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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to collectively work towards eliminating terrorism in all forms and fix accountability on those aiding or funding such activities.
In his address to the SCO Defence Ministers in New Delhi, Singh said any kind of terrorist act or support to it in any form is a major crime against humanity, and peace and prosperity cannot coexist with this menace.
If a nation shelters terrorists, it not only poses a threat to others, but for itself too,” he said, adding that radicalisation of youth is a cause for concern not only from the security point of view, but is also a major obstacle in the path of socio-economic progress of society.
If we want to make the SCO a stronger and more credible international organisation, our top-most priority should be to effectively deal with terrorism.
Singh’s remarks came days after a terror attack in Poonch claimed the lives of five Army soldiers. While the perpetrators of the attack are yet to be identified, investigations have pointed towards the involvement of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and terrorists from across the border.
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who had been invited to SCO meeting, did not turn up. Instead, Malik Ahmed Khan, special advisor to the Pakistan Prime Minister on defence, attended it through video conference.
Later, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said all member states reached a consensus on several areas of cooperation, including dealing with terrorism, security of vulnerable populations in various countries as well as HADR (humanitarian assistance and disaster relief).
All member states, he said, were unanimous in their statements that terrorism, in all its forms, must be condemned and eliminated.
At the meeting, the ministers discussed issues of common concern including issues of regional and international security under the SCO charter.
Singh said India sees a robust framework of regional cooperation which mutually respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states by taking care of their legitimate interests.
The subject of ensuring territorial integrity was also brought up by Singh on Thursday during a bilateral meeting with General Li Shangfu, visiting State Councillor and Minister of National Defence of China, when he said that Beijing’s violation of existing agreements had eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations between India and China.
Editorial Page
Making India pandemic proof (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
As Covid-19 abates, the question everyone is asking is: How ready is the country for the next pandemic? The virus spread exposed the weaknesses in the world’s health systems, including those of countries ranked high in the Global Health Security Index.
Covid has also created a chance to build stronger health systems. Climate change is giving rise to new pathogens, and zoonotic diseases are spilling over from animals to humans, causing over a million deaths each year.
A silent pandemic is also lurking — antibiotic resistance. The world realises that the cost of preventing a pandemic is far lower than the cost of managing one. The need of the hour is a holistic “One Health” approach that addresses the health of people, animals and ecosystems together.
India is one of the world’s first countries to frame a game plan in this regard. In October 2021, India launched its flagship programme to prevent, prepare and respond to pandemics.
Since one of the key weaknesses during the Covid crisis was the inadequacy of institutions and systems, the programme — the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) — seeks to fill the gaps at both the national and state level. It will need to be overseen at the highest levels.
India has also brought several ministries — including health, animal husbandry, forests, and biotechnology — under the Principal Scientific Advisor.
This was one of the major shortcomings during the pandemic. In most countries, the Covid response was hampered by overlapping mandates and weak coordination between key institutions.
More recently, the foundation for the National Institute for One Health in Nagpur was laid. The institute will identify hotspots for endemic and emerging zoonotic diseases to contain their spread early on. Its success will depend on how well these strategies are implemented on the ground.
The fact that 30 cities accounted for almost 80 per cent of India’s reported Covid cases shows how vulnerable urban populations are to the spread of disease. India is now augmenting surveillance in 20 cities, both large and small, with municipal corporations being mandated to identify the most vulnerable areas and provide early alerts.
For this to be successful, private hospitals and clinics, which provide over 60 per cent of India’s health care, will need to be brought under a common platform and data placed in the public domain.
The Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission can facilitate this. In villages, where people and livestock live in proximity, the risk of cross-infections is greater. Here, strong partnerships will be needed with communities, dairy cooperatives, and the poultry industry to identify new infections.
Explained Page
How India spends on earth (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
There has been a consistent increase in government spending, coupled with declining out-of-pocket expenditure by people on their healthcare needs, shows the National Health Account Estimates 2019-20, which was released earlier this week.
The government spent 1.35% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (total value of the final goods and services in a year indicative of a country’s economy) on healthcare during the year, bouncing back from a slight drop seen in 2018-19 as per the report.
The health account estimates describe the country’s total expenditure on healthcare – whether by the government, private sector, NGOs, or individuals – and the flow of these funds.
It answers questions such as what are the sources of healthcare expenditures, who manages the expenditures, who provides health care services, and which services are utilised.
One, the government spending on healthcare has been on the rise. The money spent by the government on healthcare as a percentage of GDP has increased from 1.13% in FY 2015 to 1.35% in FY 2020.
Even this small percentage increase in the government’s health kitty has translated into nearly double the money spent on each person – the per capita health spend of the government in this period has increased from Rs 1,108 to Rs 2,014.
Although the number is still far from the target of 2.5% investment in healthcare by 2025, the number is likely to shoot up in next year’s report, with the increased government spending during the pandemic getting reflected.
The government’s share in the total money spent on healthcare in the country went up by a 12.4 percentage point between FY 2015 and FY 2020, increasing from 29% to 41.4%.
Two, money spent by people from their own pocket on healthcare has been going down. The report shows that 47.1% of the total spending on healthcare in FY2020 came directly out of people’s pockets. But this is actually a 15.5 percentage point drop from 62.6% of the spend coming out-of-pocket in FY 2015.
The aim is to bring this down as low as possible by investing in public health and insurance among others so that people don’t have to shell out the money when they are sick.
Three, a major chunk of the government’s health spend was in the primary sector. Out of the total spending by the government on healthcare in FY 2020, 55.9% went to primary care, 29.6% went to secondary care, and 6.4% went to tertiary care. To compare, the government spent 51.3% in primary care, 21.9% in secondary care, and 14% on tertiary care in FY 2015.
Economy
Core sector output up 3.6 % (Page no. 17)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Growth in India’s eight core sectors’ output fell to a five-month low of 3.6% in March, from 7.2% in February, with electricity and cement production slipping from a year ago, and crude oil output falling for the tenth successive month.
Coal production jumped 12.2% in March, while fertilizers and steel output grew 9.7% and 8.8% respectively — relatively slower than recent months — as per data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry.
For the full financial year 2022-23, core sectors recorded a 7.6% growth compared to 10.4% in 2021-22, with all sectors reporting higher production except crude oil, which shrank 1.7% during the year.
In March, growth in natural gas production was down to 2.8%, the lowest in three months, while refinery products grew at a four-month low pace of 1.5%.
Cement output contracted 0.8% in March, breaking a persistent growth streak in the previous four months. Electricity generation dropped for the first time in at least a year, shrinking 1.8% in March.
However, absolute output levels in both these sectors were significantly higher than February — with the cement production index at its highest point since April 2022 and electricity output at its highest since September 2022.
Output of some of the sectors like electricity and cement is likely to have been dampened by the unseasonal rainfall in March,” reckoned Aditi Nayar, chief economist at rating firm ICRA.
With most available high frequency indicators weakening in March 2023 on a year-on-year basis, relative to February 2023, Ms. Nayar expects growth in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) to slow to around 3% to 4% in the month from 5.6% in February. The eight core sectors constitute a little over 40% of the IIP.
The final growth rate of the index of eight core industries for December 2022 is revised to 8.3% from its provisional level of 7.4%,” the Ministry said. It also revised February’s growth rate to 7.2% from 6% estimated earlier.