National Food Security Act inclusion of disable

Why in News ?

Department of Food and Public Distribution under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution has recently sent letters to States Governments/UTs to include all eligible disabled persons under the National Food Security Act 2013.

About Direction

NFSA section 38 authorises Central Government for give directions from time to time to the State Governments and for UT’s for effective implementation of the provision of act.

• Those not already covered should be covered with fresh ration cards issued as per the eligibility criteria.
• Disability is one of the criteria for inclusion of beneficiaries under Antyodaya Anna Yojana. Section 10 (1) (a) provide the coverage for persons under AAY, rest of the households as based on normal priority.
• Disabled persons without ration cards are also eligible for getting benefits under Atma Nirbhar Bharat package, scheme would lapse on August 31, 2020 scheme started in May 2020.

National Food Security Act 2013

Def : Act to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

• Through NFSA 75% rural and 50% urban population received subsidised food grains under Targeted Public  Distribution System.
• Nearly 80 crore persons have been covered under NFSA at present for receiving highly subsidized foodgrains.
• Identification of eligibility of beneficiary through state run process by
  • Exclusion of ineligible/fake/duplicate ration cards.
  • Exclusion on account of death.
  • Updating the migrated profile.
  • Inclusion of new born in household based on eligibility.
• Manipur has the highest percentage of coverage (rural 88.5%, Urban 85.5)

Antyodaya Anna Yojana

Public distribution system schemes in India implemented from 2000. It aims to ensure food security and to create hunger free India.

AAY scheme covers the poorest of the poor in India by supply of food and other important commodities for their daily needs on subsidized rates.

• Eligibility for Antyodaya Anna Yojana
  • Family members falling under Below Poverty line can apply for this scheme
  • Annual income of Rs.15000 below families are eligible
  • Disabled persons can apply for this scheme
  • Widows and senior citizen of 60 years who heading a family can apply
  • Tribal Families in the rural and mountain areas is eligible for this scheme
• The identification of beneficiaries are carried out by State Government and UT Government
• Beneficiaries are classified into Rural amd Urban. Annual income below 15,000 is a common criteria.
  • Rural
    • Small and marginal farmers and landless agriculture labours
    • Physically handicapped persons
    • Rural artisans or craftsmen
    • Unprotected widows
  • Urban
    • Daily wager, domestic servants, Porters who earn small amount
    • Households headed by widows or disabled persons or persons aged 60 years
    • People living in slums
    • Marginal fruit and flowers sellers on roadside
• After the identification of beneficiaries AAY ration cards will be issued to families by the designated authority.

Source : PIB

Topic 

Prelims : AAY, NFSA 2013

GS : Issues relating to poverty and hunger

By year-end India could get vaccine

Why in news ?

Union Health Minister said if everything goes well India will get a vaccine against the novel coronavirus by the end of this year.

Vaccine development in India

• Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR is under Phase I the human clinical trials.
• Zydus Cadila Ltd have been completed and the trials have moved to phase II, done in larger groups of patients.
• Serum Institute of India (SII), which has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford has been permitted to conduct its phase two and three human clinical trials in
  India 
• ICMR, is in the process of developing an online vaccine portal which will provide information related to vaccine development in India and abroad.

Various stages of Vaccine Development

Clinical trials are stage after pre-clinical research for testing treatments are safe for and work in people. 

• Phases of Clinical trial : 
  • Pre-clinical Trials : The scientistv or researcher take the assessment of various feature of the treatment whether it harmful to tssues
  • Phase 0 : Also called as pre-clinical trials. To learn how a drug is processed in the body and effects on the body. Small dose of drugs applied to a small group of people. 
  • Phase 1 : Trials are to test a drug’s safety. A fixed amount of dosage is given to the participants. This dosage is compared with the effect on human body, reaction to particular food and effect over various other  medicines the person taking. 
  • Phase 2 : Test will be conducted to a larger group of people. New combinations of drugs are tested and participants are closely watched for effect of drug. Here it is checked for both safety and effectiveness.
  • Phase 3 : The test are conducted over a defined period of time may be months. Here the test is conducted for assessing how effectively the drug works ? 
  • Phase 4 : Effect of the drug when widely used in patients. Besides check the ling term risk and benefits of the drugs. This stage is also called post marketing trials.
• Various regulating bodies :
  • Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
  • Medical Council of India Act, 1956
  • Indian Council of Medical Research
  • Central Council for Indian Medicine Act, 1970.

Source : The Hindu

Topic

Prelims : Regulating Bodies

GS III : Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life

Nuakhai Juhar agricultural festival

Why in news ?

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people on the auspicious occasion of Nuakhai Juhar.

Nuakhai Juhar

The festival celebrated in Odisha and Chattisgarh. It is celebrated to welcome the new crop of the season.

• It is also called Nuakhai Parab or Nuakahi Bhetghat.
• Nuakhai is a combination of two words signifies eating of new rice as ‘nua’ means new and ‘khai’ means eat.
• People worship food grain and prepare special meals..
• Several cultural programmes folk songs and dances in their respective districts on this day to display the state’s local culture and tradition.

Source : PIB

Topic

Prelims : Nuakhai Juhar

GS I : Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times

National Council for Transgender Persons

Why in News ?

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has constituted the National Council for Transgender Persons a requirement under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.

About National Council for Transgender Persons

• Social Justice Minister would be the chairperson of the Council
• Other members would include officials of the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Home Affairs, Housing and Urban Affairs, Minority Affairs, Human Resources Development, Rural Development and Labour and Employment, the Department of Legal Affairs, the Department of Pensions and Pensioners Welfare and the NITI Aayog.
• Also includes five nominated members from the transgender community
• Representatives from five states or Union Territories, on a rotational basis, will be members of the commission.
• Aim :
  • Advise the Centre on policies, programmes, legislation and projects with respect to transgender persons. Also to monitor and evaluate the impact of policies and programmes
  • Review and coordinate the activities of all the departments of government and other governmental and non-governmental organisations
  • Redress the grievances of transgender persons and perform any functions assigned by the Central Government.

Issues Faced by Transgender

Educational :   Many trans persons fall in the category of school drop outs. Dropping out from the school leads to the future access for the employment opportunities and all. .

Health care services : Numerous incidents to suggest inappropriate behaviour and discrimination displayed towards them. Many medical care units are unaware as to how to treat transgender people, and how to meet their needs. 

Employment : Since the dropout rate increases the employment access will be difficult. Also hiring biases, job discrimination, wage inequalities, workplace harassment and denied benefits are a major ways of discrimination in the  employment opportunities for trans persons.

Societal discrimination : Denial of Entry into public places like malls, restaurants, Theaters, Shopping Complexes. Unwanted attention is given to their presence and not behave normal in their presence or with them. 

Family Issues :  Discrimination within the family is another issue faced by Transgender. They may forced to leave the home once changed to transgender.

Way Forward

Social support is very important for reducing the sense of isolation that many transgender persons experience. Equality should come out of theories and starts with access to good education, access to all job opportunities and good healthcare systems.

By promoting the support group is another way to change the attitude of society towards them. Thereby providing awareness among the society. 

Source : The Hindu

Topic 

Prelims :  National Council for Transgender Persons

GS I : Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies

GS II : Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections