Current Affairs 25-FEB-2024 (The Hindu)

Household Consumption Expenditure Survey

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Household Consumption Expenditure Survey

Imputation Methods:

• Home-grown/home-produced stock
• Gifts
• Loans
• Free collection
• Goods received in exchange of goods and services
• Decline in Food Expenditure Share

Findings:

• Average monthly consumption spending has increased.
• Average Monthly Per Capita Consumption Expenditure (MPCE) has increased.
• The difference in average MPCE between rural and urban households has narrowed to 71.2 per cent in 2022-23 compared with 83.9 per cent in 2011-12.

Difference in Rural and Urban Spending:

• Meghalaya (83 per cent)
• Chhattisgarh (82 per cent) in 2022-23.

Share of Food:

• Share of food in average monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) dropped to 46.4% in 2022-23 from 52.9% in 2011-12.
• Urban India also had decline, with the percentage falling from 48.1% in 1999-2000 to 39.2% in 2022-23.

Shift in Food Composition:

• Composition of food expenditure moved away from food grains and sugar towards animal and horticulture products.

Change in Dietary Preferences:

• Spending on Cereals and pulses has decreased in both rural and urban areas.
• Spending on milk has increased, exceeding the combined expenditure on cereals and pulses.

Practice Question – Mains GS - III

Discuss the significance of the recently released All-India Household Consumption Expenditure Survey conducted between August 2022 and July 2023. Evaluate its potential impact on key economic indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), poverty levels, and Consumer Price Inflation (CPI).

Antimicrobial Resistance

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Antimicrobial Resistance

Definition:

• When microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) evolve resistance to medications, rendering standard treatments ineffective and allowing diseases to persist and spread.

Importance of the Issue:

• The World Health Organization considers AMR a major global health threat, leading to the emergence of "superbugs" that are difficult to treat.

Reasons for AMR Spread:

• Disease Prevalence: High occurrence of diseases increases demand for antimicrobials, leading to misuse.
• Diagnostic Challenges: Limited resources and inadequate labs contribute to misuse.
• Hygiene in Healthcare: Poor hygiene in facilities promotes transmission of resistant bacteria.
• Patient Pressure and Self-medication: Leads to overprescribing and misuse.
• Unregulated Sale: Easy access to antibiotics promotes self-medication and misuse.
• Lack of Public Awareness: Contributes to inappropriate use of antibiotics.
• Monitoring Absence: Difficulty in tracking the emergence and spread of AMR.

Solutions for AMR:

• Enhance public and healthcare provider awareness.
• Improve diagnostics and infection control.
• Ensure judicious use of antibiotics.

Practice Question – Prelims

Which of the following statements is/are true regarding Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)?

1. AMR occurs when microorganisms develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them, making standard treatments ineffective.

2. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and agriculture are significant factors accelerating the development of AMR.

3. AMR is solely a result of natural selection and not influenced by human actions such as the misuse of antibiotics.

Select the incorrect answer using the code given below:

a) 3 only

b) 1 and 2 only

c) 2 and 3 only

d) 1, 2, and 3

Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS)

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Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS)

Overview:

• Forms the base in the three-tier cooperative credit structure.
• A village-level institution that directly deals with rural people.
• Provides short-term loans to rural people to meet their financial requirements.
• Works under the District Credit Co-operative Banks.

Functions:

• Encourages savings among agriculturists.
• Accepts deposits.
• Gives loans to needy borrowers.
• Collects repayments.
• Operates based on cooperative principles and can be started with 10 or more persons from a village.
• Each member undertakes full responsibility for the entire loss of the society in case of its failure.
• The management of the society is under the control of an elected body.

Practice Question – Prelims

Consider the following statements:

1. PACS provides loans to its members only.

2. Loans repayment schedule can be decided by the co-operative society as per the significance purpose of the loans.

3. PACS provide the loan only for medium and short term purpose.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a) 1 and 2 only

b) 1, 2, and 3 only

c) 2 only

d) 2 and 3 only