Context: 

The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) has issued a warning against private websites and social media posts promoting and offering organs for trade.

More in the News:

• The organisation said the online promotion was in violation of the provisions of the Transplantation of Human Organ and Tissue Act, 1994 and Rules. 
• Such activities were punishable offences under Section 18 of the Act, with fines ranging from ₹20 lakh to ₹1 crore and imprisonment from five to 10 years.

About National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO):

• It is a national level organisation set up under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It functions as the apex centre for all India activities of coordination and networking for procurement and distribution of organs and tissues and registry of organs and tissues donation and transplantation in the country.
• It has following two divisions:
  1. National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network
  2. National Biomaterial Centre
• Mandate: 
  • To establish a network for organ procurement and distribution.
  • To maintain a national registry on organ donation and transplantation.

Functions:

• Lay down policy guidelines and protocols for various functions.
• Network with similar regional and state level organisations.
• Compiling and publishing all registry data from States and regions.
• Creating awareness, promotion of organ donation and transplantation activities.
• Coordination from procurement of organs and tissues to transplantation when organs are allocated outside the region.
• Dissemination of information to all concerned organisations, hospitals and individuals.
• Monitoring of transplantation activities in the Regions and States and maintaining data-bank in this regard.

News Source: The Hindu

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context: 

Prime Minister is going to launch the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission.

About National Mission on Sickle Cell Anaemia:

• It was announced as part of the Union Budget 2023
• Aim: 
  1. To enable access to affordable and quality health care to all patients,
  2. To eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047.
• Focus area of the Mission:
  1. Awareness building
  2. Universal screening of seven crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas
  3. Counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.
• Stages: 
  1. Implementation of mass screening activities for early identification
  2. Building a strong network of diagnosis and linkages
  3. Implementing robust monitoring system
  4. Strengthening the existing primary health care mechanism to incorporate SCD related strategies
  5. Capacity building of primary, secondary and tertiary health care teams 
  6. Building cost-effective intensive interventions at higher care facilities.
• Coverage: It will be implemented in 278 districts of 17 high focused states.

About Sickle Cell Disease:

• Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. 
• It affects the shape of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Red blood cells contain haemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen. Healthy red blood cells are round.
• Cause: In someone who has SCD, the haemoglobin is abnormal, which causes the red blood cells to become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a sickle.
• Impact: The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow.
• Threats posed: Increases the risk of infection and of death from conditions like stroke, heart problems, kidney problems, and pregnancy complications.
• Treatment: There’s no cure for sickle cell anaemia. Early detection, management, and treatment of SCD enable the affected individuals to lead a longer life.

Source: Sickle.nhm, livemint

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context: 

Euclid, the cosmological mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), is all set for launch on July 1.

About Euclid Mission:

• Euclid is a European mission, built and operated by ESA, with support from NASA’s Roman Space Telescope. 
• NASA is assisting the Euclid mission by providing essential hardware for one of the spacecraft’s sensors, supporting the science team, and creating a Euclid data processing centre in the United States.

Aim of the Euclid mission

• To explore the composition and evolution of the ‘dark’ Universe.
• To uncover the great cosmic mystery of dark matter and dark energy from the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2.

News Source: money control 

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context: 

The Environment Ministry has issued a draft notification detailing a proposed ‘Green Credit Scheme’. 

About the Green Credit Scheme:

• Objective: 
  •  To create a market-based mechanism for undertaking environment-friendly activities such as  afforestation programmes, water conservation by providing additional incentives in the form of green credits. 

What are Green Credits?

•  Green credits, also known as carbon credits or carbon offsets, are a mechanism used to mitigate the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions.
• A monetary value will be put for each green credit depending on the activity for which it has been earned.
• These credits will be tradable for money on a domestic market platform that is not yet specified.

Who can Earn Green Credit?

• Individuals, industries, farmer-producer organisations, municipalities and gram panchayats, among other entities for undertaking a host of environment-friendly actions like planting trees, conserving water, waste management and reducing air pollution.

Green Credit Programme (GCP): 

• It will be launched at national level to incentivise voluntary environmental actions of various stakeholders. 
• It will encourage private sector industries and companies to meet their existing obligations, stemming from other legal frameworks, by taking actions which are able to converge with activities relevant for generating or buying Green Credits.

Working of the programme:

• The GCP administrator will collect the environmental compensation and deposit it in a separate dedicated account. 
• This fund shall be utilised for taking measures for market stabilisation along with other activities related to the implementation of GCP, as approved by the steering committee.
• For instance, an individual who undertakes tree plantation in an area, can earn green credits, which he can sell at the trading platform after validation by the steering committee. Similarly, a ULB can earn green credit for building infrastructure for waste management.

Governance Structure:

• GCP Administrator: 
  • The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) will be the administrator of GCP.
  • It will manage, monitor and operate the entire programme. 
  • It will register the green credits and maintain records of all transactions and ensure that trade happens with requisite discipline. 
• Steering committee
  • It will be set up to approve procedures for institutionalising the GCP, rules and regulations and recommend to the central government for issuance of Green Credit Certificate.
  • It will also determine the type and amount of fees and charges for the purpose of meeting the cost and expense towards implementation of GCP.  
• Trading platform for the exchange of Green Credit Certificates: It shall be established by the Trading Service Provider accredited by the GCP Administrator.

Sectors or activities that can qualify for generating Green credits:

• Tree plantation-based green credit to promote activities for increasing green cover through tree plantation and related activities
• Water ­based green credit to promote water conservation
• Water harvesting and water use efficiency/savings, including treatment and reuse of wastewater
• Sustainable agriculture-based green credit to promote natural and regenerative agricultural practices
• Land restoration to improve productivity, soil health and nutritional value of food produced
• Waste management-based green credit to promote sustainable and improved practices.

News Source: The Hindu, the print

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context: 

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for ratification of the Headquarters Agreement (HQA) between Government of India (Gol) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) signed in 2022.

About the Headquarters Agreement:

• It will provide CDRI an independent and international legal persona so that it can carry out its functions internationally, more efficiently.
• Ratification of the signed Headquarters Agreement between Gol and CDRI will facilitate grant of exemptions, immunities and privileges as contemplated under Section- 3 of the United Nations (Privileges & Immunities) Act, 1947.
• Significance: 
  1. The headquarters agreement basically gives CDRI a recognition of a global organisation due to which it will help in increasing the international work of CDRI. 
  2. This will also facilitate the experts of CDRI member countries to come to Delhi to do CDRI-related work. 
  3. Staff members who want to work in other countries will also get help regarding the procedure issues such as visa etc. 
  4. The Government of India gives this status to all international institutions, as are the institutions of the United Nations, so now CDRI will be considered at the same international level.

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI):

• CDRI is a global partnership of National Governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, academic and knowledge institutions. 
• Launch: The CDRI was launched by India during the United Nations Climate Action Summit in 2019, at New York. 
• Aim: To promote the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development.
• Members: Since its launch, thirty-one (31) Countries, six (06) International Organizations and two (02) private sector organisations have become members of CDRI.

News Source: pib

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context: 

Recently, the Prime Minister chaired the meeting of the 42nd edition of PRAGATI, to review implementation of  projects in the country.

About PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance And Timely Implementation):

• It is the ICT-based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Centre and State governments.
• It is a three-tier system (PMO, Union Government Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries of the States).
• The system has been designed in-house by the PMO team with the help of National Informatics Center (NIC). 
• As the name suggests, it will bring a culture of Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation. 
• It is also a robust system for bringing e-transparency and e-accountability with real-time presence and exchange among the key stakeholders.

Aim: 

• To address common man’s grievances
• To monitor and review important programmes and projects of the Government of India as well as projects flagged by State Governments.

Features 

• Incorporates latest technologies: 
  • Digital data management
  • Video-conferencing
  • Geo-spatial technology
• Enables cooperative federalism: 
  • It brings on one stage the Secretaries of Government of India and the Chief Secretaries of the States.
  • Prime Minister holds a monthly programme where interacts with the Government of India Secretaries, and Chief Secretaries through Video-conferencing enabled by data and geo-informatics visuals.
• Issues to be flagged before the PM are picked up from the available database regarding Public Grievances, on-going Programmes and pending Projects.
• The system will strengthen and re-engineer the databases of the CPGRAMS for grievances, Project Monitoring Group (PMG) and the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

News Source: pmindia

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context:

The United Nations has removed India from its annual report-‘Children and Armed Conflict’ , citing “measures taken by the government to better protect” them.

Key Findings of   ‘Children and Armed Conflict’: UN Report:

• Globally in 2022, children continued to be disproportionately affected by armed conflict.
• 2,496 Children were detained for actual or alleged association with armed groups including those designated as terrorist groups by the United Nations.

Reasons for Removal of India from  ‘Children and Armed Conflict’ Report:

• The Centre  introduced various policies and institutional changes since 2019 such as:
  • Implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in letter and spirit.
  • Establishment of  Child Welfare Committees, Juvenile Justice Boards, Child Care Homes.
  • Creation of a Jammu and Kashmir Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
  • Improved legal and administrative framework for the protection of children and improved access to child protection services in Chhattisgarh, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir.

News Source: The Hindu

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context:

Recently, the Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the PM-PRANAM scheme.

About PM-PRANAM Scheme:

• PM-PRANAM stands for (Prime Minister’s Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth).
• Aim: To incentivise states to use alternative, non-chemical fertilisers.
  • For Example: If a State was using 10 lakh tonnes of conventional fertilisers and reduces its consumption by three lakh tonnes, then the subsidy saving would be ₹3,000 crore. 
  • Out of that subsidy savings, the Centre will give 50% of it — ₹1,500 crore to the State for promoting the use of alternative fertiliser and other development works.
• It  was first announced in the 2023-24 Budget with a total outlay of ₹3,70,128.7 crore.
• Time Period:  2022-23 to 2024-25. 
• The scheme will not have a separate budget and will be financed by the “savings of existing fertiliser subsidy” under schemes run by the Department of fertilisers.
  • 50% subsidy savings will be passed on as a grant to the state that saves the money.
  • 70% of the grant provided under the scheme can be used for asset creation related to technological adoption of alternate fertilisers and alternate fertiliser production units at village, block and district levels.
  • The remaining 30% grant money can be used for incentivising farmers, panchayats, farmer producer organisations and self-help groups that are involved in the reduction of fertiliser use and awareness generation.

News Source: The Hindu

DOWNLOAD PDF

Context: 

Recently, the Union Cabinet  approved the National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill, 2023. 

Key Provisions of National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill:

• To establish the NRF as an apex body for  providing high-level strategic direction to scientific research  as envisaged under the National Education Policy (NEP).
• It proposes to absorb the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) in NRF.

Need of the Bill:

• To Correct the Skewed Funding: Presently, institutions like the IITs and IISc get a bulk of research funding but State universities get very little, about 10% of the research funds. 
• Fragmented R&D ecosystem characterised by limited collaboration: India lacks synergy and coordination between the government, public institutions, and private organisations. 
  • This fragmentation results in duplicated efforts, inefficient use of resources, and missed opportunities for interdisciplinary research. 
•  Lack of Uniformity : There has also been a lack of uniformity in the funding of scientific research. 

India’s Status of Spending on Research and Development vis-i-vis World:

Need for Research and Development:

• Driving Productivity and Economic Growth: By investing in R&D, countries can develop new technologies and improve existing processes, leading to enhanced resource efficiency and overall economic growth.
• Promoting Low-Cost Indigenous Solutions: It allows for the creation of tailored solutions that are cost-effective and easily accessible to the Indian population. For Example: Development of affordable solutions like the Jaipur Foot.
• Enhancing Learning Outcomes: A strong research culture in higher education institutions contributes to an enhanced teaching and learning experience. 
• Reducing Dependency on Imports: Investing in R&D helps reduce dependence on imported high-end technologies, thereby lowering the import bill and decreasing the fiscal deficit. 
  • By developing indigenous technologies, countries can achieve self-sufficiency and promote domestic industries
• Combating Climate Change: R&D plays a vital role in creating solutions such as low-cost solar panels, electric vehicles (EVs), and lithium batteries, which help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.

Challenges Faced by the R&D Sector:

• Low investment in R&D: The funding in R&D is less than 1% of the GDP. Further there are no extra provisions for R&D in the sunrise sectors.
  • The corporate sector accounts for about two-thirds of gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) in leading economies, its share in India is just 37%. 
• Insufficient Skilled Workforce: Inadequate number of researchers in India compared to China (253 researchers per million inhabitants in India vs. 1,225 in China)
• Ongoing Challenges in Education System: Only 2.7% Colleges run Ph.D. programmes and 35.04% Colleges run Post Graduate Level programmes.
• Excessive Bureaucracy in Public Institutions: In India, education is highly centralised, resulting in limited autonomy for most institutions. Excessive government interference hampers scientific progress and creates disincentives in an already struggling environment.
• Socio-Cultural Challenges in R&D: Sociocultural barriers, especially for women, restrict participation in R&D activities. E.g. The share of female researchers in India was only 18.7% in 2018.
• Capacity constraints in the Indian Patent Office: As of March 2022, the Indian Patent Office faced a significant shortage of patent examiners and controllers. 
  • With only 860 personnel in these roles, it pales in comparison to China’s 13,704 and the US’s 8,132 examiners and controllers. 

Way Forward: 

• Boost R&D Funding: It is crucial for India to increase its R&D investments to a minimum of 2% of GDP by 2030 for  promoting greater private sector participation and investment in research and development.
• Utilising NRF Commitment: Utilise the committed amount of Rs 50,000 crore to address the deficits in grants provided to autonomous universities and institutions by agencies like CSIR and DST.
• Improving Information Sharing: Create a centralised virtual platform to consolidate information on projects granted with public funding, facilitating better information sharing among stakeholders.
• Enhancing Research Capacity: Facilitate training opportunities for Indian students and scientists at the doctoral and postdoctoral levels by providing better remuneration and incentives.
• Ensuring IPR Compliance: Ensure proper adherence to the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) policy of 2016 to build investor confidence and attract more investment in R&D.
• Promoting Government-Industry-Academia Partnership: Encourage partnerships between the government, industry, and academia to support the R&D ecosystem in India.

Source: The Hindu

DOWNLOAD PDF