Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 14 January 2015

:: National ::

‘Janata Parivar’ merger to be formalised soon

• A day after Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav said the JD(U) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) would merge first in Bihar, he made a U-turn saying the merger would be formalised with all the six parties coming together in Delhi.

• “The grand merger will be formalised with all six parties joining it in Delhi,” said RJD chief Lalu Yadav, participating in a social gathering organised by the State party chief on Makar Sankranti.

• Mr. Prasad, who made arrangements for a feast at his residence, however, declared that the grand merger of all six parties would be officially announced by Mr. Mulayam Singh soon in Delhi.

• “The announcement has already been done, and Mulayam Singh will officially announce it soon. Should everybody keep on announcing it?” asked the RJD chief.

• The JD(U) Rajya Sabha member and party spokesperson K C Tyagi said “next week some good news regarding the grand merger may come.” “Merger of all old Janata Parivar parties will soon be a reality,” reiterated INLD leader Ajay Chautala, who attended the Makar Sankranti feast.

• Several party leaders of the Janata Parivar attended feasts organised by State JD(U) president Basistha Narayan Singh and Mr. Prasad. However, senior JD(U) leader and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not participate as he was indisposed, while Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi joined the banquets.

• Reacting to State BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi’s statement that the merger was cold-shouldered by Mr. Mulayam Singh, Mr. Prasad shot back, “Has Sushil Kumar Modi left the BJP and become the spokesperson of Samajwadi Party?” making it clear that they [all the six socialist parties] were together.

• Taking a dig at the Prime Minister’s Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, Mr. Prasad said the cleaning department was with the BJP and the people of India had given it the responsibility.

:: Business & Economy ::

‘Jan Dhan Yojana’ a game changer: RBI

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Deputy Governor Urjit Patel said that ‘Jan Dhan Yojana’ scheme implemented by public sector banks, whereby 100 million bank accounts have been opened for those who were un-banked, is unequivocally a “game-changer.”

• “It provides an unprecedented scaffolding and a spring board for meaningful financial inclusion and, concomitantly, substantial financial deepening of our economy,” said Dr. Patel at an award function. The award was presented to Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research, Mumbai.

• Citing the discussion at the ‘Gyan Sangam’, gathering of bankers and top-level policy makers in Pune, recently, Dr. Patel said: “We should redefine the metric for effective lending and prioritise loans to enterprises, which will generate more employment.”

• In other words, he said “bankable labour-intensive enterprises should benefit as we go forward in this direction.”

• According to him this would benefit, a much larger number of small business loans. He said that the hard earned macroeconomic stability provides an important backdrop for optimal decisions by all stakeholders.

• “e have to preserve this. The dramatic fall in oil prices is a boon for us. It saves, on an annualised basis, around $50 billion roughly, one-third of our annual gross POL imports of about $160 billion. Of course, there willbe leakages and other set-offs,” he added.

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:: International ::

India-U.S. to jointly fight cancer & Ebola

• India and the United States are expected to sign memoranda of understanding on cancer research and Ebola control when U.S. President Barack Obama arrives later this month.

• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda said the two countries had agreed to jointly fight Ebola. Under the agreement, Indian health care personnel will be trained in Ebola control and treatment procedures.

• “The Indian Council of Medical Research is already working on producing a vaccine for Ebola. But this MoU will focus on capacity building in areas of Ebola control,” a senior official of the Ministry said.

• Though India has had no reported cases of Ebola, the disease has so far claimed over 7,000 lives in the affected countries. A 26 year-old, who had travelled from Liberia to India and was found carrying the virus in his semen, remains in isolation.

• Another MoU is to be signed between the National Cancer Institute, U.S., and the upcoming National Cancer Institute in Jhajjar, for sharing of treatment plans, expertise and research.

• The NCI in the United States coordinates the National Cancer Programme, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programmes with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation and the continuing care of cancer patients and their families.

• At the institute in Jhajjar being developed by the AIIMS, cancer research will be the area of focus apart from patient care and management. India reports 11 lakh new cases of cancer every year, with a mortality rate of 5.5 lakh per year.

• Cancer treatment facilities in India are inadequate, compared to WHO standards, which requires one radiotherapy machine per million population. India at present has 0.41 machine per million population.

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:: Science & Technology ::

Indian vaccine Meningitis will protect infants

• A meningitis A vaccine (MenAfriVac) manufactured by Serum Institute of India, Pune was approved by WHO a few days ago for use in infants in sub-Saharan African populations. The vaccine will be introduced as part of the routine immunisation programme.

• “In the four years since its introduction in Africa, MenAfriVac has had an immediate and dramatic impact in breaking the cycle of meningitis A epidemics,” a WHO release said. The vaccine has already been used in those aged 1-29 years.

• But with the WHO’s approval, the vaccine can be given to infants thereby “protecting million more children at risk of the deadly disease.” About 200,000 people suffer from meningitis every year in the region.

• The disease kills 20,000 to 25,000 people in the region every year. “Like in the case of measles, not many meningitis cases are seen in children younger than one year,” said Dr. Suresh Jadhav, Executive Director of Serum Institute.

• “A mother, who has had meningitis, transmits the meningitis antibodies to newborns and these antibodies protect them for one year.”

• Every individual living in the meningitis belt (which stretches from Senegal in the west to Ethiopia in the east) gets infected with meningitis before the age of 29 years and hence mothers invariably carry antibodies against the disease.

• The WHO has approved the use of a 5 microgram dose of the vaccine for children, which will be administered when theyare nine months old.

• Immunisation at nine months will help achieve sustainable disease control following mass campaigns that target people belonging to the 1-29 age group.

• Explaining the rationale for choosing to immunise at ninth month, Dr. Jadhav said: “It’s one opportunity to treat both measles and meningitis,” he said. Measles vaccination is also given to children at nine months of age.

• A booster dose will be given when the child is 12-18 months old. According to Dr. Jadhav, the first meningitis dose will protect a child for five years and a booster dose will confer lifelong protection.

• Though a single campaign has been carried outto cover a large population in 15 countries, those born after the campaign have not received the MenAfriVac vaccine and are hence vulnerable to meningitis infection. But with the introduction of the vaccine as part of the immunisation schedule, these children will also be protected.

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Sources: Various News Papers & PIB

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