Connect to Current -Daily Current Capsules - 29th April 2019

Social Issues
World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about The World Day for Safety and Health at Work)

What's the NEWS

• The World Day for Safety and Health at Work was observed across the globe on April 28, 2019. The day is observed annually to promote safe, healthy and decent work.
• This year, the world day attempts to take stock of a 100 years of work in improving occupational safety and health and looks to the future for continuing these efforts through major changes such as technology, demographics, sustainable development including climate change and changes in work organisation.

 

Know! more about the day

 

• The day is an awareness-raising campaign, which aims to focus international attention on the magnitude of the problem and on how promoting and creating a safety and health culture can help reduce the number of work-related deaths and injuries.
• The day has been observed every year on April 28 by the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 2003, in order to stress on the prevention of accidents and diseases at work.
• The observance is an integral part of the Global Strategy on Occupational Safety and Health of the ILO, as documented in the Conclusions of the International Labour Conference in June 2003.
• One of the main pillars of the Global Strategy is advocacy, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is a significant tool to raise awareness of how to make work safe and healthy and of the need to raise the political profile of occupational safety and health.
• The date also commemorates the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers, which has been organised worldwide by the trade union movement since 1996.

 

Know! more about the day

• A national occupational safety and health culture is one in which the right to a safe and healthy working environment is respected at all levels, where governments, employers and workers actively participate in securing a safe and healthy working environment through a system of defined rights, responsibilities and duties and where the highest priority is accorded to the principle of prevention.

 

Intellectual Property Rights
US places India on ‘Priority Watch List'
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Priority watch list) + Mains ( GS III issues relating to IPR)

 

What's the NEWS

• The United States yet again placed India on its ‘Priority Watch List', alleging lack of sufficient measurable improvements to its Intellectual Property (IP) framework on long-standing and new challenges, which has negatively affected American right holders over the past year.
• The office of the US Trade Representative identified 11 countries, including India, in its ‘Priority Watch List'.
• The list topped by China also includes Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Besides this, the US Trade body has placed 25 countries, including Pakistan, Turkey and the UAE, on the watchlist.

 

Know! more about the report highlights

 

• In its report, the US said that these countries will be the subject of increased bilateral engagement with the USTR to address Intellectual Property (IP) concerns.
• Over the coming weeks, the USTR would be reviewing the developments against the benchmarks established in the Special 301 action plans for countries that have been on the ‘Priority Watch List' for multiple years.
• For countries that fail to address US' concerns, the USTR will take appropriate actions, such as enforcement actions under Section 301 of the Trade Act or pursuant to World Trade Organisation or other trade agreement dispute settlement procedures, necessary to combat unfair trade practices and to ensure that trading partners follow through with their international commitments.

 

Know! the highlights of the India specific finding

 

• India, in the past year, has taken steps to address intellectual property challenges and promote IP protection and enforcement.
• However, many of the actions have not yet translated into concrete benefits for innovators and creators and long-standing deficiencies persist.
• India remains one of the world's most challenging major economies with respect to protection and enforcement of IP.
• The report revealed that the United States will continue to monitor developments and to engage, as appropriate, with trading partners, including India.
• At the same time, the report also notes some of the best practices by India in the IP sector in 2018. For instance, India's Cell for Intellectual Property Rights Promotion and Management (CIPAM) organises and spearheads the government's efforts to simplify and streamline IP processes, increase IP awareness, promote commercialization and enhance enforcement.

 

Know! more about Special 301 Report

• The Special 301 Report is prepared annually by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) that identifies trade barriers to United States companies and products due to the intellectual property laws, such as copyright, patents and trademarks, in other countries.
• By April 30 of each year, the USTR must identify countries which do not provide "adequate and effective" protection of intellectual property rights or "fair and equitable market access to United States persons that rely upon intellectual property rights".
• The annual Special 301 Report includes a list of "Priority Foreign Countries", that are judged to have inadequate intellectual property laws; these countries may be subject to sanctions. In addition, the report contains a "Priority Watch List" and a "Watch List", containing countries whose intellectual property regimes are deemed of concern.

 

Economic Developments
RBI to soon issue Rs 20 banknote of Greenish Yellow colour

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the new series note + about Ellora caves)

What's the NEWS

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will shortly issue Rs 20 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series, bearing signature of Shaktikanta Das, Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
• The new Rs 20 banknote has motif of Ellora Caves on the reverse, depicting the country's cultural heritage. The base colour of the note is Greenish Yellow.
• All the banknotes in the denomination of Rs 20 issued earlier by the Reserve Bank of India will continue to be legal tender.

 

Know! all about Ellora Caves

• Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra
• It is one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world, featuring Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments, and artwork, dating from the 600-1000 CE period.
• Cave 16, in particular, features the largest single monolithic rock excavation in the world, the Kailasha temple, a chariot shaped monument dedicated to Shiva.
• The Kailasha temple excavation also features sculptures depicting the gods, goddesses and mythologies found in Vaishnavism, Shaktism as well as relief panels summarizing the two major Hindu Epics.
• There are over 100 caves at the site, all excavated from the basalt cliffs in the Charanandri Hills
• They were built in proximity to one another and illustrate the religious harmony that existed in ancient India.
• All of the Ellora monuments were built during Hindu dynasties such as the Rashtrakuta dynasty, which constructed part of the Hindu & Buddhist caves, and the Yadava dynasty, which constructed a number of the Jain caves.

 

 

Economic Developments
RBI extends coverage of NBFC Ombudsman Scheme to Non-Deposit Taking NBFCs
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NBFC and non deposit NBFCs + the new ombudsman rule) + Mains ( GS III economic developments)

What's the NEWS

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the coverage of Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), 2018 to eligible Non Deposit Taking Non Banking Financial Companies (NBFC-NDs).

 

Know! more about the development

• The coverage will be extended to Non Deposit Taking Non Banking Financial Companies having asset size of Rs 100 crore or above with customer interface.
• However, Non Banking Financial Company-Infrastructure Finance Company (NBFC-IFC), Core Investment Company (CIC), Infrastructure Debt Fund-Non-banking Financial Company (IDF-NBFC) and NBFCs under liquidation are excluded from the ambit of the Scheme.

 

Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), 2018

 

• The Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), 2018 was launched on February 23, 2018 for redressal of complaints against NBFCs registered with RBI under Section 45-IA of the RBI Act, 1934.
• Initially, the scheme covered all deposit accepting NBFCs.
• It provides a cost-free and expeditious complaint redressal mechanism relating to deficiency in the services by NBFCs covered under the Scheme.
• The offices of the NBFC Ombudsmen function at four metro centres - Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.
• The NBFC Ombudsmen offices handle complaints of customers in the respective zones.
• The Scheme also provides for an Appellate Mechanism under which the complainant or the NBFC has option to appeal against the decision of the Ombudsman before the Appellate Authority.

 

Social Issues/Health Services
ICMR launches 'MERA India' alliance to eliminate malaria from India by 2030
Relevance IN - Prelims (about MERA India alliance)

What's the NEWS

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on April 25, 2019 launched the 'Malaria Elimination Research Alliance (MERA) India', a gathering of partners working together to plan and scale up research to eliminate Malaria from India by 2030.

 

Know! more about MERA India

• MERA India alliance holds utmost importance to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the operational research.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) had earlier appreciated India's research in malaria and hence, the country now aims to ensure its elimination by 2030.
• The alliance was launched on the occasion of the World Malaria Day 2019.
• The principal motive of the ‘MERA India' alliance is to prioritise, plan, conduct, and scale up research in a coordinated way to have a solid impact on the population who are at risk of malaria.
• India has made impressive progress in malaria control in the recent years. The malaria burden in India declined by over 80 percent from 2.03 million cases in 2000 to 0.39 million in 2018. Deaths by malaria also declined by over 90 percent from 932 deaths in 2000 to 85 in 2018.

 

Highlights of 'MERA India' alliance

 

• The National Vector Borne Diseases Control Program (NVBDCP) developed a comprehensive framework to achieve "Malaria free India by 2030".
• The alliance will facilitate trans-institutional coordination and collaboration around a collaborative research agenda.

 

Know! all about Malaria

 

• Malaria is caused by a Plasmodium Parasites that is transmitted from one human to another by the bite of infected Anopheles mosquitoes.
• In humans, the parasites (called sporozoites) migrate to the liver where they mature and release another form, the merozoites.
• The majority of Malaria symptoms are caused by the massive release of merozoites into the bloodstream such as anaemia is caused by the destruction of the red blood cells.
• There are five parasites that can cause Malaria in humans and the deadliest of all is Plasmodium Falciparum.
• Children under the age of 5 and pregnant women are most susceptible to the disease.
• More than 70 per cent or two thirds of total malaria deaths constitute children under the age of 5.
• Early diagnosis followed by speedy treatment is of the utmost importance.

 

Prelims Practise Questions

Consider the following statements about Ellora caves

1. Ellora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra

2. It is one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world, featuring Buddhist, and Jain monuments, and artwork, dating from the 600-1000 CE period.

 

3. The Kailasha temple excavation also features sculptures depicting the gods, goddesses and mythologies found in Vaishnavism, Shaktism as well as relief panels summarizing the two major Hindu Epics.

4. There are over 100 caves at the site, all excavated from the basalt cliffs in the Charanandri Hills

Find the correct statements from the options given below
a. 1 2 and 3
b. 2 and 3
c. 1 3 and 4
d. All

Consider the following statements
1. The Ministry of family and health welfare has launched the 'Malaria Elimination Research Alliance (MERA) India', a gathering of partners working together to plan and scale up research to eliminate Malaria from India by 2030.

2. The National Vector Borne Diseases Control Program (NVBDCP) developed a comprehensive framework to achieve "Malaria free India by 2030".

3. The alliance will facilitate trans-institutional coordination and collaboration around a collaborative research agenda.

Find the correct statement from the option given below
a. 1 only
b. 2 and 3
c. 1 and 3
d. None

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