19 December 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

1 – Thanksgiving: GS II – International issues:

Context:

• The American people have a very special and ingrained attachment to the Thanksgiving holiday.

About Thanksgiving:

• US President Abraham Lincoln declared the Thanksgiving holiday in 1863, and it originally fell on the last Thursday of November.
• A joint resolution of Congress was approved by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941, shifting the national holiday to the fourth Thursday of the month.
• The origins of the custom can be traced to the English settlers who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620 and were known as the Pilgrims or Pilgrim Fathers.
• The Pilgrims followed a strict Bible-based brand of Christianity and disapproved of bishops, believing them to be creations of Satan.
• Women and children were among the Pilgrim Fathers, despite their popular moniker.
• The Wampanoag tribe’s indigenous members gave them food and taught them how to farm in the area.
• The Wampanoag tribe and the settlers observed a three-day holiday called Thanksgiving in the autumn of 1621.
• The Wampanoag tribe’s harmonious coexistence with the newcomers was unusual at the time.Beginning in the 1630s, there was an increasing amount of violence in the relationship.
• Therefore, Thanksgiving is actually a day to remember the genocide committed by European settlers and the loss of their ancestral lands for a large number of Native Americans today.
• The first feast, held in 1621 by the Wampanoag tribe and the Pilgrims, is recognised as the source of Thanksgiving in the United States.

Source The Hindu

2 – Is India lagging in measles vaccination: GS II – Health-related issues:

Context:

• A recent World Health Organisation and United States report. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles cases and deaths increased internationally in 2022 by 18% and 43%, respectively, over 2021.

Important information:

• As a result, the research estimates that there will be nine million cases of measles worldwide, with 1,36,000 deaths—mostly in children.
• A portion of the research that claimed that 22 million children worldwide missed their first dose of the measles in 2022 has been denied by the Union Health Ministry. Of those, half reside in ten countries, including India, where a projected 1.1 million infants missed their first dose of the vaccine.
• One of the biggest public health initiatives globally, India’s Universal Immunisation Programme aims to immunise around 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9 crore pregnant women each year.

What is being said by the Ministry of Union Health?

• According to the Health Ministry, little more than 21,000 Indian children were not immunised.
• The WHO UNICEF Estimates National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC) 2022 study said that the WHO data is based on an estimated number.
• The Health Ministry reports that in FY 2022–2023, 2,63,63,270 of the 2,63,84,580 eligible youngsters received their first dose of the measles vaccine.
• It also stated that 21,310 children missed their first dose of the measles vaccine in 2022–2023, and that the Centre has taken steps in cooperation with the States to guarantee that all children receive the full course of missing or overdue doses of the vaccine.

Regarding the measles:

• A virus is the source of the highly contagious disease measles.
• While measles can strike anyone, children are more commonly afflicted.
• After infecting the respiratory system, measles spreads to other parts of the body.

Signs:

• a high temperature
• cough
• runny nose in addition to
• an extensive body rash.

Therapy:

• There is no particular medication to treat measles.
• The main goals of care should be symptom relief, patient comfort, and avoidance of complications.

India’s measles outbreak:

• Among the diseases that can be prevented by vaccination, it is the main cause of childhood death in India.
• Aerosol droplets from infected individuals are the respiratory mechanism by which measles spreads.

What steps has India taken to meet its goals?

• The epidemic caused low vaccination rates.
• From 2010 to 2013, India immunised 119 million children in 14 States as part of a phased measles catch-up programme for children aged 9 months to 10 years.
• In order to increase the number of people who are not vaccinated, Mission Indradhanush was started in 2014.
• In addition to initiating a national measles-rubella supplementary immunisation activity (SIA) catch-up campaign, India in 2017–2021 established a national strategic plan for the elimination of measles and rubella and added the rubella-containing vaccine (RCV) to the routine immunisation programme.
• It also more than doubled the number of laboratories in the measles-rubella network and switched from outbreak-based surveillance to case-based acute fever and rash surveillance.

Global Measles Burden:

• The WHO estimates that between 2000 and 2021, the measles immunisation prevented 56 million deaths.
• Despite the availability of a safe and affordable vaccine, a projected 1,28,000 measles deaths occurred worldwide in 2021, with children under the age of five being the majority of those who were not vaccinated or who received insufficient vaccinations.
• – In 2022, the percentage of children worldwide who received a single dose of the measles vaccine through routine health care by the time they turned one year old was 83%, the lowest since 2008.

Elimination of the measles:

• The MMR immunisation can help avoid contracting measles.

– Three diseases are prevented by the vaccine:

• measles,
• the mumps and
• The MMR vaccine has a 97% success rate in preventing measles after two doses.Approximately 93% of a dosage is effective.

COVID-19’s effects on the immunisation programme:

• Due to global surveillance and immunisation efforts being hindered by the epidemic, millions of youngsters are now at risk of diseases like the measles.
• Measles may strike any country, and regions with low immunisation rates promote the virus’s spread, raising the possibility of outbreaks and endangering the lives of all unvaccinated children.
• There was an increase in measles cases in Kerala and Maharashtra, India.- The Indian Academy of Paediatricians intervened and made a vaccine appeal when the spread raised significant concern.

Source The Hindu

3 – Bihar’s demand for Special Category Status: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions:

Context:

• The government of Bihar has issued a resolution asking for Bihar to be granted special category status (SCS).

What is the status of a special category?

• It is a designation that the Centre has given to help States that are economically or geographically disadvantaged improve.
• The fifth Finance Commission’s (FC) suggestion led to the introduction of the SCS in 1969.

Before awarding SCS, five elements are taken into account, including:

• rough and steep terrain
• a sizable portion of the population that is tribal; low population density
• advantageous placement close to foreign borders
• The unviability of state finances.

Three States received the SCS in 1969:

• Kashmir and Jammu
• The states of Assam and
• Northeast India.

Eight additional States were subsequently granted the SCS:

• Arunachal Pradesh
• Manipur
• Madhya Pradesh
• Mizoram
• Sikkim
• Tripura
• Himachal Pradesh

Advantages of the unique category

• The Gadgil-Mukherjee formula, which allocated the SCS States almost 30% of all central support for States, was the basis for grants previously given to the SCS States.
• This aid to SCS States has been absorbed into a greater devolution of the divisible pool funding for all States following the dissolution of the Planning Commission and the proposals of the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions.- From 32% in the 15th FC, it rose to 41%.
• In the SCS States, the general category States receive 90:10 of the Center-State funding for centrally supported projects.
• In addition, the SCS States have access to a number of other advantages, including as reduced income tax rates, corporation tax rates, and customs and excise taxes, which serve as a lure for investments and the establishment of new enterprises.

How come Bihar is requesting the SCS?

• It is stated that the following factors contribute to the State’s poverty and backwardness:
• Insufficient natural resources
• insufficient water supply for irrigation,
• frequent flooding in the country’s north and
• severe droughts in the State’s southern region.

The effect of splitting into two states:

• Concurrently, the division of the State resulted in the relocation of industry to Jharkhand, causing a shortage of job and investment prospects.

Low GDP per person:

• With a GDP per person of about ₹54,000, Bihar has continuously ranked among the poorest States.

Is Bihar right to demand this?

• Bihar does not meet the need of steep terrain and geographically problematic places, which is thought to be the key reason for difficulty in infrastructural development, even though it meets most of the conditions for the issuance of SCS.
• In 2013, the Center-established Raghuram Rajan Committee categorised Bihar as being in the “least developed category” and recommended a new devolution of funding mechanism based on a “multi-dimensional index” rather than a SCS, which could be reviewed to address the State’s backwardness.

Additional States requesting SCS:

• Andhra Pradesh has requested a SCS grant since its 2014 split, citing revenue losses as a result of Hyderabad moving to Telangana.
• Odisha has also been asking the SCS, citing its huge (almost 22%) tribal population and susceptibility to natural disasters like cyclones.

Source The Hindu

4 – Beladakuppe temple: GS I – Indian Culture:

Context:

• Concerns about the long-term impact on wildlife are being expressed by environmentalists and forest department employees about the surge in visitors to the Beladakuppe Sri Mahadeshwaraswamy Temple.

Important information:

• Within the Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka), the temple is situated in a crucial or central place.
• Situated in the Hediyala range, which has a high population of tigers, it is surrounded by places plagued by conflict between humans and animals.
• Many people come to this temple, which is devoted to Lord Mahadeshwara.
• The habitat around the temple is perfect for tigers since it provides a substantial foundation of prey and supports a broad range of flora and wildlife. This is why there are concerns about the heavy foot traffic.

Tiger Reserve in Bandipur:

• Project Tiger created Bandipur National Park in Karnataka in 1973 as a tiger reserve.
• In 1931, the Venugopala Wildlife Park was established by the Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore.
• The Venugopala Wildlife Park was expanded significantly in 1973 to create the Bandipur Tiger Reserve as part of Project Tiger.
• The meeting point of the Western Ghats and the Deccan Plateau is Bandipur National Park.

Consequently, the park features a range of biomes, such as:

• Arid woods of deciduous trees,
• Wet woodlands of deciduous trees and
• Woodlands with shrubs.
• The Moyar River borders the park on the south, while the Kabini River borders it on the north.
• The park is traversed by the Nugu river.
• The Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta hill is home to the park’s highest peak.
• Bandipur experiences different wet and dry seasons due to its tropical environment.

Animals:

• The four-horned antelope, golden jackal, sloth bear, Asian elephant, gaur, and Bengal tiger.

Source The Hindu

5 – Rat-hole mining: GS II – Current Topics in News:

Rat-hole mining: what is it?

• A common technique in Meghalaya for obtaining coal from thin, horizontal seams is called “rat hole mining.”
• A “rat hole” is a small hole excavated in the earth that is usually just big enough for one person to go down and retrieve coal.
• After digging the pits, miners use bamboo ladders or ropes to descend to the coal seams.
• After that, the coal is manually removed using baskets, shovels, and pickaxes.
• In the alternative kind of rat-hole mining, known as box-cutting, a vertical pit that is 100 to 400 feet deep is dug via a rectangular entrance that ranges in size from 10 to 100 square metres.
• Rat-hole-sized tunnels are excavated horizontally through which workers can remove coal once the coal seam has been located.

Safety and environmental concerns:

The mines are usually uncontrolled and devoid of safety precautions like:

• enough ventilation,
• structural assistance, or
• protective gear for employees.
• Deforestation, water contamination, and land degradation are all possible effects of mining.
• This mining technique has drawn a lot of criticism because of its dangerous working conditions, harm to the environment, and multiple incidents that have resulted in fatalities and serious injuries.
• Economic motivations and the lack of viable alternative livelihoods for the local populace are major reasons behind the persistence of these practices despite attempts by authorities to regulate or outlaw them.

Source The Hindu