13 April 2024, The Indian EXPRESS
Dhoti-kurta and tilak: Police in priest attire on duty at Kashi Vishwanath temple
Page no-1
GS4- Aptitude and Foundational Values for Civil Service, Impartiality and Non-partisanship
- The Varanasi police have, on a trial basis, asked policemen stationed at the gates of the kashi Vishwanath Temple’s sanctum sanctorum to wear dhoti and kurta and sport a tilak on their forehead like temple priests.
- The move is aimed at fostering a more welcoming environment at the temple in Varanasi, police said.
Problem with coal
Page no-10
GS3- Environmental Pollution and Degradation
- According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), coal power plants produce a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than any other single source.
- Reducing the use of this fossil fuel is one of the most contentious issues in global climate change negotiations.
- The growing power station pipelines in China and India have, for long, been seen as the biggest hurdles in phasing out coal use.
- The latest report of the US-based think-tank, Global Energy Monitoring, shows a rise in the number of thermal power plants in the two countries.
- China alone accounted for two-thirds of the world’s newly operating coal plants last year. The country augmented its coal power capacity at a rate not seen in the past nine years, despite promises “to contain” the use of fossil fuel.
Scaling up TB care
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GS2- Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health
- The private sector plays a significant role in healthcare delivery in India. The government’s flagship initiative, Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, recognises the sector’s reach.
- It provides insurance coverage in secondary and tertiary care to eligible families. In recent years, wellness centres or Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs have given a boost to primary healthcare capabilities.
- However, the private health sector continues to provide more than 80 per cent of initial primary care. It is critical, therefore, that the sector is roped in the government’s programme to eliminate diseases such as tuberculosis (TB).
- In 2023, India notified a record 25.5 lakh TB patients. More than 8.4 lakh patients were notified by the private healthcare sector. This is a 21-fold increase from 2013.
- The model pursued by India’s TB elimination programme has taken the lead in terms of public-private collaborations. The Public Private Interface Agency (PPIA) is the most effective form of this intervention.
- The agency that came into force about 10 years ago has served as an intermediary between the national TB programme and private healthcare providers.
US, Israel, the same old
Page no-11
GS2- Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests
- On March 25, during a UN Security Council discussion, the United States did something highly unusual: It abstained from a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
- The US had vetoed similar resolutions in the past, arguing that it would not permit any measure to pass that might impede Israel’s right to “self-defence” and that did not explicitly link a ceasefire to the release of all Israeli hostages from Palestinian custody.
Poll heat and a flashpoint
Page no-11
GS2- India and its Neighborhood- Relations
- The clamour of considerable land being lost to China in eastern Ladakh is political hyperbole — an agenda-driven narrative to bolster electoral prospects on national security grounds.
- The issue was raised in August last year by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi but no studies or expertise are available to verify such claims.
- Ladakh certainly has been and will continue to remain a serious flashpoint. There are no borders here except a 1,597 km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC), a notional demarcation separating India and China since 1962. Even the LAC is not well defined.
- Both countries have differing perceptions. The patrolling is done till 65 earmarked Patrol Points (PPs) stretching from Karakoram to Chumur.
- The recent dispute points occurred at PP9, 10, 11, 12, 12A and 13 in Depsang, PP14 in Galwan, PP15 and PP16 in Hot Springs/ Chang Chenmo, and PP17 and 17A in Gogra.
How a new platform will instantly disburse subsidies to farmers
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GS3- E-technology in the aid of farmers
- The BJP-led government has come up with a new platform to disburse subsidies to horticulture farmers under the Cluster Development Programme (CDP) — the Centre’s initiative to promote horticulture crops. The platform is known as CDP-SURAKSHA.
- The move seeks to push the growth of India’s horticulture sector, which contributes nearly one-third to the agriculture gross value addition (GVA), making a substantial contribution to the Indian economy.
- The total production of horticulture crops has also spiked in recent years. While in 2010-11, it stood at 240.53 million tonnes, the number rose to 334.60 million tonnes in 2020-21.
Volcanic vortex rings
Page no-16
GS1- Important Geophysical Phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc.
- Since last week, Mount Etna, the largest volcano in Europe, and among the world’s most active and iconic volcanoes, has been sending up almost perfect rings of smoke into the air.
- The rings are a rare phenomenon that scientists refer to as volcanic vortex rings, which are produced roughly in the same way as the smoke rings that some cigarette smokers are able to blow out of their mouths.
