Talks on Oil Cut Deal at G-20
Context :
Recently, at G20 talks, top oil nations pushed to finalise a deal on oil cuts to lift prices slashed by the coronavirus crisis.
Key Points :
- Measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus have destroyed demand for fuel and driven down oil prices.
- It strained the budgets of oil producers and also affected the U.S. shale industry which is more vulnerable to low prices due to its higher costs.
- Saudi Arabia and Russia and its allies (OPEC + group), had forged a pact to curb crude production by the equivalent of 10% of global supplies.
- They also want other producers including the United States and Canada to cut a further 5%.
- The crisis in the oil market has pushed Russia and Saudi Arabia to patch up differences after their hostile meeting in March, 2020.
- The dispute over how best to tackle falling prices led them to scrap their existing pact on production restraint that had helped balance the oil market for three years.
- Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed that their cuts would both be calculated from an October 2018 baseline.
- But efforts to conclude the deal hit the buffers when Mexico said it would only cut output by a quarter of the amount demanded by OPEC +.
- Mexico also said that the US had offered to make extra U.S. cuts on Mexico’s behalf.
- Mexico also cares less about low oil prices because of its hedging programme, which protects it against price falls.
- The demand for oil has plunged by 30% and even an unprecedented cut of 15% made by the deal in global supplies would have little effect on prices.
- The head of the International Energy Agency said importing countries could offer some support to the market by making extra purchases of crude for strategic reserves.
- The United States has said that it would help demand by opening its strategic reserve to store as much oil as possible.
OPEC +
- The non-OPEC countries which export crude oil are termed as OPEC + countries.
- OPEC + countries include Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan.
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) :
- The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental organization, created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela.
- It aims to manage the supply of oil in an effort to set the price of oil in the world market, in order to avoid fluctuations that might affect the economies of both producing and purchasing countries.
- It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.
- OPEC membership is open to any country that is a substantial exporter of oil and which shares the ideals of the organization.
- As of April 2020, OPEC has a total of 13 Member Countries viz. Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Angola, and Venezuela are members of OPEC.
source : economics times
Meal Scheme Hit Due to Lockdown
context :
Due to Covid-19 lockdown, implementation of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is affected in large pockets across Maharashtra.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Programme
- The programme provides specific interventions targeted towards the vulnerable groups including children below 6 years and women.
- Under it, anganwadi centres across India serve nutritious meals (hot cooked meals) to children and nursing mothers.
- It is being implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
- It is a centrally sponsored scheme and provides a package of six services namely supplementary nutrition, pre-school non-formal education, nutrition & health education, immunization, health check-up and referral services.
- About 87 lakh children aged up to 6 years are beneficiaries of the scheme,they are served by nearly 90,000 anganwadis.
Key Points :
- Anganwadis are closed due to lockdown and the delivery of Hot Cooked Meals (HCM) has completely halted in some pockets.
- In some areas of the State, beneficiaries are beginning to receive grocery supplies instead of Hot Cooked Meals (HCM). However, there are wide complaints of inadequate supplies.
- Even, the districts where malnutrition is a recurring problem haven’t received the grocery material.
- On 31st March, 2020, ICDS Commissionerate ordered that the HCM be replaced by grocery packages.
- Where the material (grocery packages) has arrived there are multiple operational problems.
- In many villages it’s not possible to go door-to-door, houses are far apart.
- It is being said that the government is not providing any additional funds for gloves and masks.
- Beneficiaries are gathering at the anganwadi, which is hampering social distancing.
- Another dilemma is that the grocery packages will most certainly be consumed by the entire household. Women who are pregnant or lactating, could benefit the least as they’re generally the last to eat.
source : economics times
World homeopathy day
context :
The World homeopathy day is celebrated on 10 April. The day is celebrated to honor the birth of the father of the Homoeopathic system of medicines Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. The year 2020, commemorates the 265th birth anniversary of the founder of Homoeopathy. The theme of the 2020 World homeopathy day is “Enhancing the scope of Homoeopathy in Public Health”.
Samuel Hahnemann :
Samuel Hahnemann was born on 10 April 1755 in Paris, France. He was a German physician, a great scholar, a linguist, and an acclaimed scientist. He was famously known as the Father of Homeopathy, Father of Human Pharmacology, Father of NanoMedicine and the Father of Infinite Dilution concept in Chemistry. He invented the term “Homeopathy”. He discovered the way to heal through the use of homeopathy. He died on 2 July 1843.
Homeopathy :
Homeopathy is a system of medicine that follows a natural approach to the treatment of the sick. This type of medical system is based on the belief that the body can cure itself.
Homeopathy uses animal, plant, mineral, and synthetic substances in its preparations and labels them in Latin or faux-Latin vocabulary. It is the world’s second most widely used system of treatment.
History :
World Homoeopathy Day (WHD) is celebrated in India by the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India in New Delhi. The week following 10 April, that is 10-16 April is observed as the World Homeopathy Awareness Week.
NITI Aayog recommended relaxing mandi norms
context :
The policy think tank NITI Aayog recommended to the government that the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act be kept in suspended animation for the next 6 months in view of the COVID-19. The NITI Aayog recommendation was moved by member and agricultural policy expert Ramesh Chand. It also recommended that it should be done across states even if an ordinance is required. The aim of the move is to ease pressure on farmers and ensure a smooth supply of farming goods.
Highlights :
- The APMC Act will empower the state governments to specify market areas that are operated and regulated by market committees. The market area is where farmers bring their produce for sale.
- Any relaxation in the provisions of the Act will have to be done through state governments.
- The recommendation also included that the farmers be allowed to take processed or cleaned up produce directly to the warehouse. Earlier, the farmers brought the produce to the mandi.
APMC Act 2003 :
The wholesaling of agricultural produce is governed by the Agricultural Produce Marketing Acts of various State governments in India. The APMC Act empowers the state governments to notify the commodities, and designate markets and market areas where the regulated trade takes place. It provides for the formation of APMC that is responsible for the operation of the markets.
The APMC act aims to develop the efficiency of the marketing system and promote agri-processing and agricultural exports.
source : the hindu
SCTIMST to explore convalescent plasma therapy on COVID-19 patients
context :
Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), is to explore convalescent-plasma therapy for COVID-19. Indian council for medical research (ICMR) has approved to carry out the novel treatment.
What is Plasma?
Plasma is a component of blood. It is the fluid that carries the blood components throughout the body. It is the largest part of blood. It makes around 55% of its overall content. The liquid is light yellow in colour. It carries water, salts, and enzymes. Plasma also contains important components like antibodies, clotting factors, and the proteins albumin and fibrinogen.
Convalescent plasma:
The method was used in the past to treat diseases such as polio, measles, mumps, 1918 flu epidemic, and in previous outbreaks of respiratory infections namely H1N1 influenza, SARS, and MERS.
Under the Convalescent plasma method, Plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 will be collected. The Convalescent serum, that is the blood serum, is then administered to a COVID-19 patient. The sick will acquire passive immunization. It is believed that it might contain antibodies to the virus that causes the disease and might be effective against the infection.
Revoke Order Weakening PCPNDT Act: AIDWA
Context :
The All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) has asked the government to withdraw an order that could weaken the implementation of the law banning pre-natal sex determination.
Key Points :
- AIDWA referred to the gazette notification issued by the Health Ministry on 4th April 2020, which suspended Rule 8, Rule 9(8) and Rule 18A(6) of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994.
- The suspended clauses deal with:
- Process for renewal of registration of genetic and ultrasound clinics.
- Responsibilities of labs and clinics in maintaining and preserving records of all tests, techniques and procedures and sending a report to the concerned appropriate authority.
- Duties of district authorities in sharing a quarterly progress report.
- After seeing the resistance, the Health Ministry clarified that the move only allowed an extension of the deadline for submitting the progress reports until 30th June 2020.
- The AIDWA has rejected the government’s explanation and has asked the government to revoke the notification.
- It has highlighted that the suspension of these rules throughout the country would mean that clinics and genetic labs can carry on functioning without any scrutiny.
- This is the only scrutiny that these labs are subjected to, to assess their adherence to the basic rules and to ensure that sex selection is not being carried out by them.
- It has suggested that the government can issue an administrative order to delay the submission of the reports under Rule 9(8) and 18A(6) till 30th June while making it clear that the relevant records must be maintained as mandated by the PCPNDT Act.
- However, the application for re-registration should not be allowed to be postponed since this can be done online.