With the help of UNICEF, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently conducted the first-ever comprehensive National Nutrition Survey.

The survey recorded malnutrition that included micronutrient deficiencies and details of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and kidney function in children and adolescents.

Steps Taken by Government of India to curb incidences of Malnutrition:

Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): Rs.6,000 is transferred directly to the bank accounts of pregnant women for availing better facilities for their delivery.
POSHAN Abhiyaan: aims to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anemia and low birth weight babies through synergy and convergence among different programs, better monitoring and improved community mobilization.
National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, aims to ensure food and nutrition security for the most vulnerable through its associated schemes and programmes, making access to food a legal right.
Mid-day Meal (MDM) scheme aims to improve nutritional levels among school children which also has a direct and positive impact on enrolment, retention, and attendance in schools.

NITI Aayog releases the first edition of the School Education Quality Index (SEQI).

School Education Quality Index (SEQI):

1. Developed by NITI Aayog to evaluate the performance of States and Union Territories (UTs) in the school education sector.
2. Aim: To bring an ‘outcomes’ focus on education policy by providing States and UTs with a platform to identify their strengths and weaknesses and undertake requisite course corrections or policy interventions.
3. The index is developed through a collaborative process, including key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD), the World Bank and sector experts.

It consists of 30 critical indicators that assess the delivery of quality education.

How are they ranked?

1. To facilitate a like-for-like comparison, States and UTs have been grouped as Large States, Small States, and UTs.
2. States’ and UTs’ performance on Learning Outcomes is driven by their results on the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2017.
3. Their performance on Access Outcomes is primarily driven by enrolment ratios at the secondary level and transition rates from upper-primary to secondary level.
4. In terms of Infrastructure & Facilities for Outcomes, States’ and UTs’ performance is strongly linked to the presence of Computer Aided-Learning (CAL) at the elementary level and vocational education at the secondary and senior secondary level.

The government is planning to procure penicillin centrally for three years and give it to all children between 5-15 years who are diagnosed with rheumatic fever.
The drug will be dispensed through primary health centers or administered by ASHAs.

Rheumatic fever

A rare but potentially life-threatening disease, rheumatic fever is a complication of untreated strep throat caused by bacteria called group A streptococcus.
The main symptoms — fever, muscle aches, swollen and painful joints, and in some cases, a red rash — typically begin two to four weeks.
The knees, ankles, elbows, and wrists are the joints most likely to become swollen from rheumatic fever.
The pain often migrates from one joint to another.
However, the greatest danger from the disease is the damage it can do to the heart.

Why a concern?

India has a high burden of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease — the latter often goes undiagnosed and leads to many maternal deaths at the time of childbirth.
Studies indicate the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in India to be about 2/1000 population.
However surveys conducted in school children in the age group of 5-16 years by ICMR gives overall prevalence of 6/1000.
Rheumatic fever is endemic in India and remains one of the major causes of cardiovascular disease, accounting for nearly 25-45% of acquired heart disease.

Reviving Penicillin

Penicillin, discovered in 1928, is still the first line antibiotic in many western countries, but it gradually went out of the Indian market even though some of its more expensive derivatives continue to be prescribed.
Penicillin appears to reduce the attack rate in rheumatic fever by as much as 80%.
Penicillin went out of production in India because of unrealistic price control.

The Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds.

The Bonds will be sold through Scheduled Commercial banks (except Small Finance Banks and Payment Banks), Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices, and recognized stock exchanges viz., National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange Limited.

About the Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme:

1. The sovereign gold bond was introduced by the Government in 2015.
2. The government introduced these bonds to help reduce India’s over-dependence on gold imports.
3. The move was also aimed at changing the habits of Indians from saving in physical form of gold to a paper form with Sovereign backing.

Key facts:

Eligibility: The bonds will be restricted for sale to resident Indian entities, including individuals, HUFs, trusts, universities and charitable institutions.

Denomination and tenor: The bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of 1 gram. The tenor will be for a period of 8 years with exit option from the 5th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.

Minimum and Maximum limit: The minimum permissible investment limit will be 1 gram of gold, while the maximum limit will be 4 kg for individual, 4 kg for HUF and 20 kg for trusts and similar entities per fiscal (April-March) notified by the government from time to time.

Joint Holder: In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 4 kg will be applied to the first applicant only.

Collateral: Bonds can be used as collateral for loans. The loan-to-value (LTV) ratio is to be set equal to ordinary gold loan mandated by the Reserve Bank from time to time.

Tenor: The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8 years with exit option after 5^th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.

Interest rate: The investors will be compensated at a fixed rate of 2.50 percent per annum payable semi-annually on the nominal value.

2017 UPSC Prelims

Sathyamangalam forest range is a significant wildlife corridor in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve between the Western Ghats and the rest of the Eastern Ghats and a genetic link between the four other protected areas which it adjoins, including the Billigiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, Sigur Plateau, Mudumalai National Park and Bandipur National Park.