UPSC DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS (4TH NOVEMBER, 2024)

Urbanisation and Related Challenges

Syllabus: GS1/Urbanisation

Context

• October 31 is observed every year as World Cities Day. 

About

• The world’s urban population has reached an estimated 4.7 billion, or 57.5% of the world’s total population, with projections to double by 2050. 
• The theme for this year’s World Cities Day is ‘Youth Climate Changemakers: Catalysing Local Action for Urban Sustainability’.

Urbanisation in India

• In Western countries, urbanisation followed industrialisation, which created jobs that absorbed rural labour.
  • Their urbanisation was sustained also because of massive economic transfers from colonies. 
• In contrast, India’s urbanisation is largely driven by economic distress, resulting in poverty-driven urbanisation, with both rural-to-urban and urban-to-urban migration.
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, the strain on urban planning became apparent, as reverse migration trends highlighted gaps in infrastructure.
• According to the 2011 Census, India’s urban population increased from 27.7% in 2001 to 31.1% in 2011, at a rate of 2.76% per year.
• World Bank estimates suggest around 40% of India’s population live in urban areas, in around 9,000 statutory and census towns.
  • How well India manages this urban transformation will play a critical role in realizing its ambition of becoming a developed country by 2047, the 100th year of independence.

Urban challenges in India: 

• Outdated Plans: Spatial and temporal plans are often outdated and fail to accommodate population growth. 
• Overcrowded Unplanned Areas: Since the 1980s, deindustrialisation has led to job losses in cities like Ahmedabad, Delhi, Surat, and Mumbai.
  • Many workers displaced by this trend moved to peri-urban areas, where they live in overcrowded conditions. 
  • Currently, 40% of India’s urban population resides in slums. 
• Climate Change: Climate change severely impacts Indian cities.
  • Cities face severe pollution and are increasingly subject to urban flooding and heat island effects. 
• Inequality in Development: Inequality is widening, with exclusive developments catering to the wealthy while millions lack basic housing.
• Waste Management: Rapid urbanization has led to increased waste generation, and many cities struggle with effective waste collection and disposal, resulting in environmental degradation.
• Transportation and Traffic Congestion: Inadequate public transport systems, coupled with a rise in private vehicle ownership, contribute to severe traffic congestion and pollution.

Steps Taken by Government of India to Tackle Urbanisation Challenges

• As per the 12th Schedule of the Constitution of India, urban planning is a State subject. 
  • Government of India provides financial and technical support to the States. 
  • State Town Planning Departments and Urban Development Authorities act as city and state level urban anchors. 
• Smart Cities Mission: Launched in 2015, this initiative aims to promote sustainable and inclusive cities by using smart technology for better infrastructure, transportation, and services. 
• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT): This mission focuses on ensuring basic services like water supply, sewerage, and urban transport to improve the quality of life in cities, particularly for the urban poor.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY): This housing scheme aims to provide affordable housing to the urban poor. 
• Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban): Launched in 2014, this initiative focuses on promoting cleanliness and sanitation in urban areas.
• NITI Ayog: The Managing Urbanisation (MU) Division provides data-based policy inputs for making India’s urbanisation manageable, economically productive, environmentally appropriate, and equitable.
  • It offers advice and policy guidance to key stakeholders involved in urban planning, development, and management.
• PM SVANidhi scheme is a special micro-credit facility launched by ministry for providing affordable loans to street vendors.

New Scheme to Foster Novel Ideas to Develop Health Sector

Syllabus:GS2/Health 

In News

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) launched the “First in the World Challenge” to encourage Indian scientists to propose innovative solutions to complex health issues.

About scheme

• The scheme seeks bold, novel ideas for global-impact innovations in biomedical fields, including new vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and other health technologies.
• Criteria: Only proposals for unique, groundbreaking research and technologies will be funded.
  • Proposals aimed at incremental improvements or minor process innovations are ineligible.
• High-Risk, High-Reward: The initiative embraces a high-risk, high-reward approach, aiming for pioneering breakthroughs even if some projects may not succeed.
• Eligibility: Proposals can be submitted by individuals or teams from single or multiple institutions.
• Selection Committee: A selection panel comprising renowned experts, innovators, policymakers, and biomedical scientists will review proposals.

National Medical Register (NMR) Issues

•  The NMR, maintained by the National Medical Commission (NMC) and set up by the Union Health Ministry, is a centralized, dynamic database of all licensed allopathic doctors in India.
• Current Problem: Doctors face issues registering due to Aadhaar and state medical board detail mismatches, such as name spelling discrepancies.
• Authentication and Delay: The NMR uses Aadhaar for verification, requiring doctors to file affidavits to verify identity, leading to delays.i

Healthcare system in india 

• India’s healthcare industry includes hospitals, medical devices, clinical trials, outsourcing, telemedicine, medical tourism, health insurance, and medical equipment.
• Growth Drivers: The sector is growing rapidly due to expanded coverage, improved services, and increased investment by both public and private entities.
  • Rising lifestyle diseases, need for affordable healthcare, technological advances, telemedicine, health insurance penetration, government initiatives, tax benefits, and incentives are boosting the market.
• Immunization Program: The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) targets 26.7 million newborns and 29 million pregnant women annually, providing vaccines for 12 preventable diseases at no cost.
• Hospital Sector Growth: Expected to reach INR 18,348.78 billion by FY 2027, with a CAGR of 18.24%.
• Telemedicine Market: Expected to grow at a 31% CAGR, reaching $5.4 billion by 2025.
• National Digital Health Blueprint: Could generate over $200 billion in economic value over the next 10 years.
• Ayushman Bharat Scheme: India has the world’s largest government-supported health insurance scheme.
• Medical Education Investment: INR 17,691.08 crore invested in 157 new medical colleges since 2014.
• FDI Policy: 100% FDI allowed under the automatic route for greenfield projects.
• Medical Value Travel (MVT): India is a top destination for MVT, attracting global patients under the “Heal in India” initiative.

India’s updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP)

Syllabus: GS3/Biodiversity and Conservation

Context

• India launched the updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2024-2030, at the COP 16 to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). 

Major Highlights of NBSAP

• India has updated the NBSAP to align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) establishing the National Biodiversity Targets (NBTs). 
• It outlines 23 National Biodiversity Targets focused on reducing threats to biodiversity, ensuring sustainable use of resources, and enhancing tools for implementation.
  • Each target is linked to specific strategies aimed at promoting ecosystem resilience, species recovery, and sustainable management practices.
• Implementation: The MoEFCC serves as the central agency responsible for coordinating biodiversity conservation efforts across India. 

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

• The CBD is a part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), came into being in 1993.
  • It has three major objectives—conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of the components of biological diversity, and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)

• GBF was adopted by the COP15 to the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022.
• It has been promoted as a “Paris Agreement for Nature”.
• The GBF contains 4 global goals and 23 targets.
  • Among the twenty-three targets to be achieved by 2030 include halving the introduction of invasive species, and $500 billion/year reduction in harmful subsidies.
  • “Target 3” is especially referred to as the “30X30” target.
• ’30X30′ target
  • Under it, delegates committed to protecting 30% of land and 30% of coastal and marine areas by 2030, fulfilling the deal’s highest-profile goal, known as 30-by-30.
  • The deal also aspires to restore 30% of degraded lands and waters throughout the decade, up from an earlier aim of 20%.
  • Also, the world will strive to prevent destroying intact landscapes and areas with a lot of species, bringing those losses “close to zero by 2030”.

Major Outcomes of Cop 16

• Cali Fund: It is a multilateral mechanism, including a global fund, to share the benefits from uses of digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources more fairly and equitably.
  • It will be non-binding (voluntary) where firms are expected to contribute 1% of their profit or 0.1% of their revenue.
• Indigenous People and Local Communities: A new Programme that sets out specific tasks to ensure the meaningful contribution of indigenous peoples and local communities towards the three objectives of the Convention was adopted.
• Synthetic biology: An expert group will guide identification of synthetic biology’s potential benefits and review the potential impacts of recent technological developments. 
• Invasive Alien Species: It proposes guidelines for managing invasive alien species, touching on issues such as e-commerce, multicriteria analysis methodologies and others. 
• Biodiversity and Health: A Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health designed to help curb the emergence of zoonotic diseases, and prevent non-communicable diseases, it embraces a holistic “One Health” approach.
• Risk Assessment: Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety welcomed new, voluntary guidance on assessing the risks posed by living modified organisms (LMOs) containing engineered gene drives.
  • They are voluntary in nature, individual countries can tailor them to national contexts, considering ecological variables unique to their environments. 

FACTS IN NEWS

Balfour Declaration

Syllabus: GS1/World History

Context

• The Balfour Declaration was made 107 years ago on November 2, 1917.

The Balfour Declaration

• It was a letter that Balfour, then British foreign secretary, wrote to Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild of Tring, a prominent member of the Anglo-Jewish community. 
• It expressed support for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. 
• The declaration is seen as a significant moment in the lead-up to the 1948 creation of Israel.

Factors Leading to Balfour Declaration

• Zionist Movement: The Zionists believed that the Jewish community, facing increasing persecution in Europe, would not be safe till they had a country, a homeland, to call their own.
  • Thus, Zionists began approaching various leaders to secure support for this goal.
• Strategic Interest of the Allies: It reflected British strategic interests during World War I, including garnering support from Jews in the United States and Russia.
• The implications of the Balfour Declaration contributed to tensions in the region and played a crucial role in the subsequent history of Israel and Palestine.

Ningol Chakkouba

Syllabus: GS 1/Culture

Context

• Ningol Chakkouba, one of Manipur’s most significant festivals, was celebrated with great enthusiasm.

About

• The festival is traditionally held on the second lunar day of the Manipuri calendar’s Hiyangei month and its history dates back to the time when King Nongda Lairen Pakhangba ruled in Manipur. 
• Ningol means ‘married woman’ and Chakouba means ‘invitation for feast’; so the festival is the one where the married women are invited to their parents’ home for a feast. 
• The invitation comes from the son(s) of the parental family of the ningols, generally a week in advance; it strengthens the bond of affections among the brothers and sisters, daughters and parents of a family.
• Earlier, the festival was mainly celebrated by the Meiteis but nowadays many other communities also have started to celebrate it. 

Digital India Common Service Centre (DICSC) Project

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

In News

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has announced the launch of the Digital India Common Service Centre (DICSC) project.

About

• Project aims to bridge the digital divide in rural India by providing citizens with accessible e-governance, financial, and commercial services. 
• Each centre will serve as a one-stop solution for essential services, including Aadhaar registration, banking, and tele-law, equipped with high-speed broadband connectivity and modern infrastructure. 
• The implementation is managed by Common Services Centres e-Governance Services India Limited.

India’s Progress in the Fight Against Tuberculosis

Syllabus: GS2/Health

Context

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi highlighted the nation’s achievements in reducing TB incidence. 

About

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognised India’s progress, with a 17.7% decline in TB incidence from 2015 to 2023, a rate more than double the global decline of 8.3%.
• The government has expanded and strengthened the National TB Elimination Programme by taking key initiatives such as:
  • The Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana to provide essential nutritional support to TB patients and the introduction of the BPALM regimen, a novel treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.
• India’s goal is to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030.

Iron Beam

Syllabus: GS3/ Defence

In News

• Israel’s Ministry of Defense has announced that the “Iron Beam,” a high-powered laser interception system, is expected to become operational within a year. 

About

• Purpose: Designed to neutralize projectiles, including drones and rockets, using high-powered lasers.
• Functionality: The Iron Beam can intercept a range of threats from hundreds of meters to several kilometers away, engaging at the speed of light. It operates with minimal cost per interception and low collateral damage.
• Development: Created by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, it will complement Israel’s existing Iron Dome system and will be integrated into a broader, multilayer defense strategy.
• Capabilities and Limitations: The Iron Beam is especially effective against small, fast-moving drones, although its efficiency decreases in poor weather conditions like fog or rain.

Laika: First Living Creature to Orbit the Earth

Syllabus: GS 3/Space

Context

• November 3 marks 67 years since the Soviet Union sent Laika to orbit the Earth on its Sputnik 2 mission.

About: Laika

• Laika (Barker) was a Soviet space dog who became the first living creature to orbit the earth.
• The dog was promoted to cosmonaut (a term referring to an astronaut in the Soviet or Russian space program) based on her ‘small’ size and ‘calm’ demeanour. 
• As the technology to re-enter the atmosphere had not yet been developed, Laika’s survival was never expected. It is likely that she died of hyperthermia a few hours after reaching orbit. 
• Laika ended up providing scientists with the first data on the behaviour of a living organism orbiting in the space environment. Four years later, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit earth.

Botswana 

Syllabus: GS1/Places in news 

In News  

• Mr. Duma Boko elected as the new President of Botswana.

About Botswana

• It is a land-locked country dominated in geographical terms by the Kalahari Desert. 
• It is situated in the Southern African region and about two-thirds of Botswana lies within the Tropics; it is bisected by the Tropic of Capricorn.
• It is bordered by Zambia and Zimbabwe to the northeast, Namibia to the north and west, and South Africa to the south and southeast.

• Capital City: Gaborone
• Botswana’s climate is semi-arid though it is hot and dry for much of the year. 
• Botswana’s highest point is Tsodilo Hills
• Major Rivers : Significant rivers  include the Limpopo, Okavango, and Shashe with the Molopo River creating a geographical border between South Africa and Botswana.

• It is home of the world’s largest elephant population

Bibek Debroy

Syllabus: GS3/ Miscellaneous 

Context

• Economist and chairman of Prime Minister’’s economic advisory council Bibek Debroy has passed away.

About

• He was a full-time Member of NITI Aayog from its constitution in 2015 until June 2019. 
• He was also a Sanskrit scholar who had translated the Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata into English.
• Bibek Debroy Committee: Chaired by Debroy from 2014 to 2015, this committee was tasked with restructuring the Railway Ministry and Railway Board, and mobilizing resources for major railway projects.
• He was the Chairman of the Finance Ministry’s ‘Expert Committee for Infrastructure Classification and Financing Framework for Amrit Kaal.
• Debroy was awarded a Padma Shri in 2015 and the Lifetime Achievement Award by the US-India Business Summit in 2016.