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Current Affairs 24 March 2025

  1. TB treatment success rates are improving gradually in India
  2. India imposes anti-dumping duty on Chinese goods for up to 5 years
  3. Human creativity will retain potential despite AI disruption
  4. Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupts
  5. Targeted conservation efforts pulled hundreds of species back from the brink, study finds


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 WHOs End TB Strategy to meet the 2025 goal.


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 FoilUp 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.


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.

Indias 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.


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



Background

  • Biodiversity loss is a major global concern, with species extinction rates accelerating due to human activities.
  • The IUCN Red List tracks speciesconservation 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


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