Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists

• The Scheme is meant for improving the financial and socio-economic status of the old artistes and scholars who have contributed significantly to their specialized fields of arts.
• The financial assistance to veteran artists aged 60 years and above.
• The selected artist is provided maximum financial assistance of Rs. 6000 per month.
• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Culture.
• The Scheme will be implemented by the Ministry with the support of all Zonal Cultural Centres and SCZCC, Nagpur.
• Eligibility Criteria for monthly Financial Assistance – Personal income of the applicant (including income of the spouse) must not exceed Rs. 6,000 per month or annual income of Rs.72, 000.
• The applicant artiste should be a recipient of artist’s pension of at least Rs. 500 per month from the concerned State Government/UT Administration.
• The applicant artistes should not be getting financial assistance under any other Scheme of the Ministry viz. Repertory Grant and son on.

PM - Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyaan

It is a “transformative scheme” that was recently announced by the Tribal Affairs Minister.

• PM - Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyaan aims at achieving full saturation of basic facilities among 5 crore Scheduled Tribe families across 63,000 villages in tribal-majority areas and aspirational districts.
• The scheme is designed after the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) to achieve saturation of basic facilities for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.
• The union government has allocated Rs 13,000 crore in the Budget Estimate (24-25) for the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) – It aids to ensure last-mile welfare scheme delivery.
• It will focus on 11 critical interventions through nine ministries, including the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• It aids to ensure last-mile welfare scheme delivery.
• The scheme is implemented during Financial Year 2023-24 to 2025-26.

Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib, and Durvalumab

Three cancer drugs namely TrastuzumabDeruxtecan, Osimertinib and Durvalumab was recently fully exempted from custom duty.

• Trastuzumab Deruxtecan is used for treatment of certain types of breast cancer and works by delivering chemotherapy directly to cancer cells.
• Osimertinib is used for a type of lung cancer with specific gene mutations and helps stop the growth of cancer cells.
• Durvalumab is an immunotherapy drug used for lung and bladder cancers, helping the immune system attack cancer cells.
• All three cancer drugs are manufactured by the AstraZeneca and are quite expensive.
• Recently these cancer drugs were fully exempted from custom duty which earlier attracted an import tax of 10%.
• Customs duty is a tax imposed on goods transported across international borders to raise revenue, protect domestic industries, and regulate trade.
• Need for the custom duty exemption – As per data by GLOBOCAN 2022 by International Agency for Research on Cancer of WHO, India reports 14.13 lakh new cancer patients every year, with annual reported mortality of 9.16 lakhs.
• In India, around 2 lakh women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
• Poor lifestyle such as late marriage, alcohol and smoking, inadequate breast feeding make hormonal imbalances in women, potentially causing breast cancer in them.
• Impacts – Customs duty exemption will significantly ease the financial burden on cancer patients.
• It reflects a commitment to prioritizing healthcare accessibility and affordability nationwide by the government.
• The finance minister also reduced customs duty on x-ray tubes and digital detectors.

Henley Passport Index, 2024

The Henley Passport Index, 2024 was recently released by the Henley & Partners.

• The Henley Passport Index is the original, authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports based on the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa.
• The index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the largest, most accurate travel information database.
• The database is further enhanced by Henley & Partners’ research team and finally published by the Henley & Partners.
• Ranking methodology – The Henley Passport Index compares the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations.
• If no visa is required, then a score with value is equal to ‘1’, is created for that passport.
• The same applies if a person can obtain a visa on arrival (VOA), a visitor’s permit, or an electronic travel authority (ETA) when entering the destination.
• Where a visa is required, or where a passport holder has to obtain a government-approved electronic visa (e-Visa) before departure, a score with value is equal to ‘0’ is assigned.
• This also applies if you need pre-departure government approval for a visa on arrival.
• The total score for each passport is equal to the number of destinations for which no visa is required (value = 1).
• The index is topped by Singapore (Visa-free access to 195 countries).
• The 2nd position is shared by the France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain (192 countries).
• India is ranked at 82nd spot along with Senegal and Tajikistan giving visa-free access to 58 countries.
• China being at 59th spot in the index have performed better than India but Sri Lanka being ranked at 92 have performed worse than India.

  Ranking of the India’s neighbouring countries
  Countries	Rank
  China	59
  Sri Lanka and Myanmar	92
  Pakistan	100
  Bangladesh	97
  Nepal	98
  Afghanistan	103

Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica)

Recent study shows that climate change can impact chironji, mahua & amla and result in decline of their production.

• Indian gooseberry or amla, is a fruit tree that grows natively in parts of Asia.
• It is primarily found in the Siwalik Hills, Western Ghats, Assam hills and Brahmaputra valley.
• Benefits – Rich in vitamin C and often purported to have potential antioxidant and heart-health benefits.
• It may help prevent the breakdown of collagen, which forms the firm but flexible protein matrix in your skin and soft tissues.
• Its extract is commonly used in Thailand to promote hair growth.
• The extract protects against age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by improving the mitochondrial health of eye cells.
• The extract have proven to kill certain types of cancer cells, including breast, cervical, ovarian, and lung cancers.
• The extract protects against liver damage caused by either a high fat diet or N-nitrosodiethylamine, a substance that’s toxic to the liver.
• Improves digestion and regulates blood sugar levels.
• Threats – It is sensitive to high temperatures and rainfall variations.
• A recent study predicts a decrease in suitable habitats for Amla in the primary regions it grows.
• Insects or invasive species can be a threat to their production.
  • Sawfly are small winged insects, related to bees, wasps and ants that commonly attacks the Indian gooseberry.
  • Example – China beetles infesting gooseberry in Arunachal.