GS Analyst: Daily Current Affairs

Context:

Advancements in cancer treatment have historically relied on chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. However, recent decades have seen significant progress in anti-cancer interventions, including immune system-boosting drugs and CAR T-cell therapy, offering new hope for patients worldwide.

Advancements in Cancer Treatment:

• Emergence of Targeted Therapies: Traditional methods like chemotherapy and surgery remain vital in cancer treatment, but targeted therapies have revolutionized anti-cancer interventions by homing in on specific molecules crucial for cancer cell survival and proliferation.
• Promise of Immunotherapy: Immune system-boosting drugs have demonstrated efficacy in shrinking tumors, particularly in patients with advanced malignancies, showcasing the potential of immunotherapy as a valuable addition to conventional treatments.
• Significance of CAR T-cell Therapy: CAR T-cell therapy represents a promising advancement, showing the ability to eradicate advanced leukemias and lymphomas. This personalized treatment involves extracting, modifying, and reinfusing T cells to enhance the body's immune response against cancer, offering new avenues for effective cancer treatment.

Challenges and Opportunities in Cancer Care:

• Global Cancer Burden: While cancer mortality rates have declined in developed countries, incidence and mortality rates continue to rise globally, particularly in the Global South, posing significant healthcare challenges.
• Accessibility of Treatment: In countries like India, where cancer claims a significant number of lives annually, the cost of treatment remains a barrier for many, despite the emergence of more affordable therapies like CAR T-cell therapy.
• Path Forward: As India strives to make cutting-edge cancer treatments more accessible, collaboration among planners, scientists, and policymakers becomes crucial to ensure that innovative research translates into affordable and accessible healthcare solutions for the most vulnerable populations.

Potential for Future Developments

• Research Advancements: Continued research in oncology holds the promise of further breakthroughs, potentially expanding treatment options and improving outcomes for cancer patients.
• Technological Innovation: Advancements in technology, such as gene editing and precision medicine, may pave the way for more personalized and effective cancer therapies tailored to individual patients.
• Global Collaboration: International collaboration among researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers can facilitate the sharing of knowledge, resources, and best practices, accelerating progress in cancer care on a global scale.

Mains Question:

Discuss the recent advancements in cancer treatment, focusing on targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and CAR T-cell therapy. Assess the challenges and opportunities in making these innovative treatments accessible and affordable in countries like India, and propose strategies to address the healthcare disparities in cancer care.

Context

The interim Budget for 2024-25 adhered to the tradition of maintaining existing tax rates for both direct and indirect taxes. The budget emphasized two main points: the continuation of increasing capital expenditures by the Union government and a sustained focus on fiscal correction and consolidation.

Capital Expenditure Emphasis:

• Continued Government Investment: The budget reflects a trend of heightened capital expenditures by the Central government, possibly driven by the need to stimulate investment amidst global uncertainties, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Growth Rates Analysis: While the interim budget indicates an 11.1% increase in capital expenditures compared to the 2023-24 Budget Estimates, the growth rate is lower than initially planned. This lower growth rate aligns with the real GDP growth of 7.3% in 2023-24.
• Potential Impact on GDP Growth: The projected 17% growth in capital expenditure for 2024-25 suggests the potential for achieving a 7% real GDP growth if private sector investment momentum is sustained and state governments maintain their capital expenditure growth, supported by government initiatives such as interest-free loans.

Fiscal Deficit and Consolidation:

• Fiscal Deficit Projection: The fiscal deficit for 2024-25 is forecasted to decrease to 5.1% of GDP, a 0.7 percentage point decline from the previous year, aligning with the Finance Minister's earlier statements.
• Targeted Fiscal Deficit Levels: There is a stated goal to maintain the fiscal deficit at 3% of GDP for the Central government, and collectively with State governments, not exceeding 6% of GDP. This target is seen as crucial for maintaining economic stability and avoiding inflationary pressures.
• Debt-GDP Ratio and Long-term Fiscal Planning: A debt-GDP ratio target of 40% for the Centre by 2028-29 is proposed, aligned with a sustained fiscal deficit of 3% of GDP. The rationale behind these targets is linked to household savings, inflation control, and sustainable economic growth.

Proposed Debt-GDP Ratio Target:

• Long-Term Fiscal Planning: The government proposes a debt-GDP ratio target of 40% for the Centre by 2028-29, signaling a strategic vision for sustainable fiscal management over the long term.
• Rationale for Targets: Ensuring Economic Stability: These targets are rooted in the goal of ensuring economic stability by maintaining sufficient household savings, curbing inflationary pressures, and fostering sustainable economic growth.
• Challenges and Implementation: Coordination and Implementation Hurdles: Achieving these targets will necessitate meticulous coordination and implementation, considering the dynamic nature of economic conditions and potential challenges in sustaining fiscal discipline amidst evolving global and domestic factors.

Context:

The inadequate response from governments to climate change is leading to a surge in climate change litigation globally, with proposals for treaties aiming to eliminate coal by 2030. However, aligning these proposals with key climate change principles poses challenges, including Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Nationally Determined Contributions.

Phasing Out Fossil Fuels:

• Global Momentum for Action: Growing awareness of climate change risks has spurred calls for phasing out fossil fuels, highlighted in international climate conferences such as COP26 and COP28.
• Proposals for treaties and agreements: They aim to eliminate coal by 2030, driven by concerns over the Production Gap Report's projections and their misalignment with the Paris Agreement's temperature goals.
• Net zero emissions by 2050: COP28 in Dubai in 2023, in Dubai, also adopted a decision relating to the transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, so as to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 in keeping with the science.

Challenges in Implementation:

• Equitable Transition Concerns: Countries heavily reliant on fossil fuel revenue face challenges transitioning away from fossil fuels due to economic dependence and limited capacity.
• Economic struggle: Diverse economies like the US and UK have greater flexibility, while countries such as Azerbaijan and Nigeria struggle with economic diversification and revenue dependency.
• India’s situation: India's reliance on fossil fuels despite advancements in renewable energy, impacting approximately 3.6 million people whose livelihoods are tied to the fossil fuel economy, necessitating transition support and economic opportunities amidst serious unemployment concerns.

Legal and Ethical Considerations:

• Not Binding: The basis of the Paris Agreement is NDCs, which does not bind a state to prohibit fossil fuel extraction.
• International Law and Resource Use: International law allows states to use natural resources for development, but obligations to prevent harm to others are ambiguous in the context of global environmental impacts like climate change.
• Rights of indigenous communities: Disputes arise over the necessity of environmental impact assessments for fossil fuel extraction and the rights of indigenous communities affected by such activities.