27 Sep 2023: UPSC Exam Comprehensive News Analysis

E. Editorials

Category: SOCIAL ISSUES

1. With climate change, tackling new disease scenarios

Syllabus: Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

Prelims: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme,  Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP), Nipah Virus 

Mains: Relation between Climate Change and Disease Outbreak

Introduction: 

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a warning that climate change increases the risk of infectious diseases globally.
• Changes in temperature, precipitation, and humidity are disrupting disease transmission cycles.
• Mosquito-borne disease outbreaks are no longer following predictable patterns, with dengue fever experiencing two to three peak periods annually.
• Climate changes also impact the distribution of disease vectors and animal reservoirs that host pathogens.
• High temperatures have been shown to affect the genetic makeup of pathogens, increasing their infectivity and virulence.

Climate Change and Rise of Infections

• Habitat loss due to climate change is leading to an increase in human-animal interactions, resulting in the transfer of pathogens from wildlife to humans.
• The Nipah virus, which has caused several outbreaks in Kerala, is an example of a virus that does not harm animals but can be fatal to humans.
• According to a study published in Nature Climate Change, over half of all known infectious diseases threatening humans are worsening with changing climate patterns.
• New transmission routes for diseases now include environmental sources, medical tourism, and contaminated food and water. 
• Climate change is transforming ecosystems, leading to the introduction of invasive species and the extension of the range of existing life forms, making it difficult for ecologists and epidemiologists to predict outbreaks.
• Human-induced climate change is creating an unprecedented health vulnerability crisis, with countries like India facing severe health crises, including dengue epidemics and Nipah outbreaks (as seen in Kolkata and Kerala respectively).
• Early summers and erratic monsoons caused by climate change are also leading to water scarcity in parts of India, exacerbating health crises.

Role of Surveillance: 

• Changes in disease patterns require updated strategies for detection and response.
• India has improved its outbreak reporting over the past two decades.
• The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) was introduced in 2007 and reported an increase in outbreaks from 553 in 2008 to 1,714 in 2017.
• IDSP was replaced by the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) in 2018, which added 20 additional disease conditions, was web ­enabled with a real­time electronic information system and provided more detailed data.
• However, IHIP has not met expectations for real-time tracking of emerging disease outbreaks.
• The current surveillance design is insufficient for addressing emerging climate change-related disease threats.
• Mitigating the spread of climate change-induced diseases requires a multi-faceted approach that includes protecting ecosystems, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and implementing active pathogen surveillance.
• A unified approach known as One Health, which integrates monitoring of human, animal, plant, and environmental health, is essential for preventing outbreaks, particularly those originating from animals.
  • One Health programs should be launched in India, with increased synergy between central and state governments and their various agencies.
  • Animal husbandry, forest and wildlife, municipal corporations, and public health departments need to collaborate and establish robust surveillance systems.
  • Building trust, sharing data, and defining clear roles and responsibilities are crucial for the success of these efforts.
  • The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister has been leading this initiative, but with new funding sources available, greater coordination and management will be necessary.

Way Forward

• There is a global obsession with the next mysterious “disease X,” but it is actually the familiar annual cycles of known agents such as influenza, measles and diarrhoea that will continue to challenge public health systems.
• Climate change has a broader impact than infectious diseases; it also worsens injuries and deaths from extreme weather events, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and mental health issues.
• The re-emergence of Nipah in Kerala serves as a reminder that solely relying on biomedical responses to diseases is insufficient.
• To address the challenges posed by a changing climate and the increasing threat of infectious diseases, protecting ecosystems, fostering collaboration, and adopting the One Health approach are crucial.

Nut Graf: Nipah and Dengue outbreaks have highlighted the need for adopting a holistic approach to address the increasing threat of infectious diseases in the context of climate change. Protecting ecosystems, fostering collaboration, and embracing the One Health paradigm to safeguard the planet and its inhabitants is the need of the hour.

Category: INDIAN ECONOMY

1. Identity pangs: A report on global digital IDs brings Aadhaar’s limitations, risks in focus

Syllabus: Indian Economy and issues relating to Growth, Development and Employment.

Prelims: “Decentralized Finance and Digital Assets” Report, Aadhaar Payment Bridge System (APBS), MGNREGA, NACH

Mains: Aadhaar leading to exclusion of rights and service denials

Introduction

• Moody’s Investors Service has flagged concerns about India’s digital identification program, Aadhaar, in a recent report  “Decentralized Finance and Digital Assets.”

Moody’s assessment of Aadhaar

• The report highlights security and privacy risks associated with centralized digital ID systems like Aadhaar, which relies on a single entity controlling identifying credentials.
• Moody’s suggests that decentralized ID systems that give users more control over their data may be more effective and secure.
• The report notes that Aadhaar’s biometric-based authentication systems are not foolproof and can result in service denials, particularly for manual labourers in hot and humid climates.
• The reliability of biometric technologies for identity verification is questionable, according to Moody’s.

Impact on vulnerable groups

• The report’s findings are relevant given the Indian government’s plan to transition all payments under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to an Aadhaar-based payment system.
• Concerns about Aadhaar’s efficacy and potential for excluding certain groups have been raised since its launch.
• Despite these concerns, the government has made Aadhaar mandatory for most welfare benefits and activities, including opening bank accounts, securing telephone connections, and remitting taxes.
• While Aadhaar has enabled the direct transfer of benefits to millions and reduced fraud, instances of people being excluded from services due to lack of an Aadhaar or difficulties with biometric confirmation have been reported.
• Last year, an audit of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India found lapses that jeopardize privacy and compromise data security, as well as flaws in enrolment processes leading to duplication and faulty biometrics.

How is Aadhaar being utilised under MGNREGA?

• Under MGNREGA, the Aadhaar Payment Bridge System (APBS) has been in use since 2017, and after its successful implementation, the government has decided to extend it to all beneficiaries.
• Due to frequent changes in bank account numbers by beneficiaries and non-updating of new account numbers by concerned programme officers, wage payments are being rejected by destination bank branches.
• To address the issue of delayed wage payments, the APBS is being used for making wage payments through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
• The various forms of Aadhaar-based payments are: 
  • Aadhaar Payments Bridge System (APBS):
    • The system facilitates recurring payments from the government to its customers for various subsidies and direct benefits.
    • Beneficiaries are identified using their Aadhaar numbers.
    • NPCI maintains an Aadhaar mapper that maps Aadhaar numbers to corresponding bank accounts.
    • Funds flow directly into the linked bank account.
  • Aadhaar Enabled Payment (AEPS):
    •  Customers must visit a business correspondent (BC).
    • They need to provide their Aadhaar number and biometric data.
    • The BC shares this information with NPCI, which verifies the customer’s identity with UIDAI.
    • NPCI also confirms the availability of funds in the connected account before approving the transaction.
  • Aadhaar Pay:
    • This method is designed for merchant payments.
    • Merchants must download their bank’s merchant payments app.
    • They must authenticate customers using their biometric data and Aadhaar number.
    • Once authenticated, the merchant can initiate a transaction.
• For those who have not yet linked to the APBS due to technical difficulties or other reasons, the NACH system (transfer of wage payments through the bank account of the beneficiary) will continue to be available until 31st December 2023.
• Under the NACH system, it was observed that middlemen diverted wages by creating fake beneficiaries.
• According to National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) data, APBS has a higher success rate of 99.55% or above, while account-based payments have a success rate of around 98%.
• Once Aadhaar is updated in the scheme database, beneficiaries do not need to update their account numbers, as money will be transferred to the account linked with their Aadhaar number.
• APBS helps genuine beneficiaries receive their due payment and reduces corruption by eliminating fake beneficiaries. 
• Beneficiaries who come for work should be requested to provide their Aadhaar number, but work will not be denied if they don’t have an Aadhaar number. 
• Job cards cannot be deleted based solely on the reason that the worker is not eligible for APBS.
• Out of 14.33 crore active beneficiaries, Aadhaar has been seeded for 13.97 crore, and 13.34 crore Aadhaar have been authenticated, making 81.89% of active workers eligible for APBS.
• In July 2023, 88.51% of wage payments were made through APBS.

Way Forward

• India has promoted digital public infrastructure like Aadhaar as a means for service delivery in G-20 nations and beyond.
• The government should now seek an honest review of and course correction in the Aadhaar program before expanding its linkages further, including for electoral rolls, private entities, or MGNREGA payments.

Nut Graf: Moody’s report highlights security and privacy risks associated with Aadhaar, particularly for vulnerable groups. It also questions Aadhaar’s efficacy and potential for exclusion. An honest review and course correction of the Aadhaar before expanding its linkages further is the need of the hour.