1. Government releases target to curb malnutrition
Tags: National News
Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on 28 July Released targets for curbing malnutrition in the country.
What are the targets?
The aim of the target is to reduce stunting and under-nutrition (underweight prevalence) among children under 6 years by 2% per annum.
Reducing low birth weight by 2% per year.
Reducing anemia by 3% per year in children aged six to 59 months and in women and adolescent girls (15 to 49 years).
Other important facts
As per the findings of the 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), nutrition indicators for children under 5 have improved over NFHS-4 (2015-16).
Stunting has reduced from 38.4% to 35.5%.
Wasting has reduced from 21.0% to 19.3%.
underweight prevalence has been down from 35.8% to 32.1%.
Women (15-49 years) whose BMI is below normal has reduced from 22.9% in NFHS-4 to 18.7% in NFHS-5.
In spite of this India remains one of the countries with the highest burden of malnutrition in the world.
Status of states
Meghalaya has the highest number of stunted children (46.5%), followed by Bihar (42.9%).
Assam, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have stunted children higher than the national average of 35.5%.
Puducherry and Sikkim have the lowest percentage of stunted children.
Maharashtra has the highest 25.6% wasted children followed by Gujarat 25.1%.
Assam, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Karnataka and West Bengal have a higher percentage of wasted children than the national average of 19.3%.
Bihar has the highest number of underweight children (41%), followed by Gujarat (39.7%) and Jharkhand (39.4%).
Assam, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have percentages of underweight children higher than the national average of 32.1%.
2. Supreme Court orders status quo on Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project
Tags: National News
The Supreme Court on July 27 ordered status quo on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) after the court was told that the Telangana government was expanding the project without any environmental clearance.
About Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP)
Project is a multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in Kaleshwaram, Bhupalpally in Telangana.
It is one of the largest projects in the world.
Its farthest upstream effect is at the confluence of the Pranhita and Godavari rivers.
The Pranhita River is the confluence of various minor tributaries including the Wardha, Pinganga and Wainganga rivers.
The Project is divided into 7 links and 28 packages spanning a distance of approximately 500 km (310 mi) through 13 districts.
The project aims to produce a total of 240 TMC (195 from Medigadda Barrage.
The biggest lift projects in the world
The largest lift projects in the world were the Colorado Lift Project in America and the Great Man-Made River in Egypt.
The capacity of these projects is in horsepower and they took more than three decades to complete.
Now, the Indian Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project has become the world's biggest in terms of capacities.
Significance of the Project
The project will enable farmers in Telangana to have year-round water supply.
The project will cover many districts that used to face rainfall deficient and groundwater fluoride pollution as well.
Apart from irrigation, a main component of the project is the supply of drinking water to several towns and villages as well as the cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
3. Centre issues new set of health warnings for tobacco products packs
Tags: National News
The Central government on 29 July notified new sets of specified health warnings for all tobacco product packs by making an amendment in the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008.
What are the new warnings?
The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008 have been amended to name the "Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Third Amendment Rules, 2022".
All tobacco products manufactured or imported or packaged on or after December 1, 2022 shall display the image with the text health warning – Tobacco causes painful death.
Products that are manufactured or imported or packaged after December 1 next year will display the image with the text health warning - Tobacco users die younger.
Any person directly or indirectly engaged in the manufacture, production, supply, import or distribution of cigarettes shall ensure that all tobacco product packages carry the specified health warnings.
Violation of the provision is a punishable offence and the violators will be punished with imprisonment or fine as prescribed in the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertising and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.
The amended rules will come into effect from December 1, 2022.
4. MoU signed by ANC and AAI for promotion of inter-island connectivity under UDAN scheme
Tags: National News
An MoU was signed by the Andaman and Nicobar Command and the Airport Authority of India at Port Blair on 28 July to promote inter-island connectivity under the UDAN scheme.
Important facts
According to the MoU, naval airfields at Shibpur (at Diglipur) and Campbell Bay in North Andaman will be used for civilian operations.
Passenger flights will directly connect Port Blair to Diglipur and Campbell Bay, two separate ends of the archipelago.
Now the bidding process will be started for operational flights.
This will pave the way for infrastructure development and passenger terminals on these remote islands.
As per the vision of the UDAN scheme, a low-cost 20-passenger flight will be operated between these islands.
Diglipur is the third most populous city in the Andaman, while a major transshipment port is to be built at Campbell Bay.
Having a direct flight from Port Blair to Diglipur and Campbell will ease the hardship of daily commuters.
This will also boost tourism development.
About UDAN scheme
Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) was launched in 2016 as a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Its objective is to provide affordable, economically viable and profitable air travel on regional routes to the common man even in small towns.
5. Boris Johnson gives Churchill Leadership Award to Ukraine's Zelenskyy
Tags: Awards International News
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on July 26 honoured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with the 'Sir Winston Churchill Leadership Award' and compared the two leaders in times of crisis.
Important facts
Zelensky accepted the award through video link during a ceremony at Johnson's London office.
Johnson recalled how Zelensky had confirmed on February 24 that Russia had invaded Ukraine.
He said, "In the hour of the greatest crisis, you faced the test of leadership in your own way as Churchill did in 1940."
Zelensky thanked Johnson and Britain for their cooperation.
Johnson was the first Western leader to visit Kyiv after Russia's invasion of the northeastern country Ukraine.
Churchill Leadership Award
It was first introduced in 2006.
Past recipients of the award include Prince Charles, former British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major and former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Who was Winston Churchill?
He was a statesman, writer, orator and leader who led Britain to victory in the Second World War.
He served as Conservative Prime Minister of Britain twice - from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955.
He was born on 30 November 1874, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.
He died on 24 January 1965, London.
6. Cabinet approved a project for 4G Mobile services in villages
Tags: National News
The Union Cabinet on July 27 approved a project for saturation of 4G mobile services in all the uncovered villages of the country at a total cost of Rs 26,316 crore.
Important facts
Under the project, 4G mobile services will be provided in 24,680 uncovered villages in remote and inaccessible areas.
In addition, 6,279 villages, which currently have only 2G/3G connectivity, will also be upgraded to 4G.
The project has a provision to cover 20% of additional villages on account of resettlement, new settlements, withdrawal of services by existing operators, etc.
The project will be executed by BSNL using Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Made in India) 4G technology stack.
The project will be funded through the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
The project is a significant step towards the government's vision of providing mobile connectivity in rural areas.
What is Universal Service?
This refers to having a phone and affordable phone service in every household.
It means to provide telecom service with specified quality at an affordable price to all users everywhere.
About USOF
It was established in April 2002 under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act 2003.
Its objective is to provide financial assistance for the provision of telecommunication services in the commercially unviable rural and remote areas of the country.
It is an attached office of the Department of Telecommunications.
It is headed by an administrator, who is appointed by the central government.
7. UN Rights Panel Calls To Repeal Hong Kong Security Law Imposed By China
Tags: International News
Experts from the UN Human Rights Committee said on July 27 that Hong Kong's controversial national security law should be repealed as the law is being used to crack down on free expression and dissent.
Important facts
Chinese and Hong Kong officials have used the NSL imposed by Beijing in 2020 to restore stability after the city was destabilized by sometimes violent anti-government and anti-China activities in 2019.
This UN committee, which oversees the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), released its findings on Hong Kong after periodic review.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a signatory to the ICCPR but China is not.
This is the first recommendation by an independent UN expert body since 2020.
About Hong Kong
Hong Kong is an autonomous region, and a former British colony in southeast China.
It became a colony of the British Empire in 1842 at the end of the First Opium War.
Sovereignty over the region was returned to China in 1997.
As a Special Administrative Region (SAR), Hong Kong maintains governing power and economic systems that are separate from those of mainland China.
The Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 guarantees basic law for 50 years.
About Hong Kong Security Law
Hong Kong was handed back to China by the British government in 1997, but this was done under an agreement.
This agreement is called the 'Basic Law' and it affirms the principle of 'one country, two systems'.
This minor constitution is a product of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration.
Under this, China promised in 1997 that in the coming 50 years it would respect Hong Kong's liberal policies, governance system, an independent judiciary and individual freedoms that no other part of mainland China has.
The Basic Law will expire in the year 2047. Under Article 23, Hong Kong can make its own national security law.
8. Government initiates work on consumer spending survey
Tags: Economy/Finance National News
The Centre has started the process of conducting the five-year Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) this month.
Important facts
The questionnaire for the survey has been modified to capture data on items received free of cost from welfare programs of the government.
Field work for the survey, which for the first time will involve three visits in a year to assess spending patterns in selected households, will begin soon.
The survey was last conducted in 2017-18, but its findings were not published, citing data quality concerns.
Therefore, the last official publicly available estimates on consumer spending are from the 2011-12 survey.
What is the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES)?
CES is traditionally a quinquennial survey conducted by the government’s National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).
It is designed to collect information about consumption expenditure patterns of urban and rural households across the country.
The data collected in this survey reveals the average expenditure on goods (food and non-food) and services and helps in estimating the household Monthly per Capita Consumer Expenditure (MPCE).
The survey is conducted between July and June and this year's exercise is expected to be completed by June 2023.
Need of CES
There is no official estimate of India's per capita household expenditure.
It provides separate data sets for rural and urban areas, and different spending patterns for each state and union territory, as well as for different socio-economic groups.
It also helps to calculate the demand dynamics of the economy.
9. Rs 1.64 lakh crore revival package for BSNL gets Cabinet nod
Tags: Economy/Finance National News
In a bid to revive state-owned telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the Union Cabinet on July 27 approved a ₹1.64 lakh crore package for its revival.
Important facts
The package has a cash component of ₹43,964 crore and a non-cash component of ₹1.2 lakh crore for over four years.
The package will include administrative allotment of 4G spectrum worth ₹44,993 crore.
Bharat Broadband Network Ltd (BBNL), was set up to implement the ambitious BharatNet project, which will be merged with BSNL.
The revival package will enable BSNL to improve services and generate net profit in 3-4 years.
BSNL 5G services launch will happen in the next 1.5-2 years.
Its 4G telecom services will reach the people in 1-1.5 years.
Other key components of the package
Capex support of ₹22,471 crore
Viability gap funding of ₹13,789 crore for rural wireline operations
Debt structuring by raising of bonds with sovereign guarantee worth ₹40,399 crore
Financial support for Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues worth ₹33,404 crore.
Capex support
The Cabinet had approved the allocation of 900/1800 MHz band spectrum worth ₹ 44,993 crore to support 4G services of BSNL.
This will allow BSNL to compete in the market and provide high speed data.
The government will make a capital expenditure of ₹22,471 crore over the next four years to "promote development and deployment of self-reliant 4G stacks".
About BSNL
BSNL was incorporated on 15th september 2000.
It is a 100% Govt of India owned Public Sector Undertaking.
It is a technology-oriented integrated telecom service providing company.
It provides Wire line Services, GSM Mobile Services including 2G, 3G, 4G & Value added Services (VAS), Internet and Broadband services, Wi-Fi services, Data Centre services etc.
10. India achieved replacement level fertility
Tags: National News
According to Health Ministry data India has achieved replacement level fertility, with as many as 31 States/Union Territories reaching a Total Fertility Rate of 2.1 or less.
Important facts
Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar informed about the data during National Family Planning Summit 2022.
Between 2012 and 2020, India added more than 1.5 crore additional users for modern contraceptives thereby increasing their use substantially.
Between 2012 and 2020, the number of additional people using modern contraceptives in India increased by more than 15 million, leading to a significant increase in contraceptive use.
India quickly understood the importance of family planning and became the first country to start a national program in this regard in 1952.
What is Replacement Level Fertility?
It is the level of fertility at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next.
The rate is around 2.1 children per woman in most countries, although it can vary with mortality.
Government initiative
Mission Parivar Vikas (MPV) launched in 2016 has given further impetus to the National Family Planning Programme.
Under this scheme, innovative strategies like distribution of new initiative kits, Saas Bahu Sammelan and Sarathi Vans are helping in family planning.
Over 17 lakh Naya Pahal kits have been distributed to newlyweds, over 7 lakh Saas Bahu Sammelans have been organised, and over 32 lakh customers have been mentored through Sarathi Vans since inception.
India Family Planning 2030 vision document unveiled
During the event, the Minister also unveiled the India Family Planning 2030 vision document.
She also launched the Medical Eligibility Criteria (MEC) Wheel Application, E-Module of Family Planning Logistics Management System (FPLMIS), and Digital Archive on Family Planning under the category of Digital Intervention.
He also launched the National Family Planning Helpline Manual, Community Health Officer (CHO) Handbook, and ASHA brochures and leaflets (Family Planning).
