27-04-2021

27-APRIL-2021

The Hindu News Analysis – 27th April 2021 – Shankar IAS Academy
S. Page Number*
News Articles
No. C B D H T

1 Implement Ayushman Bharat, demands BJP - - - 4 -

2 An idea on taxation that is worth a try (OPED) 7 7 7 7 7

3 Unfair and dangerous (Editorial) 6 6 6 6 6

4 Undermining ‘vaccination for all’ (Editorial) 6 6 6 6 6

5 ₹493 cr. for ‘One District, One Product’ initiative - 4 - - -

6 Protecting the police (OPED) 7 7 7 7 7

7 Another wave spells more nutrition loss (Editorial) 6 6 6 6 6

8 Prelims Practice Questions

@ end of the video
9 Mains Practice Questions
*C – Chennai; B – Bengaluru; D – Delhi; H – Hyderabad; T – Thiruvananthapuram

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Ayushman Bharat

• National initiative launched in 2018 as the part

of National Health Policy, 2017 - to achieve the

vision of Universal Health Coverage.

• Designed on the lines of SDG 3 - “to ensure

healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all, at all
ages”.

• Purpose - to provide a comprehensive need-based

health care service.

• Aim - to undertake path breaking interventions

to holistically address health at primary,
secondary and tertiary level.
Pg: 4 – Hyderabad
edition Prevention, promotion and ambulatory care.

• Two inter-related components: 2. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)

1. Establishment of Health and Wellness or the National Health Protection Scheme

Centres (HWCs) Public health insurance/assurance scheme.

Creation of 1.5 lakh HWCs - bringing Aim - providing health protection cover to
health care closer to the homes of poor & vulnerable families against financial
people. risk due to catastrophic health episodes.

To provide Comprehensive Primary Offers a benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per

Health Care. family per year.

Covers maternal and child health No cap on family size and age.
services, and non-communicable
Provided to more than 10 crore families -
diseases, including providing free
poor, deprived rural families and identified
essential drugs and diagnostic
occupational categories of urban workers ’
services.
families as per the latest SECC data.

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Covers Practice Question – Prelims

Medical and hospitalization expenses for Q. With reference to ‘Ayushman Bharat’, which of the
almost all secondary care and most of following statements is/are correct?

tertiary care procedures. 1. The component of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya

Yojana offers a benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per
Surgery, medical and day care year for the families having not more than 4
treatments including medicines,
members.

diagnostics and transport. 2. It covers surgery, medical and day care

treatments.
Pre- & post-hospitalization expenses.
3. The benefits can be availed only at public
hospitals and primary health care units.
Cashless & paperless scheme.
Select the correct answer from the code given
Availed at public hospitals and empanelled below.
private hospitals. (a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
Apex body for implementation - National (c) 2 only
Health Authority. (d) 1, 2 and 3

Pg: 7 – C, B, D, H, T;

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Global Minimum Corporate Tax

Part A—Preliminary Examination
• Corporation tax/company tax - direct tax
Paper I - (200 marks)
imposed by a jurisdiction on the income or
Current events of national and international
capital of corporations or analogous legal entities.
importance.
Economic and Social Development – Evolution of corporate tax as a policy tool
Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion,
• Soviet Bloc collapsed in 1990.
Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
• Nations in east Europe - badly hit
Part B—Main Examination
• To attract global capital - cut their tax rates
PAPER-III
sharply.
General Studies-II: Governance, Constitution,
Polity, Social Justice and International Relations. • ‘Race to the bottom’ - many nations in Europe
• Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and were forced to cut their tax rates.
Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian
Diaspora. • Many countries are constantly slashing their
corporate tax rates to attract foreign capital.

Negative Implications
• Base Erosion Profit Shifting (BEPS).
• Important source of national income.
Companies shift their profits to other
Shortage of funds - cutting back expenditures
tax jurisdictions, which usually have
on public services such as education, health and
lower rates.
civic amenities.
Google and Facebook -shifting their
• Regressive taxation regime.
profits to Ireland and other tax
Low-income individuals pay a higher amount of havens.
taxes compared to high-income earners.
Many countries lose their revenue.
Lowering of corporate tax (direct tax) has
U.S. loses about 100 billion dollars in
made the governments increasingly depend on
taxes.
the regressive indirect taxes.
Widely discussed among the OECD
Enormous strain on weaker sections of society.
countries
Inflationary and widen the inequality.

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Global minimum corporate tax

Fiscal deficit - Total expenditure -
• One corporate tax rate for the entire world total receipts (excluding borrowing).

• Benefits: Additional tax collections - reduce the

large fiscal deficits.
Increase the funds for the countries.
Reception
Strengthen the public services.
• Mixed reception
Progressive taxation.
• David R. Malpass - opposed it.
Discourage the practice of BEPS.

Covid pandemic. Hinder poor countries ’ ability to attract

investment.
Relief packages to recover economies
• Many rich entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos and
led to massive fiscal deficits.
Warren Buffet have supported this idea.

Author’s views

• Can reduce inequality, provide better public

services, deter Base Erosion Profit Shifting,
and reduce poverty.
• Role of the U.S. is crucial.
• U.S has the power and clout to make other
countries agree and cooperate for a global
minimum corporate tax.
Practice Question – Mains
GS – II
Q. What is “global minimum corporate
income tax”? What should India's response
be to the Global Minimum Corporate Tax
Debate?
(250 words, 15 marks)

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Pg: 6 – C, B, D, H, T;

Pg: 6 – C, B, D, H, T;

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Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
Current events of national and international importance.
Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives,
etc
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-III
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and
implementation.
• Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
PAPER-IV
General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster
Management
• Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
• Disaster and disaster management.

2. Deregulation of the vaccine market.

Three key elements of the new vaccine
strategy and the issues
1. Availability to the entire adult population
who are above 18 years of age.
• Issue:
Demand-supply mismatch
Serum Institute of India
promised to supply 100 million doses
• Vaccine manufacturers will have the freedom to
sell 50% of their vaccine production to State
governments and private hospitals.
• Allowed producers to pre-declare the prices they
would charge from State governments & private
hospitals.
• Issue:
initially
Fragments the market - allow the producers to

of vaccines a month, but it could charge high prices from State governments and
private hospitals.
provide between 50 million to 60
million doses Now state governments have the responsibility -
vaccination of a significant section of the
Only less than 2% of the population
population depends on the financial health of
has received both vaccine doses
State governments.

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3. A ₹45 billion grant to Serum Institute of

Conclusion
India (SII) and Bharat Biotech to boost their
capacities. • The government should urgently address the
serious doubts over affordability of vaccines
• Issue:
by ensuring a competitive market for
Why the tax-paying public should bear the vaccines.
high prices of vaccines when taxes (Public
• Vaccine manufacturing should be incentivised
Money) are already used to support
to ensure uninterrupted supply.
vaccine producers.

Criticism of the new vaccine strategy of Conclusion

the central government • States will have to take a leading role in

• Free hand to decide the price - makes the free immunisation programme

universal COVID-19 vaccination difficult. • Should compel the Central government and the

A large percentage of those aged 18-44 companies to make pricing more transparent

years does not have the resources to pay • Assure timelines in receive supplies.
for vaccines.

• The earmarked 50% supplies to State Practice Question – Mains

governments and private hospitals - lead to GS – II, III
competition among States, and between State
Q. In a nation riddled with inequalities and
governments and private hospitals. with a rapid spread of covid-19 virus,
• Containment and mitigation measures become India’s New Vaccine Strategy turns out to
even more difficult.
be a bad economics. Critically analyze.
(150 words, 10 marks)

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Pg: 4 – Bengaluru edition

One District One Product

Identify the
• Identifies the potential of one district export potential
• First launched by UP government for their state.

• Operationally merged with ‘Districts as Export Hub’

Address the
initiative being implemented by DGFT, Department of
bottlenecks
Commerce, with Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as a major
stakeholder.
Scale up
• Objective: convert each District of the country into manufacturing
Promote
an Export Hub. manufacturing
and services
• Identify one product per district. industry,
Export employment
Based on the potential and strength of a district promotion
generation,
Economic
Develop a cluster - World-class product with prosperity
quality, scalability, and a brand.

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One District One Product

• Transformational step forward - realizing the true

potential of a district. • Objective of the ODOP - optimise

• Fuel economic growth, generate employment, promote production, productivity and income,

rural entrepreneurship and take us to the goal of preservation and development of local

AtmaNirbhar Bharat. crafts, promotion of art, improvement

in product quality and skill
• ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’
development.
Self-reliant India.

Importance of promoting “local” products.

• Inspiration - Japanese business development concept

Promoting a competitive and staple product from

a specific area.

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements:
1. The objective of One District One Product is
to identify one product per district and
develop a cluster capable of producing a
world-class product with quality, scalability,
and a brand.
2. The initiative of One District One Product
came from a Japanese business
development concept.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

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Pg: 7 – C, B, D, H, T;

Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
Current events of national and international importance.
Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-III
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
• Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary—Ministries and Departments of the
Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design
and implementation.
PAPER-IV
General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster
Management
• Disaster and disaster management.
• Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in
internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.

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Challenges faced by police force of our

country

• The police had a tough time in enforcing the A recent instruction from the Supreme Court of
rules and regulations that came along with India
various lockdowns - punishment for violating
• Instructed High Courts to decongest prisons in
COVID-19 protocols and lockdowns was kept the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, in
mild. pursuance of a suo-motu petition, ‘In Re:
Contagion of Covid-19 Virus in Prisons’ (2020).
• Increased number of cases of cyber-fraud
related to online purchases and phishing. • By releasing convicts on parole.

• By releasing under-trial prisoners who are

• Overcrowding of prisons and the associated
charged with offences punishable with maximum
implications on public health.
punishment up to seven years, and who were in
• Apprehended criminals can be covid19 positive - jail for three months or more on temporary bail.
leads to transmission of infection to the
policemen who arrest them.

• Duty of tackling the menace of hoarding

scarcely available medical products and
maintaining public order in front of hospitals
Practice Question – Mains
etc.
GS – II, III
• Many policemen have succumbed to the virus
and numerous others are getting infected Q. The resources available for the Indian
while helping others.
police agencies are miniscule. Despite
these handicaps, they have risen to the
challenge of enforcing the lockdown and
Conclusion
promoting public health. In light of this
• The scheme of special insurance cover of ₹ 50 statement, list out the challenges faced by
lakh (notified for the medical fraternity last
the police force of India and suggest ways
to tackle them.
year for a limited period of three months)
must be revived and extended to all front-line (150 words, 10 marks)
workers including the police.

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Pg: 6 – C, B, D,
H, T;

Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
Current events of national and international importance.
Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector
Initiatives, etc.
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-III
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and
implementation.
Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these
schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable
sections.

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Food Security India’ food security

• United Nations’ Committee on World Food • 2019 Global Hunger Index: India ranked 102nd out
Security defines food security as: of 117 qualifying countries.

All people, at all times, have physical, • Score of 30.3 - India suffers from a level of
social, and economic access to hunger that is serious.
sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.
• Political and social handling of the pandemic -
Should meet their food preferences and added to the persisting issues of food insecurity
dietary needs for an active & healthy faced by millions in India.
life.
Impacts of the pandemic on Rural India
• Compramised food security in the coming
decades: changing climate, growing global • Study by Rapid Rural Community Response (RRCR) to

population, rising food prices, and COVID-19

environmental stressors. RRCR - a collective of over 60 NGOs supporting

Example: Ongoing Covid19 pandemic. Covid19 prevention efforts in rural India.

• Recent study between December 2020 - January 2021: covering more than 11700 households
across 64 districts.

Rural people are cutting down on food consumption.

Most impacted state was Jharkhand; most impacted social groups were the Dalits.

• Migrants suffered the most - have less access to the food security schemes.

https://www.rcrc.in/wp-
content/uploads/2021/03/RCRC_householdsurvey_round3.pdf

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• Reduced consumption of food: 80% of the women

of the households, 73% of the men, 24% boys, and
20% are girls.

• Protein intake has been curtailed - cutting

down on milk, vegetables, egg, meat, pulses and
oil etc.

Reduced intake would further accelerate

impacts on children’s nutrition.

Reasons for cutting nutrition

• A consequence of people losing their jobs; being

pushed into lower income brackets.

• Middle class in India has shrunk by over 32

million households in the past year.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/18/in-the-pandemic-indias-
middle-class-shrinks-and-poverty-spreads-while-china-sees-smaller-changes/

• Prior to pandemic: 55% of households reported • Exhausted their savings lead to vicious
earning less than ₹5,000 per month; rose to 74% debt trap.
during December 2020-January 2021.
• Govt policies must focus on migrants

• 30% sample households were seeking loans - at For migrants stuck in cities without work
least half needed loans for food. - community kitchen

Status of migrants Stay places

• Lost their livelihood during the lockdown during
the first phase.
• 74% of sample households: migrant members who
had returned to the village during or after the
lockdown.
• 57% among them had gone back; 59% of the
remaining wants to go back.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana
(PMGKAY)
• Part of Atmanirbhar Bharat to supply free
food grains to migrants and poor.
• April-November 2020: more than 80 crore
people were provided 5 kg free wheat/rice
per person / month.

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• Centre promised to provide 5 kg of rice/wheat

per person per month for the next two months.

Way forward

• Provide similar support for stabler longer Practice Question – Mains

periods - expand PMGKAY to include nutritious
GS – III
foods like pulses.
Q. What do you understand by ‘food
• Solve existing issues in MGNREGA such as security’? What are the measures taken by
delays in wages and rationing explore potential Government of India to ensure food
urban employment schemes. security for all?
• Give utmost priority to children - ramp up the (150 words, 10 marks)
existing schemes.

• Providing ration to children through

anganwadis, PDS and mid-day meal scheme.

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Practice Question – Prelims

Q1.With reference to ‘Ayushman Bharat’, which of the
Practice Question – Prelims
following statements is/are correct? Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. The component of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya 1. The objective of One District One Product is
Yojana offers a benefit cover of Rs. 5 lakh per to identify one product per district and
year for the families having not more than 4 develop a cluster capable of producing a
members. world-class product with quality, scalability,
2. It covers surgery, medical and day care and a brand.
treatments. 2. The initiative of One District One Product
3. The benefits can be availed only at public came from a Japanese business
hospitals and primary health care units. development concept.

Select the correct answer from the code given Which of the above statements is/are correct?
below. (a) 1 only
(a) 1 only (b) 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only (c) Both 1 and 2(Answer)
(c) 2 only (Answer) (d) Neither 1 nor 2
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Practice Question – Mains Practice Question – Mains

GS – II, III GS – III
Q.The resources available for the Indian police agencies Q. What do you understand by ‘food
are miniscule. Despite these handicaps, they have security’? What are the measures taken
risen to the challenge of enforcing the lockdown and by Government of India to ensure food
promoting public health. In light of this statement, security for all?
list out the challenges faced by the police force of
India and suggest ways to tackle them. (150 words, 10 marks)
(150 words, 10 marks)
Practice Question – Mains
Practice Question – Mains
GS – II
GS – II, III
Q. What is “global minimum corporate
Q. In a nation riddled with inequalities and with a rapid income tax”? What should India's
spread of covid-19 virus, India’s New Vaccine response be to the Global Minimum
Strategy turns out to be a bad economics. Critically Corporate Tax Debate?
analyze.
(250 words, 15 marks)
(150 words, 10 marks)

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