After over a month since the forest department first mobilised its personnel in the state of Kerala, rogue elephant ‘Arikomban’ (literally, ‘rice tusker’ due to its known affinity to rice) has finally been captured.

Ø  After over a month since the forest department first mobilised its personnel in the state of Kerala, rogue elephant ‘Arikomban’ (literally, ‘rice tusker’ due to its known affinity to rice) has finally been captured.

Ø  The elephant wreaked havoc in the human settlements of Chinnakanal, Santhanpara and Bodimettu, raiding the ration shops for rice and other grains.

Ø  It has been responsible for trampling as many as 11 people to death over the years.

Ø  A team of 150 forest officials darted the rogue elephant with five tranquiliser shots after finally locating the elusive elephant.

Ø  It is currently being taken to an undisclosed location where it will be released in the wild. 

Human-Elephant Conflict -

Ø  Elephant, being a large herbivorous animal, needs vast areas to roam: browsing, foraging, moving from place to place in search of food and water with the changing seasons.

Ø  The ‘home range’ of an elephant herd can vary from an average of about 250 sq. km (in Rajaji National Park) to over 3500 sq. km (in the highly degraded, fragmented landscapes of West Bengal).

Ø  As elephants are forced to range farther and farther afield, this brings them into conflict with humans.

Ø  And as humans encroach on forest areas, planting nutritious crops near forest lands, building homes and roads and railways, this invites conflict with elephants. 

Why Human-Elephant conflict is a serious Issue?

Ø  Environment Ministry data tabled in Parliament showed that the number of deaths due to elephants was 535 in 2021-22, down from 585 in 2019-20.

Ø  Jharkhand (133) recorded the highest number of human deaths, followed by Odisha (112) and West Bengal (77) deaths in 2021-22.

Ø  Elephant deaths due to humans stood at 82 in 2021-22, compared to 99 in 2019-20.

Ø  Electrocution killed the maximum number of elephants, with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu recording the maximum deaths.

How to avoid Human-Animal Conflict?

Strobe Lights —

Ø  To scare off destructive nocturnal wildlife, farmers increasingly rely on automatic light machines.

Ø  Half strobe light and half motion sensor, the machines flash beams of light randomly in all directions to mimic a farmer with a flashlight.

Ø  Wary nocturnal animals have been shown to avoid such light signals.

Natural Barriers —

Ø  To keep elephants at a safe distance from their farms and homes, some African villagers have turned to two unlikely, all-natural solutions: bees and hot peppers.

Ø  Elephants dislike the chemical capsaicin found in chili peppers, prompting farmers in Tanzania to smother their fences with a mixture of oil and chili peppers.

Ø  In addition to a spice aversion, elephants are also terrified of bees.

Ø  This realisation has led to the construction of bee fences around farms to keep marauding pachyderms out.

About Elephant Corridors -

Ø  One way to reduce conflicts with wild animals is by guiding their movements in developed areas through dedicated corridors.

Ø  Elephant corridors are linear, narrow, natural habitat linkages that allow elephants to move between secure habitats without being disturbed by humans.

Ø  Elephant corridors are also critical for other wildlife including India’s endangered National Animal, the Royal Bengal tiger (Panthera Tigris).

Elephant Corridors in India –

Ø  Number of elephant corridors in India have been changing over the years.

Ø  88 corridors were identified jointly by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), and published in 2005. Wildlife Trust of India is an

Ø  Indian NGO committed to nature conservation.

Ø  In 2015, a second round of identification took place — and when published two years later, the number of corridors had gone up to 101.

Steps taken by the Government -

Project Elephant —

Ø  Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Government of India for the protection of elephants, their habitats and corridors.

Ø  The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change provides the financial and technical support to major elephant range states in the country through Project Elephant. The Project is being mainly implemented in 16 States/UTs.

Ø  India had 29,964 elephants as per the last census in 2017, about 55% of the species’ global population.

Gaj Yatra —

Ø  Gaj Yatra was launched by the Government of India on the occasion of World Elephant Day in 2017.

Ø  It is an awareness campaign aimed to help secure Right of Passage for elephants through 101 vital migratory corridors mapped across India.

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released the National Health Account Estimates 2019-20.

About the ‘National Health Accounts’ –

Ø  Report on National Health Accounts Estimates is published by the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHRSC) under the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The NHA for 2019-20 is the seventh round of estimates since 2013-14.

Ø  It is based on the globally accepted framework of ‘System of Health Accounts, 2011’ for intercountry comparison and learning.

Ø  System of Health Accounts (SHA) was originally developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Ø  SHA is an internationally standardised framework that systematically tracks the flow of expenditures in the health system.

Ø  NHA provides detailed information on overall health expenditure both by the public and private sector in the country.

Major findings of the NHA -

Government Expenditure on Health –

Ø  The share of Government Health Expenditure (GHE) in the overall GDP of the country has increased from 1.13% in 2014-15 to 1.35% in 2019-20.

Ø  In per capita terms, GHE has doubled from Rs. 1,108 to Rs. 2,014 between 2014-15 to 2019-20.

Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) —

Ø  The share of Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) in total Health Expenditure (THE) declined from 62.6% to 47.1%.

Ø  The continuous decline in the OOPE in the overall health spending show progress towards ensuring financial protection and Universal Health Coverage for citizens.

Ø  The increase in government spending on health has an important implication for the reduction of financial hardship endured by households.

Ø  In the Total Health Expenditure (THE) of the country between 2014-15 and 2019-20, the share of GHE has increased from 29% to 41.4%.

Social Security Expenditure (SSE) —

Ø  Another positive trend in the country’s health financing space is the increase in Social Security Expenditure (SSE) on healthcare.

Ø  This increase in social security has a direct impact on reducing out-of-pocket payments.

Ø  A robust social security mechanism ensures that individuals will not face financial hardship and the risk of poverty as a consequence of accessing essential healthcare services.

Ø  The share of SSE on health, which includes government-funded health insurance, medical reimbursement to government employees, and social health insurance programs, in THE, has increased from 5.7% in 2014-15 to 9.3% in 2019-20.

The Central Health Ministry is not willing to allow e-pharmacy platforms to operate without regulation and oversight. It believes that such a move would be too risky and could pose a significant threat to public health and safety.

What is E-pharmacy?

Ø  E-pharmacy, also known as online pharmacy or internet pharmacy, is a digital platform that allows customers to purchase medicines and other health-related products over the internet.

Ø  E-pharmacies are a form of e-commerce, where customers can browse through a wide range of medicines, medical devices, and health supplements and order them from the comfort of their own home.

What is the size of e-pharmacy market in India?

Ø  In 2021, the market for online pharmacies was worth ₹25.50 billion.

Ø  It is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.20% from 2022 to 2027 when it is expected to reach ₹89.47 billion.

What is the legislative framework for e-pharmacies in India?

Ø  As of now, no exact rules are in place for E-drug stores in India, and this is a significant inhibitor to the online drug store market in India.

Ø  At present, E-pharmacies in India follow the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940, the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules 1945, the Pharmacy Act 1948 and the Indian Medical Act 1956.

Ø  However, the electronic sale of physician-prescribed drugs from online drug store sites is expressed under the IT Act, 2000.

Ø  E-pharmacies are managed by state drug controllers and approvals for E-pharmacies should be given by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

Ø  The MoH&FW in 2018 came out with draft rules to control the online offer of medications and availability of genuine drugs from certifiable online sites. But, after being sent to a group of ministers, the proposal was immediately put on hold.

Ø  Since then, multiple court orders and the 172nd Parliamentary Standing Committee report have called for regulating e-pharmacies.

Ø  An administrative structure to oversee/regulate the e-pharmacy sector is necessary when antimicrobial resistance (AMR), criminal and risky movement of drugs, is on the rise.

Why there is a need for regulation and oversight of e-pharma in India?

Ø  Consumer safety — There are concerns over the distribution of illegal or unethical medicines, or outdated, substituted, or counterfeit medications.

Other issues —

Ø  Unlimited accessibility to medicines through e-pharmacy, sale of sub-standard, habitforming medicines (like sedatives, mood-altering drugs), profiling of patients and buyers, and illegal data collection are the main concerns.

Ø  Drug abuse, misuse, self-medication, access to children etc. are problems that the epharma industry is currently facing.

Ø  Besides, there is no place or system to evaluate adverse drug reactions.

Ø  Also, there is no clarity on drug storage conditions and no system of immediate recall in case of drugs.

Ø  There is a general notion that vigilance must win over the perceived convenience and economics of the e-pharma market.

Is banning e-Pharmacies a viable option?

Ø  The demand for online delivery of drugs is burgeoning.

Ø  The year 2020 marked a watershed moment for the growth of e-pharmacies as it saw nearly 8.8 million households using home delivery services during lockdown.

Ø  There is a possibility that some of these businesses will go underground if banned.

What lies ahead?

Ø  In a climate where drug delivery is driven by consumer sentiments, it is futile to stick to any one way of doing business.

Ø  For acute care and emergency, patients still rely on their neighbourhood pharmacy stores.

Ø  This has led e-pharmacy players to now open capital-intensive brick and mortar stores.

Ø  Stiff competition has forced chemist shops to also offer home delivery options over their own store apps/Whatsapp.

Ø  In an ecosystem that is moving towards a hybrid mode, all eyes are on the government which will have to effectively regulate the new way of doing e-commerce in the drug space.

Recently, The 27 member states in the EU approved a revamp to the bloc’s so-called carbon market, which is set to make it more costly to pollute for businesses in Europe, sharpening the main tool the EU has to discourage carbon dioxide emissions in the industrial sector. 

Changes to EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)

Introduction

Ø  The changes to the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), more commonly called the bloc’s carbon market.

Ø  The EU ETS is the bloc’s carbon market that requires permits for CO2 emissions from factories, power plants, and the aviation sector.

Ø  The goal is to create financial incentives for reducing emissions and generate funds for climate-related projects.

Details of the Carbon Market

Ø  European factories and power plants have had to purchase permits for their CO2 emissions since 2005.

Ø  Prices of permits become more expensive as emissions increase.

Ø  The law applies to power-generation industries, energy-intensive industries, and the aviation sector.

Ø  It will be expanded to cover other greenhouse gases like methane and nitrogen oxides.

Impact of the Carbon Market

Ø  Emissions from the sectors covered by the EU ETS have decreased by 43% in the EU.

Ø  It is difficult to determine how much of this reduction is due to the carbon market.

Ø  Partially-related breakthroughs have also contributed to limiting emissions.

Changes to the Carbon Market

Ø  The changes will set more stringent targets and tougher penalties over time.

Ø  The new rules aim to increase emissions reductions by 2030 to 62% compared to 2005 levels.

Ø  Companies will gradually phase out free permits for lower levels of emissions.

Ø  Heavy industries will phase out by 2034, while the aviation sector will phase out by 2026.

Resistance to the Changes

Ø  Some members of the EU opposed the changes, arguing that the targets were too ambitious and would put an unfair strain on the industry.

Ø  Poland and Hungary opposed the changes, while Belgium and Bulgaria abstained from the vote.

EU Voting Policies

Ø  Some EU policies and laws require unanimous approval from member states, while most require a qualified majority vote.

Key points related to what else was approved in the EU’s “Fit for 55” package of climate plans:

Ø  Incorporation of parts of the shipping industry into the ETS, requiring them to buy permits to cover their emissions at times

Ø  Establishment of a new, separate ETS for the buildings and road transport sectors and some others, mainly small industry

Ø  Changes specifically tailored to the aviation sector were approved

Ø  Introduction of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to prevent carbon-intensive products imported from outside the EU from offsetting the EU’s greenhouse gas reduction efforts

Ø  Setting up of a Social Climate Fund, financed mainly by carbon market revenues generated by the ETS, to support vulnerable households, micro-enterprises, and transport users coping with the price impacts of the emissions trading system.