National
Managing Director of Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI)
⇒ Shri Ajay Yadav, a 2005 batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre has assumed the charge of Managing Director, Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI).
About SECI:
- Solar Energy Corporation of India Limited (SECI) is a Miniratna Category-I Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) incorporated in the year 2011.
- SECI is the primary implementing agency of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt of India for Renewable Energy schemes/projects towards fulfilment of India’s international commitments.
- Till date, SECI has awarded Renewable Energy (RE) project capacities of over 58 GW. SECI enjoys highest credit rating of AAA by ICRA.
MeitY launches Pilot project on Electronics Repair Services Outsourcing (ERSO)
⇒ In line with the overall vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to make India a global electronics powerhouse, the Government launched the ERSO Pilot initiative on 31 May 2023 to validate certain transformational policy and process changes to make India the Repair Capital of the World.
Demonstrating true commitment to the growth of Industry, MeitY, CBIC, DGFT & MoEF&CC converged with industry to effect transformational policy and process changes that would make India the most attractive repair destination for ICT products globally. Over the next 5 years, India’s ERSO industry is likely to fetch India a upto $20 billion in revenue and also generate millions of jobs.
Key Points:
- The project has been identified as a gamechanger for India and has been supported by the Government to make India a world leader in a hitherto untapped domain.
- The policy and process changes required for ERSO have been introduced over the last few months by different departments of the Government after in-depth discussions with the Repair Industry and are being validated for their efficacy and efficiency through a limited pilot that has been launched.
- The pilot was held in Bengaluru and ran for a period of three months commencing on 31 May.
- Five companies, namely Flex, Lenovo, CTDI, R-Logic & Aforeserve have volunteered for the pilot.
- Post the pilot a detailed assessment will be carried out and modifications made in the process and policy as necessary.
In line with the clarion call of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to support Mission LiFE, the ERSO initiative will be a gamechanger for Global environmental sustainability and reiterates India’s commitment to the environment and our planet. It will enable extension of device life globally by providing cheap and reliable repair of ICT products for the globe.
International
76th Session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland
⇒ The 76th Session of the World Health Assembly was held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 21–30 May 2023.
Theme:
The theme of 76th World Health Assembly was “WHO at 75: Saving lives, driving health for all.”
Key Agenda:
The key agenda for this assembly included discussions and deliberations on the issues of Universal Health Coverage, Public Health Emergencies, Health & Well-Being, and more effective and efficient World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizing the importance of global collaborations and partnerships for building resilient global health architecture and collectively striving to achieve Universal Health Coverage through value-based healthcare.
Participation of India:
» Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the 76th session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva on 21 May 2023 through a video message.
» Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya represented India during the 76th World Health Assembly.
- Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya addressed the 76th World Health Assembly centered on the theme of ‘Health for All’ and a side event session on “Heal in India & Heal by India”.
Bilateral meetings:
Dr. Mandaviya attended various bilateral meetings from nations across the globe, fostered opportunities for healthcare collaborations between the participating countries and also participated in media interaction.
- The bilateral meetings engaged representatives from Singapore, France, Netherlands, USA, Bangladesh, Argentina, Brazil, Qatar and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
- Mandaviya also conducted bilateral meetings with the Health Ministers of Bangladesh, Iran, Innovators, Venezuela, Argentina exploring areas of collaboration in fortifying healthcare systems and enhancing capacities for disease surveillance, eradication of Tuberculosis, Anti-Microbial resistance and capacity building amongst other domains.
Additionally, a multilateral meeting was also held with representatives from BRICS.
BRICS Health Ministers Meeting 2023
» Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya addressed the BRICS Health Ministers Meeting 2023 on the side-lines of the World Health Assembly on 25 May.
- The meeting brought together health ministers from BRICS member countries- Brazil, China, Russia, and South Africa.
Dr. Mandaviya extended his heartfelt congratulations to South Africa for prioritizing the agenda of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the theme of “Bridging the Gap on Sustainable Health on the road to UHC 2023.” This theme aligns with the overall theme of BRICS 2023, “Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism,” which aims to catalyse progress towards UHC by fostering global collaborations.
» The Health Minister outlined three core agendas for the transformation of the global healthcare landscape: Healthcare Emergency Preparedness, Equitable access to Medical Countermeasures, and Digital Health.
- Mandaviya called upon all participants to converge their efforts and work towards achieving these agendas, leveraging the unique opportunity as Health Ministers of BRICS nations to shape the future of global health.
Quad Plus Side Event:
» Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, delivered the Keynote Address at a Quad Plus Side Event on Tuberculosis (Tb) during the 76th World Health Assembly on 25 May.
Dr. Mandaviya shared India’s commitment to eliminating tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, five years ahead of the set target under SDG 3.3. Dr. Mandaviya announced that the country has witnessed a 13% reduction in TB incidence from 2015 to 2022, surpassing the global reduction rate of 10%. Additionally, TB mortality in India has decreased by 15% during the same period, compared to the global reduction rate of 5.9%.
- The event witnessed the participation of distinguished delegates from Quad Plus countries, reinforcing the commitment to tackle the global health challenge posed by TB.
About the World Health Assembly:
- The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO.
- It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board.
- The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.
- The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.
Important Day
World No Tobacco Day 2023
⇒ World No Tobacco Day is celebrated every year on 31 May.
- This day is an opportunity to raise awareness on the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use.
Theme:
The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2023 was “Grow food, not tobacco”.
The 2023 global campaign for World No Tobacco Day – focused on growing sustainable food crops instead of tobacco.
- The 2023 global campaign aims to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops.
- It will also aim to expose the tobacco industry’s efforts to interfere with attempts to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops, thereby contributing to the global food crisis.
History:
- The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes.
- In 1987, the World Health Assembly passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for 7 April 1988 to be a “a world no-smoking day.”
- In 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.
Other Points:
- Tobacco is a major public health concern across the world, including India.
- As per Global Adult Tobacco Survey-India (GATS2) India is the second largest producer and consumer of tobacco products in the world with over 27 crore tobacco users.
- According to the World Health Organisation, “nicotine contained in tobacco is highly addictive and tobacco use is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, over 20 different types or subtypes of cancer, and many other debilitating health conditions.”