UPSC Key- December 29, 2022: Why you should read ‘Covid Surge’ or ‘Indian National Congress’ or ‘Cough Syrup’ for UPSC CSE

Centre sounds Covid alert: Need for caution, uptick likely in January

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: General Science and Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

• General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nanotechnology, bio-technology.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- With China and East Asian countries reporting an increase in Covid-19 cases, Health ministry sources said Wednesday that India might see a surge in cases in January, citing patterns observed during previous waves. Officials, however, said an increase in hospitalisation and deaths is unlikely.

• India might see a surge in cases in January, citing patterns observed during previous waves-What patterns were observed during previous waves?

• What is reason for the explosive surge of Covid cases in China?

• “China’s definition of Covid deaths was too narrow”-What is exactly China’s policy on Covid?

• China Covid-19 surge: What’s happening?

• Covid surge: What was different in China?

• What is the official picture in China?

• Why has the number of everyday infections increased in China?

• So what’s the problem then?

• What exactly is zero-Covid?

• With this “zero-COVID” policy, have China’s COVID cases slowed down?

• How China defends its zero-Covid policy?

• Why is the current large-scale public protest in China unusual?

• Vaccinations in China and India-Compare and Contrast

• Is the Covid issue in India under control?

• What do the current data on Covid-19 show in India?

• Is the infection more widespread than the official figures suggest?

• Is the surge overwhelming health systems?

• Which variant of the virus is driving the current surge?

• Why BF.7 is in news?

• What is BF.7?

• Is BF.7 variant of Covid-19 circulating in India?

• “The very success of China’s zero-Covid policy is now turning out to be a weakness, with reports of a surge in cases. The vast majority of its population has not been infected by the virus and hence has no immunity”-Comment

• For Your Information-Globally, the number of Covid-19 cases has remained almost stable at around 3.3 million in a week. However, the number of deaths increased by 10% over the preceding week, according to the latest situation report of the World Health Organisation released on December 14. “The number of newly reported weekly deaths increased across three WHO regions: the African Region (+975%; partly due to batch reporting from South Africa), the Region of the Americas (+37%), and the Eastern Mediterranean Region (+81%),” the report said.

• Do You Know-Globally, nearly every country has grappled with how to count Covid deaths, and official numbers are believed to be a major underestimate. In May, WHO estimated there were nearly 15 million coronavirus deaths worldwide, more than double the official toll of 6 million.

• What steps were taken by the government of India to control the spread of Covid-19?

• What is the government doing about the potential surge in cases?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   

📍China estimates Covid surge infected 37 million people in a day

After Gambia, an Indian syrup linked to deaths of 18 kids in Uzbekistan

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: 

• General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

• General Studies II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health said Wednesday that at least 18 children have died in Samarkand after allegedly consuming an India-manufactured syrup, Doc-1 Max prepared by Noida-based Marion Biotech. In a statement, the Uzbekistan ministry said laboratory tests of the preparation found presence of the contaminant ethylene glycol. It said the medicine was consumed without prescription and in a higher dose by the children affected.

• ‘According to the statement, preliminary laboratory studies indicate the presence of ethylene glycol in a particular batch of the syrup’-What is ethylene glycol?

• What happened in the Uzbekistan and Gambia?

• Quick Recall-At the end of July, the country’s Epidemiology and Disease Control Department was informed of a “sudden” increase in cases of children ages 5 months-4 years reporting to hospital with acute kidney injury. By August, 32 cases and 28 deaths had been reported — a case fatality ratio at 87.5 per cent — local media quoted the Ministry of Health as saying.

• For Your Information-The Indian Express reported that a select committee of the Gambian National Assembly had concluded that the deaths of 70 children due to acute kidney injury were linked to their consumption of four contaminated syrups made by Indian pharma firm Maiden Pharmaceuticals. The committee, in its report, recommended that Maiden be blacklisted, its products banned in the Gambian market and legal action be pursued against the company.

• What exactly WHO said?

• Is this incident happened for the first time?

• How is cough syrup manufactured?

• Why is cough syrup restricted?

• What is the role of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization CDSCO?

• What and who is Drugs Controller General of India?

• Central Drugs Standard Control Organization CDSCO and Drugs Controller General of India-Connect the dots

• Do You Know-Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, CDSCO is responsible for approval of Drugs, Conduct of Clinical Trials, laying down the standards for Drugs, control over the quality of imported Drugs in the country and coordination of the activities of State Drug Control Organizations by providing expert advice with a view of bring about the uniformity in the enforcement of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

• What are diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol?

• Is diethylene glycol the same as ethylene glycol?

• What do diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol do?

• What is active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)

• Why are the syrups not sold in India?

• What are the Indian authorities doing?

• How this incident will impact India’s Pharma sector in future?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍India-made cough syrups and deaths in Gambia: what we know so far

📍India’s drug problem: Why WHO’s alert over Indian medicines in Gambia should not be ignored

GOVT & POLITICS

7 killed in stampede at TDP rally

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Seven people died and several others were injured in a stampede at a public meeting of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) at Kandukur, in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, on Wednesday evening, according to the police. The incident took place soon after TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu arrived to address the meeting, police said. According to police, thousands of TDP workers and supporters had gathered at the venue, and there was some jostling soon as Naidu arrived to address the massive public meeting.

• What is stampede

• What do the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data say about stampedes?

• What recent examples of stampedes have there been in India?

• What recent examples of stampedes have there been globally? (Hint: South Korea)

• Do You Remember-A mass of mostly young people celebrating Halloween festivities in Seoul became trapped and crushed as the crowd surged into a narrow alley, killing at least 151 people and injuring 82 others in South Korea’s worst disaster in years.

• What led to the death of so many people during the Halloween event in Seoul?

• How do people die at these events?

• What triggers such events?

• ‘These kind of events exposes lax safety rules and regulatory failures’-Discuss

• Stampedes in India-know in detail

• What triggers stampede?

• What role did the ‘rumour’ play in these events?

• “A rumour can kill thousands than a bullet can”-Decode the quote with respect to stampede and rumour

• How Indian Authorities manages crowd?

• Is there any National Guide on Crowd Management in India?

• How Crowd Becomes Mob?

• What is difference between crowd and mob?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   

📍HOW, WHY DO CROWD SURGES TURN DEADLY?

CONG’S 138TH FOUNDATION DAY

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement.

Main Examination: General Studies I: The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The Indian National Congress (INC), India’s largest opposition party, marked its 138th foundation day on December 28. Recently elected party president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed party workers at the All India Congress Committee headquarters in New Delhi.

• How the Congress was founded

• What were the circumstances under which the Indian National Congress was founded?

• What were the Social Composition of Early Congress?

• What was the significance of the Indian National Congress’s middle, educated, and elitist classes?

• The Congress’s Foundation-What is the Myth and What is the Reality?

• What do you know about Theory of ‘safety-valve’ or Conspiracy Theory?

• ‘The most famous and long-term controversy associated with Congress was Safety Valve Theory’-Comment

• Know the ideology and objectives of the Indian National Congress at the time of its formation.

• What role did the Indian National Congress play in the Indian independence movement?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   

📍What role did the Indian National Congress play in the Indian independence movement?

THE IDEAS PAGE

Inside home, a broken silence

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies I: Salient features of Indian Society, Social empowerment, Role of women and women’s organization

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story- Manjima Bhattacharjya Writes: Laws are an imperfect solution to social problems, but to clearly, loudly and unambiguously say something is not okay, signifies something beyond itself. Some lines must be drawn, even if in the sand.

• Do You Know-Of 185 countries in the world, 77 have laws that clearly criminalise marital rape. Another 74 have legal provisions that allow for cases to be filed against spouses. The third lot – a list of countries that is a bit of a rogues’ gallery with terrible records on women’s rights – are the 34 countries that explicitly decriminalise marital rape, or in essence, offer immunity to men who perpetrate rape against their wives.

• Where does India stand among the 185 countries?

• For Your Information-In March, meanwhile, a Karnataka High Court did not quash a particularly brutal case of a man accused of rape by his wife and allowed it to go to trial, indicating that the judicial system did recognise marital rape. In September, a Supreme Court ruling on women’s right to safe abortions regardless of marital status held that for the purposes of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, the definition of rape should include marital rape. Finally, this week, the Karnataka government came out in support of the March Karnataka High Court ruling.

• Hrishikesh Sahoo v. State of Karnataka-What exactly did the court say?

• What is Exception 2 to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code?

• Earlier the Supreme Court judgment expands the definition of rape to marital rape for the MTP Act and now, Karnataka High Court’s order which gave the go-ahead for prosecution of a man over allegations of rape levelled by his wife. But, marital rape is still not criminalised-how the courts judgement contradicts ongoing marital rape debate?

• Status of Constitutionality of the marital rape exception in India? What was Delhi High Court’s recent Verdict on Marital Rape?

• What is the Concept behind marriages in Indian Subcontinent or in the Indian Society?

• The Institution of Marriage-Why marriage is referred as an institution?

• Influence of Legislations like the prevention of Sati Act, 1829, The Hindu widow Remarriage Act, 1856, The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 on Hindu Marriage-Know in detail

• What is Marital rape immunity?

• Criminalisation And Non-Criminalisation Of Marital Rape-For and Against

• Status of Marital Rape in India-Latest Data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and National family health Survey

• “Doctrine of Coverture”, Article 14 and Article 21 of the Indian Constitution and Exception 2 to Section 375 of Indian Penal Code

• Justice Verma Committee Report and Pam Rajput committee’s report ‘Status of Women in India’ on Marital Rape-Know the Key Highlights

• What is Law Commission of India’s Stand on Marital Rape?

• United Nations Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on Violence against Women in India

• Government of India’s Stand on Marital Rape?

• Criminalization of Marital Rape-Does the law exists in other Countries?

• What have the courts said in earlier instances like High courts Karnataka and Gujrat on Marital rape?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍 Legally, sex worker can say no, not wife: judge

📍 Explained: What is the law on marital rape, and what has the Delhi High Court ruled?

EXPLAINED

How are disputes among states resolved?

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Main Examination: General Studies II: Inter-States disputes and Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What’s the ongoing story-The border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka is intensifying, with both states hardening their stance. On December 27, both Houses of the Maharashtra Assembly passed a unanimous resolution to support a legal battle to resolve the dispute. This came just days after the Karnataka Assembly passed a resolution reiterating Karnataka’s position on the issue.

• What is happening between Maharashtra and Karnataka?

• What is the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute?

• Map Work-Belagavi district

• When did the dispute began?

• What was the Centre’s response?

• What is Supreme Court’s stand on this entire issue?

• Interstate border disputes in India-know in detail

• Article 263 of the Constitution of India and Interstate Border Disputes-know in detail

• How is the issue being resolved?

• What are the other methods available?

• What are some of the other inter-state disputes in India?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   

📍Behind renewed tensions over Belagavi, a long, contested history

📍Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute in court, Belagavi on edge: All you need to know

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