Microfinance Institutions (MFI)

According to a recent report, Microfinance Institutions (MFI) will be crucial to India's economic development.

About microfinance institution:

• MFI is a company that provides low-income people with financial services.
• Microloans, micro savings, and microinsurance are some of these services.
• MFIs are financial institutions that offer modest loans to borrowers without access to banking services.
• The term "small loans" has different meanings in different nations. All loans in India that are less Rs. 1 lakh can be categorised as microloans.
• Although the interest rates are typically lower than those levied by conventional banks, some opponents of this idea claim that microfinance institutions use impoverished people's money to their advantage.
• Scheduled commercial banks (SCBs), comprising small finance banks (SFBs) and regional rural banks (RRBs), are two institutions that offer microcredit.
• Over the past 20 years, the Indian microfinance industry has experienced spectacular expansion in terms of both the number of institutions offering microfinance and the amount of credit made accessible to microfinance users.

Benefits:

• They provide customers small loans with no collateral and simple credit.
• It increases the amount of money available to the poorer sectors of the economy, increasing their income and employment.
• serving individuals with limited financial resources, such as women, the unemployed, and persons with impairments.
• By educating people about the financial resources accessible to them and encouraging a culture of saving, it benefits the underprivileged and marginalised members of society.
• Families who get microloans are more likely to give their kids better and ongoing education.

Challenges:

• It will be challenging to serve the different needs of consumer categories such as small farmers, vendors, and labourers.
• Different clients may demand different levels of assistance with financial goods and digital literacy depending on their borrowing needs and consumer behaviour.
• Reaching last-mile borrowers is difficult for MFIs due to their reliance on physical interactions, as was demonstrated during the epidemic when group gatherings were impossible.
• Although total loan accounts have grown, it is unclear how these loans have actually affected the clients' poverty levels because data on the relative poverty-level improvement of MFI clients are dispersed.

Way forward

• MFIs should concentrate on developing a scalable and sustainable microfinance strategy with a clear mission for both economic and social welfare.
• The capacity of MFIs to form alliances, create new products and investment channels, and utilise technology will define the future direction of the sector.
• MFIs will benefit from technological integration in both the service delivery and debt collection operations.

Project Dolphin

• According to a recent study, human-generated noise makes it more difficult for dolphins to coordinate and communicate with one another.
• These creatures had to "shout" to one another as the underwater noise levels rise.

About dolphins:

• Dolphins are creatures of the aquatic ecosystem. They can be discovered in fresh, brackish, and saltwater.
• There have been reports of 15 different species of marine and harbor dolphins from the oceans and shores of India.
• Furthermore, the brackish waters of Odisha are home to Irrawaddy Dolphins and Punjab rivers are home to Indus Dolphins.
• The Ganges River and its tributaries are home to the freshwater dolphin known as the Gangetic Dolphin.
• The male dolphins as being about 2-2.2 meters long and the females as a little longer at 2.4-2.6 m.
• An adult dolphin could weigh between 70 kg and 90 kg.
• The breeding season of the Gangetic dolphin extends from January to June. They feed on several species of fish, invertebrates, etc.
• The Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 lists all freshwater, brackish water, and marine dolphins (cetaceans) in Schedule-I, giving them the greatest protection against hunting.

About Project Dolphin:

• At the National Ganga Council's (NGC) first meeting in 2019, which was presided over by the Prime Minister, the initiative gained preliminary approval.
• One of the planned activities for Arth Ganga, the government's ambitious inter-ministerial program approved in 2019, is Project Dolphin.
• Similar to Project Tiger, which has aided in the growth of the tiger population, Project Dolphin will do the same.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change is anticipated to carry it out.
• The Gangetic Dolphin, a national aquatic species and an indicator species for the Ganga River that flows through numerous states require a special conservation program.
• Indicator species are living things, typically bacteria or plants, that act as proxies for the local environment.

Threat to dolphins:

• Bycatch of Gangetic River dolphins is a threat because both people and dolphins choose areas of the river where there are lots of fish and a slow current. As a result, there are now fewer fish for human consumption and more dolphin deaths through accidental entanglement in fishing nets.
• Single-use plastics being dumped in bodies of water, industrial contamination, and fishing are just a few of the challenges it confronts from pollution.
• Dolphins are also hunted for their flesh, fat, and oil, which is used to make ointments, as a substitute for fish as bait, and as a purported aphrodisiac.
• Water Restrictive Flow: Since dams and other irrigation-related constructions limit their ability to move to new locations, they are more vulnerable to inbreeding and other dangers.

Conservation Status of Gangetic Dolphin:

• Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972
• International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN): Endangered
• Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES): Most endangered
• Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) - migratory species that need conservation and management or would significantly benefit from international cooperation.

Antimicrobial-Resistant

• Kenya has recently seen an antimicrobial-resistant gonorrhoea outbreak.
• According to specialists, the region as a whole is at risk from the Neisseria gonorrhoeae outbreak, not just the residents of the East African anchor state.
• Health professionals are extremely concerned about the outbreak, especially since it is occurring while WHO works to eradicate sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as a public health issue by 2030.

About Gonorrhea:

• The bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae is the source of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) known as gonorrhoea.
• It can affect the genitalia, rectum, and throat and can affect both males and women.
• Gonorrhea can result in major health issues, such as infertility and an elevated risk of HIV infection if it is not treated.
• It is, after Chlamydia, the second most common sexually transmitted illness worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Antibiotics are commonly used to treat gonorrhoea, however many of the once-potent medications are no longer effective against the infection.
• The doctors claimed that sex workers' samples from Nairobi, the country's capital, and other urban regions like Kiambu County were where the drug-resistant super gonorrhoea was first found.

About Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR):

• Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a condition in which bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve over time and cease to respond to antibiotics, making infections more difficult to cure and raising the risk of disease transmission, life-threatening sickness, and death.
• Additionally, bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics are frequently referred to as "superbugs."
• According to a study published in 2019 more people die each year from diseases caused by microorganisms that are resistant to antibiotics than from malaria or HIV/AIDS combined.
• Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest problems confronting humanity, according to experts.
• By 2050, they project that 10 million people will have perished as a result of the issue if it is not resolved.
• Antibiotics kill bacteria from the inside out by attaching to a specific target protein on the organism.
• Mutations that enable bacteria to prevent medications from binding to them are the most frequent means by which bacteria avoid antibiotics.
• The worst case scenario is when bacteria develop multiple of these backup mechanisms, meaning that even if you manage to overcome one, additional resistances may step in to fill the void.

Causes:

• Antibiotic resistance is brought on by microorganisms that have adapted to resist antibiotics. The main causes of resistance are antibiotic overuse and misuse.
• In other words, the problem of antibiotic resistance gets worse the more antibiotics we use.
• Insufficient sanitation and hygiene, as well as poor infection control.
• Antimicrobial overuse and recurrent use of low-quality medications.
• Mutations in the bacteria's genes.

Anti-Microbial Resistance Control Measures in India:

• National Programme on AMR containment: Launched in 2012. Under this programme, AMR Surveillance Network has been strengthened by establishing labs in State Medical College.
• National Action Plan on AMR: It was introduced in April 2017 with the goal of involving numerous stakeholder ministries/departments and focuses on the One Health concept.
• AMR Surveillance Network: In order to gather data and track trends and patterns of drug-resistant illnesses across the nation, ICMR developed the AMR surveillance and research network (AMRSN) in 2013.
• AMR Research & International Collaboration: In order to further medical research into AMR, ICMR has made steps to create novel treatments and medicines through international partnerships.
• Antibiotic Stewardship Program: To prevent the abuse and overuse of antibiotics in hospital wards and intensive care units (ICUs), the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched the Antibiotic Stewardship Program (AMSP) as a pilot initiative across India.

Kalashnikov AK-203 Assault Rifles

In recent times, an Indo-Russian joint venture in India has begun producing Kalashnikov AK-203 assault guns.

About AK-203 Assault Rifles:

• The AK-200 series assault rifles of the renowned brand were first produced in India.

• The first batch of 7.62 mm Kalashnikov AK-203 assault rifles was created at the Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.
• Out of a total of 6,01,427 AK-203 rifles to be produced over a 10-year period for Rs 5,124 crore, the initial lot will consist of 5,000 of them.
• Created: An Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for the production of AK-203 assault rifles was signed by Russia and India in February 2019.
• For this, a joint venture was established between Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) in India and Concern Kalashnikov and Rosonboron Exports in Russia.

Significance:

• Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited complies fully with DAP (Defence Acquisition Procedure) 2020 and the Made in India programme of the Indian government.
• It intends to guarantee complete localization of AK-203 rifle production in India.
• The action will provide the Indian armed forces more weaponry.

Indian and Russian military cooperation:

• The strategic partnership between India and Russia is based in large part on defence cooperation. The Programme for Military Technical Cooperation that the two nations signed serves as its foundation.
• Currently active bilateral projects between India and Russia include the local production of T-90 tanks, Su-30-MKI aircraft, MiG-29-K aircraft, Kamov-31 and Mi-17 helicopters, MiG-29 aircraft modification, and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher Smerch delivery.
• The only aircraft carrier used by India, INS Vikramaditya, is similarly Russian in origin.
• The Indian Navy's first submarine, the "Foxtrot Class," was a gift from Russia, and Russia continues to play a significant role in helping the Indian Navy with its submarine programmes.
• India's nuclear submarine programme is reliant on Russia.
• Russian submarines make up nine of India's fourteen operational conventional submarines.