Daily Current Affairs - 29-11-2021

According to National Health Accounts (NHA) estimates for India for 2017-18, share of government health expenditure in the GDP of India has increased from 1.15% in 2013-14 to 1.35% in 2017-18.

Key Points

National Health Accounts (NHA)

NHA is a process by which countries monitor the flow of money in health sector. Flow of money is monitored by looking at different perspective of health financing. The World Health Organization has been coordinating efforts to produce these estimates for each country at the global level.

Background

The World Health Organization (WHO) was constituted in 1948 for Universal Health Coverage (UHC). To measure UHC, it becomes essential to measure how health systems are being financed. Health systems are measured on the basis of data generated by National Health Accounts.

How were NHAs developed?

NHAs were developed using the System of Health Accounts (SHA), which is defined by OECD. The SHA was developed in 2000.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) proposed for the alignment of another expressway, that will run from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh to Siliguri in West Bengal via Bihar.

Key Points

Significance of the project

This project will benefit the people of Bihar. It will ease the vehicular traffic from east to west part in Bihar.

Which districts will be covered in Bihar?

The proposed expressway will enter Bihar from Gopalganj and exist from Kishanganj. It will crisscross Siwan, Chapra, Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Saharsa and Purnia, in that order.

Bharatmala Pariyojana

Bharatmala Pariyojana is a centrally-sponsored & funded Road & Highways project. The project will build roads and highways from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. It will then cover entire Himalayan territories covering Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. It will also move towards Uttar Pradesh and Bihar alongside Terai, and construct highways in West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, covering up to Indo-Myanmar border across Manipur and Mizoram. The project will interconnect 550 District Headquarters

On November 28, 2021, India’s only certified organic kiwi from Ziro Valley Farms of Arunachal Pradesh was launched at a mega National Tribal Festival called Aadi Mahotsav. This festival is being held in Dilli Hat, INA in New Delhi.

Key Points

Aadi Mahotsav

Aim of the Mahotsav

The Aadi Mahotsav was launched with the aim of empowering tribal business in India and exhibit their products.

Ziro Valley

Ziro Valley is a town and district headquarters of Lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh. This town has been included in Tentative List for UNESCO’s World Heritage Site for its Apatani cultural landscape.

The Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh is set to get 13 cheetahs in 2022.

Key Points

Significance of the project

The project is crucial in India. It would mean the introduction of fastest animal on Earth into the wild, after 69 years of last surviving cheetah was recorded to have been hunted down in 1952 in Chhattisgarh.

Challenges of the project

There are challenges too in the project, as fence which is being created would prevent the entry of the African Cheetahs.

When was Kuno selected?

Supreme Court expert committee had selected Kuno National Park as the habitat for African cheetah in January 2021. The expert committee was constituted by the court for implementing the Cheetah Translocation Project. Kuno was preferred over Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.

IUCN Status of Cheetah

As per United Nations, Cheetahs have been listed as “Vulnerable” in the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, recent study revealed the decline in its population. Hence, demand is there for cheetahs to be listed to “Endangered category”. In North Africa and Asia, cheetahs are considered as “Critically Endangered.”

Petr Fiala has been named as new Prime Minister of Czech Republic. President Milos Zeman named him as the PM on November 28, after his electoral win in October.

Highlights

Fiala’s party

Fiala, aged 57, heads the three-party coalition namely, Civic Democratic Party, TOP 09 party and Christian Democrats, together. This coalition garnered him 27.8 per cent of the vote in October. This alliance narrowly defeated ANO movement, which was led by billionaire Babis. The centrist group of Mayors & Independents besides the left-wing Pirate Party joined the coalition of Fiala to remove Babis. Babis had served as prime minister since 2017.

The Czech Republic

Czech Republic is also known as Czechia and was formerly known as Bohemia. It is a landlocked country, located in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria, Germany, Poland, and Slovakia. It is a unitary parliamentary republic and developed country having an advanced, high-income social market economy. It is a welfare state comprising of a European social model, tuition-free university education and universal health care.

Ranking across different index

Czech Republic has been ranked at 12th in the UN inequality-adjusted human development while 24th in World Bank Human Capital Index. It is ahead of United States. The country is a member of OECD, NATO, the EU, the CoE and OSCE.

TRIFED organised a Tribes India Conclave in association with the Ministry of External Affairs on November 27, 2021 at the “Tribes India Adi Mahotsav”.

Highlights

Dignitaries who attended the conclave

The dignitaries comprise of diplomats from more than 20 countries like Kiribati, Poland, Mexico, South Korea, Laos, Thailand, Bangladesh, Switzerland, Brazil, Maldives and US. Conclave was also attended by delegates from international organizations like United Nations as well.

Tribes India Conclave

GI store

During the conclave, a separate GI store also featured renowned, exquisite items like Darjeeling tea from West Bengal, Kota Doriya fabric, Rajasthan’s blue pottery, Kala jeera from Himachal Pradesh, Odisha’s Pattachitra, Madhya Pradesh’s Chanderi & Maheshwari silk, Karnataka’s Bidriware, Banarasi silk from Uttar Pradesh.

6th edition of the BRICS Film Festival awards was announced at the 52nd International Film Festival of India in Goa. For the first time, BRICS Film Festival was held alongside IFFI during November 20 to November 28, 2021.

Key Points

About Barakat Film

The Best film, Barakat, is a dramatic comedy, talking about an aging matriarch who seeks to bring together her fractured dysfunctional family on the Eid festival, in order to share the news of her new romance. This film was nominated from South Africa for Best International feature at 94th Academy Awards of 2022. The film won several awards in various international film festivals.

About The Sun above Me Never Sets

This movie narrates the story of a young man who is trying to reinvigorate the zeal to live life in an old man in order for him to see his lost daughter. The film is an inspiring work of fiction from Russia, which has been directed by Lyubov Borisova.

About IFFI

IFFI brought together five major emerging economies and leading film production countries in the world. The Jury for this competitive festival had 5 members, one from each of the BRICS country. Jury selected the awards under five categories after examining twenty films.

On November 26, 2021, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released new norms for Private Banks.

Highlights

Internal Working Group (IWG)

IWG is headed by the director of central board of the RBI, Prasanna Kumar Mohanty. This group was set up on June 12, 2021. It suggested in its report, published on November 20, that large corporate or industrial houses should be allowed in banking following the amendments to the Banking Regulation Act. This recommendation created an uproar among former governors and deputy governors of RBI. RBI did not accept this suggestion.

RBI’s call on recommendations

Senior bureaucrat Vivek Johri was appointed as the chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) on November 28, 2021.

Key Points

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)

CBIC is the nodal national agency to administer GST, Customs, Central Excise, Service Tax & Narcotics in India. The Customs & Central Excise department was established by the British Governor General of India in 1855, for administering customs laws and for collecting import duties or land revenue. CBIC is one of the oldest government departments in India.

Staffs of CBIC

CBIC is staffed by ministerial staff who are selected through Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exams and IRS officers through Civil Services Examination. They start their careers as Assistant Commissioners or Directors in the field. After 20–25 years, they rise to the post of Chief Commissioners.

Structure of the CBIC

CBIC is headed by a chairperson and comprises of six members.

Kerala Tourism is set to launch “STREET Project” at select spots across seven districts, in order to take tourism deep into the interiors and hinterland of the state.

About STREET Project

  1. Kadalundi in Kozhikode
  2. Thrithala & Pattithara in Palakkad
  3. Pinarayi & Ancharakkandi in Kannur
  4. Maravanthuruthu & Manchira in Kottayam
  5. Valiyaparamba in Kasaragod
  6. Kanthalloor in Idukki and
  7. Chekadi in Wayanad.

What does STREET stand for?

STREET is an acronym for “Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic, Tourism hubs”.

Theme of the project

Under the project, themes like Green Street, village life experience street, cultural street, experiential tourism street, water street, agri-tourism street, and art street have been planned. These streets will be in line with the peculiarities of the select locations and will also focus on experiential tourism.

Aim of the project

The STREET Project aims to present unique identity of state of Kerala before to travellers. It also offers a huge potential for growth in tourism sector and would bring in significant changes. Project will foster mutually beneficial organic relationships between tourism development and ordinary lives of people in the state of Kerala.

Who will implement the project?