GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

Recently, the Ministry of Education released the India Rankings 2022 instituted by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

About National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF):

• The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) was approved by the Ministry of Education in September 2015.
• National Institute Ranking Framework or NIRF is the first-ever effort by the government to rank higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country. Before NIRF's launch in 2016, HEIs were usually ranked by private entities, especially news magazines.
• This framework outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. The methodology assesses broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions:

1. 1. Teaching, Learning, and Resources (TLR)
   2. Research and Professional Practice (RP)
   3. Graduation Outcomes (GO)
   4. Outreach and Inclusivity (OI)
   5. Peer Perception (PR)

• 11 Categories: NIRF India Ranking 2022 has been announced for 11 categories. This includes overall, university, management, college, pharmacy, medical, engineering, architecture, ARIIA (Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements), law, and research institutions.

Highlights of India Rankings 2021:

• NIRF India rankings are released for 11 categories including Engineering, Universities, Colleges, Overall, Management, Law, Architecture, Medical, Dental, Research, and Pharmacy. These categories keep on changing and adding as per the requirements.
• The total number of institutions participating in NIRF ranking 2022 is 7,254, up from 6,272 participants last year.
• Overall: IIT-Madras, IISc-Bangalore, and IIT-Bombay have emerged as the country’s top three higher education institutions
• University: IISc, Bengaluru tops the category.
• Research Institution: IISc, Bengaluru was ranked the best research institution, a category included for the first time in India Rankings 2021.
• Colleges: Miranda College retains 1^st position amongst colleges, followed by Hindu College, Delhi; Presidency College, Chennai.
• Engineering: Among engineering institutions, IIT-Madras remained number one.
• Management: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad was ranked one.

Have these rankings gone international?

• No, not yet. NIRF is in its seventh year, but it continues to only rank Indian HEIs.

Benefits of NIRF Ranking for an Institution:

• Improves Student Enrolment.
• Clarity on Standard of Institution
• NIRF provides clarity about the standard of course delivered and the standard of education an institution provides.
• Elevates the Global Ranking of the Institution.

The number of children who were unvaccinated or missed the first dose of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine doubled due to the pandemic, UNICEF.

Key-highlights of the observation

Observation in the official data published by the WHO and UNICEF:

• Pandemic effect: Due to the pandemic, the number of children who were unvaccinated or missed their first dose of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) combined vaccine has doubled.
  • India was hit particularly hard as it had the highest number of such unprotected children at nearly 3.5 million, an increase of 1.4 million from 2019.
• This is the largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years.
• Zero dose children: For the first time there has been a decline in evaluated coverage in immunisation for India as a whole due increase in zero doses, or those who missed their first diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, between 2019 and 2021.
• More than 3 million of these 'zero-dose children' in 2020 lived in India.
• Measles too remains a concern, as well as outbreaks of diseases like diphtheria which can spread quickly where people are unvaccinated.

Positives: A further backsliding was prevented and the number dropped to 2.7 million in 2021 due to catchup programmes such as the third Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI).

Immunization Programs in India:

• Universal Immunization Programme:

• The Immunization Programme in India was introduced in 1978 as ‘The Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.’
• In 1985, the Programme was modified as the ‘Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)’. UIP prevents mortality and morbidity in children and pregnant women against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases.

• Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is one of the largest public health programmes targeting close to 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9 crore pregnant women annually.
• It is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions and is largely responsible for the reduction of vaccine-preventable under-5 mortality rate.
• To accelerate the coverage, Mission Indradhanush was envisaged and implemented in 2015 to rapidly increase the full immunization coverage to 90%.

Intensified Mission Indradhanush 4.0:

• The aim is to fully immunize children who were either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated under UIP.
• It will ensure that Routine Immunization (RI) services reach unvaccinated and partially vaccinated children and pregnant women. Children up to two years will be covered in this drive.
• Until the pandemic, India steadily improved immunization coverage from 43% during the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) -3 (2005-2006), to 62% in the (NFHS) -4 between 2015 and 2016 and the (NFHS)-5 between 2019 and 2021.
• IMI 4.0 will immensely contribute to filling the gaps and making lasting gains toward universal immunisation.

Concerns:

• This is a red alert for child health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunisation in a generation.
• The fall in immunisation coverage is worrying as it is being accompanied by a rapidly rising rate of severe acute malnutrition due to a fall in income levels during the pandemic.
• A malnourished child already has weakened immunity and missed vaccinations make him vulnerable to common childhood illnesses.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is all set for expansion with Iran joining the grouping as its ninth member.

Details:

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation admits Iran into the grouping as its ninth member while Belarus has applied for membership.
• This is the first expansion of the SCO after India and Pakistan were admitted to the grouping in 2017.
• Last year’s summit in Dushanbe agreed for Iran to join, while Belarus has also begun the membership process.
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) follows the system of consensus in deciding admission of new members.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organization:

• SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organization.
• It’s a Eurasian political, economic and military organization aiming to maintain peace, security, and stability in the region.
• It was created in 2001. Prior to the creation of SCO in 2001, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five.
• The SCO Charter was signed in 2002 and entered into force in 2003.
• India and Pakistan became members in 2017.
• SCO Secretariat – Based in Beijing to provide informational, analytical & organizational support.
• The 2022 annual summit of the SCO will be held in September in Samarkand (Samarkand also known as Samarqand, is a city in south-eastern Uzbekistan).

Membership:

• The SCO currently comprises nine Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan), and six “Dialogue Partners” (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey).

Significance:

• SCO’s rising international influence: It shows SCO’s rising international influence and that the principles of the SCO charter are widely accepted.
• SCO looks to counter the West: After Iran, Belarus is likely to be the two newest additions to the China and Russia-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) grouping. With the expansion, China and Russia are looking to frame the grouping as a counter to the West.
• SCO is based on non-alignment: SCO is a cooperative organization based on non-alignment and not targeting a third party, while NATO is based on Cold War thinking. The SCO believes one should not build its security at the expense of other countries while NATO is creating new enemies to sustain its existence.
• Champion of co-existence: The SCO members are working on profound changes that the international situation is undergoing to make the international order fairer and more reasonable.

The US House of Representatives has made a historic decision and approved legislation that recommends an India-specific waiver under CAATSA as a part of an amendment during floor consideration of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Details:

• The United States House of Representatives has passed by voice vote the legislative amendment that approves waiver to India against the punitive CAATSA sanctions.
• It was in the backdrop of India purchasing the S-400 missile defense system from Russia to help deter aggressors like China.

About CAATSA sanctions:

• The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) law was brought in 2017 and provides for punitive actions by the US government against any country engaged in transactions with the Russian defense and intelligence sectors.
• CAATSA is a tough US law that authorizes the US administration to impose sanctions on countries that purchase major defense hardware from Russia
• Besides Russia, CAATSA is aimed at enforcing sanctions against Iran and North Korea.
• This was in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections.

Sanctions on India:

• Types of Sanctions: The CAATSA contains 12 types of sanctions. There are only two sanctions that may impact either India-Russia relations or India-US relations.

1. 1. Prohibition of Banking transactions: The first of these, which is likely to have an impact on India-Russia relations, is the “Prohibition of Banking transactions”.

This was meant for making it difficult for India in making payments in US Dollars to Russia for the purchase of the S-400 systems.

1. 2. Export Sanction: This is the “export sanction” which has the potential to completely derail the India-US Strategic and Defence partnership, as it will deny the license for, and export of, any items controlled by the US. The second sanction will have greater consequences for India-US relations.

• Waiver Criteria: The US President was given the authority in 2018 to waive CAATSA sanctions on a case-by-case basis.

How did the issue raise?

• In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defense missile systems, despite a warning from the then-Trump administration, while ignoring the CAATSA.
• The U.S. threatened India with sanctions over India's decision to buy the S-400 missile defense systems from Russia.

The S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defense system. The US has already imposed sanctions on Turkey under the CAATSA for the purchase of a batch of S-400 missile defense systems from Russia.

Reasons for waiver and US stand:

• The United States now recognizes the common goal of curbing China’s advancement in the region and the waiver will help to deter aggressors like China.
• It must stand with India in the face of escalating aggression from China to ensure that India can defend itself along the Indian Chinese border.
• The US recognizes the significance of its relationship with India in terms of strategic interests.

India in the next few months will have an indigenously developed human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine “Cervavac” that will offer protection against cervical cancer, the second largest killer among cancers in women.

What is human papillomavirus infection?

• Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a viral infection that is passed between people through skin-to-skin contact.
• HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI).

Instances of Infection:

• Almost all cervical cancers are found in women who have a history of HPV infection.
• But having an HPV infection may not lead to cancer in all cases, rather it must be noted that over 80% of women have an HPV infection in their lifetime and almost all of them can clear it.
• But in some people, some high-risk types of HPV persist and lead to cervical cancer.
• In addition, having multiple sexual partners, poor hygiene, and smoking are other factors that increase the risk of developing cervical cancer.

How does vaccination against an infection protect against cancer?

• The best way to prevent cancer is to prevent an infection in the first place and vaccines help to a great extent.
• There are two to four types of HPV that lead to almost 70% to 80% of all cervical cancers and the vaccines prevent these infections. Since the virus is sexually transmitted, it has to be given to teenage girls before they are sexually active.
• Once an infection happens, the vaccine cannot clear it out. Hence, the effectiveness of the vaccine keeps dropping with age.

HPV vaccines presently available in India:

• At present, there are two HPV vaccines available- GSKs Cervarix (which protects against the two most common types HPV 16 and 18) and Merck’s Gardasil (which protects against two additional types 6 and 11).
• These vaccines cost between Rs 2,500 and Rs 3,300 per dose, with teenagers requiring at least two doses and those getting it later in life needing three.
• Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted market authorization to the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) for the first Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus vaccine (qHPV) against cervical cancer.

The quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine protects against infection with HPV types 6, 11, 16, and 18, which are responsible for 70% to 80% of cervical cancers and at least 90% of cases of genital warts.

Constraints in Immunization:

• Universal immunization of all teenage girls becomes an expensive proposition.
• Cervarix is not readily available in India so we had to start using the other one, which is costlier.

Significance of India’s first quadrivalent HPV vaccine:

• It will drastically bring down the incidence and deaths caused by cervical cancer in India (India contributes to about a fourth of the global mortality from cervical cancer).
• Once India-made vaccines are available, it will make it cheaper and more cost-effective for governments to give the shot under public health programs. And, hopefully, it will become a part of the national program as well.

Options left to those who missed vaccination:

• Regular screening is the best way to keep an eye out for whether they have cervical cancer.
• HPV test has a higher detection rate in comparison to Pap Smear Test (a procedure where a small brush is used to remove cells from the cervix to be studied under a microscope). The sample is collected similarly but it looks for the high-risk types of HPV in the cells.
• This test should be done starting two to three years after sexual activity begins, then every five years till the age of 65 years.