Global Hunger Index 2023

• The 2023 GHI demonstrates that, despite significant advancements up until 2015, the global fight against hunger is still essentially at a standstill.
• A growing number of individuals are suffering from extreme hunger as a result of the multiplicity and intensification of crisis situations, and this trend is predicted to continue throughout the year.
• With a GHI score of 27, which denotes a serious condition of hunger, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are the regions in the world with the highest levels of hunger.
• At 18.7%, India topped the global list of nations with the highest rate of child wasting, which is indicative of severe undernutrition.
• Out of 124 countries, India is placed 111th; its neighbors, Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), Nepal (69th), and Sri Lanka (60th), are all ranked higher than India.
• The nation fell four places from its 2022 ranking of 107th.
• The percentage of children under five who are underweight for their height is known as “child wasting.”
• Views of the Indian government: The GHI’s methodology has drawn criticism from the Indian government.

Actions undertaken by the government:

• The National Food Security Act of 2013 gave the targeted public distribution system the legal right to subsidize food grains for up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban populations.
• The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme was introduced on October 2, 1975. It provides children aged 0 to 6 years, as well as expectant mothers and nursing mothers, with a suite of six services, including supplemental nutrition, preschool non-formal education, nutrition and health education, immunization, health check-ups, and referral services.
• Prana Yojana Mantri Matru Vandana: Maternity benefit program, a centrally funded initiative run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, went into effect on January 1, 2017, throughout all districts in the nation.
• POSHAN Abhiyan: This 2018 initiative aims to lower anemia, stunting, and undernutrition in young children, women, and teenage girls.
• Food fortification, also known as food enrichment, is the process of enhancing the nutritional value of basic foods like rice, milk, and salt by adding important vitamins and minerals including iron, iodine, zinc, and vitamin A and D.

Regarding the 2023 Global Hunger Index:

• Time frame: One year.
• Published by Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide.
• A technique for thoroughly assessing and monitoring hunger at the international, regional, and national levels is the Global Hunger Index (GHI).
• GHI scores are based on the values of four component indicators:
• Undernourishment: the share of the population with insufficient caloric intake.
• Child stunting: the share of children under age five who have low height for their age, reflecting chronic undernutrition.
• Child wasting: the share of children under age five who have low weight for their height, reflecting acute undernutrition.
• Child mortality: the share of children who die before their fifth birthday, partly reflecting the fatal mix of inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments.
• A score known as the GHI is determined on a 100-point scale by calculating the values of the four indicators.
• The scale, with 0 representing the highest possible score (no hunger) and 100 representing the worst, indicates the degree of hunger.
• The severity of each nation’s GHI score ranges from low to extremely worrying.

17th Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Annual Tourism Summit

The 17th Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Annual Tourism Summit had its inaugural session yesterday.

An Overview:

• Speaking at the opening of the 17th CII Annual Tourism Summit, which took place in Mumbai today, Ms. V. Vidyavathi stated that we ought to be discussing how to accomplish this objective. 

Concerning the 17th Annual Tourism Summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII):

• Time: October 13, 2023.
• Location: Mumbai.
• Theme: “Building Tourism via Green and Economic Prospects”
• In order to bring all stakeholders together on one platform to discuss and consider the challenges and future course, CII hosted the 17th CII Tourism Summit.
• One of the biggest service sectors in India, according to some reports, is tourism, which helps to create jobs.
• There were several suggestions made to the Ministry of Tourism.
• It was demanded of the Ministry to set up procedures that guarantee permits are granted promptly.
• It was suggested that Incredible India’s branding and advertising be carried out continuously all year long and everywhere in the world.
• It was underlined that in order to build a tourism industry that is both economically strong and a model of ethical and environmentally conscious travel, all stakeholders must cooperate while striking a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability.

About the Indian Industry Confederation (CII):

• Commencement: 1895.
• Headquarters are in New Delhi.
• It is an industry-led, industry-managed, non-governmental, nonprofit organization.
• Goals: Through partnerships with business, government, and civil society, it seeks to establish and maintain an environment that supports India’s development through consultative and advisory procedures.

CII functions include:

• to determine and bolster the industry’s contribution to the nation’s economic growth. In CII
• to serve as a driving force behind the expansion and advancement of Indian industry.
• to reaffirm the industry’s social responsibility.
• to give the government and business current facts and information.
• to raise awareness of and provide support for industry initiatives related to energy management, quality, the environment, and consumer protection.
• to determine and solve the unique requirements of the small industry in order to increase its competitiveness.
• to encourage collaboration with similar groups.
• to strive towards Indian industry’s internationalization and assimilation into the global market.

5th National Water Awards 2023

The 5th National Water Awards 2023 were recently introduced by the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation.

An Overview:

• Through the online site, all applications for the awards will be accepted through December 15th.

Concerning the 2023 Fifth National Water Awards:

• 2018 saw the first National Water Award.
• Ministry: Jal Shakti Ministry.
• The purpose of the awards is to honor and promote the outstanding work and efforts that States, Districts, individuals, and organizations across have made to realize the government’s vision of Jal Samridh Bharat.
• Its objectives are to raise public awareness of the value of water and inspire them to use it wisely.

Objectives:-

• to motivate the parties involved in the nation’s water resource management to embrace a comprehensive strategy.
• to try to inspire people to embrace the best water usage practices by raising awareness of the value of water.
• On matters pertaining to water conservation and management initiatives, start-ups, eminent organizations, and individuals can participate, discuss, and reinforce current collaborations.

Eligibility for the awards:-

• Application materials can be obtained from any State, District, Village Panchayat, Urban Local Body, School/College, Institution (other than school/college), Industry, Civil society, Water User Association, or from a person who has demonstrated exceptional efforts in the field of water management and conservation.

Significance:-

• India has more than 18% of the world’s population, it has only 4% of the world’s renewable water resources

T-cell therapy

The first-ever approval of CAR T-cell treatment in India was granted recently.

An Overview:

• On October 13, 2023, Mumbai-based Immunoadoptive Cell Therapy Private Limited (ImmunoACT) announced that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) had approved India’s first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for the treatment of leukemia and relapsed-refractory B-cell lymphoma.
• Previously, patients in the US could receive CAR-T cell therapy for about $400,000, or more than Rs 3.3 crore.
• With this breakthrough, the therapy would be available for approximately Rs 30-35 lakh per patient at 20 government and private cancer treatment facilities in major cities of India.

Regarding (CAR) T-cell treatment:

• A type of cancer treatment called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy makes use of your own immune system cells.
• By transforming your T-lymphocytes or T-cells into more effective cancer-fighting machinery, it treats some malignancies.
• Certain blood malignancies are responding very well to treatment with CAR T-cell therapy.

Treatment Mechanism: –

• The patient is first given a blood sample.
• Next, in a lab, T-cells—a type of immune cell—are genetically altered.
• To improve the patient’s ability to identify and eliminate cancer cells, these altered T-cells are reinjected into the body.

Applications: –

• A number of CAR T-cell therapies have been licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with specific blood malignancies that are not responsive to chemotherapy or other treatments. (2020 Report on the National Cancer Registry Program)
• Those with blood cancer who have had prior effective therapies but still have the disease can also be treated with this medication.

Challenges: –

• Cytokine release syndrome (CRS): This is the result of your body mounting an immunological response to cancer once CAR T-cells start attacking it.
• issues with the nerve system and brain.
• significant infections.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

According to recent data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over a 30-year period, farmers lost $3.8 trillion due to natural disasters.

An Overview:

• Natural catastrophes have cost the world’s agricultural and animal production an estimated $3.8 trillion over the past 30 years, with Asia bearing the brunt of the losses in terms of economic damages.

Information on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):

• Founded in Quebec City, Canada, in 1945.
• United Nations Economic and Social Council is the parent organization.
• Headquarters are in Rome, Italy.
• “Let there be bread” is the motto. (The mission of millet)
• Members: FAO has 195 members, including 194 nations and the European Union. It operates in more than 130 nations globally.
• Objective: to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
• One of the United Nations’ specialized agencies is the Food and Agriculture Organization.
• It spearheads global initiatives to end hunger and enhance food security and nutrition. (Food Price Index, FAO)
• The World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are its sister organizations.

Flagship Publications: –

• The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA).
• The State of the World’s Forests (SOFO).
• The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI).
• The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA).
• The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets (SOCO)

Mental Health in India

• On October 10, the world observes World Mental Health Day, with the theme “mental health as a universal human right.”
• Informal workers are one category that is often overlooked in conversations concerning mental health.

About Mental Disorders:

• According to the World Health Organization, mental health is a condition of mental well-being that permits individuals to manage life’s stressors, develop their potential, study and work effectively, and give back to their communities.
• It is a vital aspect of health and wellbeing that supports our capacity as individuals and as a society to make choices, form bonds with one another, and influence the world we live in.
• Depression, bipolar illness, dementia, schizophrenia and other psychoses, intellectual disabilities, and developmental diseases such as autism are examples of mental disorders.

Mental Health Status

• Globally: According to research conducted by the International Labour Organization (ILO), 15% of persons in working age have a mental illness.
• According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), 7.5% of Indians suffer from a mental illness at the moment.
• Furthermore, it is anticipated that by year’s end, this percentage will rise to around 20%, signifying a serious mental health crisis in the nation.
• A study by the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative showed that the disease burden in India due to mental disorders increased from 2.5% in 1990 to 4.7% in 2017 in terms of DALYs1 (disability-adjusted life years), and was the leading contributor to YLDs (years lived with disability).

Factors Affecting Mental Health:

• A complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social elements influences mental health.
• Mental illness-causing factors include: Violence and persistent socioeconomic pressures—particularly those associated with sexual violence—are acknowledged as major threats to mental health.
• Genetic effects, in addition to certain psychological features and personality factors, can predispose an individual to mental health problems.

Issues that India’s informal workforce faces include:

• Gender Disparities: In India, over 95% of working women hold insecure informal jobs, facing not just unstable economic conditions but also patriarchal societal and familial institutions that negatively affect their mental well-being.
• Lack of Protections: Over 90% of India’s labor works in the informal economy, where there is little social and financial assistance and hazardous working conditions. This increases the risk of mental health issues.
• Challenges in the Workplace for the Elderly: An estimated 33 million older people labor in the unorganized sector after retirement, where they are not guaranteed employment or health benefits. This increases their susceptibility and negatively impacts their mental well-being.
• Youth Unemployment: The high rates of youth unemployment in India lead to serious mental health issues among young people, who frequently take on insecure jobs out of desperation, further impairing their wellbeing.

India’s government initiatives

• National Mental Health Programme (NMHP): NMHP addresses the mental health needs of the impoverished by ensuring that mental healthcare is accessible, particularly for vulnerable populations.
• The 2017 Mental Healthcare Act: With the goal of de-stigmatizing mental health concerns in society, this act decriminalized suicide attempts, adopted WHO recommendations, created advanced directives, and limited contentious treatments.
• Kiran: The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment launched the Kiran 24/7 toll-free helpline in 2020 to provide assistance to people experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and other mental health concerns.
• Tele-MANAS: All-inclusive mental health treatment program