Daily Current Affairs for UPSC CSE
Topics Covered
- Rupee – Ruble Trade
- Tuberculosis
- Export Preparedness Index
- President’s Colour
- NIPUN Bharat
- Facts for Prelims
1 . Rupee – Ruble Trade
Context : The government has convened a multi-Ministerial group to look into how to overcome challenges in trade with Russia, including managing payments for exporters and importers, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in Parliament on Thursday, in comments that indicate a possible revival of “rupee-rouble trade” in the wake of economic sanctions against Russian banks and entities by more than 40 U.S. and European allies.
What is the rupee-ruble trade?
- It is a payment mechanism between India and Russia to settle trade payments in rupees and rubles, instead of dollars and euros.
- Goods imported to India will be paid for in rupees and goods imported by Russia will be paid for in rubles.
- This is being done to reduce dependence on the dollar and makes the countries less vulnerable to US sanctions.
What will be its mechanics?
- A Russian bank will have to open an account in India and an Indian bank will need to open an account in Russia, to collect and make the payments in the respective countries.
- Once the payment mechanism is in place, the Indian exporter can be paid in rupee from the Russian bank’s account in India and imports from Russia can be paid for with roubles from the Indian bank’s account in Russia.
Why was this set up?
- While it is back in the news now, this was an arrangement that was designed decades ago. In fact, it was done in 1953, when the Indo-Soviet Trade Agreement was signed. This didn’t go so well in the long run because Russia didn’t need as many things from India as India did from the other. So Russia ended up with a lot of rupee reserves. Therefore this system slowly withered away by the mid noughties.
Will the dollar be completely done away with then?
- To keep the dollar out of the equation, you would need a direct rupee-ruble conversion rate, which is currently not available
- Global currencies are pegged to the dollar. So to arrive at a conversion rate, you will need to convert rupee to dollar and ruble to dollar, to reach at the rupee-ruble exchange rate. If we are to arrive at a rupee-ruble direct exchange rate, then the governments and the central banks of both countries have to agree on the rates.
In what currency will the invoices be raised, under this mechanism?
- If it is implemented, the importers will be billed in the exporting country’s currency.
2 . Tuberculosis
Context : A 19% increase was witnessed in 2021 from the previous year in TB patients’ notifications. The number of incident TB patients (new and relapse) notified during 2021 was 19,33,381 against the 16,28,161 in 2020, noted India TB Report 2022 released on Thursday.
About the News
- The report said despite the decline in TB notifications observed around the months corresponding to the two major COVID–19 waves, the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) reclaimed these numbers.
- 18 States have committed to ending TB by 2025 by implementing State–specific strategic plans and have devised a district–specific strategic plan, which shall serve as a guiding tool for the programme managers.
- The government also released the National TB Prevalence Survey Report which was conducted from 2019 to 2021 to know the actual disease burden of TB.
- The reports said there has been an increase in the mortality rate due to all forms of TB between 2019 and 2020 by 11%.
- The survey report said prevalence of microbiologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among 15 years and above in India was 316/lakh population with the highest PTB prevalence of 534/lakh in Delhi and the lowest PTB prevalence of 115/lakh in Kerala.
About Tuberculosis
- Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs. Tuberculosis is curable and preventable.
- TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air. A person needs to inhale only a few of these germs to become infected.
- About one-quarter of the world’s population has a TB infection, which means people have been infected by TB bacteria but are not (yet) ill with the disease and cannot transmit it.
- Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Symptoms and diagnosis
- Common symptoms of active lung TB are cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.
- WHO recommends the use of rapid molecular diagnostic tests as the initial diagnostic test in all persons with signs and symptoms of TB as they have high diagnostic accuracy and will lead to major improvements in the early detection of TB and drug-resistant TB.
- Rapid tests recommended by WHO are the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and Truenat assays.
- Tuberculosis is particularly difficult to diagnose in children.
MDR-TB & XDR-TB
- Drug resistance emerges when anti-TB medicines are used inappropriately, through incorrect prescription by health care providers, poor quality drugs, and patients stopping treatment prematurely.
- Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most powerful, first-line anti-TB drugs. MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs.
- However, second-line treatment options are limited and require extensive chemotherapy (up to 2 years of treatment) with medicines that are expensive and toxic.
- Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) is a more serious form of MDR-TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to the most effective second-line anti-TB drugs, often leaving patients without any further treatment options.
Government Initiatives
- Universal drug susceptibility testing has been rolled out, shorter and newer treatment regimen has been expanded countrywide. India is moving towards an injection free regimen.
- Private sector engagement has been elevated as one of the highest priorities with strengthened regulatory measures, collaborative incentives and scale up of successful Patient Provider Support Agency (PPSA) interventions which led to a 35% increase in TB notification from the private sector.
- The Nikshay Poshan Yojana has benefited 15 lakh TB patients for nutrition support with Rs. 240 cores disbursed as DBT since April 2018.
- A comprehensive call centre for information, addressing grievance, patient linkages and provider relationship has been established.
- Institutional system of award for TB free status has been introduced to generate federal competitiveness, motivate and to bring about proactive actions from States and Districts.
- TB forums at various levels in the states have been formed to remove stigma and to create awareness about the symptoms of the disease and the free treatment available at the government health facilities.
- 1180 CBNAAT labs have been made operational throughout the country, along with 4 lakh treatment support centres at the village level.
- These efforts have resulted in increase from 25% to 83% in the treatment success rates (2017-2018), and the TB prevalence rates have come down from 29% to 4%.
3 . Export Preparedness Index
Context : Gujarat has been named India’s top State in terms of export preparedness for the second year in a row as per an index released by the NITI Aayog
About Export Preparedness Index
- The Export Preparedness Index for 2021 is based on States’ ratings on four major parameters pertaining to exports promotion and facilitation, including policy support, business and export ecosystem and the actual performance in outbound shipments
- The index identifies three major challenges to India’s export promotion efforts. “These are intra- and inter-regional differences in export infrastructure; weak trade support and growth orientation across States; and lack of R&D infrastructure to promote complex and unique exports,” the Aayog said in a statement.
Ranking
- Gujarat has been named India’s top State in terms of export preparedness for the second year in a row.
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu were ranked second, third and fourth in the index, as coastal States with higher industrial activity and access to sea ports account for a majority of India’s exports.
4 . President’s Colour
Context : President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday presented the President’s Colour to INS Valsura, the Navy’s premier technological training establishment.
About President’s Colour
- The President’s Colors is the highest honor bestowed upon a Regiment of the Armed forces in recognition of their invaluable contribution to the security of the nation during peace and hostilities.
- Before India became a Republic, the Military Custom was to parade the King’s Colours – a regimental flag, on special ceremonial occasions.
- On 27 February 1951, the Commander in Chief of the Indian Navy, Vice Admiral Sir Edward Parry wrote to the Defence Minister that “It would be a privilege of which the service would be extremely proud, if the President would honour the Indian Navy by presenting it, a special flag which would be paraded on important occasions in a ceremonial parade”.
- Following this, Indian Navy became the first amongst the three services to be presented with the President’s Colour on 27 May 1951 by Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of India.
- The Indian Navy was the first of the three Services to be awarded the President’s Colour on May 27, 1951.
- The President’s Colour has thus far in the Indian Navy been awarded to Southern Naval Command, Eastern Naval Command, Western Naval Command, Western Fleet, Eastern Fleet and the Submarine Arm.
5 . NIPUN Bharat
About NIPUN Bharat
- National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy (NIPUN Bharat), was launched for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27.
- The National Mission which has been launched under the aegis of the centrally sponsored scheme of Samagra Shiksha
- The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education (MoE) will be the implementing agency at the national level and will be headed by a Mission Director.
- The mission will focus on children of age group of 3 to 9 years including pre-school to Grade 3. The children who are in Class 4 and 5 and have not attained the foundational skills will be provided individual teacher guidance and support, peer support and age appropriate and supplementary graded learning materials to acquire the necessary competencies.
- The goals and objectives of the mission are required to be achieved by all Govt., Govt. Aided and Private Schools so that universal acquisition of FLN skills can be achieved by 2026-27.
Foundational literacy
The pre-existing knowledge of language helps in building literacy skills in languages. The key components in Foundational Language and Literacy are:
- Oral Language : Development Includes improved listening comprehension; oral vocabulary and extended conversation skills. The experiences in oral language are important for developing skills of reading and writing.
- Decoding : Involves deciphering written words based on understanding the relationship between symbols and their sounds
- Reading Fluency : Refers to the ability to read a text with accuracy, speed (automaticity), expression (prosody), and comprehension that allows children to make meaning from the text. Many children recognise aksharas, but read them laboriously, one-by-one.
- Reading Comprehension : Involves constructing meaning from a text and thinking critically about it. This domain covers the competencies of understanding texts and retrieving information from them, as well as interpreting texts.
- Writing : This domain includes the competencies of writing aksharas and words as well as writing for expression
Foundational Numeracy
Foundational Numeracy means the ability to reason and to apply simple numerical concepts in daily life problem solving. The major aspects and components of early mathematics are:
- Pre-number concepts : Count and understand the number system
- Numbers and operations on numbers : Learn conventions needed for mastery of Mathematical techniques such as the use of a base ten system to represent numbers
- Shapes and Spatial Understanding : Perform simple computations in her/his own way up to three-digit numbers and apply these to their day to life activities in different contexts
- Measurement : Understand and use standard algorithms to perform operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division on numbers up to three digits
- Data Handling : Identify and extend simple patterns starting from repeating shapes to patterns in numbers, interpret simple data/information in his/her daily life activities
6 . Facts for Prelims
Solomon Islands
- Solomon Islands is a sovereign country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu.
- It has a land area of 28,400 square kilometres and a population of 652,858
- Its capital, Honiara, is located on the largest island, Guadalcanal.
Abel Prize
- The Abel Prize is awarded annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. It is named after the Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel and directly modeled after the Nobel Prizes. It comes with a monetary award of 7.5 million Norwegian kroner
Udaan
- Udaan project, launched by the Rajasthan government in collaboration with a development consulting group ‘IPE Global’, has made attempts to keep girls in schools through their enrolment at the secondary level while ensuring that the eligible ones among them get their scholarships.
- While generating awareness about scholarship schemes, the programme has also mobilised rural communities to support girls’ education and facilitate their attendance in school without a break.
- Project has strengthened the scholarship delivery system, partly through IT-enabled services, and brought girls back to secondary schools through sustained efforts
- The social mobilisation strategies include a continuous dialogue with Panchayati Raj institutions to identify dropouts and counselling the parents and students as well.
Verdict on selection to IPS and other services for people with disability
- The Supreme Court allowed people with disabilities who have cleared the civil services written examinations time till April 1 to provisionally apply to the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) for selection to the Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Railways Protection Force Service (IRPFS) and the Delhi, Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Police Service (DANIPS).