Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 10th November 2024

1. Govt launches Rs 500 crore scheme to strengthen medical devices industry 

• Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister JP Nadda has launched a Rs 500 crore scheme to strengthen India’s medical devices industry, focusing on critical areas such as manufacturing key components and accessories, skill development, support for clinical studies, development of common infrastructure, and industry promotion. 
• This initial outlay of Rs 500 crore will be for three years, up to financial year 2026-27. 
• The overall scheme consists of five components, including common facilities for medical device clusters, capacity building and skill development, a marginal investment scheme for reducing import dependence, clinical studies support. 
• Under the scheme, Rs 110 crore has been allocated to strengthen infrastructure through the creation of common facilities such as research and development (R&D) labs, design and testing centres, and animal labs for around 20 medical device clusters in India. This will also include the enhancement of testing facilities. 
• Similarly, Rs 180 crore has been outlined for a marginal investment scheme to deepen the value chain by incentivising the production of key components and raw materials used in the manufacturing of medical devices, thereby reducing import dependence. This sub-scheme offers a one-time capital subsidy of 10-20 per cent, with a maximum cap of Rs 10 crore per project. 
• The government will also provide a support scheme worth Rs 100 crore for clinical studies of medical devices, enabling developers and manufacturers to apply for financial assistance for animal studies and, if successful, for human trials to validate MedTech products. 

2. Australia proposes ban on social media for children under 16 

• The Australian government will legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16. 
• Australia is trialing an age-verification system to assist in blocking children from accessing social media platforms, as part of a range of measures that include some of the toughest controls imposed by any country to date. 
• A number of countries have already vowed to curb social media use by children through legislation, though Australia’s policy is one of the most stringent. 
• No jurisdiction so far has tried using age verification methods like biometrics or government identification to enforce a social media age cut-off, two of the methods being trialed. 
• Australia’s other world-first proposals are the highest age limit set by any country, no exemption for parental consent and no exemption for pre-existing accounts. 
• France last year proposed a ban on social media for those under 15, though users were able to avoid the ban with parental consent. 
• The United States has for decades required technology companies to seek parental consent to access the data of children under 13, leading to most social media platforms banning those under that age from accessing their services. 

3. Cashfree launches pilot for cross-border payments 

• Cashfree Payments has partnered with Indian companies like Swiggy and Nykaa to enable international customers to make payments in India. 
• This pilot program caters to users of RuPay cards and UPI, which are not typically recognized for global transactions.
• Cashfree’s cross-border payments license allows them to facilitate seamless transactions for both import and export businesses, as well as individual users. 
• This pilot programme caters to UPI and RuPay card users, which are not typically recognised for global transactions. 

4. GenWise launches UPI payments for senior citizens with secure interface 

• GenWise has launched the UPI payments on its app for senior citizens. This is the industry’s first-ever introduction of UPI for elders, offering a simple user interface, enhanced security, and cyber fraud awareness. 
• GenWise UPI has been developed in collaboration with Axis Bank, which is acting as the sponsor bank for facilitating transactions. 
• Over the years, UPI has become an integral part of everyday transactions, with over 400 million unique users. 
• In October alone, the platform processed over 16.5 billion transactions. However, over 250 million Indian elders have remained less connected to this transformation due to fear of the unknown and the complex interfaces of other apps. 

5. 10 November – World Science Day for Peace and Development 

• World Science Day for Peace and Development is celebrated annually on November 10, serves as a significant reminder of the vital role that science plays in society and its contribution to global peace and sustainable development. 
• Organized by UNESCO since 2001, this day emphasizes the importance of connecting science with society and ensuring that scientific knowledge is shared widely, making it relevant and accessible to everyone. 
• Theme 2024 – Youth at the Forefront 

6. 10 November – World Immunization Day 2024 

• World Immunization Day is observed annually on November 10. 
• Objective – To raise awareness about the vital role vaccines play in preventing infectious diseases and protecting public health. 
• Immunization is one of the most effective and cost-efficient intervention for controlling and eradicating diseases, saving millions of lives globally each year. 
• The Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is one of India’s most comprehensive public health initiatives, aiming to provide life-saving vaccines to millions of newborns and pregnant women each year. Initially launched in 1978 as the Expanded Programme on Immunization, it was rebranded as the UIP in 1985 when its coverage was extended beyond urban centres to rural areas. 

7. 9 November – National Legal Service Day 

• National Legal Services Day is observed every year on 9 November across the country. 
• The day is primarily celebrated to promote legal awareness and ensure access to justice for all citizens, especially those from marginalized communities. 
• This day is to educate people about their legal rights and promote mechanisms for dispute resolution through a number of projects and activities to create a more equitable society. 
• Theme 2024 – Celebrating equal access to justice 
• On November 9, 1995, the Legal Services Authorities Act was created with the intention of providing legal aid to underprivileged and marginalized people. As a result of the historic law, the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) was established on December 5, the same year. Since then, National Legal Services Day is observed every year. 

8. 9 November – Uttarakhand Foundation Day 

• Uttarakhand Foundation Day is annually celebrated on November 9, and in 2024, it marks the 24th anniversary of the formation of the state. 
• Uttarakhand is commonly referred to as the “Land of the Gods (Devbhumi),” due to several Hindu pilgrimage sites in the state. 
• The state of Uttarakhand was formed on November 9, 2000, after a prolonged struggle by the people of the region, who sought a separate state due to cultural, geographic, and administrative differences from Uttar Pradesh.
• Originally known as Uttaranchal, it formed the 27th state of India, with the name being officially changed to Uttarakhand in 2007. 

9. IDF working on new guidelines to treat Type 2 diabetes 

• The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) is drawing up new guidelines for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in consultation with a global expert panel. These guidelines are being evaluated, and will be launched in Bangkok in April during the World Congress, IDF president Peter Schwarz has said. 
• Professor Schwarz was in Chennai along with the chairperson of the guidelines committee, Antonio Ceriello, former head of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), to give Indian diabetologists a sneak peek into the new set of guidelines. 
• Speaking to The Hindu, he said: "Forming such a guideline is always a big undertaking, because we need to put all the evidence from science and clinical practice together. What is unique about the 
• International Diabetes Federation's guidelines is that it does not lose the science, but makes sure that the practice is applied on to the environment in specific countries. We are talking about putting not the drugs, but the patient in the middle of the care model." 
• Professor Ceriello added: "In many countries in the world, these guidelines are used by healthcare systems to justify some choices in terms of reimbursement or in terms of what can be allowed, how to access care. This is why we wanted to set the minimum, basic care, that reflects the basic right of anyone with diabetes for treatment; less than this is not acceptable." While there are multiple guidelines for diabetes in the world, he said most focus on the best available chances because they are coming from the United 
• IDF president Peter Schwarz; Antonio Ceriello, former head of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, and V. Mohan, chairman of Dr. Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre. R. RAVINDRAN 
• States or Europe. "But our idea is to give instruments to be used at [a] local level in order to get the best options for the treatment of diabetes." 
• The current or existing guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) or EASD may not be suitable for all countries, because of accessibility and affordability issues, explained V. Mohan, chair man, Dr. Mohan's Diabetes Specialties Centre, Chennai. The IDF, which is an organization comprising over 240 associations of diabetologists across the world, looks at it from a slightly different perspective from the national associations for diabetology. For instance, the ADA's recommendation that GLP-1 receptor agonists, in- cluding semaglutide, may be used as first-line treatment in certain cases "is questionable, for several reasons", Professor Ceriello said. "I can say that they are good drugs. But there are several problems. Firstly, the shortage of drugs. In Australia, for example, people were forced to stop because the drug was not anymore available. When these drugs which aid weight loss are stopped, the patients regain weight. So, as part of the guidelines we do not say GLP-1 first, then insulin. We keep insulin as our first choice, and if needed and suitable, you can add GLP-1" 
• Factors to consider 
• Professor Schwarz chimed in: "I'm a strong supporter of calming down to look at the science and the impact. We would move the patient from a lifelong treatment with insulin, which is becoming cheaper and cheaper, to a lifelong treatment with an expensive drug. This has social and financial dimensions and there are side effects all of which we have to consider." Dr. Mohan added that there is currently no long-term data on the side effects of the GLP-1 class of drugs, so it may not be advisable to use them as the first-line for everyone at this stage. 
• Professor Schwarz added that the IDF is also developing a global diabetes index. "Once a year we will ask 100,000 physicians and 100,000 patients in ev- ery country in the world about their perception of the quality of diabetes care, and it will be translated into a score of up to 100. Then, immediately, we can compare the quality of diabetes care in Kerala with Wisconsin in the United States. Countries can learn best practices from each other. For instance, he said, the chain of institutions Dr. Mohan runs would be a role model on how to conduct diabetes care in different areas with varying income groups, and it features as such in the new guidelines. (Full panel discussion is at newsth.live/diabetes) 

10. Ahead of COP-29, India to emphasize Paris deal red lines on climate finance 

• With the 29th edition of the Conference of Parties expected to commence in Baku, India is expected to stick to its stance of getting developed countries to in- crease climate finance broad term for money for adapting to the impacts of climate change but without deviating from the principles agreed to in the Paris Agreement text. 
• In COP-15 at Copenha- gen, countries agreed on a climate finance target whereby developed countries would collectively mobilize $100 billion per year by 2020 to meet the needs of developing countries. Ho- wever, there was never clarity on how climate finance would be defined. Countries differed on whether conventional business investments in clean energy projects ought to be counted as climate finance or if these sums would be over and above money that was anyway being chan- nelled to economic development. In 2022, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) claimed that the target of $100 billion had been achieved. 
• In the COP of 2021, countries decided that more money would be required to keep the Paris goals feasible. 

11. Ransomware attack hit crucial defense unit last year: DOPT 

• A crucial defense unit was affected by a ransomware attack in 2023, according to the 2023-24 annual re- port of the Department of Personnel Training (DoPT). In such an attack, access to a computer is blocked through malware until a ransom is paid. 
• The report, published last week, mentions that in 2023, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigated complex cyber crimes with national security implications. These included "a ransomware attack on a crucial defense unit, a data breach impacting millions of Indian us- ers, a malware attack in a Ministry, and a massive DDoS attack on critical in- frastructure and airports in India". DDoS stands for distributed denial-of-service, a malicious attempt to disrupt internet traffic. 
• The report does not specify the location of the critical defense unit that was hit by ransomware. India had hosted the G-20 conference the same year. 
• According to the 2023 report of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), as many as 15,92,917 security incidents were reported last year, a massive jump from 53,117 incidents reported in 2017. These incidents included website intrusion and malware propagation, malicious codes, phishing, DDoS attacks, website defacements, unauthorized network scanning activities, ransomware attacks, and data breaches. CERT-In said remedial measures for handling such incidents were suggested and implemented in coordination with relevant stakeholders. 
• In October 2023, American cybersecurity and intelligence agency Security had issued an alert that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had suf- fered a data leak of Aadhaar and passport information of 81 crore Indians, along with names, phone numbers, and addresses. 
• The DoPT report said the CBI had collaborated with international counterparts such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and Singapore police, to dismantle call center fraud networks in India.