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Daily Current Capsules - 12th October 2019

Health Sector
13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW)

Relevance IN - Prelims (about Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) + Mains (GS II Social issues + Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.)
What's the NEWS
  • The 13th Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) has been inaugurated by the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Know! the purpose of CCHFW
  • The purpose of the CCHFW meeting is to build a consensus on the national health priorities i.e. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through Ayushman Bharat, eliminating TB and other priority agenda such as strengthen medical infrastructure.
  • This can be achieved by collective increase in healthcare spending by the States/UTs to meet the goals of healthcare spending of National Health Policy 2017- 2.5% of GDP by 2025.
  • The four pillars of healthcare, which included universal health coverage; mission mode interventions; quality and accessible affordable healthcare services; and also adequate infrastructure.
  • The Health Ministry also urged the state to increase the healthcare spending to a minimum 8% of their State budget so as to meet the goals of healthcare spending of National Health Policy 2017- 2.5% of GDP by 2025,
Recommendations by NITI Aayog
  • NITI Aayog underscored two priority areas for the public health sector. "First is increasing the health budgets by the Centre and the States/UTs, and second in enhancing the health infrastructure.
  • The NHP 2017 commitment to increasing the health budget cannot be achieved without States contribution
  • There is a need to engage more with the private sector for augmenting the efforts of the public sector to bring in equity to increase the number of beds and hospitals to meet the global standards of health infrastructure.
Know! about the Council of Health and Family Welfare
  • The Council of Health and Family Welfare is an apex advisory body to consider and recommend broad lines of policy in regard to matters concerning Health and Family Welfare, in all its aspects.
  • Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare is the Chairperson, while Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare is the Vice-Chairperson.
  • Member, NITI Aayog, Ministers in charge of the Ministries of Health & Family Welfare, Medical Education and Public Health in the States/Union Territories with Legislatures, representatives of UTs, Members of Parliament (4), Non-Officials (6), Eminent Individuals (11) are Members of the Council. The first meeting of the CCHFW was held in 1988.
Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan(SUMAN)
  • Dr Harsh Vardhan along with the other Ministers launched a new initiative - ‘Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan(SUMAN)' for Zero Preventable Maternal and Newborn Deaths
Human Resource Development
Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme- DHRUV

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme-DHRUV) + Mains ( GS II Social issues + Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.)
What's the NEWS
  • Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank' launched a unique initiative the Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme-DHRUV, which will act as a turning point in the lives of extra ordinarily talented students, from the premises of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Know! about DHRUV
  • The new Programme DHRUV 'will act as a platform to explore the talent of outshining and meritorious students, and help them achieve excellence in their specific areas of interest may it be science, performing arts, creative writing, etc.
  • The 60 selected talented children along with students of KVS also witnessed the launch of the DHRUV programme.
  • The Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Programme has been started to identify and encourage talented children to enrich their skills and knowledge.
  • In centres of excellence across the country, gifted children will be mentored and nurtured by renowned experts in different areas, so that they can reach their full potential.
  • Each selected student will be christened as Dhruv
  • 60 outstandingly talented students have been selected in the first batch of DHRUV programme.
  • It will cover two areas i.e. Science and Performing Arts. There are 60 students in all, 30 from each area.
  • The 60 students come from across the country. The students have been broadly chosen from classes 9 to 12, from all schools including government and private.
Social Issues/Social Justice
SARAS Aajeevika Mela

Relevance IN - Prelims (about SARAS Aajeevika Mela) + Mains (GS II Social Justice)
What's the NEWS
  • SARAS Aajeevika Mela is an initiative by the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), with an objective to bring the rural women Self Help Groups (SHGs) formed with support of DAY-NRLM, under one platform to show-case their skills, sell their products and help them build linkages with bulk buyers.
Know! about SARAS
  • Through participation in SARAS Aajeevika Mela, these rural SHG women get vital national level exposure to understand the demand and taste of urban customers.
  • The Mela is organised by the marketing arm of the Ministry, Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART).
  • The Ministry of Rural Development is organising SARAS Aajeevika Mela at India Gate Lawns from 10th October to 23rd October, 2019.
  • Over 200 stalls have been set-up at the Mela venue, where nearly 500 rural SHG craftswomen from 29 States and UTs will show-case varied range of products
Environment Conservation
Mobile App, "mHariyali" Launched for ‘Environment Protection
Relevance IN - Prelims (about mHariyali)
What's the NEWS
  • The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs launched the mobile app, mHariyali
Know! about mHariyali
  • The app is aimed to encourage Public engagement in planting trees and other such Green drives.
  • People can now upload information/photos of any plantation done by them, which is linked to app and will be displayed on the website www.epgc.gov.in.
  • The App provides for automatic geo-tagging of plants. This app will also enable nodal officers to periodically monitor the plantation. The App is user friendly and works on any android mobile phone
  • A mass plantation drive "Haryali Mahotsav" was launched in San Martin Park, Chanakyapuri in which approx 500 plants were planted and about 150 people, including students, participated.
Space Awareness
First-of-Its-Kind Satellite Servicing Spacecraft Launches on Russian Rocket

Relevance IN - Prelims (about MEV-1) + Mains (GSIII awareness in the field of space)
What's the NEWS
  • MEV-1 is the first commercial satellite-servicing craft to take flight.
  • The robotic Mission Extension Vehicle-1 (MEV-1) launched atop a Russian Proton rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
Know! all about MEV-1
  • MEV-1, which was built by Virginia-based company Northrop Grumman, launched along with the Eutelsat 5 West B communications satellite.
  • If all goes according to plan, both spacecraft will deploy into a super synchronous transfer orbit about 16 hours after lift off
  • MEV-1 will then make its way to geostationary orbit and eventually link up with the Intelsat 901 communications satellite, which has been circling Earth since June 2001 and is low on fuel.
  • Using its onboard electric thrusters, MEV-1 will take control of the pointing and orbit-maintenance duties for Intelsat 901 - something no other commercial satellite has ever done.
  • The servicing craft will extend the older spacecraft's life by five years. After that, MEV-1 could theoretically depart and help out another aging satellite
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