[pib] Cabinet approval to MoU between India and UK on Global Innovation Partnership

Cabinet approval to GIP The Union Cabinet gave ex-post facto approval to the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) India and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom on Global Innovation Partnership (GIP). GIP will support Indian innovators to scale up their innovations in third countries thereby helping them explore new markets… Continue reading

A ‘One Health’ approach that targets people, animals

The article highlights the need for a holistic approach to animal and human health as more than two-thirds of existing and emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic. Need to document the link between environment animal and human health Studies indicate that more than two-thirds of existing and emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, or can be transferred… Continue reading

Climate change causing a shift in Earth’s axis, finds new study

About the study A study is published in Geophysical Research Letters of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The study has added yet another impact of climate change on the earth – marked shifts in the axis along which the Earth rotates. It says that due to the significant melting of glaciers because of global temperature… Continue reading

RBI to strengthen risk-based supervision (RBS) of banks, NBFCs

About RBS model The RBI uses the Risk-Based Supervision (RBS) model, including both qualitative and quantitative elements, to supervise banks, urban cooperatives banks, non-banking financial companies and all India financial institutions. Decision to review the model The Reserve Bank has decided to review and strengthen the Risk-Based Supervision (RBS) of the banking sector with a… Continue reading

Hottest planet in the known universe discovered

About the plane TOI-1431b, also known as MASCARA-5b, was found 490 light-years from Earth and could be the hottest planet in the known universe. Researchers at the University of Southern Queensland’s Centre for Astrophysics in Toowoomba led the global team that made the discovery. NASA’s Training Exoplanet Survey Satellite first flagged TOI-1431b as a possible… Continue reading

[pib] Seven Indian Navy Ships Deployed for Op Samudra Setu II

Operation Samudra Setu II In support of the nation’s fight against Covid-19 and as part of operation ‘Samudra Setu II’, seven Indian Naval ships have been deployed for shipment of liquid medical oxygen-filled cryogenic containers and associated medical equipment from various countries. Indian Navy also has the surge capability, to deploy more ships when the need arises to… Continue reading

Don’t worry about the deficit

The devastation caused by the second wave calls for the government to shed its worry over the fiscal deficit. The article deals with this issue. Role of fiscal policy to support economy through second wave As India battles to contain the surge in COVID-19 cases, several states have already imposed severe restrictions at the local… Continue reading

[pib] DRDO conducts maiden trial of Python-5 Air to Air Missile

Tejas adds Python-5 in its capacity Tejas, India’s indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, added the 5th generation Python-5 Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) in its air-to-air weapons capability on April 27, 2021. Trials were also aimed to validate enhanced capability of already integrated Derby Beyond Visual Range (BVR) AAM on Tejas. The test firing at Goa completed a… Continue reading

Govt leverage in Covid-19 vaccine pricing

How government regulate prices of drugs The Supreme Court flagged the issue of differential pricing for vaccines among States and the Centre and directed the central government to clarify it in an affidavit. To ensure accessibility, the pricing of essential drugs is regulated centrally through The Essential Commodities Act, 1955. Under Section 3 of the… Continue reading

Major oil and gas producers form Net Zero Producers’ Forum

About the Net Zero Producers’ forum Five of the world’s major oil and gas producers are working together to ‘develop pragmatic net-zero emission strategies’. Qatar, the US, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Norway, collectively responsible for 40% of global oil and gas production, will come together to form a cooperative forum that will develop pragmatic net… Continue reading

Making social welfare universal

The article highlights the need for universal social protection scheme in India and suggests a way to achieve it. Need for universal social security The pandemic has revealed that leveraging our existing schemes and providing universal social security is of utmost importance. This will help absorb the impact of external shocks on our vulnerable populations.… Continue reading

The Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) formally launched

Tackling the supply chain disruption through SCRI The Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) was formally launched on Tuesday by the Trade Ministers of India, Japan and Australia. The three sides agreed that the pandemic revealed supply chain vulnerabilities globally and in the region and noted the importance of risk management and continuity plans in order… Continue reading

Antimicrobial resistance

The article highlights the challenges posed by anti-microbial resistance (AMR) and suggests ways to deal with it. Understanding the severity of challenges posed by AMR Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the phenomenon by which bacteria and fungi evolve and become resistant to presently available medical treatment. AMR represents an existential threat to modern medicine. Without functional… Continue reading

How IPR served as barrier to the right to access healthcare

Request for waiver Last year, India and South Africa requested WTO for a temporary suspension of rules under the 1995 Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). A waiver was sought to the extent that the protections offered by TRIPS impinged on the containment and treatment of COVID-19. The request for a waiver… Continue reading

Understanding the Ct value in a Covid-19 test

Recently, the Maharashtra government sought clarity from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on the threshold Ct value to treat a person Covid-negative. What is Ct value Short for cycle threshold, Ct is a value that emerges during RT-PCR tests. In an RT-PCR test, RNA is extracted from the swab collected from the patient.… Continue reading

Growth of ARCs not in line with NPA trends

Key takeaways from the RBI report The RBI report states that notwithstanding the rise in the number of Asset Reconstruction Companys (ARCs), the growth in their assets under management (AUM) has been largely trendless except for a major spurt in FY14. The growth of the ARC industry has not been consistent over time and not… Continue reading

Undermining vaccination for all

The article highlights the issues with the new vaccine strategy adopted by the government. Revamped vaccine strategy With the second Covid-19 wave reaching catastrophic proportions, the Government of India has acted by unveiling a completely revamped vaccine strategy. Two key elements are the hallmark of this new strategy, which will be implemented from May 1. First,… Continue reading

India third highest military spender in 2020: SIPRI

What the SIPRI database says India was the third largest military spender in the world in 2020, behind only the US and China. The US accounted for 39 per cent of the money spent on military globally, China accounted for 13 per cent, and India accounted for 3.7 per cent of the globe’s share. The… Continue reading

Complexities of herd immunity

What is herd immunity The herd immunity concept is based on lowering the number of susceptible individuals. If sufficient individuals in the population are immune either through vaccination or a prior exposure, then the number of susceptible individuals drops. For example, if the immune population is 70%, then the susceptible population is 30%. Does herd… Continue reading

Centre uses Disaster Management Act to restrict liquid oxygen use for non-medical purposes

Order under Disaster Management Act 2015 Invoking the Disaster Management Act, the Centre ordered States that all liquid oxygen shall be made available to the government and will be used for medical purposes only. The order said that under section 10(2)(I) and section 65 of the DM Act, States had to ensure that “liquid oxygen… Continue reading

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