21st Dec 2020 CURRENT AFFAIRS Reading NFHS data The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) recently released the results from the first phase of the National Family Health Survey (NHFS). This is the fifth such survey and the first phase — for which data was collected in the second half of 2019 — covered 17 states and five Union Territories. The most important takeaway is that between 2015 and 2019, several Indian states have suffered a reversal on several child malnutrition parameters. In other words, instead of improving, several states have either seen child malnutrition increase or improve at a very slow rate. The second phase of the survey was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic; its results are expected to come out in May 2021. The second phase will cover some of the biggest states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Jharkhand. About NFHS NFHS is a large-scale nationwide survey of representative households. The data is collected over multiple rounds. The MoHFW has designated International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai as the nodal agency and the survey is a collaborative effort of IIPS; ORC Macro, Maryland (US); and the East-West Center, Hawaii (US). The survey is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with supplementary support from UNICEF. This is the fifth NFHS and refers to the 2019-20 period. The first four referred to 1992-93, 1998-99, 2005-06 and 2015-16, respectively. The initial factsheet for NFHS-5 provides state-wise data on 131 parameters. These parameters include questions such as how many households get drinking water, electricity and improved sanitation; what is sex ratio at birth, what are infant and child mortality metrics, what is the status of maternal and child health, how many have high blood sugar or high blood pressure etc. Importance of NFHS results The NFHS database is possibly the most important one because it not only feeds into the research needs and informs advocacy but also is central to both central and state-level policymaking. NFHS survey results also provide internationally comparable results. That’s because the questions and the methodology is internationally valid. Thus, it places the results of say child malnutrition trends in Bihar in the global context. Highlights of NFHS-5 Researchers and experts on health and welfare metrics have described the latest results as “shocking”, “alarming” and “very troublesome”. On several parameters, the number of states worsening over the last round — NFHS-4 (2015-16) — is not only high but often more than the number of states improving. On child malnutrition parameters — such as infant and child (under 5 years of age) mortality, child stunting (low height for one’s age), child wasting ( low weight for one’s height) and proportion of underweight children — several states have either been stagnant or worsened. In other words, children born between 2014 and 2019 (that is, 0 to 5 years of age) are more malnourished than the previous generation. The reversal in the proportion of children who are stunted is the most worrisome because unlike wasting and being underweight (which can be due to short term reasons and represent acute malnutrition), stunting represents chronic malnutrition. Reversals in stunting are unheard of in growing economies with stable democracies. Another cause of concern is the fact that the first phase data is pre-pandemic and it is quite likely that the second phase — which will also incorporate Covid’s impact — may throw up ever poorer results. Significance of the results Worsening child malnutrition, as well as rising levels of anaemia in women (especially pregnant ones), points to Indian children born in the past 5 years likely suffering from both cognitive and physical deficiencies. Between NFHS-3 (2005-06) and NFHS-4 (2015-16), India registered its most significant reduction in child malnutrition, which is a result of interventions such nutrition missions, Integrated Child Development Services, the introduction of MGNREGA and expansion of Public Distribution System among others. The latest results show that health-wise, India has taken a turn for the worse since 2015 despite improvements in water availability and sanitation methods. Health outcomes such as child malnutrition data are the result of a complex set of reasons — ranging from the state of a family’s income generation to environmental factors to government interventions. Mystery illness in Eluru The Andhra Pradesh government has requested AIIMS-New Delhi and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) in Hyderabad to conduct a long-term study to determine the causes of the mystery illness in Eluru in West Godavari district. Both AIIMS and IICT have already conducted a series of tests in the region. The AIIMS study found lead and nickel in blood samples of at least 45 victims. Its report pegs organochlorine in food as a potential cause and adds that pesticides could be the reason for the presence of organochlorine. The study added that traces of lead were found in blood samples of relatives of patients and recommended a long term study. IICT experts said 21 samples of water were collected along with blood samples of people and animals in the region. Neither traces of heavy metals like lead, nickel, nor pesticide residues were found in water samples. But, traces of Endosulfan and DDT (pesticides) were traced in blood samples, along with lead. Over 70% of Eluru town, in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district, has been affected by a mysterious illness. One person died due to the illness while 550 people were hospitalised. Scientists suspect that pesticide or insecticide has seeped into drinking water sources. Eluru receives water through canals from both Godavari and Krishna rivers. The canals pass through agricultural fields where runoff laced with pesticides mixes with water in the canals. Monkey Rehabilitation Centre A rescue and rehabilitation centre for monkeys(Primate) was opened recently in Telangana. It is the second such facility for the primates in the country. The other such facility in the country is in Himachal Pradesh. Details The rehab facility has been built at a cost of Rs 2.25 crore, in a bid to keep the monkey population in check. Monkeys that venture into human habitations would be captured by gram panchayats/municipalities and would be transported to the centre by the Forest Department for sterilisation. The monkeys brought to the centre would be kept there for a week so that they get acclimatised to the environment and would later be sterilised surgically. After the surgery, they would be placed under observation. They would be released into the wild only after being deemed fit. The rescue centre would also undertake the treatment and rehabilitation of injured monkeys. Significance As a consequence of rising monkey population and declining forest cover, many instances of monkey-human conflicts are being reported in Nirmal and other parts of Telangana. Farmers, for years now, have been complaining of crop losses caused by monkeys, and in a few cases, of monkeys attacking humans. The state government has also been planting saplings of many wild fruit trees as part of its Telangana ku Haritha Haaram afforestation scheme, so that monkeys remain inside forests and do not venture into human habitations in search of food. PIB Khelo India Youth Games 2021 The Sports Ministry has approved the inclusion of four Indigenous Games to be a part of Khelo India Youth Games 2021, scheduled to take place in Haryana. The games include: Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta and Mallakhamba. Kalaripayattu Kalaripayattu also known as Kalari, is an Indian martial art and fighting style that originated in Kerala. It is considered to be among the oldest martial arts still in existence, with its origin dating back to at least the 3rd century BC. Mallakhamba It has been well-known across India and Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have been the hotspots of this sport. The name Mallakhamb derives from the terms malla, meaning wrestler, and khamb, which means a pole. Mallakhamb is a traditional sport, originating from the Indian subcontinent, in which a gymnast performs aerial yoga or gymnastic postures and wrestling grips in concert with a vertical stationary or hanging wooden pole, cane, or rope. Gatka Gatka originates from the State of Punjab and this traditional fighting style of the Nihang Sikh Warriors is used both as self-defense as well as a sport. It is a style of stick-fighting, with wooden sticks intended to simulate swords. Thang-Ta It is a Manipur marital art, also called Huyen langlon. Huyen langlon consists of two main components: Thang-ta (armed combat) and Sarit Sarak (unarmed fighting). The primary weapons of huyen langlon are the thang (sword) and ta (spear). Skill India Establishes First Centre of Excellence The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, the Ministry of National Education and Youth, Government of the French Republic and Schneider Electric, announced the inauguration of first Center of Excellence(CoE) for skill development in power sector in the campus of National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), Gurugram (Haryana)to create a robust cadre of certified trainers and assessors across the country. The CoE has high-end modern labs designed keeping in mind the future technology, which will further strengthen India and France's relationship in energy sector. The establishment of CoE is a result of the MoU signed earlier between MSDE, Ministry of Education-France and Schneider Electric. The CoE will focus on creating a pool of highly skilled trainers and assessors for further training to increase employability of candidates in the field of Electricity, Automation and Solar Energy Sectors. The centre will design and deliver Training for Trainers, Instructors, Training of Assessors and other high-end program in the power and solar sector.