. No. Topic Name Prelims/Mains About the Monkeypox Prelims & Mains Details of the Build Operate Transfer Model Prelims & Mains About the DTP Vaccine Prelims & Mains Details of the Rafale Jets Prelims Specific Topic 1 – About the Monkeypox: GS II Topic Health related issues About: The phrase “monkeypox” refers to a viral zoonotic sickness that affects monkeys and is known to be similar to the pox in humans. In Nigeria, it is pervasive. It is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the family of orthopoxviruses. The original host of the virus is still a mystery. There are, however, numerous reports of the disease in animals. The monkeypox virus is known to be carried by monkeys, apes, a wide range of rodents (including rats, mice, squirrels, and prairie dogs), and rabbits. Outbreaks: In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), it was first detected in 1958 in monkeys and then in humans there in 1970. Nigeria saw its worst outbreak ever in 2017—40 years after the final reported case. Since then, the disease has been reported in several West and Central African countries. Symptoms: Infected people get a rash that looks like chicken pox. Monkeypox, however, frequently results in more severe fever, malaise, and headache symptoms when compared to chicken pox. Monkeypox can be distinguished from smallpox because of the enlargement of the lymph gland in the early stages of the disease. Transmission: Primary infection is brought on by direct contact with an infected animal’s blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions. Eating improperly prepared, infected animal meat puts you at risk as well. Human-to-human transmission may occur as a result of close contact with infectious respiratory tract secretions, skin lesions on an infected individual, or recently contaminated objects with patient fluids or lesion materials. Placental transfer and immunisation are among additional modes of transmission (congenital monkeypox). Vulnerability: If infected, it spreads rapidly and can be fatal to one out of every 10 individuals. Treatment and immunisation: There is no particular drug or vaccine to stop monkeypox. It has been established in the past that the anti-smallpox vaccine has an 85% success rate in preventing monkeypox. However, the vaccine is no longer widely accessible because smallpox was declared extinct on Earth in 1980. Every country struggles to contain any outbreaks when they happen since there is currently no global framework in place to stop the spread of monkeypox. Way Forward: improved surveillance and response, increased disease knowledge, and avoiding contact with wild animals, especially monkeys. Animals that may have come into contact with an infected animal must be confined, handled with standard safety precautions, and kept under observation for 30 days for indications of monkeypox. It is crucial to turn attention to other diseases. Due to Covid-19, fewer incidences of endemic diseases are being reported since fewer people are visiting hospitals for treatment. Source The Indian Express 2 – Details of the Build Operate Transfer Model: GS III Topic Investment related issues What is Build Operate Transfer (BOT)? A build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract is a form of funding for big infrastructure projects developed through public-private partnerships. A BOT is a public organisation, such as a local government, that first grants permission to a private corporation to develop and manage a project. Control of the project is returned to the government agency after a set amount of time, usually two or three decades. What Is the PPP Model, Exactly? Public-private partnerships are one of three investment forms where a government agency and a private firm cooperate to achieve a social or infrastructural growth goal. According to the World Bank, India is one of the countries that is most accepting of PPPs. What Steps Comprise a BOT Model’s Process? A public organisation (typically the government) grants a private firm the right to fund, develop, and manage a project via a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract. The corporation oversees the project for a certain period of time (perhaps 20 or 30 years) in order to recoup its investment before handing management of the project over to the government. BOT projects generally involve huge greenfield infrastructure projects that would typically be entirely funded, built, and administered by the government. The Philippines’ power plant, China’s wastewater treatment plant, and India’s six-lane national highway are just a few examples. BOT contractors are frequently special-purpose companies founded only for a project. Revenues from the project that the contractor has established are frequently generated from a single source and over the course of the project. It’s possible that the federal or state governments own this company. Proof of this arrangement is provided by power purchase agreements, in which a public utility acts as an off-taker and purchases electricity from a privately owned plant. In a typical concession, the company would sell directly to customers rather than the government. Under BOT contracts, the off-taker is typically obligated to pay the minimum price. Benefits of Build Operate Transfer (BOT) include: BOT benefits governments since it reduces spending on infrastructure and development while also transferring risk to the concessionaire. The concession company benefits from better control over a number of construction risks as well as the possibility to mitigate any unfavourable outcomes through operational advantages. BOT provides organisations with a framework and incentives to boost productivity through performance-based agreements and output-oriented goals. The projects are completed for the least amount of money possible thanks to a completely competitive bidding process. The private sector is responsible for some of the project’s risks. There are certain limitations to Build Operate Transfer (BOT): Since many organisations are involved and a thorough institutional and legal structure is required, a BOT financial arrangement may take a long time to prepare for and close. There, small projects might not be appropriate for the BOT. It may take some time to develop the institutional capacity required for realising the full benefits
Education for Girls
Education is a subject in the concurrent list of the Constitution and majority of schools are under the jurisdiction of the State Government. Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), Ministry of Education is implementing a centrally sponsored Integrated Scheme for School Education ‘Samagra Shiksha’, effective from 2018-19, for universalization of quality education throughout the country in coordination with the States and UTs. Bridging gender and social category gaps at all levels of school education is one of the major objectives of the Samagra Shiksha. From the year 2018-19 to 2020-21, the Drop-out rate of girls at Secondary level has decreased from 17.03% to 13.7%, Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at secondary level has increased from 76.93 to 79.45 and GER at higher secondary level has increased from 50.84 to 54.65. (Source: UDISE+). Under Samagra Shiksha, there is a provision of gender segregated toilets in all schools. As per UDISE+ 2020-21, 97.45% Government schools have gender segregated toilets. Also, there is a provision of Composite School Grant which may be used for annual maintenance and repair of existing school buildings, toilets and other facilities to upkeep the infrastructure in good condition. School Health Programme, under Ayushman Bharat which is a joint collaborative initiative of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and DoSEL, Ministry of Education, a module on ‘Growing up Healthy’ has been incorporated, which interalia includes information on physical challenges during adolescence and attaining puberty. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is implementing the Adolescence Education Programme (AEP) as part of the National Population Education Project (NPEP). One of the learning outcomes of AEP is to make the learners aware of the concerns of adolescence, i.e. process of growing up during adolescence and to inculcate in them positive attitude regarding these concerns. Moreover, all States and UTs have been requested to take necessary steps to create awareness amongst adolescent girls in schools about safe usage and benefits of Sanitary Napkins. It has also been communicated that subsidized sanitary napkins are available at the Jan Aushadi Kendras set up by the Ministry of Chemical and Fertilisers, Government of India. Under Samagra Shiksha, there is a provision of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) in the Educationally Backward Blocks, which are residential schools for girls belonging to disadvantaged groups such as SC, ST, OBC, Minority and Below Poverty Line (BPL). Further, Special State Specific Projects for varied interventions under equity are emphasized for enhancing access, retention and quality of girls by promoting enrolment drives, retention and motivation camps, gender sensitization modules etc. Financial Support is also being provided under State Specific projects as per the allocation of flexi fund under quality to the state subject to viable proposal received from the respective State and UTs. Such projects include Life Skills, Awareness programmes, Incinerators, Sanitary Pad Vending Machines etc. Samagra Shiksha aims At integrating Vocational Education with general academic education in all Secondary/Senior Secondary schools including KGBVs; Enhancing the Employability and Entrepreneurial abilities of the students, providing exposure to work environment; Generating awareness amongst students about various career options so as to enable them to make a choice in accordance with their aptitude, competence and aspirations.
Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT)
It is a central sector scheme was launched in 2014 to address comprehensively all issues related to Teacher Training/ Capacity Building and Professional Development of Teachers. Under the components, the total 95 Centres were established throughout the country through which faculties/Teachers have been trained.
National Crime Record Bureau
NCRB was established in January 1986 with the aim of establishing a body to compile and keep records of data on crime. It functions under the Union Home Ministry. Apart from publishing annual reports, its functions include “Collection, coordination and exchange of information on inter-state and international criminals to the respective states”. NCRB also acts as a “national warehouse” for the fingerprint records of Indian and foreign criminals, and assists in locating interstate criminals through fingerprint search.
The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022
The Indian Competition Act was passed in 2002, but it came into effect only seven years later. The Competition Commission primarily pursues three issues 1. Anti-competitive practices in the market: 2.Anti-competitive agreements 3.Abuse of dominance and combinations. As the dynamics of the market changes rapidly due to technological advancements, artificial intelligence, and the increasing importance of factors other than price, amendments became necessary to sustain and promote market competition. Therefore, a review committee was established in 2019 which proposed several major amendments. The long-awaited Bill to amend the Competition Act, 2002, was finally tabled in the Lok Sabha recently. Major changes to 2002 Act. Any acquisition, merger or amalgamation may constitute a combination. Section 5 currently says parties indulging in merger, acquisition, or amalgamation need to notify the Commission of the combination only on the basis of ‘asset’ or ‘turnover’. The new Bill proposes to add a ‘deal value’ threshold. It will be mandatory to notify the Commission of any transaction with a deal value in excess of ₹2,000 crore and if either of the parties has ‘substantial business operations in India’. The Commission shall frame regulations to prescribe the requirements for assessing whether an enterprise has ‘substantial business operations in India’. This change will strengthen the Commission’s review mechanism, particularly in the digital and infrastructure space, a majority of which were not reported earlier, as the asset or turnover values did not meet the jurisdictional thresholds. When business entities are willing to execute a combination, they must inform the Commission. The Commission may approve or disapprove the combination, keeping in mind the appreciable adverse effect on competition that is likely to be caused. The Commission earlier had 210 days to approve the combination, after which it is automatically approved. The new Bill seeks to accelerate the timeline from 210 working days to only 150 working days with a conservatory period of 30 days for extensions. This will speed up the clearance of combinations and increase the importance of pre-filing consultations with the Commission. In the amendment Bill, a provision called ‘Leniency Plus’ allows the commission to give an additional waiver of penalties to an applicant who discloses the existence of another cartel in an unrelated market, provided the information enables the Commission to form a prima facie opinion about the existence of the cartel. Other noteworthy amendments include the appointment of the DG by the Commission rather than the Central government, giving the Commission greater control.