Content:
- TB treatment success rates are improving gradually in India
- India imposes anti-dumping duty on Chinese goods for up to 5 years
- Human creativity will retain potential despite AI disruption
- Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupts
- Targeted conservation efforts pulled hundreds of species back from the brink, study finds
TB treatment success rates are improving gradually in India
Background
- Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health challenge in India, which has the highest TB burden globally.
- The National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) aims to eradicate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global target (2030).
- Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) is a major concern, requiring longer and costlier treatment regimens.
Relevance : GS 2(Health ,Governance)
Key Findings (2022 Data)
Decline in TB Incidence & Mortality
- TB incidence: Below 200 per lakh population, a 16% decline from 2015 (237 per lakh).
- TB mortality: 23 per lakh, showing an 18% decline from 2015.
Treatment Success Rates (2021 Data)
- MDR/RR-TB (Multidrug-resistant TB) → 74% success rate
- Pre-XDR-TB (Resistant to fluoroquinolones) → 68% success rate
- Severely drug-resistant TB → Lowest success rate at 45%
- Overall improvement in treatment success rates over time.
State Performance in TB Fight (TB Index)
- Top performers: Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat
- Bottom performers: Punjab, Bihar, Karnataka
Healthcare Expenditure & Coverage
- Over 10% of the Indian population faces catastrophic health expenditure, ranking 3rd highest among 14 high TB-burden lower-middle-income countries.
- Health coverage: Just over 60% of the population is covered, but high out-of-pocket spending remains a challenge.
Forward Linkages & Way Forward
Strengthening NTEP:
- Ensuring early detection, free diagnostics, and universal drug access.
- Expanding Nikshay Poshan Yojana (nutritional support for TB patients).
Combatting Drug-Resistant TB:
- Need for shorter, more effective treatment regimens (e.g., BPaL regimen).
- Increasing second-line drug availability and adherence monitoring.
Reducing Financial Burden:
- Expanding PMJAY (Ayushman Bharat) coverage for TB patients.
- Providing direct cash transfers for those facing catastrophic health expenditure.
State-Level Best Practices Replication:
- Himachal, Odisha, and Gujarat models should be studied and implemented in low-performing states.
Global TB Eradication Goal Alignment:
- Aligning India’s TB policies with WHO’s End TB Strategy to meet the 2025 goal.
India imposes anti-dumping duty on Chinese goods for up to 5 years
Background
- Dumping: Selling goods in a foreign market at a price lower than their normal value.
- Anti-Dumping Duty: A protective tariff imposed by a country to counteract dumping and safeguard domestic industries.
- Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR): The investigative body under the Ministry of Commerce that recommends anti-dumping measures.
Relevance : GS 2(Health ,Governance) , GS 3(Import ,Duties)
Key Developments
- India imposed anti-dumping duties on five Chinese goods:
- Soft Ferrite Cores (used in EVs, chargers, telecom devices) – Up to 35% duty on CIF value.
- Vacuum Insulated Flask – $1,732 per tonne duty.
- Aluminium Foil – Up to $873 per tonne duty (provisional for 6 months).
- Trichloro Isocyanuric Acid (used in water treatment) – $276–$986 per tonne duty on imports from China & Japan.
- Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) Paste Resin – $89–$707 per tonne duty on imports from China, Korea, Malaysia, Norway, Taiwan, and Thailand (for 5 years).
- Rationale for Imposition
- These goods were exported from China at below normal prices, causing injury to Indian manufacturers.
- Duties were imposed based on DGTR recommendations.
Implications
- Impact on Domestic Industry: Positive, as it prevents unfair competition and supports Indian manufacturers.
- Effect on Consumers: Prices of affected products may rise in the short term.
- Trade Relations with China: Could lead to retaliatory measures from China, impacting bilateral trade.
- WTO Compliance: India’s actions align with WTO rules that allow anti-dumping duties if domestic industry harm is proven.
- Strategic Move: Supports India’s push for self-reliance (Aatmanirbhar Bharat) and supply chain diversification.
Human creativity will retain potential despite AI disruption
Background:
- The role of AI in creative fields, IT, and societal applications is evolving rapidly.
- Concerns exist over automation replacing human roles, especially in low-level IT tasks.
- India has taken a distinct approach by prioritizing AI for societal needs, especially linguistic and digital public goods.
Relevance : GS 3(Technology)
AI in Media & Creativity:
- Despite AI’s growth, media and creative industries will remain human-led.
- Issues like copyright concerns and trust in human creativity will necessitate regulatory guardrails.
Impact on IT Industry:
- Low-level tasks (testing, QA, software generation) will be highly automated.
- Human oversight remains essential in software code generation and enterprise flexibility.
- Potential shift back to custom in-house applications instead of off-the-shelf software.
- Data annotation and enrichment will be a major opportunity for Indian IT firms.
India’s AI Priorities:
- Overcoming languagebarriers is a major focus (e.g., Bhashini, Anuvadini, AI4Bharat).
- Startups leading AI development include Paralaxiom (vision AI), Pienomial (life sciences), and Innoplexus (drug discovery).
- Government-backed AI initiatives (e.g., Sarvam AI for UIDAI, mVaak for voice modeling).
Challenges for Indian AI Startups:
- Funding, access to computingpower, and lack of public datasets.
- Ethical movement “Data Daan” launched to encourage voluntary data sharing.
Forward Linkages:
- Policy implications: AI regulations on copyright, ethical data use, and human oversight.
- Workforce transition: Need for reskilling programs as low-level IT tasks get automated.
- AI in governance: Expansion of AI-based digital public goods (DPGs) like UPI for societal benefits.
- Global AI positioning: India’s AI strategy focusing on localized, ethical, and public-good models instead of generic LLMs.
Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupts
Background
- Indonesia is home to 130 active volcanoes, being part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a tectonically active zone.
- Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano, located in East Nusa Tenggara province, has been active, with previous eruptions in November 2023 killing at least nine people and forcing evacuations.
Relevance : GS 1(Geography ),GS 3(Disaster Management)
-Photo : Reuters
Current Developments
- The volcano erupted again on March 21, 2024, spewing ash over 8 km high.
- Authorities raised the alert status to the highest level due to the increasing volcanic activity since March 13.
- The geological agency has warned of potential lava floods and noted smaller eruptions on Friday morning.
Implications
- Humanitarian Concerns: Authorities may need to expand evacuation zones and provide emergency relief to displaced residents.
- Air Travel Disruptions: Further flight cancellations possible if volcanic ash clouds persist, affecting tourism-dependent businesses in Bali.
- Environmental Impact: Ash fallout may affect agriculture, water sources, and air quality in nearby regions.
- Long-term Relocation Plans: Indonesian authorities may accelerate permanent relocation for high-risk populations, following their earlier proposal in November.
- Seismic Risks: The eruption highlights the constant threat of earthquakes and tsunamis in Indonesia due to its location on the Ring of Fire.
-Source : Reuters
Targeted conservation efforts pulled hundreds of species back from the brink, study finds
Background
- Biodiversity loss is a major global concern, with species extinction rates accelerating due to human activities.
- The IUCN Red List tracks species‘ conservation statuses, categorizing them based on extinction risk.
- Conservation efforts such as habitat restoration, legal protection, reintroductions, and captive breeding have been implemented globally.
- The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) aims to halt biodiversity loss and restore populations.
Relevance : GS 3(Environment and Ecology)
Key Findings of the Study
- Success Stories:
- Iberian lynx population grew from a few hundred to several thousand.
- Kākāpō recovery program in New Zealand boosted its numbers.
- European bison reintroduced into the wild after extinction.
- Humpback and blue whales rebounded due to whaling bans.
- Impact of Conservation Measures:
- 78.3% of the 969 species with increasing populations had targeted conservation actions.
- 99.3% of species whose Red List category improved since 1980 benefitted from conservation.
- Island ecosystems (New Zealand, Mauritius, Seychelles, Borneo, etc.) showed the highest recovery rates.
- Ongoing Biodiversity Decline:
- Since 1980, six species declined for every one that improved.
- 1,220 species saw net declines, while only 201 improved.
- 25 species moved from ‘Least Concern’ to ‘Critically Endangered’; none moved in the opposite direction.
- Habitat destruction, overhunting, pollution, climate change, and invasive species are primary threats.
- Worst-Affected Regions:
- Tropical Andes, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, southern Europe, central Asia, and southeastern Australia.
Forward Prospects :
- Need for Scaling Up Conservation Efforts:
- Expansion of habitat restoration and protection measures.
- Strengthening global conservation policies under the Kunming-Montreal Framework.
- Increased funding and coordination for conservation programs.
- Policy Implications:
- Integration of conservation goals into national development policies.
- Strengthening international agreements like the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
- Technological and Scientific Advances:
- Use of AI and remote sensing to track species recovery.
- Genetic research to aid breeding and reintroduction programs.
- Community and Economic Aspects:
- Ecotourism as a tool for funding conservation.
- Involvement of indigenous communities in habitat protection.
Source : Down To Earth
