Daily Current Affairs 11th April 2020 iasshiksha.com/daily-current-affair/daily-current-affairs-11th-april-2020/
Today’s Important Topic’s For UPSC Preparation 1. NO EVIDENCE OF COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION: HEALTH MINISTRY. 2. SCARCITY OF DRUGS, DEVICES IMMINENT, GOVT. WARNED. 3. INDIA POUNDS LOC TERROR LAUNCHPADS, PAK. ARMY SITES. 4. RED ARMY KEEPS VIRUS AT BAY IN NORTHEAST. 5. NEW HELPLINE TO FIGHT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
NO EVIDENCE OF COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION: HEALTH MINISTRY The Union Health Ministry denied evidence of community transmission (CT) of COVID-19 while reporting at least 700 new cases. The nationwide death toll from the epidemic touched 206, and the Ministry confirmed 6,761 positive cases. The Ministry’s response follows an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report of nearly month long surveillance of 5,911 randomly chosen samples of patients who exhibited Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI), whom 104 tested positive for COVID-19. All but two were tested between March 21-April 2 and 40 had no history of international travel or contact with someone with travel history but had picked up the infection, indicating community transmission, the ICMR said. Over the last few weeks, there have been reports from several States of people testing positive but who were unable to explain the possible source of the infection. However, the Health Ministry has consistently maintained that this was not evidence for CT. Health Ministry spokesperson Lav Agrawal said all of the cases of SARI were from districts where there were confirmed cases of the disease and that travel histories of those SARI patients were being investigated. The Health Ministry response comes even as States have announced an extension of the lockdown beyond April 14 citing CT; Chief Minister Amarinder Singh declared on Friday that CT had been observed in Punjab. Reports from State Health Departments put the death toll at 252 with 6618 active cases. Maharashtra reported 197 fresh cases even as the death toll in the State climbed to 110. 1/9
The ICMR had randomly tested samples from laboratories in 52 districts in 20 states. As of now, nearly 280 districts have reported confirmed cases. Independent epidemiologists said the ICMR still had too few surveillance sites to detect CT evidence and ought to be expanding it manifold. Sentinel site surveillance of all SARI (or at-least all X-ray positive pneumonia) is essential for getting an idea about the spread of COVID-19. All cases reporting to these sites have to be tested. At least 10-20 sites in every district have to be selected and sample collection facilities have to be arranged there. Sites will have to be increased in a locality if community transmission occurs. At the daily media briefing, Mr. Agrawal said India needed about 1 crore hydroxychloroquine tablets and had stocks nearly three times that. Arrangements for additional two-three crore tablets have been made and through private sector two crore tablets had been sent to the field.
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SCARCITY OF DRUGS, DEVICES IMMINENT, GOVT. WARNED A countrywide shortage of medicines and medical devices is likely in the coming weeks, the Department of Pharmaceuticals has warned the Home Ministry. Urging it to take immediate steps to help drug makers resume production under the current lockdown. Drug and medical device makers are functioning “…on an average, at only 20%-30% capacity during the lockdown.
Export Demand: Underlining that half of India’s output of pharmaceuticals is exported as global markets offer better prices. The Department of Pharmaceuticals stressed that this could lead to disproportionate shortages in the domestic market, calling for suitable measures to be taken “in the right earnest” to prevent this “avoidable” situation. Production units engaged in making essential commodities, including medicines, vaccines, masks and their ancillaries had been exempted from the restrictions imposed as per the three-week national lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24. Though several States had already imposed restrictions on mobility and production by then, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister had urged State governments to ensure such production work continues, at a review meeting on March 22.
Constraints on Labour: Reverse migration of labour and local workers not reporting to work due to lack of public transport options and the fear of police action, combined with family and local community pressure, has made it difficult to operate factories even at lower than normal capacity. The letter urged the Home Ministry to allow the pharma industry to ‘ferry back their contractual workers from their native places’ and make courier services ‘fully functional’ in metro cities as well as Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Courier services are ‘crucial in ensuring movement of medicines and medical devices… is not adversely affected during the lockdown.
Truckers’ Troubles: State and district administrations need to be sensitised and nudged to be proactive to fulfil the need for pharma units to function fully. Mooting that drivers with commercial licences be allowed to move with or without a vehicle by treating it as a ‘pass’ during the lockdown. Many drivers have left their vehicles on highways or dhabas and returned to their native places. 3/9
Unless they are allowed to reach their vehicles, those vehicles will be left stranded and thus would be out of circulation. There is a dire need to not only address the apprehensions of these drivers but also to motivate/incentivise them (with insurance, etc.). The Department of Pharmaceuticals, entrusted with ensuring the seamless production and distribution of critical life-saving medicines in the wake of the lockdown to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Also reiterated its concerns about ancillary industries that it had raised in an earlier April 3 letter to the Home Ministry. Ancillary suppliers of inputs, including packaging material, excipients (required for tablets and capsules manufacturing), utility consumables like briquettes/gases (required to run boilers) and spare parts are not able to operate/supply.
INDIA POUNDS LOC TERROR LAUNCHPADS, PAK. ARMY SITES The Army on Friday said it had inflicted heavy damage on the Pakistani army’s gun areas and terrorist launchpads after unprovoked ceasefire violation by the “enemy side” in two areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. Army retaliated “effectively and strongly” to the ceasefire violation in Keran sector in Kupwara district in the afternoon. 4/9
Police officials said Pakistan had violated the ceasefire in Uri area of Baramulla district as well. The heavy exchange of fire amid the ongoing lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced scores of villagers living along the LoC in Kupwara to shift their families to safer locations.
‘Bid to Disrupt Peace’: It was condemnable that when the entire world was coming together to fight the pandemic, Pakistan and its sponsored terrorists were making attempts disrupt peace. The shelling comes days after a gunfight between the Army and infiltrators resulted in the death of five elite paratroopers and an equal number of infiltrators.
Line of Control: The term Line of Control (LoC) refers to the military control line between the Indian and Pakistani controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. A line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but serves as the de facto border. Originally known as the Cease-fire Line, it was redesignated as the “Line of Control” following the Simla Agreement, which was signed on 3 July 1972. The part of the former princely state that is under Indian control is known as the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakistani-controlled part is divided into Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit– Baltistan. The northernmost point of the Line of Control is known as NJ9842. The India–Pakistan border continues from the southernmost point on the LoC. Another ceasefire line separates the Indian-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir from the Chinese-controlled area known as Aksai Chin. Lying further to the east, it is known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
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RED ARMY KEEPS VIRUS AT BAY IN NORTHEAST Red Army: A ‘red army’ of wise old men and women are helping villages across some hill States in the n ortheast to keep the novel coronavirus away. Gaon buras (male villager elder) and gaon buris (female village elder) — usually referred to as GBs. Though a majority of those felled by the COVID-19 pandemic are aged 60 years or more this hasn’t stopped from following their predecessors in forming a shield between the villages and the enemy — in this case, the virus. The village elders across the States are distinguished by their red coats provided by the government, which also pays them a stipend of ₹1,500 per month. Assam Frontier (Administration of Justice) Regulation of 1945, under which GBs are appointed, prescribes the 35-60 age slab. A majority of Arunachal Pradesh’s estimated 9,500 GBs are 60 or more. A head gaon bura, who supervises five GBs, is usually older.
Sharing Tasks: The population of a village decides the number of GBs. 6/9
Assisting the GBs in Nagaland are the dobashi, the custodians of Naga customary laws who also wear red coats. They have been salaried government employees since 1842 when the British appointed the first dobashis for interpreting Naga dialects into Assamese or Hindi.
NEW HELPLINE TO FIGHT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Friday launched a helpline number — 0721-7735372 — to enable those facing domestic violence to send a WhatsApp message to access help. In the first week after the lockdown, the NCW recorded more than a two-fold increase in complaints of domestic violence and sexual assault as well as as a three-fold rise in complaints of police apathy towards crimes against women. The move comes days after Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani held a web-conference with more than 1,000 participants from various institutions linked to her Ministry on the issue of women’s safety. The Minister sought to convey the message that the government was working for women in need of protection.
Digital Governance: She urged her staff to take steps to encourage reporting of violence against women as well as use digital governance effectively to ensure their safety. The messaging facility will also help those women who cannot make a call because they may be overheard by the perpetrators of abuse. 7/9
The NCW has compiled a State-wise list of One Stop Centres as well as nodal police officers who can be contacted immediately. It is also working on building a network of counsellors and has sought UN Women’s help on this.
National Commission for Women: The National Commission for Women(NCW) is the statutory body of the Government of India, generally concerned with advising the government on all policy matters affecting women. It was established in 31 January 1992 under the provisions of the Indian Constitution,as defined in the 1990 National Commission for Women Act. The first head of the commission was Jayanti Patnaik. The objective of the NCW is to represent the rights of women in India and to provide a voice for their issues and concerns. The subjects of their campaigns have included dowry, politics, religion, equal representation for women in jobs, and the exploitation of women for labour. They have also discussed police abuses against women. The commission regularly publishes a monthly newsletter, Rashtra Mahila, in both Hindi and English.
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WORD OF THE DAY De facto: Existing or holding a specified position in fact but not necessarily by legal right.
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