Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation (BRLF)

* Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation (BRLF).

* This would be an independent charitable society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

* Purpose of this scheme

* To facilitate and upscale civil society action in partnership with Government.

* To transform the livelihoods and lives of rural households, with an emphasis on women, particularly in the Central Indian Tribal Region.

* How BRLF works?

* It will provide financial grants to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

* These grants would help CSOs to,

* To meet their human resource and institutional costs for upscaling of proven interventions.

* Invest in institutional strengthening of smaller CSOs and

* Capacity building of professional resources working at the grassroots.

* Area of coverage

* BRLF will have an India wide mandate.

* The initial focus of the organization will be on the Central Indian Tribal Region.

* Mainly focused on the tribal population across 170 districts in the States of,

* Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand

* Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha and West Bengal.

* Rs 500 crore will be released for creating the corpus fund of the new Society.

* The new society will be formed as follows,

* A partnership between Government and

* Private sector philanthropies, private and public sector undertakings (under Corporate Social Responsibility).

LPG 5kg & Portable

* Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

* New initiatives

* Sells market priced 5kg LPG cylinders. (Only through selected petrol pumps in major cities.)

* Who are the beneficiaries?

* Migratory Population. [Eg. students, IT professionals, BPO employees and persons with odd duty timings]

* How?

* Provide them the flexibility to pick up cylinders

* Obtain subsequent refills at time of their choice as Petrol Stations are open for longer hours

* Pilot cities - Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore

* Portable LPG Gas connection across Oil Marketing Companies.

* Why this initiative?

* An LPG consumer is attached to a distributor

* Cannot change his distributor even if he is unhappy with the service of the distributor or the oil marketing company.

* New measures

* Opt for the distributor of his choice within a cluster of LPG distributors in the vicinity and across the oil companies.

* Shall see the service ratings ofall the distributors in their cluster

* Shall register electronically on the website of the OMC to which the consumer is presently attached.

* Electronic tracking of the portability request in place to ensure a consumer does not have any difficulty to move to a distributor of his choice.

* How this will beneficial?

* Leads to improvement in consumer service by the distributors.

* Shall bring competition in the cluster among the distributors.

* Bring choice to consumers who want to change their LPG distributor within or across the Oil Company or want to move to a distributor closer to his home.

RUSA (Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan)

* A centrally sponsored scheme for reforming the state Higher Education system.

* Will spread for two plan periods (XIIth and XIIIth).

* Centre State Sharing

North-Eastern States and Jammu &Kashmir90:10

Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand75:25

Other States and UTs65:35


* Key Objectives

* Improve access, equity and quality in higher education through planned development of higher education at the state level.

* Improve the Gross Enrolment Ratio from 19% at present to 30% by 2020.

* Help to create new academic institutions, and expand the existing institutions, that are self-reliant in terms of quality education and professional management.

* Shall be characterized by greater inclination towards research.

* Provide students with education that is both relevant to them as well as the nation as a whole.

* Other Important Objectives

* Improvement of the overall quality of existing state higher educational institutions.

* Ensures conformity to prescribed norms and standards.

* Adoption of accreditation as a mandatory quality assurance framework.

* Correction of regional imbalances in access to higher education

* Setup of high quality institutions in rural and semi urban areas.

* Creating opportunities for students from rural areas to get access to better quality institutions.

* Setting up of higher education institutions in unnerved and underserved areas.

* Improve equity in higher education

* Provide adequate opportunities to socially deprived communities;

* Promote inclusion of women, minorities, SC/ST and OBCs as well as differently disabled persons.

* Adequate availability of quality faculty in all higher educational institutions.

* Capacity building at all levels.

* Create an enabling atmosphere in higher educational institutions to devote themselves to research and innovation.

* Integrate skill developments efforts of the government with the conventional higher education system through optimum interventions.

National Policy on Universal Electronic Accessibility
Why this new policy?

* To eliminate discrimination on the basis of disabilities.

* Facilitate equal access to electronics and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) products and services by differently abled persons (both physically and mentally challenged).

* To facilitate local language support for the same.
Strategies for the policy implementation

* Create awareness on universal electronics accessibility and universal design.

* Capacity building and infrastructure development.

* Set-up of model electronics and ICTs centres for providing training and demonstration to special educators and physically as well as mentally challenged persons.

* Conduct research and development, use of innovation, ideas, and technology etc. whether indigenous or outsourced from abroad.

* Develop programme and schemes with greater emphasis for differently abled women/children.

* Develop procurement guidelines for electronics and ICTs for accessibility and assistive needs.
Need for this policy

* India ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2007.

* About UNCRPD

* UNCRPD is an international instrument that provides persons with disabilities the same human rights that everyone else enjoys.

* It marks a radical shift in defining and understanding disability.

* It moves from a medical/social perspective to a human-rights based approach.

* It says that,

* State Parties shall take appropriate measures to ensure to persons with disabilities, access on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, to transportation, to information and communications, including ICTs and systems and to other facilities and services open or provided to the public

National AIDS Control Programme Phase IV

* Background of NACP

* Launched in 1992 NACP I.

* Department of AIDS Control, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

* In 1998 NACP II was initiated.

* NACP III (2007-2012)

* Objective to "halt and reverse the HIV epidemic In India" by the end of the project.

* There is a steady decline in overall prevalence.

* Nearly 50% decrease in new infections over the last ten years.

* NACP IV aims to consolidate the gains of NACP III.

* Main objectives- NACP IV

* Reduce new infections by 50%.

* Provide comprehensive care and support to all persons living with HIV/AIDS.

* Treatment services for all those who require it.

* Implementation strategies

* Intensifying and consolidating prevention services with a focus on

* High-risk groups and vulnerable population and

* General population.

* Expanding Information, Education and Communication (IEC) services.

* Increasing access and promoting comprehensive Care, Support and Treatment (CST).

* Building capacities at National, State, District and facility levels.

* Strengthening Strategic Information Management Systems.

JENVAC
What is JENVAC?

* Vaccine for JE.

* Manufactured by Bharat Biotech. (in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research)

* Note: This is indigenous vaccine produced for JE. Till now vaccine for JE was an imported one.
Significance of JENVAC

* It is Vero cell-derived purified inactivated vaccine.

* Vaccine provides increased immunogenicity and long-term protection.

* It can be administered during an epidemic as it is a highly purified and inactivated vaccine.

* It showed superior safety and immunogenicity, in comparison to live vaccine.

* Can be administered as a single dose during epidemics for mass vaccination campaigns.

* As a two-dose during routine immunisation as part of the National immunisation programme.
Virus strains of JE

* The virus strain for this vaccine was isolated in Kolar, Karnataka, during the early 1980s.

* Characterised by the National Institute of Virology at Pune.

* The strains were transferred to Bharat Biotech for further vaccine development.
What is JE?

* A mosquito-borne viral infection.

* The suffix -itis means inflammation.

* Encephalitis means inflammation of the brain.

* Caused by Flavi Virus.

* Transmitted by mosquitoes,

* Culex tritaeniorhynchus

* Culex vishnui
Symptoms

* Headache and stiff neck

* Weakness of the arms, legs

* Pain behind the eyes

* Raised body temperature between 38 and 41 degrees Celsius.

* If untreated, it can result in to Coma, paralysis Mental retardation or death. fatality rate can be as high as 60%
Causes

* Intensification and expansion of irrigated rice production systems in South & South East Asia over the past 20 years had an impact on the disease.

* Here irrigation spreads/expands into semi-arid regions.

* Flooding of the field at the start of each cropping cycle leads to enormous mosquito population.

* This causes circulation of virus from usual hosts (pigs & birds) to human beings.

* Humans are the dead end host of this virus.

* Not spread from human to human.
Geographical Spread

* Flavivirus reproduces in pigs but doesnt infect them.

* So, Pigs are amplifying hosts. (also water birds)

* The Culex mosquitoes usually breed in flooded rice fields.

* These Culex mosquitoes are normally zoophilic.

* They prefer to take blood from animals rather than from humans.

* But when the population of these mosquitoes increases exponentially (during rainy season, around August), human biting rate increases and thus Flavi virus gets transferred from pigs to humans.
JE requires four things

1. Pigs with flavivirus (Amplifying host).

2. Rice fields (Mosquito breeding ground)

3. Culex mosquitos (carrier)

4. Human (victim)
Solution for Japanese Encephalitis (JE)?

1. Vaccination

2. Chemical vector control (e.g. spraying chemicals to kill mosquitos)

* The breeding sites (irrigated rice fields) are huge, so this may not be good solution.

3. Keep larvae eating fish, such as guppies, in ponds.

4. Personal protection (using repellents and/or mosquito nets).

5. Rice growing farmers should never be encouraged to do pig rearing as a secondary source of income.

6. Firstly, there is no curative treatment for J.E.

* J.E. is treated symptomatically by reducing the fever, analgesics for headache, sedatives for seizures and specialized intravenous therapy to reduce cerebral swelling.
What is Acute encephalitis syndrome (AES)?

* This is also inflammation of brain.

* But it is caused by entero virus.

* The virus comes in the air or water through,

* Open defecation and circulates mainly through shallow hand pumps in the area.

National Rural Drinking Water Programme

* Component of Bharat Nirman programme.

* Functions under, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
Aim and objective

* To provide every rural person with adequate safe water for drinking, cooking and other basic domestic needs on a sustainable basis,

* With a minimum water quality standard.

* This should be conveniently accessible at all times and in all situations.

* This programme was launched after merging the three erstwhile programmes namely,

* Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme-ARWSP

* Swajaldhara

* National Rural Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance.

* Objectives / Norms for providing drinking water

* The Objectives of this programme is to provide:

* 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings.

* 30 lpcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas.

* One hand-pump or stand post for every 250 persons.

* The water source should exist within the habitation / within 1.6 km in the plains and

* Within 100 m. elevation in the hilly areas.

* Current scenario

* Targets were not achieved by the states.

* The reasons stated are,

* high capital costs of large multi-village schemes to bring water from distant safe sources,

* time taken for planning, designing, sanctioning, etc.,

* slipping back of habitations to partially covered status due to drying up of drinking water sources;

* lowering of ground water table;

* drinking water sources becoming contaminated due to natural and man-made causes;

* water supply systems outliving their life;

* systems working below rated capacities;

* poor operation and management of systems;

* increase in population and emergence of new habitations, procurement issues, etc.

* What are the steps taken to bridge the above mentioned gaps?

* Allocation of more funds.

* State Governments are vested with powers to plan, approve and implement drinking water supply schemes.

* 5% of national allocation is earmarked for allocation to States with,

* chemical contamination,

* affected habitations and

* areas reporting Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis cases (JE/AES).

Babhali Barrage
Difference between barrage & dam

BarrageDam


* Built for diverting water.
* Raises the water level only a few feet.
* Generally built on flat terrain.
* Consists of a number of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing through the structure.
* Storage behind the barrage is solely created by the height of the gates.
* A dam is built for water storage in a reservoir.
* Raises the level of water significantly.
* Generally built between hills.
* Concrete structures forms the major part.
* Storage behind the dam is mainly due to the height of concrete structure and partially due to the gate height.


What is Babhali Barrage?

* The 11-metre barrage on the river Godavari.

* Designed to meet the drinking water needs of 58 villages and four towns in Nanded district and irrigate 7,995 hectares.

* Located 7 km into the borders of Maharashtra from Andhra Pradesh.
Necessary for this barrage?

* Cropping pattern of Babhali region is predominantly rabbi.

* Non availability of water after December.

* Acute shortage of drinking water to 58 villages.

* Back water of Shriramsagar Project depletes in December.

* Due to constant demand & persuations from local people Babhali Barrage approved in 1995.
Why AP govt. opposed this barrage?

* It is located in the backwater reservoir of Pochampad dam and will compromise its benefits.

* Will deprive Telangana of its due share of water.

* Shall go against the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) awarded in 1980.


Why in news?

* The Union Cabinet gave its approval for constitution of the 3-Member Supervisory Committee on the Babhali Barrage.

* This is to implement the directions of the Supreme Court earlier this year.

* Composition of the Committee

* One representative from the Central Water Commission who will be the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee.

* One representative each from the State Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, respectively.

PM Singhs visit to China

1. Agreement on the establishment of sister city relations

* The cities are,

* Bengaluru and Chengdu

* Delhi and Beijing

* Kolkata and Kunming

* Why this agreement?

* Promote closer engagement in the fields of public policy, education, health, science and technology, tourism and culture;

* Maintain regular contacts including between the designated authorities;

* Undertake exchanges involving delegations; interaction between institutions; and sharing of experiences in areas of mutual interest.


1. Strengthening cooperation on trans-border rivers

* Key points of the agreement

* Both sides recognized that trans-border rivers, related natural resources and the environment are assets of immense value to the socio-economic development of all riparian countries.

* Agreed to further strengthen cooperation on trans-border rivers.

* Cooperate through the existing Expert Level Mechanism on provision of flood-season hydrological data and emergency management, and

* Exchange views on other issues of mutual interest.


1. Border Defence Co-operation Agreement

* Reiterated or re-affirmed points

* Neither side shall use its military capability against the other side and that their respective military strengths shall not be used to attack the other side.

* Reaffirming that neither side shall use or threaten to use force against the other side by any means nor seek unilateral superiority.

* Other key points

* Exchange of information-including information about military exercises, aircrafts, demolition operations, etc

* Jointly combat smuggling of arms, wildlife, wildlife articles and other contrabands.

* Assist the other side in locating personnel, livestock, means of transport and aerial vehicles that may have crossed or are possibly in the process of crossing the line of actual control in the India-China border areas.

* Work with the other side in combating natural disasters or infectious diseases that may affect or spread to the other side.

* Any other way mutually agreed upon by the two sides.

List of references

1. Pib.nic.in

2. Thehindu.com

3. Times of India &

4. Indian Express

Devaraj Subramanian,