COP 21 Draft - Paris Agreement

The ‘Paris Agreement’, the biggest environment agreement ever, was ‘adopted’ by more than 190 countries
 The overall goal of the Paris agreement, to keep global temperature rise to a specified quantum
compared to pre-industrial levels, is pegged at either “below 1.5°C”, or, as “well below 2°C”.
 India felt that a transparency and accountability regime should not treat rich and poor nations alike
 India Position is based on logic that developing nation still lacks necessary technology to measure perils
of climate change. For example, India does not have the capacity to measure automotive emissions
based on vehicle use accurately, while the U.S. does that every year.
Salient feature of Draft
 Developed country as Role model- Extent to which developing countries would effectively implement
their commitments would depend on developed countries living up to their own commitments on
financing, technology transfer and capacity building.
 On peaking of greenhouse gas emissions- The discussion is on making it “as soon as possible” with the
caveat that peaking requires deeper cuts of emissions by developed countries and longer periods for
developing countries
 Achieving zero GHG emissions growth by 2060-80 is proposed
 Fund mobilisation - Appropriate pricing of greenhouse gas emissions in its many forms, is an important
instrument for the reorientation of investment and finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low
emission and climate resilient economies and societies.
 Technology framework – By providing overarching guidance to the work of the Technology Mechanism”.
It would promote and facilitate enhanced action on technology development and transfer.
 The agreement is much more comprehensive than the Kyoto Protocol which was limited to assigning
greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for a group of developed countries
 It asks every country to make “nationally determined” contributions in the fight against climate change.
 It also seeks to establish a mechanism by which the climate actions of all the countries can be
periodically monitored and evaluated to see whether the world was actually able to combat climate
change and whether the actions needed to be scaled up
Win- Win Situation for all
 Developed Nation- The developed countries have ensured that henceforth climate actions would be
taken by every nation and not just them, as was the requirement in the existing climate framework
represented by the Kyoto Protocol of 1997.
 Developing Nation- The developing countries were able to take heart from the fact that the allimportant
principle of ‘differentiation’ – that developed nations, being primarily responsible for
greenhouse gas emissions, must take greater action to fight climate change – has been retained, even
though in a diluted form
 The island nations and least developed countries — Most vulnerable to climate change were happy to
have forced the rest of the world to acknowledge the need to take a 1.5 degree path instead of the 2 degree
it is more comfortable with.
Few of contentious issues which remain unsolved are underneath
 Long term quantified emissions reduction for a 2050 target
 Finance for developing countries
 Updated targets for countries based on stocktaking of carbon dioxide, equitable distribution of the
remaining carbon budget for the world.
 Making explicit the responsibility of developing countries versus developed nations
 Binding targets: Countries have pledged their emission reduction targets. But these are only pledges. EU
and the US are strongly opposed to a legally binding road-map
 Periodic Revision of Target- The emission reduction numbers don’t add for now and they need to be
revised every 5 years or so. Developed countries don’t accept any criteria that includes historical
accumulated emissions
 Reporting action: After 2020 once the agreement comes in to force countries will have to report back
periodically how they are faring against their pledges. This could become the Trojan horse that brings
parity between the two without saying as much.
 Developing country targets- most developing countries have made their targets for the Paris agreement
conditional on the nature of the Paris agreement as well as the delivery of finance and technology.
Developed countries want at least a part if not the full target from each developing country to be
enshrined unconditionally
 Technology transfer: Developed countries oppose the proposals from different developing country
groups including India to address issues of intellectual property resources, future technology
development and an institutional arrangement for this under the Paris agreement.
 Adaptation- Developed countries see the core agreement as only about reducing emissions and
accounting for these reductions

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PROTECTING SACRED GROVES

Why in news
 Recently, the State Medicinal Plant Board of Kerala has undertaken a project to protect these groves by activities like bio-fencing, preparing inventory of plant wealth, cleaning up water bodies and creating awareness about conservation.
What are sacred groves?
 Forest Fragments of various sizes, which are community protected and usually have a significant religious connotation for that community.
Significance of sacred groves
 Traditional uses
 Medicinal use as it is a repository for plants with Ayurvedic properties.
 Source of replenishable resources like fruits and honey
 The groves are often associated with ponds and streams. They help in meeting the water requirement of communities and also in recharging aquifers.
 Hunting and felling trees is a taboo. This vegetation cover helps in preventing soil erosion.
 Modern uses
 In modern times, they have become biodiversity hotspots due to progressive habitat destruction in neighbouring areas.
 They act as a rich gene pool including rare, threatened and endangered species.
 Sacred groves in urban landscapes act as ‘lungs’ to the city as well
Threats
 Urbanization and encroachment
 Over-exploitation of resources like overgrazing and excessive firewood collection
 Religious practices; clearing them for construction of shrines and temples
 Invasion by invasive species
Protection measures
 The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002 had introduced a new protected area category called ‘community reserve’. Sacred Groves have been put under this.
 Under this significant power is given to the local communities with respect to administration of these areas.
 Many NGOs also work with local people for their protection.

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CORAL BLEACHING ON GREAT BARRIER REEF

Why in news?
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is suffering its worst coral bleaching in recorded history with 93 per cent of the World Heritage site affected.
About coral bleaching
 Bleaching occurs when abnormal environmental conditions, such as warmer sea temperatures, cause corals to expel tiny photosynthetic algae, draining them of their colour.
 When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.
 Corals can recover if the water temperature drops and the algae are able to re-colonise them.
Other threats to corals
 Pollution due to agricultural run-off leading to eutrophication, sediments run-off, mining and oil spill pollution.
 Crown-of-thorns starfish prey on coral polyps
 Unsustainable overfishing of keystone species can disrupt food chains vital to reef life.
 Shipping accidents.
About Great Barrier Reef
 It is world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs.
 The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms.

UPSC 2007
Q. The largest coral reef in the world is found near the coast of which one of the following countries?
(a) Australia
(b) Cuba
(c) Ghana
(d) Philippines

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how monsoon generates, wind pattern, trade winds, windstorm, jet stream, westerlies, easterlies, sea-breeze, land-breeze

Very basics of wind, useful for UPSC prelimns. so here we cover why wind blows ? what are trade winds? how monsoon generates? what are jet streams ? so lets move. 

What is wind?

• Wind is air in motion. 
• It is produced by the uneven heating of the earth’s surface by the sun. 
• Since the earth’s surface is made of various land and water formations, it absorbs the sun’s radiation unevenly. 
• Two factors are necessary to specify wind: speed and direction.

What causes the wind to blow?

• As the sun warms the Earth's surface, the atmosphere warms too. 
• Some parts of the Earth receive direct rays from the sun all year and are always warm. Other places receive indirect rays, so the climate is colder.
• Warm air, which weighs less than cold air, rises. 
• Then cool air moves in and replaces the rising warm air. This movement of air is what makes the wind blow.

What is a windstorm?

• A windstorm is just a storm with high winds or violent gusts but little or no rain.

What is a gust front?

• A gust front is the leading edge of cool air rushing down and out from a thunderstorm. 
• There are two main reasons why the air flows out of some thunderstorms so rapidly. 
• The primary reason is the presence of relatively dry air in the lower atmosphere. 
• This dry air causes some of the rain falling through it to evaporate, which cools the air. Since cool air sinks (just as warm air rises), this causes a down-rush of air that spreads out at the ground. 
• The edge of this rapidly spreading cool pool of air is the gust front. 
• The second reason is that the falling precipitation produces a drag on the air, forcing it downward. 
• If the wind following the gust front is intense and damaging, the windstorm is known as a down-burst. 

What is a downburst?

• A downburst is created by an area of significantly rain-cooled air that, after hitting ground level, spreads out in all directions producing strong winds. 
• Unlike winds in a tornado, winds in a down-burst are directed outwards from the point where it hits land or water. 
• Dry downbursts are associated with thunderstorms with very little rain, while wet downbursts are created by thunderstorms with high amounts of rainfall. 

What is a derecho?

• A derecho is a widespread and long-lived windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms. 
• They can produce significant damage to property and pose a serious threat life, primarily by downburst winds. 
• To be classified as a derecho, the path length of the storm has to be at least 280 miles long. Widths may vary from 50-300 miles. 
• Derechos are usually not associated with a cold front, but a stationary front. They occur mostly in July, but can occur at anytime during the spring and summer.

What is the jet stream?

• The jet stream is a fast flowing, river of air found in the atmosphere at around 12 km above the surface of the Earth just under the tropopause. 
• They form at the boundaries of adjacent air masses with significant differences in temperature, such as of the polar region and the warmer air to the south. 
• Because of the effect of the Earth's rotation the streams flow west to east, propagating in a serpentine or wave-like manner at lower speeds than that of the actual wind within the flow.

What is a monsoon?

• A monsoon is a seasonal wind, found especially in Asia that reverses direction between summer and winter and often brings heavy rains. 
• In the summer, a high pressure area lies over the Indian Ocean while a low exists over the Asian continent. 
• The air masses move from the high pressure over the ocean to the low over the continent, bringing moisture-laden air to south Asia. 
• During winter, the process is reversed and a low sits over the Indian Ocean while a high lies over the Tibetan plateau so air flows down the Himalaya and south to the ocean. 
• The migration of trade winds and westerlies also contributes to the monsoons. 
• Smaller monsoons take place in equatorial Africa, northern Australia, and, to a lesser extent, in the southwestern United States. 

What are the global wind patterns?

• The equator receives the Sun's direct rays. Here, air is heated and rises, leaving low pressure areas behind. 
• Moving to about thirty degrees north and south of the equator, the warm air from the equator begins to cool and sink. 
• Between thirty degrees latitude and the equator, most of the cooling sinking air moves back to the equator. The rest of the air flows toward the poles.

What are the trade winds?

• The trade winds are just air movements toward the equator. 
• They are warm, steady breezes that blow almost continuously. 
• The Coriolis Effect makes the trade winds appear to be curving to the west, whether they are traveling to the equator from the south or north.

What are the doldrums?

• The doldrums is an area of calm weather. 
• The trade winds coming from the south and the north meet near the equator. 
• These converging trade winds produce general upward winds as they are heated, so there are no steady surface winds. 

What are the prevailing westerlies?

• Between thirty and sixty degrees latitude, the winds that move toward the poles appear to curve to the east. 
• Because winds are named from the direction in which they originate, these winds are called prevailing westerlies. 
• Prevailing westerlies in the Northern Hemisphere are responsible for many of the weather movements across the United States and Canada. 

What are the polar easterlies?

• At about sixty degrees latitude in both hemispheres, the prevailing westerlies join with the polar easterlies to reduce upward motion. 
• The polar easterlies form when the atmosphere over the poles cools. 
• This cool air then sinks and spreads over the surface. As the air flows away from the poles, it is turned to the west by the Coriolis effect. 
• Again, because these winds begin in the east, they are called easterlies. 

What is a sea breeze?

• On a warm summer day along the coast, this differential heating of land and sea leads to the development of local winds called sea breezes. 
• As air above the land surface is heated by radiation from the Sun, it expands and begins to rise, being lighter than the surrounding air. 
• To replace the rising air, cooler air is drawn in from above the surface of the sea. 
• This is the sea breeze, and can offer a pleasant cooling influence on hot summer afternoons.

What is a land breeze?

• A land breeze occurs at night when the land cools faster than the sea. 
• In this case, it is air above the warmer surface water that is heated and rises, pulling in air from the cooler land surface.

How is wind helpful to Earth?

• Wind is the fastest growing source of electricity in the world. It's often one of the least expensive forms of renewable power available. 
• Some experts say it can sometimes be the cheapest form of any kind of power. 
• Generating power from the wind leaves no dangerous waste products behind. Best of all, its supply is unlimited. 

How do windmills work?

• Windmills work because they slow down the speed of the wind. 
• The wind flows over the airfoil shaped blades causing lift, like the effect on airplane wings, causing them to turn. 
• The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity.

What are some different types of wind names?

1. chinook-(westerly wind off the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains) 
2. santa ana-(easterly towards Southern California ) 
3. scirocco-(southerly from North Africa to southern Europe) 
4. mistral-(northwesterly from central France to Mediterranean)
5. marin-(southeasterly from Mediterranean to France) 
6. bora-(northeasterly from eastern Europe to Italy) 
7. gregale-(northeasterly from Greece) 
8. etesian-(northwesterly from Greece) 
9. libeccio-(southwesterly towards Italy)

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Public Health policy sabla, ayush, tfr, mmr, imr, rashtiya swasthya bima yojna, janani suraksha yojana Part 2 - sschub

sschub - This is the second part of Public Health series for UPSC, IAS, PCS, SSC CGL and Bank IBPS PO, Clerk. Before fighting prelimns exams we should clear basics of govt policies. many times they asks directly facts (not in case of UPSC). If you didn't go through part 1 then click Public Health part 1. Here we read about => public health policy like swastha bharat, rashtriya swasthiya bima yojana, sowa rigpa, ayush, annual health survey, rashtriya swasthya bima yojana, health insurance, arsh, sabla, janani suraksha yojna, tfr, mmr, imr, iucd, risyug etc.

Government schemes for Family planning

In villages, ASHA worker gets commission for

1. Delivering contraceptives at doorstep
2. Promoting couples to have time gap between two kids.
3. Promoting institutional delivery for pregnant women.
4. Encouraging couples to opt for permanent family planning (vasectomy, tubectomy.)

Also,

• National family planning insurance scheme: it provides money to if person dies during vasectomy / tubectomy or if the surgery fails or some complication arises.

so what is vasectomy

• for males
• vasectomy will take only few minutes. It does not require hospitalization
• Any plain MBBS with simple three-day training can do it.
• No Risk of infections and menstrual complications like excessive bleeding and pain in the abdomen.
• Men can go back to work immediately

what is tubectomy

• for females
• lengthy surgery
• tubectomy is done with the help of a laproscope, which means that only an expert and experienced doctor can do the job.
• Risk of infections and menstrual complications like excessive bleeding and pain in the abdomen.
• One month’s rest necessary

so what is the problem in above two = in rural areas, men force their wives to undergo tubectomy, rather than going through vasectomy themselves. why ? because men have two myths, that after vasectomy

they loses libido after vasectomy

they will not be able to do strenuous work or lift heavy objects. By the way, lets move to others birth control Devices.

Other Birth Control Devices

IUCD

• intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) for females.
• Made up of copper / plastic.

RISYUG

• Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance
• Long term male contraceptive. (injection)
• Research still going on. (IIT Kharagpur)

Implanton

• Female contraceptive (sub-dermal rod)
• A matchstick-sized rod is inserted in the arm.
• It releases progestin hormone to prevent pregnancy.

what are TFR, MMR, IMR

This table is based on Economic survey 2012-2013.

What?	Definition	Data for India*
TFR	Total Fertility Rate average number of children born to a woman during her entire reproductive period. Our target is to get 2.1, that is replacement level TFR.	2.5
MMR	Maternal mortality ratio No. of maternal deaths per 1 lakh live births. Death must be due to pregnancy or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy	212
IMR	Infant mortality rate No. of infants dying before the first birthday.	44
Sex Ratio	No of females per 1000 males	914 (0-6) and 940 (overall)(Census 2011)

Why Five Year plans

• Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
• Prevent and reduce Communicable and Non-Communicable diseases (including mental illnesses)
• Reduction of poor households’ out-of-pocket expenditure. (meaning State should give out more free medical services to them).
• A large expansion of medical schools, nursing colleges.
• And many other things, I suggest you read third PDF, Chapter 20 (Health) of 12th FYP after prelim/CSAT is over.

What is Janani Suraksha Yojana

• Under National rural health mission
• Promote institutional (hospital) delivery among poor pregnant women
• 100% centrally sponsored

Janani Shishu Suraksha Yojana

• Pregnant women get free hospital delivery, caesarean section, food, drugs, medical checkup and transport.

Mother and Child Tracking system

• Under national E-governance plan (NeGP)
• Government  keeps maintains data of the mothers with their addresses, telephone numbers, etc.
• This contact database is used for ante-natal (before birth) and post-natal (immediately after birth) check-up of mothers and vaccination for their babies.
• Another similar project is Health Management Information System (HMIS): software for online data capture at district level, regarding reproductive and child health (RCH).

Navjat Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (NSSK)

• To train heathcare personnel for taking care of infants: hypothermia, infection, premature birth, pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, resuscitation etc.
• Setup new-born care units at district level hospitals.
• Started in 2005 to to reduce Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) from to 30 by the year 2012.

Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY)

• Launched by Women and Child Development Ministry (and NOT by Health Ministry)
• To compensate mothers for wage-loss during childbirth and childcare.
• Available to all women for first two children.
• Not available to women who get paid maternity leave.
• Conditional cash transfer.
• Condition: she should get pre-natal checkups, get vaccination for infant, attend counseling session etc.
• The scheme is now covered under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) programme

So challanges are Must (hahaha)

• Bogus Beneficiaries: A woman usually gives birth to a baby after nine months of pregnancy, but in Bihar almost 300 women claim to have delivered two to five children in a span of 60 days- as per the Government records!= bogus beneficiaries, local official chowing down the Government money.
• NRHM scam: worth thousands of crores rupees in Uttar Pradesh. Two chief medical officers died (or murdered) to keep a lid on the scam.
• Crib deaths: many infants died in the Government hospitals of West Bengal in 2012. Reason: they were already under-weight and got infection due to unhygienic condition in the Government hospitals. + manpower shortage
• Encephalitis: Hundreds of children died in Uttar Pradesh due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) concluded that Government’s casual approach was responsible for widespread deaths.

Rajiv Gandhi Creche

• Scheme for the Children of Working/Ailing Mothers:
• Basically NGOs given money to setup crèche for working women
• Condition: family’s monthly income < 12k, and kid is within 0-6 age group

School health program

• Regular medical checkup
• Nutrition, iron supplements.

SABLA

• Man, this SABLA is getting too clichéd for MCQs.
• Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG)-Sabla:
• all-round development of adolescent girls in the age group 11-18 years.
• The scheme has two major components, 1) nutrition and 2) non-nutrition.

#1: Nutrition	Girls are given ‘take home rations’ or ‘hot cooked meals’ to out-of –school.
#2: Non-Nutrition	provided iron-folic acid supplementation, health check-up, health and skill education, vocational training etc.

Weekly Iron Folic acid supplementation (WIFS)

• To reduce Anemia in adolescents (age group 15 to 19)
• In both rural and urban areas.
• Pills for iron and folic acid given to boys (only school going)
• Girls (both school going girls + not school going girls)

ARSH

• Adolescent reproductive and sexual health
• Adolescent are more vulnerable to sex-abuse, STD, HIV, pregnancy.
• Government launched toll free helpline, tele-counciling for them
• +life skill education programs.

Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)

It has two objectives

#1: set up 8 new AIIMS-like institutions

1. Bihar (Patna),
2. Chattisgarh (Raipur),
3. Rajasthan (Jodhpur)
4. Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal),
5. Orissa (Bhubaneswar),
6. Uttaranchal (Rishikesh)
7. West Bengal
8. Uttar Pradesh

• Some books/ magazines / sites/ coaching material would say : PMSSY = 6 new AIIMs like institutions.
• But that information is outdated. Originally there were six, later Government added WB and UP.

#2: upgrade existing Medical colleges in several states.

Now steering committee on health for 12th Five Year Plan has recommended the Union government to create four new AIIMS like institutions

Health Insurance for BPL

What?	Falls under this ministry
Health Insurance Scheme for BPL	Health
Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yohana	Labour

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (Rsby)

• RSBY provides for ‘cash-less’, smart card based health insurance cover
• Upto Rs.30000k per annum
• For family upto 5 members.
• The beneficiary family pays only 30 per annum as registration/renewal fee.
• The scheme covers hospitalisation expenses (Out-patient expenses are not covered),
• includes maternity benefit, and pre-existing diseases.
• Even in private clinics.
• Funding: centre –state=75:25 and 90:10 for Jammu Kashmir and North-East.
• RSBY was originally limited to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families but was later extended to building and other construction workers, MGNREGA beneficiaries, street vendors, beedi workers, and domestic workers.
• In Budget 2013, Chindu extended this scheme to rickshaw, auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, sanitation workers, rag pickers and mine workers.

Annual Health Survey

• To prepare district health profile including IMR, TFR etc.
• Done by Registrar General of India for Health Ministry.

AYUSH

• A=Ayurveda
• Y=Yoga and Naturopathy
• U=Unani
• S=Siddha
• H=Homeopathy

How AYUSH Regulation

• Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy drugs are regulated under Drug and cosmetics Act 1940.
• Most of these drugs are manufactured from medicinal plant material, hence AYUSH department setup National medicinal plants board to regulate it.

Sowa Rigpa

• Latest addition in AYUSH system.
• ancient Tibetan medicinal system
• believed to have been taught by Buddha himself – Sowa Rigpa
• commonly known as Amchi system
• popular in the Himalayan region of India. Also in Tibet, Magnolia, Bhutan, some parts of China, Nepal.
• it is similar to Ayurveda, and also include few principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)

• RSBY provides for ‘cash-less’, smart card based health insurance cover
• Upto Rs.30000k per annum
• For family upto 5 members.
• The beneficiary family pays only 30 per annum as registration/renewal fee.
• The scheme covers hospitalisation expenses (Out-patient expenses are not covered),
• includes maternity benefit, and pre-existing diseases.
• Funding: centre –state=75:25 and 90:10 for Jammu Kashmir and North-East.
• RSBY was originally limited to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families but was later extended to building and other construction workers, MGNREGA beneficiaries, street vendors, beedi workers, and domestic workers.
• In Budget 2013, Chindu extended this scheme to rickshaw, auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, sanitation workers, rag pickers and mine workers.

Swastha Bharat

• Health program on doordarshan and all India radio.
• World’s Biggest Public Health Media Initiative
• Shown 5 days — a week in 19 Indian languages and 17 Dialects
• Supported by Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

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Novartis patent Issue, Pranab Sen drug price control committee, difference between patent and copyright for UPSC SSC IBPS

UPSC, State PSC aspirants !, keep books aside on table (not very important for SSC IBPS) and be ready for one more topic. Recently you read/listen in newspaper/TV the landmark justice of SC, this drug company is  denied to register patent, selling cancer drug, demanding a very high price and Also if you are really preparing for UPSC then you are aware about drug price control = Pranab Sen committee. So as usual, lets move with basics.

What is the Difference between Patents vs. Copyrights?

Patent	Copyrights
Inventor/Designer has complete rights over the idea in whichever form it is used == right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale or selling	Copyrights on the other hand given for a work in particular form like a book, an audio and only that exact reproduction, example cut and paste of text falls under its ambit.
It requires compulsory registration.	Does not require a registration, once the work is created it is a property of the author.
Patent rights are thus usually given for a brief period say 20 years.	The rights are given for the entire lifetime of the author and extend for 50 years even after the death of the producer.

Copyright example:

• a description of a machine could be copyrighted, but this would only prevent others from copying the description; 
• it would not prevent others from writing a description of their own or from making and using the machine.

What is Pranab Sen Task Force on Drug Pricing

• In 2003 Supreme court passed an order that all essential drugs should remain under price control..
• Therefore, Government of India set up a Task Force under Dr. Pronab Sen on drug pricing.
• It submitted its final report in 2005.
• Then why the hell do we need to study it after 8 years? ans- It becomes an important [yearbook] topic for mains, due to the Glevac Patent Case, which has been in news recently. Crux is: Novartis company was refused the patent of Glevac (anti-cancer) drug in India and the SC said he was concerned with the extreme price of that drug.

Recommendations of Pranab Sen Task Force

Here are the major (and easy to remember) recommendations.
How to regulate drug price?

• Pranab Sen says that No effort should be made to impose a uniform price,.
• only a ceiling price should be indicated.
• The ceiling price of essential drugs should normally not be based on cost of production but on readily monitorable market based benchmarks.
• The drug regulator must maintain a data base of brands and their compositions and no change should be permitted in the composition of a given brand.
• Price regulation should be on the basis of ‘Essentiality’ of the drug and it should be applied only to formulations and not to upstream products, such as bulk drugs.
• Drugs and Therapeutics (Regulation) Act (DATA) should be enacted for price control on drugs.
• Set up National Authority of Drugs and Therapeutics (NADT).
• Adopt the recommendations of the Mashelkar Committee 2003 i.e The Centre should financially support State Governments to bring their state drug control formations to a threshold level.

What about Patented drugs?

• All patented drugs and formulations should compulsorily be brought under price negotiation prior to the grant of marketing approval. (case CANCER DRUG;GLIVEC PATENT CASE; NOVARTIS;)
• Insurance companies should be encouraged to extend health insurance covering medicines.

Need to give PSU a chance

• The role of PSUs producing drugs should be recognized.
• All Departments of Central Government must be advised to first procure their drugs from the PSUs at prices approved by NPPA
• There should be bulk purchases of drugs by Government agencies, cooperatives or consumer bodies through public-private partnership

How Funding should work

• Central Government has set up a National Illness Assistance Fund (NIAF)= BPL patient is given financial assistance upto Rs.1.50 lakhs.
• Similarly State Governments should form State illness Funds (SIF)
• Increase the funding of Pharmaceutical Research and Development Support Fund (PRDSF).

What about excise duty reduce

• Reduce the excise duty on all pharmaceutical products from 16% to 8%.

Open Website for public

• To create public awareness about drug pricing.
• positive use other possible modes of enhancing public awareness like public literatures, booklets, newsletters/magazines etc

ok. now let move to issue of Novartis = one more stone in already hard way of UPSC

What is Novartis?

• Novartis is a swiss pharma company.
• selling its drugs in India since 1947.

so what is the issue with Novartis ?

• Novartis was seeking Patent for a drug used to treat chronic Myeloid Leukaemia(CML), a type of blood cancer.
• The company’s price for its version of the drug, sold under the brand name of Glivec, is Rs 1,20,000 per month per person, but the generic version available in the market costs around Rs 8000- Rs 12000 Per Month. Hence, Novartis had applied for patent of the drug, to make the price more competitive and to stay in the business.

Timeline of Issue ?

• 1997- Novartis filed a patent application in India for its drug Glivec.
• 2005- India introduced the Indian Patent Act to prevent the evergreening or patenting of new forms of already known molecules.
• 2005- The patent controller in chennai denied Novartis the sought Patent.
• 2006- Novartis challenged the Indian govt and four other Companies in Madras Court.
• 2007- The Madras court ruled against Novartis’s Case.
• 2009- The intellectual Appellate Board rejected a fresh appeal.
• 2009- Novartis approached Supreme Court of India
• 2013- Supreme Court Denied the Patent
• April 2013- Again UPSC aspirants will have to prepare one more boring topic (hahaha). Don't waste time to mug-up dates/years.

What is Indian Patent Act ?

• Suppose you are going to patenting of new forms of already known molecules (drug) and if you (patent applicant) is unable to show significant enhancement in efficacy of its product then you are REJECTED.

What is the verdict of Supreme Court?

• The court said that the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005 established that the ” mere discovery of a new form of a known substance which does not result in the enhancement of the known efficacy of that substance” is not an invention for the purpose of Patenting.
• The bench dismissed the argument that the new form of drug is more soluble than the earlier saying that it does not pertain to increased efficacy of new form of drug.
• The court held that patents can be granted only for medicines that are truly new and innovative. For new forms and new uses of existing medicines, applicants of patent must prove increased efficiency.

Benefits from SC verdict ?
SC recognized the right of patients to access of affordable medicines.

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