15-03-2024 CARE mains practice

Topic- India- Bhutan relations:

Introduction:

Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay is on official visit to India and held discussions on bilateral cooperation and regional and global issues of mutual interest with Indian Prime Minister. The visit is his first foreign trip after re-election and assumes importance due to China’s geopolitical dynamics in the region. As Bhutan’s primary development partner, India plays a pivotal role in its socio-economic progress.

Body :

• Diplomatic relations
• Strategic Importance
• Trade Relations
• Defence ties
• Cultural Ties
• Hydropower cooperation
• China factor

 

Conclusion :                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

India and Bhutan are a part of several multilateral organizations like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), and Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN). India can work on improving regional cooperation mechanisms to ensure Bhutan’s interests are well represented in regional forums. India can focus on removing existing bottlenecks in the relationship and strengthening defense and security ties with Bhutan to ensure safety and countering potential Chinese influence.

UPSC Syllabus India-Bhutan Relations:

 

Why was this question asked?

Q. “Increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in India and growing interference in the internal affairs of several member-states by Pakistan are not conducive for the future of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation).” Explain with suitable examples. (UPSC Main 2016)

Introduction

Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay is on official visit to India and held discussions on bilateral cooperation and regional and global issues of mutual interest with Indian Prime Minister. The visit is his first foreign trip after re-election and assumes importance due to China’s geopolitical dynamics in the region. As Bhutan’s primary development partner, India plays a pivotal role in its socio-economic progress.

Body Status : 

Diplomatic relations:

• The diplomatic relations between Bhutan and India were established in 1968 with the establishment of a special office of India in Thimphu.
• Bhutan shares its border with four Indian states: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim.  with a length of 699 km and serve as a buffer between India and China.
• Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation: The basic framework of India-Bhutan bilateral relations was the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 1949 between the two countries. It called for peace between the two nations and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. The Treaty was revised in 2007.
• However, Bhutan agreed to let India guide its foreign policyand both nations would consult each other closely on foreign and defence affairs.

Strategic Importance-

• India considers Bhutan as a buffer state between India and China, as Bhutan shares its borders with China.
• It gives buffer for the Siliguri corridor(chicken’s neck) which connects the Indian mainland with the north eastern states.

Trade Relations-

• India is Bhutan’s largest trading partner and provides significant economic support.
• For instance, since 2014, India’s trade with Bhutan has almost tripled from US$484 million in 2014-15 to US$1.42 billion in 2021-22, accounting for about 80 percent of Bhutan’s overall trade.
• India must further strengthen the economic ties with Bhutan to counter the growing chinese economic influence.
• Recently, India has extended the additional “standby” credit facility to Bhutan and offered financial assurances to Bhutan for its 13th Five Year Plan and administrative reforms.

Defence ties

• India has been playing a crucial role in ensuring the security of Bhutan.
• For instance, India’s military helps secure Bhutan’s borders, and India has helped Bhutan in countering insurgent groups. For Ex- Doklam crisis 2017.
• India and Bhutan can work towards enhancing their defense cooperation by increasing the frequency of joint military exercises and training programs. This will help Bhutan in improving its defense capabilities.

Cultural Ties-

• Bhutan has deep cultural ties with India. Bhutan’s religion, language, and customs are heavily influenced by India’s culture.
• Additionally, Bhutan has been a strong supporter of India’s cultural diplomacy.

Hydropower cooperation-

• Mutually beneficial hydropower cooperation with Bhutan forms the core of bilateral economic cooperation, providing clean power for India and economic prosperity for Bhutan.
• Hydroelectricity has become one of the biggest revenue earners of Bhutan, which makes Bhutan the country with the highest per capita income in South Asia today.
• India has recently allowed Bhutan to sell power from its Basochhu hydroelectric project in India.

China Factor

• Incidentally, Bhutan does not have any diplomatic relations with China, but both sides have been working on the border dispute (since 1984), which primarily focused on three areas—Jakarlung and Pasamlung in north Bhutan, and Doklam in west Bhutan.
• And, the Doklam plateau has vital strategic importance for India because of its proximity to the Siliguri Corridor—also called the Chicken’s Neck—a 22-km stretch connecting the Indian mainland with the Northeast.
• In 2017, the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army had a 73-day-long military standoff in the Doklam tri-junction, when the Indian side objected to large-scale construction activities by the Chinese military in the disputed territory.
• The Doklam military standoff has triggered the PLA to scale up its military presence along the Line of Actual Control, which eventually led to a clash in Eastern Ladakh in 2020.
• India has been keenly observing the recently concluded 25th round of boundary talks between China and Bhutan in Beijing, where both sides signed a cooperation agreement on the “Responsibilities and Functions of the Joint Technical Team on the Delimitation and Demarcation of the Bhutan-China Boundary”.

Conclusion

India and Bhutan are a part of several multilateral organizations like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), and Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN). India can work on improving regional cooperation mechanisms to ensure Bhutan’s interests are well represented in regional forums. India can focus on removing existing bottlenecks in the relationship and strengthening defense and security ties with Bhutan to ensure safety and countering potential Chinese influence.

Topic- Public Health :

Introduction

Non- Communicable Diseases are estimated to account for 63 per cent of all deaths in the country of which cardiovascular diseases(CVD) lead with 27 per cent overall mortality cause followed by chronic respiratory diseases (11 per cent), cancers (nine per cent), diabetes (three per cent) and others (13 per cent), according to the World Health Organisation’s NCD-India profile for 2018. It is crucial to evaluate governmental health schemes from time to time to ensure that they are addressing the target population affected by CVDs effectively.

Body

• • • CVD Risk Factors
    • Research
    • Poverty and CVD Risk factors
    • Indian government initiatives
    • Way Ahead

Conclusion

The conventional belief that Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is low among the poor is no longer valid. The major risk factors of CVD like Diabetes, Hypertension, Smoking etc have a significant prevalence across all sections, regardless of income. Now governments need to put in place programmes to detect people with CVD risk factors that are targeted particularly at poorer people. Lastly, it is also important to understand why a particular health programme might or might not have worked, so it can be adjusted in order to improve effectiveness if needed.

 

UPSC Syllabus Public Health:

 

Why was this question asked?

Q. Can overuse and free availability of antibiotics without Doctor’s prescription, be contributors to the emergence of drug-resistant diseases in India? What are the available mechanisms for monitoring and control? Critically discuss the various issues involved. [200 Words] [UPSC Main 2014]

Introduction:

Non- Communicable Diseases are estimated to account for 63 per cent of all deaths in the country of which cardiovascular diseases(CVD) lead with 27 per cent overall mortality cause followed by chronic respiratory diseases (11 per cent), cancers (nine per cent), diabetes (three per cent) and others (13 per cent), according to the World Health Organisation’s NCD-India profile for 2018. It is crucial to evaluate governmental health schemes from time to time to ensure that they are addressing the target population affected by CVDs effectively.

Body Status

CVD Risk Factors

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term for disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels. CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide, with an estimated 17.9 million deaths from CVDs in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths. 85% of these deaths are due to heart attack and stroke.
• The factors responsible for increase in Cardiovascular disease include diabetes and hypertension, unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, harmful use of alcohol, overweight, obesity, tobacco use, etc.
• The link between stress and cardiovascular disease is not well understood. However, it is known that stress can influence many of the well-established risk factors for CVD.

Research

• Recently Researchers pooled individual-level data from 105 nationally representative household surveys across 78 countries, representing 85% of people living in extreme poverty globally, and sorted individuals by country-specific measures of household income or wealth to identify those in extreme poverty.
• To enable comparison with other income groups in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), researchers also examined the prevalence of CVD risk factors for the population with an income <$3.20 and <$5.50 per day, as well as those with an income >$5.50 per day.
• CVD risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, smoking, obesity and dyslipidaemia) were present among adults in extreme poverty. Most were not treated for CVD-related conditions, particularly hypertension.
• Most were not treated for CVD-related conditions, particularly hypertension.

Poverty and CVD Risk factors

• Extreme poverty is generally defined by the international poverty line of $1.90 per day.
• Prevalence of hypertension was similar between these poverty level groups and those with higher income levels as per analysis.
• Among those living in extreme poverty and who had hypertension, only 15.2% reported taking blood pressure (BP)-lowering medication and 5.7% had achieved hypertension control (BP<140mmHg/<90mmHg).
• Of those poor living with diabetes, 19.7% reported taking blood glucose-lowering medication.
• Among those living in extreme poverty who should be taking a statin for secondary prevention of CVD according to WHO guidelines, only 1.1% were on the drugs.
• In low-income countries, hypertension treatment and control, diabetes treatment and statin use were low across poverty levels.

Indian government initiatives

• The incidence of cancer in India is 13.92 lakhs, according to the the report of National Cancer Registry Program (2020), and among males, cancers of lung, mouth, oesophagus and stomach are the leading sites across most of registries. Breast cancer is the commonest cancer followed by cervical cancer among females.
• National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) was launched in 2010 by Union government.
• It focuses on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion, early diagnosis, management and referral.
• NPCDCS has now been renamed as the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD)

Way Ahead

• Governments need to put in place programmes to detect people with CVD risk factors that are targeted at poorer people.
• Education, awareness, and screening programmes should be held in those areas where the socio-economically deprived people live.
• It is then important that once detected, people are referred to care and that care is accessible to them in terms of geography, costs, and overcomes other cultural or educational barriers that people who are less well-off often need to overcome.

Conclusion

The conventional belief that Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is low among the poor is no longer valid. The major risk factors of CVD like Diabetes, Hypertension, Smoking etc have a significant prevalence across all sections, regardless of income. Now governments need to put in place programmes to detect people with CVD risk factors that are targeted particularly at poorer people. Lastly, it is also important to understand why a particular health programme might or might not have worked, so it can be adjusted in order to improve effectiveness if needed.