. No.	Topic Name	Prelims/Mains
1.	About the Tuberculosis	Prelims & Mains
2.	Details of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization	Prelims & Mains
3.	About the Free Trade Agreement	Prelims & Mains
4.	Detail of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office	Prelims Specific Topic

 

1 – About the Tuberculosis:

GS II

Topic  Health related issues

 

About:

 

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a member of the Mycobacteriaceae family with roughly 200 species, is the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB).

Some mycobacteria infect a variety of animals, while others cause diseases like leprosy and TB in humans.

TB most frequently impacts the lungs in people (pulmonary TB), however it can also impact other organs (extra-pulmonary TB).

It has been proven that TB, a very old disease, was present in Egypt as early as 3000 BC.

The disease TB is curable and treatable.

 

Transmission:

 

Through the air, TB can transmit from one person to another. People who have lung TB cough, sneeze, or spit into the air, spreading the TB bacteria.

 

Symptoms:

 

Chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats are all common signs of active lung TB, as do coughs that occasionally produce sputum and blood.

 

Global TB Impact:

 

In the 30 countries with a high TB burden in 2019, 87% of new TB cases were reported.

Eight nations—India, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and South Africa—accounted for two thirds of the new TB cases.

Between January and December 2020, India reported 1.8 million TB cases, down from 2.4 million the year prior.

MDR-TB continued to be a public health emergency and a threat to health security in 2019.

MDR-TB is a type of tuberculosis that is resistant to the two anti-TB medications that are typically used as first-line therapy. Extensively A type of tuberculosis known as drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is brought on by germs that are resistant to several of the most potent anti-TB medications.

 

The BCG vaccine:

 

By altering a Mycobacterium bovis strain, two Frenchmen named Albert Calmette and Camille Guerin created the BCG vaccine (that causes TB in cattle). In humans, it was first applied in 1921.

BCG was first made available in India on a small basis in 1948, and it was included in the National TB Control Program in 1962.

In addition to its principal application as a TB vaccine, it also offers defence against other mycobacterial diseases like Leprosy and Buruli’s ulcer as well as infant respiratory and bacterial infections.

Malignant melanoma and urinary bladder cancer are both treated with it as an immunotherapy agent.

It’s an intriguing truth regarding BCG that it performs well in certain places and poorly in others. In general, a country’s efficiency increases with distance from the equator.

In nations near or on the equator, such India, Kenya, and Malawi, where the prevalence of TB is higher, it has little to no efficacy. It has a high efficacy in the UK, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

 

Related Projects:

 

Global Initiatives:

 

The Global Fund and Stop TB Partnership have joined forces with the WHO (World Health Organization) to launch the “Find. Treat. All. #EndTB” effort.

The Global Tuberculosis Report is additionally published by WHO.

 

India’s Initiatives:

 

The TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign, The Nikshay Ecosystem (a national TB information system), The Nikshay Poshan Yojana (financial support), and The National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Tuberculosis Elimination (2017–2025).

Two TB vaccines, MIP (Mycobacterium Indicus Pranii) and VPM (Vaccine Projekt Management) 1002, have been created, identified, and are currently undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials.

 

Source  The Indian Express

  

2 – Details of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: 

GS II 

Topic  International Organizations

 

About:

 

A permanent multinational intergovernmental organisation is the SCO.

Keeping the peace, security, and stability in the area is the goal of this Eurasian political, economic, and military institution.

In 2001, it was founded.

In 2003, the SCO Charter came into effect after being signed in 2002.

 

Genesis:

 

The Shanghai Five, which included Tajikistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Russia, existed prior to the establishment of the SCO in 2001.

The Shanghai Five (1996) was the result of several boundary delineation and demilitarisation negotiations between China and the four former Soviet republics to maintain peace along the boundaries.

The Shanghai Five became known as the SCO after Uzbekistan joined the group in 2001.

Pakistan and India joined in 2017.

It was reported that Iran would join the SCO as a full member on September 17, 2021.

 

Objectives:

 

enhancing the member states’ sense of cooperation and neighbourliness.

encouraging efficient collaboration in the fields of politics, trade, the economy, science, and culture.

strengthening connections in areas such as environmental protection, energy, transportation, and tourism.

Maintain and uphold the region’s peace, security, and stability.

creation of a new international political and economic order that is democratic, fair, and logical.

 

Membership:

 

Iran, China, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan.

 

Structure:

 

The top SCO body, the Heads of State Council, decides how the organisation will operate internally, interact with other States and international organisations, and take into account global challenges.

The Heads of Government Council approves the budget and deliberates on matters relating to the interaction of economic sectors within the SCO.

Considers daily operation-related topics in the Council of Foreign Ministers.

To combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism, the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) was created.

 

Secretariat of the SCO:

 

Located in Beijing to offer organisational, analytical, and informational support

 

Language Used:

 

Chinese and Russian are the SCO Secretariat’s official working languages.

 

Source  The Indian Express

 

3 – About the Free Trade Agreement:

GS III 

Topic  Indian Economy

 

FTA: Free Trade Agreement:

 

It is an agreement between two or more countries to lower import and export restrictions.

Under a free trade policy, there are little to no government tariffs, quotas, subsidies, or prohibitions that prevent the exchange of products and services across international borders.

The idea of free trade is the antithesis of economic or trade protectionism.

 

FTAs and India:

 

FTAs were put on hold for India after it decided to leave the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a 15-member FTA organisation that also includes China, Japan, and Australia.

However, it was announced in May 2021 that negotiations between India and the European Union, which had ceased in 2013, will resume.

Internal planning is currently underway on both sides to move these numerous work strands ahead.

India is negotiating bilateral free trade agreements with the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

While the FTA with Australia was at a “highly advanced level,” the agreement with the UAE was “near to finalisation.”

 

Source  The Indian Express

 

4 – Details of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office: 

Prelims Related Topic

 

Under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the Special Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is a multidisciplinary organisation made up of experts in the fields of accounting, forensic auditing, law, information technology, investigation, company law, capital market, and taxation for the purpose of identifying, prosecuting, or recommending the prosecution of white-collar crimes and frauds.

Its headquarters are in New Delhi. In order to aid the SFIO officers in their investigations, the Computer Forensic and Data Mining Laboratory (CFDML) was established in 2013.

The Government of India established the Serious Fraud Investigation (SFIO) by a resolution dated July 2, 2003. SFIO did not have a formal legal status at the time.

The Serious Fraud Investigation Office now has statutory status thanks to Section 211 of the 2013 Companies Act (SFIO).

Additionally, SFIO has the authority to detain individuals for breaking corporate laws.

The following situations allow the Central Government to begin an investigation into a company’s affairs and entrust it to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office: upon receipt of a report from the Registrar or inspector pursuant to section 208 (Report on Inspection Made) of the Companies Act, 2013; upon notification of a special resolution adopted by a company that its affairs require investigation; in the public interest; upon request from any Department of the Central Government.

 

Source  The Indian Express

 

 

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS  13 SEPTEMBER 2022 THE INDIAN EXPRESS:

 

FOOD SECURITY:

 

How is food security achieved?

 

Food security, according to the United Nations Committee on World Food Security, is the condition in which all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient amounts of wholesome food that meets their nutritional needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

 

The following three elements work together to produce food security:

 

Food must be easily accessible, which means that it must be continuously present and in sufficient quantities. It considers the availability and production of food there as well as the potential for importing it through trade or humanitarian relief.

 

The ability to regularly receive enough food, whether through direct purchases, domestic production, trading, gifts, borrowing, or food aid, is referred to as food access.

 

Utilization of food: Food that is eaten must contribute to a person’s nourishment. It covers issues of personal hygiene, water access, and household sanitation in addition to food preparation, storage, and hygiene practises.

 

Food security is closely related to a household’s socioeconomic status, accessible resources, and discretionary income. It is also directly tied to other issues such as the cost of food rising, global environmental change, water, energy, and agriculture.

 

The Importance of National Food Security:

 

to support the agricultural sector.

 

for containing the cost of food.

 

for the purpose of reducing poverty through economic growth and job creation

 

for business opportunities

 

for improved global stability and security

for improved health and wellness

 

Food security in India:

 

The Bengal Famine, which occurred in 1943 under British colonial rule and led to the starvation deaths of between 2 million and 3 million people, can be connected to worries about food security.

 

Due to its initial attempt to industrialise while ignoring agriculture, two consecutive droughts in the middle of the 1960s, and reliance on food aid from the United States, India has seen a number of shocks on the food security front since attaining independence.

 

The country underwent a Green Revolution in the late 1960s and early 1970s that assisted it in overcoming productivity stagnation and greatly increasing food grain production.

 

Despite its success, the Green Revolution is frequently criticised for its narrow focus on just two cereals—wheat and rice—its confinement to a small number of resource-rich regions in the country’s northwest and south, which benefited mostly wealthy farmers, and for the excessive strain it placed on the ecology—particularly the soil and water—of these areas.

 

The Green Revolution was followed by the White Revolution, which was initiated by Operation Flood in the 1970s and 1980s. With the help of this national programme, which has altered the country’s liquid milk production and marketing, India is currently the greatest producer of milk in the world.

 

For industrial and poultry usage, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton and hybrid maize have recently shown exceptional productivity gains, particularly in the years following 2000. Due to the considerable cotton exports that followed from this, India was the second-largest cotton exporter in 2007–2008.

 

Concerns about the food security of India:

 

India, the largest nation in the world, has 195 million undernourished citizens at the moment.

 

In India, 4 out of 10 children, or around 47 million people, are chronically undernourished or stunted and do not develop to their full potential.

 

Agriculture in India is very underproductive.

 

India’s cereal production is estimated by the World Bank to be 2,992 kg per hectare, compared to North America’s 7,318.4 kg per hectare.

 

Food baskets are increasingly made up of high-value agricultural items like fish, eggs, milk, and meat rather than being dominated by grains as they once were. As salaries rise, this tendency will continue, and India’s requirement for food in the form of feed will soon rise.

In its 2018 report, “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World,” the FAO notes that 14.8% of the population of India is undernourished.

 

Additionally, 51.4% of fertile women between the ages of 15 and 49 have anaemia.

 

The research also notes that 38.4% of Indian children under the age of five are stunted, meaning they are too short for their age, and 21% are wasting, meaning their weight is too low for their height.

 

According to The Global Food Security Index (GFSI), which took into account four aspects including price, availability, quality, and safety, India was ranked 76th out of 113 countries in 2018.

 

On the 2018 Global Hunger Index, India placed 103rd out of 119 eligible countries.

 

Food security issues:

 

Farming is becoming more challenging due to climate change’s increased heat and erratic rainfall. Climate change has significant social and economic ramifications, including diminished income, ruined livelihoods, disruption of trade, and detrimental health impacts. It also affects animals, forests, fisheries, and aquaculture in addition to crops.

 

Lack of access to remote areas: For native populations, subsistence farming and living in difficult terrain have seriously hampered their ability to advance economically.

 

The uncontrolled proliferation of slums has been attributed to a spike in rural-to-urban migration, a substantial portion of unorganised labour, inadequate housing, and food security.

 

poverty, overcrowding, gender inequity, and a lack of education.

 

inadequate food distribution through public channels (PDS i.e. Public Distribution System).

 

Deserving recipients of the subsidy are turned down because they don’t meet the arbitrary criteria used to determine if a household is below the poverty line (BPL), which varies from state to state.

 

Biofuels: Less land is now being used to grow food crops as the market for biofuels has grown.

 

Conflict: In order to gain an advantage, enemies may cut off the food supply. Crops may be destroyed as a result of the conflict.

 

Programmes for increasing nutrition that are not effectively monitored: The nation has a number of plans for programmes, but they are not properly carried out.

 

Inconsistent food and nutrition policy as well as a lack of cross-ministry cooperation.

 

Corruption: The issue of food insecurity is exacerbated by the sale of low-quality grains in ration shops, the diversion of grain supply to the open market for a higher profit margin, and inconsistent store openings.

 

Current government initiatives:

 

National Food Security Mission:

 

It was started in 2007 and is a programme that the government sponsors.

 

It aims to enhance output of commercial crops like rice, wheat, pulses, coarse cereals, and wheat through area extension and productivity improvement.

 

At the individual farm level, it helps to increase farm level productivity and soil fertility.

 

Additionally, it aims to boost the accessibility of vegetable oils while reducing the import of edible oils.

 

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)

 

It has allowed states the opportunity to choose their own agricultural and related sector development strategies in accordance with district and state agriculture plans ever since its beginning in 2007.

 

It became a centrally sponsored programme with 100% central support in 2014–15.

 

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) will be renamed to Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana- Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation for three years, from 2017–18 to 2019–20. (RKVY–RAFTAAR).

 

Goals: To increase farmer effort, lower risk, and promote agribusiness entrepreneurship in order to transform farming into a successful economic activity. Pre- and post-harvest infrastructure are prioritised along with developing agri-entrepreneurship and innovations.

 

ISOPOM, which stands for Integrated Programs on Maize, Pulses, Palm Oil, and Oilseeds

 

Pradhan Mantri’s Fasal Bima Yojana:

 

E-marketplace: The government has created the electronic national farm market to connect all regulated wholesale produce markets via a pan-India trade platform (eNAM).

By 2017, a large irrigation and soil and water harvesting programme would have grown the nation’s total irrigated area from 90 million hectares to 103 million hectares.

Over the past 20 years, the government has made enormous efforts to tackle under- and malnutrition through the establishment of mid-day meals in schools. It is a programme that is centrally supported and that all students in Classes I through VIII at government-aided schools are a part of.

meals given by anganwadi networks to pregnant and nursing mothers, as well as subsidised grain distributed to those living below the poverty line.

 

Excellent augmentation:

 

Under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population are legally eligible to receive subsidised food grains through the Targeted Public Distribution System.

 

The oldest woman in the home who is 18 years of age or older must be the head of the household for the purposes of issuing ration cards under the Act.

 

The following international organisations work to secure food security:

 

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):

 

In 1945, the United Nations Specialized Agency was established.

 

One of FAO’s strategic objectives is to assist in the eradication of hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition.

 

The World Food Programme (WFP):

 

The largest UN organisation that responds to food emergencies and has programmes to eliminate hunger all around the world is the World Food Program (WFP), which was founded in 1963.

 

International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD):

 

The purpose of IFAD’s establishment in 1977 was to end rural poverty. To do this, it works along with rural residents from poor areas of developing countries.

 

This specific UN agency was one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference.

 

World Bank:

 

The World Bank, which was founded in 1944, actively finances initiatives and programmes pertaining to food.

 

UNEP:

 

It was established in 1972 to act as the organisation in charge of regulating environmental issues on a global scale. One of the topics the UNEP is now addressing is food security.

 

International initiatives:

 

The High-Level Task Force (HLTF) on Global Food and Nutrition Security was established by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2008.

 

In order to solve the issue of providing food and nutrition security on a global scale, it aims to promote the creation of an exhaustive and well-coordinated worldwide solution.

 

The reduction of hunger to half its current levels by 2015 is one of the objectives of the First Millennium Development Goal (MDG 1).

 

At the Rio+20 World Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012, the UN Secretary-General announced the Zero Hunger Challenge.

The Zero Hunger Challenge seeks to mobilise the world and bring an end to hunger within a generation. It requires:

 

Stunted infants and toddlers do not exist.

 

Everybody has year-round access to sufficient food.

 

All cultures have sustainable food systems.

 

Smallholders’ output and income both climbed 100%.

 

There is no food waste or loss.

 

Goal 2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): Promote sustainable agriculture, end hunger, and secure food security.

 

Follow These Steps to Ensure Food Security:

 

Government policies must be coordinated in order to increase agricultural productivity.

The measures should primarily concentrate on a rational distribution of cultivable land, improving the size of the farms, and providing security to the tenant cultivators. This is in addition to providing the farmers with improved technology for cultivation and improved inputs like irrigation facilities, availability of better quality seeds, fertilisers, and credits at lower interest rates.

Systems like hydroponics and aeroponics, which don’t require soil, can be used to grow plants. Plants effectively absorb nutrients and water in this way. These methods can be used in areas with poor soil quality and eroding soil.

By enabling equivalent or greater yields to be attained with less water extraction, the adoption of cultivars and practises with reduced water requirements, such as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method of rice cultivation, adds to resilience.

Resilience can also be increased by growing crops with reduced water requirements and using agricultural techniques that keep the soil moist, such as keeping vegetation cover between crops.

Crop diversification: Increased profitability and production stability show the value of crop diversification, for example, replacing legumes with rice and wheat. It is important to promote the growing of non-cereal crops such fruits, vegetables, and oilseeds.

It is necessary to implement better food storage techniques.

The Blue Revolution: Food and nutrients can be obtained from the ocean, lakes, and rivers. Fish are an excellent source of protein and don’t need fertile ground.

Biotechnology and suitable technology: It is possible to selectively breed or genetically modify (GM) plants and animals to provide them particular traits and adaptations.

Selective breeding, for instance, has been applied to dairy cows to boost milk production. Wheat has been genetically modified to produce crops that are resistant to disease.

Existing direct nutrition programmes need to be updated so that women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) and/or local organisations can manage them. Another area could be the orientation and training of community health workers, Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members, other opinion leaders, caregivers, and other stakeholders.

The relevant health agencies and authorities should make an effort to launch and oversee the smooth operation of nutrition-related programmes.

Program outcomes may be assessed by annual surveys and rapid assessments surveys, among other methods.

By offering fair salaries and wholesome working conditions, attention needs to be turned toward the workers in the unorganised sector.

It will be beneficial to educate the local community using planned and participative communication methods on important family health and nutrition practises.

In India, particularly in the south and west, cooperatives play a significant role in ensuring food security. The cooperative organisations established stores to provide low-cost goods to the underprivileged. It is important to support the cooperatives.

Creating stronger economic ties between rural and urban areas can help to ensure food security by: Improving and expanding job options in rural areas, especially for women and young people,

Enabling social protection to help the underprivileged better manage risks,

Using remittances for investments in the rural sector as a practical way to enhance living standards.

 

Steps to Take:

 

A country’s food security is guaranteed if there is enough healthy food accessible for every resident, everyone has the means to purchase food of a sufficient standard, and there are no barriers to accessing food.

A fundamental tenet of international human rights law is the right to food. It has grown to include a requirement that state parties uphold, respect, and fulfil the right of their citizens to food security.

India has a responsibility to uphold the right to adequate food and the right to be free from hunger as a state party to both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

To ensure sustained food security, India must establish a policy that integrates disparate issues including inequality, food diversity, indigenous rights, and environmental justice.

 

EDITORIAL ANALYSIS  13 SEPTEMBER 2022 THE HINDU:

 

INDIA BANGLADESH RELATIONS:

 

India-Bangladesh relations:

 

India was one of the first countries to recognise and establish diplomatic ties with Bangladesh after it attained independence in December 1971.

 

Monetary connections:

 

Bangladesh is India’s major trading partner in South Asia and India’s largest trading partner with Bangladesh.

In the fiscal year 2019–20, India exported $8.2 billion to Bangladesh while bringing in $1.26 billion.

 

Connectivity:

 

The two countries worked together to reopen the railway line that connects India’s Chilahati and Haldibari (Bangladesh).

In order to expeditiously operationalize the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) initiative Motor Vehicles Agreement, it was decided to sign the Enabling MoU right away.

The second addition to the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) was just signed.

2015 saw the launch of the bus service from Kolkata to Dhaka and Agartala. The 1,650 kilometres between Kolkata and Agartala were cut by 500 km as a result.

 

Cooperation with reference to Rivers:

 

India and Bangladesh are connected by 54 rivers.

A bilateral Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) has been working since June 1972 to maintain communication between the two countries and to maximise benefits from shared river systems.

 

Cooperation in defence:

 

Border management: Bangladesh and India share a land border that is 7 km long, making it the nation’s longest land border with a neighbour.

The India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) came into effect in June 2015 after the exchange of ratification documents.

a number of joint military exercises involving the armed forces of the two countries, such as Exercise Sampriti and Exercise Milan

 

Medical relations:

 

Bangladesh makes up more than 35% of the international patients in Indian hospitals.

Just from Bangladesh, India receives more than 50% of its revenue from medical tourism.

 

Cooperative multilateral platforms:

 

Members of significant regional organisations, such as the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

Collaboration to combat the COVID-19 pandemic includes Bangladesh’s participation in the SAARC leaders’ video conference in March 2020 and the creation of the SAARC Emergency Response Fund to lessen the pandemic’s effects in the South Asian area. cooperation in achieving the SDGs at international fora like the UNSC.

 

New developments:

 

India and Bangladesh recently inked seven agreements and started three projects to improve their relationship.

the practise of shipping goods to and from India, particularly from Northeastern India, using Bangladesh’s Chattogram and Mongla ports.

Bangladesh’s Feni River is used by Tripura as a source of drinking water.

 

Challenges:

 

The Teesta River water dispute:

 

India and Bangladesh will each receive about 42.5 percent and 37.5% of the Teesta river’s water, respectively, according to the 2011 interim agreement.

The state of West Bengal, however, rejects this stipulation and has never ratified the accord, so conflict in this topic still exists.

 

Undocumented immigration is a problem:

 

The National Register of Nationals (NRC), an initiative intended to identify legitimate Indian nationals residing in Assam and evict unauthorised Bangladeshis, has raised concerns in Bangladesh in the past.

 

The China Effect:

 

Bangladesh is a participating member of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), although India has not participated.

Bangladesh is a prominent user of Chinese military hardware, notably submarines.

 

Other issues:

 

India is also concerned about cattle smuggling, phoney money transfers, and armed Dacoity in border districts.

The trafficking of illegal immigrants, their involvement in terrorism, and prostitution in India all complicate relations between India and Bangladesh.

Bangladesh also opposes India’s intentions to connect the rivers and build the Tapaimukh Dam on the Barak River in Manipur.

 

Moving forward:

 

The greatest way to enhance ties between India and Bangladesh is to quickly find solutions to river water issues like those with the Teesta.

coordinating efforts to fight border issues like trafficking, illegal trade, and cattle smuggling.

strengthening regional organisations like SAARC, BIMSTEC, etc., and emphasising the “Neighborhood First” principle

Good relations between India and Bangladesh are essential for the development of the North East area, exploration of the Indo-Pacific region, and increased connectivity to South Asian countries.