Title: Saving Lives
(It needs political will for India
to bring down its shamefully high newborn mortality rate)
Report released name = “Every Child Alive”
Report released by = United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef)
India's neonatal mortality rate (deaths
per 1,000 live births) was found to be 25.4, making it the 12th worst among 52
‘lower-middle-income countries’ that pose risk for newborns.
What is neonatal mortality rate?
It is the number of deaths during the first 28
days of life per 1000 live births.
ü Report is a shame and hope for
India.
ü Shame : India is behind poorer
countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Rwanda.
ü Hope : The ranking shows that
financial resources are not the biggest constraint in improving this health
indicator; political will is.
ü India saw the 31st highest
newborn-mortality rate, at 25.4 deaths per 1000 in 2016, while Pakistan had the
highest.
ü Coming in after 30 countries is no
comfort, however, because a small mortality rate can translate to numerous
deaths when the birth-rate is high.
ü This means India lost 640,000
babies in 2016, more than any other country.
ü The report points out that the most
powerful solutions are not necessarily the most expensive.
ü The 10 critical products that
hospitals must stock to save newborns include a piece of cloth to keep a baby
warm and close to the mother to encourage breastfeeding. The list also includes
antibiotics and disinfectants, the use of which can stave off killers like
sepsis and meningitis.
ü But other solutions will need
greater investment. The biggest cause of death is premature birth, while the
second is complications like asphyxia during delivery.
ü Preventing these would mean paying
attention to the mother’s health during pregnancy and ensuring she delivers in
a hospital attended by trained doctors or midwives.
Title :- Planning For Electric Mobility
ü (Transitioning
to an electric vehicle-based regime will be difficult, but well worth it.)
ü In October
2017, the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, published by the
peer-reviewed Lancet medical journals, attributed to air pollution an estimated
6.5 million premature deaths globally, with 1.1 million being from India.
ü In 2014,
the World Health Organisation’s urban air quality database had found four
Indian cities to be among the world’s 10 most polluted. The database also
placed 10 Indian cities in the 20 worst list.
ü There are multiple reasons for India’s
deteriorating air quality. In urban India, emissions from motor vehicles are
among the prime reasons.
ü Piyush Goyal, then Union Minister
for Power, said that from 2030, India would completely shift to using electric
vehicles (EVs).
ü While transitioning from an
internal combustion engine (ICE)-based regime to an EV-based one is expected to
be a painful process.
ü India needs to address five
fundamental issues immediately.
ü There are multiple reasons for
India’s deteriorating air quality. In urban India, emissions from motor
vehicles are among the prime reasons.
ü Piyush Goyal, then Union Minister
for Power, said that from 2030, India would completely shift to using electric
vehicles (EVs).
ü While transitioning from an
internal combustion engine (ICE)-based regime to an EV-based one is expected to
be a painful process.
ü India needs to address five
fundamental issues immediately.
ü The fourth is about charging
infrastructure. EV charging is more than just using electricity.
ü The absence of a standard global
infrastructure is a major deterrent for EV penetration in India, as creating
infrastructure can be cost-intensive.
ü The final point is about jobs and
the economic impact. India is the world’s fourth largest fifth auto market,
where over 25 million motor vehicles are produced. The sector is estimated to
provide direct and indirect employment to about three crore people and accounts
for 7.1% of the nation’s GDP.
Conclusion:-
ü EVs have
the potential to disrupt the mobility ecosystem, and, if implemented well,
could have a positive impact on the economy as well as the urban environment.
India, however, needs a road map, with timelines, processes, well-researched
impact studies, bold initiatives and robust investments in technological
research to turn its EV dream into reality.
Vocabulary words:
- Dreadful (adj) = Terrible, frightful (भयानक)
- Deteriorate (verb) = Become progressively worse (बिगड़ना)
- Back by (phrasal verb) = Give financial support (समर्थन करना)
- Outweigh (verb) = Be heavier (अतिभार होना)
- Hardship (noun) = Severe suffering or privation (कठिनाई)
- Predominantly (adv) = Mainly, mostly (मुख्य रूप से)
- Catalyst (noun) = Main source (मुख्य स्रोत)
- Penetration (noun) = The action or process of penetrating (प्रवेश)
- Pave the way (idiom) = Make progress or development easier
- Conundrum (noun) = Difficulty, riddle (पहेली)
- Deterrent (noun) = Discouragement, restraint (हतोत्साह करनेवाला)
- Mortality rate (noun) = Death rate (मृत्यु-दर)
- Neonatal (adj) = Relating to newborn child (नवजात)
- Constraint (noun) = Limitation, restriction (बाधा)
- Intent (noun) = Attention (ध्यान)
- Chip away (phrasal verb) = Gradually make less effective, weaker (कम करना)
- Stagger (verb) = Astonish, deeply shock (चौंका देने वाला)
