Why in news?

• Recently, the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS) was released.

About NFHS Survey

• It is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India.
• The survey provides state and national information for India on fertility, infant and child mortality, the practice of family planning, maternal and child health, reproductive health, nutrition, anaemia, utilization and quality of health and family planning services.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) designated the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) Mumbai, as the nodal agency, responsible for providing coordination and technical guidance for the survey.
• NFHS-5, the most comprehensive survey on socio-economic and health indicators in the country, shows some surprising demographic transitions.
• The previous four rounds of the NFHS were conducted in 1992-93, 1998-99, 2005-06 and 2015-16.

Highlights of the Report:

• Women outnumber men, fertility has decreased, and India is getting older: There were 1,020 women for 1000 men in the country in 2019-2021. This is the highest sex ratio for any NFHS survey as well as since the first modern synchronous census conducted in 1881.
• The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has also come down below the threshold at which the population is expected to replace itself from one generation to next. TFR was 2 in 2019-2021, just below the replacement fertility rate of 2.1.
• Children’s nutrition improved but at a slower pace: The share of stunted (low height for age), wasted (low weight for height), and underweight (low weight for age) children have all come down since the last NFHS conducted in 2015-16. However, the share of severely wasted children has not, nor has the share of overweight (high weight for height) or anaemic children.
• India might be food secure, but nutrition is a problem for adults too: Though India might have achieved food security, 60% of Indians cannot afford nutritious diets.
• Anaemia: India’s battle with anaemia also appears to have faltered. The proportion of anaemic children (5-59 months) increased from 58% to 67%. Women aged 15-49 who were anaemic increased from 53% to 57% and men of the same age increased from 29% to 31% between both editions of the NFHS.
• Obesity: Nutritionally deficient diet likely explained the rise in obesity. Very challenging findings on waist-hip ratio. 56.7% women and 47.7% men have a high-risk waist-to-hip ratio.

Why in news?

Plot project begins in Una/ 200 hectares to be brought under cultivation
• The government will encourage farmers in the lower areas to undertake commercial cultivation of cinnamon as a
pilot project in Una.
• The project will pave the way for its commercial cultivation even though some species of Cinnamomum genus
are growing naturally in the wild forest’s Cinnamomum verum, also called sweet wood, thrives will as a forest
tree at 300-350 mts.
• ‘About 1,000 famers will be trained for undertaking commercially cultivated high yielding varieties like navashree
konkan tej, yercaud 1, and nith yash ree known for delicate aroma and spicy flavour’ said Virender Kanwar,
Agriculture Minister,
• He said the first sapling of cinnamon verum was planted at Kholin village in the district. The pilot project is being
jointly implemented by the Agriculture Department and the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology
(IHBT) on a pilot basis in association with the ICAR’s Indian Institute of Spice Research Calicut Kerala.
• Around 200 hectares will be brought under the cinnamon cultivation in five years in Una Hamirpur, Bilaspur,
Kangra and Sirmaur districts having hot and humid climate with moderate temperature and rainfall of 1,750-
3,500 mm per annum.
• A CSIR -IHBT team trained farmers on the cinnamon cultivation and established a cinnamon demonstration plot
in Una.
• There is a huge demand for it even from abroad as it is used in a big way in baking. Cinnamon is a versatile spice
which can be added to any food item such as salads, confectionaries, beverages, soups, stews and sauces,
Besides its culinary usage, it has important medicinal applications.

Why in news?

• Himachal Pradesh has bagged the 23rd position in the National Multidimensional Index of India (MPI) report
issued by the Niti Aayog, with 7.62 percent of its population being multidimensionally poor.
• Based on the National Family Health Survey-5, the survey has taken into account health, education and standard
of living of households.
• The neighbouring state of Haryana lies on the 21st position while Punjab lies on the 24th position, Uttarakhand
stood at the 15th position.
• Chamba tops the stat with 11,27 percent MPI, while Sirmaur and Solan district were at the second and third
position with MPI of 10.88 and 9.24 percent respectively.
• Smaller district of Kullu was at the fourth position with 8.97 percent MPI while Mandi is ahead of tribal districts
Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur, registering MPI of 8.3 percent as against 7.7 percent registered by Lahaul-Spiti, which
occupies the sixth position among districts. Presence of industrial dusters appears to have failed to alleviate
poverty in Solan and Sirmaur, Bilaspur secured MPI of 7.54 percent and occupied the seventh position while
Shimla is marginally better at eight position with MPI of 7.4 percent.
• The state’s biggest district of Kangra has MPI of 5.88 percent where Una stood next with MPI of 5.12 percent.
Following by Kinnaur at 5.10 percent and Hamirpur has the lowest MPI score of 4.60 percent. The MPI was found
to be more profound in rural areas.
• On parameters of nutrition, there are 27.2 percent households where a child between the age of 0 to 59 months
or women between the ages of the 0 to 49 years or men between the age of 15 to 54 years have been found to
be undernourished
• As many as 3.8 percent households have a school aged child not attending school. The school attendance is
deficient from 0.9 to 1.1 percent for varying school going aged children, Standard of living takes in to account
cooking fuel, sanitation, drinking water and electricity.

Why in news?

• Recently, noted mountaineer from Uttarakhand Harshwanti Bisht has earned the distinction of being elected the first woman president of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF).

About Harshwanti Bisht

• She was elected to the coveted post on 20 November 2021 after winning 60 out of a total of 107 votes.
• It is for the first time that a woman has been elected as the president of the IMF, which was founded in the year 1958.
• Bisht who is 62 years old, hails from a village named Sukai in Pauri district, says promoting mountaineering and other adventure sports, and bringing more women into the field will be among her priorities.
• Bisht, who has been honoured with the Arjuna award for her achievements in the field of mountaineering, said there was a time when Uttarakhand used to be at the top when it came to adventure sports like mountaineering but the scenario has changed in the recent years.
• She pursued a course in mountaineering from the Uttarkashi-based Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in 1975.
• In 1981, she scaled the Nanda Devi peak in 1981 which earned her Arjuna award.
• She was also a member of an expedition team to Mount Everest in 1984.

About Indian Mountaineering Foundation

• Indian Mountaineering Foundation is an apex national body which organize and support, mountaineering and rock-climbing expeditions at high altitudes in the Himalayas.
• The organization also promote and encourage schemes for related adventure activities and environmental protection work in the Indian Himalayas. IMF has organized many expeditions to the high peaks in the Himalayas including Mount Everest.
• Headquarters are in Delhi, India

Vivek Johri appointed as Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs

Why in news?

• Recently, senior bureaucrat Vivek Johri has been appointed as the chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

About Vivek Johri and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs

Vivek Johri

• Vivek Johri is a 1985-batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes) officer.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Johri as the chairman of the CBIC
• He succeeds M Ajit Kumar who completes his tenure this month end.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC)

• It is the authority responsible for administering indirect taxes such as GST, central excise, service tax, customs, among others in India.
• The Central Board of Indirect Taxes is under the Department of Revenue, Finance Ministry, Government of India.
• The CBIC was previously known as the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).

Why in news?

• Recently, first of its kind program for lateral entry for women researchers in joint R&D projects between India and Germany launched.

About the Women’s Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) program

• A first-of-its-kind programme to promote women in the field of research and development through lateral entry.

Launched by

• The program called Women’s Involvement in Science and Engineering Research (WISER) program was launched by Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC) for encouraging women researchers in joint R&D projects.
• This program by IGSTC, a joint initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Government of Germany, will support women scientists holding regular/long term research positions in academia or research institutes/industry.

Other facts

• The involvement in the program will be possible through lateral entry. There is neither requirement of break-in-career nor any age limit, and it will enable easy participation.
• IGSTC is going to support the awardees with a maximum amounting to 39 L from the Indian side & € 48000 from the German side.
• WISER program offers 20 awards per year.

Why in news?

• Recently, a Kerala-based medical technology start-up Sascan Meditech has been adjudged the winner of Startup India Grand Challenge 2021 in the medical device category of the Government of India.

About Sascan Meditech

• It is a startup, founded by Subhash Narayanan, a scientist-turned-biomedical entrepreneur. It focuses on developing affordable healthcare products and solutions for cancer care and screening, based on biophotonics and allied technologies.
• The award was announced by Amitabh Kant CEO, NITI Aayog, after a rigorous evaluation process, and Sascan was selected from among 310 startups that had participated in the grand challenge, a statement from the Ministry of Science & Technology said.

Products by Sascan Meditech

• It has developed OralScan, a handheld device for early, accurate and cost-effective detection of pre-cancerous lesions in the mouth. It is a bio-photonics technology-based device, and the results of clinical trials have been published in a scientific journal. OralScan was launched in October 2020 and has reached eight states in India.
• Its second product, CerviScan, a hand-held non-invasive device for cervical cancer screening and early detection of cervical cancer, will be launched soon.

Other awards

• The startup was also recently selected as the winner of ‘Anjani Mashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award 2021’ from the Anjani Mashelkar Foundation, which engages in recognising, rewarding and encouraging those responsible for creating value for the society in science, technology and innovation domain.

Why in news?

• Recently, renowned lyricist and creative writer Prasoon Joshi was presented the ‘Indian Film Personality of the Year’ award at the Closing Ceremony of the 52nd International Film Festival in Goa.

About Prasoon Joshi and ‘Film Personality of the Year’ Award.

Award conferred by

• The award was conferred on Prasoon Joshi by the Minister for Information & Broadcasting Shri Anurag Thakur, for his contribution to cinema, popular culture and socially significant artistic work.

Prasoon Joshi contribution

• Known widely for his soulful and evocative lyrics in films, unique TV ads and socially relevant stories, Shri Joshi, a Padma Shri awardee and winner of multiple other national awards, exhorted young and budding filmmakers to begin cherishing and celebrating the state of confusion.
• Speaking of his humble beginnings, Joshi dedicated the award to his hometown in Uttarkahand.

About International Film Festival of India

Aim of IFFI

• Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, the festival aims at providing a common platform for filmmakers from across the globe to showcase their talent and put forth the excellence of cinema from all over. Bringing together film cultures, the festival allows the understanding of various social and cultural ethos and appreciation of world cinema.

Conducted by

• The festival is conducted jointly by the Directorate of Film Festivals (under Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and the state Government of Goa.

Why in news?

• Recently, the first edition of the India Young Water Professional Programme was launched virtually in the presence of Mr. Manpreet Vohra, Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Barry O’ Farrell, Australian High Commissioner to India and Debashree Mukherjee, Additional Secretary, Department of Water Resources (DOWR), River Development (RD) & Ganga Rejuvenation (GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti.

About India Young Water Professional Programme

Programme taken up under

• This program has been taken up under National Hydrology Project, a Central Scheme of Department of Water Resources (DOWR), River Development (RD) & Ganga Rejuvenation (GR), and supported by the Australian Water Partnership.

Focus of the India Young Water Professional programme

• This Program is unique and different from typical capacity building and training programs. It is focused on Engaged Training and Learning Model. About 70% of the program is focused on project based learning through Situation Understanding and Improvement Projects (SUIP).
• The Program focus on gender equality and diversity, because sustainable water management can only benefit from the views and skills of all members of society.

Participants

• A total of 20 participants have been selected for the first edition of this Programme (10 men and 10 women) from central and state implementing agencies of the National Hydrology Project.

Significance

• Speaking on the occasion, India High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra said that water is a key priority area of collaboration between India and Australia and both countries are working actively on this front. He said that the Young Water Professional Program is a significant milestone in India Australia relationship and will go a long way in institutional strengthening and capacity building.

Why in news?

• Recently, Indian tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan won his maiden Challenger level singles title, 12 years after turning a Pro, when he outplayed Evgeny Karlovskiy in the summit clash of the ATP80 Manama event.

About Ramkumar Ramanathan and Manama Challenger

• The 27-year-old Ramkumar, who had lost six Challenger finals in his career before, beat his Russian rival 6-1 6-4 in 68 minutes.
• Ramkumar, seeded sixth and ranked 222 in the world, sealed the first set when the Russian’s backhand return sailed over the baseline.
• This was after Ramkumar saved a breakpoint against Karlovskiy, ranked 302 in the world. That was the only time he faced a break point in the contest.
• The Indian served extremely well and his net game too was sharp. The 80 ranking points earned will push Ramkumar back into top-200 and also make him the highest-ranked Indian on the ATP singles ranking chart.
• He is likely to be ranked 186 and will surpass Prajnesh Gunneswaran (215) and out-of-action Sumit Nagal (219) when the chart is updated.