Daily Current Affairs for 23rd December 2020

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No appetite in rural India for paid vaccines, finds survey

Paper:

Mains: General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.

Why in news?

  • A survey was conducted by Gaon Connection, a rural media platform, titled the ‘COVID-19 Vaccine and Rural India’ survey.

Key Details:

  • The survey was conducted in as many as 60 districts spread across 16 states and a union territory.
  • The survey was based on face-to-face interaction about the impression of the vaccine in the rural region.

Takeaways from the survey

  • Around 44% of the respondents expressed their willingness to pay for the vaccination against COVID-19 while 36% categorically stated that they would not pay for it.
  • The respondents were asked if given an opportunity, who within the households deserved priority for vaccination. One-third of the respondents chose to give priority to their old parents.
  • Another question that was asked was, who should the government give priority when the vaccination drive begins. The answer among 43.5% was that the first priority should be given to doctors and nurses.

Miscellaneous data from the survey

  • The survey revealed that there was an increase in money spent on products like immunity booster products like Vitamin tablets, chywanprash, giloy, etc.
  • The food habits have also seen a change, with 70% of the respondents having stopped eating outside, while there was a shift to eating more vegetables and fruits.

20 flyers from U.K test positive

Paper:

Mains: General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.

Why in news?

  • The news of the emergence of a new strain in the United Kingdom (UK) has created panic among other countries, thus forcing them to take mitigative measures to prevent the spread of the new strain.

Key Details:

  • India and several other countries have temporarily suspended air travel with the UK.
  • India is currently taking precautions such as making RT-PCR tests mandatory and also a separate unit for those diagnosed with the new strain of coronavirus.

Mutation:

The new variant, VUI–202012/01, has accounted for nearly 60% of all cases in London by mid-December.

  • The new variant is thought to be 70% more transmissible than earlier versions of the coronavirus.
  • Scientists are still researching on the effects, virulence and severity of the new strain.
  • Concerns have been raised over the nature and location of the mutation. The mutation was at the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter the human body. This protein is also one of the targets of vaccines currently being developed.
  • But experts are of the opinion that vaccines would remain effective despite the mutation, because the immune response generated is against the complete surface, so even in case there is a change in a particular point the vaccine still remains effective.

Way Ahead:

  • The RT-PCR tests have been made compulsory on arrival and in case of a positive sample, it is recommended that spike gene-based RT-PCR test should also be performed by an appropriate laboratory.
  • The onus is on the government and the people; increased surveillance and monitoring from the government should be complemented by people following necessary precautions.

Western Ghats home to 3,387 leopards

Paper:

Mains: General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management

Why in News?

  • The Status of Leopards in India 2018 report was released. It revealed that the Western Ghats was home to close to 3,387 leopards.

Key Details:

  • The population of leopards in India has gone up by 60 per cent, as per the ‘Status of Leopard in India 2018’ report.
  • India now has 12,852 leopards, witnessing a substantial increase in comparison to the 2014 data.

Population of Leopards in India:

  • The leopard population was counted during the tiger population assessment undertaken in 2018. The leopard population was estimated to be within the forested habitats in tiger occupied states.

Habitat

  • The maximum population of wild Indian leopards are found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Assam.
  • The most popular national parks in India to spot wild leopards are Nagarhole National Park, Jim Corbett National Park, Rajaji National Park, Mouling National Park, Gir Forest National Park, Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park and Kanha National Park.

Camera traps

  • Camera traps were used to obtain leopards’ photographs in the Western Ghats.
  • The images helped in the identification of 1,681 adults and sub-adults.
  • The report sought to balance the optimism due to the rise in the leopard population in the tiger reserves of the Western Ghats with the caution of an increasing trend of leopard-human conflict in the region.

Delaying the inevitable

Paper:

Mains: General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management

Why in News?

  • The Union Government has extended the moratorium on critical provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) till March 2021.

Key Details:

  • The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown meant that the economy went into a downward spiral with economic activities ranging across a number of sectors suffering.
  • The economy was grounded to a halt with the lockdown causing immense stress to the business enterprises.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)

  • The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 was enacted to radically change the process of insolvency resolution in India.
  • The IBC provided a specialized forum to oversee all insolvency and liquidation proceedings for individuals, SMEs and corporates.

Steps taken by Government

  • The threshold for loan defaults was increased from Rs.1 lakh to Rs.1 crore in March.
  • An ordinance was issued in June to bar the creditors from setting into motion insolvency proceedings for defaults arising from March 25th. The ordinance stated that the moratorium could be possibly extended for a year.
  • The extension of suspension suggests that the economy is still a long way off from recovery.
  • The blanket suspension of IBC could clog the path of business enterprises who voluntarily want to exit, the pandemic has changed the way certain businesses will be carried out in the future, thus several enterprises will not find it viable and thus need an exit.
  • The absence of a voluntary exit may lead to the loss in value of the assets, causing even more distress to the borrower and lender.

Conclusion:

  • The government needs to adopt a more balanced approach that benefits the banks, businesses and the economy.
  • The aim should be to arrive at a mechanism that would lead to a smooth restructuring and recovery of loans, a blanket suspension of IBC will not benefit in the longer run.

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