What’s in today’s article?

● Why in News?

● What are Corals and coral reefs?

● What is the significance of corals?

● What is Coral bleaching?

● Fourth global bleaching event

Why in News?

As per the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the fourth global mass coral bleaching event has been triggered by extraordinary ocean temperatures.

What are Corals and coral reefs?

• Corals
  • Corals are like underwater animals that stay in one place on the ocean floor. They have small tentacles to grab food from the water and bring it into their mouths.
  • Each individual coral animal is known as a polyp and it lives in groups of hundreds to thousands of genetically identical polyps that form a colony.
• Types of corals
  • Corals are largely classified as either hard coral or soft coral.
  • Unlike soft corals, hard corals have stony skeletons made out of limestone that are produced by coral polyps.
  • When polyps die, their skeletons are left behind and used as foundations for new polyps.
• Coral reefs
  • It is the hard corals that are the architects of coral reefs — complex three-dimensional structures built up over thousands of years.
  • Coral reefs, also referred to as rainforests of the sea, have existed on the Earth for nearly 450 million years.
  • Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the largest in the world, stretching across 2,028 kilometres.

What is the significance of corals?

• Biodiversity Hotspots
  • Coral reefs are like bustling cities underwater, providing homes for a huge variety of marine life. They are like apartments for fish, crabs, and other creatures.
  • E.g., the Great Barrier Reef contains over 400 coral species, 1,500 fish species, 4,000 mollusc species and six of the world’s seven sea turtle species.
• Protection
  • Coral reefs can absorb up to 97% of the energy from waves, storms, and floods, which prevents loss of life, property damage, and soil erosion.
• Economic Value
  • Coral reefs support industries like fishing and tourism, providing livelihoods for many people around the world.
  • Tourists love to snorkel and dive among vibrant coral reefs.
• Medicine and Science
  • Corals hold potential for new medicines and scientific discoveries. They have already contributed to treatments for diseases like cancer and arthritis.
• Carbon Cycling
  • They play a role in the carbon cycle, helping to regulate the Earth's climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

What is Coral bleaching?

• Symbiotic relationship between corals and zooxanthellae
  • Most corals contain algae called zooxanthellae — they are plant-like organisms — in their tissues.
  • Corals and zooxanthellae have a symbiotic relationship.
    • Corals provide zooxanthellae a safe place to live.
    • On the other hand, zooxanthellae provide oxygen and organic products of photosynthesis that help corals to grow and thrive.
    • Zooxanthellae also give bright and unique colours to corals.
• Coral bleaching
  • Corals are very sensitive to light and temperature and even a small change in their living conditions can stress them.
  • When stressed, they expel zooxanthellae and turn entirely white. This is called coral bleaching.
  • Coral bleaching doesn’t immediately lead to the death of corals. They rather go under more stress and are subject to mortality.
  • Coral bleaching reduces the reproductivity of corals and makes them more vulnerable to fatal diseases.
  • If the bleaching is not too severe, corals have been known to recover.
• Global mass bleaching of coral reefs
  • Global mass bleaching of coral reefs is when significant coral bleaching is confirmed in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.
  • Such events are a relatively new phenomenon.
• The first one took place in 1998 in which 20% of the world’s reef areas suffered bleaching-level heat stress.
• The next two global bleaching events occurred in 2010 (35% of reefs affected) and between 2014 and 2017 (56% of reefs affected).

Fourth global bleaching event

• About
  • NOAA has confirmed that the fourth global bleaching event is currently underway.
  • Nearly 54 countries, territories and local economies — from Florida, the US, Saudi Arabia to Fiji — have confirmed bleaching.
  • The Great Barrier Reef is witnessing its most severe bleaching event.
• Key driver
  • The key driver behind the current event is higher ocean temperatures.
  • However, the situation has been exacerbated by El Niño, a weather pattern which is associated with warmer oceans.
• Impact of the event
  • As per the IPCC, the world may lose the vast majority of its coral reefs at 1.5 degree Celsius of warming, and virtually all at 2 degree.

Q.1. What are Global mass bleaching events?

Global mass bleaching events are “called” when significant coral bleaching is confirmed in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans.

Q.2. What is Zooxanthellae?

Zooxanthellae are microscopic, golden-brown, unicellular algae that live in the tissues of most reef-building corals and other marine invertebrates, such as jellyfish, nudibranchs, and demosponges.

Source: Fourth global mass coral bleaching triggered: What are corals and why are they important?

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in the News?
• India – Australia Bilateral Relationship
• Bilateral Trade Between India – Australia
• Civil Nuclear Deal
• Indian Community in Australia
• IndAus ECTA
• News Summary

Why in the News?

Australia, in its new National Defence Strategy (NDS) 2024, has stated that India is a top-tier security partner for Australia.

India – Australia Bilateral Relationship

• The historical ties between India and Australia started immediately following European settlement in Australia from 1788.
• All trade to and fro from the penal colony of New South Wales was controlled by the British East India Company through Kolkata.
• India and Australia established diplomatic relations in the pre-Independence period, with the establishment of India Trade Office in Sydney in 1941.
• Australia and India upgraded their bilateral relationship from ‘Strategic Partnership’ in 2009 to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in 2020.
• Over the years, an array of institutional mechanism has been put in place to promote bilateral co-operation.
• Bilateral mechanisms include:
  • High level visits, Annual Meetings of Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue, 2+2 Defence and Foreign Ministers' Dialogue, Joint Trade & Commerce Ministerial Commission, Defence Policy Talks, Australia-India Education Council, Defence Services Staff Talks, Energy Dialogue, JWGs on different issues etc.

Bilateral Trade Between India – Australia

• India is Australia’s sixth largest trading partner.
• Bilateral trade between India and Australia increased from US$ 22.2 billion in 2021 to US$ 31.4 billion in 2022, registering a growth of 41%.
• India’s total exports to Australia grew by 38% from US$ 6.3 billion in 2021 to US$ 8.7 billion.
• Similarly, Australia’s exports to India grew by 42% from US$ 15.9 billion in 2021 to US$ 22.5 billion.
• India’s Exports:
  • India’s main exports to Australia are refined petroleum, medicaments (incl. veterinary), pearls & gems, jewellery, made-up textile articles.
• India’s Imports:
  • India’s main imports from Australia are coal, confidential items of trade, copper ores & concentrates, natural gas, non-ferrous waste & scrap, ferrous waste & scrap and education related services.

Civil Nuclear Deal

• A Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement between the two countries was signed in September 2014.
• The deal allows Uranium mining companies in Australia to fulfil contracts to supply Australian uranium to India for civil use.

Indian Community in Australia

• The Indian community in Australia continues to grow and importance, with the population of about 9,76,000 (Census 2021).
• After England, India is the second largest migrant group in Australia .
• There is a constant flow of students and tourists from India.

IndAus ECTA

• In 2022, a bilateral Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) was signed between the Governments of India and Australia.
• The India-Australia ECTA is the first trade agreement of India with a developed country after more than a decade.
  • The last FTA signed by India with a developed country was with Japan in 2011.
• The Agreement encompasses cooperation across the entire gamut of bilateral economic and commercial relations between the two countries.
• It covers areas like Trade in Goods, Rules of Origin, Trade in Services, Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures, Dispute Settlement, Movement of Natural Persons, Telecom, Customs Procedures, Pharmaceutical products, and Cooperation in other Areas.

News Summary

• Australia’s new National Defence Strategy (NDS) 2024 states that India is a top-tier security partner for Australia.
• It states that through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the government is continuing to prioritize practical and tangible cooperation that directly contributes to Indo-Pacific stability.
• Under the 2024 National Defence Strategy, Australia will support India’s role in the region and seek to drive practical bilateral and multilateral cooperation, defence industry opportunities and information sharing.
• Defence and strategic cooperation between India and Australia has been transformative in recent years with series of exchanges, high-level visits and exercises, both bilateral and multilateral.
• India and Australia signed a mutual logistics support agreement in 2020 and the two Navies had signed the ‘Joint Guidance for the India – Australia Navy to Navy Relationship’ document in August 2021.
• Australia also has a Liaison Officer at the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• In addition, the two sides are in an advanced stage of discussion to conclude implementing arrangements on hydrography cooperation and cooperation for air-to-air refueling.

Related Topics:

• India-Bangladesh Relations
• India-Sri Lanka Relations
• India-Myanmar Relations
• India Israel Relations

Q1. What is the function of the Indian Ocean Rim Association?

The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is an inter-governmental organisation formed in 1997 to foster regional economic cooperation. IORA has evolved into the peak regional group spanning the Indian Ocean. The IORA Secretariat is based in Mauritius and is headed by a fixed term Secretary-General.

Q2. Which countries have signed a Civil Nuclear Deal?

India has signed civil nuclear cooperation agreements with France, the United States, Russia, Namibia, Canada, Argentina, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Czech Republic, Australia, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

What’s in today’s article?

● Why in News?

● What is Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY)?

● What is the need of Ayushman Bharat for senior citizens?

Why in News?

While releasing its election manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a prominent political party promised to expand its Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance scheme to cover senior citizens.

What is Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY)?

• About
  • Launched in September 2018, the scheme aimed to offer secondary and tertiary care services to the vulnerable population in the society.
    • It was launched as a second component of the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ scheme.
  • It aimed to offer medical coverage of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to poor and vulnerable families.
  • The scheme covers over nearly 40% of the population targeted towards poorest and the vulnerable.
• Eligibility
  • Earlier, the scheme targeted to cover 10.74 crore poor, deprived rural families and identified occupational category of urban worker’s families.
  • However, states implementing AB-PMJAY have broadened their reach to encompass 13.44 crore families (65 crore people).
  • The beneficiaries as identified by latest Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) data.
• Performance

• Benefits
  • It provides cashless access to health care services for the beneficiary at the point of service, i.e., the hospital.
  • Under the scheme every eligible family will be given Rs 5 lakh Insurance coverage benefit per year.
  • It offers Health Benefit Packages which covers surgery, medical and day care treatments, cost of medicines and diagnostics.

What is the need of Ayushman Bharat for senior citizens?

• Ageing population
  • India is reaping the benefits of the demographic dividend at present. However, the declining fertility rate and increasing life expectancy mean that India’s population is growing old.
  • Only 8.6% of the country’s population was over the age of 60 years at the time of the previous census in 2011, this proportion is expected to increase to 19.5% by 2050.
    • In terms of absolute numbers, the population over the age of 60 years will nearly triple from 103 million in 2011 to 319 million in 2050.
  • The aging population will mean increased expenditure on health and long-term care, labour force shortages, public dissaving, and old-age income insecurity.
  • As a result, offering coverage to senior citizens will have huge public health implications.
  • The senior citizens live with the highest burden of chronic health conditions and their complications, the cost of health is higher for them.
• Low insurance coverage
  • As per the India Ageing Report 2023, just over 20% of people over the age of 60 years are covered under health schemes such as Central Government Health Scheme, Employees State Insurance Scheme etc.
  • Coverage is higher in elderly men (19.7%) than elderly women (16.9%). There is not much rural-urban divide in the coverage, according to the report.
  • The India Ageing Report found that the main reasons for a lack of coverage in elderly are low awareness (52.9%) and non-affordability (21.6%).
• Diseases of the old
  • The elderly are not only affected by chronic, non-communicable diseases and their complications, they are also more prone to infectious diseases because of a weakened immune system.
• Analysis of the expenditure incurred by the govt under Ayushman Bharat
  • According to the official data, the government has incurred the most money for five key specialties under the scheme: cardiology, general medicine, general surgery, orthopaedics, and medical and radiation oncology.
  • This data show that the government already is incurring most of the money in providing treatment that is predominantly required for the elderly population.

Q.1. What is India Ageing Report 2023?

The India Ageing Report 2023 was released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in partnership with other organizations. The report highlights the significant implications of India's aging population for its health, economy, and society.

Q.2. What is Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC)?

The Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC) 2011 was the first caste-based census in India since 1931. It was a door-to-door enumeration across the country, covering all states and union territories. The census was conducted in June 2011 and the results were released in 2015.

Source: BJP promises to extend Ayushman Bharat to all senior citizens: What is the significance?

PMJAY