Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN)

• The government’s attempt to determine the overall population of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) across the nation is running into roadblock after road due to the indefinite postponement of the 2021 Census.

Context:

• The population data is essential for the government’s ₹24,000 crore PM-JANMAN package for PVTGs to be implemented.

About PM JANMAN:-

• On November 15, 2023, PM-JANMAN was introduced for the socioeconomic welfare of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), in keeping with Antyodaya’s mission to empower the last person at the last mile.
• In order to improve the socioeconomic conditions of the PVTGs, PM-JANMAN focuses on 11 crucial interventions through 9 Ministries. These interventions include providing electricity, clean drinking water, sanitary conditions, safe housing, improved access to education, health care, and nutrition, as well as road and telecom connectivity and opportunities for sustainable livelihood.

About PVTG:

• Subclassification of Scheduled Tribes: These tribes are more vulnerable than other Scheduled Tribe communities in specific areas.
• Primitive Tribal tribes (PTGs), the least developed of the tribal tribes, were established as a distinct category by the Dhebar Commission in 1973. The PTGs were redesignated as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) by the Indian government in 2006.

India sends assistance to cholera-hit Zambia

Zambia, a nation in southern Africa, received material and medical aid from India on Saturday.

Context:

• Over the past few weeks, Zambia has been struggling with a cholera outbreak that has forced the closure of all schools in the nation. More medical assistance has been requested by Zambia to address what is being called a “cholera emergency.”

About Zambia:

• Situated at the intersection of Central, Southern, and East Africa, Zambia is a landlocked nation.
• The landlocked nation, which is Africa’s second-largest producer of copper after the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has seen tremendous economic progress during the past ten years.
• On Zambia’s border with Zimbabwe lie the breathtaking Victoria Falls.

About Cholera

• The bacterial illness cholera is typically transmitted by tainted water.
• Cholera is an infection caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae.
• The bacteria in the small intestine creates a toxin that causes the disease’s fatal symptoms.The toxin makes the body excrete copious amounts of water, which quickly depletes fluids and salts (electrolytes) and causes diarrhea.
• The majority of persons who come into contact with Vibrio cholerae don’t get sick and are unaware that they’ve been infected. However, individuals can still spread the cholera bacterium to others by contaminated water because they excrete the bacteria in their stool for seven to fourteen days.

EUROPEAN FREE TRADE ASSOCIATION (EFTA)

• India has turned down the proposal from the four members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) for “data exclusivity” clauses to be included in the free trade agreement that they are both discussing.

Context:

• The use of preclinical test and clinical trial data by generic medication manufacturers will be prohibited by data exclusivity restrictions pertaining to previous patent holders. Since January 2008, India and EFTA have been engaged in negotiations for a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement.

About European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

• Four European states—Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland—make up the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), a regional trade association and free trade area.
• Although these nations are not members of the EU, they do take part in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market.
• In order to provide an alternative trading union for European governments unable or unable to join the European Economic Community (EEC), the main predecessor of the EU, EFTA was founded in 1960.
• Through the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, EFTA collaborates with the EU in a number of policy areas and has free trade agreements with numerous nations worldwide.
• Geneva, Switzerland serves as home to EFTA’s headquarters.

OUTER SPACE TREATY

• This week, numerous reports claimed that Russia was developing nuclear weapons in orbit with the intention of destroying other satellites, both military and commercial.

Context:

• Russia would be in breach of the Outer Space Treaty if it developed and used such a weapon. Additionally, it will be against the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which forbids nuclear explosions in space. Russia is a signatory to both agreements.

About Outer Space Treaty:

• International space law is based on a multilateral treaty called the Outer Space Treaty.
• In 2024, there were 114 parties to this agreement, which was signed by the US, the UK, and the USSR in 1967.
• The pact restricts the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes solely and forbids the deployment of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in space.
• The treaty also states that no nation may claim sovereignty over any portion of space, which is considered to be the common heritage of all people.
• In addition to preventing war or an arms race in space, the pact seeks to advance space exploration and utilization for the good of all nations.
• On January 18, 1982, India ratified the Outer Space Treaty.
• On March 3, 1967, India signed the treaty, but it took another fifteen years for it to be ratified.
• The Moon Treaty, which further limits the use and exploration of the Moon and other natural resources in space, is another agreement to which India is a signatory.

PARTIAL NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY (PTBT)

• This week, numerous reports claimed that Russia was developing nuclear weapons in orbit with the intention of destroying other satellites, both military and commercial.

Context:

• Russia would be in violation of both the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Outer Space Treaty if it developed and used such a weapon. The latter treaty forbids nuclear explosions in space. Russia is a signatory to both agreements.

About Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

• An international agreement known as the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) of 1963 outlawed the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, space, and underwater.
• As of 2024, there were 126 parties to the pact, which was signed by the US, the UK, and the USSR in 1963.
• The deal sought to stop the nuclear arms race from getting worse and to lessen the radioactive fallout from nuclear tests.
• The nuclear powers and other nations continued to carry out underground nuclear testing in spite of the treaty’s lack of a moratorium.

India’s stand

• India declined to sign the PTBT because it believed it discriminated against governments without nuclear weapons and ignored the topic of nuclear disarmament. As a result, India is not a party to the treaty.
• The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), an abbreviation for the Proliferation of Nuclear Test-Ban Treaties (PTBT) that outlaws the use of nuclear weapons for military or civilian purposes, including subterranean tests, was similarly rejected by India.
• India contended that the CTBT did not meet India’s security concerns in a nuclearized region and that it was neither universal, verifiable, or non-discriminatory. Additionally, India insisted that it would not sign any treaty that limited its access to nuclear weapons and that it had the sovereign right to carry out nuclear tests for the sake of national security.

Global Innovation Index 2023

• According to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s 2023 Global Innovation Index rankings, India continues to be ranked 40th out of 132 economies (WIPO).

Context:

• The Index is a premier resource for assessing the performance of an economy’s innovation ecosystem. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) publishes it every year.

World Intellectual Property Organisation:

• It operates on the principles of supporting intellectual property protection globally and stimulating creative endeavors.
• It is an independent United Nations organization with 193 member states.
• Among the fifteen specialized agencies under the United Nations umbrella is WIPO.

Key findings of the Global Innovation Index 2023:

• In 2023, Switzerland has the most creative economy, followed by those of Sweden, the US, the UK, and Singapore.
• Among the economies of the South East Asia, East Asia, and Oceania (SEAO) area, Singapore has risen to the top five and assumed the top spot.
• Tokyo–Yokohama is projected to be the world’s leading science and technology innovation cluster in 2023, ahead of Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou, Seoul, Beijing, and Shanghai–Suzhou. China has surpassed the United States to become the country with the most clusters worldwide.

Key findings related to India:

• India placed 40th in the most recent GII 2023, demonstrating a noteworthy ascent from the 81st position in 2015. It emphasizes how innovation in India has grown steadily and significantly during the last eight years.
• India topped the list of the ten economies in Central and South America as well as the 37 lower-middle-income nations. Important metrics, such as notable rankings in ICT services exports, venture capital received, science and engineering graduates, and international corporate research and development investors, validated India’s strong innovation scene.
• India has just 4 research and technology clusters among the world’s top 100, compared to 24 in China and 21 in the US. Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai are these.
• India’s development is credited to a number of factors, including a flourishing startup ecosystem, an abundance of intellectual capital, and excellent work from both public and commercial research institutes.