📰 Modi, Xi upbeat on relations post-Wuhan
Leaders hold bilateral at G20 summit.
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that there had been a “perceptible improvement” in bilateral ties after their Wuhan summit and both sides are optimistic that 2019 would be an even better year for India-China relations.
•During their fourth meeting this year on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, Mr. Modi and Mr. Xi on Friday discussed joint efforts to further enhance mutual trust and friendship.
•“Had a wonderful meeting with President Xi Jinping,” Mr. Modi tweeted and said the talks revolved around a wide range of bilateral and global subjects.
•A statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing said Mr. Xi told Mr. Modi that many important consensus points on the development of China-India relations were being implemented and the relations were are steadily improving.
•Referring to the talks between the Special Representatives on the border issue as well as defence and various other delegations, President Xi said the two sides should work together to build an open world economy and make globalisation more open, inclusive, balanced and beneficial to all, the statement said.
•“We should oppose protectionism and unilateralism, uphold the core values and basic principles of the World Trade Organisation (WTO),” Mr. Xi said.
•Asserting that their Wuhan informal meeting was a milestone in the Sino-India ties, Mr. Modi told Mr. Xi that he was looking forward to host him for an informal summit next year.
Soyameal imports
•Later, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told reporters that the two leaders said there had been a perceptible improvement in relations. President Xi referred to enhanced imports of rice and sugar from India and spoke of possibility of greater import of soyameal and rapeseed, Mr. Gokhale said.
📰 Weight of school bags for students fixed
Schools not to assign any homework to Class I and II children, states govt. circular
•The weight of a school bag in Delhi is officially fixed, states a Delhi government circular on Saturday. It says school bags for students in Class I and II should not be above 1.5 kg; for Classes III to V (2-3 kg), Classes VI-VII (4 kg), Classes VIII—IX (4.5 kg), and Class X (5 kg).
•The circular also asks schools not to assign any home work to Class I and II children.
•It asked schools to inform the students in advance about the books and notebooks to be brought to the school on a particular day.
Follows Centre’s order
•The decision of the Delhi Directorate of Education follows Centre’s order and guidelines for capping the weight of school bags for Classes I-X.
•“Heavy school bags are a serious threat to the health and well-being of the school students. It has a severe adverse physical effect on the growing children which can cause damage to their vertebral column and knees,” said the circular.
•The load of the school bag, the circular said, is increased by bringing textbooks, guides, homework/classwork notebooks, rough work notebooks, water bottles, lunch box and sometimes the heavy bag itself.
•“The schools running under the Directorate of Education have to follow the textbooks prescribed by the SCERT, NCERT and CBSE. The number of textbooks in different classes should not exceed the number prescribed by the statutory bodies. The Head of schools and teachers should frame a well-designed timetable for each class so that children do not have to carry too many books to the school,” the circular said.
•It also said that reading library books and participation in games, sports, art and culture and other creative and co-curricular activities for holistic development of students must be encouraged.
•“Three textbooks [of Hindi, English and Mathematics] have been prescribed for Classes I and II. There shall not be any homework for these classes,” it said.
•“As per the curriculum, six textbooks have been prescribed for Classes VI to X — three textbooks for three languages and one for maths, science and social studies each,” said the circular.
•“There shall be one notebook for each subject for exercises, projects, Unit Test, experiments etc. which the students need to bring as per timetable. Students should not be asked to bring additional books, extra material to the school. The students should always use both straps for carrying the bags and should not sling the bag over one shoulder. The students should keep the bag down while waiting for the school conveyance or in the school assembly,” it added.
•The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development earlier this week had asked the States and UTs to ensure that there is no homework for students of Classes I and II and the guidelines capping the weight of school bags for Classes I-X are adhered to.
📰 Central guidelines for crèches at workplaces
Applies to institutions with 50 or more staff
•The Centre has prepared guidelines for setting up of crèches at workplaces, which prescribe trained personnel to man the facility as well as infrastructure requirements and safety norms.
•In March this year, Parliament passed the Maternity Benefit Amendment Act, 2017, enhancing paid maternity leave from a period of 12 weeks to 26 weeks. The law is applicable to all institutions with 10 or more employees. It also makes it mandatory for every organisation with 50 or more employees to have a crèche.
•The guidelines made public last month recommend that a crèche be either at the workplace or within 500 metres of it. Alternatively, it could also be in the beneficiaries’ neighbourhood.
•The facility should be open for eight to 10 hours and if the employees have a shift system, then the crèche should also be run accordingly. A crèche must have a minimum space of 10 to 12 square feet per child to ensure that she or he can play, rest and learn. There should be no unsafe places such as open drains, pits, garbage bins near the centre.
•The crèches should have at least one guard, who should have undergone police verification. There should also be at least one supervisor per crèche and a trained worker for every 10 children under three years of age or for every 20 children above the age of three, along with a helper.
•The government has also recommended that no outsiders such as plumbers, drivers, electricians be allowed inside the crèche when children are present.
•A crèche monitoring committee with representations from among crèche workers, parents and administration should be formed. There should also be a grievance redressal committee for inquiring into instances of sexual abuse. The guidelines are not mandatory but are a yardstick for NGOs and organisations for setting up of creches.
📰 Opioid painkiller ban sees spurt in heroin seizures in Mizoram
Church sceptical of link, contends allowing liquor sales hasn’t curbed drug use
•The quantity of heroin seized in Mizoram has increased steadilly since 2014 when the State government replaced total prohibition with controlled prohibition.
•While enforcement officials attribute this trend to the 2013 countrywide ban on the sale of painkiller capsules containing the opioid Dextropropoxyphene, the Church — influential in Christian-dominated Mizoram — is sceptical about this “theory”. The heroin seizures, the Church argues, have undermined the government’s contention that liquor helps wean people off drugs.
•Sleuths of the Mizoram Excise and Narcotics Department seized 3.126 kg of heroin in 2014, the year Lal Thanhawla’s Congress government enacted the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition and Control) Act to end 18 years of a church-enforced ban on liquor consumption.
•From a little over 4 kg in 2015 and 2016, total seizures in 2017 rose to 6.186 kg. And this year, with 6.173 kg having already been seized till October, the figure is only going to be higher.
•“We have reasons to believe the seizure and consumption of heroin have increased because addicts no longer get painkillers such as Spasmo Proxyvon, Parvon Spas and Spasmocip with high Dextropropoxyphene content... banned five years ago,” said Ngurchungnunga Sailo, Mizoram’s Commissioner of Excise and Narcotics.
•Officials said addicts emptied the capsules’ contents into a solution and injected it into their bloodstream for a high. While the opioid fix cost an addict ₹50 at most, a gram of heroin in Aizawl or elsewhere in Mizoram costs as much as ₹4,000.
•Though pharmaceutical firms in India stopped production of the capsules containing Dextropropoxyphene in 2013, the products have kept entering the market — with 4,034 capsules seized in 2017, down from 2016’s 7,400.
•“Fortunately, Mizoram does not have an organised drug-dealing network,” Mr. Sailo said, adding: “Individuals smuggle the narcotic drugs in from Myanmar.”
•Apart from locals, Myanmar nationals are also involved in peddling drugs. Out of the 553 people arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985 this year, 23 were foreigners.
•Excise officials said there is no scientific evidence yet to link the seizure of drugs with the government’s alcohol policy.
Church ‘vindicated’
•But the church, which had in the run up to the November 28 Assembly election in the State urged the political parties to push for prohibition, is convinced that availability of liquor does not necessarily check drug abuse.
•“We engaged university teachers for a study on the effect of controlled prohibition,” said Reverend B. Sangthanga, executive secretary of the Mizoram Synod of the Presbyterian Church. “The finding was that liquor really damaged the Mizo society in terms of depleting finances, domestic violence, increase in drug abuse and HIV/AIDS cases,” he observed.
•The government, for its part, commissioned a study by a 27-member review and evaluation committee, which examined the advantages and disadvantages of opening wine shops in the State. The study, tabled in July, found that for every ₹1 of revenue earned from alcohol, an estimated ₹2.85 was being spent on social costs.
📰 India, U.S. to review defence deals
Defence Minister to also discuss sanctions waiver during six-day visit
•India and the U.S. will review the progress of their expanding defence cooperation as well as discuss the issue of sanctions waiver for the arms purchases from Russia during Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s six-day visit starting Sunday.
•Ms. Sitharaman will hold talks with her counterpart, James Mattis.
Nod for drones
•The Ministers are expected to review the progress of several defence deals in the pipeline as well as the developments in the region.
•Discussion are in an advanced stage for the purchase of 24 MH-60R multi-role helicopters for the Indian Navy through the Foreign Military Sales route and also Predator armed drones for which the U.S. has already given in-principle approval.
•India would also like to get some clarity on the waiver for sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
•India has signed or approved several big-ticket defence deals with Russia recently including a $5.43-bn deal for S-400 long-range air-defence systems.
Co-production projects
•According to official sources, Ms. Sitharaman will also visit the recently renamed U.S. Indo-Pacific Command at Hawaii. Further, she will visit the Mountain View headquarters of Pentagon’s U.S. Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) to take forward joint development projects.
•At the inaugural 2+2 dialogue in New Delhi, a Memorandum of Intent was signed between the DIU and the Indian Defence Innovation Organisation – Innovation for Defence Excellence (DIO-iDEX) which will look into joint projects for co-production and co-development through the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).
•Ms. Sitharaman was earlier scheduled to visit the U.S. for the 2+2 dialogue and then proceed on a bilateral visit but that was deferred.
📰 Good news on tiger numbers
Significant increase likely in 8 habitats across India
•At a time when tiger deaths dominate national news, a new study offers hope for wild tiger populations across countries by showing that under optimal conditions, tiger numbers can triple in 18 sites across the world, including eight in India.
•These are Anamalai-Vazhachal (in Tamil Nadu-Kerala), Sathyamangalam (Tamil Nadu), Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh), Achanakmar (Chattisgarh), western Rajaji and Nandhaur (Uttarakhand), Manas (across Assam-Bhutan) and Valmiki (across Bihar-Nepal). Currently, these regions support an estimated 62 tigers which could rise to 287 over the next 30-50 years: an increase of more than four times in India alone.
•The study, published in PLOS ONE, was conducted by 49 conservationists of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) across 10 tiger-range countries. They compiled the best available information — including the occurrence and abundances of tigers and their prey from available scientific studies, the connectivity of the protected areas and availability of protected buffer forests nearby as well as human disturbances including fragmentation through the Human Footprint Index. These were used for developing site-specific and ecologically realistic targets and timelines for the recovery of tiger populations in 18 tiger global “recovery sites”.
•The results reveal that while the 10 tiger-range countries currently support 165 tigers, they could harbour 585 individuals. This rise could happen over 15-20 years in three sites including Uttarakhand's Western Rajaji where natural prey is adequate, and over 30-50 years in the other areas where prey numbers would need to first recover.
•While some tiger populations are already doing better (Manas, for instance, has over 30 tigers now), others such as western Rajaji are not, wrote lead author Abishek Harihar, a scientist with Panthera and NCF-India, in an email to The Hindu.
•This new assessment could guide planning for tiger recovery globally and help inform more effective, integrated approaches to tiger conservation, he said.
•Tackling growing incidents of human–tiger conflict in these areas would be crucial to aid this increase, according to the study. It also adds that the goal of doubling tiger numbers from about 3,200 to about 6,000 by 2022 may have been an “ambitious goal” that the signatories of the Global Tiger Recovery Program took on.
•“As we move towards the [TX2] goal, we must recognise that global efforts put into tiger recovery is aimed at the long-term survival of tigers in the wild, way beyond 2022,” said Joseph Vattakaven, coordinating author and tiger biologist from WWF, India.
•This study affirms the need for tiger-range governments to take a holistic, long-term view towards tiger recovery which must include plans for revival of prey animals and other wildlife at the site- level, said Dr. Rajesh Gopal, Secretary General of the Global Tiger Forum (an inter-governmental international body that works towards protecting tigers) in a press release.
📰 Keeping the vigil
In natural disasters such as Cyclone Gaja, a resilient health system can make all the difference
•It is 15 days since Cyclone Gaja made landfall in southern Tamil Nadu, wreaking havoc in six districts of the State. At least 3,000 public health personnel still remain on the ground, organising medical camps, chlorinating water sources, looking out for mosquito breeding sources and, more importantly, maintaining sanitation in affected areas.
•K. Kolandaswamy, who is the Director of Public and Preventive Medicine,Government of Tamil Nadu, leaves nothing to chance. He believes that in the event of any disaster, public health is crucial.
Importance of surveillance
•Disasters create a significant impact on the lives and health of people. Hence, disease surveillance becomes important. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that every year, natural disasters claim around 90,000 lives and affect close to 160 million people worldwide. In their aftermath, there have been instances of disease outbreaks.
•For example, there was a cholera outbreak after a massive earthquake struck Haiti in 2010, and a leptospirosis spike after a cyclone in Odisha in 1999.
•WHO wants the focus of health emergency and disaster risk management to be broadened “ from that of response and recovery to a more proactive approach which emphasises prevention and mitigation, and the development of community and country capacities to provide timely and effective response and recovery.”
•After Gaja swept across the delta regions of Tamil Nadu, over 6.58 lakh people were screened in 10,433 medical camps — both static and mobile — in the six affected districts. The numbers tell the tale: in a post-disaster situation, a resilient health system is indispensable.
•For public health officials, providing access to safe drinking water, food and sanitation are the formula; any lacuna could increase the risk of health hazards.
•Says Dr. Kolandaswamy: “Post-cyclone, public health measures are targeted towards providing medical care, prevention and control of infectious diseases, providing safe drinking water, sanitation in temporary shelters and mosquito/fly control activities. Teams are chlorinating water sources and removing potential mosquito breeding sources in the affected areas.”
•A team of 289 doctors and 245 nurses from the State Health Department continue to be on the field in the affected areas of Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram districts. Nearly 120 mobile medical teams, 45 food safety teams, 306 vector control teams, 311 chlorination teams and 134 emergency ambulance services are on the job.
•It is important to ensure that health services are maintained in the aftermath of a disaster, Dr. Kolandaswamy says:. “We have ensured that we are reaching people at their doorsteps through medical camps. This helps us to pick up cases of fever and diarrhoea early,” he adds.
Sanitation crucial
•Experts say sanitation should not take a back seat. For example, a community or marriage hall turns into a home for several of those who have been affected for at least 15 days till restoration works are complete. Dr. Kolandaswamy says, “Sanitation at these temporary shelters is one of the priority areas. Not to forget the accommodation of those involved in relief work too.”
•The threat of water- and vector-borne diseases looms large in the event of floods and cyclones. P. Kuganantham, former city health officer, Chennai Corporation, vividly remembers people in flood-hit areas waiting for food and water. “That is the basic need,” he says. “Hence, chlorinated water should be supplied and food served to them should be hot and fresh.” As a former consultant with the UNICEF and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he has worked in situations such as after an earthquake in Gujarat, the tsunami in 2004, in Tamil Nadu, and floods in Odisha.
•The commonest diseases in a post-flood situation, for example, include cholera, typhoid, jaundice and leptospirosis. There is also a likelihood of an outbreak of dengue and malaria.
•Children, he says, are likely to develop measles, as was seen during the tsunami in Tamil Nadu. “This is primarily due to overcrowding in relief centres. So, vaccination against measles should be given.”
Psychological support
•It is also important to take a step ahead and provide psychological support to those who are affected. Says Dr. Kuganantham: “I remember a few children who had lost their parents during the tsunami staring at us blankly. The depression and psychosis is evident in the aftermath of a disaster. People require counselling and re-assurance as they would have lost their relatives, their assets and livelihood.”
•T.S. Ravikumar, Professor and head, Emergency Nursing, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, and a core member of the Asia-Pacific Emergency and Disaster Nursing Network of WHO, feels that the floods in Chennai, in 2015, and in Kerala, in August this year, are examples of some of the successful efforts in maintaining health and sanitation.
•What is crucial is to prepare for disaster risk reduction, he says, while drawing attention to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 that was endorsed by the UN General Assembly and adopted by 187 countries at the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, in Sendai, Japan. It places health at the centre of a global disaster risk reduction policy.
•“This framework,” he says, “provides the protocols for a disaster situation. Resilience is important... what is crucial is preparing disaster risk reduction of the area for the future. It is vital to be alert on aspects of hazard preparedness.”
📰 An unpleasant comeback
As cases of measles surge worldwide, ‘decades of progress’ in jeopardy
•Reported cases of measles worldwide surged by nearly a third last year, partly because parents did not vaccinate their children, health organisations have said.
•The increase in measles, a highly contagious scourge that had been nearly eradicated in many parts of the world just a few years ago, was “deeply concerning”, the organisations have said in a report on the fight to eradicate measles.
Official’s warning
•“Without urgent efforts to increase vaccination coverage and identify populations with unacceptable levels of under- or unimmunised children, we risk losing decades of progress,” says Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Deputy Director General for programmes at the World Health Organisation (WHO), while announcing the findings.
•Measles outbreaks have affected nearly all regions, the report says, with the biggest surges in the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean region and Europe.
•The findings reinforce similarly alarming results reported three months ago by the WHO for Europe, which showed that measles had reached the highest levels in two decades across the continent.
Key factors
•At least 95% of a population must have immunity to control the spread of measles, public health officials say. But in several European countries, the figure is 85% or less. Health officials have put the blame for the immunity problem partly on parental neglect and the mistaken belief that vaccines can cause autism and other afflictions.
•The measles increase in Latin America is partly attributable to an economic calamity afflicting Venezuela, where many public health services have stopped or are mired in dysfunction.
•The number of officially reported measles cases in 2017 totalled 173,330, the report says, 31% higher than levels in 2016. Still, the number of reported cases last year remained far below the 853,479 reported in 2000.
•The disease can cause debilitating and sometimes fatal complications, severe diarrhoea, dehydration, pneumonia and vision loss. Babies and young children with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible.
•An estimated 110,000 people, mainly children, died from measles last year, the report says.
•The report, “Progress Toward Regional Measles Elimination — Worldwide, 2000-2017”, is a joint publication of the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.
•Dr. Seth Berkley, chief executive officer of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an advocacy group that promotes vaccination in lower-income countries, says the surge in reported cases shows that more efforts are needed to strengthen immunisation coverage.
•“Complacency about the disease and the spread of falsehoods about the vaccine in Europe, a collapsing health system in Venezuela and pockets of fragility and low immunisation coverage in Africa are combining to bring about a global resurgence of measles after years of progress,” he says.
📰 South African President Ramaphosa to be Republic Day 2019 guest
His visit will further cement ties: Nrendra Modi
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on the sidelines of the G20 summit here and invited him to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations next year.
•Mr. Ramaphosa has accepted the invitation.
•“Glad to have met President @CyrilRamaphosa. At a time when India is marking the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, it is our honour to welcome President Ramaphosa as the Chief Guest for the 2019 Republic Day celebrations. Bapu’s close link with South Africa is well known,” Mr. Modi tweeted. He said Mr. Ramaphosa’s visit would further cement ties between the two countries.
📰 Why the road ahead for Brexit is going to be hard
What are the terms?
•On November 25, leaders of the EU-27 group of nations signed off on the 585-word treaty setting out the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the union as well as a non-binding political declaration of aspirations for the future relationship. While insisting that she did not share European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker’s sentiment that it was a “very sad day,” British Prime Minister Theresa May has little reason to celebrate. After 18 months of negotiation, the deal that must be approved by Parliament pleases very few. The document sets out everything from Britain’s “divorce payment” to the end of free movement, changes to fishery policy, and customs arrangements.
What about Northern Ireland?
•Crucially, it deals with the seemingly-intractable problem of avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland (part of the U.K.) and the Republic of Ireland (the EU nation), through a backstop or insurance scheme that would kick in and keep the border open in the event of a hard Brexit. The trouble is that, as it is an insurance mechanism, it can only be ended under very specific conditions, so its existence riles the “hard” Brexiteers, who believe it undermines the “taking back control” aspect so crucial to their Brexit vision. It also displeases Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) which believes it would lead to different rules across the U.K., threatening national integrity. The Labour Party also opposes the deal on the grounds that it fails its six tests, including providing the “exact same benefits” Britain has as a member of the single market and customs union. Even U.S. President Donald Trump has weighed in, suggesting the deal was more in favour of Europe than anyone else. Ms. May has insisted that it is the best deal on offer, though her threat that voting it down would take Britain back to square one is being ignored by and large by MPs convinced their opponents will blink first.
What happens in Parliament?
•The situation will reach High Noon on December 11 when the deal goes to Parliament, potentially involving “hard” Brexiteers, Labour and those campaigning for a second referendum uniting to defeat the deal. The DUP, on whose votes the government depends to pass legislation thanks to the 2017 general election, has fired warning shots, abstaining from some votes relating to the Finance Bill.
•What could happen then is anyone’s guess. Some are suggesting a so-called TARP scenario to avoid economic Armageddon, named after the 2008 battle to get the U.S.’s Troubled Assets Relief Programme through the House of Representatives. Then, the House initially rejected the programme that bailed out the banking sector but passed it after markets tanked: could British MPs react in a similar way to the prospect of crashing out? Or could the British government be forced to delay Brexit or hold a second referendum? The Labour Party — whose support would be crucial for achieving this — has sent mixed signals, including whether the option of remaining should be part of a new vote. Within the Conservative Party. some like Jacob Rees-Mogg continue to plug away for a no-deal exit. He remains influential despite a failed attempt to trigger a no-confidence vote in May, and there are chances that those who have remained in the Cabinet could join forces with him if they fail to exact further concessions from Europe. There are also surprise voices such as former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab who recently suggested that leaving the EU on the terms of the current deal could be worse than remaining in the EU on current terms.
What lies in store?
•In all of this Ms. May has sought support from the public and business, but with limited success. A November poll showed that just 19% of the voters back the deal, while business is particularly concerned about immigration arrangements, including the end of free movement and a focus on highly skilled workers. One thing is clear: with so many combinations and permutations for the days and weeks ahead, Brexit is the political drama that keeps on giving.
📰 G20 summit: India presents 9-point agenda on fugitive economic offenders
The agenda presented by PM Modi calls for joint efforts by G-20 countries to form a mechanism that denies entry and safe havens to fugitive economic offenders.
•India on Friday presented a nine-point agenda to G20 member nations calling for strong and active cooperation among them to comprehensively deal with fugitive economic offenders.
•The agenda was presented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the second session of the G20 Summit on international trade, international financial and tax systems.
•“Cooperation in legal processes such as effective freezing of the proceeds of crime, early return of the offenders and efficient repatriation of the proceeds of crime should be enhanced and streamlined,” the agenda read.
Joint efforts
•India also called for joint efforts by G-20 countries to form a mechanism that denies entry and safe havens to fugitive economic offenders.
•“Principles of United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (UNOTC), especially related to ‘International Cooperation’ should be fully and effectively implemented,” it said.
