights of report</span></span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Three fifth young skilled young women out of labour force.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The unemployment rate among freshly trained youth, who completed training during the previous year, was even higher at 40%</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The bulk of the training received by younger population were in the fields of IT, electronics, mechanical sectors.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">80% trainees in the field of agriculture and food processing, telecom, media and mass communication were men whereas the fields of beauty and wellness, apparel, handicrafts, hospitality and healthcare were dominated by women.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align:justify"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Reasons for unemployment rates</span></span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">One of the reason why such a large section of ‘skilled’ workers were out of labor force</span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Could be difficulty in finding jobs.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The education profile doe not suit employment profile. The educational standards are not upto the mark.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Lack of practical approach in educational standards.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align:justify"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">How can issue be addressed?</span></span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Education for students, especially technical has to be in sync with industrial requirements.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Periodic review of syllabus in order to keep them updated to latest ones based on demand.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Outcome based education that is guided by fixed framework instead of independently created syllabus.</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align:justify"> </p>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Issue</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">The latest Henley Passport Index ranks India at 86, down five places from 81 in 2018. </span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Background</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Prepared by Henley and Partners, a London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm, the Henley Passport Index claims to be the most accurate passport index. </span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">The index gathers data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that manages inter-airline cooperation globally.</span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Henley Index</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">The index receives data from the IATA on a fixed day every year that forms the basis of the index. This data is supplemented by considering real-time changes in visa policies using publicly available sources to prepare a visa list.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">This is a list of destinations that a passport can access visa-free, through a visa on arrival, e-visa or with a traditional visa.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Details</span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Each passport is attributed with a score and a rank. For instance for 2019, India’s score is 58 and it ranks 86 in the list. Japan and Singapore, on the other hand, are ranked 1 and have a score of 189.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">The score is the sum of the number of countries accessible by that passport holder without requiring pre-departure government approval for visa-types including a visitor’s permit, visa on arrival or an electronic travel authority.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">A value of 0 is attributed to a score when a passport holder has to seek pre-departure government approval for visa-types including e-visa (visas applied for online and received) and visa on arrival. </span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Importance of Index</span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Passport rankings point towards the strength of diplomatic relations between countries.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Recently travel freedom has expanded vastly as a result of the rising number of bilateral visa-waiver programs signed between different countries and unilateral decisions implemented by governments of some countries.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Other Passport Indices</span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">The Henley Passport Index is not the only index available on passport rankings. Others include the <strong>Arton Passport Index.</strong> It ranks United Arab Emirates’ passport at rank 1 as per its most recent rankings.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">As per this index, India has a mobility score (MS) of 67, with visa required for 131 destinations, visa on arrival required for 41 destinations and 26 destinations where Indian passport holders can travel visa free.</span></span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tamil Nadu<strong> </strong>has the lowest consumption of iodised salt despite being the third biggest producer of salt in the country, according to a first-of-its-kind national survey to measure the coverage of iodised salt.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The survey was conducted by Nutrition International in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Indian Coalition for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The survey tested the iodine content in samples of cooking salt from households to estimate the coverage of iodised salt.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study shows that 76.3% of Indian households consumed adequately iodised salt, which is salt with at least 15 parts per million of iodine.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The five worst performers were Tamil Nadu (61.9%), Andhra Pradesh (63.9%), Rajasthan (65.5%), Odisha (65.8%) and Jharkhand (68.8%).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Gujarat produces 71% of salt in the country, followed by Rajasthan at 17% and Tamil Nadu at 11%. The rest of the country accounts for a mere 1% of salt produced.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The northeastern States are doing very well with respect to iodised salt consumption at the household level because of the distance they have from the three salt producing centres .This salt is strictly monitored by the Salt Commissioner’s office to if it is inadequately iodised, and then allowed for sale.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Rajastathan, being the second biggest salt producing state, features in the top-5 worst performing states.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Extra reading</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India made fortification of salt with iodine mandatory for direct human consumption in 1992. This was relaxed in 2000 and then reimposed in 2005.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The key recommendation of the study is to sustain the momentum so that iodine coverage does not fall below current levels.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Iodine Importance</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iodine is a vital micro-nutrient for optimal mental and physical development of human beings.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Deficiency of iodine can result in a range of disabilities and disorders such as goitre, hypothyroidism, cretinism, abortion, still births, mental retardation and psychomotor defects.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Children born in iodine deficient areas may have up to 13.5 IQ points less than those born in iodine sufficient areas.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
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<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A fact sheet released by the World Health Organization shows that close to 8 lakh people die due to suicide every year. This means, suicides account for one death every 40 seconds.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Suicide is a global phenomenon and occurs throughout the lifespan. Effective and evidence-based interventions can be implemented at population, sub-population and individual levels to prevent suicide and suicide attempts.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Report has also observed that behind every successful suicide, there are more than 20 attempts at taking one’s life.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Against a global average of 10.53 deaths due to suicide (per 100,000 population) Europe tends to register the maximum deaths due to suicide while Eastern Mediterranean reports the lowest average.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report also shows country-specific rates of a wide variety of countries both in terms of geography and resource allocation as well as in terms of economic prosperity.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report also said that while suicide was the second leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">While the link between suicide and mental disorders, like depression is well established, WHO finds that many suicides happen during a crisis and because of an individual’s inability to deal with stress</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In methods of suicides , almost 20 per cent of all suicides are due to pesticide self-poisoning.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> The use of pesticide points to the setting where such suicides happen which is rural agricultural areas in low- and middle-income countries. Other common methods are hanging and firearms.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
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'title' => 'India top source for immigrants',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has emerged as the leading country of origin for immigrants across the world, according to a dataset released by the Union Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The International Migrant Stock 2019 was released by the UN DESA's Population Division. It has said that the number of international migrants in the world had reached an estimated 272 million in 2019.The percentage of international migrants of the total global population has increased to 3.5% from 2.8% in 2000.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The UN DESA Population has said that one-third of all international migrants originated from 10 countries and after India, Mexico ranked second as the country of origin for 12 million migrants, followed by China (11 million), Russia (10 million) and Syria (8 million).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The European region hosted the highest number of the immigrants at 82 million in 2019, followed by North America (59 million) and Northern Africa and Western Asia (49 million).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Among countries, the U.S. hosts the highest number of international migrants (51 million), about 19% of the global population.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Forced displacements continue to rise, with the number of refugees and asylum seekers increased by about 13 million from 2010 to 2017.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The number of migrants living in India saw a slight decline from 5.24 million in 2015 to an estimated 5.15 million in 2019 about 0.4% of the total population of the country.Bangladesh was the leading country of origin for migrants in India.</span></span></p>
</li>
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'title' => 'Maternal Mortality Ratio drop',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has reduced considerably in certain districts of Tamil Nadu in the last two to three years according to government sources.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India's maternal mortality rate reduced from 212 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2007 to 167 deaths in 2013. This showed a great improvement from the previous survey, in line with the SDG.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The maternal mortality ratio is a key performance indicator for efforts to improve the health and safety of mothers before, during, and after childbirth per country worldwide.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India dropped from 488 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1994 to 174 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for maternal mortality</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Severe bleeding (mostly bleeding after childbirth)</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Infections (usually after childbirth)</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">High blood pressure during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia)</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Complications from delivery.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Unsafe abortion</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for maternal mortality</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Poverty</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Distance to facilities</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Lack of information</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Inadequate and poor quality services</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Cultural beliefs and practices</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reducing Maternal deaths</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Countries have united behind a target to accelerate the decline of maternal mortality by 2030. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">SDG 3(sustainable Development Goal) includes an ambitious target: reducing the global MMR to less than 70 per 100 000 births, with no country having a maternal mortality rate of more than twice the global average.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
'id' => (int) 2420,
'title' => 'Delhi tap water fails BIS test',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tap water samples from 11 different locations in the national capital failed to meet quality norms in preliminary tests of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">BIS had received the samples for testing after consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan earlier this week claimed that Delhi’s tap water is unfit for drinking.</span></span><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details </strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">All the samples failed on 24 parameters which included TDS count, ph value and odour, among other norms.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Currently only the packaged drinking water is expected to meet BIS standards. BIS standard for tap water is voluntary for public agencies which supply and distribute water.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The current BIS standards formed in 2012 is alleged to be not par with international standards.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>BIS standards for drinking water</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The standard was adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards with the following objectives -</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">To assess the quality of water resources.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">To check the effectiveness of water treatment and supply by the concerned authorities.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The various parameters covered include colour, odour, pH, total dissolved solids, hardness, alkalinity, elemental compounds such as iron, manganese, sulphate, nitrate, chloride, fluoride, arsenic, chromium, copper, cyanide, lead, mercury, zinc and coli form bacteria.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Bureau of Indian Standards</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Functions</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Standard formulation and promotion</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">One of the major functions of the Bureau is the formulation, recognition and promotion of the Indian Standards.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> These cover important segments of economy, which help the industry in upgrading the quality of their products and services.</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Product Certification</strong></span></span></p>
<ul style="list-style-type:circle">
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>For Indian manufacturers</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Product Certifications are to be obtained voluntarily.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">For, some of the products like Milk powder, Drinking Water, LPG Cylinders, etc., certification is mandatory as these products are concerned with health and safety.</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type:none">
<ul style="list-style-type:circle">
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>For foreign manufacturers</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Foreign manufacturers of products who intend to export to India also may obtain a BIS product certification license.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> For some products various Indian government ministries/departments/agencies makes its compulsory to have BIS certification</span></span></p>
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type:none">
<ul style="list-style-type:circle">
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>For Indian importers</strong></span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian importers who intend to get Certification Mark may apply for the license. </span></span></p>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
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'title' => 'Abuse of women during childbirth',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A new report says more than one-third of women in four low-income countries in Africa and Asia were abused during childbirth in health centres during treatment.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The new study led by the World Health Organization followed more than 2,000 women during labour and interviewed more than 2,600 women after childbirth. The report has been prepared based on their feedback.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study published in The Lancet medical journal says women in Nigeria, Myanmar, Ghana and Guinea also experienced high rates of cesarean sections and surgical cuts to the vagina, or episiotomies, without their consent and often without a painkiller.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mistreatment during childbirth can amount to a violation of human rights<strong>, </strong>and could be a powerful disincentive from seeking facility-based maternity care.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Some 42% reported physical or verbal abuse or discrimination during childbirth which included punching, shouted at, scolded or forcibly held down. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Younger, less-educated women are at risk of such mistreatment which also includes neglect by health workers or the use of force during procedures.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previous reports have documented physical abuse of women in eastern Europe, particularly those of Roma descent, including instances where women are forcibly separated from their newborns for several days.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Abusive practices during maternal care have also been widely reported across Latin America, where Venezuela became the first country to legislate against specific unethical practices.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study suggested allowing women to have a companion of their choice present during childbirth, improving the informed consent process and redesigning maternity wards to improve privacy.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>WHO</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The World Health Organization(WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
'id' => (int) 2528,
'title' => 'Education for mother can lead to better nutrition for children',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A pan-India study by Health and Family Welfare Ministry shows children received better diets with higher levels of schooling among their mothers.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Diet diversity, meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet are the three core indicators of nutrition deficiency among infant and young children. They play an important role in improving health indicators in the population.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNSS) studied 1.2 lakh children between 2016 and 2018 and measured food consumption, anthropometric data, micronutrients, anaemia, iron deficiency and markers of non-communicable diseases among many other factors.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The data was compared with different population characteristics such as religion, caste, place of residence and the mothers’ level of schooling to find a common link.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was found that only 11.4% of children of mothers with no schooling received adequately diverse meals, while 31.8% whose mothers finished Class XII received diverse meals.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study also highlighted that 3.9% of children whose mothers had zero schooling got minimum acceptable diets, whereas this was at 9.6% for children whose mothers finished schooling. Moreover, 7.2% of children in the former category consumed iron rich food, whereas this was at 10.3% for children in the latter category.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Only 49.8% of children in the age group whose mothers did not go to school consumed dairy products, while 80.5% of children of mothers who completed their schooling did so.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Levels of stunting, wasting and low weight were higher in children whose mothers received no schooling as opposed to those who studied till Class XII.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Anaemia saw a much higher prevalence of 44.1% among children up to four years old with mothers who never went to school, versus 34.6% among those who completed their schooling.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On the darker side, higher level of education among mothers meant that their children received meals less frequently, perhaps because their chances of being employed and travelling long distances to work went up.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Such children were also at higher risk of diabetes and high cholesterol as more prosperity could lead to higher consumption of sugary drinks and foods high in cholesterol.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
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'title' => 'TB cases decrease in India',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/1094-1074-1073/tuberculosis/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">tuberculosis </a>incidence rate in India has decreased by almost 50,000 patients over the past one year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)-2019 edition of the Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic and progress in the response at global, regional and country levels for India.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report notes that in 2017, India had 27.4 lakh TB patients which came down to 26.9 lakh in 2018. Incidence per 1,00,000 population has decreased from 204 in 2017 to 199 in 2018.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The number of patients being tested for rifampicin resistance has increased from 32% in 2017 to 46% in 2018.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The treatment success rate has increased to 81% for new and relapse cases (drug sensitive) in 2017, which was 69% in 2016.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The India TB-Report 2019 notes that India is closest ever to covering all TB cases through the online notification system called <strong><em>NIKSHAY</em></strong>.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Tuberculosis</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria that are spread through the air from person to person. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The bacteria that cause TB are spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Most people infected with the bacteria that cause tuberculosis don't have symptoms but When they do occur, they usually include a cough (sometimes blood-tinged), weight loss, night sweats and fever.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>NIKSHAY</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nikshay is a Tuberculosis control programme, to monitor and track services and status related to screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of Tuberculosis cases.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It alerts TB patient regarding medication, follow-up alerts to the patients and providers etc.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
'id' => (int) 2690,
'title' => 'TB deaths highest in Karnataka',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">At 6.2%, <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/144-81/karnataka/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">Karnataka </a>has recorded the highest tuberculosis (TB) death rate in the country in 2018. This is higher than the national TB death rate of 4% in public sector.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">TB is a notifiable disease in the country since May 2012, for which the government has set up a web-based, case-based notification network called NIKSHAY.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The success rate of treatment in the public sector is 80% is the State. Karnataka is followed by Gujarat, Puducherry, and Tripura that have recorded 6%, 5.5%, and 5.2%.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was found that those tested for TB in the last one year in the State, 10.3% were HIV positive patients and 70% of patients with TB have a known HIV status. This can be the reason for high rate of death.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has expanded its collaboration with Diabetes and Tobacco Control Programmes and is being further strengthened with cross linkage of services.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Tuberculosis</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially serious infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are spread from one person to another through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The most common medications used to treat tuberculosis include:</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Isoniazid.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Ethambutol (Myambutol)</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pyrazinamide</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Drug resistance TB</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Drug-resistant TB is caused by TB bacteria that are resistant to at least one first-line anti-TB drug.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) is resistant to more than one anti-TB drug and at least isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF).</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
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'title' => 'Anaemia among men',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A study has revealed that anaemia among men in India is an important public health problem with state-level prevalence in men varying from 9.2% in Manipur to 32.9% in Bihar.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report noted that while studies on anaemia in India have mostly focused on women and children, men have received far less attention.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Anaemia in men can cause fatigue, lethargy, creates difficulty in concentrating, thereby reducing the quality of life and decreasing economic productivity.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study is aimed to determine variation in prevelance of anaemia across states by socio-demographic characteristics and whether the variations are similar to that among women.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study found that in men, the prevalence of any anaemia was 23.2%, moderate or severe anaemia was 5.1%, and severe anaemia was 0.5%. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An estimated 21.7% of men with any degree of anaemia had moderate or severe anaemia compared with 53.2% of women with any anaemia.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Cases among men ranged from moderate or severe (5.1%) to severe anaemia (0.5%). </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Among age groups, men in the group 20-34 years had the lowest probability of having anaemia, while actual prevalence was lowest in the age group 50-54, at 7.8%. The prevalence was higher for younger age groups.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Among the states, the highest prevalence of any anaemia was in Bihar, with 32.9% of the men reporting it. This is followed by West Bengal (30.46%), Jharkhand (30.3%), Meghalaya (29.13%) and Odisha (28.45%).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> The lowest prevalence among men was in Manipur (9.19%), followed by Mizoram (9.78%), Nagaland (10.23%), Goa (10.68%) and Kerala (11.77%).</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Anaemia</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The World Health Organization defines anaemia as a condition in which the number of red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity is insufficient to meet physiological needs.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Factors such as consuming smokeless tobacco, being underweight, level of urbanisation and household wealth are associated with a higher probability of developing the disease.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
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'title' => 'Business confidence index falls to lowest in 6 years',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Business confidence of India declined to its lowest in six years in August-October, according to the latest survey released by Delhi-based think tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian businesses have been battling demand slowdown and liquidity crunch, which resulted in economic growth rate cooling to a six-year-low of 5% in the June quarter, while private consumption expenditure was at an 18-quarter-low of 3.1%.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">According to the quarterly survey, the Business Confidence Index (BCI) dipped to 103.1, falling 15.3% from the quarter ended July. The BCI was at 100.4 in October 2013.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The BCI survey asks four questions with equal weight to the answers such as the overall economic conditions will be better in the next six months, the financial position of firms will improve in the next six months, the present investment climate is positive and the present capacity utilisation is close to or above optimal.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The fall in the BCI in October 2019 was driven by deterioration in sentiment across all four components.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Firms with annual turnover of less than ?1 crore or micro firms was the only group that showed a slight upswing of 2% in BCI over the previous quarter.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Firms with annual turnovers of ?10-100 crores registered the maximum fall of 20.6% in BCI followed by ?100-500 crores and ?1-10 crores firm groups with 17.6% and 14%, respectively.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The other related survey of Political Confidence Index (PCI) released by NCAER fell 35.6% to its lowest since July 2013 after two consecutive increases.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The eight components comprising PCI are “managing overall economic growth", “managing exchange rate", “pushing the economic reforms forward", “managing government finance", “managing conducive political climate", “external trade negotiations", “managing unemployment", and “managing inflation".</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Business Confidence Index</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This business confidence indicator provides information on future developments, based upon opinion surveys on developments in production, orders and stocks of finished goods in the industry sector. It can be used to monitor output growth and to anticipate turning points in economic activity..</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Political Confidence Index</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The PCI measures businesses' expectations from the government on managing economic growth, maintaining a conducive political environment and pushing economic reforms, among other yardsticks.</span></span></p>
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'title' => 'Parliamentary panel finds cancer care inadequate in country',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science, Technology and Environment has found out that systematic failure to address the needs of patients contributes to a 20% higher mortality among Indian cancer patients than in countries with a high Human Development Index.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The committee was constituted to examine an expanded role for the Department of Atomic Energy, through the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), to address India’s rising cancer burden. The committee is led by former Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Committee laid emphasis on the fact that mortality to incidence ratio of 0.68 in India is higher than that in very high human development index (HDI) countries (0.38) and high HDI countries (0.57).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The International Agency for Research on Cancer expects India’s cancer burden to increase from an estimated incidence of 13 lakh cases in 2018 to about 17 lakh in 2035, and cancer deaths expected to rise from 8.8 lakh in 2018 to 13 lakh in 2035.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The committee discovered that the incidence of cancer is very high in all North Eastern States, as it is higher than the national average for several types of cancer, showing a consistently rising trend over the past few decades.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Two-thirds of India's cancer patients were treated in the private sector and this forced 6 crore Indians below the poverty line because of catastrophic healthcare related expenditure on cancer.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The committee recommended a ‘Hub and Spoke Model’ proposed by the TMC (Tata Memorial Centre) to better reach out to cancer patients nationally. This approach which is already in practice in Punjab has a network of centres, or hubs, capable of treating complex forms of cancer. </span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">They would be connected to other centres (spokes) capable of treating less complex variants of cancers. The idea is to ease access and minimise travel times for patients.</span></span></p>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ninth edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas projections shows that India is home to the second highest number of diabetic patients in the world.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">One in six people with diabetes in the world is from India. The numbers place the country among the top 10 countries for people with diabetes.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The estimation places India at number two with an estimated 77 million diabetics. China leads the list with over 116 million diabetics.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The IDF has stressed the urgency to develop and implement multi-sectoral strategies to combat the growing epidemic.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Medical infrastructure in India needs modification as the current health delivery system is modelled for acute care rather than for chronic care.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The IDF estimates that 10% of global health expenditure is being spent on diabetes. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In addition to people with diabetes, India also has a huge burden of pre-diabetics. If they are targeted with information on the right lifestyle options to help keep blood sugar, lipids and blood pressure under control, at least a third of people can be prevented from developing diabetes.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Way ahead</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India needs a more effective national diabetes prevention programme which will require cooperation from several quarters, including medical education, health awareness in schools, and urban planning.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It should also be ready to offer treatment options, at least basic care for all who are living with diabetes, and provide for the treatment of various complications that come along with it.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
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'id' => (int) 2797,
'title' => 'India sees 2nd highest number of pneumonia deaths of children under five',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> India had the second-highest number of deaths of children under the age of five in 2018 due to pneumonia, according to a new report by the UN.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that globally, pneumonia claimed the lives of more than 800,000 children under the age of five last year. Most deaths occurred among children under the age of two, and almost 153,000 within the first month of life.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report said just five countries were responsible for more than half of child pneumonia deaths: Nigeria (162,000), India (127,000), Pakistan (58,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo (40,000) and Ethiopia (32,000).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The reports also said that, pneumonia is responsible for 15 per cent of deaths in children under the age of five, and yet, just three per cent of global infectious disease research spending is allocated to the disease.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The strong link between child pneumonia deaths and poverty is undeniable. Around half of all pneumonia-related deaths are associated with air pollution.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Lack of access to drinking water, inadequate health care, and the burden of undernutrition and indoor air pollution are major drivers of vulnerability to the disease.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The UN agency said that the children whose immune systems is weakened by other infections like HIV or by malnutrition, and those living in areas with high levels of air pollution and unsafe water, are at far greater risk.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report also expressed concern that children with severe cases of pneumonia may require oxygen treatment, which is rarely available in the poorest countries to the children who need it.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The organisations are urging governments in the worst-affected countries to develop and implement pneumonia control and prevention strategies and call on richer nations and donors to boost immunisation coverage by lowering the cost of key vaccines.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Pneumonia</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus (purulent material), causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing. </span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">A variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, can cause pneumonia</span></span></p>
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'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
'id' => (int) 2830,
'title' => 'Maternity schemes reaches only one-third beneficiaries',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Programme to support lactating mothers and pregnant women by compensating them for loss of wages during their pregnancy has been able to reach less than a third of the eligible beneficiaries, according to research.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The PMMVY is targeted only at women delivering their first child. A cash amount of 6,000 is transferred to the bank account of the beneficiary in three instalments upon meeting certain conditions including early registration of pregnancy.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Almost 61% of beneficiaries registered under the <strong>Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana </strong>(PMMVY) between April 2018 and July 2019 (38.3 lakh out of the total 62.8 lakh enrolled) received the full amount of 6,000 promised under the scheme.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since the scheme failed to reach at least 49% of all mothers who would have delivered their first child, the scheme was able to benefit only 31% of its intended beneficiaries.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The scheme brings under its ambit 23% of all births and pays full benefits to a mere 14% of all births.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study found that only 50% of pregnant women and 57% of nursing women surveyed were eligible for the scheme. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It also throws light on the need for higher awareness among the pool of beneficiaries; only 66% of pregnant women and 69% of nursing women knew about the scheme.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Only 8% of pregnant women and 23% of nursing mothers received some benefits.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for low beneficiaries</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Several factors prevent proper implementation of the programme that aims to fight malnutrition among children. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These include an application form of about 23 pages, a slew of documents such as mother-child protection card, Aadhaar card, husband’s Aadhaar card and bank passbook aside from linking their bank accounts with Aadhaar.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The requirement to produce the husband’s Aadhaar card results in excluding women who may be living with men they are not married to, single mothers and those who may be staying at their natal home. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Women must also have the address of their marital home on their Aadhaar card, which often results in newly weds being either left out or forced to go from door-to-door when pregnant and needing rest and care.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The survey findings also highlight the need to pay greater attention to the special needs of pregnancy such as good food, extra rest and health care.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
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'id' => (int) 2860,
'title' => 'New investments in FY 2020 fall to 15 year low',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The value of new investment projects in the first half of the current financial year has fallen to a 15-year low of ?1.9 lakh crore, according to care rating.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the first half of FY20, stalled projects aggregated to 29,214 crore, 66% lower than the 86,623 crore in the corresponding period last year.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The analysis showed that the overall investment climate, as denoted by new projects undertaken, did indicate a slowdown.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The analysis by economists of the rating agency revealed that there has been a sustained decline in new projects undertaken in the past five years.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The amount for such projects was pegged at ?11.9 lakh crore in FY19, the lowest in the past five years and also marks the fourth consecutive year of contraction.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The investment rate measured as the gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) as a percentage of GDP has declined consistently over the years and remained range-bound between 28% and 29% of GDP in the past 4 years. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This has been a detrimental factor for the overall economic growth of the country.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The government’s share in such investments declined from 56% in FY15 to 36% in FY19, while that of the private sector rose from 44% to 64% in the same period.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the first half of FY20, new investments by the private sector contracted by 77%, compared with a 23% growth in the first six months of the previous financial year.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">New investment projects were mainly seen in the manufacturing sector but services and electricity segments witnessed a decline in investments. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Stalled or abandoned projects declined over the last five years, though such government-owned projects increased.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Funding will remain a challenge for some more time until the problems confronting the banking and NBFC sectors are addressed.</span></span></p>
</li>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
'id' => (int) 2883,
'title' => 'NSO survey on Open Defecation',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The latest National Statistical Office (NSO) survey on sanitation has refuted the claims of an open defecation-free or ODF India made by the Centre’s flagship Swachh Bharat scheme.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On October 2, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the whole country was ODF with complete access to toilets. The survey showed that about 71% of rural households had access to toilets at a time the Centre was claiming 95%.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">According to the NSO, almost 42% of rural households in Jharkhand had no access to a toilet at that time.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Tamil Nadu, the gap was 37%, followed by 34% in Rajasthan.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Gujarat, which was one of the earliest States declared ODF, back in October 2017, almost a quarter of all rural households had no toilet access, the NSO data showed.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Grameen) said 25 States and Union Territories had been declared ODF, while toilet access across the country touched 95%. In reality, the NSO said 28.7% of rural households had no toilet access at the time. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The 71% access to toilets is still a significant improvement over the situation during the last survey period in 2012, when only 40% of rural households had access to toilets.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The NSO’s statistics on toilet usage are also encouraging. It said 95% of people with access to toilets in rural India used them regularly, indicating that the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’s efforts to change behaviour have borne fruit.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Only 3.5% of those with toilet access in rural India said that they never used them. This was aided by the fact that water was available around the toilet in more than 95% of cases.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">NSO data indicates that the next big challenge may lie in the disposal of waste. More than 50% of rural Indian households with toilets had septic tanks, while another 21% used single pits, both of which need to be cleaned and produce faecal sludge that must be disposed of safely.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Only 10% of toilets were built with the twin leach pit system pushed by the Swachh Bharat scheme, which safely composts waste on its own without any need for cleaning or disposal.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>ODF</strong></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The term "open defecation free" (ODF) is used to describe communities that have shifted to using a toilet instead of open defecation.</span></span></p>
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'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A paper published in <em>Scientific Reports </em>points out that about 58.5% of children below five years of age in India are anaemic.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Last month, an ad campaign urged Indian women to invest in iron-rich food and focus on whether they were anaemic. Similarly, a <em>Lancet Global Health </em>report noted that 23% of Indian men suffered from anaemia.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The research team analysed over one lakh children using the National Fertility and Health Survey (2015-16) data.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They write that socio-demographic factors including wealth of the family, maternal education, maternal age, type of residence are the main reasons behind the incidence of childhood anaemia.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Maternal education plays a very important role in reducing the incidence of childhood anaemia in any society and indeed in India.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It increases the chances of mothers appreciating the issues involved and taking the correct and appropriate steps towards preventing it.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study also revealed an inverse relationship between the mother's education and incidence of childhood anaemia in India.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report notes that even the richest households had anaemic children. While 52.9% of children in the rich households were marked anaemic, the number was 63.2% in the poorest households. Vitamin A and iron intake was also lower than the recommended level.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study also showed that children of younger mothers are more anaemic. It also reveals the power dimension in the household allocation and use of resources.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Measures</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In addition to maternal influence on childhood anaemia, paternal and overall household influences must be considered for a more comprehensive policy framework for intervention at the household level.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The researchers have recommended that work be carried out to bridge the gap between policy and practice. They also call for a broader health strategy, to effectively address this issue.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
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'id' => (int) 2906,
'title' => 'Major portion of India prone to earthquake',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An Earthquake Disaster Risk Index (EDRI), prepared by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in association with IIIT-Hyderabad, showed that about 56% area of India is vulnerable to moderate to major earthquakes where about 82% of the population live.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report was prepared based on the field visit of 25 cities and collection of secondary data from officials of the remaining cities. </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The index developed for 50 cities and one district (Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh) from high seismic zones on a pilot basis were chosen based on population density, housing threat factor and cities identified for ‘Smart Cities’ project has shown that no city has a low hazard level.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Those with hilly terrain showed to have low exposure, whereas cities with flat terrain and high populations have high exposure. Vulnerability of each city depends only on construction typology adopted and is found to be low in five cities, medium in 36 cities and high for nine cities.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Result is that only seven cities have low level risk, whereas 30 cities have medium level risk and 13 cities have high level risk.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Earthquake hazard</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Earthquake hazard refers to the amount of ground shaking that an area will experience; exposure refers to the number of buildings present in that area, and vulnerability refers to the strength of the building to withstand an earthquake.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Measures</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">One way is to educate architects and engineers in putting in place an adequate framework for new buildings, second is to determine the risk of existing buildings and suggest techniques for reinforcing them.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Detailed structural evaluation of vulnerable buildings so that suitable riders can be put in place on developmental activities along with retrofitting measures adopted by the policy makers. </span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-left:40px"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><img alt="Major portion of India prone to earthquake daily current affairs 27" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/b68a/w7r7iy0oodykbsf6g.jpg" style="float:left; height:302px; width:311px" /></span></span></p>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
'id' => (int) 2926,
'title' => 'Indian diaspora largest in the world',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India continues to be the largest country of origin of international migrants with a 17.5 million-strong diaspora across the world, according to the U.N. migration<strong> </strong>agency.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The International Organisation for Migration said in its ‘Global Migration Report 2020’ that the number of international migrants in 2019 is now estimated at 270 million and the top destination remains the U.S., at nearly 51 million.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This figure remains a very small percentage of the world’s population (at 3.5%), meaning that the vast majority of people globally (96.5%) are estimated to be residing in the country in which they were born.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">According to the U.N. agency, more than half of all international migrants (141 million) live in Europe and North America. An estimated 52% are male, and nearly two-thirds of all migrants are looking for work.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India continued to be the largest country of origin of international migrants. It had the largest number of migrants living abroad (17.5 million), followed by Mexico (11.8 million) and China (10.7 million).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report also noted that international remittances increased to $689 billion in 2018. The top three remittance recipients were India ($78.6 billion), China ($67.4 billion) and Mexico ($35.7 billion).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The United States remained the top remittance-sending country ($68 billion) followed by the United Arab Emirates ($44.4 billion) and Saudi Arabia ($36.1 billion).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Africa, Asia and Europe, most international migrants stay within their regions of birth, but the majority of migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean and North America do not.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Data showed that Gulf countries have some of the largest numbers of temporary labour migrants in the world, including the United Arab Emirates, where they make up almost 90% of the population.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Violence in Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen have led to massive internal displacement in the last two years.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>International Organisation for Migration</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization of UN that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> IOM's stated mission is to promote humane and orderly migration by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.</span></span></p>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
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'id' => (int) 2950,
'title' => 'High anti-biotic prescription rate in private sector',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The private sector continues to clock high levels of antibiotic prescription rates, with the rate being highest for children aged 0–4 years and the lowest in the age group 10–19 years, according to a new study.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India is considered to be one of the top users of antibiotics and there is a growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. The study is the first ever estimate of outpatient antibiotic prescription rates and patterns in the private sector.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study noted that the per capita antibiotic consumption in the retail sector has increased by around 22% in five years from 2012 to 2016.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It said the percentage of prescriptions for wide-spectrum <strong>antibiotics</strong> like <strong>cephalosporins </strong>and<strong> quinolones</strong> (38.2% and 16.3%) was significantly higher than the U.S. (14.0% and 12.7%) and Greece (32.9% and 0.5%). </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Unusually high prescription rates of beta-lactams-penicillins and cephalosporins in uncomplicated upper respiratory infections in children are in stark contrast to the prescription rates and pattern reported in Europe.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Clinical guidelines on judicious antibiotic use explicitly mentions that they should not be prescribed for common cold, non-specific upper respiratory tract infection (URI), acute cough illness and acute bronchitis but the study shows a high rate of prescriptions for respiratory infections in primary care.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study shows that around 100 million prescriptions were dispensed for acute upper respiratory tract infections alone, which rarely require an antibiotic therapy.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Irrational prescription and use of antibiotics has its origins in production and selling tactics of pharma companies. This has severe implications for safety and cost to patients in particular and society in general. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There is a need to target antimicrobial stewardship programmes to specific constituencies and stakeholders to raise awareness on antibiotics and prevent its misuse.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The misuse of antibiotics and easy access fuels antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which is a growing concern worldwide and in India. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The findings also highlight that primary care physicians in the private sector can play a key role in reducing antibiotic misuse and overuse.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
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'id' => (int) 2966,
'title' => 'Anaemic children in India',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As many as 58.5% of children between the ages of 6 months and 59 months, and 53.1% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, are anaemic in the country, the government told the Lok Sabha.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The data, based on the findings of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) IV (2015-16), divide the incidence of anaemia into ‘Mild’, ‘Moderate’ and ‘Severe’ kinds for both rural and urban India.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As per the details of anaemic women and children in urban and rural India given by the government, 29.8% of children in rural India suffer from moderate anaemia, and 40.3% of women in the villages are mildly anaemic. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The union government had, in 2018, launched the “Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) Strategy under POSHAN Abhiyaan with the aim to reduce anaemia prevalence by three percentage points every year till 2022.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The government is using a 6x6x6 strategy that is targeting six age groups, with six interventions and six institutional mechanisms.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The six age groups include pre-school children (6-59 months), children (5-9 years), adolescent girls (10-19 years), adolescent boys (10-19 years), women of reproductive age group (15-49), and pregnant women and lactating mothers.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Among the six interventions are prophylactic iron folic acid supplementation, periodic deworming, and addressing non-nutritional causes of anaemia in endemic pockets, with special focus on malaria, haemoglobinopathies and fluorosis.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Institutional mechanisms include a National Anaemia Mukt Bharat Unit, and a National Centre of Excellence and Advanced Research on Anaemia Control.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Anaemia</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Anaemia is a condition in which the blood doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It means that either the level of red blood cells or the level of haemoglobin is lower than normal. When a person has anaemia, their heart has to work harder to pump the quantity of blood needed to get enough oxygen around their body.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Symptoms may include fatigue, skin pallor, shortness of breath, light-headedness, dizziness or a fast heartbeat.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Treatment depends on the underlying diagnosis. Iron supplements can be used for iron deficiency. Vitamin B supplements may be used for low vitamin levels. Blood transfusions can be used for blood loss. Medication to induce blood formation may be used if the body’s blood production is reduced.</span></span></p>
</li>
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'title' => 'Gujarat among least corrupt states in India',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A state government release has claimed that Gujarat is one of the least corrupt states citing reports of India Corruption Survey 2019 conducted by Transparency International.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The survey was prepared by the private agency while taking responses of around 2 lakh people from 248 districts in 20 states. The survey recorded responses of 64% men and 36% women.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">According to the release, 78% people in Rajasthan said they had to bribe to get their work done. Whereas Goa, Odisha, Kerala, and Haryana are among the least corrupt states.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">With an intention to have less human interface in the functioning of many government departments, the government has developed online systems and it has resulted in Gujarat emerging as a least corrupt state in the survey.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The release mentioned various initiatives to reduce corruption like availability of online facilities for a number of key revenue services, online auction of mines, control over illegal mining through drone cameras, real time monitoring of 3,400 indicators of various departments through CM Dash Board initiative among others.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The release mentioned that Anti-Corruption Bureau has been given wide powers by the state government apart from equipping it with modern gadgets like button cameras, pen cameras, voice recorder.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Transparency International</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Transparency International is an international non-governmental organization which is based in Berlin, Germany. Its nonprofit purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil societal anti-corruption measures and to prevent criminal activities arising from corruption. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It publishes the Global Corruption Barometer and the Corruption Perceptions Index. It is a member of UNESCO Consultative Status, United Nations Global Compact and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and Partnerships For the Goals.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Corruption Perception Index</strong><br />
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. The CPI reflects the views of observers from around the world. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Corruption Perceptions relies on third-party survey which have been criticized as potentially unreliable. Data can vary widely depending on the public perception of a country, the completeness of the surveys and the methodology used. </span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
'id' => (int) 2977,
'title' => 'Arsenic and Iron in water',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">About 3.22 per cent of rural habitations across all states and UTs, accounting for 3.73 per cent of the population, were consuming drinking water with quality issues, according to data tabled by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Groundwater contamination occurs when man-made products such as gasoline, oil, road salts and chemicals get into the groundwater and cause it to become unsafe and unfit for human use. Materials from the land's surface can move through the soil and end up in the groundwater.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iron is the most common contaminant of drinking water, with over 18,000 rural habitations affected, followed by salinity that affects roughly 13,000 rural habitations, arsenic , fluoride and heavy metal.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Rajasthan has the highest number of rural habitations affected by contamination overall. Most of these are affected by salinity in drinking water.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In terms of arsenic and iron pollution, West Bengal and Assam are the worst affected. There are about 30,000-odd rural habitations where drinking water is affected by either of these contaminants.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">West Bengal has the highest number of rural habitations affected by arsenic contamination, followed by Assam, Bihar, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Assam has the highest number of rural habitations affected by iron contamination. It is followed by West Bengal, Tripura, Bihar and Odisha.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">States and UTs that are not affected by any of these contaminants include Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Arsenic contamination</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Arsenic contamination of groundwater is a form of groundwater pollution which is often due to naturally occurring high concentrations of arsenic in deeper levels of groundwater.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Health Issues</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Long-term exposure to arsenic from drinking-water and food can cause cancer and skin lesions called <strong>Black Foot</strong> disease. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It has also been associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. In utero and early childhood exposure has been linked to negative impacts on cognitive development and increased deaths in young adults.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Methods to treat arsenic contamination</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Substitute high-arsenic sources, such as groundwater, with low-arsenic, microbiologically safe sources such as rain water and treated surface water.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Discriminate between high-arsenic and low-arsenic sources. This can be an effective and low-cost means to rapidly reduce exposure to arsenic when accompanied by effective education.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Install arsenic removal systems – either centralized or domestic – and ensure the appropriate disposal of the removed arsenic.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Technologies for arsenic removal include oxidation, coagulation-precipitation, absorption, ion exchange, and membrane techniques.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
'id' => (int) 2986,
'title' => 'UNESCO report on adult learning',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An UNESCO report published by Institute for Lifelong Learning has showed that investments in adult learning and education (ALE) have steadily decreased in the last decade.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> The report, published once every three years, combines survey data, policy analysis and case studies to provide policymakers and practitioners with recommendations and examples of good practice.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Adults with disabilities, older adults, refugees and migrants, minority groups and other disadvantaged segments of society are particularly under-represented in adult<strong> </strong>education<strong> </strong>programmes and find themselves deprived of crucial access to lifelong learning opportunities.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The UNESCO Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE) calls for increased investments in ALE from governments, employers and individuals to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to access and benefit from adult learning opportunities. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It reminds member countries that investments in ALE have social, civic and economic benefits.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report also stresses the need to increase national investment in ALE, reduce participation costs, raise awareness of benefits, and improve data collection and monitoring, particularly for disadvantaged groups.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report calls for major changes in adult education participation to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The global report shows that women’s participation in ALE has increased in 59% of the reporting countries since 2015 but in some parts of the world, girls and women still do not have sufficient access to education, notably to vocational training.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This leaves them with few skills and poor chances of finding employment and contributing to the societies they live in, which also represents an economic loss for their countries.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The UNESCO GRALE monitors whether Member States are putting their international commitments on adult learning and education into practice. </span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Adult learning</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values.This is also known as Andragogy.</span></span></p>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
'id' => (int) 2988,
'title' => 'Global spam call ranking: India falls to 5th spot',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has dropped down to the fifth position in global spam call ranking but witnessed 15% increase in spam calls in 2019, according to Swedish caller identification app Truecaller.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">According to the ‘Truecaller Insights Report’, which listed the top 20 countries affected by spam calls in 2019, spam calls received by Indian users has continued to increase to 25.6 calls per user/month, which is a 15% upsurge from 2018. Brazil continues to occupy the top spot.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">One of the most interesting revelations that came from this year’s report was that 10 per cent of spam calls came from financial service providers, a category that was not listed last year.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">One out of three women in India receive sexual harassment or inappropriate calls and SMSes.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">With regard to spam call categorisation, operators continue to be the top spammers in India with 67% user calls received for upselling of various offers and reminders.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has grabbed the 8th position in the ‘Global SMS Spam Index’. Spam messages are primarily received in emerging regions. In India users received an average of 61 spam SMSes every month.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The top three markets that are affected by this form of spam were in the African continent.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Spams</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Spamming is the use of messaging systems to send an unsolicited message, especially advertising, as well as sending messages repeatedly on the same website.</span></span></p>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
'keyword' => 'reports-indices',
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'title' => 'India 5th most vulnerable country to climate change',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Global Climate Risk Index released by international environmental think tank Germanwatch , shows that India has fallen from its 15th rank of countries hit most by climate change-induced weather phenomena in 2017, to number five in 2018.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Extreme weather events are massive challenges especially for poor and vulnerable countries, but also high-income countries are threatened more and more by climate risks. Japan topped the list followed by the Phillipines and Germany.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Experts say that industrialised countries, like Japan and Germany, were hit hardest by heatwaves and severe drought. The Philippines were hit by the most powerful typhoon recorded worldwide in 2018.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The poor countries had to face much higher impacts. Seven of the ten countries most affected in this period are developing countries with low or lower middle income per capita. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Puerto Rico, Myanmar and Haiti were most affected, according to this index. In the past 20 years, globally, nearly 500,000 fatalities were directly linked to more than 12,000 extreme weather events. The economic damages amounted to approximately US$3.54 trillion.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report says that in India, it was the 2018 monsoon that severely affected the country and contributed to its sliding to the number 5 position.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Furthermore, the Indian coast was hit by the cyclones Titli and Gaja in October and November 2018. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India also suffered from extreme heat. While human death toll was kept considerably low due to public measures, the economic damages were quite severe.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Germanwatch Climate Risk Index</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Germanwatch is a non-profit organisation based in Bonn, Germany. Germanwatch seeks to influence public policy on trade, the environment, and relations between countries in the industrialized north and underdeveloped south.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The index looks into the quantified impacts of extreme weather events, in terms of fatalities and economic losses.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Germanwatch receives its data for annually calculating the Global Climate Risk Index from the NatCatSERVICE database of the reinsurance company Munich Re, as well as the socio-economic data of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
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'title' => 'Measles unvaccinated children in India',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In 2018, measles caused an estimated 10 million cases and 1,42,000 deaths globally, according to a report. The estimated cases and deaths are much more than what countries have reported to the World Health Organization and UNICEF.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The WHO recommends 95% coverage using two doses of measles vaccine to prevent outbreaks. Though vaccine coverage with first and second dose has increased globally since 2000, it has not reached anywhere near 95%. </span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Measles can be prevented through two doses of vaccination. But the number of children who are not vaccinated against measles is alarmingly high in six countries.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has the second highest number of children who are not vaccinated against measles, the report says.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nigeria has the most number of unvaccinated children. The other four countries with the most number of unvaccinated children are Pakistan, Ethiopia, Indonesia and the Philippines.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In 2017, 2.9 million children in India under one year of age had not been vaccinated with the first dose, according to UNICEF. In one year, the number of unvaccinated children in India had reduced from 2.9 million to 2.3 million. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">There were nearly 70,000 cases of measles in India in 2018, the third highest in the world. In 2019, over 29,000 confirmed cases have been reported to the WHO.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In India, the first dose of measles vaccine is given at nine-12 months of age and the second dose is given at 16-24 months of age through the national immunisation programme. But it appears that millions of children in India do not receive measles vaccine through routine immunisation activities.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mass immunisation campaigns are an effective strategy for delivering vaccination to children who have otherwise been missed by routine services.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The first dose of measles vaccine was introduced as part of the national immunisation programme in the 1990s. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Based on the WHO’s recommendation to administer a second dose to prevent infection and death in 90-95% of vaccinated children. India was one of the last countries to add a second dose of measles vaccine as recommended by the WHO.</span></span></p>
</li>
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'tag' => 'Reports & Indices',
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'id' => (int) 3029,
'title' => 'Drop in cases of Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya',
'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In 2018, India recorded 4,29,928 cases of malaria, 1,01,192 cases of dengue, and 57,813 clinically suspected cases of chikungunya but the number of cases was less than in 2017.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Health Ministry noted that dengue and chikungunya are outbreak-prone diseases, and therefore their numbers vary from state to state and from time to time. A year-on-year increase in the number of cases for a particular state depends on when an outbreak happens,</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The highest number of malaria cases in 2018 was recorded in Uttar Pradesh, at 86,486, followed by Chhattisgarh , Odisha , Jharkhand and West Bengal. Except Uttar Pradesh, all these states registered a lower number of cases than in 2017.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">For dengue, Punjab recorded the highest number of cases in 2018, at 14,890, down from 15,398 cases in 2017. It was followed by Maharashtra , Rajasthan , Gujarat and Delhi. While the number of cases decreased in Punjab and Delhi between 2017 and 2018, it rose in each of the other three states.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">For clinically suspected cases of chikungunya, the highest count was 20,411 in Karnataka, down from 32,831 cases in 2017. Karnataka is followed by Gujarat, Maharashtra , Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Malaria</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases it can cause yellow skin, seizures, coma, or death</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A disease caused by a plasmodium parasite, transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> <strong>Dengue</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is a mosquito-borne viral disease occurring in tropical and subtropical areas. Those who become infected with the virus a second time are at a significantly greater risk of developing severe disease.Symptoms include high fever, headache, rash and muscle and joint pain.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> In severe cases there is serious bleeding and shock, which can be life threatening. The dengue virus (DEN) comprises four distinct serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3 and DEN-4) which belong to the genus Flavivirus, family <em>Flaviviridae</em>.</span></span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong> Chikungunya</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Chikungunya is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. It causes fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Chikungunya is transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes – including Aedes aegypti and <em>Aedes albopictus</em>.</span></span></p>
</li>
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<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The HDI measures average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development i.e life expectancy, education and per capita income.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Norway, Switzerland, Ireland occupied the top three positions in that order. Germany is placed fourth along with Hong Kong, and Australia secured the fifth rank on the global ranking.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Among India's neighbours, Sri Lanka (71) and China (85) are higher up the rank scale while Bhutan (134), Bangladesh (135), Myanmar (145), Nepal (147), Pakistan (152) and Afghanistan (170) were ranked lower on the list.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report says, South Asia was the fastest growing region in human development progress witnessing a 46% growth over 1990-2018, followed by East Asia and the Pacific at 43%. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India’s HDI value increased by 50% (from 0.431 to 0.647), which places it above the average for other South Asian countries (0.642).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">For inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI), India’s position droped by one position to 130. The IHDI indicates percentage loss in HDI due to inequalities.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report notes that group-based inequalities persist, especially affecting women and girls and no place in the world has gender equality. In the Gender Inequality Index (GII), India is at 122 out of 162 countries.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report says that the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030 as per the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It forecasts that it may take 202 years to close the gender gap in economic opportunity, one of the three indicators of the GII.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report presents a new index indicating how prejudices and social beliefs obstruct gender equality, showing that only 14% of women and 10% of men worldwide have no gender bias.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report also highlights that new forms of inequalities will manifest in future through climate change and technological transformation which have the potential to deepen existing social and economic fault lines.</span></span></p>
</li>
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<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India ranks 129 out of 189 countries on the 2019 Human Development Index (HDI), according to the Human Development Report (HDR) released by the United Nations<strong> </strong>Development Programme (UNDP).</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The HDI measures average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development i.e life expectancy, education and per capita income.</span></span></p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"> </p>
<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Norway, Switzerland, Ireland occupied the top three positions in that order. Germany is placed fourth along with Hong Kong, and Australia secured the fifth rank on the global ranking.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Among India's neighbours, Sri Lanka (71) and China (85) are higher up the rank scale while Bhutan (134), Bangladesh (135), Myanmar (145), Nepal (147), Pakistan (152) and Afghanistan (170) were ranked lower on the list.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report says, South Asia was the fastest growing region in human development progress witnessing a 46% growth over 1990-2018, followed by East Asia and the Pacific at 43%. </span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India’s HDI value increased by 50% (from 0.431 to 0.647), which places it above the average for other South Asian countries (0.642).</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">For inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI), India’s position droped by one position to 130. The IHDI indicates percentage loss in HDI due to inequalities.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report notes that group-based inequalities persist, especially affecting women and girls and no place in the world has gender equality. In the Gender Inequality Index (GII), India is at 122 out of 162 countries.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report says that the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030 as per the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. It forecasts that it may take 202 years to close the gender gap in economic opportunity, one of the three indicators of the GII.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report presents a new index indicating how prejudices and social beliefs obstruct gender equality, showing that only 14% of women and 10% of men worldwide have no gender bias.</span></span></p>
</li>
<li>
<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report also highlights that new forms of inequalities will manifest in future through climate change and technological transformation which have the potential to deepen existing social and economic fault lines.</span></span></p>
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$currentaffairs = [ (int) 0 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 71, 'title' => 'Government to conduct survey of all agricultural households in country ', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Union Government has decided to conduct survey titled 'Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households' of all agricultural households in country to assess plight of farmers. National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) will be nodal agency for this survey and it will be conducted during NSSO’s 77th round in the current calendar year.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households </strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It aims to provide comprehensive assessment of situation of agricultural households in the country, including their income, expenditure and indebtedness.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Under it, government will conduct pan-India survey to ascertain their income and indebtedness among other issues for the current crop year (July-June).</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The last such survey was conducted for the reference year 2012-13 (crop year). Thereafter, NSSO has not conducted any such survey. Periodicity of such survey is decided on basis of requirements of concerned ministry, adequacy of current data, availability of resources and manpower, emerging areas of concern and development priorities of the government.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">As of now comparable estimates for rise in income of agricultural households during 2014-2018 are not available. The inter-ministerial committee on doubling farmers' income by 2022 has taken into consideration estimates of agriculture households' income obtained from 70th round of NSSO survey data as base level income.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is largest organisation in India conducting periodic socio-economic surveys. It functions under Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI).</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It conducts large-scale sample surveys based on scientific sampling methods throughout India. It is headed by a Director General.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was established up in 1950 and is headquartered in New Delhi.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Its major activities of the NSSO pertains to survey design, field operations, processing of data collected and releasing of the results based on surveys.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Employees of the NSSO are from Indian Statistical Service (appointed through UPSC) and Subordinate Statistical Service (appointed through the Staff Selection Commission).</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>NSSO has four departments viz.</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Survey Design and Research Division</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Field Operations Division</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Data Processing Division</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Co-ordination & Publication Division</span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'govt-to-conduct-survey-of-all-agricultural', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/977b/pyvl40zibprkw476g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/977b/pyvl40zibprkw476g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Govt to conduct survey of all agricultural households in country', 'metakeyword' => 'National Current Affairs, Government Organisations, National Sample Survey Office, NSSO, Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households, Agricultural Surveys, Current Affairs', 'metadescription' => 'Union Government has decided to conduct survey titled 'Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households' of all agricultural households in the country', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/apd446kcrprb07v/current_affair_4.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 1 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 95, 'title' => 'IP Index 2019: India ranks 36th', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India ranked 36th position out of 50 countries on International Intellectual Property (IP) Index 2019 released by US Chamber of Commerce. This year India jumped by eight places from previous 44th position in IP index 2018. This was highest gain for any country this year.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>International Intellectual Property (IP) Index</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is released annually by US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC) since 2014.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It analyses IP climate in 50 global economies accounting for over 90% of global gross domestic product (GDP).</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It ranks countries on score scale of 0 (lowest score) to 45 (highest score) based on 45 indicators that are critical to innovation development surrounding patent, copyright, trademark and trade secrets protection.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It provides IP report card for world and blueprint for policy-makers in surveyed countries that are seeking to bolster economic growth and jobs, innovation, and creativity.</span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Highlights of IP Index 2019</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Top Countries:</strong> United States (Rank: 1st, score 42.66 points), United Kingdom (2nd, 42.22), Sweden (3rd, 41.03), France (4th) and Germany (5th, 41.00).</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Other Countries</strong>: China was ranked 25th with 21.45 points. Pakistan was ranked at 47th spot with 12 points. Venezuela was placed at last place (50th) with 7.11 points.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>India’s performance</strong>: Improvement in its rankings reflects important reforms implemented towards building and sustaining innovation ecosystem for domestic entrepreneurs and foreign investors alike.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India's overall score has also increased substantially from 30.07% (12.03 out of 40) in the previous edition to 36.04% (16.22 out of 45) in the present edition.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India's improvement in ranking is result of specific reforms that better align its IP environment with international IP system, including its accession to World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Internet Treaties, agreement to initiate Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) with Japan, a dedicated set of IP incentives for small businesses, and administrative reforms to address patent backlog</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">However, India continues to face substantial challenges, particularly in respect of patenting and IP enforcement environments.</span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Even there are barriers to licensing and technology transfer, including strict registration norms, patentability rules outside international standards, limited framework for protection of biopharmaceutical IP rights, lengthy pre-grant opposition proceedings and previously used compulsory licensing for non-emergency and commercial situations.</span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'ip-index-2019-india-ranks-36', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/53dc/zs3qg8clh77jstt6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/53dc/zs3qg8clh77jstt6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India jumps 8 places to 36th on International IP Index', 'metakeyword' => 'In Economy Current Affairs, India, 36th, International Intellectual Property Index, IP Index 2019, US Chamber of Commerce.', 'metadescription' => 'India ranked 36th position out of 50 countries on International Intellectual Property (IP) Index 2019 released by US Chamber of Commerce. ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/nhhwqubeh4c4q5b/8_FEB_IP_Index_2019.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 2 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 355, 'title' => '96% usage of toilets in rural India under Swachh Bharat: NARSS 2018-19', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2018-19, 96.5% of the households in rural India who have access to toilet use it. It also re-confirmed Open Defecation Free (ODF) status of 90.7% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF by various districts/States.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Survey</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was conducted from November 2018 and February 2019 by Independent Verification Agency (IVA) under World Bank support project to Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G). </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It had covered 92040 households in 6136 villages across States and UTs of India.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It also covered schools, anganwadis and public/community toilets in these villages.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Methodology</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">: It had used Probability Proportion to Size (PPS) sampling methodology, which yields results within confidence interval of 95% Data was collected using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) platform. </span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of NARSS 2018-19</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">96.5% of households in rural India who have access to toilet use it. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">93.1% of households were found to have access to toilets during survey period (corresponding figure as per SBMG MIS in November 2018 was 96%)</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">96.5% of people who had access to toilets used them.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">90.7% of villages which were previously declared and verified as ODF were confirmed to be ODF. Remaining villages also had sanitation coverage of about 93%</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">95.4% of villages surveyed found to have minimal litter and minimal stagnant water.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Background</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Since its launch in October 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission, the world’s largest sanitation program, has changed behaviour of hundreds of millions of people with respect to toilet access and usage. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Around 500 million people have stopped defecating in open since its launch, down from 550 million at its beginning to less than 50 million at present. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Over 9 crore toilets have been built across rural India under it. Over 5.5 lakh villages and 615 districts have been declared ODF, along with 30 ODF States/UTs.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => '96-usage-of-toilets-in-rural-india-under-swachh-bharat', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0100/q865fd76b36fijr6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0100/q865fd76b36fijr6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => '96% usage of toilets in rural India under Swachh Bharat: 2018-19', 'metakeyword' => '96% usage of toilets in rural India, usage of toilets in rural India, Swachh Bharat', 'metadescription' => 'According to the National Annual Rural Sanitation Survey (NARSS) 2018-19, 96.5% of the households in rural India who have access to toilet use it. get more update regarding today news', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/1egoajji7rjqrr3/6MAR_96%25_usage_of_toilets_in_rural_India.pdf', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 3 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 255, 'title' => '2019 Global Passport Index: India ranks 67th', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian Passport was ranked 67th in the 2019 Global Passport Power Rank released by Canada based global financial advisory firm Arton Capital. India rank has moved up by one spot as compared to 68th rank in <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738574544850091607">2018 edition</gwmw>. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">UAE’s passport was ranked number 1 on index</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> followed by Germany (rank 2), and US, France, Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg, Finland, Italy, Singapore, Netherlands, Spain, Norway and South Korea were jointly ranked third</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Key Facts</span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India provides visa-free access to 25 countries, visa on arrival to 39 countries and for 134 countries, visa requirement is compulsory. In this index, Indian passport has steadily strengthened in <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738606622378669585">period</gwmw> of 5 years from rank 77 in 2015 to 67 in 2019. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Reasons for India’s improvement</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India’s passport continues to strengthen its rank on global index as more and more nations around <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738623499878153219">globe</gwmw> are offering visa-free entry and visa on arrivals to Indians.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">More and more countries are opening up to Indian tourists in recognition <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3 gr-progress" id="gwmw-15518738632139527203660">to</gwmw> their increasing spending power and their ability to return home.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Besides, Central Government has also opened up foreign tourists over the last five years and now gives <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-2" id="gwmw-15518738643322420156139">e</gwmw>-tourist visa facilities <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738643323693693437">to</gwmw> 166 countries, up from 46 nations in 2014</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India's e-visa regime has made the process more tourist-friendly and will double foreign tourist arrival figures by 2021.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Global Passport Power Rank/Index</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is released annually by <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738664488830643093">Canada</gwmw> based global financial advisory firm Arton Capital. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It ranks passport of almost 199 countries in the world based on their Visa-Free Scores and their ranking according to UNDP human development index.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The rank of national passports is mainly based factors such cross-border access they bring, assigning visa-free score according to <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738698306016315503">number</gwmw> of countries passport holder can visit visa-free or with visa on arrival. It has become most popular interactive online tool to display, sort and rank world’s passports. </span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Note:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Global Passport Power Rank is different from Henley Passport <gwmw class="ginger-module-highlighter-mistake-type-3" id="gwmw-15518738718270441632962">Index which</gwmw> ranks countries on data provided by International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and aims to cover 199 passports and 227 travel destinations across the world. India had ranked 79th on their list with jump of three points as it ranked 81 on the list in 2018. </span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-ranks-67th-2019-global-passport-index', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/34ce/5z9bcsserhrrrx16g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/34ce/5z9bcsserhrrrx16g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India ranks 67th in 2019 Global Passport Index | Current Affairs', 'metakeyword' => 'In National Current Affairs, Indian Passport, ranks 67th, 2019 Global Passport Power Rank, Arton Capital', 'metadescription' => 'Indian Passport was ranked 67th in the 2019 Global Passport Power Rank released by Canada based global financial advisory firm Arton Capital.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/tqy72z6y16ku4u7/26feb_2019_Global_Passport_Index.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 4 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 466, 'title' => 'Women greatly outnumbered by men in political power: IPU ', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to statistics from Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), women are totally outnumbered by men in politics, accounting for less than 7% of world's leaders and only 24% of lawmakers.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Findings of IPU Statics </span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The percentage of female elected heads of state dropped from 7.25 to 6.6</span>%, i.e.<span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> 10 out of 153 from 2017 to 2018. </span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The percentage of female heads of government dropped from 5.7% to 5.2%, i.e. 10 out of 193 in the same period.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">In parliaments, the global share of women had increased by nearly one percentage point to 24.3</span>%<span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> from 2017 to 2018.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Women parliamentary speakers’ share across the world also increased by 0.6 percentage points to 19.7</span>%. Besides, s<span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">hare of women deputy speakers aslo increased by 1.6 percentage points to 28.2%.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Countries with no women ministers has decreased from 13 in 2017 to 11 in 2018. These 11 countries are Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Azerbaijan, Kiribati, Iraq, Lithuania, Saint Vincent, Papua New Guinea, Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Vanuatu.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Moreover, there is also shift in types of portfolios held by women ministers. More women are now in charge of portfolios traditionally occupied by men.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">52.9% more women across the world held Finance minister’s portfolio, 30% more women held Defence portfolio and 13.6% more women held Foreign Affair in 2018.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Nine countries have 50% or more women in ministerial positions (up from six in 2017). They are Spain, Nicaragua, Sweden, Albania, Colombia, Costa Rica, Rwanda, Canada and France.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is global inter-parliamentary institution. It is first permanent forum for political multilateral negotiations.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It was established in 1889 by Frédéric Passy (France) and William Randal Cremer (United Kingdom). It is headquartered Geneva, Switzerland.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">National parliaments of 178 countries are its members and 12 regional parliamentary assemblies are associate members.</span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It has permanent observer status at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'women-greatly-outnumbered-by-men-in-political-power-ipu', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0b1a/ej6oo6r8hvrpw0p6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0b1a/ej6oo6r8hvrpw0p6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Women greatly outnumbered by men in political power: IPU ', 'metakeyword' => 'In Reports and Indices Current Affairs, Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, women,y outnumbered, by men, politics, accounting for less than 7% of world's leaders and only 24% of lawmakers', 'metadescription' => 'According to statistics from Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), women are totally outnumbered by men in politics, accounting for less than 7% of world's leaders and only 24% of lawmakers', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/d4d68pd07nj5mag/14Mar_Women_greatly_outnumbered_by_men_in_political_power.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 5 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 465, 'title' => 'Vienna ranked best city to live for 10th time: Mercer Survey', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to Mercer’s 21st annual Quality of Living survey 2019, capital of Austria- Vienna has topped the ranking among 231 cities for 10th consecutive year. Seven Indian cities have featured in this list. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Quality of Living survey 2019</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Top 10 Cities:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Vienna (Austria), Zurich (Switzerland), Vancouver (Canada), Munich (Germany), Auckland (New Zealand), Dusseldorf (Germany), Frankfurt (Germany), Copenhagan (Denmark), Geneva (Switzerland) and Basel (Switzerland).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Bottom cities:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Baghdad ranked last, followed by Bangui (Central African Republic), Sanaa (Yemen’s capital), Caracas (Venezuela’s capital).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian Cities in list: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Pune (143), Hyderabad (143), Bengaluru (149), Chennai (151), Mumbai (154), Kolkata (160) and New Delhi (162).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Safest countries:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Luxembourg was ranked safest city in the world. In 105th place, Chennai ranks was safest city Asia-Pacific region and Pakistan’s Karachi (226) is the least safe.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Mercer’s Quality of Living survey</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is conducted annually to rank 231 cities across the world by New York based global human resources consulting firm Mercer.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It aims to help governments and major companies place employees on international assignments. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It ranks cities based on factors such as socio-cultural environment, school and education, medical and health considerations, recreation, housing, economic environment, consumers goods availability, public services and transport, political and social environment and natural environment.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It also identifies those cities with highest personal safety ranking based which analyzes cities internal stability, crime levels, limitations on personal freedom, law enforcement, relationships with other countries and freedom of the press.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'vienna-named-best-city-live-10th-time-mercer-survey', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/8081/c7gnll66mv1v53c6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/8081/c7gnll66mv1v53c6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Vienna named best city to live for 10th time: Mercer Survey', 'metakeyword' => 'In report and indices Current Affairs,Capital of Austria, Vienna, topped, ranking, among 231 cities for 10th consecutive year.', 'metadescription' => 'apital of Austria- Vienna has topped the ranking among 231 cities for 10th consecutive year.', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/svz61txz462vjnf/14Mar_Vienna_ranked_best_city_to_live_for_10th_time.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 6 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 526, 'title' => 'India ranks 140th in World Happiness Report 2019', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India was ranked 140th among 156 countries World Happiness Report 2019 released by United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network. India was rank has 133rd in 2018 report and has dropped by 23 positions since 2015.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">World Happiness Report</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is released very year by United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It ranks 156 countries on how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. Rank of countries depend of score ranging from 0 (least happy) to 10 (most happy).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It ranks countries on six key variables that support well-being: <em>income, trust, freedom, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity.</em></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It offers governments and individuals across the world opportunity to rethink public policies and individual life choices, to raise happiness and well-being.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Findings of 2019 Report</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Top 10 Countries:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Finland (Rank: 1st, Score: 7.769), Denmark (2nd, 7.600), Norway (3rd, 7.554), Iceland (4th, 7.494), Netherlands (5th, 7.488), Switzerland (6th,7.480), Sweden (7th,7.343), New Zealand (8th, 7.307), Canada (9th, 7.278) and Austria (10th, 7.246).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Bottom 10: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">South Sudan (156, 2.853), Central African Republic (155, 3.083), Afghanistan (154, 3.203), Tanzania (153, 3.231), Rwanda (152, 3.334), Yemen (151, 3.380), Malawi (150, 3.410), Syria (149, 3.462), Botswana (148, 3.488), Haiti (147, 3.597)</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">BRICS:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Brazil (32nd, 6.300), Russia (68th, 5.648), China (93rd, 5.191), South Africa (106, 4.722).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India’s neighbours: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Pakistan (67, 5.653), Bhutan (95, 5.082), Nepal (100, 4.913), Bangladesh (125, 4.456), Sri Lanka (130, 4.366)</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Global Happiness Scenario:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> There has been increase in negative emotions, including sadness, worry and anger across world and overall world happiness has fallen over past few years. None of world’s major economic powerhouses was placed in top 10. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India related facts:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> It has witnessed sustained drop in rankings. It is visible from 111st (2013), 117th (2015), 118th (2016), 122nd (2017), 133rd (2018) and 140 in 2019 with score of 4.01 on the scale of 10.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India has featured in list of five countries that have seen largest drop in their rankings since 2005-2008 along with Yemen, Syria, Botswana and Venezuela. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India’s per capita GDP has only increased progressively over these years, but it is not enough. It is still struggling with health, education, inequality, public services, employment.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-ranks-140th-world-happiness-report-2019', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/667a/sjkm86ttis5fdz56g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/667a/sjkm86ttis5fdz56g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India ranks 140th in World Happiness Report 2019', 'metakeyword' => 'In Report and Indices Current Affairs, India, ranks, 140th,156 countries, World Happiness Report 2019, United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.', 'metadescription' => 'India was ranked 140th among 156 countries World Happiness Report 2019 released by United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/dk6b5bqtx5ezr0i/India_ranks_140th_in_World_Happiness.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 7 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 547, 'title' => 'India ranks 76th on 2019 Global Energy Transition Index', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India was ranked 76th out of 115 economies on 2019 Global Energy Transition Index (GETI) compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF). Overall, India has moved up two places from 78th last year GETI. India is only amongst the five economies to improve its rank since last year.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Global energy transition index </span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It ranks 115 economies on how well they are able to balance energy security and access with environmental sustainability and affordability.<strong> </strong>It considers both current state of countries’ energy system and their structural readiness to adapt to future energy needs. The ‘transition readiness’ component of this index takes into account six individual indicators: capital and investment, institutions and governance, regulation and political commitment, institutions and innovative business environment, human capital and consumer participation, and energy system structure</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">2019 Global Energy Transition Index</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Top three Countries: Sweden (1), Switzerland (2nd) and Norway (3rd).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Among major economies, United Kingdom (UK) was ranked 7th, Singapore-13th, Germany-17th, Japan-18th, US-27th.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Within Asia, Malaysia is ranked highest at 31st followed by Sri Lanka-60th, Bangladesh-90th and Nepal-93rd. China was ranked at 82nd position.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Global Scenario:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Energy systems globally have become less affordable and less environmentally sustainable than they were five years ago.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Though access to energy has improved with less than 1 billion now living without access to electricity.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Small economies have achieved higher scores on readiness, with UK being the only G7 economy in the top 10.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Biggest challenge facing attempts to future proof global energy is lack of readiness among the world’s largest emitters. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The 10 countries that score highest in terms of readiness account for a mere 2.6% of global annual emissions.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The world’s transition to secure, affordable and sustainable energy has stagnated, with little or no progress achieved in the past five years.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Across 115 economies, more people than ever before now have access to energy. However, this is offset by reduced affordability and almost no progress in making energy systems environmentally sustainable.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Fossil fuels: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Its share of total primary energy supply was at 81% and has been constant over the past three decades.<strong> </strong>Consumption of coal increased in 2018, after declining for three consecutive years.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Continued use of coal for power generation in Asia mainly due to increasing commodity prices and slower-than-needed improvements in energy intensity have contributed to this year’s stagnation in performance.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Global CO2 emissions: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">They are expected to have increased by more than 2% in 2018, the highest since 2014.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India related Facts: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India is the second best in this block of emerging economies, with Brazil being the best at 46th place globally<strong>. </strong></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is amongst countries with high pollution levels and has relatively high CO2 intensity in its energy system.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Despite this, India has made significant strides to improve energy access in recent years, and currently scores well in area of regulation and political commitment towards energy transition.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India has scored low in terms of system performance, but ranks considerably higher when it comes to readiness. </span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-ranks-76th-global-energy-transition-index', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4f85/bkotf2oq3nctken6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/4f85/bkotf2oq3nctken6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India ranks 76th on 2019 Global Energy Transition Index', 'metakeyword' => 'In Economy Current Affairs, India, ranked 76th, 115 economies, 2019, Global Energy Transition Index, World Economic Forum ', 'metadescription' => 'India was ranked 76th of 115 economies on 2019 Global Energy Transition Index (GETI) compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF). ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/nk2iw92w0z7t3r0/India_ranks_76th_on_2019.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 8 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 731, 'title' => 'India’s population growth rate outpaced China: UN report', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFP) State of World Population 2019 report, India’s population growth rate outpaced China in past nine years. India’s population grew at average of 1.2% annually between 2010 and 2019. It is more than double annual growth rate of China’s population, which grew by 0.5% annually between 2010 and 2019.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Highlights of report</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India’s population in 2019, stood at 1.36 billion, growing from 942.2 million in 1994 and 541.5 million in 1969.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">China’s population, on other hand, stood at 1.42 billion in 2019, growing from 1.23 billion in 1994 and 803.6 million in 1969.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India related facts:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> 27% of India’s population is in age bracket of 0-14 years and 10-24 years, while 67% of the country’s population was in 15-64 age bracket. 5% of population is age 65 and above.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Total fertility rate (TFR) per woman in In India has declined from 5.6 in 1969 to 3.7 in 1994 and 2.3 in 2019. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India has registered improvement in life expectancy at birth from 47 years in 1969, which has grown to 60 years in 1994 and 69 years in 2019.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">There is drop in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India– 488 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1994 to 174 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Findings on women aged between 15-49 years</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The report for first time has published findings on women aged between 15-49 years as part of report. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It also includes, for the first time, data on women’s ability to make decisions over three key areas: health care, sexual intercourse with their partner and contraception use.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Its analysis has found that absence of reproductive and sexual rights has major and negative repercussions on women’s education, income and safety. This leaves them unable to shape their own futures.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Early marriage continues to remain biggest obstacle to female empowerment and better reproductive rights.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Women and girls who left behind are typically poor, rural and less educated. Two-thirds of all maternal deaths today occur in sub-Saharan Africa.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">UNFPA</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Its work involves improvement of reproductive health, including creation of national strategies and protocols, and birth control by providing supplies and services. It has recently been known for its worldwide campaign against child marriage, obstetric fistula and female genital mutilation. It supports programs in more than 150 countries. It was established Formation in 1969 and is headquartered in New York City, US.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'indias-population-growth-rate-outpaced-china-un-report', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/2955/hzsbac0um3m26fe6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/2955/hzsbac0um3m26fe6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India’s population growth rate outpaced China: UN report', 'metakeyword' => 'In National Current Affairs, United Nations Population Fund, UNFP, State of World Population 2019 report, India, population growth rate, outpaced, China in past nine years', 'metadescription' => 'United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFP) State of World Population 2019 report, India’s population growth rate outpaced China in past nine years', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/h99v51bfbmz8zf7/India_s_population_growth.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 9 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 705, 'title' => 'Women outlive men, maternal deaths concern: WHO report', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to recently published World Health Statistics Overview 2019, women outlive men everywhere in health concerns such as life expectancy, road accidents, homicide, suicide, cardiovascular disease etc. The report was published by World Health Organisation (WHO) on the occasion of World Health Day (observed on 7 April).</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Report Highlights </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Life Expectancy: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The average life expectancy for men and women combined globally has increased by 5</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Cambria",serif">½</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> years since turn of century </span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">—</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> from 66.5 years in 2000 to 72 years in 2016. The healthy life expectancy (number of years lived in full health) has increased from 58.5 years in 2000, to 63.3 years in 2016.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Based on recent mortality risks boys will live, on average, 69.8 years and girls 74.2 years i.e. 4.4 years more than boys. Besides, life expectancy at age 60 years is also greater for women than men: 21.9 versus 19.0 years</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Discrepancy to differing attitudes to healthcare between men and women: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It can be seen from countries with generalised HIV epidemics, where men are less likely to takeHIV test than women and less likely to access antiretroviral therapy and more likely to die of AIDS-related illnesses than women. This same principle was also seen in tuberculosis (TB) sufferers, with male patients less likely to seek care than women.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Maternal Death major concern: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Maternal deaths contribute more than any other cause to reducing female life expectancy. The risk of maternal death is hugely different between low-income and high-income countries. One in 41 women dies from maternal cause in low-income country as compared with one in 3,300 in high-income countries.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'women-outlive-men-maternal-deaths-concern-who-report', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/815a/dpy4dm22ddv2q4y6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/815a/dpy4dm22ddv2q4y6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Women outlive men, maternal deaths concern: WHO report', 'metakeyword' => 'In Health Current Affairs, World Health Statistics Overview 2019, women outlive men everywhere, Life expectancy, Maternal Mortality, ', 'metadescription' => 'World Health Statistics Overview 2019, women outlive men everywhere in health concerns such as life expectancy, road accidents, homicide, suicide, cardiovascular disease et', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/qjxwx5vluyvx51m/Women_outlive_men.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 10 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 761, 'title' => 'India short of 6 lakh doctors, 2 million nurses: Study', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to recent study by US based Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), India has shortage of an estimated 600,000 doctors and 2 million nurses. The lack of properly trained staff in administering antibiotics is preventing patients from accessing life-saving drugs. This study was conducted to identify key access barriers to antibiotics in low, middle, and high-income countries. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Report Findings </span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">The majority of annual 5.7 million antibiotic-treatable deaths worldwide occur in low and middle-income countries, where mortality burden from treatable bacterial infections far exceeds estimated annual 700,000 deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Lack of access to antibiotics is killing more people at present than does antibiotic resistance. Even after discovery of new antibiotic, regulatory hurdles and substandard health facilities delay or altogether prevent widespread market entry and drug availability.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Of 21 new antibiotics that entered markets between 1999 and 2014, less than five were registered in most sub-Saharan Africa countries. It shows that just mere existence of effective antibiotic does not mean that they are available in countries where they are most needed.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Worldwide, irrational use of antibiotics and poor antimicrobial stewardship has led to treatment failure and propagate spread of drug resistance which, in turn, further narrowed available array of effective antibiotics.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Even if antibiotics are available in markets, patients are often unable to afford them. High out-of-pocket medical costs to patient are compounded by limited government spending for health services. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">In India, 65% of health expenditure is out-of-pocket, and such expenditures push some 57 million people into poverty each year. Besides, there is one government doctor for every 10,189 people in India (World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a ratio of 1:1,000), thus there is deficit of 600,000 doctors, and nurse to patient ratio is 1:483, implying shortage of two million nurses.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-short-6-lakh-doctors-2-million-nurses-study', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/99d3/acforenxkdx3afe6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/99d3/acforenxkdx3afe6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India short of 6 lakh doctors, 2 million nurses: Study', 'metakeyword' => 'In National Current Affairs, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP)Study, India,shortage, 600,000 doctors, 2 million nurses', 'metadescription' => 'According to recenty study by US based Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), India has shortage of an estimated 600,000 doctors and 2 million nurse', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/k1gnlog4ol2xbtl/India_short_of_6_lakh.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 11 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 812, 'title' => 'India ranks 19th in Index of Cancer Preparedness', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India was ranked at 19 out of 28 countries in Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICP) released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). It was released as part of the report titled “Cancer preparedness around the world: National readiness for a global epidemic” prepared by EIU.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICO)</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Its objective is to allow benchmarking of national efforts and identify best practice in addressing the cancer challenge. It took 28 countries into consideration.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">It explores issue of cancer preparedness through three broad domains: (i) policy and planning; (ii) care delivery; and (iii) health systems and governance.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Under it, four essentials of cancer preparedness are: (i) <em>investment </em>i.e. appropriate spending and resources), (ii) <em>roadmap</em> for effective planning), (iii) <em>foundation </em>for functioning health systems and (iv) <em>intelligence </em>in availability and quality of cancer-related data).</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Findings on overall best practices for cancer preparedness: <strong>Top 3 countries are</strong>: Australia (1st), Netherlands (2nd) and Germany (3rd).</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Bottom three are: </span></span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Saudi Arabia (28th), Romania (27th) and Egypt (26th). These counties need largest room for improvement.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India and ICP: Its overall rank was 19th with a score of 64.9. India ranked 17th in cancer policy and planning.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India has relatively high score of 80.8 and it largely stems from its strong cancer research and tobacco control measures.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India ranked first for research and third for tobacco control. It ranks 23rd for its national cancer control plan. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India’s healthcare system was ranked 25th in the index. In its delivery of cancer care, it was ranked 20th with a score of 61.3.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">India’s healthcare infrastructure is the second worst among these countries. It has high standard of clinical guidelines category where it is ranked first. But it falls short on immunization, screening and early detection.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">Cancer </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"><span style="color:black">It is generic term for large group of diseases characterized by growth of abnormal cells beyond their usual boundaries that can then invade adjoining parts of body and spread to other organs. It is world’s second biggest killer, responsible for 9.6 million deaths in 2018–roughly i.e. one out of six across globe. It is second largest cause of mortality before the age of 70 in over half the world’s countries.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-ranks-19th-index-of-cancer-preparedness', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9394/xqkbhhckvkpb2i86g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/9394/xqkbhhckvkpb2i86g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India ranks 19th in Index of Cancer Preparedness', 'metakeyword' => 'In Reports and Indices Current Affairs, India, ranked, 19 out of 28 countries, Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICP), Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)', 'metadescription' => 'India was ranked at 19 out of 28 countries in Index of Cancer Preparedness (ICP) released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/0cal2u6g8g6jm2o/India_ranks_19th.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 12 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 785, 'title' => 'World Press Freedom Index 2019: India ranks 140th', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India was ranked 140th out of 180 countries in World Press Freedom Index 2019, released by Reporters Without Borders. In this edition of index, India dropped by two places as compared to 138th position in 2018 edition. </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">World Press Freedom Index 2019</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Top 10 Countries are: </span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Norway (1st), Finland (2nd), Sweden (3rd), Netherlands (4th), Denmark (5th), Switzerland (6th), New Zealand (7th), Jamaica (8th), Belgium (9th) and Coasta Rica (10th).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Of the 180 countries and territories ranked by this index, 24% are classified as ‘good’ or ‘fairly good’ as opposed to 26% in 2018.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">India’s neighbors:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> Bhutan (80), Maldives (98), Nepal (106), Sri Lanka (126), Pakistan (142), Bangladesh (150).</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Violence against journalists in India</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">: It was in the form of police violence, attacks by Maoists and reprisals by criminal groups and corrupt politicians. These incidents show the growing unsafe conditions under which journalists work, especially in local media outlets in rural areas, it claimed.</span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) </span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders based upon its own assessment of countries' press freedom records in the previous year.<strong> </strong></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It aims to promotes and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press. It intends to reflect degree of freedom that journalists, news organisations, and netizens have in each country, and efforts made by authorities to respect this freedom.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Countries are ranked based upon various parameters including media pluralism and independence, respect for safety and freedom of journalists, and legislative, institutional and infrastructural environment in which media operate. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Note: This index only deals with press freedom and does not measure quality of journalism nor does it look at human rights violations in general.</span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'world-press-freedom-index-2019-india-ranks-140th', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/137a/ukdpyx3hai4lp9q6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/137a/ukdpyx3hai4lp9q6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'World Press Freedom Index 2019: India ranks 140th', 'metakeyword' => 'In Reports Current Affairs, India, ranked, 140th, 180 countries, World Press Freedom Index 2019, Reporters Without Borders', 'metadescription' => 'India was ranked 140th out of 180 countries in World Press Freedom Index 2019, released by Reporters Without Borders.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/9oywd8sa2dg8zmb/World_Press_Freedom_Index_2019.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 13 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 802, 'title' => 'SEEDS releases The Face of Disasters 2019 Report', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">According to ‘The Face of Disasters 2019’ report released by Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS), the average” rainfall figures hide extremes of floods and droughts across the country.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Report Higlights </span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Indian Meteorological Department has predicted “normal” monsoon this year, but the “average” rainfall figures hide extremes of floods and droughts across the country. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">During June to September monsoon of 2018, Punjab experienced “normal” monsoon. However, that figure masked fact that Ropar saw 71% excess rainfall and Ferozepur experienced a 74% shortage. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Similarly, eastern Uttar Pradesh saw minimal shortage of 16% lower than usual. However, Kushi Nagar received 82% less while Kannauj actually received surplus of 62%.</span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Other disasters are also hidden because of slow-onset of monsoon or they may be affecting ignored populations or occurring at same time as more high profile disasters. </span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS)</span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It is non-profit voluntary organization that aims at protecting the lives and livelihoods of people exposed to disasters. It was established in 1994. It is headquartered in New Delhi. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">Functions:</span></strong><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif"> It is involved in research activities in disaster management, environmental planning, community development and urban & regional planning. </span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand",serif">It undertakes activities on behalf of government and international development agencies. </span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'seeds-releases-face-of-disasters-2019-report', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/cf27/vivov94gznqzhkd6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/cf27/vivov94gznqzhkd6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'SEEDS releases The Face of Disasters 2019 Report', 'metakeyword' => 'In National Current Affairs, The Face of Disasters 2019 report, Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS), average rainfall, hide extremes of floods and droughts ', 'metadescription' => 'According to The Face of Disasters 2019 report released by SEEDS, the average†rainfall figures hide extremes of floods and droughts across the country.', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/682mm1009je7gvt/SEEDS_releases.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 14 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1061, 'title' => 'Road accidents still cause most deaths: WHO report', 'description' => '<p>According to recently released World Health Organisation (WHO) report, road accidents are the leading cause of death among people in the 5-29 age-group worldwide. The report was released during global road safety week, observed from 6 to 12 May, 2019.</p> <p>This year it was fifth edition of United Nations Global Road Safety Week. It had focused on leadership for road safety. Its campaign theme was: Save Lives - #SpeakUp.</p> <p><strong>Key Findings of the report</strong></p> <ul> <li>Road accidents are leading cause of death among people in the 5-29 age-group worldwide. More than 1.35 million lives are lost each year and 50 million sustaining injuries.</li> <li>Since 2008, India is world number one in road crash deaths, inspite of being signatory to Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety.</li> <li>As per Government data, road accidents killed close to 1,50,000 people each year in India. However, WHO claims that over 2,99,000 people are being killed in India each year.</li> <li>The reasons of road accidents are rapid urbanisation, poor safety, lack of enforcement, distracted, influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding and failure to wear seat-belts or helmets.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Significance of Report</strong></p> <p>It shows that road crashes have emerged as single biggest killer of people in the age group of 15-45, making it a major pandemic. Strong political will and leadership is need of the hour to address the issue. Existing road safety enforcement systems are outdated and needs urgent revision to meet needs of present times.</p> <p><strong>Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety</strong></p> <p>It was adopted at 2nd Global High-Level Conference on Road Safety hosted by Brazil and WHO in November 2015. It calls for member countries to reduce the number of road accidents and deaths to half by the year 2020. India had signed this declaration in 2015.</p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'road-accidents-cause-most-deaths-who', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/df3e/4eih1i2979l9sqm6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/df3e/4eih1i2979l9sqm6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Road accidents still cause most deaths: WHO report', 'metakeyword' => 'In Reports Current Affairs, World Health Organisation, WHO report, road accidents, leading cause of death, worldwide, Global road safety week', 'metadescription' => 'According to recently released World Health Organisation (WHO) report, road accidents are the leading cause of death among people in the 5-29 age-group worldwide. ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/a5tvsl3m4bu4lp0/Road_accidents.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 15 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1108, 'title' => 'STRI: India finds OECD index for services trade faulty', 'description' => '<h2 style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India has found problems with current methodology of Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) computed by OCED as biased and counter-intuitive. It shows Indian services sector as highly restrictive in areas such as FDI. </span></span></span></span></h2> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Grievances against STRI by India</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to study commissioned by Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries has found that this index has large number problems associated with it, including some significant design issues that render it impractical for use,</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">For example, it show Indian services sector as one of most restrictive, particularly in policy areas like foreign entry. It is against the current reality that FDI is one of the areas that has seen maximum liberalisation in India since 1991.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">STRI has both theoretical and empirical inconsistencies in its methodology. For example, change in regulatory measures in one policy area can lead to dramatic changes in another policy area which is not very useful for policy purposes.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">In addition, the data of STRI seems to have been generated by rather arbitrary procedures and reflects a developed country bias,</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India has approached several developing countries during recently-concluded WTO talks in New Delhi to try to build consensus around new method of measuring trade restrictiveness in services sector.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI) </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was launched by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2014. It ranks countries based on their services trade policies. In 2018 edition it has covered and ranked total of 45 economies (36 OECD and the rest non-OECD) and 22 sectors. These countries and sectors represent over 80</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of global trade in services.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'stri-india-finds-oced-index-faulty', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/53b7/lhue3fn7cge74c36g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/53b7/lhue3fn7cge74c36g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'STRI: India finds OECD index for services trade faulty', 'metakeyword' => 'In Business and Economy Current Affairs, India, finds, Services Trade Restrictiveness Index ,STRI, current methodology,faulty, OCED , biased, counter intuitive,', 'metadescription' => 'India, finds, Services Trade Restrictiveness Index ,STRI, current methodology,faulty, OCED , biased, counter intuitive,', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/5bdv4ith5b57w2i/STRI.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 16 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1111, 'title' => 'GLOBAL DRUG SURVEY 2019: Indians top to reduce drugs intake', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recent global survey of recreational drug-use has found that Indians-more than from other nationalities surveyed are seeking help to reduce their alcohol intake. They survey was titled Global Drugs Survey (GDS) 2019 and for the first time polled respondents from </span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">GDS 2019 Findings for India </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">For the first time it polled respondents from India (surveyed online October-December 2018,). It found that alcohol, tobacco and cannabis were the most common stimulants used by Indians. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indians reported ‘being drunk’ on average of 41 times in last 12 months behind UK, US, Canada, Australia and Denmark but well above the global average of 33 times. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indians are more than from other nationalities are seeking help to reduce their alcohol intake. 51</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">%of Indian respondents wanted to ‘drink less’ in the following year.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">43</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of surveyed Indians reported using cannabis but, similar to alcohol use. 51</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">%of Indian said they wanted to use ‘less cannabis’ in the following year; more than any other nationality.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About 6</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">% of female Indians surveyed reported seeking ‘emergency medical treatment’. The global female average was about 13%.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">None of the males in India surveyed reported seeking medical treatment, compared to the global average of 12</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Global Findings in GDS 2019</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Apart from alcohol and tobacco, the most used drugs globally were cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, MDMA (or Ecstacy), LSD (or ‘acid’), magic mushrooms, benzodiazepines, prescription opioids, ketamine, nitrous oxide. Globally approximately 14</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> (11,000) reported being taken advantage of sexually while intoxicated in their lifetime. There were no figures from India available.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Global Drug Survey (GDS)</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is an independent research organisation based in London, UK. It runs largest global survey of recreational drug-use. It is anonymised, online survey that uses detailed questionnaire to assess trends in drug use and self-reported harms among regular drug users and early adopters of new trends. 2019 GDS was 8th annual report published by it.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'global-drug-survey-2019', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/87a6/00n24lhm1h5mmst6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/87a6/00n24lhm1h5mmst6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Indians top to reduce drugs intake: GDS 2019 | GDS 2019', 'metakeyword' => 'GLOBAL DRUG SURVEY 2019: Indians top to reduce drugs intake', 'metadescription' => 'GLOBAL DRUG SURVEY 2019: Indians top to reduce drugs intake, According to recent global survey of recreational drug-use has found that Indians-more', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/4z2xgdahaudgloz/GLOBAL_DRUG_SURVEY_2019.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 17 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1196, 'title' => 'Gender diversity good for businesses: UN-ILO Report', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recently released report titled “Women in Business and Management: The business case for change”, companies that improve gender diversity especially at the top perform better and rake in higher profits. It also noted that countries that increase women employment see better economic growth.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About report</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was released by United Nation’s (UN) International Labour Organization (ILO). Its findings are based on a survey of nearly 13,000 companies across 70 countries. It also had analysed data from 186 countries between 1991 and 2017,</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of the report</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Gender diversity is smart business strategy and companies that improve gender diversity perform better and reported higher profits hikes between 5 to 20</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Growing number of women at top has made it easier to attract and retain talent. Besides there are improvements in creativity, innovation and openness. Moreover, effective gender inclusivity enhanced their company’s reputation.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Countries that increase women employment also see better economic growth. Thus, it is necessary to look at gender balance as bottom-line issue, not just a human resources issue.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'gender-diversity-good-for-businesses', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5807/ikz986t3nvjkiip6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/5807/ikz986t3nvjkiip6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Gender diversity good for businesses: UN-ILO Report', 'metakeyword' => 'Gender diversity good for businesses, United Nations, International Labour Organisation, ILO Report', 'metadescription' => 'Gender diversity good for businesses: UN-ILO Report, According to recently released report titled “Women in Business and Management: The business case for changeâ€', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/cyf01jvkz3gcecf/Gender_diversity.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 18 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1295, 'title' => 'India has 20 health workers for 10,000 people: NSSO study', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recent study of National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), India has 20.6 health workers per 10,000 people. It is less than World health Organisation’s (WHO) minimum threshold of 22.8 per 10000 people.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Findings of Study</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The numbers have increased from 19 health workers per 10000 people in 2012. This shows that India is moving in the right direction and size of the health workforce is steadily improving</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Distribution of health workers</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">: It is highly uneven between urban and rural areas. Rural areas with nearly 71</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of India's population have only 36</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of health workers. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Delhi has highest concentration of health workers followed by Kerala, Punjab, and Haryana.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Private vs Public Health Sector:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> There is also uneven distribution of health workers is seen in private and public health sector. More than 80</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of doctors and 70</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of nurses and midwives are employed in the private sector. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Recommendations:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> The Government policy should focus on enhancing quality of health workers and bringing professionally qualified persons into the health workforce. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">There is need for public sector and private sector collaboration to overcome the shortages in human resources for health sector.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-20-health-workers-10000-people-nsso-study', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0496/2m1a5a5s4fnoyu86g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0496/2m1a5a5s4fnoyu86g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India has 20 health workers for 10,000 people: NSSO study', 'metakeyword' => 'India has 20 health workers for 10,000 people: NSSO study', 'metadescription' => 'India has 20 health workers for 10,000 people: NSSO study, According to recent study of National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), India has 20.6 health workers per 10,000 people', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/3a9mkh5tcj92e1s/India_has_20_health_workers_for_10%252C000_people_NSSO_study.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 19 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1300, 'title' => 'ICMR recommends complete ban on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems', 'description' => '<h2 style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recommended complete ban on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes. In this regard it has released white paper on occasion of World No Tobacco Day (observed on May 31).</span></span></span></span></h2> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">What are ENDS?</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">They are devices that heat solution to create an aerosol, which also frequently contains flavours, usually dissolved into propylene glycol and glycerin. There are various types of ENDS devices like heat-not-burn devices, vape, e-cigarettes, e-sheesha, e-nicotine flavoured hookah among others. The most commonly used is e-cigarette. These devices do not burn or use toacco leaves, but instead vaporise solution, which user then inhales (This process is called as vaping). The main constituents of vaporise solution are nicotine, flavouring agents and propylene glycol with or without glycerol.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">White paper Findings</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Use of ENDS by non-smokers can lead to regular smoking and nicotine addiction. They adversely affects cardiovascular system, impairs respiratory immune cell function and airways in way similar to cigarette smoking and is responsible for severe respiratory disease.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It also poses risk to foetal, infant and child brain development, the white paper claimed. E-cigarettes are also harmful to non-users and have adverse health impacts even when people are exposed to second-hand vapours.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Passive exposure to vapours during pregnancy can severely affect the health of both the mother and the foetus. There are reports of poisoning due to accidental swallowing by children. These devices also can cause fire and explosion.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">ENDS are advertised through various forms of media with youth beingtarget group and are being marketed as safer alternatives to conventional cigarettes or harm reduction products, in glamorous manner, so as to make them attractive under the guise of being less harmful.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Major tobacco companies have purchased or developed ENDS products, with dual commercial intent of expanding their range of tobacco products while touting their ability to offer a product that they claim reduces harm from the cigarettes.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Sale of e-cigarettes is completely banned in 25 countries, including Norway, Singapore and Brazil while market authorization is required in 17 other countries. In US, ENDS, that are marketed for therapeutic purposes are currently regulated by US-FDA and Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Preventive Measures in India</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">In August 2019, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had issued advisory to all states and UTs to stop manufacture, sale and import of ENDS. The advisory was challenged in Delhi High Court which had ruled that it to be non-binding on states and government bodies. However, some states in India including Punjab, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Jharkhand Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,, Rajasthan and Mizoram have already banned use and sale of e-cigarettes, Vape and E-Hookah.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'icmr-recommends-complete-ban-ends', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/dcfc/s44ryccui7gp3un6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/dcfc/s44ryccui7gp3un6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'ICMR recommends complete ban on ENDS', 'metakeyword' => 'ICMR, recommends, complete ban, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems,ENDS, including e-cigarettes, white paper, World No Tobacco Day .', 'metadescription' => 'ICMR, recommends, complete ban, Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems,ENDS, including e-cigarettes, white paper, World No Tobacco Day .', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/uw84kcc22rbhil5/ICMR_recommends_complete_ban_on_Electronic_Nicotine_Delivery_Systems.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 20 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1333, 'title' => 'India ranks 95th in SDG Gender Index', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India was ranked at 95th among 129 countries in first edition of SDG Gender Index, a new index to measure global gender equality.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">SDG Gender Index</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It has been developed by <strong>Equal Measures 2030</strong>, a joint effort of regional and global organizations viz. African Women’s Development and Communication Network, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women and International Women’s Health Coalition</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indicators:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It takes into account of 14 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that cover aspects such as poverty, education, health, political representation and equality at the workplace.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Methodology:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It ranks countries based on 14 indicators on scale of score from 100 (reflects achievement of gender equality in relation to the targets set for each indicator) to 0.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Note:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> SDG Gender Index comes close on the heels of the gender gap index of the World Economic Forum (India was ranked 108th in this WEF index).</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key Findings of SDG Gender Index</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Global scenario</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">World is still far from achieving gender equality as around 1.4 billion girls and women living in countries that were “very poor” grade in gender equality.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The global average score of 129 ranked countries which represent 95</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of the world’s girls and women was 65.7 out of 100 (categorized “poor” in the index).</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Around 2.8 billion girls and women are living in countries that get either very poor (59 and below) or having poor score (60-69) on gender equality. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Just 8</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of world’s population of girls and women live in countries that received “good” gender equality score (80-89) and no country has achieved “excellent” overall score of 90 or above.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Top 8 Countries are</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">:</span></span> <span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Denmark (Rank: 1st, Score: 89.3), Finland (2nd, 88.8), Sweden (3rd, 88.0), Norway (4th, 87.7), Netherlands (5th, 86.8), Slovenia (6th,86.5), Germany (7th, 86.2) and Canada (8th, 85.8)</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings for India</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India was ranked at 95th with score of 56.2 among 129 countries. India’s highest goal scores were on health (79.9), hunger & nutrition (76.2), and energy (71.8). </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Its lowest goal scores were on partnerships (18.3, in bottom 10 countries worldwide), industry, infrastructure and innovation (38.1), and climate (43.4).</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India's neighbours: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">China (score: 64.7), Sri Lanka (62.1), Bhutan (58.2), India (56.2), Myanmar (54.1), Nepal (52.6), Bangladesh (49.2) and Pakistan (48.9).</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-ranks-95th-sdg-gender-index', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a648/xbc286o8k4a7kpy6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a648/xbc286o8k4a7kpy6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India ranks 95th in SDG Gender Index', 'metakeyword' => 'In International Current Affairs,India,ranked, 95th among 129 countries,first edition, SDG Gender Index, global gender equality', 'metadescription' => 'India was ranked at 95th among 129 countries in first edition of SDG Gender Index, a new index to measure global gender equality.', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/sz9cdieb2vifv07/India_ranks.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 21 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1370, 'title' => 'Swachh Bharat Mission helped reduce ground water contamination: UNICEF', 'description' => '<h2 style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Recent study conducted by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has found that ‘Swachh Bharat (Grameen)’ initiative of the government has helped reduce ground water contamination. It was one of the two independent third-party studies conducted on Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) on behalf of Central Government. The other study was commissioned by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.</span></span></span></span></h2> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About UNICEF’s Study</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was titled Environmental impact of the Swachh Bharat Mission on Water, Soil, and Food. It was aimed at assessing the environmental impact and communication footprint of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) respectively. Its findings were based on analysis of groundwater samples were collected and studied from ODF and non-ODF villages of Odisha, Bihar and West Bengal.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of the study</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The substantial reductions in ground water contamination may potentially be attributed to the improvement in sanitation and hygiene practices.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Supportive systems such as regular monitoring and behaviour change messaging, which have all been critical aspects of Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen), also helped reduce ground water contamination.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">In terms of faecal contamination, non-ODF villages were on average 11.25 times more likely to have their groundwater sources contaminated (12.7 times more from contaminants traceable to humans alone), 1.48 times more likely to have food contaminated, 1.13 times more likely to have their soil contaminated and 2.68 times more likely to have household drinking water contaminated.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Swachh Bharat Mission</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was launched in October 2014 to achieve universal sanitation coverage and to put focus on sanitation. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Objective:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> Make India clean by 2019, as fitting tribute to 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Feature:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It world’s largest sanitation program that aimed bring behavioural change of people with respect to toilet access and usage.<strong> </strong></span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Two sub-missions: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), implemented in rural areas, and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), implemented in urban areas. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">SBM-G: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It aims to eliminate open defecation in rural areas by improving access to sanitation by ensuring use of toilets, besides their construction. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It also seeks to generate awareness to motivate communities to adopt sustainable sanitation practices, and encourage the use of appropriate technologies for sanitation.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Present Status: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">the mission is in the final stretch of its completion with 30 States/Union Territories already have been declared open defecation free (ODF). According to Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Rural sanitation coverage in the country had crossed the 99</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">% mark. Now, it is focusing on extending momentum to the ODF-plus phase in solid and liquid waste management.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Impact:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> WHO 2018 study had estimated that Swachh Bharat Mission will save over 3 lakh lives by the time India is Open Defacation Free.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'swachh-bharat-reduced-ground-water-contamination', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d76c/6o16ywk47b4oerb6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d76c/6o16ywk47b4oerb6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Swachh Bharat helped reduce ground water contamination: UNICEF', 'metakeyword' => 'Recent study, UNICEF, Swachh Bharat Grameen, initiative of government, reduced, ground water contamination', 'metadescription' => 'Recent study, UNICEF, Swachh Bharat Grameen, initiative of government, reduced, ground water contamination', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/cb1rj8yrnbrnog8/Swachh_Bharat.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 22 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1476, 'title' => 'India's population to surpass China by 2027: UN', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recently released ‘The World Population Prospects 2019’, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2027. It was published by Population Division of United Nations (UN) Department of Economic and Social Affairs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of the report</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Global population:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> It is projected to increase by another 2 billion people by 2050, from 7.7 billion in 2019 to 9.7 billion in 30 years down the line. By tend of the century (i.e. by 2100), the world population will reach peak level of about 11 billion.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> Indi’s estimated current population is of 1.37 billion and China 1.43 billion. By 2027, India’s population will surpass population of China. India is also expected to add 273 million people by 2050 and it will remain most populated until the end of the century.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Top 5 populous countries (Projections): </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Following India-China re-ordering in 2027, the five largest countries is projected to remain the same until end of the century. </span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India will be world’s most populous country with nearly 1.5 billion population, followed by China at (1.1 billion), Nigeria (733 million), United States (434 million), and Pakistan (403 million).</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Declining population:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> By 2050, 55 countries will see their populations shrink by at least 1</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">%</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">. This will be mainly due to sustained low levels of fertility and high rates of emigration. China’s population is projected to shrink by as much as 2.2</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">or 31.4 million by 2050.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Ageing:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> World’s overall population is ageing, with age group of 65 and above growing at fast rate. By 2050, one in six people in the world will be part of this age group as compared to 1 in 11 in 2019. </span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-population-surpass-china-2027-un', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/1590/c4h18342nlzd3786g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/1590/c4h18342nlzd3786g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India's population to surpass China by 2027: UN', 'metakeyword' => 'According to recently released ‘The World Population Prospects 2019’, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2027', 'metadescription' => 'According to recently released ‘The World Population Prospects 2019’, India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country by 2027', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/thnldaxe53j347v/India%27s_population.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 23 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1483, 'title' => 'SIPRI Yearbook 2019: Countries reducing nuclear-warheads but modernising arsenals', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to 2019 Yearbook of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), worldwide total of nuclear warheads has decreased since 2018 but countries are modernising their nuclear arsenals. The report separately counts deployed warheads (warheads placed on missiles or located on bases with operational forces) and other warheads (stored or reserve warheads and retired warheads awaiting dismantlement).</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key Findings of report</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">9 nuclear-armed countries (including India) had total of some 13,865 nuclear weapons at start of 2019, 600 nuclear weapons less from 14,465 at the start of 2018 (It does not includes figures for North Korea on account of uncertainty). India has total 130-140 warhead” in 2019, same as in 2018.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Of these total 13,865 nuclear weapons, 3,750 are deployed with operational forces and nearly 2,000 of these are kept in state of high operational alert</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Pakistan, Israel and North Korea—possessed approximately 13 865 nuclear weapons. This marked a decrease from the approximately 14 465 nuclear weapons at the beginning of 2018.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Decrease in the overall number of nuclear weapons in the world</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">: It is mainly attributed to US and Russia (together accounting for over 90</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> of all nuclear weapons) for reducing arsenals in pursuance of implementating 2010 New START, the treaty which is set to expire in 2021.</span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Modernisation:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> However, both Russia and US have extensive and expensive programmes under way to replace and modernize their nuclear warheads, missile and aircraft delivery systems and nuclear weapon production facilities.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""><img alt="" src="https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/feca/oi8xw737ru4j73q6g.jpg" /></span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'sipri-yearbook-2019', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/8ef8/uffdqtjilk3ef6o6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/8ef8/uffdqtjilk3ef6o6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Countries reducing n-warheads but modernising arsenals', 'metakeyword' => 'According to 2019 Yearbook of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), worldwide total of nuclear warheads has decreased ', 'metadescription' => 'According to 2019 Yearbook of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), worldwide total of nuclear warheads has decreased ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/vrb36lp2mulwavp/SIPRI_Yearbook_2019.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 24 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1500, 'title' => 'QS World Rankings: IIT-Bombay best-ranked Indian institute', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) was ranked number one in list of Indian universities releseased as part of QS World University Rankings 2020. Globally it was ranked 152nd position. This for third consective time IIT-Bombay has been securing top position among all Indian institutes for and overall it has improved its glaobal rank by 10 moving up places from 2018 ranking.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">QS World University Rankings</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is published annually by global higher education consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). It was launched in 2004. It is one of the two most sought after rankings for educational institutes globally.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It ranks the world’s top 1,000 universities. It also gives subject rankings in 48 different subjects and five composite faculty areas of the universities, as well as for graduate employability and various other aspects.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key Higlights of 2020 QS rankings</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">US based Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was placed on top of the global list for the eighth consecutive year.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">23 Indian universities are in world top 1,000. There were 24 in last year’s rankings. Out of the 23, nine Indian instituetes are in the top 500, including seven IITs.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">IIT Bombay was placed at number one in the list of Indian universities for the second consecutive year. It was globally ranked at 152.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">IISc has scored world’s second best score on research impact, but dropped in overall ranking. It is first Indian institution to see its research cited more than 100,000 times in five-year period.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Manipal Academy of Higher Education was top private university in the country in the list, which falls within the 701-750 ranking band,</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Amity University and University of Hyderabad have dropped out from India in this edition of rankings, while O P Jindal Global University is a new entrant.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""><img alt="" src="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f5aa/76n5a15egpseg6n6g.jpg&sa=D&source=hangouts&ust=1561183221233000&usg=AFQjCNH-IDgJ3pf5zT0DUOsV32dlyM3E2Q" /></span></span></span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'qs-world-rankings-iit-bombay', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/adeb/2dfhfg7fofxraf36g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/adeb/2dfhfg7fofxraf36g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'QS World Rankings: IIT-Bombay best-ranked Indian institute', 'metakeyword' => 'Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) was ranked number one in list of Indian universities releseased as part of QS World University Rankings 2020', 'metadescription' => 'Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) was ranked number one in list of Indian universities releseased as part of QS World University Rankings 2020.', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/6a8z15jw6lb27br/QS_World.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 25 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1537, 'title' => '31.4% of Indian children will be stunted by 2022: Report', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to rencent analysis of India’s food and nutrition security, almost one in three Indian children will still be stunted by 2022. The report was prepared by United Nations (UN) World Food Programme in collaboration with Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. It is baseline analysis of Inida’s progress in achieving the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to end hunger,</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of the report</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Over the last decade, child stunting measure of chronic malnutrition — has reduced at a rate of about 1% per year, the slowest decline among emerging economies.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">At this rate, 31.4% of children will still be stunted by the 2022 deadline. India must double its rate of progress to reach target of 25% by that time.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Foodgrain yields have risen 33% over last two decades, but are still only half of 2030 target yields. However, average per capita consumption of energy among poorest 30% of the population is 1811 kilo calories, much lower than the norm of 2155 kilo calories per day.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">In States like Bihar (48%) and Uttar Pradesh (46%), almost one in two children are stunted, while it is only one in five children in Kerala and Goa (20% each).</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">There are high rates of stunting among children in e poorest wealth quintile (51.4%), Scheduled Tribes (43.6%) and Scheduled Castes (42.5%), and children born to mothers with no education (51%).</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'indian-children-will-be-stunted-2022-report', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/080d/8224qraiu3e700a6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/080d/8224qraiu3e700a6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => '31.4% of Indian children will be stunted by 2022: Report', 'metakeyword' => 'According to rencent analysis of India’s food and nutrition security, almost one in three Indian children will still be stunted by 2022', 'metadescription' => 'According to rencent analysis of India’s food and nutrition security, almost one in three Indian children will still be stunted by 2022', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/mbc9veh8jiohugl/31.4%25_of_Indian.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 26 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1539, 'title' => '2nd edition of NITI Aayog’s Healthy States, Progressive India report', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">NITI Aayog released the second edition of “Healthy States, Progressive India” report. It focuses on measuring overall performance and incremental improvement over a two-year period — 2016-17 and 2017-18 — in the states and UTs.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Healthy States Progressive India Report</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It has been developed by NITI Aayog, with technical assistance from the World Bank, and in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It ranks States/UTs on their overall performance, as well as their year-on-year incremental change in health outcomes over a two year period (2016-17 and 2017-18) in the States and UTs.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Methodology: It takes into account comprehensive look at health in terms of <strong>health outcomes in several health indicators,</strong> <strong>governance </strong>and <strong>impact of policy decisions</strong>. These three domain serve as weighted composite Index.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Categorisation of states:</span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif""> The ranking is categorized as Larger States, Smaller States and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure comparison among similar entities. States are further categorized into four groups based on incremental performance: not improved (<=0 incremental change); least improved (0.01 to 2 points increase); moderately improved (2.01 to 4 points), and most improved (>4 points increase).</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Findings of Report (2nd Edition)</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Among Larger States: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Kerala ranked first followed by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra in terms of overall performance. Fourth, fifth and sixth spots were occupied by Gujarat, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh respectively. Uttar Pradesh was ranked last.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Haryana, Rajasthan and Jharkhand are top three ranking States in terms of annual incremental performance.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Among Smaller States: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Mizoram ranked first followed by Manipur in terms overall performance. Tripura followed by Manipur were raked top States in terms of annual incremental performance.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Among UTs: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Chandigarh was first followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli in terms of overall performance. Dadra and Nagar Haveli was ranked top followed Chandigarh in terms of annual incremental performance.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'healthy-states-progressive-india-report', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ab80/0h66wdd9i7os3b26g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ab80/0h66wdd9i7os3b26g.jpg', 'metatitle' => '2nd edition of Healthy States, Progressive India report', 'metakeyword' => 'NITI Aayog released the second edition of “Healthy States, Progressive India†report.', 'metadescription' => 'NITI Aayog released the second edition of “Healthy States, Progressive India†report.', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/vzoo814kzvfrbgy/2nd_edition.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 27 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1546, 'title' => 'UNODC releases World Drug Report 2019', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its latest World Drug Report on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (observed on 26 June).</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key highlights of report:</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Globally, around 35 million people are estimated to suffer from drug use disorders and who require treatment services. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">In 2017, an estimated 271 million people, or 5.5</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of the global population aged 15-64, had used drugs in the previous year.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The most widely used drug globally continues to be cannabis, with estimated 188 million people having used the drug in 2017.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Opioids are responsible for two thirds of 585,000 people who died as result of drug use in 2017. Globally, 11 million people injected drugs in 2017, of whom 1.4 million live with HIV and 5.6 million with hepatitis C. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Estimated global illicit manufacture of cocaine reached all-time high of 1,976 tons in 2017, an increase of 25</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">on the previous year. At the same time, global quantity of cocaine seized in 2017 rose by 13</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">to 1,275 tons, the largest quantity ever reported.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Most of the world's opioids are produced in Afghanistan (263,000 hectares of poppy seed production) with Myanmar (37,300 hectares) coming in as the second largest producer.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Prevention and treatment continue to fall short with only one in seven people with drug use disorders receiving treatment each year.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC)</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is global leader in fight against illicit drugs and international crime. It operates in all regions of world through an extensive network of field offices.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It was established in 1997 by merging of UN Drug Control Programme and Centre for International Crime Prevention. It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is mandated to assist member states in their struggle against illicit drugs, crime and terrorism. It relies on voluntary contributions, mainly from Governments, for 90% of its budget.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Three pillars of UNODC work programme</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Conduct field-based technical cooperation projects for capacity building of member states to counteract illicit drugs, crime and terrorism.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Conduct research and analytical work to increase knowledge and understanding of drugs and crime issues and expand evidence base for policy and operational decisions.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Assist states in ratification and implementation of relevant international treaties, the development of domestic legislation on drugs, crime and terrorism etc.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'unodc-releases-world-drug-report-2019', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/2437/22h5l6git2cuscz6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/2437/22h5l6git2cuscz6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'UNODC releases World Drug Report 2019', 'metakeyword' => 'United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its latest World Drug Report on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking ', 'metadescription' => 'United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) released its latest World Drug Report on the occasion of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking ', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => '', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 28 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1630, 'title' => 'Global warming to cause loss of 80 million jobs by 2030: ILO Report', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recent report, growing heat stress on workers in agriculture and other sectors due to climate change will cause productivity loss equal to 80 million full-time jobs over the next decade. The report is titled<em><strong> “Working on a warmer planet: The impact of heat stress on labour productivity”</strong></em> and was released by International Labour Organization (ILO).</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Report Highlights</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">By 2030, 2.2</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of total working hours worldwide will be lost because of higher temperatures. This represents an economic losses totaling 1.4% of global gross domestic product, or $2.4 trillion.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">The percentage is expected to be more than double that in hardest-hit regions, western Africa and southern Asia.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Its projections are based on global temperature rise of 1.5 degree Celsius by end of 21<sup>st</sup> century, and labour force trends. Heat stress is defined as generally above 35 degrees Celsius, in places with high humidity. </span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Effects on India: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India will be the most affected country, because of its large population. India is projected to lose 5.8</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">% </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">of working hours in 2030 due to global warming, particularly impacting agriculture and construction sectors. In absolute terms, it will account for 34 million jobs in 2030 due to global warming.</span></span> <span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">These working hours will be lost because it will be too hot to work or because workers work at a slower pace.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'global-warming-80 million-jobs-2030-ilo-report', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0bb8/2e98nqmmcdbbhgy6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0bb8/2e98nqmmcdbbhgy6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => '80 million jobs by 2030 loss by Global Warming: ILO', 'metakeyword' => 'According to recent report, growing heat stress on workers in agriculture and other sectors due to climate change will cause productivity loss equal to 80 million full-time jobs over the next decade', 'metadescription' => 'According to recent report, growing heat stress on workers in agriculture and other sectors due to climate change will cause productivity loss equal to 80 million full-time jobs over the next decade', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/fsohvloo329vgik/Global_warming_to_cause_loss_of_80.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 29 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1636, 'title' => '27% of children with disabilities never attended school: UNESCO report', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">According to recently released report titled “State of the Education Report for India-2019: Children with Disabilities”, 27% of children with disabilities (CwDs) have never been to school in India. The report was prepared by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Key findings of report</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Citing 2011 census data it was found that there are more than 78 lakh CwDs in the country between age of 5 to 19 years.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Only 61% of them were attending an educational institution, about 12% had dropped out, and 27% had never been to school at all.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Around 75% of five-year-olds with disabilities are not in school. There are fewer girls with disabilities in school than boys. But the differences remain among various types of disabilities.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Only 20% of children with visual and hearing impairments had never been in school. However, among children with multiple disabilities or mental illness, that figure rose to more than 50%.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It recommends amending Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 to make it align with Right of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'children-disabilities-never-attended-school', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e9bf/v2xoobtxgs6eajy6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e9bf/v2xoobtxgs6eajy6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => '27% of children with disabilities never attended school', 'metakeyword' => 'report titled “State of the Education Report for India-2019: Children with Disabilitiesâ€, 27% of children with disabilities (CwDs) have never been to school in India', 'metadescription' => 'report titled “State of the Education Report for India-2019: Children with Disabilitiesâ€, 27% of children with disabilities (CwDs) have never been to school in India', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/ci7r7c2gaheorvi/27%25_of_children_with_disabilities.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 30 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1644, 'title' => 'Henley Passport Index 2019: India ranks 86', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">India’s passport was ranked at 86th of the total 199 passports in Henley Passport Index (HPI) 2019 with mobility score of 58. India’s rank has improved from earlier 79th position in January 2019 HPI. India shared 86th position in July 2019 HPI with Mauritiana and Sao Tome and Principe. India’s score in July 2019 HPI points out that Indian passport holders can access (visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel) 58 countries around the world without prior visa. </span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">About Henley Passport Index (HPI) </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">It is global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom for their citizens. It was started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index (HVRI). It was modified and renamed to its present form in January 2018. It ranks passports based on number of countries holder can go to without visa or number of countries holder can go to where they can obtain visa, visitor’s permit, or electronic travel authority upon arrival. It shows that countries around world increasingly view visa openness as crucial to economic and social progress. It covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations and is based on data provided by International Air Transport Authority (IATA).</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Top powerful passports of the world</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">1. Japan, Singapore: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Both countries have the world’s most powerful passports. Both have secured top position out of 199 countries. Their passports have visa-free or visa-on-arrival travel to 189 places.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">2. Finland, Germany, South Korea: </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Citizens of all three countries have access to 187 destinations around the world without a prior visa.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">3. Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg: </span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">4. France, Spain, Sweden</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">5. Austria, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">6. Belgium, Norway, Greece, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in; text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Global performance in July 2019 HPI</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Asian countries dominate rankings with Japan and Singapore jointly holding top spot.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">With few exceptions, countries around the world increasingly view visa openness as crucial to economic and social progress.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Quicksand","serif"">Afghanistan at 109th position was ranked last on July 2019 HPI list with visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of just 25.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'henley-passport-index-2019-india-rank-86', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/aa31/6lffmkudmqc158g6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/aa31/6lffmkudmqc158g6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Henley Passport Index 2019: India ranks 86', 'metakeyword' => 'India’s passport was ranked at 86th of the total 199 passports in Henley Passport Index (HPI) 2019 with mobility score of 58', 'metadescription' => 'India’s passport was ranked at 86th of the total 199 passports in Henley Passport Index (HPI) 2019 with mobility score of 58', 'author' => 'Nikhil Paigude', 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/s25j4k036aey3w7/Henley_Passport_Index_2019_India_ranks_86.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 31 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1872, 'title' => '33% of India’s skilled youth jobless- Official Survey', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Issue</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The PLFS data from official survey has pointed out that 33% of Indian youth population (15-29 years) who received formal technical training were not part of labor force or seeking any employment opportunities. This also involves substantial share of women force.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Background</span></span></strong></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">After the launch of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the government’s skill imparting flagship scheme, there was widespread belief of improving employment rate.</span></span></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The government appointed committee led by Sharda Prasad found the targets too ambitious and funds spent were not subject to adequate monitoring leading to stagnant employment rates.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> <p style="text-align:justify"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Highlights of report</span></span></strong></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Three fifth young skilled young women out of labour force.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The unemployment rate among freshly trained youth, who completed training during the previous year, was even higher at 40%</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The bulk of the training received by younger population were in the fields of IT, electronics, mechanical sectors.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">80% trainees in the field of agriculture and food processing, telecom, media and mass communication were men whereas the fields of beauty and wellness, apparel, handicrafts, hospitality and healthcare were dominated by women.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Reasons for unemployment rates</span></span></strong></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">One of the reason why such a large section of ‘skilled’ workers were out of labor force</span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Could be difficulty in finding jobs.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The education profile doe not suit employment profile. The educational standards are not upto the mark.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Lack of practical approach in educational standards.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">How can issue be addressed?</span></span></strong></p> <ul> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Education for students, especially technical has to be in sync with industrial requirements.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Periodic review of syllabus in order to keep them updated to latest ones based on demand.</span></span></span></span></li> <li style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Outcome based education that is guided by fixed framework instead of independently created syllabus.</span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="text-align:justify"> </p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => '33-of-India-skilled-youth-jobless', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/88fd/4rfve24dbuba4o06g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/88fd/4rfve24dbuba4o06g.jpg', 'metatitle' => '33% of India’s skilled youth jobless- Official Survey', 'metakeyword' => '33% of India’s skilled youth jobless- Official Survey', 'metadescription' => 'The PLFS data from official survey has pointed out that 33% of Indian youth population (15-29 years) who received formal technical training were not part of labor', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/hfhxm4u16zmcex4/33%25_of_India%C6s_skilled.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 32 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 1976, 'title' => 'Henley passport index', 'description' => '<p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Issue</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">The latest Henley Passport Index ranks India at 86, down five places from 81 in 2018. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Background</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Prepared by Henley and Partners, a London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm, the Henley Passport Index claims to be the most accurate passport index. </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">The index gathers data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that manages inter-airline cooperation globally.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Henley Index</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">The index receives data from the IATA on a fixed day every year that forms the basis of the index. This data is supplemented by considering real-time changes in visa policies using publicly available sources to prepare a visa list.</span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">This is a list of destinations that a passport can access visa-free, through a visa on arrival, e-visa or with a traditional visa.</span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Details</span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Each passport is attributed with a score and a rank. For instance for 2019, India’s score is 58 and it ranks 86 in the list. Japan and Singapore, on the other hand, are ranked 1 and have a score of 189.</span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">The score is the sum of the number of countries accessible by that passport holder without requiring pre-departure government approval for visa-types including a visitor’s permit, visa on arrival or an electronic travel authority.</span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">A value of 0 is attributed to a score when a passport holder has to seek pre-departure government approval for visa-types including e-visa (visas applied for online and received) and visa on arrival. </span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Importance of Index</span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Passport rankings point towards the strength of diplomatic relations between countries.</span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Recently travel freedom has expanded vastly as a result of the rising number of bilateral visa-waiver programs signed between different countries and unilateral decisions implemented by governments of some countries.</span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> <p style="margin-left:0in; margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">Other Passport Indices</span></span></span></span></strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">The Henley Passport Index is not the only index available on passport rankings. Others include the <strong>Arton Passport Index.</strong> It ranks United Arab Emirates’ passport at rank 1 as per its most recent rankings.</span></span></span></span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="background-color:white"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="color:black">As per this index, India has a mobility score (MS) of 67, with visa required for 131 destinations, visa on arrival required for 41 destinations and 26 destinations where Indian passport holders can travel visa free.</span></span></span></span></span></li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'henley-passport-index', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/8ffd/3atrbd0nthrfscp6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/8ffd/3atrbd0nthrfscp6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Henley passport index', 'metakeyword' => 'Henley passport index', 'metadescription' => 'The latest Henley Passport Index ranks India at 86, down five places from 81 in 2018. ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/ud3dh5fqra6uina/Henley_passport_index.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 33 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2154, 'title' => 'Iodised salt coverage Survey', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tamil Nadu<strong> </strong>has the lowest consumption of iodised salt despite being the third biggest producer of salt in the country, according to a first-of-its-kind national survey to measure the coverage of iodised salt.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The survey was conducted by Nutrition International in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Indian Coalition for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD).</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The survey tested the iodine content in samples of cooking salt from households to estimate the coverage of iodised salt.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study shows that 76.3% of Indian households consumed adequately iodised salt, which is salt with at least 15 parts per million of iodine.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The five worst performers were Tamil Nadu (61.9%), Andhra Pradesh (63.9%), Rajasthan (65.5%), Odisha (65.8%) and Jharkhand (68.8%).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Gujarat produces 71% of salt in the country, followed by Rajasthan at 17% and Tamil Nadu at 11%. The rest of the country accounts for a mere 1% of salt produced.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The northeastern States are doing very well with respect to iodised salt consumption at the household level because of the distance they have from the three salt producing centres .This salt is strictly monitored by the Salt Commissioner’s office to if it is inadequately iodised, and then allowed for sale.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Rajastathan, being the second biggest salt producing state, features in the top-5 worst performing states.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Extra reading</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India made fortification of salt with iodine mandatory for direct human consumption in 1992. This was relaxed in 2000 and then reimposed in 2005.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The key recommendation of the study is to sustain the momentum so that iodine coverage does not fall below current levels.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Iodine Importance</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Iodine is a vital micro-nutrient for optimal mental and physical development of human beings.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Deficiency of iodine can result in a range of disabilities and disorders such as goitre, hypothyroidism, cretinism, abortion, still births, mental retardation and psychomotor defects.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Children born in iodine deficient areas may have up to 13.5 IQ points less than those born in iodine sufficient areas.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'iodised-salt-coverage-survey', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/dcc8/k8se7n4z1wwmx6o6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/dcc8/k8se7n4z1wwmx6o6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Iodised salt coverage Survey', 'metakeyword' => 'The survey was conducted by Nutrition International in ', 'metadescription' => 'The survey was conducted by Nutrition International in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Indian Coalition for the Control of ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/rcushn50d6u74ek/Iodised_salt_coverage_Survey.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 34 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2168, 'title' => 'Suicide report by WHO', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A fact sheet released by the World Health Organization shows that close to 8 lakh people die due to suicide every year. This means, suicides account for one death every 40 seconds.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Suicide is a global phenomenon and occurs throughout the lifespan. Effective and evidence-based interventions can be implemented at population, sub-population and individual levels to prevent suicide and suicide attempts.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Report has also observed that behind every successful suicide, there are more than 20 attempts at taking one’s life.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Against a global average of 10.53 deaths due to suicide (per 100,000 population) Europe tends to register the maximum deaths due to suicide while Eastern Mediterranean reports the lowest average.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report also shows country-specific rates of a wide variety of countries both in terms of geography and resource allocation as well as in terms of economic prosperity.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report also said that while suicide was the second leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">While the link between suicide and mental disorders, like depression is well established, WHO finds that many suicides happen during a crisis and because of an individual’s inability to deal with stress</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In methods of suicides , almost 20 per cent of all suicides are due to pesticide self-poisoning.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> The use of pesticide points to the setting where such suicides happen which is rural agricultural areas in low- and middle-income countries. Other common methods are hanging and firearms.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'suicide-report-by-who', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e246/q3nm8sjduitlej56g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e246/q3nm8sjduitlej56g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Suicide report by WHO', 'metakeyword' => 'While the link between suicide and mental disorders, like', 'metadescription' => 'While the link between suicide and mental disorders, like depression, is well established, WHO finds that many suicides happen during a crisis and because of an ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/vfyjl7ytz3emmn6/Suicide_report_by_WHO.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 35 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2261, 'title' => 'India top source for immigrants', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India has emerged as the leading country of origin for immigrants across the world, according to a dataset released by the Union Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The International Migrant Stock 2019 was released by the UN DESA's Population Division. It has said that the number of international migrants in the world had reached an estimated 272 million in 2019.The percentage of international migrants of the total global population has increased to 3.5% from 2.8% in 2000.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The UN DESA Population has said that one-third of all international migrants originated from 10 countries and after India, Mexico ranked second as the country of origin for 12 million migrants, followed by China (11 million), Russia (10 million) and Syria (8 million).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The European region hosted the highest number of the immigrants at 82 million in 2019, followed by North America (59 million) and Northern Africa and Western Asia (49 million).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> Among countries, the U.S. hosts the highest number of international migrants (51 million), about 19% of the global population.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Forced displacements continue to rise, with the number of refugees and asylum seekers increased by about 13 million from 2010 to 2017.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The number of migrants living in India saw a slight decline from 5.24 million in 2015 to an estimated 5.15 million in 2019 about 0.4% of the total population of the country.Bangladesh was the leading country of origin for migrants in India.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-top-source-for-immigrants', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/b6b1/qs8nr1q5crn0vvo6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/b6b1/qs8nr1q5crn0vvo6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India top source for immigrants', 'metakeyword' => 'The number of migrants living ', 'metadescription' => 'The number of migrants living in India saw a slight decline from 5.24 million in 2015 to an estimated 5.15 million in 2019 about 0.4% of the total population of ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/zkah1ihuotm7l9l/India_top_source_for_immigrants.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 36 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2393, 'title' => 'Maternal Mortality Ratio drop', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has reduced considerably in certain districts of Tamil Nadu in the last two to three years according to government sources.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India's maternal mortality rate reduced from 212 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2007 to 167 deaths in 2013. This showed a great improvement from the previous survey, in line with the SDG.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The maternal mortality ratio is a key performance indicator for efforts to improve the health and safety of mothers before, during, and after childbirth per country worldwide.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India dropped from 488 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1994 to 174 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for maternal mortality</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Severe bleeding (mostly bleeding after childbirth)</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Infections (usually after childbirth)</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">High blood pressure during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia)</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Complications from delivery.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Unsafe abortion</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for maternal mortality</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Poverty</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Distance to facilities</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Lack of information</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Inadequate and poor quality services</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Cultural beliefs and practices</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reducing Maternal deaths</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Countries have united behind a target to accelerate the decline of maternal mortality by 2030. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">SDG 3(sustainable Development Goal) includes an ambitious target: reducing the global MMR to less than 70 per 100 000 births, with no country having a maternal mortality rate of more than twice the global average.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'maternal-mortality-ratio-drop', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f8ab/2ytig7j0uo53a7i6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/f8ab/2ytig7j0uo53a7i6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Maternal Mortality Ratio drop', 'metakeyword' => 'Maternal Mortality Ratio drop', 'metadescription' => 'The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has reduced considerably in certain districts of Tamil Nadu in the last two to three years according to government sources.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/4d0tk9na5a54ef4/Maternal_Mortality_Ratio_drop.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 37 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2420, 'title' => 'Delhi tap water fails BIS test', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tap water samples from 11 different locations in the national capital failed to meet quality norms in preliminary tests of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><br /> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">BIS had received the samples for testing after consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan earlier this week claimed that Delhi’s tap water is unfit for drinking.</span></span><br /> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details </strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">All the samples failed on 24 parameters which included TDS count, ph value and odour, among other norms.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Currently only the packaged drinking water is expected to meet BIS standards. BIS standard for tap water is voluntary for public agencies which supply and distribute water.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The current BIS standards formed in 2012 is alleged to be not par with international standards.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>BIS standards for drinking water</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The standard was adopted by the Bureau of Indian Standards with the following objectives -</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">To assess the quality of water resources.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">To check the effectiveness of water treatment and supply by the concerned authorities.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The various parameters covered include colour, odour, pH, total dissolved solids, hardness, alkalinity, elemental compounds such as iron, manganese, sulphate, nitrate, chloride, fluoride, arsenic, chromium, copper, cyanide, lead, mercury, zinc and coli form bacteria.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Bureau of Indian Standards</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Functions</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Standard formulation and promotion</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">One of the major functions of the Bureau is the formulation, recognition and promotion of the Indian Standards.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> These cover important segments of economy, which help the industry in upgrading the quality of their products and services.</span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Product Certification</strong></span></span></p> <ul style="list-style-type:circle"> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>For Indian manufacturers</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Product Certifications are to be obtained voluntarily.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">For, some of the products like Milk powder, Drinking Water, LPG Cylinders, etc., certification is mandatory as these products are concerned with health and safety.</span></span></p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:none"> <ul style="list-style-type:circle"> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>For foreign manufacturers</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Foreign manufacturers of products who intend to export to India also may obtain a BIS product certification license.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> For some products various Indian government ministries/departments/agencies makes its compulsory to have BIS certification</span></span></p> <ul> <li style="list-style-type:none"> <ul style="list-style-type:circle"> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>For Indian importers</strong></span></span></p> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian importers who intend to get Certification Mark may apply for the license. </span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'delhi-tap-water-fails-bis-test', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/634f/upuev1fq9f9o2tt6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/634f/upuev1fq9f9o2tt6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Delhi tap water fails BIS test', 'metakeyword' => 'BIS had received the samples for testing after consumer affairs ', 'metadescription' => 'BIS had received the samples for testing after consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan earlier this week claimed that Delhi’s tap water is unfit for drinking.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/7suy2bnnlq7du6g/Delhi_tap_water_fails_BIS_test.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 38 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2487, 'title' => 'Abuse of women during childbirth', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A new report says more than one-third of women in four low-income countries in Africa and Asia were abused during childbirth in health centres during treatment.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The new study led by the World Health Organization followed more than 2,000 women during labour and interviewed more than 2,600 women after childbirth. The report has been prepared based on their feedback.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study published in The Lancet medical journal says women in Nigeria, Myanmar, Ghana and Guinea also experienced high rates of cesarean sections and surgical cuts to the vagina, or episiotomies, without their consent and often without a painkiller.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Mistreatment during childbirth can amount to a violation of human rights<strong>, </strong>and could be a powerful disincentive from seeking facility-based maternity care.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Some 42% reported physical or verbal abuse or discrimination during childbirth which included punching, shouted at, scolded or forcibly held down. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Younger, less-educated women are at risk of such mistreatment which also includes neglect by health workers or the use of force during procedures.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previous reports have documented physical abuse of women in eastern Europe, particularly those of Roma descent, including instances where women are forcibly separated from their newborns for several days.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Abusive practices during maternal care have also been widely reported across Latin America, where Venezuela became the first country to legislate against specific unethical practices.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study suggested allowing women to have a companion of their choice present during childbirth, improving the informed consent process and redesigning maternity wards to improve privacy.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>WHO</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The World Health Organization(WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was established on 7 April 1948, and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'abuse-of-women-during-childbirth', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/42ec/scug7bu3ku94k8v6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/42ec/scug7bu3ku94k8v6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Abuse of women during childbirth', 'metakeyword' => 'Abuse of women during childbirth', 'metadescription' => 'A new report says more than one-third of women in four low-income countries in Africa and Asia were abused during childbirth in health centres', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/f3m50vofbx3ma2u/Abuse_of_women_during_childbirth.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 39 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2528, 'title' => 'Education for mother can lead to better nutrition for children', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A pan-India study by Health and Family Welfare Ministry shows children received better diets with higher levels of schooling among their mothers.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Diet diversity, meal frequency and minimum acceptable diet are the three core indicators of nutrition deficiency among infant and young children. They play an important role in improving health indicators in the population.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNSS) studied 1.2 lakh children between 2016 and 2018 and measured food consumption, anthropometric data, micronutrients, anaemia, iron deficiency and markers of non-communicable diseases among many other factors.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The data was compared with different population characteristics such as religion, caste, place of residence and the mothers’ level of schooling to find a common link.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was found that only 11.4% of children of mothers with no schooling received adequately diverse meals, while 31.8% whose mothers finished Class XII received diverse meals.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study also highlighted that 3.9% of children whose mothers had zero schooling got minimum acceptable diets, whereas this was at 9.6% for children whose mothers finished schooling. Moreover, 7.2% of children in the former category consumed iron rich food, whereas this was at 10.3% for children in the latter category.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Only 49.8% of children in the age group whose mothers did not go to school consumed dairy products, while 80.5% of children of mothers who completed their schooling did so.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Levels of stunting, wasting and low weight were higher in children whose mothers received no schooling as opposed to those who studied till Class XII.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Anaemia saw a much higher prevalence of 44.1% among children up to four years old with mothers who never went to school, versus 34.6% among those who completed their schooling.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On the darker side, higher level of education among mothers meant that their children received meals less frequently, perhaps because their chances of being employed and travelling long distances to work went up.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Such children were also at higher risk of diabetes and high cholesterol as more prosperity could lead to higher consumption of sugary drinks and foods high in cholesterol.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'education-for-mother-can-lead-to-better-nutrition', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/7d37/ybnb8f64z6kqnlk6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/7d37/ybnb8f64z6kqnlk6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Education for mother can lead to better nutrition', 'metakeyword' => 'Education for mother can lead to better nutrition for children', 'metadescription' => 'A pan-India study by Health and Family Welfare Ministry shows children received better diets with higher levels of schooling among their mothers.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/n96j2dwvc9txdkn/Education_for_mother_can_lead_to_better_nutrition_for_children.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 40 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2602, 'title' => 'TB cases decrease in India', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/1094-1074-1073/tuberculosis/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">tuberculosis </a>incidence rate in India has decreased by almost 50,000 patients over the past one year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)-2019 edition of the Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic and progress in the response at global, regional and country levels for India.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report notes that in 2017, India had 27.4 lakh TB patients which came down to 26.9 lakh in 2018. Incidence per 1,00,000 population has decreased from 204 in 2017 to 199 in 2018.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The number of patients being tested for rifampicin resistance has increased from 32% in 2017 to 46% in 2018.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The treatment success rate has increased to 81% for new and relapse cases (drug sensitive) in 2017, which was 69% in 2016.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The India TB-Report 2019 notes that India is closest ever to covering all TB cases through the online notification system called <strong><em>NIKSHAY</em></strong>.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Tuberculosis</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by bacteria that are spread through the air from person to person. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The bacteria that cause TB are spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Most people infected with the bacteria that cause tuberculosis don't have symptoms but When they do occur, they usually include a cough (sometimes blood-tinged), weight loss, night sweats and fever.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>NIKSHAY</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nikshay is a Tuberculosis control programme, to monitor and track services and status related to screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of Tuberculosis cases.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It alerts TB patient regarding medication, follow-up alerts to the patients and providers etc.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'tb-cases-decrease-in-india', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/03ed/fbsr6ir14yug3r66g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/03ed/fbsr6ir14yug3r66g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'TB cases decrease in India', 'metakeyword' => 'Nikshay is a Tuberculosis control programme, to', 'metadescription' => 'Nikshay is a Tuberculosis control programme, to monitor and track services and status related to screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of Tuberculosis ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/o4o34a3jo6oaacq/TB_cases_decrease_in_India.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 41 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2690, 'title' => 'TB deaths highest in Karnataka', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">At 6.2%, <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/tag/144-81/karnataka/?utm=bodytag" target="_blank">Karnataka </a>has recorded the highest tuberculosis (TB) death rate in the country in 2018. This is higher than the national TB death rate of 4% in public sector.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">TB is a notifiable disease in the country since May 2012, for which the government has set up a web-based, case-based notification network called NIKSHAY.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The success rate of treatment in the public sector is 80% is the State. Karnataka is followed by Gujarat, Puducherry, and Tripura that have recorded 6%, 5.5%, and 5.2%.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It was found that those tested for TB in the last one year in the State, 10.3% were HIV positive patients and 70% of patients with TB have a known HIV status. This can be the reason for high rate of death.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has expanded its collaboration with Diabetes and Tobacco Control Programmes and is being further strengthened with cross linkage of services.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Tuberculosis</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially serious infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are spread from one person to another through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The most common medications used to treat tuberculosis include:</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Isoniazid.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane)</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Ethambutol (Myambutol)</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pyrazinamide</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Drug resistance TB</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Drug-resistant TB is caused by TB bacteria that are resistant to at least one first-line anti-TB drug.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) is resistant to more than one anti-TB drug and at least isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RIF).</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'tb-deaths-highest-in-karnataka', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/aab4/hmoyk31z4kgdh7o6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/aab4/hmoyk31z4kgdh7o6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'TB deaths highest in Karnataka', 'metakeyword' => 'another through tiny droplets released into the air via coughs and sneezes.', 'metadescription' => 'Tuberculosis (TB) is a potentially serious infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis are spread from one person to ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/sgrlxakbolej9s8/TB_deaths_highest_in_Karnataka.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 42 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2756, 'title' => 'Anaemia among men', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A study has revealed that anaemia among men in India is an important public health problem with state-level prevalence in men varying from 9.2% in Manipur to 32.9% in Bihar.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report noted that while studies on anaemia in India have mostly focused on women and children, men have received far less attention.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Anaemia in men can cause fatigue, lethargy, creates difficulty in concentrating, thereby reducing the quality of life and decreasing economic productivity.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study is aimed to determine variation in prevelance of anaemia across states by socio-demographic characteristics and whether the variations are similar to that among women.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study found that in men, the prevalence of any anaemia was 23.2%, moderate or severe anaemia was 5.1%, and severe anaemia was 0.5%. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">An estimated 21.7% of men with any degree of anaemia had moderate or severe anaemia compared with 53.2% of women with any anaemia.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Cases among men ranged from moderate or severe (5.1%) to severe anaemia (0.5%). </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Among age groups, men in the group 20-34 years had the lowest probability of having anaemia, while actual prevalence was lowest in the age group 50-54, at 7.8%. The prevalence was higher for younger age groups.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Among the states, the highest prevalence of any anaemia was in Bihar, with 32.9% of the men reporting it. This is followed by West Bengal (30.46%), Jharkhand (30.3%), Meghalaya (29.13%) and Odisha (28.45%).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> The lowest prevalence among men was in Manipur (9.19%), followed by Mizoram (9.78%), Nagaland (10.23%), Goa (10.68%) and Kerala (11.77%).</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Anaemia</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The World Health Organization defines anaemia as a condition in which the number of red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity is insufficient to meet physiological needs.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Factors such as consuming smokeless tobacco, being underweight, level of urbanisation and household wealth are associated with a higher probability of developing the disease.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'anaemia-among-men', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0712/8pj23f9k1sr38vt6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/0712/8pj23f9k1sr38vt6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Anaemia among men', 'metakeyword' => 'Anaemia among men', 'metadescription' => 'A study has revealed that anaemia among men in India is an important public health problem with state-level prevalence in men varying from 9.2% in Manipur ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/xgymf2bfk2v0jki/Anaemia_among_men.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 43 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2758, 'title' => 'Business confidence index falls to lowest in 6 years', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Business confidence of India declined to its lowest in six years in August-October, according to the latest survey released by Delhi-based think tank National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Indian businesses have been battling demand slowdown and liquidity crunch, which resulted in economic growth rate cooling to a six-year-low of 5% in the June quarter, while private consumption expenditure was at an 18-quarter-low of 3.1%.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">According to the quarterly survey, the Business Confidence Index (BCI) dipped to 103.1, falling 15.3% from the quarter ended July. The BCI was at 100.4 in October 2013.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The BCI survey asks four questions with equal weight to the answers such as the overall economic conditions will be better in the next six months, the financial position of firms will improve in the next six months, the present investment climate is positive and the present capacity utilisation is close to or above optimal.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The fall in the BCI in October 2019 was driven by deterioration in sentiment across all four components.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Firms with annual turnover of less than ?1 crore or micro firms was the only group that showed a slight upswing of 2% in BCI over the previous quarter.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Firms with annual turnovers of ?10-100 crores registered the maximum fall of 20.6% in BCI followed by ?100-500 crores and ?1-10 crores firm groups with 17.6% and 14%, respectively.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The other related survey of Political Confidence Index (PCI) released by NCAER fell 35.6% to its lowest since July 2013 after two consecutive increases.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The eight components comprising PCI are “managing overall economic growth", “managing exchange rate", “pushing the economic reforms forward", “managing government finance", “managing conducive political climate", “external trade negotiations", “managing unemployment", and “managing inflation".</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Business Confidence Index</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This business confidence indicator provides information on future developments, based upon opinion surveys on developments in production, orders and stocks of finished goods in the industry sector. It can be used to monitor output growth and to anticipate turning points in economic activity..</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Political Confidence Index</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The PCI measures businesses' expectations from the government on managing economic growth, maintaining a conducive political environment and pushing economic reforms, among other yardsticks.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'business-confidence-index-falls-to-lowest-in-6-years', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e18b/773enatv2udl57y6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e18b/773enatv2udl57y6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Business confidence index falls to lowest in 6 years', 'metakeyword' => 'Business confidence index falls to lowest in 6 years', 'metadescription' => 'Business confidence of India declined to its lowest in six years in August-October, according to the latest survey released by Delhi-based think tank National Council', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/63eb5tj9ptif2gk/Business_confidence_index_falls_to_lowest_in_6_years.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 44 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2769, 'title' => 'Parliamentary panel finds cancer care inadequate in country', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science, Technology and Environment has found out that systematic failure to address the needs of patients contributes to a 20% higher mortality among Indian cancer patients than in countries with a high Human Development Index.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The committee was constituted to examine an expanded role for the Department of Atomic Energy, through the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), to address India’s rising cancer burden. The committee is led by former Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Committee laid emphasis on the fact that mortality to incidence ratio of 0.68 in India is higher than that in very high human development index (HDI) countries (0.38) and high HDI countries (0.57).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The International Agency for Research on Cancer expects India’s cancer burden to increase from an estimated incidence of 13 lakh cases in 2018 to about 17 lakh in 2035, and cancer deaths expected to rise from 8.8 lakh in 2018 to 13 lakh in 2035.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The committee discovered that the incidence of cancer is very high in all North Eastern States, as it is higher than the national average for several types of cancer, showing a consistently rising trend over the past few decades.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Two-thirds of India's cancer patients were treated in the private sector and this forced 6 crore Indians below the poverty line because of catastrophic healthcare related expenditure on cancer.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The committee recommended a ‘Hub and Spoke Model’ proposed by the TMC (Tata Memorial Centre) to better reach out to cancer patients nationally. This approach which is already in practice in Punjab has a network of centres, or hubs, capable of treating complex forms of cancer. </span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">They would be connected to other centres (spokes) capable of treating less complex variants of cancers. The idea is to ease access and minimise travel times for patients.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'parliamentary-panel-finds-cancer-care-inadequate-in-country', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a429/086zdo8pi8r18s86g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/a429/086zdo8pi8r18s86g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Parliamentary panel finds cancer care inadequate in country', 'metakeyword' => 'Parliamentary panel finds cancer care inadequate in country', 'metadescription' => 'Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science, Technology and Environment has found out that systematic failure to address the needs of patients contributes ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/wm42hquycsneaz4/Parliamentary_panel_finds_cancer_care_inadequate_in_country.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 45 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2786, 'title' => 'India home to second highest diabetic patients', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The ninth edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas projections shows that India is home to the second highest number of diabetic patients in the world.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">One in six people with diabetes in the world is from India. The numbers place the country among the top 10 countries for people with diabetes.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The estimation places India at number two with an estimated 77 million diabetics. China leads the list with over 116 million diabetics.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The IDF has stressed the urgency to develop and implement multi-sectoral strategies to combat the growing epidemic.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Medical infrastructure in India needs modification as the current health delivery system is modelled for acute care rather than for chronic care.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The IDF estimates that 10% of global health expenditure is being spent on diabetes. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In addition to people with diabetes, India also has a huge burden of pre-diabetics. If they are targeted with information on the right lifestyle options to help keep blood sugar, lipids and blood pressure under control, at least a third of people can be prevented from developing diabetes.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Way ahead</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">India needs a more effective national diabetes prevention programme which will require cooperation from several quarters, including medical education, health awareness in schools, and urban planning.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It should also be ready to offer treatment options, at least basic care for all who are living with diabetes, and provide for the treatment of various complications that come along with it.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-home-to-second-highest-diabetic-patients', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/6a95/njuz8b7o4z7m6fx6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/6a95/njuz8b7o4z7m6fx6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India home to second highest diabetic patients', 'metakeyword' => 'India home to second highest diabetic patients', 'metadescription' => 'The ninth edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas projections shows that India is home to the second highest number of diabetic patients in the world.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/64ki81apm8myvng/India_home_to_second_highest_diabetic_patients.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 46 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2797, 'title' => 'India sees 2nd highest number of pneumonia deaths of children under five', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> India had the second-highest number of deaths of children under the age of five in 2018 due to pneumonia, according to a new report by the UN.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that globally, pneumonia claimed the lives of more than 800,000 children under the age of five last year. Most deaths occurred among children under the age of two, and almost 153,000 within the first month of life.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report said just five countries were responsible for more than half of child pneumonia deaths: Nigeria (162,000), India (127,000), Pakistan (58,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo (40,000) and Ethiopia (32,000).</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The reports also said that, pneumonia is responsible for 15 per cent of deaths in children under the age of five, and yet, just three per cent of global infectious disease research spending is allocated to the disease.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The strong link between child pneumonia deaths and poverty is undeniable. Around half of all pneumonia-related deaths are associated with air pollution.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Lack of access to drinking water, inadequate health care, and the burden of undernutrition and indoor air pollution are major drivers of vulnerability to the disease.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The UN agency said that the children whose immune systems is weakened by other infections like HIV or by malnutrition, and those living in areas with high levels of air pollution and unsafe water, are at far greater risk.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report also expressed concern that children with severe cases of pneumonia may require oxygen treatment, which is rarely available in the poorest countries to the children who need it.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The organisations are urging governments in the worst-affected countries to develop and implement pneumonia control and prevention strategies and call on richer nations and donors to boost immunisation coverage by lowering the cost of key vaccines.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Pneumonia</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus (purulent material), causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing. </span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">A variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, can cause pneumonia</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'india-sees-2nd-highest-number-of-pneumonia', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/c16c/hxgd8phhm3evpkg6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/c16c/hxgd8phhm3evpkg6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'India sees 2nd highest number of pneumonia deaths', 'metakeyword' => 'India sees 2nd highest number of pneumonia deaths of children under five', 'metadescription' => 'India had the second-highest number of deaths of children under the age of five in 2018 due to pneumonia, according to a new report by the UN.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/1bqifbxkqkrd62z/India_sees_2nd_highest_number.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 47 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2830, 'title' => 'Maternity schemes reaches only one-third beneficiaries', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Programme to support lactating mothers and pregnant women by compensating them for loss of wages during their pregnancy has been able to reach less than a third of the eligible beneficiaries, according to research.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The PMMVY is targeted only at women delivering their first child. A cash amount of 6,000 is transferred to the bank account of the beneficiary in three instalments upon meeting certain conditions including early registration of pregnancy.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Almost 61% of beneficiaries registered under the <strong>Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana </strong>(PMMVY) between April 2018 and July 2019 (38.3 lakh out of the total 62.8 lakh enrolled) received the full amount of 6,000 promised under the scheme.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Since the scheme failed to reach at least 49% of all mothers who would have delivered their first child, the scheme was able to benefit only 31% of its intended beneficiaries.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The scheme brings under its ambit 23% of all births and pays full benefits to a mere 14% of all births.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study found that only 50% of pregnant women and 57% of nursing women surveyed were eligible for the scheme. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It also throws light on the need for higher awareness among the pool of beneficiaries; only 66% of pregnant women and 69% of nursing women knew about the scheme.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Only 8% of pregnant women and 23% of nursing mothers received some benefits.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Reasons for low beneficiaries</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Several factors prevent proper implementation of the programme that aims to fight malnutrition among children. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">These include an application form of about 23 pages, a slew of documents such as mother-child protection card, Aadhaar card, husband’s Aadhaar card and bank passbook aside from linking their bank accounts with Aadhaar.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The requirement to produce the husband’s Aadhaar card results in excluding women who may be living with men they are not married to, single mothers and those who may be staying at their natal home. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Women must also have the address of their marital home on their Aadhaar card, which often results in newly weds being either left out or forced to go from door-to-door when pregnant and needing rest and care.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The survey findings also highlight the need to pay greater attention to the special needs of pregnancy such as good food, extra rest and health care.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'maternity-schemes-reaches', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/34a5/9x1v88bzrqs0uex6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/34a5/9x1v88bzrqs0uex6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'Maternity schemes reaches only one-third beneficiaries', 'metakeyword' => 'Maternity schemes reaches only one-third beneficiaries', 'metadescription' => 'Programme to support lactating mothers and pregnant women by compensating them for loss of wages during their pregnancy has been able to reach', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/5dczgpbzso8f4wl/Maternity_schemes_reaches_only_one-third_beneficiaries.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 48 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2860, 'title' => 'New investments in FY 2020 fall to 15 year low', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The value of new investment projects in the first half of the current financial year has fallen to a 15-year low of ?1.9 lakh crore, according to care rating.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the first half of FY20, stalled projects aggregated to 29,214 crore, 66% lower than the 86,623 crore in the corresponding period last year.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The analysis showed that the overall investment climate, as denoted by new projects undertaken, did indicate a slowdown.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The analysis by economists of the rating agency revealed that there has been a sustained decline in new projects undertaken in the past five years.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The amount for such projects was pegged at ?11.9 lakh crore in FY19, the lowest in the past five years and also marks the fourth consecutive year of contraction.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The investment rate measured as the gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) as a percentage of GDP has declined consistently over the years and remained range-bound between 28% and 29% of GDP in the past 4 years. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">This has been a detrimental factor for the overall economic growth of the country.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The government’s share in such investments declined from 56% in FY15 to 36% in FY19, while that of the private sector rose from 44% to 64% in the same period.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In the first half of FY20, new investments by the private sector contracted by 77%, compared with a 23% growth in the first six months of the previous financial year.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">New investment projects were mainly seen in the manufacturing sector but services and electricity segments witnessed a decline in investments. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Stalled or abandoned projects declined over the last five years, though such government-owned projects increased.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Funding will remain a challenge for some more time until the problems confronting the banking and NBFC sectors are addressed.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'new-investments-in-fy-2020-fall-to-15-year-low', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/378f/56oilhrkn27khqy6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/378f/56oilhrkn27khqy6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'New investments in FY 2020 fall to 15 year low', 'metakeyword' => 'New investments in FY 2020 fall to 15 year low', 'metadescription' => 'The value of new investment projects in the first half of the current financial year has fallen to a 15-year low of ?1.9 lakh crore, according to care rating.', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/file/zqq7jhetk6c8nv1/New_investments_in_FY_2020_fall_to_15_year_low.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 49 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2883, 'title' => 'NSO survey on Open Defecation', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The latest National Statistical Office (NSO) survey on sanitation has refuted the claims of an open defecation-free or ODF India made by the Centre’s flagship Swachh Bharat scheme.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On October 2, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the whole country was ODF with complete access to toilets. The survey showed that about 71% of rural households had access to toilets at a time the Centre was claiming 95%.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">According to the NSO, almost 42% of rural households in Jharkhand had no access to a toilet at that time.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Tamil Nadu, the gap was 37%, followed by 34% in Rajasthan.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Gujarat, which was one of the earliest States declared ODF, back in October 2017, almost a quarter of all rural households had no toilet access, the NSO data showed.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Grameen) said 25 States and Union Territories had been declared ODF, while toilet access across the country touched 95%. In reality, the NSO said 28.7% of rural households had no toilet access at the time. </span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The 71% access to toilets is still a significant improvement over the situation during the last survey period in 2012, when only 40% of rural households had access to toilets.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The NSO’s statistics on toilet usage are also encouraging. It said 95% of people with access to toilets in rural India used them regularly, indicating that the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’s efforts to change behaviour have borne fruit.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Only 3.5% of those with toilet access in rural India said that they never used them. This was aided by the fact that water was available around the toilet in more than 95% of cases.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">NSO data indicates that the next big challenge may lie in the disposal of waste. More than 50% of rural Indian households with toilets had septic tanks, while another 21% used single pits, both of which need to be cleaned and produce faecal sludge that must be disposed of safely.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Only 10% of toilets were built with the twin leach pit system pushed by the Swachh Bharat scheme, which safely composts waste on its own without any need for cleaning or disposal.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0cm"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0cm"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>ODF</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">The term "open defecation free" (ODF) is used to describe communities that have shifted to using a toilet instead of open defecation.</span></span></p> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'posturl' => 'nso-survey-on-open-defecation', 'image' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/6ca3/w7b11zshdfd7v0x6g.jpg', 'fbimage' => 'https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/6ca3/w7b11zshdfd7v0x6g.jpg', 'metatitle' => 'NSO survey on Open Defecation', 'metakeyword' => 'The latest National Statistical Office (NSO) survey', 'metadescription' => 'The latest National Statistical Office (NSO) survey on sanitation has refuted the claims of an open defecation-free or ODF India made by the Centre’s flagship ', 'author' => null, 'downlaodpdf' => 'http://www.mediafire.com/file/xcap3dtenbbzffe/NSO_survey_on_Open_Defecation.pdf/file', '[new]' => false, '[accessible]' => [ [maximum depth reached] ], '[dirty]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[original]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[virtual]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[errors]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[invalid]' => [[maximum depth reached]], '[repository]' => 'currentaffairs' }, (int) 50 => object(Cake\ORM\Entity) { 'tag' => 'Reports & Indices', 'keyword' => 'reports-indices', 'id' => (int) 2888, 'title' => 'Why Indian children are anaemic?', 'description' => '<p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Issue</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">A paper published in <em>Scientific Reports </em>points out that about 58.5% of children below five years of age in India are anaemic.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Background</strong></span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Last month, an ad campaign urged Indian women to invest in iron-rich food and focus on whether they were anaemic. Similarly, a <em>Lancet Global Health </em>report noted that 23% of Indian men suffered from anaemia.</span></span></p> <p style="margin-right:0in"> </p> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Details</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The research team analysed over one lakh children using the National Fertility and Health Survey (2015-16) data.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">They write that socio-demographic factors including wealth of the family, maternal education, maternal age, type of residence are the main reasons behind the incidence of childhood anaemia.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Maternal education plays a very important role in reducing the incidence of childhood anaemia in any society and indeed in India.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">It increases the chances of mothers appreciating the issues involved and taking the correct and appropriate steps towards preventing it.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study also revealed an inverse relationship between the mother's education and incidence of childhood anaemia in India.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The report notes that even the richest households had anaemic children. While 52.9% of children in the rich households were marked anaemic, the number was 63.2% in the poorest households. Vitamin A and iron intake was also lower than the recommended level.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The study also showed that children of younger mothers are more anaemic. It also reveals the power dimension in the household allocation and use of resources.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> <p style="margin-right:0in"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><strong>Measures</strong></span></span></p> <ul> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In addition to maternal influence on childhood anaemia, paternal and overall household influences must be considered for a more comprehensive policy framework for intervention at the household level.</span></span></p> </li> <li> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The researchers have recommended that work be carried out to bridge the gap between policy and practice. They also call for a broader health strategy, to effectively address this issue.</span></span></p> </li> </ul> ', 'created_date' => object(Cake\I18n\FrozenDate) {}, 'p