18th September 2024
Article: 18th September, 2024
Topic: Lancet report on antibiotic resistant superbugs
Relevance: GS Paper: 2 – Health
Source: The Print
Context
A Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) study that was published in the Lancet predicts that by 2050, antibiotic-resistant infections will be responsible for over 39 crore deaths globally.
What is Antimicrobial Resistance?
- Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is the result of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites changing over time to the point where they become resistant to antibiotics. This makes infections more difficult to treat and raises the risk of disease transmission, serious illness, and death.
- The effective treatment of infectious diseases, organ transplants, cancer chemotherapy, and major surgeries is becoming increasingly threatened by antibiotic resistance.
Principal points of the report
- According to the report, six major superbugs—Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae—are linked to or responsible for bacterial AMR deaths in India.
- Between 1990 and 2021, AMR directly caused more than 10 lakh deaths annually worldwide.
- Nonetheless, during that same time frame, the global total of AMR deaths among children under five decreased by 50%, whereas the number among adults over 70 increased by more than 80%.
- In India, the superbugs were found to be indirectly responsible for 6,86,908 deaths in 2019 and directly responsible for 2,14,461 deaths in the same year.
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) causes were directly linked to 2.9 lakh sepsis deaths in India in 2019.
Causes of antimicrobial resistance
- Overuse and Misuse of Antibiotics: One of the main causes of antimicrobial resistance is the overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics in both humans and animals.
- According to a National Centers for Disease Control (NCDC) survey on antibiotic prescribing trends published in 2023, an average of 71.9% of hospitalized patients received an antibiotic prescription.
- Inadequate Dosage and Duration: If antibiotics are not administered for the full prescribed duration and dosage, the targeted microorganisms may not be completely eradicated, which may allow the remaining bacteria to become resistant.
- Self-Medication: The overuse of antibiotics is exacerbated by self-prescription without appropriate medical supervision.
- Consumption of Antibiotics by Food Animals: Antibiotics are frequently used as growth promoters in poultry and other food animals, and this practice eventually spreads up the food chain.
- Poor Sanitation: A significant amount of sewage is dumped into receiving water bodies without being treated, which severely contaminates rivers with antibiotic residues, antibiotic-resistant organisms.
International Actions to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance
- Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (GAP): At the 2015 World Health Assembly, nations made a commitment to the framework outlined in the GAP on AMR as well as to the creation and execution of multisectoral national action plans.
- Week Against Microbes Worldwide (WAAW): The campaign’s global goal is to increase public awareness of antimicrobial resistance everywhere.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) established the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) in 2015 with the goal of bridging knowledge gaps and guiding strategies across the board.
- Jointly sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP).
India’s Countermeasures Against Antimicrobial Resistance
- National Action Plan- Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR): The One Health approach is its main focus, and it was introduced with the intention of involving numerous ministries and departments.
- AMR Surveillance Network: To gather data and identify trends and patterns of drug-resistant infections in the nation, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) founded the AMR surveillance and research network (AMRSN).
- The Red Line campaign in India, which calls for the marking of prescription-only antibiotics with a red line to deter the sale of antibiotics over-the-counter, is a positive step.
- The National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) receives data on antibiotic consumption from the network sites of the National Antibiotic Consumption Network (NAC-NET), which is made up of health facilities.
- Operation AMRITH (Antimicrobial Resistance Intervention for Total Health) was started by the Kerala Drug Control Department in an effort to stop the overuse of antibiotics in the state.
Conclusion
- One of the mainstays of contemporary healthcare is antimicrobial medication, and rising resistance to them is a serious cause for concern.
- Making educated decisions to help save lives requires an understanding of how trends in AMR deaths have changed over time and how they are likely to change going forward.
Also Read Topics & Concepts:https://www.healthdata.org/news-events/newsroom/news-releases/lancet-more-39-million-deaths-antibiotic-resistant-infections
Mains Model Questions
Q. Can overuse and free availability of antibiotics without Doctor’s prescription, be contributors to the emergence of drug-resistant diseases in India? What are the available mechanisms for monitoring and control? Critically discuss the various issues involved. (UPSC PYQ 2014)
Introduction:
In fact, the overuse and unrestricted access to antibiotics without a prescription play a major role in the rise of drug-resistant illnesses in India. Antibiotic resistance is a phenomenon that is concerning for global health.
Body:
Contributing to drug-resistance
- Drug resistance-causing factors include the overuse of antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance can result from the improper or unnecessary use of antibiotics, frequently for viral infections for which they are ineffective.
– For example, common colds, which are typically caused by viruses, are often treated with antibiotics inappropriately. - Availability Without a Prescription: Antibiotics are widely accessible without a prescription in many regions of India, which encourages self-medication and abuse.
- Incomplete Courses: Some bacteria are able to survive and develop resistance when patients do not finish the entire course of antibiotics as directed.
Systems for Observation and Management:
- Schedule H1: In India, specific antibiotics fall under Schedule H1, necessitating that pharmacists keep track of the prescription physician and the antibiotics they sell.
- Antimicrobial Resistance National Action Plan (NAP-AMR): The WHO and the Indian government have worked together to create a strategy to address antibiotic resistance.
Concerns Raised:
- Lack of Knowledge: A lot of people are not aware of the risks associated with using antibiotics improperly or the proper way to use them.
- Inadequate Healthcare Infrastructure: People in rural areas frequently turn to self-medication, which results in antibiotic misuse because there aren’t enough doctors in the area.
- Inadequate Regulation: Many pharmacies continue to sell antibiotics without a prescription in spite of regulations.
- Use in Poultry and Aquaculture: The indiscriminate use of antibiotics in poultry and aquaculture contributes to the rise in antibiotic resistance.
Conclusion:
Drug-resistant diseases are becoming more common in India due to overuse and the unrestricted access to free antibiotics. Even though there are control mechanisms in place, a number of problems make them ineffective. Fighting the rising threat of antibiotic resistance requires addressing these issues.
Article: 18th September, 2024
Topic: Violence In Manipur raised debate on Centre-state relations
Relevance: GS Paper: 2 – Polity
Source: India Today
Context
The recent violence in Manipur has sparked discussion about emergency provisions and the relationship between the Centre and the State.
About India’s federal structure
- India is a federation with state and federal governments.
- The Indian Constitution’s Seventh Schedule divides authority between the Union and the States.
- According to this plan, it is the responsibility of the State governments to uphold law and order in their individual states.
Constitutional Emergency Provisions
- The Constitution’s Part XVIII contains the emergency provisions.
- Under this section, Articles 355 and 356 mainly address state government matters.
- The Center is required by Article 355 to defend each State against external aggression and internal unrest.
- The President may be imposed by virtue of Article 356 in the event that a state’s government is unable to carry out its constitutional obligations.
- Comparative Analysis with Other Nations: State protection is one of the federal functions in the United States and Australia, but these countries do not have provisions for overthrowing state governments.
Views of B.R. Ambedkar
- According to B.R. Ambedkar, the purpose of Article 355 is to guarantee that any intervention by the federal government in a State’s governance under Article 356 is lawful and required by the constitution.
- It keeps a check on federal power and upholds the federal structure of the polity by preventing the arbitrary or illegal use of Article 356.
Problems and Apprehensions
- It was hoped that Articles 355 and 356 would remain a dead letter and never come into effect.
- Nevertheless, Article 356 was abused on multiple occasions to overthrow majoritarian elected state governments, frequently for reasons unrelated to electoral defeat or problems maintaining law and order, undermining federalism and constitutional ideals.
Court Decisions
- In the S.R. Bommai case (1994), the Supreme Court limited the abuse of Article 356 by stating that it should only be applied to constitutional crises rather than routine law and order problems. Judicial review is applicable to the imposition.
- A number of Supreme Court decisions over the years have broadened the application of Article 355.
- In State of Rajasthan v. Union of India (1977), Article 355 was first interpreted narrowly to support the application of Article 356.
- Nevertheless, the Supreme Court expanded the interpretation of Article 355 in later cases such as the Naga People’s Movement (1998), Sarbananda Sonowal (2005), and H.S. Jain (1997), enabling the Union to take all necessary statutory and constitutional measures to safeguard states and guarantee they comply with constitutional governance.
Commission Recommendations
- According to the Sarkaria Commission (1987), the National Commission (2002), and the Punchhi Commission (2010), Article 355 mandates that the Union defend the states and gives it the authority to take the required steps to carry out this responsibility.
- Additionally, they have underlined that the President’s rule, as stipulated in Article 356 of the Constitution, ought to be applied as a last resort in the direst circumstances.
Conclusion
- The emergency provisions have a substantial and intricate impact on the relationship between the center and the state, and they are necessary to preserve constitutional order.
- Fairness, necessity, and constitutional integrity must serve as the guiding principles for their application, and they require a careful balance between federal authority and state autonomy.
- The nation’s democratic and federal fabric will be preserved as long as these provisions are applied wisely and within the bounds of federal principles, as India continues to develop.
Also Read Topics & Concepts:
Mains Model Questions
Q. Explain the political and legal reasons behind the Union Governments’ decreased use of Article 356 since the mid-1990s.
Introduction:
Article 356—also known as President’s Rule—grants the union the authority to seize direct control of the state apparatus in certain situations when it thinks the state is incapable of carrying out its constitutional obligations.
Body:
It has been used more than a hundred times in the past, despite the belief that it is a “dead letter” that is rarely used. But because of a number of political and legal issues, its use has significantly decreased recently.
Reasons for the decreased frequency
- The S.R. Bommai Case: This well-known case increased the difficulty of applying Article 356.
- It established “material evidence necessary” to support the President’s rule and subjected the decision to judicial review.
- Lastly, it gave the Court the authority to reinstate the state legislature in the event that it disagrees with the justification for the Article’s application in a particular state.
- Regional Councils: The state and center’s relationship became more friendly after they were formed.
- Coalition Politics: As it arose, the center-right parties needed to be more accommodating to the regional parties that were giving the other center-right parties more clout.
- Growth of Regional Parties: It got harder for the union government to abuse Article 356 as powerful regional political parties grew in number.
Conclusion:
The decreased use of Article 356 through the implementation of different political and legal matters has made India a healthier, more federal democracy.
Article: 18th September, 2024
Topic: Centre to invest in smart farming with AI
Relevance: GS Paper: 3 – Agriculture
Source: Indian Express
Context
Under the current Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) program, the Union Ministry of Agriculture is developing a Smart Precision Horticulture Program.
About
- Additionally, 22 Precision Farming Development Centers (PFDCs) have been established nationwide by the government to test new technologies and adapt them to suit regional requirements.
- It is anticipated to benefit roughly 60,000 farmers over a five-year period spanning from 2024–25 to 2028–29, covering 15,000 acres of land.
- Currently, financing for smart and precision agriculture infrastructure projects is provided by the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), which was established in 2020.
- AIF provides loans with a 3% interest subsidy to individual farmers and to farmer communities, such as Farmer Producer Organizations, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, and Self-Help Groups, for the use of technology in farm practices.
How does precision farming work?
- An approach to farm management known as precision farming (PF) makes use of information technology to make sure that the soil and crops receive precisely what they require for maximum productivity and health.
- In order to optimize long-term cost benefit and minimize waste, the approach attempts to manage and distribute inputs on a site-specific basis rather than applying similar inputs across the entire field.
- Many technologies have been developed for PF over the past few decades; they can be categorized as “soft” or “hard.”
- Rather than relying on statistical and scientific analysis, soft precision agriculture relies on visual observation of crops and decisions about soil management made from experience and intuition.
- Hard precision agriculture makes use of all current tools, including variable rate technology.
India’s Use of Precision Agriculture
- So far, nutrient-use efficiency (NUE) and water-use efficiency (WUE) have been developed as practices in India.
- In the Indian context, PF has not yet been incorporated into widely used farming practices.
- But new perspectives and a renewed focus from scientific institutions, coupled with technological advancements, have reimagined technology to fit all kinds of farms and budgets.
Technology Application in Agriculture
- It entails incorporating state-of-the-art digital technologies—such as robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), artificial intelligence (AI), sensors, and communication networks—into the farm production system.
- These developments will improve the effectiveness of irrigation and other inputs while raising returns.
The use of technology in Indian agriculture
- Evaluate Soil Health: Farmers will be able to evaluate crop and soil health conditions at various production levels thanks to technological interventions based on soil sensors, remote sensing, unmanned aerial surveying, and market insights, among other things.
- A rise in crop yield can be achieved through the use of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) algorithms, which can produce real-time actionable insights for managing pests, aiding in soil screening, giving farmers access to actionable data, and lightening their workload.
- Blockchain technology application: It will provide accurate and impervious data about farms, inventory, fast and safe transactions, and food tracking.
Importance
- lowering production costs and raising agricultural productivity,
- prevents soil deterioration,
- reduction in the use of chemicals in crop production,
- encouraging the wise and economical use of water resources, improving farmers’ socioeconomic standing, minimizing negative
effects on the environment and ecology, and enhancing worker safety.
Difficulties with Implementation
- Restricted Digital Infrastructure: Farmers’ adoption of digital technologies is hampered by the frequent lack of reliable digital infrastructure in rural areas, such as electricity and internet access.
- Digital Divide: In India, there is a notable difference in digital access between urban and rural areas.
- Cost of Technology: A lot of digital agriculture solutions come with a hefty price tag that smallholder farmers with tight budgets cannot afford.
- India’s agriculture industry is fragmented, with a large number of smallholder farmers and a variety of crops grown in various regions.
The Government of India’s Initiatives
- The Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA) is a framework created to establish the structure of a federated farmers’ database, enabling creative solutions with an emphasis on agriculture that make use of cutting-edge technologies to improve the ecosystem surrounding agriculture.
- The National e-Governance Plan in Agriculture (NeGP-A) provides funding to states and union territories (UTs) for agricultural projects that leverage cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, robotics, drones, machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics.
- Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) mandis are connected through the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), a pan-Indian electronic trading portal that offers digital services to farmers, traders, and mandis in order to create a single national market for agricultural commodities.
- PM KISAN Scheme: Self-registration is available through the Farmers Corner in the portal and a dedicated mobile app for wider access. Direct Benefit Transfer mode allows for the direct transfer of funds to eligible farmers’ bank accounts.
- The Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (AGMARKNET) provides backend subsidy support to assist in the development of agricultural marketing infrastructure. It also provides services to stakeholders, such as farmers, businesses, and policymakers, via the AGMARKNET portal.
- ICAR Mobile Apps: More than a hundred mobile applications created by State Agricultural Universities, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, and the ICAR provide farmers with useful information on fisheries, crops, horticulture, veterinary care, dairy, and poultry management.
- Soil Health Card Program: The program’s objective is to evaluate the soil’s nutrient status and give farmers personalized management recommendations.
- Promotion of Precision Farming: Programs such as the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) encourage the use of precision farming methods like fertigation and drip irrigation, which allow for more effective use of fertilizers like urea by supplying nutrients to the roots of plants.
Conclusion
- The nation’s food and nutrition security as well as farmers’ incomes can both benefit from modernizing the agriculture sector with cutting-edge technologies while also being environmentally friendly.
- Science and technology are prepared to take over the agricultural sector in order to increase productivity and efficiency and feed more people while using less land for food production.
Also Read Topics & Concepts:
https://www.midh.gov.in/FAQ.html
Mains Model Questions
Q. How does precision farming work? Discuss about the advantages of precision farming.
Introduction:
The goals of precision farming are to minimize environmental impact, increase economic returns, and optimize input use through technological application. Using sensors to gather ground data, wireless networks to link them, geospatial data analytics, and Smart Decision Support Systems (SDSSs) to optimize farming decision-making, precision farming can increase input efficiency. We can get “more from less” with it.
Body:
The reason it is called “precision” is that it is possible to respond to the unique requirements of individual crops and individual areas of land with superior levels of precision by carrying out the right intervention at the right time and place.
Advantages of precision agriculture:
- Lower costs: One of the main advantages of precision agriculture is the ability to precisely reduce fertilizer, herbicide, etc. in areas where it will not be cost-effective to use it.
- Enhanced Profitability: Applying agronomic principles at a high resolution to increase yields while cutting costs boosts overall profitability.
- Enhanced Sustainability: Making sure that the products used as crop inputs reach the plants and don’t harm the environment in other ways.
- Improved Harvestability: the capacity to comprehend the various soil types and nutrient levels on the farm. Since no two fields and geographies are alike, they can affect a variety of factors, including the quantity of nitrogen mineralizations and the ability to hold water.
- Improved understanding of the farm at higher resolutions: Precision agriculture enables decision-making that leads to continuous farm improvement by helping to understand why some parts of the farm produce more or less than others.
- Improved comprehension of season yield: We can provide accurate yield prediction in-season through the use of precision weather services or imagery, enabling better agronomic decisions as well as marketing or asset acquisition strategies.
- Technological advancements in storage can also significantly lower crop spoilage during the storage phase.
Conclusion:
In India, rapid socioeconomic shifts like urbanization, energy consumption, and economic growth are opening up new possibilities for precision farming applications.
Article: 18th September, 2024
Topic: 4th Global Renewable Energy Investor’s Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST)
Relevance: GS Paper: 3 – Environment
Source: PIB
Context
- The fourth Global Renewable Energy Investors’ Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST) was opened in Gujarat by the prime minister.
- It is an international forum that brings together important figures in the field of renewable energy.
About
- Gujarat has committed to adding 128.60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030, which is the largest amount of any State.
- Following Andhra Pradesh’s commitment to add 72.60 GW of capacity, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have committed to adding 62.73 GW, 57.71 GW, and 47.63 GW of capacity, respectively.
India’s Renewable Energy
- Energy from renewable natural resources is energy that is produced more quickly than it is used.
- Because they produce little to no pollutants or greenhouse gases, they are more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
- According to the REN21 Renewables 2024 Global Status Report, India is ranked fourth in the world for installed capacity of renewable energy, fourth for wind power, and fifth for solar power.
- India has already surpassed its 2021 goal of using 40% installed capacity of non-fossil fuels for electricity.
India’s Objectives
- Beyond meeting the short-term targets of increasing renewables capacity to 500 GW by 2030, meeting 50% of energy requirements from renewables, reducing cumulative emissions by one billion tonnes by 2030, and lowering the GDP’s emissions intensity by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030, India aims to achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2070.
Governmental Measures to Make the Switch to Renewable Energy
- Launched in 2010, the National Solar Mission (NSM) has set high goals for installing solar capacity, including both off-grid and grid-connected solar power projects.
- Green Energy Corridors: The goal of the Green Energy Corridor project is to improve the transmission system to make it easier to incorporate renewable energy sources into the country’s electrical grid.
- The National Wind Energy Mission is dedicated to the advancement and growth of wind power in India. By 2030, 140 GW of wind energy capacity is the goal.
- The National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) was created to provide funding for clean energy technology development and projects that lower greenhouse gas emissions.
- In order to promote the demand for renewable energy, power distribution companies and major electricity consumers are required to obtain a specific percentage of their power from renewable sources, a requirement known as the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO).
- Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM): It entails setting up solar power plants on fallow or barren land as well as installing solar pumps and solarizing already-existing grid-connected agricultural pumps.
- International Solar Alliance (ISA): India was instrumental in the formation of this alliance, which unites nations with abundant solar resources to promote solar energy as a means of addressing their energy demands.
Also Read Topics & Concepts:
Mains Model Questions
Q. With particular reference to India, discuss about the role that renewable energy resources play in preserving environmental sustainability.
Introduction:
Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind energy, are resources that have the capacity to continuously produce energy. In the global arena of renewable energy, India has assumed a leading position. 2019 saw 35% of India’s installed capacity for electricity generation come from renewable sources, accounting for 17% of the nation’s total electricity production. The nation wants to increase its capacity for renewable energy.
Body:
Resourcefulness for renewable energy in sustainable development
- Sustainable development: Growing energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have a strong correlation with economic development. By lowering energy imports, renewable energy can support sustainable development.
- Benefit the poor: Another benefit of renewable energy is that it can help the most disadvantaged people in society have better access to contemporary energy services, which is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Energy availability: In many parts of India, there is still no electricity. Additionally, most rural areas do not have 24-hour electricity. Since weather disruptions in one place cannot be replicated in another, there can be very little interruption to the production of electricity if solar and wind plants are dispersed.
- Mitigation of climate change: In comparison to fossil fuels, RE technologies offer significant advantages, particularly with regard to greenhouse gas emissions. Clean energy comes from sources with little to no carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, such as renewable energy.
- Employment: The development of renewable energy sources generates job opportunities and actively encourages structural economic change. Electricity from solar and wind power has the potential to create millions of jobs.
India is working to develop renewable energy:
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy: India established the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Resources, which is currently the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), making it the first country in the world to do so.
- India has committed to achieving an Intended Nationally Determined Contributions target of 40% of its total electricity generation from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 as part of the Paris Agreement.
- Commission for Additional Sources of Energy: The Indian government created this commission after realizing that this industry required focused efforts.
- Within the Department of Science and Technology, the Indian government established the Commission for Additional Sources of Energy (CASE). Promoting research and development in the field of renewable energy is CASE’s mandate.
- Project for solar mini-grids: The solar mini-grids project was started by the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy as part of the government’s efforts to bring renewable energy to remote areas. The goal of the Solar Mini Grids project is to lower electricity prices and tariffs by 2025 and to promote universal energy access by utilizing all available solutions.
The Way Forward
- Infrastructure: Transmission infrastructure, both intra-state and inter-state, needs to be strengthened in order to accommodate the increasing amount of renewable energy.
- Requirement for domestic content: Care should be taken to make sure that it doesn’t impede the expansion of solar capacity.
- R&D: In addition to the requirements for local content, investments in R&D programs and human resource development are required.
- Strengthening of institutions: Enhance the institutional framework to enable efficient distribution of central funding assistance. In order to keep an eye on how government policies and programs are being implemented, it is also critical to reinforce the institutional framework.
Conclusion:
Technologies for renewable energy are still relatively new in the market. They are still not as efficient as they should be. India needs to make regional structures stronger so that states can effectively encourage the use of renewable energy.