Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 9 June 2017

::National::

Very soon, patients need not carry hard copies of their medical records

• Very soon, patients need not carry hard copies of their medical records such as doctors’ prescriptions and test reports.

• The doctors will be able to access their medical history on computers if the government’s plan to launch Electronic Health Records (EHR) is successful.

• The initiative is in line with the global shift towards electronic health system –— wherein each hospital department is computerised and networked and has a central database of patients’ records.

• The health card in form of digital locker (digital health locker-DHL) will carry patient’s information that could be used across all health schemes and facilities such as NTR Vaidya Seva, Aarogya Raksha, and government health facilities.

• The government is contemplating issuing the electronic health cards from October 24.

• The government is planning to make a digital repository of medical history of everyone, as it wants to ensure an ‘accessible, affordable and high quality’ healthcare.

• The EHR would focus on health facility-based modules/departments such as pharmacy, laboratory etc. The government plans to complete testing of Modules, EHR integrity and enter into agreement with C-DAC by July 30.

• The government need not create additional hardware infrastructure as it exists in all empanelled government hospitals as required under NTR-Vaidya Seva and Aarogya Raksha scheme cards.

• Hardware infrastructure for pharmacies (under e-Ausadhi), laboratory also exists in government hospitals. The government plans to provide hardware infrastructure required for teaching hospitals and district hospitals in phase-I, and AHs/CHCs/PHCs in phase-II.

CPCB is working on coming up with a Water Quality Index

• A certain and easy way to find out pollution levels in water will be introduced in the coming weeks.

• Based on the proposal of the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) is working on coming up with a Water Quality Index, on the lines of Air Quality Index (AQI).

• A committee has been formed with senior environment scientists from Telangana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and other States to formulate models to assess the water quality.

• The members felt that the present classification was not rational. The committee, which met twice till now, has closely studied similar models existing in Australia and Canada.

• Taking four perimeters into consideration, the committee has developed three different models.

• The Pollution Control Boards of various States are at present testing the models and checking for the accuracy of the output.

• By this month end, the final draft of the Water Quality Index will be ready and it will reviewed by the Chairman of the CPCB after which it will be made public.

• The pollution boards will use the formulae developed by them to check for the quality of the water bodies and upload it on their websites.

• The committee members also want to classify the lakes, groundwater and the coastal waters across the country based on the Water Quality Index.

Nanotechnology to treat inflammation of the eye

• Scientists at the Hyderabad-based CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) have developed a novel way to treat fungal keratitis.

• Keratitis is the inflammation of the eye, which starts with redness and itching and might eventually lead to blindness.

• Keratitis can be caused by both bacteria and fungi. Fungi attach themselves to the cornea and release enzymes that break down the corneal proteins for their nutritional requirements.

• In the process the cornea also gets inflamed. Corneal damage causes wound and scar formation leading to severe visual impairment. It is estimated that about 30% of keratitis cases in India lead to blindness.

• Treating keratitis infection is currently a challenge because it is difficult to maintain a therapeutic dose at the corneal surface for long periods as blinking and tear formation washes off the drug.

• Certain antibodies get attached to the outer surface of the nanoparticles, thus anchoring the nanoparticles to the corneal surface.

• The infected cornea expresses a set of receptors (TLR4) when infection sets in. The team has used antibodies to these receptors to anchor the nanoparticles to the cornea.

::International::

World leaders trying to resolve gulf issue

• Efforts to resolve a diplomatic dispute pitting Saudi Arabia and its allies against Qatar intensified, after Washington offered to mediate the biggest crisis to grip the Gulf in years.

• As Kuwait’s emir shuttled between Gulf capitals for talks, U.S. President Donald Trump offered to host a White House meeting if necessary, in a change of heart from his initial support for the Saudi-led boycott.

• The feud has raised fears of wider instability in an already-volatile region that is a crucial global energy supplier and home to several Western military bases.

• Kuwait — which unlike most of its fellow Gulf Cooperation Council members has not cut off ties with Qatar — has been leading efforts to mediate.

• Qatar hosts the Al-Udeid military base, the largest US airbase in the Middle East. Home to some 10,000 troops, Al-Udeid is central to the U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

• French President Emmanuel Macron has also reached out to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Iran in a bid to kick off negotiations.

• Turkey, which works closely with Qatar in the energy sector, has walked a fine line between defending Qatar and abstaining from openly antagonising Saudi Arabia.

• In a sign of support for Doha, Turkey’s Parliament approved an agreement to expand the number of troops deployed to a Turkish base in Qatar. The agreement did not detail a timeframe or the number of troops.

::Business and Economy::

Out of seven states cautioned by RBI 2 breached fiscal deficit target

• While RBI had specifically cautioned seven States not to breach the 3% fiscal deficit target, two States had already breached that threshold, RBI officials told analysts and researchers in a teleconference post the monetary policy review.

• RBI lacked the constitutional backing to stop States from breaching the 3% fiscal deficit mark.

• “We can only advise them, caution them, but can do nothing to stop them,” an analyst cited an RBI official as having said on the call. RBI had asked seven States not to breach the mark, excluding the expenditure for the UDAY scheme.

• While the Fiscal Responsibility Budget Management Act prescribes a fiscal deficit threshold of 3% of gross state domestic product, States can take permission from the Centre for exceeding the 3% mark.

• Farm loan waivers, implemented by some States and contemplated by others, have compounded the problem, according to the RBI.

Stressed assets of Indian banks will increase through 2019 says Moody's

• Stressed assets of Indian banks will increase through 2019 and capitalisation will remain a key credit weakness for state-owned lenders which will need up to Rs. 95,000 crore additional capital over the next two years, Moody’s said.

• Public sector banks (PSBs) have limited ability to raise external capital and hence infusion by the government remains the only viable source for shoring up capital base, Moody’s Investors Service said in a report — ‘Indian banks’ capitalisation profiles worsen; asset quality outlook remains weak’

• Moody’s Indian affiliate, ICRA said the asset quality outlook for the banking sector will remain weak.

• Gross NPAs will increase to Rs. 8.2-Rs. 8.5 lakh crore (9.9-10.3% of total advances) by the end of 2017-18 as against Rs. 7.65 lakh crore (9.5%) at the end of March 2017.

• The capital requirement is much higher than Rs. 20,000 crore budgeted by the government towards capital infusion until March 2019.

• Under the Indradhanush plan for bank recapitalisation, government is to infuse Rs. 70,000 crore in PSU banks beginning 2015.

• Of this, the government has already infused Rs. 50,000 crore in the past two fiscals and the remaining will be pumped in by the end of 2018-19.

• As per the plan, PSBs need to raise Rs. 1.10 lakh crore from markets, including follow-on public offers, to meet Basel III capital adequacy norms, which kick in from March 2019.

The I-T department has rationalised ‘safe harbour’ rates

• The I-T department has rationalised ‘safe harbour’ rates as it wants to reduce transfer pricing disputes.

• The new rates would be effective from April 1, 2017 and shall continue to remain in force for two years — up to assessment year 2019-2020.

• As per the revised ‘safe harbour rules,’ safe harbour margins for transactions involving provision of software development and IT-enabled services have been reduced to a peak rate of 18% from 22% in the previous regime.

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