26 July 2022

Daily UPSC Current Affairs Analysis

1 – ASHA Workers:

GS II

Topic à Health-related issues

About ASHA Workers:

• The successful Mitanin program in Chhattisgarh, in which a Community Worker oversees 50 families, served as the model for the ASHA program.
• ASHA staff members are community volunteers who have received training to disseminate knowledge and assist people in taking advantage of the government’s numerous healthcare programs.
• They provide us a link between facilities like primary health centers, sub-centers, and district hospitals and marginalized populations.
• Role – The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) first defined the role of these community health volunteers in 2005.

ASHAs are eligible if:

• According to the program’s rules, mostly married, widowed, or divorced women between the ages of 25 and 45 from the community should be literate and possess leadership and communication abilities up to Class 8.

Aim:

• With regard to mountainous, tribal, or other sparsely populated areas, the goal is to have one ASHA for every 1,000 people or every habitation.

Presence:

• There are roughly 10.4 lakh ASHA employees working throughout the nation, with Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh having the highest workforces.
• According to the most recent National Health Mission data available as of September 2019, Goa is the only state without any such employees.

Salary:

• Governments are not required to pay ASHA employees a salary because they are volunteers, and the majority of states do not either.
• Their monthly income ranges from Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 and is based on incentives from various programmes.

What function do ASHA employees have?

• Go door-to-door in their specified areas to inform people about the availability of health services, good hygienic habits, and fundamental nutrition.
• Ensure that women receive antenatal care, maintain their nutrition during pregnancy, give birth in a medical institution, and receive postpartum instruction on breastfeeding and additional child nutrition.
• Encourage women to use contraception and to be tested for STIs
• Encourage kids to get their shots.
• Daily medication administration to TB patients under the direct supervision of the national programme.
• Check for illnesses like malaria when the time comes.
• Give persons under their care access to basic medications and treatments such oral rehydration solution, chloroquine for malaria, iron folic acid tablets to prevent anaemia, and contraceptive pills.
• Get people tested for non-communicable diseases and get their results.
• assigned the responsibility of notifying their respective primary health centre of any births or deaths that occur in their specified districts.

How did the ASHA network aid in the fight against the pandemic?

• ASHA employees had a variety of tasks to complete during the pandemic, when everyone was terrified of the sickness.
• Look out for Covid-19 signs in humans.
• Help people go to the quarantine facilities by informing the authorities and doing so
• Inform the populace of the quarantine process.
• Dispense medications and pulse oximeters to the patients.
• Encourage folks to receive their vaccinations.
• Count the number of people who have not had their vaccinations.

What problems need to be addressed?

• Instead of receiving a fixed wage like government employees, they are paid based on performance.
• The payoff is typically low and delayed in many states.
• They receive no benefits, such as pensions or health coverage.
• There have been protests calling for ASHA employees to be given employee status.
• There is a compelling case for granting some of these posts permanent status with fair pay as a sustaining incentive.

Source à The Indian Express

2 – Human Animal Confict:

GS III

Topic à Environment Conservation related issues

About:

• The conflict between people and wildlife (also known as “human-wildlife conflict” or “HWC”) refers to conflicts that occur when the presence or behavior of wildlife poses actual or perceived direct, recurring threats to human interests or needs, frequently resulting in conflicts between groups of people and having detrimental effects on people and/or wildlife.

Human-wildlife conflict causes include:

Not enough protected areas: There is only 9.67 percent of worldwide protected areas on land and in the sea. 70 percent of the African and Asian elephant ranges and about 40 percent of the African lion’s range are found outside of protected areas.

• Currently, 35% of tiger ranges in India are found outside of protected areas.

Animal-borne Illnesses: The close contact between humans, their cattle, and wildlife, as well as the unrestricted use of wild animals as food, are the main causes of the Covid-19 epidemic, which was brought on by a zoonotic disease.

• There is a higher chance that individuals will contract animal microorganisms as a result of closer, more frequent, and more varied animal-human contact.

Other Reasons:

Urbanization: As a result of today’s fast industrialization and urbanisation, more forest area is being used for non-forest purposes, which is reducing the habitat for wildlife.

• Animals have been killed or hurt in accidents on roads or railroad tracks as a result of the growth of the road and rail network across forest regions.
• Growing Human Population: Local people are encroaching on forest grounds for farming, gathering food and other resources, etc., which puts further strain on the forest’s finite natural resources. Many human settlements are sprouting up at the edges of protected areas.

Impacts:

• Impact on Ecosystems and Wildlife: HWC can have negative, long-lasting effects on ecosystems and biodiversity. Self-defense, preemptive, or retaliatory kills of animals by humans have the potential to wipe out conflict-affected species.
• Impact on Local Communities: Injuries, fatalities, and losses of cattle, crops, or other property are the most obvious and immediate negative effects of wildlife on people.
• Impact on Equity: While the advantages of a species’ survival are shared by other communities as well, the financial and psychological burdens of coexisting with nature fall disproportionately on those who live close to it.
• Impact on Social Dynamics: When an HWC event impacts a farmer, the farmer may hold the government responsible for shielding the culprit who causes agricultural damage, whereas a conservationist may hold industry and farmers responsible for destroying wild habitats and causing the HWC in the first place.
• Impact on Sustainable Development: Though not specifically specified, biodiversity is essential to sustaining development, making HWC the conservation issue that is most closely related to the SDGs.

Solution:

Moving From Conflict To Cohabitation: Improving the safety of people and wildlife while fostering coexistence that benefits both should be the aim of HWC management.

• Holistic HWC management techniques allow for the survival of species in regions where they could not have otherwise deteriorated or gone extinct.
• For the continued health and functionality of our planet’s ecosystems, every species is likewise crucial.

Participation: Local communities’ full involvement can contribute to the reduction of HWC and promote cohabitation between people and wildlife.

Source à The Hindu

3 – Model Tenancy Law:

GS II

Topic à Government Policies and Interventions

Key features of the Model Tenancy Law:

• It is prospectively applicable and has no bearing on current tenancies.
• For all new tenancies, a written agreement is required. The contract must be delivered to the relevant district’s “Rent Authority.”
• The law also discusses the obligations of both landlords and tenants.
• No landlord or property management may refuse to provide a tenant with a necessary supply for the rental space they are renting.
• If the lease has not been renewed, it will be assumed that it has been extended for a maximum of six months on a month-to-month basis under the same terms and circumstances as the previous, expired lease.
• In the event that the extended tenancy period of six months expires or the tenancy is terminated by order or notice, the tenant will be in default and responsible for paying double the monthly rent for the first two months and four times the monthly rent after that.
• If the tenant has received written notice or notice via electronic means at least twenty-four hours prior to the entry time, the landowner or property management may enter the premises in line with that notice.

Significance:

• It is a significant piece of legislation that aims to balance the interests of tenants and landlords in order to reduce the load on civil courts, release rental properties from litigation, and prevent future snarls.
• According to the administration, the Act will make it easier to rent out abandoned homes. Additionally, it is anticipated to support private investment in rental housing as a business model for tackling the severe housing shortage. Additionally, by clearly defining each party’s responsibilities, it seeks to narrow the trust gap between tenants and landlords. Additionally, it will contribute to a nationwide revision of the laws governing rental housing.

Why this legislation is required in the current situation:

• Young, educated job searchers who move to big cities frequently gripe about the strict lease terms and outrageous security deposit amounts they must pay to rent an apartment. Tenants in some localities are required to pay security deposits equal to 11 months’ worth of rent.
• Additionally, some landlords habitually infringe on renters’ right to privacy by unexpectedly visiting the property for a variety of repairs.
• Another issue for tenants is arbitrary rent increases; many of them claim they are being pressed as “captive clients.”
• Additionally, tenants are frequently accused of “squatting” on the rented property or attempting to take possession of it.

Housing-related problems in the nation:

• The Economic and Weaker Section (EWS) accounts for 56.2 percent of the 18.78 million housing units that are needed, according to data from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.
• Given that 11.07 million homes were empty in Urban India in 2011, according to the Census of India, there is clearly a mismatch between demand and supply in the housing market. While 95 percent of the housing shortfall is in the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Lower Income Group (LIG) categories, housing surplus is concentrated in the higher income groups.
• The shortage of developed, unencumbered land, rising building costs, a lack of private sector involvement, the absence of a healthy rental market, and the difficulty for the poor to obtain home loans are just a few of the issues that must be resolved if the market for affordable housing is to grow.
• There is a dearth of market adoption for technological innovations in low-cost building materials and construction methods.
• Certain regulatory restrictions, such as a protracted and onerous permission procedure, environmental clearance, ambiguity in building bylaws, and master plan execution.
• In rural areas, there will be a shortfall of 18.78 million housing units from 2012 to 2017.
• Project delays are a big issue for consumers and can be caused by a number of factors, including approval, financing, legal intervention in land disputes, and court intervention. Due to project delays, the consumer was forced to suffer because they had to pay both their rent for the place they live in and their house loan EMI at the same time.
• Lack of definite land titles: Prior to independence, the land was divided among various regions, which resulted in unclear land titles. The issue is being made worse by how slowly land records are being updated.
• Real estate and land prices in India have surged tremendously over the past ten years, which has led to overpricing of both commercial and residential properties. Recent years have seen real estate surpass stocks and gold as the most attractive investment option in India. Additionally, real estate brokers and agents typically buy and sell properties using their own funds, which drives up property values.

Various funding sources:

• Any industry’s progress depends on finance. Banks are growing less willing to lend money and tightening regulations to prevent bad loans as a result of the real estate industry’s negative reputation. Alternative forms of funding are extremely expensive and ultimately increase the project’s overall cost.
• Low Output Cost: As a capital- and labor-intensive industry, real estate faces numerous challenges as a result of inflationary increases in the cost of labour and building supplies. Additionally, real estate developers frequently criticise unfair practises in the cement business as a cause of the price increase of more than 50% in a short period of time.

Challenges:

• Since land and urban development are still governed by state law, the Act has no legal effect on the states.
• Similar to RERA (Real Estate (Regulation and Development Act), there is concern that states may decide not to abide by the rules, weakening the significance of the Model Act.
• Multiple laws to regulate tenancy when there is already a Rent Control Act of 1948 to do so.
• This condition is unclear and severely punishes the renter for failing to depart the property within the allotted rent period, even in cases of urgency.
• The law envisions a three-tier system of dispute settlement with a district-level judge in control. This means that states will have to put in the time, money, and effort necessary to set up these institutions as well as divert personnel from a lower justice system that is already overworked.

Source à The Indian Express

4 – Asiatic Lions:

Prelims Specific Topic

About:

• The Panthera Leo subspecies, which is unique to India, includes the Asiatic Lion, commonly referred to as the Indian Lion.
• Prior to its extinction in these areas, its former habitats were West Asia and the Middle East.
• African lions are slightly larger than their Asian counterparts.
• The most notable morphological feature is a longitudinal fold of skin running over its belly, which is always present in Asiatic lions and infrequently in African lions.

Distribution:

• In the past, Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, in central India, and West Bengal, in the east, received Asiatic lions.
• The only home of the Asiatic lion at the moment is Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary.
• The Gir forest region now has more Asiatic lions than it had in 2020, according to the Gujarat Forest Department.

Threats:

• Its susceptibility to unforeseen occurrences like a plague or a natural disaster, poaching, and the shooting of lions by people near the Gir National Park in retribution for attacks on livestock.

Protection Status:

• IUCN Red List: Appendix I, Endangered
• Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972

Conservation initiatives:

• The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has established the “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” (MoEFCC).
• It is authorised for three fiscal years, starting in 2018 and ending in 2021.
• In order to ensure the total conservation of Asiatic lions, it envisions scientific management including local people in conjunction with multi-sectoral organisations for disease control and veterinary care.

Source à The Hindu