30 Nov 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF)
2. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)

1. Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF)

Syllabus – GS2, IR, Bilateral Agreements involving India and/or affecting  India’s interests.

Prelims – EDCF loan for ITS. 

Context – India & South Korea signed an arrangement regarding an EDCF loan of over 245 billion Korean won.

Details –

• The Government of Korea established the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) on June 1, 1987, with the purpose of promoting economic cooperation between Korea and developing countries. Drawing on Korea’s own development experience over the years, the EDCF assists partner countries by providing funding for their industrial development and economic stability.
• India and South Korea signed the arrangement regarding the EDCF loan of over 245 billion Korean won for the establishment of the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) on the Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway project in Delhi.
• The aim of the project is to enhance the efficiency in traffic management through the establishment of the Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) and traffic centre, to improve the efficiency in toll management through the establishment of the Toll Collection System (TCS) and establish a sustainable model of ITS and it’s O&M through the transfer of technology from the Republic of Korea.
• This is the first project funded by an EDCF loan by the Government of the Republic of Korea.
• In October 2016, the Republic of Korea was designated as India’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) partner for development cooperation. 
• In 2015, the relationship between the Republic of Korea and India was upgraded to a “Special Strategic Partnership”.

2. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)

Syllabus – GS2; Health

Prelims – MMR (Maternal Mortality Ratio).

Context – Significant decline in MMR.

Details –

Image Source -PIB

Definition of MMR –

• The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is defined as the number of maternal deaths during a given time period per lakh live births.
• As per World Health Organization, “Maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.”

Know more about maternal mortality ratio in the linked article.

 Details –

• As per the statistics derived from Sample Registration System (SRS), there has been a significant reduction in MMR from 130 in 2014-16, 122 in 2015-17, 113 in 2017-19, to 97 in 2018-19.
• As per the Special Bulletin on MMR released by the Registrar General of India (RGI), the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of India has improved by a spectacular 6 points and now stands at 97/ lakh live births.

Figure showing the progressive decline in MMR

• India has achieved the National Health Policy (NHP) target for MMR of less than 100 per lakh live births and is on track of achieving the SDG target of MMR of less than 70 per lakh live births by 2030.
• Target 3.1 of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set by the United Nations aims at reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.
• The number of states that have achieved SDG target has risen from 6 to 8, with Kerala leading with an MMR of 19, followed by Maharashtra (33),  Telangana (43) and Andhra Pradesh (45),  Tamil Nadu (54), Jharkhand (56), Gujarat (57) and Karnataka (69). 

Read the previous PIB articles here.

November 30th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here