Govt. ‘watching’ WHO alert on airborne spread of virus
Paper: II
Mains: General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
Why in news:
- After earlier denials, the World Health Organisation has said that there is evidence emerging of the airborne spread of the coronavirus.
- Over 230 scientists across the world urged the global body to update its guidance, pointing to the evidence showing that smaller particles can infect people.
Key Details:
According to the technical lead on the COVID-19 pandemic at the WHO, there is a possibility of airborne transmission and aerosol transmission as one of the modes of transmission of COVID-19.
- Droplet Transmission: Occurs when a person is within 1 metre of the infector, who coughs or sneezes and so is exposing their mouth, nose or eyes to potentially infective respiratory droplets. Such droplets are >5-10 µm in diameter. Being heavy, the droplets fall to the floor soon.
- Airborne Transmission: It refers to transmission via aerosols (smaller droplets <5 µm) which can be transmitted to others over distances greater than 1 m. Aerosols may get released when infectors breathe heavily or talk, apart from coughing and sneezing. Aerosols contain fewer virus particles than larger droplets.
- While the WHO has long held that the coronavirus is spread primarily by large respiratory droplets that, once expelled by infected people in coughs and sneezes, fall quickly to the floor, in an open letter to the World Health Organization (WHO), 239 scientists in 32 countries have outlined the evidence showing that smaller particles can infect people, and are suggesting a revision of its recommendations.
- If the airborne transmission is a significant factor, especially in crowded spaces with poor ventilation, the consequences for containment will be significant.
- Masks may be needed indoors, even in socially distant settings.
- Health care workers may need N95 masks that filter out even the smallest respiratory droplets as they care for coronavirus patients.
- Ultraviolet lights may be needed to kill viral particles floating in tiny droplets indoors.
World Health Organisation (WHO)
- At the 1945 United Nations Conference on International Organization (also known as the San Francisco Conference), Szeming Sze, a delegate from the Republic of China (modern-day Taiwan), proposed the creation of an international health organisation under the auspices of the new United Nations.
- As a result of these proceedings, the World Health Organisation came to be established in 1948. It became the first specialised agency of the United Nations to which every member subscribed.
- The WHO is headed by its Director-General and is headquartered in Geneva. Currently, the WHO has 194 member countries. However, the US is withdrawing from the WHO. For more on this, check CNA dated 9 July 2020.
- Full membership of the WHO is only guaranteed with the ratifying of the treaty known as the Constitution of the World Health Organisation.
- To know more about Important Headquarters of International Organisations, visit the linked article.
- The member states of the WHO appoint delegates to the World Health Assembly, which is the supreme decision-making body. The World Health Assembly is attended by delegations from all Member States and determines the policies of the Organisation.
- On May 19 2020, India was elected by the 73rd World Health Assembly to the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation for a period of three years. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan took charge as the chairman of the WHO Executive Board on May 22. He succeeds Dr Hiroki Nakatani of Japan.
- The WHO celebrates the World Health Day annually on its formation day (7 April). The theme for 2020 was “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”.
PM CARES is separate from NDRF: govt
Paper: II
Mains: General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
Why in news:
- The government, in responding to a writ petition filed by an NGO that said contributions to PM CARES should be transferred entirely to the NDRF, said that funds like PM CARES were “separate, different, distinct” from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
- The Ministry also outrightly rejected a plea to credit the amounts received by PM CARES for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic into the NDRF.
PM CARES Fund:
- PM CARES Fund is a public charitable trust set up by the government in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Prime Minister is the chairman of the trust and its members include the Defence Minister, the Home Minister and the Finance Minister.
- This Fund will also cater to similar distressing situations, if they occur in the times ahead.
- The Indian Railways has pledged Rs 151 crore from employees’ salaries towards the PM-CARES Fund.
PM’s National Relief Fund:
- Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) was established entirely with public contributions and does not get any budgetary support.
- PMNRF accepts voluntary contributions from Individuals, Organizations, Trusts, Companies and Institutions, etc.
- All contributions towards PMNRF are exempt from Income Tax under Section 80(G).
- The resources of the PMNRF are utilized to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities like floods, cyclones and earthquakes, etc.
- The fund, assists partially, to defray the expenses for medical treatment like heart surgery, kidney transplantation, cancer treatment of needy people and acid attack, etc.
Issues:
- Setting up of the PM CARES Fund to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic by the Prime Minister has been questioned, when the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) is already in existence.
- PM-CARES is different from the PM’s Relief Fund that has been used by the Union government for years even till the recent Kerala floods and other crises.
- However, in view of the coronavirus crisis, the government has set up the new fund named PM-CARES.
- Some critics have pointed out that money was lying unspent in the PMNRF.
- The PM’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) has an unspent balance of ₹3,800 crore (as of December 16, 2019).
India to take call on Australia’s inclusion in Malabar exercises
Paper: II
Mains: General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
Why in News:
India will take a decision on whether to include Australia in the Malabar exercises with Japan and the U.S. at a Defence Ministry meeting early next week, according to a defence source. The decision, if taken, could bring all Quad countries together as part of the annual war games.
Details:
- After years of reluctance, India said it was open to Australia’s inclusion in the Malabar as an observer.
- Japan and the U.S. have been keen on Canberra’s inclusion and have been pushing India to consider it.
- Australia’s inclusion would be seen as a possible first step towards the militarisation of the Quad coalition, something Beijing has opposed in the past.
- The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad is an informal strategic forum between the United States, Japan, Australia and India.
- The move comes in the midst of the ongoing stand-off with China on the border.
Malabar Exercise:
- Malabar began as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the U.S. in 1992.
- It was expanded into a trilateral format with the inclusion of Japan in 2015.
Australia ends HK extradition treaty
Paper: II
Mains: General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
Why in news:
Australia suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and extended visas for Hong Kong residents in response to China’s imposition of a tough national security law on the semi-autonomous territory.
Key Details:
- Australia’s Prime Minister has said that the law introduced in Hong Kong was a fundamental change of circumstances and Australia would suspend the extradition agreement.
- By doing so, Australia has offered an immigration pathway for residents fleeing Hong Kong, after several Western countries aligned with the US, including Canada and Britain, introduced similar measures to confront China’s security crackdown in the city.
- Notably, incentives have been offered to businesses in Hong Kong to relocate to Australia.
- Western countries have condemned China’s new security law for Hong Kong as a violation of the agreement under which the city was handed over.
- The development has provoked an angry response from Beijing.
- China, the biggest customer for Australian exports has reserved the right to take retaliatory action.
- Two-way trade between the countries was worth A$235 billion in 2019.
Country of origin tag a must
Paper: III
Mains: General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management
What’s in News?
Amidst the clamour to ban China made goods, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs has sent out a reminder to all e-commerce portals to ensure that the “country of origin” of the products being sold by them should be mentioned as part of mandatory declarations.
Details:
- The Ministry’s reminder to e-commerce portals is part of a concerted effort by the government to have ‘country of origin’ declarations on these websites.
- It is a part of a concerted effort by the government to have ‘country of origin’ declarations for products on e-commerce portals.
- The Ministry in its reminder invoked the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011.
- These rules make it mandatory for all manufacturers to declare the package name and address of the manufacturer, common and generic name of the commodity, net quantity, month and year of manufacturing, MRP and consumer care details.
- In addition to these, in 2017, new provisions were added for e-commerce websites, making it compulsory for them to display this information along with “declaration of country of origin or manufacture or assembly” and a clear mention of the expiry date.
- There are punitive provisions in the law including fines and also a jail term of one year.
Govt. notifies draft rules on wages Act
Paper: III
Mains: General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management
Why in news:
The Labour and Employment Ministry has notified the draft Code on Wages (Central) Rules under the Code on Wages, 2019, which would fix a national floor minimum wage based on minimum living standard including food, clothing, housing and any other factors prescribed by the government. In the new draft rules for minimum wage law, the Centre has reduced normal working hours in a day to eight hours from nine proposed in the earlier version released last November.
Key Details:
- The Code on Wages is the first of the four codes proposed by the government, as a part of its labour law reforms, that was passed by Parliament in August 2019; Code on Industrial Relations, Social Security and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions being the other three.
- In the new draft rules, the Centre has reduced normal working hours in a day to eight hours from nine proposed in the earlier version released in November 2019.
- Net intake of 2,700 calories per day, 66 metres cloth per year per standard working-class family, housing rent expenditure as 10 percent of food and clothing expenditure, three adult consumption units are some of the factors that would determine the fixation of the national minimum wage.
- The draft rules state that the Centre shall constitute a technical committee which would advise on the skill categories, while an advisory board may recommend the minimum wage.
Minimum wages
- Minimum wages can be defined as “the minimum amount of remuneration that an employer is required to pay wage earners for the work performed during a given period, which cannot be reduced by collective agreement or an individual contract.”
- The purpose of minimum wages is to protect workers against unduly low pay. They help ensure a just and equitable share of the fruits of progress to all, and a minimum living wage to all who are employed and in need of such protection.
- Minimum wages can also be one element of a policy to overcome poverty and reduce inequality, including those between men and women, by promoting the right to equal remuneration for work of equal value.
National Floor Level Minimum Wage
- National Floor Level Minimum Wage is the minimum wage below which no state Government in India can fix the minimum wage.
- Unlike the concept of “minimum wage” this is a non-statutory measure to ensure upward revision of minimum wages in different in States/UT’s. Thus, the State Governments are persuaded to fix minimum wages such that in none of the scheduled employments (those employments which are by law, liable for payment of minimum wages), the minimum wage is less than the National Floor Level Minimum Wage.
- There is disparity in rates of minimum wages in various regions of the country. This is due to differences in socio-economic and agro-climatic conditions, prices of essential commodities, paying capacity, productivity and local conditions influencing the wage rate.
- The regional disparity in minimum wages is also attributed to the fact that both the Central and State Governments are the appropriate Government to fix, revise and enforce minimum wages in scheduled employments in their respective jurisdictions under the Act.
- This method has helped to some extent in reducing disparity among different rates of minimum wages existing in various states. Rates are revised periodically.
- This is the minimum wage fixed irrespective of any kind of schedule of employment both at Centre and state level.