UPSC Daily Current Affairs| Prelim Bits 13-03-2025

Polypharmacy

Why in News?

A cross-sectional study conducted among 600 older adults across 6 Indian cities has found that the prevalence of polypharmacy and unsafe self-medication is high in this population.

• Polypharmacy – Refers to the intake of 5 or more medications per day.
• Prevalence – The highest prevalence of polypharmacy was found in Guwahati (57%), while Madhya Pradesh (Ujjain) had the lowest prevalence (11.7%).
• Impact – The prevalence of polypharmacy was 33.7% with significant associations to multiple comorbidities,(2 or More Disease)  causing hospitalization.
• Survey Conducted by – Researchers from various institutes such as Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and the Indian Council of Medical Research.
• Older Persons’ Prescriptions and Screening Tool to Alert to Right Treatment (STOPP-START) – An updated screening tool that was used in the survey to:
  • Identify potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) and potential prescribing omissions (PPO) respectively.
• The study found the proportion of prescriptions with PIM and PPO were 28.8% and 20.3% respectively.
• The highest prevalence of PIM use is 46.2% and it was attributed to medications prescribed without evidence-based clinical indications and those prescribed beyond the recommended duration.
• Key findings of the survey – 25.2% of the individuals used at least one fixed-drug combination (solid oral formulations).
• The most common combinations were antihypertensive and antidiabetic fixed-drug combinations.
• The prevalence of self-medication was 19.7%, associated with factors, such as staying alone, multiple comorbidities and recent hospitalizations.
• The most common medicines that were self-medicated were nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (59%).
• It was followed by paracetamol (42.4%) and antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infection and diarrhoea (33.9%).
• A lack of awareness and unsafe practices were found among self-medicating individuals.
• Among those who self-medicated, 65.3% lacked knowledge of self-medication, 50% did not comprehend the risks and 40.7% reported unsafe self-medication practices.
• Prevention – To promote safe medication use in older adults.
• Lack of interventions in creating awareness and establishing services for medication reconciliation, review and feedback.

Reference

1. The Hindu | Polypharmacy

Ocelot

Why in News?

Recently, fewer than 100 ocelots in the United States are feline species which are in the face of extinction.

A feline is a member of the cat family Felidae, which includes lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, pumas, and lynxes.

• Ocelot – It is a medium-sized wildcat, which is twice the size of the average house cat.
• Scientific Name – Leopardus Pardalis.
• Habitat – Tropical and subtropical rainforests, mangrove swamps, savannas, semi-arid thorn scrub, brushlands, tree branches, or inside a hollow tree.
• Distribution – Found in Mexico, Central America and Northern Argentina in South America.
• Morphology – It has beautiful fur coats covered with a pattern of rosettes, stripes & spots, and fur is golden with black or dark brown doughnut-shaped spots that are tan in the middle.
• Eyes have a layer that reflects light, the neck and belly are white, rounded ears, and a short tail ringed with black or black bars.

• Sexual dimorphism – Male is slightly lighter and longer than female.
• Behaviour – It is a typically solitary and nocturnal cat.
• It is a good swimmer, climber & jumper.
• They communicate with each other using body language, scent marking, and vocalizations.
• Diet – Feed on rabbits, rodents, iguanas, fish, frogs, crabs, snakes, lizards, baby peccaries, young deer, monkeys or birds.
• Threats:
  • Hunted for their fur or skins.
  • Human encroachment, large cities being built and roadways.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN – Least Concern.
  • CITES – Appendix I.(Species that are the most endangered).

Ocelot subspecies, known as the Texas ocelot (Leopardus pardalis albescens), is endangered.

References

1. The Hindu| Decrease in Ocelots Population in the US
2. National Geographic| Ocelot
3. SDZWA| Ocelot

India's Road Safety Crisis

Why in News?

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways declared January 2025 as Road Safety Month, calling on all stakeholders to collaborate to make roads safer.

• Road Safety Crisis – With approximately 11.9 lakh global road fatalities annually and road traffic crashes being the 13th largest contributor to India's health burden “between” 2009-2019.
• Public health concern – Road safety has emerged as a critical public health concern requiring immediate attention.
• Key risk factors – One of the ways to reduce road traffic injuries is to focus on key risk factors, such as speeding, not wearing helmet and seat belt, and drink driving.
• Economic impact – According to a World Bank report, 75% of lower-income households and 57% of higher-income households reported income decline following a crash.
• Measures taken – The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 aims to halve road deaths globally by 2030.
• India has aligned with this framework through various state-level initiatives.
• Karnataka – Alone accounted for 8.6% of India's road fatalities in 2022, with crash incidents increasing by 9%, fatal crashes by 7%, and grievous injuries by 18% in 2023 compared to the previous year.
• Karnataka's Multi-Pronged Approach – Karnataka has implemented a comprehensive strategy combining mass media campaigns with enhanced enforcement:
  • December 2023 – Campaign addressing speeding through crash survivor stories, reaching an estimated 2.3 crore adult.
  • January 2024 – Campaign focused on correct helmet usage.
  • December 2024-January 2025 – Instructional campaign explaining crash science and speed impacts.
• The Karnataka model demonstrates effective policy integration between public awareness and enforcement. Police conducted targeted enforcement drives while disseminating key messages at checkpoints and through social media.
• This approach echoes successful international models like Bogotá, Colombia, where similar strategies reduced speeding.
• Measures needed – Sustainable road safety improvement requires shifting cultural perceptions from viewing crashes as "unavoidable accidents" to "unacceptable tragedies."
• Communication campaigns along with sound legislation and law enforcement have the most influence.
• Studies suggest that even a single, well-designed, evidence-based road safety campaign can reduce crashes by 0.5%.

Reference

The Hindu | Road Safety Crises

Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Yojana

Why in News?

Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment has recently inaugurated the Skill Training Programme under PM-DAKSH Yojana, for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) in Shillong.

• About – A central sector scheme which was launched in 2020-21.
• Objective – To enhance competency level of the different target groups to make them employable both in self-employment and wage-employment for their socio-economic development.
• Target groups:
  • Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), De-notified Tribes (DNTs), Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs), Safai Mitras including Waste Pickers etc.
• Ministry – Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) – Training is aligned with the NSQF and post-training support is provided for employment or self-employment opportunities.
• Category of Skilling Programmes
• Up-skilling/Re-skilling – Focused on enhancing existing skills.
• Short Term Training Programs – Designed for immediate employment opportunities.
• Long Term Training Programs – Aimed at providing in-depth skill development.
• Entrepreneurship Development Programs – Encouraging self-employment ventures.
• Key benefits – Training free of cost for the trainees, 100% grants by Government.
• Stipend will be given to trainees during the period of training.
• Trained candidates will be provided certification after successful completion of training and assessment.
• Trained candidates will be provided placement after assessment and certification.
• Recent developments – PM-DAKSH Scheme has benefited 1,87,305 individuals in 2023-2024.
• An independent third-party evaluation is planned to assess the “on-ground impact” before re-appraisal for the next Finance Commission cycle.
• Skilled Training Programme for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan) in Shillong was recently launched under PM-DAKSH Yojana.
• The programme was organised at Composite Regional Centre for Skill Development, Rehabilitation and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Shillong.

Reference

1. The Sentinel | PM DAKSH
2. My Scheme | PM DAKSH

World Air Quality Report (WAQR), 2024

Why in News?

According to the recently released World Air Quality Report, 2024 13 out of world’s 20 most polluted cities are in India.

• WAQR – It is an annual report, which evaluates the global state of air quality from the previous year.
• It is a comprehensive report presents PM2.5 air quality data collected from 8,954 cities across 138 countries, regions and territories.

• Released by – IQAir, a Swiss Air Quality technology company.
• 5 µg/m3 – Is the recommended average annual limit of PM2.5 by the World Health Organization’s (WHO).

Key Findings of the Report, 2024

• Global status – Only 17% of global cities meet WHO air pollution guideline.
• Only 12 countries, regions and territories recorded PM2.5 concentrations below the WHO’s recommended average annual limit of 5 µg/m3.
• Oceania – It is the world’s cleanest region, with 57% of regional cities meeting the WHO guideline.

Key Findings of the Report, 2024 in India

• India – Byrnihat (128.2 µg/m3) in meghalaya, most polluted city in the world.

• Delhi – It continued to see high levels of pollution (91.6 µg/m3), which almost unchanged from 92.7 µg/m3 in 2023.
• Top 5 polluted cities – Rourkela, Nagpur, Nasik, Asansol and Gurugram.
• Top 5 cleanest cities – Varanasi, Prayagraj, Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Chennai.

References

1. The Indian Express| World Air Quality Report, 2024
2. IQAir| World Air Quality Report Summary