Current Affairs 06 January 2025

1. Ahead of PM’s Paris trip, Rafale, Scorpene deals reach final leg.
2. Quarantine animals with bird flu symptoms, Centre tells States after tiger, leopard deaths.
3. India needs to prioritise preventive care.
4. Sharp fall in Madrasa and unrecognised school enrolments.
5. Implications of China’s mega-dam project.
6. Empower the guardians of the earth, do not rob them.
7. Govt. launches ‘Panchayat Se Parliament 2.0’ for women.

Ahead of PM’s Paris trip, Rafale, Scorpene deals reach final leg.

Context :

          Two significant deals between India and France, worth over $10 billion, are nearing finalisation.

Relevance: GS 2 (International Relations)

Highlights:

Major Defence Deals:

• Agreements include:
•  26 Rafale-M fighter jets for Indian Navy aircraft carriers.
• Three additional Scorpene-class submarines, a continuation of an earlier contract.

Timeline and Approval:

•  Deals expected to be presented to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) within weeks.
• Anticipation of quick implementation due to the government-to-government nature of the agreements.

Strategic Context:

• PM Narendra Modi is expected to visit Paris in February for the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.
• A bilateral component during Modi’s visit could coincide with the finalisation of these deals.

Expert Insights:

• Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi confirmed the deals are in the final stages of approval.
• The Rafale-M deal requires one more clearance before CCS approval, after which the contract will be signed.
• The Scorpene submarine deal is a repeat order for Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, in collaboration with France’s Naval Group.

Additional Developments:

• The last Scorpene submarine from the previous order, INS Vagsheer, will be commissioned on January 15 in Mumbai in the presence of PM Modi.

Geopolitical Significance:

• The deals reflect strengthened India-France defence ties.
• The February AI Summit will also focus on ensuring AI technologies contribute positively to global development.

Implications:

• The agreements boost India’s naval capabilities, particularly for strategic deployment in the Indian Ocean region.
• France remains a key partner in India’s defence modernisation and technological advancements.
• The bilateral ties align with India’s larger strategic goals in defence, AI, and geopolitical collaboration.

Quarantine animals with bird flu symptoms, Centre tells States after tiger, leopard deaths.

Context :

The recent case reported in Maharashtra marks the first instance of avian influenza infecting non-avian species, specifically tigers and a leopard.

Relevance: GS 3 ( Biodiversity,Health )

First Case in India:

• Maharashtra reported India’s first case of avian influenza (H5N1) among animals, with three tigers and one leopard dying at a rescue centre in Nagpur in December 2024.

Transmission Concerns:

• Union Animal Husbandry Ministry highlights the species barrier being crossed, as seen in global cases (e.g., U.S. and Vietnam) affecting cattle, goats, and wild animals like tigers.

Infection Source:

• Infection possibly linked to contaminated chicken fed to the animals at the rescue centre.
• Post-mortem samples confirmed avian influenza at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal.

Response Measures:

• Quarantine Measures: Infected and symptomatic animals isolated to prevent transmission.
• National Joint Outbreak Response Team: Deployed to implement control protocols.
• Human Screening: Staff involved in treatment and post-mortem are being screened.

Ministry Directives:

• Enhanced biosecurity protocols:
• Affected establishments to be temporarily closed to the public.
• Restricted personnel movement to prevent cross-contamination.
• Thorough disinfection of affected areas.
• Guidelines for handling the situation to be issued within a week.

Government Coordination:

• Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change alerted to collaborate on containment.

Public Reassurance:

• Officials urge there is no need for panic, but vigilance is essential.

Broader Implications:

• Rising risk of zoonotic transmission highlights the need for biosecurity vigilance in animal care facilities.
• Importance of investigating and preventing contamination in animal food supply chains.

India needs to prioritise preventive care.

Context :

Indians are facing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer account for 65% of deaths (2022), up from 50% (2010-13).

Relevance: GS 3 (Health)

India is experiencing a dual healthcare challenge:

• Rising Life Expectancy with Increasing Disease Burden:
• Escalating Healthcare Costs: Rising healthcare expenses, driven by late diagnoses and costly treatments, are straining household finances and the national healthcare system.
• India’s healthcare spending remains inadequate, despite an increase in the 2024 Union Budget, necessitating a shift toward preventive healthcare to improve health outcomes and reduce costs.

Key Challenges:

Prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases:

• 1 in 4 adult men is hypertensive; 1 in 8 adults is diabetic.
• Early-onset cancers like breast, lung, and cervical cancer are rising.
• Late diagnoses worsen outcomes and increase treatment costs.

Financial Burden on Individuals and the System:

• Household expenditure still drives 50%+ of health spending.
• WHO estimates NCDs will cost India ₹280 lakh crore by 2030 (₹2 lakh per household), impacting financial stability for middle- and low-income families.

Underinvestment in Preventive Healthcare:

• Preventive health checks (₹8,000–₹15,000 in metro cities) are expensive.
• The tax deduction for preventive care (₹5,000) under Section 80D has been stagnant since 2013, despite 12-14% healthcare inflation.

Policy Gaps:

Limited Early Diagnosis Infrastructure:

• Inadequate focus on scaling low-cost screening facilities.
• Insufficient integration of AI tools for targeted screenings in public health systems.

Low Awareness and Adoption of Preventive Care:

• Lack of public campaigns emphasizing early screening for high-risk groups.

Inefficient Financial Incentives:

• Outdated tax policies fail to encourage preventive healthcare uptake.

Recommendations

Expand Preventive Care Initiatives:

• Scale up Ayushman Health and Wellness Centres with AI-enabled imaging for low-cost screenings.
• Encourage routine screenings (e.g., mammograms, cardiac tests) for individuals aged 40-60 through subsidies and public-private partnerships.

Revise Financial Policies:

• Increase the Section 80D tax deduction for preventive health checks to ₹15,000 in the 2025-26 Union Budget.
• Allocate funds from healthcare cess or GST on harmful products (e.g., tobacco, sugar) to subsidize preventive health services.

Enhance Private Sector Participation:

• Incentivize insurers and healthcare providers to offer subsidized screening packages for high-risk individuals.

Boost Public Awareness:

• Nationwide campaigns to emphasize the importance of early detection and periodic health checks.

Potential Impact

• Reduced Disease Burden: Early detection can lower mortality rates and reduce the need for expensive late-stage treatments.
• Cost Savings: Preventive care can save households and the government significant healthcare expenses over time.
• Economic Productivity: A healthier workforce will enhance economic growth and reduce productivity losses.

Conclusion

India’s growing healthcare crisis calls for urgent action to prioritize preventive care. By increasing investments in screenings, revising tax policies, and enhancing public awareness, the nation can mitigate the dual burden of rising diseases and healthcare costs, ensuring a healthier and economically resilient future.

Sharp fall in Madrasa and unrecognised school enrolments.

Context:

 India’s school enrolments dropped by 1.22 crore in 2023-24 compared to 2018-19, attributed primarily to weeding out duplicate and ghost entries through Aadhaar-linked student IDs.

Relevance: GS 2 (Education)

Decline Across School Types:

• Government Schools: Enrolments fell by 36 lakh (-2.8%).
• Government-Aided Schools: Declined by 24 lakh (-8.7%).
• Private Schools: Dropped by 21 lakh (-2.3%).
• Other Schools (including Madrasas): Declined by 41 lakh (-44.8%).

Madrasas and Unrecognised Schools:

• Recognised Madrasas: Student enrolments dropped by 16%, but the number of schools and teachers increased by 7% and 13%, respectively.
• Unrecognised Madrasas: Enrolments dropped sharply by 87% (from 6.1 lakh to 78,283).
• Other Unrecognised Schools: Enrolments declined by 56% (from 53 lakh to 23.5 lakh).

Concentration of Decline:

• Despite forming only 2-4% of total enrolments, Madrasas and unrecognised schools contributed over 33% of the total enrolment decline.

Key Issues:

Weeding Out Ghost and Duplicate Entries:

• Aadhaar-based IDs have improved data accuracy, but they may have disproportionately affected unrecognised schools and Madrasas where enrolments could have included unverified or duplicate entries.

Impact on Access to Education:

•  Many unrecognised schools cater to marginalised communities, and their closure or reduced enrolments could indicate barriers to access rather than a decline in actual student numbers.

Recognised Madrasas:

• Despite increased infrastructure and teaching staff, recognised Madrasas witnessed a 16% drop in student enrolments, raising questions about retention and outreach.

Lack of Clarity on Actual Student Dropout:

• The data does not conclusively determine whether the decline reflects real dropouts or just improved data collection.

Possible Implications:

Education Gaps for Marginalised Groups:

• Unrecognised schools often fill critical gaps in underserved areas. Their decline might exacerbate educational inequality for marginalised communities.

Policy Challenges:

• The sharp reduction in enrolments raises concerns about monitoring mechanisms and the balance between regulation (e.g., closure of unrecognised schools) and ensuring access to education.

Need for Deeper Analysis:

• The increase in recognised Madrasa schools and teachers but declining student enrolments warrants further investigation into systemic challenges, including community engagement and curriculum relevance.

Recommendations

Detailed Study on Causes:

• Investigate whether the enrolment drop is due to improved data collection or actual student attrition, particularly in unrecognised schools and Madrasas.

Support for Transition:

• Provide resources to help unrecognised schools meet government recognition criteria, ensuring continued access for vulnerable groups.

Strengthen Outreach Programs:

• Focus on enrolment drives, particularly for marginalised communities relying on Madrasas and unrecognised schools.

Improve Monitoring Without Exclusion:

• Enhance monitoring systems to ensure data accuracy while preventing unintended exclusion of genuine students.

Implications of China’s mega-dam project.

Context:

The 60 GW Medog Hydropower Dam across the Brahmaputra (Yarlung Zangbo) was approved in December 2024 led to rise in geopolitical tensions.

Relevance: GS 3 (Internal Security).

Impacts:

Environmental Risks:

• Blocking the Brahmaputra’s flow will disrupt perennial water availability in India and Bangladesh.
• This could alter monsoon patterns, reduce surface and groundwater levels, and devastate the Himalayan ecosystem.
• Increased likelihood of disasters like Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), exemplified by the Chungthang Dam collapse in Sikkim (2023).

Impact on Communities:

• Agro-pastoral and downstream communities in India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh will lose traditional knowledge systems as river cycles are disrupted.
• Flood risks and water shortages could worsen, threatening livelihoods, biodiversity, and food security.

Strategic and Geopolitical Tensions:

• China views the Yarlung Zangbo as a “rogue river” and seeks to control its flow for strategic purposes.
•   India’s counter-projects (e.g., Upper Siang Dam) reflect escalating hydro-hegemony in the region.
• Lack of a bilateral water-sharing treaty or enforcement mechanisms under international conventions intensifies disputes.

Hydropower Race in the Brahmaputra Basin:

China’s Dominance:

• Previous mega-projects like the Three Gorges Dam (Yangtze) and Zangmu Dam (Yarlung Zangbo) demonstrate China’s unilateral approach to hydropower.

India and Bhutan’s Efforts:

• India plans its largest dam at Upper Siang to counter China’s water control.
• Bhutan focuses on small-to-medium hydropower projects, raising concerns in India and Bangladesh.

Absence of Cooperation:

• None of the riparian countries are signatories to the UN Watercourses Convention (2014), making water-sharing rights unenforceable.
• Existing mechanisms like the Expert Level Mechanism (ELM) between China and India remain limited in scope.

What’s at Stake?

Turning the Region into a Risk-Scape:

• If planned dams by China, India, and Bhutan proceed, the Brahmaputra basin could face water scarcity, ecological collapse, and increased vulnerability to natural disasters.

Potential for Water Wars:

• Securitisation of the river system could fuel regional tensions, with lower riparian nations like Bangladesh facing the worst impacts.

Need for a Bioregional Approach:

• Collaborative river basin management and ecological preservation are vital to countering the “dam-for-dam” strategy.

Recommendations:

 De-Securitising the Basin:

• Shift focus from hydro-hegemony to cooperative, bioregional frameworks that prioritise ecological sustainability and disaster risk reduction.

  Regional Leadership by India:

•   India should avoid mimicking China’s unilateralism and champion equitable river governance in the region.
•   Engage Bhutan and Bangladesh in multilateral frameworks for sustainable water-sharing.

Strengthen Data Sharing and Monitoring:

• Expand the scope of the India-China ELM to include disaster risk management and ecological preservation.

Global Advocacy for Himalayan Ecology:

• Highlight the Himalayas’ importance in global climate systems and advocate for international commitments to preserve its bioregion.

Empower the guardians of the earth, do not rob them.

Context:

₹72,000-crore project includes a transshipment port, airport, cruise terminal, shipbreaking yard, and more. Threatens Great Nicobar’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and its ecological balance.

Relevance: GS 3 (Biodiversity)

Ecological Impact:

• Loss of 8–10 lakh evergreen trees, coral reefs, nesting sites for Leatherback turtles and Nicobar Megapodes.
• Denotification of Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary for the project raises concerns over greenwashing.

Indigenous Communities:

• Southern Nicobarese and Shompen hold traditional rights over the islands, relying on them for sustenance and spiritual practices.
• Islands like Meroë (Piruii) and Menchal (Pingaeyak) are sacred and sustainably managed by community elders.

Conservation Colonialism:

• Declaration of wildlife sanctuaries on Meroë, Menchal, and Little Nicobar was unilateral, excluding indigenous consultation.
• Sanctuaries appear to offset criticism of the mega-project but fail to respect indigenous governance.

Social Impact:

• Risk of displacement and loss of traditional lands for the Shompen and Nicobarese.
• Disruption of livelihoods rebuilt after the 2004 tsunami.

Proposed Solutions:

• Empower Indigenous Stewardship: Legally recognize indigenous governance for sustainable conservation.
• Transparent Decision-Making: Ensure free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) of local communities.
• Holistic Conservation: Integrate ecological and cultural preservation instead of exclusionary models.
• Environmental Oversight: Reassess the project’s impact and explore sustainable alternatives.

Protecting Great Nicobar’s biodiversity and respecting indigenous rights is essential for long-term ecological and cultural sustainability. Indigenous communities must be seen as stewards, not obstacles, to conservation.

Govt. launches ‘Panchayat Se Parliament 2.0’ for women.

Context : “Panchayat Se Parliament 2.0” Initiative launched by the government.

Relevance: GS 2 (Governance)

 Launch Details:

• Inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday.
• Purpose: To educate 500+ women representatives from Panchayati Raj Institutions on India’s Constitution and parliamentary procedures.

  Commemoration:

• Marks the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda.

Programme Highlights:

• Workshops and sessions to provide insight into legislative processes and democratic institutions.
• Guided tours of the new Parliament House, Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, and Rashtrapati Bhavan.

 Goal: Enhance understanding of India’s legislative process and the functioning of democratic institutions for women leaders in local governance.