{"id":23781,"date":"2018-08-03T13:15:24","date_gmt":"2018-08-03T07:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=23781"},"modified":"2018-08-03T12:16:37","modified_gmt":"2018-08-03T06:46:37","slug":"answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-august-2-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/answers-mains-marathon-upsc-mains-current-affairs-questions-august-2-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Answers: Mains Marathon \u2013 UPSC Mains Current Affairs Questions \u2013 August 2, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Archives<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Q.1) Health care in India is obviously not egalitarian and becoming increasingly dependent on the private sector to deliver health care. Discuss and suggest measures for equitable medical care.<\/b><\/p>\n

Answer: <\/b>Of the total health spending in India, the government contributes just 29%. In the UK, the government\u2019s share is 83%. <\/span><\/p>\n

The health care services in India are not egalitarian. The out-of-pocket expenses for medical care are about 70% of all medical expenditure, enough to push a family into poverty. <\/span><\/p>\n

Problems with present healthcare system:<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Poor government spending in healthcare is resulting in deteriorated standards in service provision from public sector. Indian government only spends about 1.4% of the GDP on the sector <\/span><\/li>\n
  2. The gap between what is technologically possible and what government hospitals generally provide widened appreciably after the technological leaps in medical care – this can be called \u201cmedical rationing\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. The deteriorating state of public healthcare in India means that an increasingly larger percentage of its citizens are being driven to the private sector for their medical needs. <\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Mounting costs and decreasing availability of drugs is a major issue<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Medical rationing has other detrimental effects like creating distrust of the public in government hospitals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Measures for equitable health care:<\/b><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The new Ayushman Bharat health scheme to provide secondary and tertiary care to those who are socioeconomically deprived.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. NITI Aayog\u2019s document recommends the government to prioritise preventive care rather than provide curative care.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. AIIMS like institutions in every state to make tertiary care accessible. <\/span><\/li>\n
    4. Generic medicines should be mandated and be made available.<\/span><\/li>\n
    5. Niti Aayog suggested a model that provides for a greater role for private players in the India\u2019s healthcare sector. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Q.2) \u2018BRICS has grown in influence in its first decade but is still far from achieving its initial goals\u2019. Discuss<\/b><\/p>\n

      Answer:<\/b><\/p>\n

      BRICS is the acronym for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It represents about 40% of the world\u2019s population and 22% of global GDP.<\/span><\/p>\n

      How it grew in influence:<\/b><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. New Development Bank is established to provide an alternative to IMF and WB led global multilateral financing. <\/span><\/li>\n
      2. BRICS summit has been successful in terms of building a coalition of emerging markets that want to save multilateral trade regime<\/span><\/li>\n
      3. BRICS Business Council has been actively enhancing trade and economic cooperation in diverse sectors <\/span><\/li>\n
      4. \u201cBRICS Plus\u201d which began at Xiamen summit is a great opportunity for interaction among leaders. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Challenges in achieving its goals:<\/b><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Reform of global financial governance is still pending with NDB playing a limited role only. BRICS recently reiterated that IMF needs to better represent developing nations<\/span><\/li>\n
        2. Democratisation of the United Nations is resisted by the powerful nations trying to retain their control.<\/span><\/li>\n
        3. Expansion of the Security Council \u2014 because two of its members China and Russia do not want the other three members (India, South Africa and Brazil) to obtain parity in the global pecking order.<\/span><\/li>\n
        4. Rising protectionism is affecting rules-based multilateral trading order.<\/span><\/li>\n
        5. China\u2019s dominance is growing and China-Russia proximity is a reality. <\/span><\/li>\n
        6. BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution (PartNIR) can make a contribution only if it goes beyond the ministries of industry and engage with private sector.<\/span><\/li>\n
        7. Though BRICS outreach to Africa began in 2013, it has picked up momentum now. African nations need big loans from the New Development Bank (NDB) for their infrastructure projects. <\/span><\/li>\n
        8. China introduced the \u201cBRICS Plus\u201d format at the Xiamen summit last year. The precise role of \u201cBRICS Plus\u201d is yet to be understood. <\/span><\/li>\n
        9. No decision was taken to set up the BRICS credit rating agency that India favours. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n

          Q.3) Why does equality matters? How do we distinguish between political, economic and social dimensions of equality?<\/b><\/p>\n

          Answer: <\/b>The preamble of Indian constitution guarantees its citizens equality of status and opportunity. <\/span><\/p>\n

          Importance of equality:<\/b><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Equality is very important because our society did not practice equal access in the past. The practice of untouchability is one of the crudest manifestations of inequality. <\/span><\/li>\n
          2. Equality makes India a true democracy by ensuring equality of dignity and status.<\/span><\/li>\n
          3. Equal opportunity means that government can implement special schemes and measures for improving the conditions of certain sections of society: children, women, and socially and educationally \u00a0backward classes.<\/span><\/li>\n
          4. It invokes the idea that all human beings have an equal worth regardless of their colour, gender, race, or nationality. <\/span><\/li>\n
          5. Some differences which are considered natural need no longer be seen as unalterable. For instance, advances in medical science and technologies have helped many disabled people to function effectively in society. Today, computers can help blind<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Dimensions of equality:<\/b><\/p>\n