Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Various Insurance Schemes
Mains level: Insurance based healthcare funding, benefits and drawbacks
Central Idea
- The Tamil Nadu public health model has achieved success in improving healthcare outcomes and maintaining equity in healthcare delivery. However, the shift in healthcare funding to insurance companies has brought both benefits and drawbacks to the public healthcare system.
The key features of the Tamil Nadu public health model
- Primary Healthcare: The Tamil Nadu public health model is based on a strong emphasis on primary healthcare, which is the first point of contact for patients seeking medical attention. Primary healthcare centres provide basic healthcare services and preventive care, which are critical to reducing the burden of disease.
- Public Health Infrastructure: The state has a well-established public health infrastructure, including a network of primary healthcare centres, secondary and tertiary care hospitals, and medical colleges. The state government has also invested in health infrastructure, including sanitation facilities, water supply, and waste management.
- Health Insurance: The Tamil Nadu government has implemented a comprehensive health insurance scheme, the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS), which provides free healthcare services to families living below the poverty line and low-income groups.
- Human Resource Development: The state government has also focused on developing human resources in healthcare. It has set up a large number of nursing and paramedical institutions to train healthcare professionals.
- Health Awareness: The Tamil Nadu government has launched various health awareness campaigns to educate people about health issues, including communicable and non-communicable diseases. The government has also launched campaigns to promote healthy lifestyle choices, such as a balanced diet and regular exercise.
- Partnership with NGOs: The government has partnered with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to implement various health programs. These partnerships have helped in the effective delivery of healthcare services in remote and rural areas of the state.
- Innovations: Tamil Nadu has implemented several innovative approaches in healthcare, such as telemedicine, which enables patients to receive medical consultation and treatment remotely using technology. The state has also established mobile clinics to provide healthcare services to people living in remote areas.
Benefits of Decentralization
- Improved access to healthcare: Decentralization can help to improve access to healthcare services, particularly in rural or remote areas. By empowering local communities and healthcare providers to make decisions about healthcare delivery, services can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the population.
- Better quality of care: Decentralization can lead to better quality of care by enabling healthcare providers to respond more quickly and effectively to the needs of their patients. It can also promote innovation and experimentation in healthcare delivery, leading to new and improved approaches to patient care.
- Increased accountability: Decentralization can increase accountability in healthcare delivery by empowering local communities and healthcare providers to monitor and evaluate the quality of care. This can help to identify and address problems in healthcare delivery, leading to improved outcomes for patients.
- Cost savings: Decentralization can lead to cost savings in healthcare delivery by reducing the administrative costs associated with centralized decision-making and management. It can also promote greater efficiency in healthcare delivery, leading to reduced waste and duplication of services.
- Insurance funding in healthcare refers to the use of insurance mechanisms to finance healthcare services. This involves pooling financial resources from individuals or groups through insurance schemes, which are then used to pay for healthcare services.
- Insurance funding can help to mitigate the financial risks associated with healthcare, and ensure that individuals have access to the care they need without incurring excessive costs.
Drawbacks of Insurance Funding
- Shifted focus: The focus on indemnity and negotiations with insurance companies has shifted the focus of hospitals from patient care to claiming money.
- Compromised quality of service: The appointment of contractual employees with meager pay has created a divide between permanent high-paid staff and temporary low-salaried staff, leading to a compromise in the quality of service.
Facts for prelims
| Type of Insurance Funding |
Description |
| Private health insurance |
Purchased by individuals or employers to cover healthcare costs. Coverage, cost, and benefits vary widely and may be offered by commercial insurers, nonprofit organizations, or government programs |
| Public health insurance |
Provided by government-run programs, typically funded through taxes or other government revenues. Coverage is provided to eligible individuals based on criteria such as age, income, or medical need. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) is a government-funded health insurance program that provides free health coverage to economically disadvantaged families across India. |
| Social health insurance |
A hybrid model that combines elements of private and public insurance. Individuals and employers contribute to a national insurance fund that is used to pay for healthcare services, typically managed by a government agency but delivered by private providers |
| Employer-sponsored insurance |
Private insurance provided by employers to their employees, often mandatory in many countries. Employers are required to provide a certain level of coverage to their employees. |
Conclusion
- While insurance funding has brought benefits, it has also created challenges, including the erosion of compassion among health professionals and a diversion of funds from public to private hospitals. It is necessary to strike a balance between decentralization, insurance funding, and preserving the fundamental principles of equity, compassion, and excellence in care to maintain the success of Tamil Nadu’s public healthcare system.
Mains Question
Q. Highlight the benefits of decentralization in healthcare delivery. Analyse the benefits and drawbacks of insurance funding in India?
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Mission Adaptation
Mains level: Climate change, Allocation of funds and Mitigation measures Mission Adaptation
Central Idea
- The budget for 2023-24 in India includes some measures towards climate change mitigation, but adaptation has not been given adequate attention. The government needs to adopt a Mission Adaptation to create a supportive ecosystem for all entities to come together and work towards developing locally-sound adaptation solutions.
- Allocation for green transition: The budget for 2023-24 in India has allocated funds towards climate change mitigation, with a focus on green growth initiatives targeted at reducing the carbon intensity of the economy such as green mobility, energy efficiency, and the green hydrogen mission announcement.
- Promoting nature based initiatives: Nature-based solutions such as the mangrove plantation initiative and the community-based wetland conservation scheme also promise to have potentially positive impacts in mitigating climate change.
Lack of Attention to Climate Change Adaptation
- Climate change is addressed indirectly: While climate change mitigation has received attention in the budget, climate change adaptation has been addressed only indirectly.
- No measures towards enhancing resilience: The budget does not include measures towards enhancing the resilience of communities and habitations to climate change’s impact, despite India’s high vulnerability to climate change.
- For instance: Measures to account for climate change-induced risks, such as the recent example of Joshimath, do not find explicit mention in the budget.
Funding for Adaptation
- Adaptation has traditionally received far less attention than mitigation in the global climate discourse, resulting in lower funding for adaptation.
- In India, the ratio of funding for climate adaptation to mitigation stands at 1:10. While funding for mitigation is also underfunded, with only 25% of the requirement met, the gap for adaptation stands much higher, at only 7.9% of the needed funds.
Challenges in Funding Adaptation
- Adapting to climate change often requires highly local and nature-based solutions that do not have a classically-measured ROI. Consequently, mainstream, interest-seeking capital flowing into adaptation is scant.
- Climate adaptation has largely remained a publicly-funded endeavor in India, with nearly 100% of the funding for adaptation coming from public sources. International funding has also remained scarce due to the skewed discourse on climate change.
The Need for a Strategic Investment
- Climate shocks are anticipated to get more frequent and severe, and in the absence of resilience-building for communities and habitations, the impact could be devastating.
- The public sector must view resilience building as a strategic priority and actively address this matter.
- Climate adaptation must come to be seen as a strategic investment by the public sector, which it must make in order to climate-proof lives, livelihoods, the environment, and the economy.
Mission Adaptation
- Mission Adaptation is a term used in the context of climate change and refers to the need for a strategic, proactive approach to building adaptive capacity in order to climate-proof lives, livelihoods, the environment and the economy.
- It is a proposed initiative for creating a supportive ecosystem for all entities, including the private sector, non-profits, and civil society, to come together and work towards developing and scaling up locally-sound adaptation solutions in India.
- The idea is to view climate adaptation as a strategic investment by the public sector and to bridge complex challenges faced by society today using the idea of public purpose to guide policy and business activity.
Conclusion
- Given the increasing frequency at which climate-related stress is occurring and is expected to occur, the public sector will remain a crucial contributor to funding for climate adaptation. The government must work towards developing a more systemic understanding of resilience and support efforts aimed at building such an understanding across the ecosystem to make Mission Adaptation a reality.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Internet shutdowns in India and its impact
Central Idea
- Earlier this month, the Punjab government suspended mobile internet and SMS services for more than four days as it launched an operation to arrest a pro-Khalistani preacher. This is not an isolated incident in India, with the country recording the highest number of internet shutdowns in the world.
Internet shutdowns in the world
- India has recorded the highest number of internet shutdowns in the world.
- Such shutdowns are never or almost never implemented in most parts of Europe, North and South America, and Oceania, while they are rampant in Africa and Asia.
- Punjab: The Software Freedom Law Center has recorded eight such shutdowns in Punjab alone.
- Southern states: Southern states, on the other hand, have only recorded six such shutdowns in the same period, with no instance of internet shutdown in Kerala.
- Northern states: Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have recorded the highest number of internet shutdowns in India.
Absence of Centralised Data
- Absence of data: The Central government does not collate data on internet shutdowns imposed by state governments, which was strongly recommended by the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology.
- Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology: The Committee came down heavily on the use of internet shutdowns as a substitute for enforcing law and order and wanted the reasons, duration, decision of the competent authority and of the review committees to be noted for every internet shutdown, and for the information to be made public.
Need for Internet Shutdowns
- Civil unrest: Internet serves as a medium for the transmission of information through pictures, videos and text that have the potential to cause civil unrest and exacerbate the law and order.
- Fake news: Shutdowns in order to block the flow of information about government actions or to end communication among activists and prevent the spread of rumors and fake news.
- Rumors: Shutdown helps prevent the “spreading of rumors and misinformation using social media platforms which can hinder peace and law and order”.
- Preventive Response: Cutting off the Internet is both an early and preventive response to block restive groups to organize riots against the Government.
- National Interest: The Internet cannot be independent of national sovereignty. Therefore, the necessary regulation of the internet is a reasonable choice of sovereign countries based on national interests.
Costs of Internet Shutdowns
- Education: Shutdowns also impact education, as students and teachers are unable to access online learning materials and tools. This can lead to a disruption of education and a negative impact on academic performance.
- For instance: A UN report noted that in Kashmir, long-standing restrictions on connectivity undermined the education of students relying on remote education,
- Economy: Businesses that rely on the internet to operate may suffer significant financial losses during shutdowns. This is particularly true for online retailers, e-commerce platforms, and other digital service providers.
- For instance: A 2018 paper estimated that India lost around $3 billion between 2012 and 2017 due to shutdowns.
- Health: The internet plays a critical role in disseminating health information and enabling telemedicine. Shutdowns can make it difficult for people to access vital health information or receive medical care.
- Communication: Internet shutdowns severely limit people’s ability to communicate with one another, both within the affected region and with the rest of the world. This can make it difficult to coordinate protests or other forms of social and political activism, as well as to stay in touch with friends and family members.
- Human rights: Internet shutdowns violate people’s human rights, including freedom of expression and access to information. They can also hinder the ability of journalists and activists to report on human rights abuses.
- Politics: Shutdowns can be used to suppress political opposition and prevent dissent. This is particularly true during elections or times of political unrest, where the government may seek to limit the spread of information that could be used against them.
Mains Question
Q. What are the reasons behind the high number of internet shutdowns in India also discuss socio economic impact of such shutdowns.
Conclusion
- Internet shutdowns in India are a growing concern, with a significant impact on education, healthcare, and the economy. However, the government has no mechanism to assess the socioeconomic impact of internet shutdowns. It is also important to consider the principle of proportionality and the socioeconomic impact of such shutdowns while enforcing law and order.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Disqualification of MP, Constitutional provisions
Mains level: Disqualification of sitting MP's, Constitutional and legal issues
Central Idea
- The recent conviction and disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have raised some important constitutional and legal issues, especially related to the disqualification of members of the legislature. The interpretation of Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, and the role of the President in cases of disqualification is resurfaced again.
- The Congress leader during campaigning for the 2019 parliamentary polls had made a remark, “How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?”
- On the basis of this remark, a criminal defamation case was filed against him in a surat court by a BJP MLA who had alleged that the congress leader while addressing a poll rally in 2019 in Karnataka defamed the entire Modi community with his remark.
- The Surat court on Thursday convicted the Congress leader in a criminal defamation case and awarded him a two-year jail term.
- On basis of this, the Congress leader has been disqualified from the Lok Sabha,. A notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat said that he stood disqualified from the House from March 23, the day of his conviction.
Disqualification under the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951
- Grounds of disqualification: Section 8 of the RPA, 1951 specifies the various offenses, conviction for which entail the disqualification of a member of the legislature.
- Clause (3): Clause (3) of this section says that a person convicted of any offense other than those mentioned in the other two clauses, and sentenced to not less than two years shall be disqualified from the date of conviction.
- Exemption under clause (4): The clause (4) has exempted sitting members from instant disqualification for three months to enable them to appeal against the conviction.
Role of the President in Disqualification
- President has the authority: Article 103 of the Indian Constitution provides the President of India as the authority who decides that a sitting member has become subject to disqualification in all cases which come under Article 102(1).
- President’s adjudicatory and declaratory functions: There are differences of opinion on the scope of Article 103, but the Supreme Court, in Consumer Education and Research Society vs Union of India (2009), upholds the position that the President performs adjudicatory and declaratory functions here.
Flaws in the Judgment in Lily Thomas Case
- Parliament cannot enact a temporary exemption: It says that Parliament cannot enact a temporary exemption in favor of sitting members of the Legislature.
- Article 103 provides an exception: But Article 103 itself provides an exception in the case of sitting Members by stating that the disqualification of sitting Members shall be decided by the President.
- Distinction between the candidates and sitting Members: The Constitution itself makes a distinction between the candidates and sitting Members. This was ignored by the judgment and the Court struck down the three months window given to the sitting members to enable them to appeal against their conviction.
Defamation in India
- What is Defamation: Defamation refers to the act of publication of defamatory content that lowers the reputation of an individual or an entity when observed through the perspective of an ordinary man. Defamation in India is both a civil and a criminal offence.
- The Laws which Deal with Defamation: Sections 499 and 500 of IPC: Sections 499 and 500 in the IPC deal with criminal defamation. While the former defines the offence of defamation, the latter defines the punishment for it.
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Facts for prelims: Lily Thomas Verdict
- The Lily Thomas verdict was a landmark judgment delivered by the Supreme Court of India in 2013.
- The verdict struck down a provision in the Representation of the People Act (RPA), which allowed convicted lawmakers to continue in office if they filed an appeal within three months of their conviction.
- The provision, which was part of Section 8(4) of the RPA, had been criticized for allowing convicted politicians to continue to hold public office while their appeals were pending in higher courts, and for contributing to the criminalization of politics in India.
- The verdict was seen as a major step towards cleaning up Indian politics and ensuring that convicted criminals do not get to occupy public offices.
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Conclusion
- The recent conviction and disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have raised important constitutional and legal issues related to the disqualification of members of the legislature. While the issues relating to the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi will be dealt with by the appellate courts, the legal and constitutional issues raised by this case need to be examined carefully
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: IMF bailout mechanism
Mains level: Read the attached story
Central idea: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) last week confirmed a $3 billion bailout plan for Sri Lanka’s struggling economy. However, Pakistan failed to get a penny. Countries seek help from the IMF usually when their economies face a major macroeconomic risk, mostly in the form of a currency crisis.
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- IMF is an international organization that provides loans, technical assistance, and policy advice to its member countries.
- It was established in 1944 with the goal of promoting international monetary cooperation and exchange rate stability, facilitating balanced economic growth, and reducing poverty around the world.
- It has 190 member countries, and its headquarters is located in Washington, D.C.
- Its main function is to provide financial assistance to countries facing economic difficulties, such as the balance of payments problems, currency crises, and high levels of debt.
- It also provides technical assistance and policy advice to help countries improve their economic policies and institutions, and to promote economic stability and growth.
Governing of IMF
- The IMF is governed by its Board of Governors, which consists of one governor and one alternate governor from each member country.
- The day-to-day operations of the IMF are managed by its Executive Board, which is responsible for making decisions on financial assistance and policy advice.
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What is an IMF Bailout?
- An IMF bailout, also known as an IMF program, is a loan package provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to financially troubled countries.
- These loan packages come with specific terms and conditions that the borrowing country must meet to access the funds.
- They typically have a set of conditions that a country must meet to qualify for the loan package.
- These conditions, also known as “conditionalities,” typically include measures that promote fiscal discipline, monetary stability, and structural reforms to improve the country’s economic competitiveness.
IMF programs are often seen as a last resort for countries facing financial crises, and they are only granted if a country cannot access capital markets on its own. IMF programs can be classified into three main types:
- Stand-by Arrangements: They are short-term lending programs designed to provide financial assistance to countries experiencing short-term balance of payments problems. These programs typically last for one to two years and require countries to implement specific macroeconomic policies to stabilize their economies.
- Extended Fund Facility: Such programs are medium-term lending programs designed to help countries with balance of payments difficulties resulting from structural weaknesses. These programs are typically longer-term and come with more extensive policy conditionality, which requires more significant structural reforms to the country’s economy.
- Rapid Financing Instrument: It is a loan program designed to provide quick financing to countries facing an urgent balance of payments need. The program is designed to be more flexible than other IMF programs, with fewer conditions and a shorter application process.
Why do countries seek IMF bailouts?
- Countries need IMF bailout when their economies face major macroeconomic risks, such as a currency crisis, due to gross mismanagement of the nation’s currency by the central bank under the covert influence of the ruling government.
- Such currency crises cause a rapid rise in the overall money supply, which causes prices to rise across the economy and the exchange value of the currency to drop.
- Bad luck such as a decrease in foreign tourists can also contribute to a crisis in a country like Sri Lanka.
Benefits provided by IMF bailout:
IMF programs provide several benefits to countries in financial distress. For instance:
- Access to funding: An IMF bailout provides immediate funding to a country experiencing a financial crisis, allowing it to meet its immediate financial obligations.
- Credibility push: A bailout can provide credibility to a country’s economic policies, signalling to international investors that the country is taking the necessary steps to restore its economy.
- Assistance with structural reforms: IMF programs require countries to implement structural reforms that can help address the underlying problems that led to the financial crisis, improving the country’s long-term economic prospects.
Limitations of an IMF bailout
- Harsh austerity measures: IMF programs often require countries to implement strict economic policies, which can be unpopular and difficult to implement.
- Limited resources: The IMF has limited resources, which can limit the amount of assistance it can provide to countries in need.
- Stigmatization: Bailout can stigmatize a country in the eyes of international investors, signaling that the country is unable to manage its own economy without outside assistance.
Try this PYQ from CSP 2022
“Rapid Financing Instrument” and “Rapid Credit Facility” are related to the provisions of lending by which one of the following?
(a) Asian Development Bank
(b) International Monetary Fund
(c) United National Environment Programme Finance Initiative
(d) Word Bank
Post your answers here.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: AFSPA
Mains level: Read the attached story
Central idea: Home Minister recently announced the decision to reduce the Disturbed Areas under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in Nagaland, Assam, and Manipur.
Reason for the decision
- Improved security: The decision was taken due to a significant improvement in the security situation in Northeast India.
- Decrease in Violence: The prevalence of insurgencies in almost all states in the Northeast may arguably have necessitated the imposition of AFSPA in the past. Statistics suggest that violence in the region has been on the decline. The MHA cited a reduction of 76% in extremist incidents, 90% decrease in deaths of security personnel and a 97% decrease in civilian deaths since 2014.
- Negotiations with Rebel Groups: The government has negotiated peace with rebel groups in the region, including NSCN-IM, Ulfa, Bodo, and Dimasa groups, with some success.
- Peace accords: The Mizo rebels, who signed a peace accord in 1986, joined electoral politics and won office. The Tripura government successfully negotiated with the insurgency and got AFSPA removed in 2015. The government must continue to engage with rebel groups to maintain peace in the region.
What is Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958?
- Armed Forces Special Powers Act, to put it simply, gives armed forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed areas.”
- AFSPA gives armed forces the authority use force or even open fire after giving due warning if they feel a person is in contravention of the law.
- The Act further provides that if “reasonable suspicion exists”, the armed forces can also arrest a person without a warrant; enter or search premises without a warrant; and ban the possession of firearms.
A Backgrounder
- The AFSPA, 1958 came into force in the context of insurgency in the North-eastern States decades ago.
- It provides “special power” to the Armed Forces applies to the Army, the Air Force and the Central Paramilitary forces etc.
- It has been long contested debate whether the “special powers” granted under AFSPA gives total immunity to the armed forces for any action taken by them.
What are the Special Powers?
- Power to use force: including opening fire, even to the extent of causing death if prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons or carrying arms and weapons, etc are in force in the disturbed area;
- Power to destroy structures: used as hide-outs, training camps, or as a place from which attacks are or likely to be launched, etc;
- Power to arrest: without warrant and to use force for the purpose;
- Power to enter and search premises: without a warrant to make arrest or recovery of hostages, arms and ammunition and stolen property etc.
Who can declare/notify such areas?
- The Central Government or the Governor of the State or administrator of the Union Territory can declare the whole or part of the State or Union Territory as a disturbed area.
Issues with AFSPA
- Power to kill: Section 4 of the Act granted officers the authority to “take any action” even to the extent to cause the death.
- Misconduct by Armed Forces: The issue of violation of human rights by actions of armed forces came under the consideration of the Committee on Amendments to Criminal Law (popularly known as Justice Verma Committee) set up in 2012. It observed that- in conflict zones, legal protection for women was neglected.
- Autocracy: The reality is that there is no evidence of any action being taken against any officer of the armed forces or paramilitary forces for their excesses.
Recommendations to repeal AFSPA
- Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy Commission: The 2004 Committee headed by Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy, the content of which has never officially been revealed by the Government, recommended that AFSPA be repealed.
- ARC II: The Administrative Reforms Commission in its 5th Report on ‘Public Order’ had also recommended that AFSPA be repealed.
Voices for repeal
- Human rights violations: The repeal of AFSPA is necessary not just for restoring constitutional sanity, but also as a way of acknowledging the dark history of our conduct in Nagaland.
- Need for ensuring individual dignity: The political incorporation of Nagaland (and all other areas where this law applies) will be set back if the guarantees of the individual dignity of the Indian Constitution are not extended.
- Not state of exception: We often describe AFSPA in terms of a “state of exception”. But this theoretical term is misleading. How can a law that has been in virtually continuous existence since 1958 be described as an “exception”.
- Lack of human empathy: At the heart of AFSPA is a profound mutilation of human empathy.
Conclusion
- To bring in lasting peace in the North East, the government needs to avoid the trap of watered-down peace accords.
- While the move to withdraw AFSPA is welcome, it needs to be gradually erased.
- For that, changes in the ground situation would be crucial. Mere smoke signals or drum-beating can never do the job.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Biotransformation Technology
Mains level: Not Much
Central idea: The article highlights the issue of plastic waste generated by e-commerce giant Amazon and the need for a biotransformation technology that can make plastics biodegradable and its potential applications in reducing plastic waste in various industries.
Amazon’s Plastic Waste Problem
- Amazon generated 321 million kilograms (709 million pounds) of plastic from packaging waste in 2021.
- The amount of plastic waste generated by Amazon in 2021 is enough to circle the Earth over 800 times as air pillows.
What is Biotransformation Technology?
- Biotransformation technology is a novel approach to ensure plastics that escape refuse streams are processed efficiently and broken down.
- The technology was co-developed by Polymateria and the Imperial College in London, UK.
- Plastics made using this technology are given a pre-programmed time during which the manufactured material looks and feels like conventional plastics without compromising on quality.
- Once the product expires and is exposed to the external environment, it self-destructs and biotransforms into bioavailable wax, which is then consumed by microorganisms, converting waste into water, CO2, and biomass.
- The technology is the world’s first that ensures polyolefins fully biodegrade in an open environment without causing any microplastics.
Need for Biotransformation Technology
- India generates 3.5 billion kgs of plastic waste annually, and a third of it comes from packaging waste.
- In 2019, plastic packaging waste from e-commerce firms was estimated at over a billion kilograms worldwide.
- Amazon generated nearly 210 million kgs (465 million pounds) of plastic from packaging waste in 2019.
- Up to 10 million kgs (22.44 million pounds) of Amazon’s plastic packaging ended up in the world’s freshwater and marine ecosystems as pollution in 2019.
Application of this technology
- The food packaging and healthcare industries are the two prime sectors that could use this technology to reduce waste.
- The increase in cost is relatively small compared to conventional plastic which does not contain this technology.
- Some well-known Indian firms in the food and packaging industries deploy such technologies.
- Within healthcare and pharma industries, this technology provides biodegradable solutions for non-woven hygiene products like diapers, sanitary napkins, facial pads, etc.
India’s initiatives to tackle plastic pollution
- Phased elimination: The Indian government launched a plastic waste management gazette to help tackle the ever-growing plastic pollution caused by single-use plastics. The government imposed a ban on single-use plastics last year to bring a stop to its use in the country.
- National Dashboard on Elimination of Single-Use Plastic and Plastic Waste Management: It brings all stakeholders together to track the progress made in eliminating single-use plastic and effectively managing such waste.
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) portal: It helps in improving accountability traceability, and facilitating ease of compliance reporting in relation to EPR obligations of the producers, importers, and brand-owners.
- Lifecycle monitoring: India has developed a mobile app to report single-use plastics grievances to check the sale, usage, or manufacturing of single-use plastics in their area.
Alternatives to Reducing Plastic Waste
- A switch to jute or paper-based packaging could potentially cut down plastic waste.
- Wooden packaging is yet another alternative, but that will make the packaging bulkier and increase the cost.
- The alternatives can be made using coir, bagasse, rice and wheat bran, plant and agricultural residue, banana and areca leaves.
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From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Patent Evergreening
Mains level: Read the attached story
Central idea: Patent Evergreening
- Indian Patent Office rejects Johnson & Johnson’s attempt to extend monopoly on manufacturing Bedaquiline in India beyond July 2023.
- This is a victory for patients fighting for wider access to crucial anti-tuberculosis drug Bedaquiline.
- Expired primary patents pave the way for generic drug manufacturers to produce Bedaquiline, thus ensuring cheaper and wider access to the drug.
Significance of the move
- The drug has been shown to have a high success rate in treating MDR-TB, and is considered to be a significant breakthrough in the fight against this disease.
- However, the high cost of the drug has made it difficult for many patients to access it, particularly in developing countries.
What is Bedaquiline?
- Bedaquiline is a drug that is primarily used in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).
- MDR-TB is a serious public health threat, particularly in countries with high TB burdens, as treatment options for this condition are limited and often ineffective.
- It was developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Bedaquiline.
- It is an antibiotic that works by inhibiting ATP synthase, which is a key enzyme involved in the energy production of TB bacteria.
- Bedaquiline is typically administered in combination with other drugs for a period of six months.
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Implications
- India and the US has often been at the crossheads due to Section 3(d) of Patents Act that allows for “generic competition by patenting only novel and genuine inventions.”
- US always accuses India as one of the most challenging major economies as far as IP protection and enforcement is concerned.
Indian Patent Regime: A Backgrounder
- Indian patents are governed by the Indian Patent Act of 1970.
- India has gradually aligned itself with international regimes pertaining to intellectual property rights.
- It became a party to the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement following its membership to the World Trade Organisation on January 1, 1995.
- The interesting point is that the original Indian Patents Act did not grant patent protection to pharmaceutical products to ensure that medicines were available at a low price.
- Patent protection of pharmaceuticals was re-introduced after the 2005 amendment to comply with TRIPS.
What is Patents Evergreening?
- One of the main points of contention between India and the US has been Article 3(d) of the Indian Patent Act.
- Section 3 deals with what does not qualifyas an invention under the Act, and Section 3(d) in particular excludes the mere discovery of a new form of a known substance.
- Section 3(d) prevents the mere discovery of any new property or new use for a known substance from being patented as an invention unless it enhances the efficacy of the substance repetitive.
- This prevents, what is known as “Evergreening” of patents.
- According to the Committee’s report, Section 3(d) allows for “generic competition by patenting only novel and genuine inventions.”
Conclusion
- The gravity of public health problems affecting developing and least developed nations must be recognized by developed nations such as the US.
- Though intellectual property protection is important for the development of new medicines but the right to protect public health and, in particular, to promote access to medicines for all is far more important.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Interest Rates Risk
Mains level: Global banking crisis
Central idea: Finance Minister urged banks to remain vigilant about “interest rate risks” and undertake regular stress tests during a review of public sector banks’ (PSBs) performance on March 25.
Why in news?
- Inflation-led rising interest rates across the world have caused concerns of contagion effects from banking crises in the US and Europe.
What is Interest Rate Risk?
- Interest rate risk refers to the possibility that a loss could happen as a result of a fluctuation in interest rates.
- A bond’s or another fixed-income security’s value will decrease if the rate rises.
- Interest rate movement typically has an inverse relationship with the market value of fixed-income assets.
- In general, the values of currently issued fixed income instruments decrease when interest rates rise and rise when interest rates decrease.
How does it affect banks?
Interest rate risk affects banks in several ways-
- Interest yields: Banks earn interest income by lending out funds to borrowers at a higher rate than the cost of borrowing those funds. When interest rates rise, the cost of borrowing funds for banks increases, thereby decreasing their net interest margins (NIMs) and profitability.
- Bond yield: Banks also hold a large amount of fixed-income securities in their portfolios, such as government bonds, corporate bonds, and mortgage-backed securities. These securities generate a fixed interest income, which can be affected by changes in interest rates. When interest rates rise, the value of fixed-income securities held by banks decreases, leading to a potential loss in the value of their investment portfolio.
- Liabilities burden: Banks’ liabilities, such as deposits, often have short maturities, while their assets, such as loans, have longer maturities. When interest rates rise, the cost of funding short-term liabilities increases, while the interest earned on longer-term assets remains fixed. This can negatively impact banks’ profitability and cash flows.
Why do banks resort to interest rate increases?
Banks resort to interest rate increases for several reasons-
- Combat inflation: When the economy experiences a rapid increase in prices, the central bank may raise interest rates to discourage borrowing and spending, thereby cooling down the economy and reducing inflationary pressures.
- Attract deposits: Banks may raise interest rates to attract more deposits from savers, which in turn allows them to lend more money and earn more profits.
- Protection against risks: banks may also raise interest rates in response to changes in the global financial market or to protect their own financial stability in the face of potential risks or shocks.
Try this MCQ:
Which of the following best describes interest rate risk in banking?
(a) The potential loss of income due to changes in interest rates
(b) The risk that borrowers will default on their loans due to high-interest rates
(c) The risk that banks will become insolvent due to low-interest rates
(d) The potential loss of value of a bank’s assets due to changes in interest rates
Post your answers here.
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