Today in History (Mar 19^th, 1974)

Can a Member of Parliament be granted leave of absence from the sittings of the House for attending to work relating to his factory or constituency? The Lok Sabha was faced with this question for the first time to-day.

Let’s revise

A) Which bank was responsible to issue Electoral Bonds?

1. State Bank of India
2. Reserve Bank of India
3. All the public sector banks
4. All the banks authorized by RBI especially

Ans. (a)

B) Who has been selected for the Sangita Kalanidhi award of the Music Academy for 2024?

1. M. Krishna
2. M. Trimurti
3. Rajiv Kumar
4. Mangal Krishnamurthi

Ans. (a)

C) The Sangita Kalanidhi award is given by which one organisation?

1. Sangita Nataka Academy
2. Nataraj Nataka Academy
3. Madras Music Academy
4. Karnataka Music Academy

Ans. (c)

D) The Sangita Kalanidhi award is given in which field?

1. Hindustani Music
2. Indian Classical
3. Carnatic music
4. Bollywood music

Ans. (c)

E) ‘Nausena Bhawan’ has been inaugurated by the Defence Minister for which organisation?

1. Indian Coast Guard
2. Indian Air Force
3. Indian Navy
4. Indian Army

Ans. (c)

F) Darien Gap is in news because it had become a major route for the illegal migration to______

1. Britain
2. France
3. Japan
4. USA

Ans. (d)

G) Darien Gap is in news because it had become a major route for the illegal migration to a country. It is located near____

1. Mediterranean Sea
2. Yellow Sea
3. Caribbean Sea
4. Red Sea

Ans. (c)

H) Which one is the country towards the south of Caribbean Sea?

1. Canada
2. USA
3. Colombia
4. Maxico

Ans. (c)

Summary of Today’s News

National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAP-SE)

The Union Health Ministry launched a National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAP-SE) in India, aiming to address the following aspects:

1. Snakebite Envenoming
   • WHO classified snakebite envenoming as a high-priority neglected tropical disease.
   • An estimated 1.8 – 2.7 million people worldwide suffer from snakebite envenoming annually.
2. Snake Bites in India
   • Approximately 90% of snake bites in India are attributed to the ‘big four’ species: common krait, Indian cobra, Russell’s viper, and saw scaled viper.
   • India witnesses around 50,000 deaths annually out of an estimated 3-4 million snake bites, accounting for half of global snakebite fatalities.

1. • India contributes to almost 50% of global snakebite deaths.
2. About NAP SE
   • Vision: To halve the numbers of deaths and cases of disability caused by snakebite envenoming by 2030.
   • NAPSE aims to systematically reduce snakebite envenoming risk through sustained availability of anti-snake venom, capacity building, referral mechanisms, and public education.
   • It provides a framework for states to develop their action plans for snakebite management, prevention, and control using the ‘One Health’ approach.

One Health Approach

• One Health is an approach that recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and our shared environment.
• It brings different sectors together to solve the health, productivity, and conservation challenges.

Gender Inequality Index 2022

• The Gender Inequality Index 2022 has been released by UNDP in their Human Development Report 2023/2024.

Key Points About the index

• GII is a comprehensive measurement of gender inequality
• It uses three dimensions:
  1. reproductive health,
  2. empowerment and

• the labour market.

• A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and high value in GII indicates the high inequality between women and men.

Highlights of this report

• Denmark topped the index
• Other top performers have been followed by Norway,Switzerland and Sweden.
• India has registered a significant jump of 14 ranks in Gender Inequality Index 2022.
• It ranked 108 out of 193 countries with a score of 0.437 in GII 2022.
• In 2022, India saw improvements across all HDI indicators — life expectancy, education, and gross national income (GNI) per capita
• In India the life expectancy rose from 67.2 to 67.7 years,
• Expected years of schooling reached 12.6,
• GNI per capita saw an increase from USD 6,542 to USD 6,951.

India’s Progressive Improvement

• Over the last 10 years, India’s rank in GII has become consistently better, indicating progressive improvement in achieving gender equality in the country.
• India’s adolescent birth rate in 2022 was 16.3 (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19), an improvement from 17.1 in 2021.
• However, the country still has one of the largest gender gaps in its labour force participation rate — a 47.8% difference between women (28.3 %) and men (76.1 %).

Some actions helping India to improve

• Code on Social Security, 2020: Provisions for women’s social security across various aspects.
• Mission Shakti: Self-help mission for empowering women through promotion of Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) to take up various socio-economic activities.
• Others: Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP), Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, reservations and legislative policies etc.

All eyes are now on the Indian Ocean region

Since January 2021, India focused on strengthening the Quad for its Indo-Pacific strategy, but shifted focus to the Indian Ocean from October 2023. While the Indo-Pacific covers both oceans, prioritizing the immediate neighborhood is vital during heightened danger.

The Indian Ocean region sees geopolitical shifts:

• Maldives leans towards China, straining ties with India.
• Sri Lanka shows sensitivity to India’s concerns by restricting foreign research ships.
• India-Mauritius collaboration boosts maritime security.
• Heightened activity in Western and Northern Indian Oceans due to regional conflicts.
• Chinese Navy expansion threatens regional dynamics.
• India-China rivalry escalates, impacting regional stability.
• India emphasizes Indo-Pacific security with the US.

What India should do?

The government has alternative approaches. Firstly, India should emphasize its priority on the Indian Ocean region to strategic partners, while acknowledging its Indo-Pacific responsibilities. Secondly, a critical evaluation of the underperforming Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) is necessary. Considering the potential loss of the Maldives as a CSC member due to deepening ties with China, there’s a suggestion to establish a new maritime security mechanism, tentatively named the ‘Indian Ocean Cooperation Organisation,’ involving India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, and Madagascar, with the Maldives possibly joining with sensible policies. Lastly, with the Indian Navy ranked seventh globally, as India aims for economic growth, allocating additional resources to elevate its naval strength to third or fourth globally is proposed.