Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for October 14, 2024. If you missed the October 13, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here

FRONT PAGE

Set up panel to probe campus ‘suicide’: IIM-A students’ body

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies

• General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story- Weeks after a final-year student died allegedly by suicide in his hostel room at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, the institute’s students’ council has demanded setting up of a committee to probe into the circumstances surrounding the death.

Key Points to Ponder-

• What is suicide?

• What are the warning signs of suicide?

• Who is at risk for suicide?

• What is Emile Durkheim’s view on Suicide?

• Suicide Trends in India-What NCRB data says?

• What are the main drivers of suicide risk in India?

• Why is the incidence of suicide on college campuses increasing?

• What are the societal repercussions of suicides?

• What are India’s Initiatives to Reduce Suicides?

• What is National Suicide Prevention Strategy?

For Your Information-

• According to WHO, the link between suicide and mental disorders (in particular, depression and alcohol use disorders) and a previous suicide attempt is well established in high-income countries. However, many suicides happen impulsively in moments of crisis with a breakdown in the ability to deal with life stresses, such as financial problems, relationship disputes, or chronic pain and illness. In addition, experiencing conflict, disaster, violence, abuse or loss and a sense of isolation are strongly associated with suicidal behaviour. Suicide rates are also high among vulnerable groups who experience discrimination, such as refugees and migrants; indigenous peoples; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) persons; and prisoners.

• The urgency to act to prevent suicides has been recognized and prioritized at the highest levels. The reduction of the suicide rate is an indicator in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (the only indicator for mental health), WHO’s General Programme of Work and WHO’s Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2030.

• The first WHO world suicide report, Preventing suicide: a global imperative, published in 2014, aimed to increase the awareness of the public health significance of suicide and suicide attempts and to make suicide prevention a high priority on the global public health agenda. It also aimed to encourage and support countries to develop or strengthen comprehensive national suicide prevention strategies through a multisectoral public health approach.

• In 2021, WHO launched LIVE LIFE: an implementation guide for suicide prevention in countries. Accompanying resources to support the implementation of the four key LIVE LIFE interventions have also been published including the 2024 brochure on Preventing suicide by phasing out highly hazardous pesticides to support limiting access to means, Preventing suicide: a resource for media professionals, update 2023 to encourage responsible reporting of suicide, and the Helping Adolescents Thrive toolkit to foster socio-emotional life-skills among young people.

• At the health sector level, suicide/self-harm is one of the priority conditions in the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), which provides evidence-based technical guidance to scale up service provision and care in countries for mental, neurological and substance use disorders. The mhGAP Intervention Guide (‎mhGAP-IG)‎ includes a specific module for suicide and self-harm to support early identification, assessment, management and follow-up. Through the LIVE LIFE initiative, governments are encouraged and supported to implement a suite of evidence-based interventions and foundational pillars for suicide prevention.

• The Government has released the National Suicide Prevention Strategy in November, 2022. The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention provides a framework for multiple stakeholders to implement activities for prevention of suicides in India. This national strategy aims to reduce suicide mortality by 10% in the country by 2030. The national strategy includes an action framework with proposed actions with key stakeholders, implementation framework and mechanism, thus providing a path forward for preventing suicides.

• The National Mental Health Policy (2014) sees prevention of mental disorders, reduction of suicide and attempted suicide as core priority areas. The Mental Healthcare Act 2017 brought in some necessary changes. The Act that came into force from May 2018 effectively decriminalised attempted suicide, which was punishable under Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code. It ensured that the individuals who have attempted suicide are offered opportunities for rehabilitation from the government as opposed to being tried or punished. Several national programmes such as the National Mental Health Program, National Palliative Care Program, Ayushman Bharat and Nasha Mukti Abhiyaan Task Force are also in place.

Do You Know-

• According to WHO, —Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds. —Seventy-three per cent of global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries. —The reasons for suicide are multi-faceted, influenced by social, cultural, biological, psychological, and environmental factors present across the life-course. —For every suicide there are many more people who attempt suicide. A prior suicide attempt is an important risk factor for suicide in the general population.

• Every year 726 000 people take their own life and there are many more people who make suicide attempts. Every suicide is a tragedy that affects families, communities and entire countries and has long-lasting effects on the people left behind. Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and was the third leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds globally in 2021.

• Suicide does not just occur in high-income countries but is a global phenomenon in all regions of the world. In fact, close to three quarters (73%) of global suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2021.

• Suicide is a serious public health problem that requires a public health response. With timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions, suicides can be prevented. For national responses to be effective, a comprehensive multisectoral suicide prevention strategy is needed.

• According to the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), released in August, 1.64 lakh people died by suicide in 2021 — an increase of 7.2 per cent from 2020. This is 10 per cent higher than the COVID deaths (1.48 lakh) in India in 2020, and 6.8 times the maternal deaths (23,800) in the same year.

• The NCRB report also stated that more than 1,00,000 people die by suicide in the country every year. A total of 25,891 suicides were reported in the 53 megacities of the country during 2021, with the highest in Delhi. In the past three years, the suicide rate in the country has increased from 10.2 to 11.3 per 1,00,000 population. Most suicides in India are by youth and middle-aged adults — with 65 per cent of the suicides in 2020 being reported in the age group of 18-45 years.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Express View on suicide prevention: Pull back from the edge

????Lancet study rethinks suicide prevention strategy: Why we need to look at socio-economic triggers beyond mental health

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????Explain why suicide among young women is increasing in Indian Society (UPSC CSE GS1, 2023)

Govt begins study to find roots of ancient Indian communities

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies I: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.

• General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, biotechnology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.

What’s the ongoing story- IN A first, the government has undertaken a comprehensive scientific study using ancient and modern genomics to “conclusively” find the population history of South Asia, amid conflicting theories about the origin of ancient Indian communities. The study is being undertaken through the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI), which functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture.

Key Points to Ponder-

• “Reconstruction of the population history of South Asia using ancient and modern genomics”-Know in detail

• How this study will help to trace roots of ancient Indian communities?

• What constitutes ancient DNA and what studies has it facilitated?

• What are the recent results? What do they establish?

• Why DNA study is significant?

• What is Aryan invasion theory?

• Why is the Aryan invasion theory disputed by some historians

• “Comparative study of ancient DNA with that of modern DNA from India holds immense significance in uncovering India’s complex migration history”-Elaborate

• What is genome and genome sequencing?

• Anthropological Survey of India-Know in brief

For Your Information-

• In the 19th century, Western scholars had proposed the Aryan invasion theory, according to which a class of fair-skinned, agrarian people, who migrated from Central Asia to India after the Indus Valley period (2000-1,500 BC), played a significant role in civilising the subcontinent. However, according to several modern archaeologists in India, the Aryans were indigenous people who resided mainly along the Saraswati River. Once it dried up, they migrated to regions within and outside India and also settled in the Indus Valley. The ASI cites recent excavations from the 4,000-year-old archaeological site in Sinauli, Uttar Pradesh, where they found evidence of burials of warriors, weapons and chariots which is indigenous in nature. Recently, some changes were made to NCERT textbooks based on these findings, stressing on the continuity of Indian civilisation for 5,000 years, casting doubts on Aryan migration.

• THE STUDY, using scientific techniques such as DNA analysis, aims to offer insights into the movement of ancient populations in India. The evidence will also help understand the expansion of the ancient Indian population over time.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????The Long Walk: Did the Aryans migrate into India? New genetics study adds to debate

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

???? Write a Short note on Genome (UPSC Mains, 2007)

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

????‘Aerial metagenomics’ best refers to which one of the following situations? (UPSC Prelims, 2023) (a) Collecting DNA samples from air in a habitat at one go (b) Understanding the genetic makeup of avian species of a habitat (c) Using air-bome devices to collect blood samples from moving animals (d) Sending drones to inaccessible areas to collect plant and animal samples from land surfaces and water bodies

????With reference to agriculture in India, how can the technique of ‘genome sequencing’, often seen in the news, be used in the immediate future? (2017) 1. Genome sequencing can be used to identify genetic markers for disease resistance and drought tolerance in various crop plants. 2. This technique helps in reducing the time required to develop new varieties of crop plants. 3. It can be used to decipher the host-pathogen relationships in crops. Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

EXPRESS NETWORK

NCPCR asks govt to ensure disclaimers on OTTs to keep minors off adult content

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

What’s the ongoing story– The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has written to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, asking it to ensure that over-the-top (OTT) platforms display disclaimers in “English, Hindi, and local/regional languages before showing any adult content”.

Key Points to Ponder-

• What is the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)?

• What are the powers of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights?

• Is NCPCR a Constitutional, Statutory & Quasi-Judicial Body?

• How does the Indian Constitution protect the rights of children?

• How does the Govt of India protects the rights of children?

• Why the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wants over-the-top (OTT) platforms display disclaimers in “English, Hindi, and local/regional languages before showing any adult content”?

• What Section 11 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act says?

• What are child protection acts in India?

• What are the challenges faced by children in India?

For Your Information-

• The NCPCR’s letter to the Ministry dated September 19 came after it convened a meeting in August with representatives of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), and various central ministries to “address the alarming increase among minor children committing crime after watching pornographic content”. The letter was also sent to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Telecommunications, with recommendations for necessary action.

• Section 11 of the POCSO Act refers to actions that constitute sexual harassment of a child, including showing “any object to a child in any form or media for pornographic purposes”. The punishment in this case is imprisonment up to three years and a fine. Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act details punishment for cruelty to a child – assaulting, abusing, neglecting, exposing, abandoning the child is punishable by imprisonment up to three years or a fine of Rs 1 lakh or both.

• The NCPCR has also recommended that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ensure that social media platforms “obtain verifiable consent” from parents in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. The Act states that before processing any personal data of a child, the data fiduciary shall obtain verifiable consent of the parent or guardian.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????NCPCR issues guidelines for assessment of child suspects in heinous offences

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????Discuss the constitutional provisions regarding the rights of children. (UPSC CSE Mains, 2001)

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Extending social justice

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

What’s the ongoing story-K. Satyanarayana, Satish Deshpande Writes: It is distressing that arguments used against reservation earlier are being used now to oppose sub-categorisation within Scheduled Castes.

Key Points to Ponder-

• First of all, what is sub Categorisation within castes?

• What exactly the Supreme Court said on Sub-Classifications of SCs and STs?

• What are the grounds for sub-categorisation?

• What are the arguments for and against sub-categorisation?

• What is subcategory of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (STs)?

• What is E V Chinnaiah vs State of Andhra Pradesh case?

• How the legal debate over sub-categorisation among SCs has evolved over the years?

Do You Know-

• Unlike OBCs, there is no creamy layer for SCs and STs. Backwardness among SCs also draws from the practice of untouchability – sub-categorisation may sharpen differences within and bring in competitive affirmative action. Already, there is demand for OBC status from groups like Marathas, Patels and Jats. That’s why the move is fraught. Of the nearly 17 per cent SC population in Telangana, Madigas account for nearly 50 per cent but they argue that most opportunities are cornered by another influential SC community Mala. So they have launched an agitation asking for a distinct quota for them. There are Mala-like examples in other states, too: the Paswans in Bihar or the Jatavs in UP.

• If the government decides to go ahead with sub-categorisation of SCs then, what steps will be taken?

• The issue of sub-categorisation among SCs has a fraught history-why so?

• A retrospective exploration-In 2004, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court struck down an Andhra Pradesh law for sub-categorisation of SCs; in 2020, a five-judge bench of the SC held that the state has the power to do so but requested the Chief Justice to refer the matter to a bench of seven or more judges. That is still pending. States like Haryana in 1994, Punjab in 2006 and Tamil Nadu in 2008 moved to bring about sub-categorisation within their SCs but all these are on hold pending the SC decision. The latest on this front happened in Karnataka in February this year, when the Bommai government passed a resolution to sub-categorise SC quotas. When contacted, then state Law Minister J C Madhuswamy told The Indian Express: “The matter is pending with the Centre now.”

• Way back in 2006-07, the Centre had set up the National Commission to examine the issue of Sub-categorisation of SCs (NCSCSC) in Andhra Pradesh. It recommended sub-categorisation but the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) did not agree. According to an affidavit filed in the SC in March 2000, 14 states had disagreed and seven states had agreed on sub-categorisation in their replies to a query from the Centre.

• The Government has set up the Rohini Commission-What is Rohini Commission for?

• Why the G Rohini commission was set up?

• What is the Commission’s brief?

• What is sub-categorisation of OBCs?

• What is the need for sub-categorisation of OBCs?

• What were the terms of reference of the Rohini Commission?

• How did the work of the Commission proceed?

For Your Information-

• In a 6:1 landmark verdict, the Supreme Court on August 1, 2024 allowed the sub-categorisation of scheduled castes in reservations, allowing wider protection for underrepresented groups.

• A seven-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has thus ruled on whether sub-classification of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is permissible for the purpose of reservation. The ruling will have crucial consequences for states which want to give wider protection to some castes that are grossly underrepresented despite reservation, in comparison to the so-called dominant scheduled castes. The court also held that “historical and empirical evidence indicates that Scheduled castes are not a homogenous class.”

• According to writers of this article, the crux of the judgment concerns the “deemed fiction” by which legal entities are invented. In a lucid and compelling argument, Justices D Y Chandrachud and Manoj Mishra establish that, when it creates the legal category of the “Scheduled Castes”, Article 341 of the Constitution is not really bringing into existence a new “caste”. Rather, it is selecting certain preexisting castes (or sections thereof) for membership in this new category. Therefore, if Article 341 — and by extension Article 342 on the Scheduled Tribes — are to be considered “deeming fictions”, they can be so considered only as acts of selection rather than creation.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Supreme Court allows sub-categorisation in Scheduled Caste reservation: What is the case?

????How the legal debate over sub-categorisation among SCs has evolved over the years

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

????What are the two major legal initiatives by the State since Independence addressing discrimination against Scheduled Tribes (STs). (UPSC CSE 2017)

THE IDEAS PAGE

The problem with free food

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.

What’s the ongoing story-Ashok Gulati writes: Regime of highly ineffective food and fertiliser subsidies must be reformed. Government needs to summon the courage to bite the bullet, ensure enough lead time to prepare for proper implementation.

Key Points to Ponder-

• Know more about World Food Day

• What is National Food Security Act (NFSA)?

• Why writer of this article feels that the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government’s food subsidy regime and PDS scheme was the most rational policy decision? How far you agree with the same?

• What is “Right to Food”?

• “Right to Food” and “distributing free food”-why they are opposite to each other?

• “The current NDA government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has used a different definition to measure poverty”-How this government measures Poverty? Compare the same with previous methods?

• “Free food beyond this 15 per cent of the population is nothing else but a vote-catching tactic”-Do you agree?

• There is a thin line between Welfare policies and freebies-can you spot that differences?

• “Digitisation of the agri-food system can come in very handy in chalking out a more rational and robust system that can help achieve the Zero Hunger goal of SDGs by 2030”-Elaborate

For Your Information-

• October 16 is observed as World Food Day every year by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). It is a reminder of the commitment made at the highest level to ensure food and nutritional security. The world has made tremendous progress in increasing food production by large-scale adoption of better seeds, more irrigation, and higher doses of fertilisers and pesticides. Farm machinery has become more efficient. All this could not have been done without increasing incentives to farmers — input subsidies, higher prices for their produce, or a mix of some of the two. Globally, as per the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI report) of FAO, roughly 2.33 billion people still face moderate to severe food insecurity. This a challenge to those committed to providing food and nutrition security to all.

• This year’s theme of FAO’s World Food Day is “Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future”. The “Right to Food” approach of the FAO encouraged the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh to pass the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in 2013.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Why reforming the system of free food is necessary

????In India, changes in food consumption patterns capture important trends

GOVT & POLITICS

Defence Ministry seeks more funds to expand scope of iDEX scheme

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

What’s the ongoing story– The Ministry of Defence is seeking to expand the scope of its flagship Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) scheme and has sought additional funds from the Finance Ministry to keep it going, The Indian Express has learnt.

Key Points to Ponder-

• What is the iDEX initiative scheme?

• What are the other initiatives to modernize Defence Sector?

• What is ADITI scheme?

For Your Information-

• The Department of Defence Production (DDP) under the Ministry of Defence has already exhausted around 90% of the total Rs 498.78 crore approved for the scheme for a period of five years — from 2021-22 to 2025-26. The iDEX scheme aims to provide financial support to nearly 300 startups, MSMEs and individual innovators and about 20 partner incubators for the development of niche defence and aerospace technologies.

• As per official data, till August this year, procurement of 37 products successfully developed under iDEX worth Rs 2,370 crore have been approved, of which procurement contracts of 21 products worth Rs 800 crore have already been signed. More challenges are being launched under iDEX. As per the data, over 300 of them have been declared iDEX winners.

• An official said the need for additional funds had also been recommended by the Revised Cost Committee (RCC) in 2023 and the process for third-party evaluation of the scheme has already been initiated for completion within the current financial year. Once approved, it will take the total cost of the central sector scheme to around Rs 996 crore.

• Initially, the grant provided to iDEX winners was Rs 1.5 crore, but the iDEX scheme was expanded to iDEX Prime later, with the assistance increasing from Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 10 crore. This is because several stakeholders felt that despite having the capability and the technical knowhow, the ceiling of Rs 1.5 crore was a constraint in developing advanced and complex systems in the niche domain of defence and aerospace.

• Earlier this year, the Defence Minister launched another initiative — the Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) scheme — to promote innovations in critical and strategic defence technologies under which start-ups are eligible to receive grant-in-aid of up to Rs 25 crore for their research, development and innovation endeavours in defence technology.

• The ADITI scheme worth Rs 750 crore for the period 2023-24 to 2025-26 falls under the iDEX framework and aims to develop about 30 deep-tech critical and strategic technologies in a proposed timeframe, while bridging the gap between the expectations and requirements of the modern Armed Forces and the capabilities of the defence innovation ecosystem.

• As per a government statement, in the first edition of ADITI, 17 challenges – three for the Indian Army, five each for the Navy and the Indian Air Force and four for the Defence Space Agency — were launched. Earlier this month, Singh launched the ADITI 2.0, featuring 19 challenges from the armed forces and allied agencies in the domains of artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology, military communication, anti-drone systems customised for military platforms and adaptive camouflage among others.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????India’s atmanirbhar defence sector

 ECONOMY

As senior living expands, developers and policymakers strive to keep up

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story– Once limited to the southern states, India’s senior living market is rapidly expanding nationwide, driven by evolving societal norms and the increasing nuclearisation of families. Seniors are no longer waiting for medical needs to consider a move to specialised housing—many in their early 60s are opting for independent units to enhance their quality of life. Project developers, too, are targeting growth in temple towns like Varanasi, where more seniors are choosing to spend their later years in a culturally and spiritually rich environment.

Key Points to Ponder-

• What is the population status of the elderly in India?

• What are the challenges faced by the elderly in India?

• ‘With India’s senior population—those aged 60 and above—set to more than double in the next 25 years, this demographic is attracting growing interest from policymakers, regulators, and businesses’-Examine

• The North/South divide in India’s senior population-know in detail

For Your Information-

• In a 2019 report, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) noted that by 2027 India will have the highest population increase, overtaking China as the world’s most populous country. India did, in fact, overtake China as the most populous country this year. The report predicts that between now and 2050, India, along with Nigeria, Pakistan, Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Egypt and the United States, will show the highest increase in population and will make up over half the world’s population. Further, the population of Sub-Saharan Africa will double by 2050. But, the rest of the world presents a very different picture.

• The world is greying faster than ever. David Bloom, writing for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2020, observed, “greying” is the dominant trend in the 21st century. According to him, “this is a cumulative result of increasing longevity, declining fertility and the progression of larger cohorts to older ages.” For instance, over 28 per cent of Japan’s population is aged 65 years and above. Three decades ago, in the 1970s, “the world was populated by more than three times as many adolescents and young adults (15 to 24-year-olds) than older people.” By 2050, these age groups will be “on par”.

• The UNFPA recently released the India Aging Report, 2023. It declares that “globally, there are 1.1 billion persons aged 60 years and above in 2022, comprising 13.9 per cent of the total population of 7.9 billion. Over the next three decades, the number of older persons worldwide is expected to double to 2.1 billion by 2050, with the share rising to 22 per cent of the total population. In 2022, there were 149 million persons aged 60 years and above in India, comprising about 10.5 per cent of the country’s population. By 2050, the share of older persons will double to 20.8 per cent, with the absolute number at 347 million.” The report points out that “the unprecedented rise in the ageing population will have significant implications for health, economy and society in India”.

• The UNFPA sets out the challenge of declining fertility rates that developed and developing countries will experience at different points in time. And it situates India within this context. The report points out that developing countries are presently witnessing a significant drop in fertility levels far sooner in their development journey than developed countries did. “Most of the developed world had much higher per capita income levels when their populations began to age, which made it easier for them to handle the economic pressures caused by ageing populations. Developed countries, in other words, had a far bigger economic pie that they could use to sustain their elderly people when their populations began to age rapidly. Countries like India do not enjoy that luxury.”

• The greying of countries is a global phenomenon. In India, by 2050, the elderly will constitute 20 per cent of our population. This is unsurprising because the National Family Health Survey 2022 showed that except for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (amongst the larger states) fertility levels elsewhere have dropped below the replacement level of 2.1. Importantly, in urban India, the fertility rate is at 1.6, which is comparable to that of the developed world. This is below replacement level, and combined with increased longevity, will ensure that the elderly constitute a significant segment of our population.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????The world is getting older. Can India cope?

EXPLAINED

Issues in the treatment of ‘rare diseases’, and what the govt can do

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

What’s the ongoing story– The Delhi High Court last week issued directions aimed at improving the availability of so-called “orphan drugs”, which are medications used to treat “rare diseases” — defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a debilitating, lifelong condition that affects 1 or fewer people in 1,000.

Key Points to Ponder-

• What is orphan drug?

• What are “rare diseases”?

For Your Information-

• Around 55 medical conditions — including Gaucher’s disease, Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs), and certain forms of muscular dystrophy — are classified as rare diseases in India. The National Registry for Rare and Other Inherited Disorders (NRROID) started by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has the records of 14,472 rare disease patients in the country.

• In India, rare diseases are categorised into three groups based on the nature and complexity of available treatment options. Group 1 includes diseases that can be treated with a one-time curative procedure. Group 2 diseases require long-term or lifelong treatment which are relatively less costly and have shown documented benefits, but patients need regular check-ups. Group 3 diseases are those for which effective treatments are available, but they are expensive and must often continue lifelong. There are challenges in selecting the right beneficiaries for these treatments.

• In 2021, the National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD) was launched, under which financial assistance up to Rs 50 lakh is provided to patients receiving treatment at an identified CoE. The CoEs include AIIMS in Delhi, PGIMER in Chandigarh and the Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research at Kolkata’s SSKM Hospital.

• The following year, the Health Ministry opened a Digital Portal for Crowdfunding & Voluntary Donations with information about patients and their rare diseases, the estimated cost of treatment, and bank details of the CoEs. Donors can choose the CoE and patient treatments they wish to support. Each CoE also has its own Rare Disease Fund, which is used with approval from its governing authority.

• In August 2024, the government told Parliament that financial assistance of Rs 24 crore had been released to CoEs for treating rare disease patients until August in the current financial year. Before that, Rs 3.15 crore, Rs 34.99 crore, and Rs 74 crore was released in 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 respectively. Further, Rs 35 crore has been released for purchasing equipment to improve patient care services.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

????Delhi HC directs Centre to set up Rs 974 crore rare disease fund 

WHAT ARE ‘DRAGON DRONES’, BEING USED IN RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.

What’s the ongoing story– A deadly new weapon has taken to the skies in the Russia-Ukraine war. Both sides have posted visuals of drones appearing to rain down fire — earning this weapon the moniker of “dragon drone”.

Key Points to Ponder-

• What are ‘dragon drones’?

• What is Thermite?

• Has thermite been used in weapons before?

• Is it legal to use thermite in weapons?

For Your Information-

• Dragon drones essentially release a substance called thermite — a mixture of aluminium and iron oxide — developed a century ago to weld railroad tracks. When ignited (usually with the help of an electrical fuse), thermite triggers a self-sustaining reaction that is quite difficult to extinguish. It can burn through almost anything, from clothes to trees to military-grade vehicles, and can even burn underwater. On humans, it causes severe, possibly fatal, burns and bone damage.

• “Combining thermite with high-precision drones that can bypass traditional defences makes dragon drones ‘highly effective’ and ‘dangerous’,” Al Jazeera quoted the United Kingdom-based anti-war advocacy organisation Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) as saying. Dragon drones are believed to have been first deployed in the Russia-Ukraine war around September. According to a report by The New York Times, Ukrainian forces used them to “ignite the vegetation that Russian troops use for cover and burn it out, exposing them and their equipment to direct attack.” Soon, the Russians too began to produce and deploy their dragon drones.

• Thermite was used in both world wars. During World War I, German zeppelins dropped thermite-laden bombs which were considered an innovation at the time. By World War II, thermite-laden high incendiary explosives became a part and parcel of both the Allies and Axis forces’ aerial bombing campaigns. According to some estimates, the Allies dropped some 30 million 4-pound thermite bombs on Germany and another 10 million on Japan during World War II. Thermite hand grenades were also used during the war to disable artillery pieces, without an explosion. In modern conflict, thermite is most often used by espionage agents, or special operations teams due to its ability to burn intensely but without a bang.

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