Relevance IN - Prelims (about samadhan and samadhan challenge)
What's the NEWS

• The Innovation Cell of the Ministry of Human Resources Development and All India Council for Technical Education in collaboration with Forge and InnovationCuris launched a mega online challenge - SAMADHAN - to test the ability of students to innovate.

Know! more about the Samadhan

• The students participating in this challenge will search and develop such measures that can be made available to the government agencies, health services, hospitals and other services for quick solutions to the Coronavirus epidemic and other such calamities.

Samadhan challenge

• Through this work will be done to make citizens aware, to motivate them, to face any challenge, to prevent any crisis and to help people get livelihood.
• Under the "Samadhan" challenge, the students and faculty will be motivated for doing new experiments and new discoveries and provide them with a strong base leading to spirit of experimentation and discovery.

Government Schemes
Swasth ke Sipahi

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)


What's the NEWS

• Pharmacists, popularly known as "Swasth ke Sipahi", of Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra , are deliverying essential services and medicines at doorstep of patients and elderly under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) of the Government of India.
• Working as part of Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras (PMJAK), they are extending essential services by making available quality generic medicines at affordable prices to the common People of the country and the elderly persons at their doorstep to fight Corona pandemic.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendras (PMJAK)

• PMJKs are being run by Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India(BPPI) under Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Government of India with an objective of providing quality and affordable healthcare to anyone in need.

Health
World Health Day

Relevance IN - Prelims (about World health days and its theme + about International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife)
What's the NEWS

• The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other related organizations.
• In 1948, the WHO hold the First World Health Assembly. The Assembly decided to celebrate 7 April of each year, with effect from 1950, as the World Health Day.

Know! more about World Health Day

• Each year a specific theme is given priority. The theme for world health day 2020 is to support nurses and midwives.
• This theme recognises the vital role of nurses and other health workers. World health day every year also promotes healthy living.
• Nurses and other health workers are at the forefront of COVID-19 response - providing high quality, respectful treatment and care, leading community dialogue to address fears and questions and, in some instances, collecting data for clinical studies.
• In this International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, World Health Day will highlight the current status of nursing and around the world. WHO and its partners will make a series of recommendations to strengthen of the nursing and midwifery workforce.

State of the World's Nursing Report 2020

• On World Health Day, WHO is launching the first ever State of the World's Nursing Report 2020.
• The report provides a global picture of the nursing workforce and support evidence-based planning to optimize the contributions of this workforce to improve health and wellbeing for all.
• The report sets the agenda for data collection, policy dialogue, research and advocacy, and investment in the health workforce for generations to come. A similar report on the Midwifery workforce will be launched in 2021.

International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as the "Year of the Nurse and Midwife", in honour of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.
• The year 2020 is significant for WHO in the context of nursing and midwifery strengthening for Universal Health Coverage. WHO is leading the development of the first-ever State of the World's Nursing report which will be launched in 2020, prior to the 73rd World Health Assembly.

International Organisations
India used peace clause to provide excess support to rice farmers

Relevance IN - Prelims (about the peace clause + and its provisions) + Mains ( GS II Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests +Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests)
What's the NEWS

• India has invoked the peace clause of the World Trade Organization for exceeding the ceiling on support it can offer farmers for rice for the marketing year 2018- 2019, marking the first time any country has taken recourse to this safeguard.
• India has used the peace clause of the WTO to provide excess support measures to rice farmers in order to meet the domestic food security needs of its poor population.
• Under the Peace Clause, WTO members refrain from challenging any breach in prescribed subsidy ceiling given by a developing nation at the dispute settlement forum of the Geneva-based organisation.
• India informed the WTO that the value of its rice production was $43.67 billion in 2018-19 and that it gave subsidies worth $5 billion.
• The limit is pegged at 10% of the value of food production in the case of India and other developing countries.
• The peace clause protects a developing country's food procurement programmes against action from WTO members in case subsidy ceilings are breached. High subsidies are seen to be distorting global trade.

India's Stand on taking this decision

• Under its public stockholding programmes for food security purposes, rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses, among others, are acquired and released in order to meet the domestic food security needs of India's poor and vulnerable population, and "not to impede
• The main objectives of the food security programmes are to ensure minimum support prices for farmers, stability in food grain prices and their equitable distribution at affordable rates to the marginalised and vulnerable sections of society throughout the year.

Know! about the Bali peace clause of 2013 (temporary provision)

• The ‘peace clause' said that no country would be legally barred from food security programmes even if the subsidy breached the limits specified in the WTO agreement on agriculture.
• The Peace clause gave temporary immunity to India and other developing countries (free to give as much subsidy for their food programme like National food security mission)

In 2015 Nairobi summit

• The peace clause was expended further without any permanent solution

In 2017 Buenos Aires Summit

• Member failed to conclude negotiations
• It failed to deliver any sustainable package so the Peace clause is extended for infinite period
• India wants an "improved" permanent solution viz-a-viz the existing perpetual peace clause under which no country can take legal action against it if it fails to limit its public procurement of food grains such as wheat and rice to within 10% of the value of the crop as mandated by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

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