Front Page / NATIONAL
[1]. Supreme Court to examine triple talaq validity, won’t go into issue of polygamy
[2]. Govt. regulator gives nod for GM mustard
[3]. Monsoon may hit Andaman early
[4]. Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims worst off
[5]. ICJ writ may not be applicable to Pak
[6]. Boost for defence manufacturers
[7]. PM gets warm welcome in Colombo
Editorial/OPINION
[1]. New technology and old religion
[2]. What’s in a generic name?
Economy
[1]. Voluntary unemployment rising: Debroy
[2]. Centre to release new series of IIP, WPI data
[3]. ‘NPA norms to force decision-making’
Indian Express
[1]. Error of judgement
[2]. Cure lies elsewhere
Live Mint
[1]. Xi Jinping’s big road is going to be bumpy
Front Page / NATIONAL
[1]. Supreme Court to examine triple talaq validity, won’t go into issue of polygamy
Context
Hearing a batch of petitions challenging triple talaq, a 5-judge bench of the Supreme Court says it would look into the aspect whether triple talaq is constitutional
Views of the Bench
- It will only look at triple talaq and whether it is constitutional and not go into issues such as polygamy
Government’s view
The Centre has already told the court that it supports the petitioners in challenging triple talaq
Backdrop of the case
- The court is hearing a batch of petitions challenging triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy under Muslim personal law
- The court is also hearing a plea—Muslim women’s quest for equality—which it took up on its own accord
Latest judgment
Allahabad High Court has termed the practice of Triple Talaq unconstitutional on May 9th 2017
Read More: You can read more about the Allahabad judgment here
[2]. Govt. regulator gives nod for GM mustard
Context
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), India’s apex regulator for genetically modified seeds, has cleared GM mustard for environmental release and use in farmer fields
However, the approval is contingent on a final nod from Environment Minister
The 1st transgenic crop
If, minister gives his nod then the GM mustard would be the first transgenic food crop to be allowed for commercial cultivation in Indian fields and would be a gateway for several genetically-modified food crops in India
Not the first transgenic crop to get approval
Bt Brinjal was cleared by the GEAC in 2010 but was blocked by then Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, who cited, among other things, a paucity of safety tests
[3]. Monsoon may hit Andaman early
Context
Monsoon rains may come two days earlier to the Andaman & Nicobar islands, but this will have no bearing on how soon it reaches Kerala
Give it a go through
[4]. Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims worst off
Context
‘Historically disadvantaged groups most excluded from access to public goods’
Indian Exclusion Report (2016)
Centre for Equity Studies (CES) in New Delhi has released the Indian Exclusion Report (IXR). The 2016 Report reviews exclusion with respect to four public goods:
- Pensions for the elderly
- Digital access
- Agricultural land
- Legal justice for undertrials
It also profiles four highly vulnerable groups in terms of their access to these goods
Overall finding
The overall finding of this report like the last one is that,
- The groups most severely and consistently excluded from provisioning tend to the same historically disadvantaged groups: Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, and persons with disabilities and age-related vulnerabilities
Findings
Meagre Landholdings
- Socio economic hierarchy: pattern of land distribution “broadly reflects the socio-economic hierarchy — large landowners invariably belong to the upper castes, cultivators to the middle castes, and agricultural workers are largely Dalits and Adivasis
- Rate of landlessness: The rate of landlessness was highest among Dalits, at 57.3%. Among Muslims, it was 52.6%, and 56.8% of women-headed households were landless. Around 40% of all those displaced by “development activity” were Adivasis
- Poor quality of the land: The quality of land owned by Dalits was very poor, with 58% of it having no irrigation facility
- No benefit of land reform efforts: Land reform efforts have not benefited Dalits, women or Muslims significantly, according to the IXR. Land allotments to SC/ST households were often only on paper, as allottees were forcefully evicted or not allowed to take possession
Digital access
Almost 1.063 billion Indians were offline even though India ranks among the top five nations in terms of the total number of Internet users”
- Barriers to digital access: Poverty and geographic location were the two major barriers to digital access, with urban locations enjoying better Internet penetration rates
Problems in IT Access
Government initiatives to improve IT access have been riddled with implementation problems like poor infrastructure, a lack of adequate institutional frameworks, low literacy in the targeted areas, and poor cooperation from government officials
A warning
In a new thrust towards a cashless economy, digital exclusion can often also result in financial exclusion
[5]. ICJ writ may not be applicable to Pak.
Context
Prominent commentators have expressed doubts over the ability of the International Court of Justice to enforce its order in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case
Why ICJ’s writ is likely face a problem?
Pakistan on March 29, 2017 had revised its commitment to the ICJ and has withdrawn all domestic and national security related issues from the jurisdiction of the court
[6]. Boost for defence manufacturers
Context
Ministry moots new procurement model to give private sector a shot in the arm
What has happened?
Defence Minister held consultations with representatives of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CII) on the proposed Strategic Partnership (SP) model meant to promote the private sector in defence manufacturing.
Intention behind new model
Under the Strategic Partnership (SP) model, the government intends to boost private sector participation and create domestic expertise in four key areas, namely, fighter aircraft, helicopters, submarines, and armored vehicles and main battle tanks
Working of the model
One company would be selected for each area based on its competence, which would then tie up with the foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer selected through the procurement process, to build the platform in India with significant technology transfer
View of the army
The Armed Forces are apprehensive over the overall model as they feel the SP model will block new technology and new players coming to the defence sector
[7]. PM gets warm welcome in Colombo
Context
New Delhi and Colombo have termed the visit as primarily a “religious” engagement
News regarding PM’s Lanka visit will be covered in detail in coming issues of Brief.
You can give this article a go through
Editorial/OPINION
[1]. New technology and old religion
Context
Augmented reality is upending the interface between physical reality and human desire to shape our universe
A philosophical take on the futuristic technology of augmented reality. Not relevant from GS perspective
Read it if you have time
Read more: A complete guide to augmented reality
[2]. What’s in a generic name?
Context
The core issues are affordable access to medicines and their rational prescription and use
News
The Medical Council of India (MCI) issued a circular on April 21 drawing attention to clause 1.5 of its regulations regarding the professional conduct of doctors:
“Every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters and he/she shall ensure that there is a rational prescription of drugs.” Further, the circular said, “For any doctor found violating clause 1.5 of Ethics Regulation, suitable disciplinary action would be taken by the concerned SMC/MCI.”
Government’s intent
At the inauguration of a hospital in Surat recently, Prime Minister announced his government’s intent to bring in a law whereby doctors will have to prescribe only generic medicines. Above order of MCI seems to be in consonance of that only.
Different names
Nearly all drugs have three types of names,
- the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) name
- The non-proprietary or generic name, most commonly the International Non-proprietary Name (INN) administered by the World Health Organisation (WHO)
- the brand name
Note: Some countries, such as the U.S., Britain and Japan, have their own generic names or approved names
What happens when patents expire?
Once patents have expired, companies other than the original manufacturer can produce and sell the drug. This usually results in significant reduction in costs.
What are generics?
These off-patent drugs are called generics internationally.
- Different meaning in India: However, the term ‘generic’ has a different meaning in India’s pharma trade. Medicines marketed exclusively with INN names are called generics or generic medicine
What is a fixed dose drug combination (FDC)?
Combination products, also known as fixed dose drug combinations (FDCs), are combinations of two or more active drugs in a single dosage form.
Read More: Refer this article for more info on FDCs
WHO recommends
World Health Organization (WHO) advocates generic prescribing as part of an overall strategy to ensure rational medical treatment
Barriers to rational prescribing in India
A large number of FDCs are
What is rational prescribing?
Rational prescribers should attempt to:
- Maximise clinical effectiveness
- Minimise harms
- Avoid wasting scarce healthcare resources
- Respect patient choice
Rational prescribing normally follows a logical sequence from diagnosis to follow-up as shown below,
Process of rational prescribing
Source: You can read this pdf for more info on rational prescribing
Barriers to rational prescribing in India
In India, there are many barriers to rational prescribing.
- A large number of FDCs: There are a huge number of fixed-dose combinations (FDCs), the vast majority of which have no therapeutic justification. These FDCs account for about 45% of the market (about Rs. 45,000 crore). The British National Formulary lists very few FDCs whereas in India there are thousands.
Puny share of the generics
Of the total domestic pharmaceutical formulations, a market of over Rs. 1 lakh crore, generic medicines, account for not more than 10%, or Rs. 10,000 crore
Therefore, even if a doctor prescribes a drug by generic name, the patient will generally end up buying a branded product.
Arguments floated against generics
- Brand name ensures quality: Some commentators argue that brand names ensure quality and many doctors believe this. This belief is ill-founded. The recent quality survey by the government found 26 of 32 samples from a particular plant of a prominent multinational drug company to be not of standard quality (NSQ)
- Non-equal Bioequivalence and Bioavailability: Some argue that bioavailability and bioequivalence (BA and BE) of generics may not be equal to the original brand.
- Bioavailability refers to the rate and extent to which the active ingredient of the drug present becomes available at the site of action of the drug. In order for a new generic drug to be licensed, it has to be bioequivalent to the reference drug. It means that BA of the generic drug is similar to that of the reference drug
- Bioequivalence: It is the property wherein two drugs with identical active ingredients or two different dosage forms of the same drug possess similar bioavailability and produce the same effect at the site of physiological activity. Of the approximately 800 useful drugs known to modern medicine, bioequivalence is really only important for a few drugs with low solubility and high or low permeability, so the debate about BA and BE is somewhat misinformed.
Core issues
The core issues are
- Affordable access to medicines
- Rational prescription and use of medicines
Achieving the objectives
These objectives require an
- Enlarged list of essential and life-saving medicines under price control
- Elimination of all irrational FDCs
- No brands for drugs off patent
- Crisp and concise officially approved names to make it easier for doctors to prescribe generics including the rational FDCs
Way forward
- The most effective way to maintain quality is to have periodic testing and stringent disincentives for poor quality. The best insurance for good quality is good regulation.
[3]. TB timelines
Context
The transmission cycle of the drug-resistant strain must be broken aggressively
Relevant point from the article
Developing more accurate, cheaper and effective diagnostic tests and improved treatment regimens that are less expensive and of shorter duration can be a possible gamechanger in war against TB
Note: News has already been covered in yesterday’s brief
Economy
[1]. Voluntary unemployment rising: Debroy
Context
NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy flagged a dramatic rise in voluntary unemployment across the country, where people choose not to work below a certain income level after ‘investing’ in education
Employment data is imperfect
In the view of Bibek Debroy,
- Due large self-employed and unorganised sector, the only credible way to get data on employment and jobs is using household surveys over and above enterprise-level surveys. Otherwise, we will always have an imperfect picture
Task force
A task force on employment data has been created led by NITI Aayog vice chairman Arvind Panagariya
Latest survey
The latest employment data based on household surveys conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), usually every five years, dates back to 2011-12 and a fresh set of data is expected sometime in 2018
- The problem: Data compiled by the Labour Bureau from enterprises for select sectors on a quarterly basis doesn’t reflects as to what is really happening to labour and employment due to its sample size and design
Service sector holds the key
In the view of Mr Debroy,
- The primary growth in jobs will come from the services sector. Even when reforms happen in agriculture, most of the jobs will be created in areas that will show up in national income accounts as services such as transportation, logistics
Note: Bibek Debroy was citing the data from CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy) survey when he stated that voluntary unemployment was rising
[2]. Centre to release new series of IIP, WPI data
Context
A new series of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and Wholesale Price Index (WPI) will be released recently in a bid to bring greater accuracy and improved synchronization among such data sets, in turn leading to better policies
The changes
- Change in base year: The base year for the IIP and the WPI will be 2011-12 and not the current 2004-05. The Consumer Price Index and the GDP and gross value addition (GVA) also have 2011-12 as the base year
- New additions to IIP: The new series of IIP will include technology items such as smartphones, tablets, LED television and tablets
- According to the report of the ‘Working group for development of methodology for compilation of the all India IIP,’ the new item basket for IIP will include “809 products, re-grouped into 521 item groups,” 55 products from the mining sector and treating electricity as a single product
[3]. ‘NPA norms to force decision-making’
Context
The Centre’s recent move amending the Banking Regulation Act to give more powers to the RBI to resolve stressed assets will force lenders to take a decision
A fairly simple article.
Give it a go through once
Indian Express
[1]. Error of judgement
Context
The selection process that led to Justice Karnan becoming a judge needs revisiting
Authors’ contention
Author, a former, Additional Solicitor General, questions the selection procedure via which Justice Karnan was selected
Report of the Committee on In-House Procedure
Finding that there needs to be action against judges who do not follow “universally accepted values”, the Supreme Court on December 15, 1999 adopted the Report of the Committee on In-House Procedure to take suitable remedial action against erring judges
- This procedure was created to deal with allegations against a judge pertaining to the discharge of his judicial functions
- In-house procedure not utilized: In Justice Karnan’s case, this in-house procedure appears not to have been resorted to
How In-house procedure works?
The in-house procedure provides for the CJI to advise a judge to resign or seek voluntary retirement. If the judge does not resign or retire, the chief justice (of the high court) can be advised not to allocate any judicial work, and the matter brought to the notice of the president and prime minister
Power to remove the judge
The power to remove a judge is vested with the Members of Parliament (in view of Articles 124 and 217 of the Constitution). They may move a motion for the removal of a judge on grounds of proved misbehaviour and/or incapacity, which remedy was available, but not (yet) exercised.
[2]. Cure lies elsewhere
Context
Generic medicines can’t be the first, or only, step to reduce the cost of treatment
Note: This issue has been covered in the Hindu editorial section. Only new points will be mentioned henceforth. Please read that article first
Tie all ends
Doctor-pharma nexus is a commonplace phenomenon in India but the proposed initiative targets only one end. Pharma companies should also be included
Shortage of inspectors
There is a chronic shortage of drug inspectors who look after quality control at manufacturing and dispensing sites of medicines
Quality issues
Quality is the other major issue with generic drugs. In the last couple of years, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has initiated action against many Indian pharmaceutical companies for alleged violation of good manufacturing practices and other irregularities at the drug manufacturing facilities.
- This happened mainly with generic drugs, which were manufactured in India and exported to the US. With such poor-quality controls in manufacturing, the intent of the legislation will be compromised
Author suggests
Author suggests following measures,
- Quality control: To institute better quality control in the manufacture of generic drugs first, test their bioequivalence with standard branded medicines, build doctor and patient confidence on the product and then, push for a change in prescription behavior of physicians
- Alternative sources of medicine: To give priority to alternative methods to reduce costs and improving quality of drugs
- National pricing Policy: Bringing in a National Medicine Pricing Policy would be a simple but very effective way in controlling drug prices, without taking away the choice of prescription from doctors
- This could be easily done through the government’s National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority
- Prescription pattern monitoring rules need to be implemented stringently to dent the doctor-pharma nexus
- Increasing drug manufacturing units and investing heavily in drug research and development will effectively make India “drug self-sufficient” with a wider and cost-effective “drug reach”
- Better control of branded generics and patent generics are also measures the government should work on
Live Mint
[1]. Xi Jinping’s big road is going to be bumpy
Context
China President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative will embroil the country in the tangled affairs of other countries to a degree unparalleled in its modern history
Article delineates the impact of OBOR initiative on China and its bilateral ties, possible avenues of discord and other possibilities.
Give it a go through once
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