HEALTH ISSUES

1. ZIKA VIRUS

THE CONTEXT: Karnataka has recorded its first case of Zika virus. A five-year-old girl from Raichur tested positive for the virus. Health minister Sudhakar said that the government was taking all precautionary measures and was monitoring the situation.

The Explanation:

• The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in monkeys.
• The Zika virus is predominantly transmitted by infected mosquitoes from the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes aegypti. The Aedes mosquitoes also spread dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.
• Zika virus is also transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy, as well as through sexual contact, transfusion of blood and blood products, and possibly through organ transplantation.

Symptoms:

• Generally, the symptoms include fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, or headache. It lasts for about two to seven days. Most infected people do not develop any symptoms.
• Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause infants to be born with microcephaly (smaller than normal head size) and other congenital malformations, known as congenital Zika syndrome.
• It has no treatment or vaccine. Instead, the focus is on relieving symptoms and includes rest, rehydration and acetaminophen for fever and pain.

ENVIRONMENT, ECOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

2. JUST TRANSITION INITIATIVE

THE CONTEXT: South Africa and Kenya have recently announced the Just Transition Initiative to put an end to plastic pollution in an inclusive manner. This announcement came in the aftermath of the historic the first Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to phase out plastic.

THE EXPLANATION:

What is Just Transition Initiative

• The Just Transition Initiative aims to phase out plastic in an inclusive manner so that the transition does not adversely affect the concerned stakeholders.
• It aims to create decent jobs for waste-pickers and other workers in the plastic value chain.
• The just transition means addressing the needs of everyone involved in the plastic value chain, including those employed under the informal and cooperative settings and recognizing their fundamental human dignity and historic contribution.
• It involves increasing the social and economic opportunities of ending plastic pollution while minimising and carefully addressing all challenges associated with the shift from plastic usage.
• The plan for a just transition will guarantee better and decent work, social protection, capacity building and improved job security for those who are playing a role in the plastic value chain.

About INC-1

• The first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee or INC-1 was held from November 28 to December 2 in Uruguay’s Punta del Este. It is an international negotiation between governments, the private sector and civil society to end global plastic pollution.
• It seeks to implement a life-cycle approach to end plastic pollution, which could contribute towards addressing global climate crisis, and the degradation of biodiversity. The objective of the negotiation is to develop an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.
• The INC process will be convened and managed by the United Nations Environment Programme. The negotiations are expected to be finalized in 2024.
• According to scientific research, humanity produces some 460 million metric tonnes of plastic each year. If actions are not taken against this, the plastic waste is expected to triple by 2060. A UNEP study found that over 14 million metric tonnes of plastic enters and damages aquatic ecosystems each year.
• The greenhouse gas emissions caused by plastics is expected to account for 15 per cent of the total emissions allowable by 2050 if the global warming is expected to be maintained at 1.5°C.

3. WHAT IS GREEN HYDROGEN?

THE CONTEXT: India can be a global leader in electrolyser, green hydrogen, says G20 Sherpa ‘G20 is the most powerful forum, representing more than 85% of world GDP, almost 75% of global trade, almost 90% of global patents and and 60% of global population’

The Explanation:

4. ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION, AWARENESS AND TRAINING (EEAT)

THE CONTEXT: Recently Environment Education scheme has been revamped into Environment Education Programme.

THE EXPLANATION:

About Environment Education, Awareness and Training (EEAT):

• It is a Central Sector scheme implemented by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• Objective: To promote environmental awareness and mobilize students’ participation for environment conservation.
• Under this Scheme there are two major programmes namely Green Corps (NGC) Programme and National Nature Camping Programme (NNCP)

Green Corps (NGC) Programme:

• Under this scheme more than 1 lakh Eco-clubs have been formed in schools and colleges to educate students and to spread awareness on environmental
• A financial assistance of Rs 5,000/- per Eco-club used to be provided under this programme with a ceiling of 500 school Eco-clubs per district and 100 college Eco-clubs per State.

National Nature Camping Programme (NNCP)

• Under this scheme, organization of field visits/ nature camps in different Protected Areas/ Nature Parks/ Tiger Reserves of the country for students were supported.
• These camps provided ‘nature experience’ to students and had huge potential to trigger their sensitivity towards nature and its conservation.

GOVERNMENT SCHEMES AND INTERVENTIONS

5. SCHEME FOR PROVIDING EDUCATION TO MADRASAS/ MINORITIES (SPEMM)

THE CONTEXT: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment recently pulled up the Union government for the delay in approving the continuation of the Scheme for Providing Education to Madrasas/Minorities (SPEMM), which provides for financial assistance to madrasas and minority institutes.

THE EXPLANATION:

About Scheme for Providing Education to Madrasas/ Minorities (SPEMM):

The scheme has two sub-schemes –

• the Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM) and
• Infrastructure Development of Minority Institutes (IDMI).
• The scheme is being implemented at the national level.
• Both the schemes are voluntary in nature.

Implementation:

• Department of School Education and Literacy is implementing the Umbrella Scheme for Providing Quality Education to Madrasas/Minorities (SPEMM).
• The scheme was transferred from the Ministry of Minority Affairs to the Ministry of Education in 2021.

Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM):

• To provide financial assistance to traditional institutions like Madrasas and Maktabs to encourage them to introduce Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Hindi and English in their curriculum so that academic proficiency for classes I-XII is attainable for children studying in these institutions.
• To provide opportunities to students of these institutions to acquire education comparable to the National Education System especially for secondary and senior secondary levels.
• To strengthen State Madrasa Boards opting for assistance by enabling them to monitor the Madrasa modernization programme and enhance awareness about education among the Muslim community.
• To provide quality components in Madrasas such as remedial teaching, assessment and enhancement of learning outcomes, Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan etc.
• To provide in-service training of teachers appointed under the scheme for teaching modern subjects of Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Hindi and English to improve their pedagogical skills and quality of teaching.