DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 29 December 2021
Fourth Edition of State Health Index
- NITI Aayog has released the fourth edition of the State Health Index for 2019–20.
- The report, titled “The Healthy States, Progressive India”, ranks states and Union Territories on their year-on-year incremental performance in health outcomes as well as their overall status.
- The State Health Index is an annual tool to assess the performance of states and UTs, which has been compiled and published since 2017.
- It is a weighted composite index based on 24 indicators grouped under the domains of ‘Health Outcomes’, ‘Governance and Information’, and ‘Key Inputs/Processes’.
- Ranking of States: To ensure comparison among similar entities, the ranking is categorized as:
- Larger States: In terms of annual incremental performance, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Telangana are the top three ranking states.
- Smaller States: Mizoram and Meghalaya registered the maximum annual incremental progress.
- Union Territories: Delhi, followed by Jammu and Kashmir, showed the best incremental performance.
- Overall: The top-ranking states were Kerala and Tamil Nadu among the ‘Larger States’, Mizoram and Tripura among the ‘Smaller States’, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (DH&DD) and Chandigarh among the UTs.
CESL achieves 50 lakh LED bulbs distribution milestone under flagship Gram Ujala Programme
- Power Ministry has achieved a remarkable milestone of distributing 50 lakh LED bulbs under the Project One Crore under Gram Ujala Programme. The program is being implemented through Convergence Energy Services Limited, CSEL and Energy Efficiency Services Limited, EESL in rural households in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana. The Ministry has a target to distribute 10 million LED bulbs under Project One Crore in two million households till March of next year.
- The distribution has resulted in energy savings of over 71 crore units per year with cost savings of 250 crores per year in the rural areas. CESL is providing high-quality seven Watt and twelve Watt LED bulbs for 10 rupees per bulb in exchange for working incandescent bulbs.
- Speaking on the achievement, Convergence Energy Services Limited Managing Director and CEO Mahua Acharya said that this program is to ensure the holistic development of the rural ecosystem.
- He said, under the Power Ministry, CESL is constantly working towards providing better illumination in the rural parts of five states. He added CESL will be expanding this to rural parts of other states upon completion of Project One Crore.
Improvement in Sex Ratio at Birth
- Women and Child Development Ministry has taken various measures to ensure the development, care, and protection of women and children. The Bill on Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Act, 2021 has been introduced in Lok Sabha this month for raising the age of marriage of women from 18 to 21 years.
- The Ministry said, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Scheme is being implemented across India, covering 640 districts to address the issue of declining child sex ratio.
- The scheme has stirred up collective consciousness towards changing the mindset of the Nation towards valuing the girl child. This is also reflected in the improvement of sex ratio at birth by 19 points at the National level from 918 in 2014-15 to 937 in 2020-21.
- To promote the nutritional status of women and children, a transparent and enabling environment is being created that nurtures health, wellness, and immunity.
- The Ministry said, Poshan Tracker Application has been built on the latest technology for ensuring real-time monitoring of supplementary nutrition and providing information for prompt supervision and management of services.
Govt approves Corbevax and Covovax vaccines
- Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has approved the Corbevax vaccine, Covovax vaccine, and anti-viral drug Molnupiravir for restricted use in emergencies. In a series of tweets, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, Corbevax vaccine is India’s first indigenously developed RBD protein sub-unit vaccine against COVID-19, made by Hyderabad-based firm Biological-E. It is the third vaccine developed in India.
- The Nanoparticle Vaccine, Covovax, will be manufactured by Pune-based firm Serum Institute of India.
- Mr. Mandaviya said, Molnupiravir will now be manufactured in the country by 13 companies for restricted use under emergency for the treatment of adult patients with COVID-19 and who have a high risk of progression of the disease.
- He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the battle against COVID-19 from the front and all these approvals will further strengthen the global fight against the pandemic.
- In an interaction with All India Radio News, Chairman of India’s COVID-19 Working Group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization Dr. N K Arora said that the approval of these two vaccines and anti-viral drugs is encouraging news for the Covid vaccination campaign.
India to chair Counter-Terrorism committee of UNSC in January 2022 after ten years
- India will chair the Counter-Terrorism Committee of UNSC in January 2022 after 10 years. The Counter-Terrorism Committee was established by Security Council resolution 1373 adopted unanimously on 28 September 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks in the US.
- The Committee was tasked with monitoring the implementation of resolution 1373 which requested countries to implement several measures aimed at enhancing their legal and institutional ability to counter terrorist activities at home and around the world.
- This includes taking steps to criminalize the financing of terrorism, freezing any funds related to persons involved in acts of terrorism, denying all forms of financial support for terrorist groups, suppressing the provision of haven, sustenance, or support for terrorists, and sharing information with other governments on any groups practicing or planning terrorist acts.
- Besides, the Committee monitors steps taken to cooperate with other governments in the investigation, detection, arrest, extradition, and prosecution of those involved in terror acts and criminalizes active and passive assistance for terrorism.
DRDO hand over technology for extreme cold weather clothing systems to 5 Indian companies
- Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation Dr. G Satheesh Reddy handed over technology for indigenous extreme cold weather clothing systems to five Indian companies.
- This clothing will prove to be beneficial for the soldiers of the Indian Army who works in difficult terrains like a glacier and Himalayan peaks.
- Presently, Army imports extreme cold weather clothing and several Special clothing and mountaineering equipment items for the troops deployed in high altitude regions.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
- The State Health Index by NITI Aayog has been compiled and published since
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
ANSWER: D
- NITI Aayog released the 4th State Health Index in collaboration with
- IMF
- World Bank
- Amnesty International
- Red Cross Society
ANSWER: B
- In the Global Health Security (GHS) Index 2021 India scored
- 42.8 (out of 100)
- 45.8 (out of 100)
- 49.8 (out of 100)
- 52.8 (out of 100)
ANSWER: A
- Global Health Security (GHS) Index 2021 has been released by
- Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)
- Johns Hopkins Center
- Reporters Without Borders
- Both A & B
ANSWER: D
- Which of the following SDG Deals with Good Health & well being
- SDG 1
- SDG 2
- SDG 3
- SDG 4
ANSWER: C
- National Health Mission launched in 2013 subsumed which of the following Schemes?
- National Rural Health Mission
- National Urban Health Mission
- Ayushman Bharath
- Both A & B
ANSWER: D
- Recently Cabinet approved 22 new regional AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) under ______
- Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana
- National Rural Health Mission
- National Urban Health Mission
- Ayushman Bharath
ANSWER: A
- Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) was launched in
- 2003
- 2005
- 2014
- 2016
ANSWER: A
- Janaushadhi Diwas is celebrated on ____
- 12th February
- 7th March
- 18th April
- 25th June
ANSWER: B
- The Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) works under ______
- Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers
- Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
- Ministry of Pharmaceutics
- Ministry of Home Affairs
ANSWER: A
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