UPSC Exam: Comprehensive News Analysis - December 24

A. GS1 Related

B. GS2 Related

• The UN Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea for its recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test.
• The resolution seeks to limit its access to refined petroleum products and crude oil and its earnings from workers abroad.
• The UN resolution seeks to ban nearly 90% of refined petroleum exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year.

Background:

• North Korea on November 29 said it successfully tested a new ICBM that put the U.S. mainland within range of its nuclear weapons.

• The Indian Medical Association has issued a “good behaviour advisory” for doctors.
• This advisory comes at a time when physicians are under the scanner for inconsiderate behaviour and are often subjected to physical violence at the hands of patients.

IMA president Dr. K.K. Aggarwal opinion:

• Doctors have no business to be inhuman. We not only need to be scientifically and legally correct but also morally and ethically correct. We are supposed to follow two bioethics principles: non-maleficence (first do not harm) and beneficence (welfare of all). Our main business is compassion. It should be demonstrated in practice as much as felt. A compassionate attitude in practice is more important than the science. Poor, inconsiderate and uncompassionate communication is why most patients sue.

Report:

• Nearly one in every two doctors suffer violence at public hospitals.
• Verbal abuse (75%) was the most common form of violence, followed by threats (51%) and physical assault (12%).
• The survey report, published in the National Medical Journal of India, added that doctors who faced the abuse felt angry, frustrated and fearful.

• According to the National Cancer Registry Programme, India recorded an estimated 3.9 million cancer cases in 2016
• It is a programme under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

State-wise data

• The worst affected states were Uttar Pradesh with 674,386 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 364,997 and Bihar with 359,228
• In South India Tamil Nadu recorded 222,748 cases, Karnataka 202,156, Andhra Pradesh 159,696, Telangana 115,333 and Kerala 115,511 cases of cancer

Programme under the National Health Mission, for Non-communicable diseases

• An initiative of prevention, control and screening for common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (diabetes, hypertension and oral, breast and cervical cancer) has been rolled out in more than 100 districts in 2017-18 under the NHM

National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS)

• The central government is implementing a “Strengthening of Tertiary Care Cancer facilities” Scheme under NPCDCS to assist states in establishing State Cancer Institutes (SCI)
• And Tertiary Care Cancer Centres (TCCC) in different parts of the country
• NPCDCS is being implemented under NHM for interventions up to district level
• The objectives of NPCDCS include awareness generation for cancer prevention, screening, early detection and referral to an appropriate level institution for treatment
• The focus is on three types of cancer namely breast, cervical and oral cancer

Various initiatives by government:

• Oncology, and its various aspects, has been a focus at places such as new AIIMS and many upgraded institutions, under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY)
• The setting up of National Cancer Institute at Jhajjar in Haryana and a second campus of the Chittranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata, has also been approved
• All these are aimed at enhancing the capacity for screening, prevention and treatment of cancer in the country

B. GS3 Related

• Oil companies are under pressure to prepare for a possible low-carbon future. There is a fear of being too late to embrace newer energy sources, matched by equally high risks in moving too fast
• In such a scenario, oil companies are likely to take a two-pronged approach: diversify into new sources of energy while capitalizing on growth opportunities in conventional forms of energy

India’s scenario:

• A closer look at India’s energy mix reflects a clear trend towards gas and renewable. But there is no imminent danger to demand for oil, forecast to grow at least until 2040
• Today, the major fossil fuels account for more than 90% of India’s total primary commercial energy supply (TPCES).
• At present, India’s import dependence in the oil and gas sector is significant and the PM has set a target to reduce dependence on crude imports by 10% by 2022

How India should react?

• India needs to be aggressive in looking out for the best prices and competing supply sources
• With 3.14 million sq. km of potential reserves lying unexplored until 2016, India’s potential in the oil and gas sector is immense and there exists vast headroom for new discoveries
• Another area that calls for attention is enhanced oil recovery. With the global average recovery factor for a typical oilfield being around 40%, a substantial amount of identified oil ends up as leftover despite existing production infrastructure
• There is a need to enhance recovery from oilfields to reduce import dependence

Refining and re-gassing:

• India has emerged as a refining hub in Asia, serving a massive domestic market for refined petroleum products and even exports
• Also, the government’s push towards a gas-based economy has given significant thrust to liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, given the low domestic natural gas output
• Both these elements present an opportunity for India’s downstream and midstream oil and gas sectors
• The key to enhancing efficiency lies in the optimum utilization of resources and adoption of the latest technologies
• Some of the key areas to focus in the mid- to long-term include enhancing

(1) the overall operational efficiency of plants,

(2) flexibility in refinery configuration,

(3) improving energy efficiency,

(4) upgrading the quality of fuel while upgrading facilities to produce BS-IV and BS-VI compliant fuels

Sales and distribution network:

• With major fuels in India deregulated, retailers must focus on their sale and distribution networks.Similar efforts should be made for petrochemicals too
• Strengthening the sales and distribution network for petrochemicals will ease margin pressures for distributors, while ensuring reliable supply for small to mid-sized distributors
• The current distribution network is concentrated around a few producers, calling for the development of a strong network

The way forward

• To sum up, Indian stakeholders need to adopt an aggressive but cautious approach to fully harness the opportunity created as a result of changing dynamics in the global oil and gas sector

D. GS4 Related

E. PRELIMS FACT

F. Practice Questions for UPSC Prelims Exam

1. The women’s questions arose in modern India as a part of the 19th century social reform movement. What are the major issues and debates concerning women in that period?

GS Paper IV

Also, check previous Daily News Analysis