Brief of newspaper articles for the day bearing
relevance to Civil Services preparation
Note: Todays’ Newspaper has articles on Union Budget 2016 – 17. They have not been covered in 9 PM brief. They will be available as standalone issue article: Analysis & Excerpts – Union Budget – 2016 – 17 by the end of the week.
- GS PAPER 2
- Privilege motions disrupt business in both houses – {Parliament}
- The health net should cover all – {Health}
- GS PAPER 3
- Hopes on habitat revive as vultures feed at restaurant – {Biodiversity – Endangered Species}
- Looking beyond economic quick – fixes – {Banking}
- RBI unlocks Rs. 40,000 crore additional capital for banks – {Banking}
GS PAPER 2
[1]. Privilege motions disrupt business in both houses
There is nothing in news but listed for you to revise:
What is a privilege motion
A privilege motion is a notice by any member of either House of a state legislature or Parliament, against anyone who are accused of breach of privilege.
What are Parliamentary privileges
Parliamentary privileges are certain rights and immunities enjoyed by MPs, MLAs and MLCs, individually and collectively, so that they can effectively discharge their functions.
What is Breach of Privilege
When any of these rights and immunities is disregarded, the offence is called a breach of privilege and is punishable under law of Parliament or the state legislature.
Each House also claims the right to punish as contempt actions which, while not breach of any specific privilege, are offences against its authority and dignity.
[2]. The health net should cover all
Concern: Health for All
What is Universal health Coverage?
UHC means that all people receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship when paying for them.
This includes health promotion, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care.
Finance Minister Arun jaitely announced an insurance scheme against disastrous health expenditure for the weaker sections in Union Budget, 2016.
The Plan:
To provide dialysis for kidney failure at distinct hospitals. This insurance scheme should come under a calibrated plan to provide UHC.
National Examples: Tamil Nadu have insurance to pay for hospitalisation through a government.
International Examples: Thailand & Japan
- Use of general revenues to augment pay roll taxes.
- Firm capping of care costs through standardised benefits & standardised payments.
India should learn hazards of unethical institutions gaining access to fund from these examples.
UHC will be a dream because of a nominal increase in the annual health budget, profit oriented care system and private insurances.
UHC can be achieved by the following:
- Time bound programmes that covers everyone.
- Using a combination of subscriber payments and tax funds.
- Strong controls over cost of care
Challenges for Dialysis access:
- Equipment
- Training of medical professionals to closely monitor patients availing the service
- Not enough nephrologist in the country.
Suggestions:
The dialysis programme, laudable as it is, government should give importance to prevention of renal diseases and regular monitoring of kidney health at the population level.
Conclusion:
Political parties and social movements can no longer ignore the imperative of providing quality health care to all
GS PAPER 3
[1]. Hopes on habitat revive as vultures feed at restaurants
Concern: Vulture conservation in “vulture restaurant”
What is “vulture restaurant”
A vulture restaurant is a site where carrion is deposited for endangered vultures to feed on.
( carrion: refers to the dead and decaying flesh of an animal.)
Habitat:
- In adilabad district – over year old
- In Kagaznagar division – two year old
Reason for abandonment from near by villages
Shortage of food, cattle carcasses were not available since long, as farmers sell away their cattle.
Steps to take
Supplying food to the vultures is the first priority
Restaurant already has these two facilities
- Availability of water
- Higher perching places
Conclusion:
“Restaurant” has yielded results
The habitat of the long billed vulture now has 24 adults and 6 chicks in 2 roosting points and 10 nests
[2]. Looking beyond economic quick – fixes
IMF’s Prescription
It reiterated its call for coordinated action at the multilateral level to contain risks to the real economies from market turbulence.
It laid particular stress on fiscal stimulus measures to boost demand, as against over-reliance on monetary policies.
Concerns of USA
China ought to increase domestic consumption and Germany adopt fiscal stimulus.
Germany’s stand
It has ruled out support for a fiscal stimulus and instead continued to insist on structural reforms as the remedy.
Overall approach
To refrain from a competitive devaluation of currencies to promote exports , so as to soothe the investor sentiment.
Because, devaluation by China last year set off turmoil in global stock markets and a flight of capital from the country.
Global concerns
The economic recession in Brazil and the combined effects of the collapse of Chinese imports into Latin America could contract the world trade.
Concerted action of G-20
In 2014, it pledged to take steps to raise the group’s domestic product by an additional 2 % by 2018., but going by the current rate it will increase only .8%.
It did well after 2008 global meltdown
- Its actions resulted in the fiscal stimulus.
- The stabilization of the banking sector.
- And the injection of capital into international financial institutions.
The Future Course
The rich and emerging economies should summon the resolve and the will to promote a more equitable international order.
[3]. RBI unlocks Rs. 40,000 crore additional capital for banks
Context: State owned banks have reported huge losses for the December quarter end, owing to sharp rise in non-performing assets which is ruining their capital base. The chances of profit in the coming quarter seems slim. The union Budget 2016 – 17 declared that the government will infuse capital to the tune of Rs. 25,000 crore in the state – owned banks.
What has Reserve Bank of India (RBI) done?
Revised norms on capital recognition. This revision will make available to banks an extra amount to the tune of Rs. 40,000 crore.
What has been the change?
According, to RBI the proposed changes will bring the definition of regulatory capital in line with the standards set by BASEL III capital standards.
The changes has been brought in the treatment of few balance sheet items for the purpose of determining banks regulatory capital.
The changes:
- Banks can recognise foreign currency reserves arising due to translation of financial statements of foreign operations to the reporting currency as common equity tier-I (CET1) capital.
- Deferred tax assets arising due to timing differences may be recognised as CET1 capital up to 10 per cent of a bank’s CET1 capital, it added.
Note: Todays’ Newspaper has articles on Union Budget 2016 – 17. They have not been covered in 9 PM brief. They will be available as standalone issue article: Analysis & Excerpts – Union Budget – 2016 – 17 by the end of the week.
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