UPSC

Ayushman Bharat scheme : Delhi Chief Minister says exploring the possibility of running it alongside their free treatment facility extended to city residents; Bidhuri promises scheme roll-out by BJP if it wins the Assembly election ; Delhi High Court seeks response from  AAP govt. over programme’s non-implementation Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Thursday said her government is “in-principle” ready for the implementation of the Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme — Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) — in the Capital. However, the CM said they are exploring the possibility of running it concurrently with the free treatment facility being provided by them at the Delhi government hospitals as the ₹5-lakh annual health cover being offered under the plan leaves a large number of needy patients outside its ambit. “We do not want anyone to not get free treatment. So, we have given directions to the Health Department to come up with a solution...

Diabetics in India: A quarter of adults living with diabetes globally are in India (212 million of the 828 million) according to a Lancet report, published on World Diabetes Day. Based on data till 2022, the other nations with the most diabetics are China (148 million), US (42 million), Pakistan (36 million), Indonesia (25 million) and Brazil (22 million). The study, conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) in collaboration with WHO, is the first global analysis of trends in both diabetes rates and treatment. Researchers used data from over 140 million 18-plus people available in more than 1,000 studies. They used the two most commonly used diagnostic criteria — a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level of 7.0 mmol/L or 126 mg/dL and HbA1c (average blood sugar count of three months) count of 6.5 percent or higher.   Why the India figures seem to be higher:   Dr R M Anjana, president of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and one of the authors o...

Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Small Island Developing States (SIDS) refer to a group of small island nations and territories that face shared challenges in sustainable development, alongside significant social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities.   Some of SIDS include the Maldives, Seychelles, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Guyana, and Singapore.  SIDS are primarily located in three major geographical regions: the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the Atlantic, Indian Ocean & South China Sea (AIS) regions.  At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development 1992, SIDS were formally recognized as a special case due to their unique environmental and developmental challenges.  How is Climate Change Affecting SIDS?  Increased Vulnerability of SIDS:  SIDS suffer 3-5 times more climate-related losses relative to government revenues compared to other countries.  Even wealth...

  US Election Results 2024 LIVE Updates :  Donald Trump has won the US presidential election and potentially won the votes of 270 electors need to become the next US President. All the US media houses declared him a winner on Wednesday as couting of votes continue in many states. Trump has won more popular (citizen) votes than Democrat Kamala Harris. According to the Associated Press, Trump also won 270 electoral votes need to to officially become the US President-elect.  Victory: Claiming victory on Wednesday, Donald Trump pledged to "heal" the country. He pledged to bring a “golden age" to the US as he took the stage on Wednesday.  Trump has won three crucial swing states – Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, bolstering his path to 270 electoral votes. Kamala Harris has won Virginia and Hawaii, adding to her earlier victories in Democratic strongholds like California, New York, and Illinois.  Trump has also claimed a string of states, including Alabama, ...