19.07.23 Daily [Assam] APSC Current Affairs

Assamhas recorded a three-time rise in HIV-positive cases in the last three years, with an increasing trend of injecting drug users (IDUs) spreading the virus, officials inAssam State AIDS Control Society(ASACS) said.

Data assessed from ASACS said from 1,288 HIV-positive cases detected in 2020-21, the corresponding figure has gone up to 4,018 by 2022-23.
On an Average, 335 cases were detected per month last year (total 4,020 in 2022-23), but since April this year, the detection of positive cases per month has gone up to 445 (1,334 so far).

Around 50% (669 of the 1,334 HIV positive) cases detected in the last three months are IDUs, which officials said is unusually high if compared to the HIV scenario three years ago. Of the 1,288 positive cases detected in 2020-21, only 76 cases or 6% were IDUs.

The concerning trend of IDUs started becoming evident from 2021-22 when 26.54% (628 cases) of the 2,366 HIV-positive cases detected in the state in 2021-22, were IDUs. The corresponding figure further went up to 43.7% in 2022-23 when of the total 4,018 positive cases, 1,756 were IDUs.

In 2022-23, the highest 816 HIV-positive cases were detected in Kamrup (Metro) district, under which falls the Guwahati city areas on an average, it was 68 cases per month.

But in the last three months, 275 cases (an average of 92 cases per month) have been detected in Kamrup (Metro). Kamrup (Metro) district has always reported the highest number of positive cases in the state as the city is a vital transit route for truckers.

But of late, drug users have carried the threat to districts like Nagaon which act as a junction for northern, upper and hill districts of the state. After Kamrup (Metro), the highest 707 cases have been detected from Nagaon district in 2022-23.

The Control Bureau (NCB) and states destroyed 1. 4lakh kg of drugs worth Rs 2,378 crore on Monday with Home ministerAmit Shahpresiding over the operation virtually from Delhi. With the latest round, the quantity of drugs destroyed in the past year reached 10 lakh kg, worth Rs 12,000 crore.

Shah said 1,250 cases were registered between 2006 and 2013, while 3,700 cases were registered in nine years from 2014 to 2023, which was an increase of nearly 300%.

Shah highlighted how India had, at an international level, replaced the terms Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent with Death Triangle and Death Crescent.

A survey of Metro rail commuters in Delhi, Bengaluru and Nagpur has revealed that poor access or last mile connectivity is responsible for lower-than planned ridership in these high capital-intensive transport systems. It has also found that while over 70% of the metro rail commuters walk or cycle to reach a station in Nagpur, in Delhi its barely 39% and in Bengaluru (66%).

Delhi has the highest share of passengers using low capacity shared mode of transport such as e-rickshaw andGrameen Sewavehicles. In all three survey cities, walking and shared modes constitute over 75% of the total last-mile mode-share, which indicates that low cost, shared Services and pedestrian play a key role in last-mile connectivity for Metro users.

The working paper on Improving Metro Access System published by the WRI India andToyota Mobility Foundation(TMF) has recommended that transport planners must understandthe demand on the last-mile corridor and the last-mile vehicle service capacities must be aligned with this demand to offer financially viable high frequency services.

The third Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under Indias G20 Presidency concluded in Gandhinagar on Tuesday with a G20 Chair Summary and Outcome Document comprising 26 paragraphs and 2 Annexes.

Managing global debt vulnerabilities is a significant priority area for 2023, reflecting the Indian Presidencys endeavour to voice the concerns of the Global South, said the outcome document of the meeting read. The Indian Presidency has brought the Digital Public Infrastructure agenda into the G20 discussions.

Road accidents top cause for youths, kids death worldwide; India loses 1.5 m lives every year: FICCI-EY report

Road accidents claim around 1.5 million lives in India every year, contributing 11 per cent to the total number of such fatalities globally, according to a FICCI-EY report.

Globally, at least one life is lost every 24 seconds due to road traffic injury, said the report

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), road crash is the 8th leading cause of death with more than 1.3 billion deaths and 50 million serious injuries. It is the leading cause of death amongst youth and kids aged 5 to 29 years, it said.

India is a signatory to Brasilia Declaration which aims to half the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes by 2030.

Global and residence advisory company Henley & Partners has ranked Pakistan as a nation with the fourth worst passport in the world. According to the report, Pakistanis had access to 35 countries with an on-arrival visa facility until January this year which has now come down to 33, The News International reported.

The nation of over 220 million stands at the 100th position among the 227 countries rated on the index, the results of which are estimated via the number of destinations that their residents can access without possessing a prior visa.

India ranks 80th on the list with 57 countries that give on-arrival visa facilities to Indians. Meanwhile, Singapore leads the index as possessing the most-coveted passport in the world pushing Japan, leading the list for the last five years, to the third position shared with South Korea, Austria, Finland, France, Luxembourg and Sweden granting their citizens access to 189 destinations without a prior visa.

The Henley Passport Index, which ranks 199 passports based on International Air Transport Association (IATA) data, is regularly updated to reflect changes in visa policies. The Average number of visa-free destinations, over the years, for travellers has nearly doubled from 58 in 2006 to 109.