Prelim Bits 28-01-2018

Assumption Island - Seychelles

• Assumption Island is one of the 115 islands constituting Seychelles archipelago.
• India signed a pact to develop Assumption Island, during PM Modi’s visit to Seychelles in 2015.
• Ironing out the earlier differences, India has now signed a revised agreement with Seychelles.
• Assumption Island is leased to India for the operation of a naval base and air strip by the Indian navy.
• The agreement will enable India to help Seychelles build military infrastructure for the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces.
• Seychelles has said it would “suspend” the use of military facilities on Assumption Island in case if India is at war.
• This is because it is not a military base.
• Also, other “international partners” can also use the facilities being developed by India on the island.
• It is being financed entirely by India; but Seychelles retains full ownership of the facilities and sovereign rights over the island.

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)

• The National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (NTAGI) has recommended the introduction of HPV vaccine in the UIP.
• NTAGI is an advisory body that recommends vaccines for India’s Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).
• Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a group of more than 150 viruses. It is usually harmless and goes away by itself.
• However, some types cause papilloma or warts in parts of the body.
• HPV spreads by skin-to-skin contact and is the most common sexually transmitted infection.
• HPV is commonly associated with cervical cancer.
• India has one of the world’s highest burdens of HPV-related cancer and around 67,000 women die from this disease each year.
• HPV vaccines offered by private firms face clinical trial issues in India on concerns of side-effects; Supreme Court is yet to decide.

Objectionable Content

• The Ministry of Electronics and IT has highlighted that around 1300 social media URLs were blocked or removed in the last year.
• These were based on the recommendation of a government committee to deal with “objectionable content”.
• The Information Technology (IT) Act 2000 and Indian Penal Code provides for dealing with “objectionable content” posted online.
• Blocking is a sovereign power that is given to the government by virtue of Section 69A of the IT Act.
• There are concerns with the parameters on deciding a particular content as 'inappropriate' or 'objectionable'.

Pulse Polio Immunisation (PPI)

• As part of the National Immunisation Day observed on 28 January, PPI programme for 2018 was launched.
• More than 17 crore children of less than 5 years across the country will be given polio drops.
• The polio virus causes paralysis, known as an acute flaccid paralysis (AFP).
• This is characterised by sudden muscle weakness, and fever in one or more limbs.
• India reported its last polio case in 2011 and is also declared polio-free by WHO in 2014.
• However, the immunisation drive continues as polio virus is still circulating in other parts of the world.
• The injectable Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) has also been introduced recently into the Universal Immunisation Programme.
• IPV is an injectable form of polio vaccine administered alone or in combination with other vaccines including the OPV (oral polio vaccine).

Universal Immunization Programme

• Universal Immunization Programme was launched in 1985.
• The program now consists of vaccination for 12 diseases:

1. tuberculosis
2. diphtheria
3. pertussis (whooping cough)
4. tetanus
5. poliomyelitis
6. measles
7. Hepatitis B
8. diarrhoea
9. Japanese Encephalitis
10. Rubella
11. Pneumonia( Heamophilus Influenza Type B)
12. Pneumococcal diseases (Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Meningitis)

• The Indradhanush mission, launched in 2014, is to fast track the universal immunization programme.
• The mission aims at increasing the immunisation coverage to 90% by 2018.

Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)

• The Union Home Ministry is planning to set up the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre in Delhi.
• It would deal with cyber crimes such as financial frauds, circulation of communal and pornographic contents.
• The centre would maintain a list of suspects and the leads generated during investigations in cyber crime cases.
• This would be shared with law enforcement agencies through a "secured internal network".
• The ministry has asked states to establish a similar mechanism in every district.
• The ministry has also released a sum of Rs 83 crore in this regard.
• This would fund the setting up of a cyber forensic training laboratory-cum-training centre for police officials in each state.

Source: PIB, The Hindu