19 Feb 2024: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Department of Fisheries and ONDC sign MoU
2. NITI Aayog Paper on Senior Care Reforms
3. 3rd Meeting of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee

1. Department of Fisheries and ONDC sign MoU

Syllabus: GS-3, Economy

Prelims: Department of Fisheries – ONDC MoU, ONDC

Context:

The Department of Fisheries signed an MoU with Open Network for Digital Commerce.

Details:

• The objective of the collaboration of the Department of Fisheries with ONDC is to provide a digital platform and empower all stakeholders including traditional fishermen, fish farmers producer organizations, and entrepreneurs from the fisheries sector to buy and sell their products through e-marketplaces.
• The program envisions a comprehensive approach which will ensure that small- scale fishers and marginalized communities have equal access to market opportunities, fostering social inclusion and equitable economic development.

2. NITI Aayog Paper on Senior Care Reforms

Syllabus: GS-2, Social Justice

Mains: Problems faced by the elderly 

Context:

NITI Aayog released a position paper titled “Senior Care Reforms in India: Reimagining the Senior Care Paradigm”.

Background:

• India is witnessing exponential growth in the number and proportion of elderly people, coupled with a decreasing fertility rate and increasing life expectancy (more than 70 years). 
• The elderly in India currently comprise a little over 10% of the population, translating to about 104 million, and are projected to reach 19.5% of the total population by 2050.
• This phenomenon of population ageing impacts all aspects of society and has numerous health, social, and economic implications, including changes in labour and financial markets, shifting disease burden, rising dependency ratios, evolving family structures, and altered consumption patterns. 
• Medical expenses are more than double for this population segment as older people are likely to consume more healthcare services. 
• This presents an opportunity for the growth of the senior care industry, which is at present estimated at USD 7 billion (Rs 57,881 crore).

Health problems faced by the elderly (Based on the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI) 2021 report):

• 75% of the elderly have one or more chronic diseases. 
• 24% of the elderly have at least one Activities of Daily Living (ADL) limitation, and 48% reported at least one Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) limitation. 
• One in three reported having depressive symptoms, and 32% reported low life satisfaction. 
• Making matters worse, only 18% reported being covered by any health insurance, 28% are aware of any concession for senior citizens, and 24% reported problems in providing documents to avail services.
• 70% of the elderly population is dependent for everyday maintenance, and 78% is living without any pension cover.

Challenges in the senior care system:

• Lack of a comprehensive, integrated policy for care and support.
• Gaps in infrastructure and capacities necessary for supporting the health and welfare of the elderly.
• Gaps in evidence-based knowledge repositories for geriatric illness management.
• Inadequate enabling frameworks and monitoring mechanisms, and emergency response systems. 
• Fragmented and narrow social support system, inaccessible physical infrastructure, and inadequate R&D activities.
• Rising nuclear family trends.
• Inadequate financial security nets and deficient financial planning for senior citizens.
• Financial abuse and fraud.

At present, senior care services largely consist of facility-based medical care only. Non-medical care and home-based senior care, in the field have received minimal attention.

Recommendations:

Inter-convergence among various stakeholders for senior care is necessary to implement the various government programs effectively and efficiently.

Image Source: www.niti.gov.in

• Ensure Health Empowerment and Inclusion
  • Promote health literacy among senior citizens
  • Strengthen Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Services through the Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres initiative
  • Expand teleconsultation services
  • Focus on strengthening healthcare infrastructure with a special focus on senior needs
  • Enhance skilled workforce for elderly care
  • Increase accessibility of services
  • Incentivize preventive health through periodic screening, elderly immunization, etc.
  • Strengthen research & setting up research institutions
• Ensure Social Empowerment and Inclusion
  • Awareness enhancement – sensitize the community
  • Establish peer support groups 
  • Legal reforms for elderly concerns
  • Elderly-friendly living/housing sector reforms
  • Develop a one-stop national portal for senior care
  • Promoting care economy for senior care
• Ensure Economic Empowerment and Inclusion
  • Reskilling of the elderly population
  • Increase coverage of public funds and infrastructure
  • Mandatory savings plan for the affording segment
  • Encourage the private sector to design a targeted and comprehensive geriatric health insurance product
  • Increase liquidity and capital allocation to the senior care industry
  • Protection from financial fraud
• Ensure Digital Empowerment and Inclusion
  • Improving access to digital devices for seniors
  • Focus on increasing digital literacy
  • Efforts should be made to harness the potential of modern technology like artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, etc.
• Engaging the Private Sector and CSR Avenues in Increasing Coverage

3. 3rd Meeting of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee

Syllabus: GS-2, IR

Prelims: AITIGA, ASEAN

Mains: India – ASEAN relations

Context:

3rd Meeting of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee held in Feb 2024.

ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA):

• AITIGA is a trade deal between the ten member states of ASEAN and India.
• ASEAN and India signed the Agreement at the 7th ASEAN Economic Ministers-India Consultations in Bangkok, Thailand in 2009. The Agreement, which came into effect in 2010, is sometimes referred to as the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement.
• The Agreement has led to steadily increasing trade between ASEAN and India since its signing.
• The Agreement originated out of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between India and ASEAN created in 2003. 
• It covers trade in physical goods and products and not services trade.
  • ASEAN and India signed a separate ASEAN-India Trade in Services Agreement in 2014. 
  • Along with the ASEAN-India Investment Agreement, the three agreements collectively form the ASEAN-India Free Trade Area.
• Under the Agreement, ASEAN and India have committed to progressively eliminating duties on 76.4 percent of goods and to liberalize tariffs on over 90 percent of goods.
• India-ASEAN trade has grown to USD 131.58 Bn in 2022-23.

Read previous PIB articles here.