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TOPIC : GS 3 Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora.

A walk-back

What is the news?

Biden shows intent on reworking immigration rules by not extending H-1B visa ban.

  • President Joe Biden allowed a ban on issuance of H­1B visas for skilled workers to lapse at the end of March 2021, a move signaling his intent — articulated as a campaign promise last year — to pull the U.S. back from harsh immigration rules imposed by his predecessor.

Benefits of the Issuance

American government action will have a significant and favorable impact for Indian nationals seeking employment with U.S. tech firms, given that they were the largest demographic to benefit from this visa annually, they garnered approximately 70%,of the 65,000 H­1B visas annually made available to private sector applicants other than students.

India and H-1B Visa

  • By some estimates, H­1B visa applications of up to 219,000 workers were likely blocked as a result of Mr. Trump’s proclamation, halting the processing and issuance of non­immigrant work visas of several types.
  • The stated aim was to prevent foreign workers from cornering jobs in the context of the economic distress associated with the COVID­19 pandemic.
  • This raised genuine questions about whether such rules would set back the U.S.­India relationship by impacting Indian IT services exported to the U.S.
  • S. These totalled approximately $29.7 billion in 2019, 3.0% ($864 million) more than 2018, and 143% greater than 2009 levels.

Challenges to economy

CEOs of Silicon Valley tech-titans protest the clampdown on a key source of skilled labour driving their core operations, but some universities also filed lawsuits challenging a subsequent student visa ban last year, leading to a partial walk­back on the rules for the latter.

Benefits of the move

  • Inflow of skilled workers into the U.S :In allowing the ban on H­1B visa issuance to expire, American government has walked a fine line between restoring the inflow of skilled workers into the U.S., a source of productivity increases for its labour force, and not being seen as aggressive in unwinding Previous government immigration policies.
  • Recognition of economic protectionism : Current government  clearly recognizes that there are limits to the  dogma of economic protectionism — especially during a period of economic crises such as the present — where there will be fewer jobs to reserve for Americans if the size of the pie is not increased through economic growth momentum built on a diverse and skilled workforce.
  • Reject the ‘America First’ ideology: Even if that motto is no longer refer to on Pennsylvania Avenue( US state). It would in this regard be reasonable to expect that the administration will continue to push gradual reforms that nudge the U.S

Way forward

Economy and global strategic position back toward an ethos of multilateral cooperation and bilateral progress with countries such as India, while however retaining a sharp emphasis on policies that further U.S. national interest in a dramatically transformed post­COVID world.

Sources : https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/indian-it-professionals-to-benefit-as-biden-lets-trump-era-h-1b-visa-bans-expire/article34212104.ece

TOPIC : GS 2 Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.

A good start

What is the news?

The recent notification of the National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021 after various interventions, including the court, is pegged on this principle of inclusion.

Major provisions

It is binding on a welfare state to take care of every single citizen.

Securing the wellbeing of every one, particularly those unable to help themselves, irrespective of whether they constitute a critical mass or not, is important.

It offers financial support for one­time treatment of up to 20 lakh, introduces a crowd funding mechanism, creates a registry of rare diseases, and provides for early detection.

Rare diseases are broadly defined as diseases that infrequently occur in a population, and three markers are used — the

  1. Total number of people with the disease,
  2. Its prevalence, and
  3. The availability/non- availability of treatment options.

WHO defines rare disease as having a frequency of less than 6.5­10 per 10,000 people. As per an estimate, there are 7,000 known rare diseases with an estimated 300 million patients in the world; 70 million are in India.

According to the Organization for Rare Diseases India, these include inherited cancers, autoimmune disorders, congenital malformations, Hirschsprung’s disease, Gaucher disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophies and Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs).

Benefits of policy

Effort in the sector, from the medical side, has been to evolve formal definitions, in the hope that it would support the development of and commercialization of drugs for treatment, and improve funding for research on rare diseases. Patient support groups have worked towards drumming up funding assistance for the treatment — one time or continual.

Hiccups of policy

In its final form, however, the policy has left the rare diseases lobby sorely disappointed on a crucial note.

The notification of the Policy comes as a logical conclusion to a long fought battle, and yet, stops short of delivering the complete mandate.

As per the Policy, diseases such as LSD for which definitive treatment is available, but costs are prohibitive, have been categorized as Group 3.

However, no funding has been allocated for the immediate and lifelong treatment needs, for therapies already approved by the Drugs Controller General of India.

Experts point out that the costs to help already diagnosed patients might be in the range of 80­100 crore annually.

Way forward

The Centre can however, still set aside a substantial corpus to fund life­saving treatments, even as it rolls out the policy. Doing so will not only complete a job well begun — even if not yet half done — but also cement its commitment towards the welfare of every single citizen in India.

Sources: https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/health/biggest-challenge-in-the-rare-disease-space-is-access-to-awareness-early-diagnosis-and-treatment-says-dr-laxmikant-palo/2213712/

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/disquiet-over-govts-new-policy-for-rare-diseases/article34225606.ece#:~:text=Saliently%2C%20a%20’rare%20disease’,in%20government%20tertiary%20care%20hospital

PRELIMS PUNCHERS

  1. Enforcement Directorate

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is a law enforcement agency and economic intelligence agency responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime in India. It is part of the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government Of India. It is composed of officers from the Indian Revenue Service, Indian Corporate Law Service, Indian Police Service and the Indian Administrative Service as well as promoted officers from its own cadre. The total strength of the department is less than 2000 officers out of which around 70% of officials came from deputation from other organizations while ED has its own cadre, too.

The origin of this Directorate goes back to 1 May 1956, when an ‘Enforcement Unit’ was formed, in Department of Economic Affairs, for handling Exchange Control Laws violations under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1947. In the year 1957, this Unit was renamed as ‘Enforcement Directorate’. Sanjay Kumar Mishra former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, New Delhi was appointed as ED chief in the rank of Secretary to Government of India

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/yes-bank-fraud-ed-files-charge-sheet-against-omkar-realtors-101617311858943.html

  1. Jordan

It is an Arab country in the Levant region of Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Israel and Palestine (West Bank). The Dead Sea is located along its western borders and the country has a coastline on the Red Sea in its extreme south-west. Jordan is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe. The capital, Amman, is Jordan’s most populous city as well as the country’s economic, political and cultural centre.

The east is an arid plateau irrigated by oases and seasonal water streams. Major cities are overwhelmingly located on the north-western part of the kingdom due to its fertile soils and relatively abundant rainfall. In the west, a highland area of arable land and Mediterranean evergreen forestry drops suddenly into the Jordan Rift Valley. The rift valley contains the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, which separates Jordan from Israel.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/world/jordanian-security-forces-arrests-former-top-palace-aide-and-a-member-of-royal-family-in-security-clampdown-7257681/

  1. Chin community

The Zomi/Chin people  are a Southeast Asian Sino-Tibetan ethnic group native to Zomi State of Myanmar. They are one of the founding groups of the Union of Burma and  speak a variety of related languages, share elements of cultures and traditions. According to BBC News, “The Zomi people… are one of the most persecuted minority groups in Burma.”

It is to be noted that the Mizo people in Mizoram, India and the Zomi are both Zo people, who share the same history with each other. The difference in name and dispersal across international borders resulted from a British colonial policy that drew borders on political grounds rather than ethnic ones. This page mainly focuses on the people who were drawn in what would have become Myanmar, the Zomi people.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/myanmar-coup-protest-death-toll-india-refugees-aung-san-suu-kyi-7249771/

  1. The H-1B

It is a visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H) that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. A specialty occupation requires the application of specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent of work experience. The duration of stay is three years, extendable to six years; after which the visa holder may need to reapply. Laws limit the number of H-1B visas that are issued each year. Employers must generally withhold Social Security and Medicare taxes from the wages paid to employees in H-1B status.

The H-1B visa has its roots in the H1 visa of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952; the split between H-1A (for nurses) and H-1B was created by the Immigration Act of 1990. The taxation of income for an individual with H-1B status depends on whether they are categorized as either nonresident aliens or resident aliens for tax purposes.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/disquiet-over-govts-new-policy-for-rare-diseases/article34225606.ece#:~:text=Saliently%2C%20a%20’rare%20disease’,in%20government%20tertiary%20care%20hospital

PRELIMS QUESTION

  1. Consider the following statement regarding Jordan
  2. It is an Arab country in the Levant region of Western Asia, on the west Bank of the Jordan River
  3. The Dead Sea is located along its western borders and the country has a coastline on the Red Sea in its extreme south-west

Select the correct statement using code given below.

(a). A only       (b) B only

(c).Both       (d). None of above

Answer:  B

It is an Arab country in the Levant region of Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Israel and Palestine (West Bank). The Dead Sea is located along its western borders and the country has a coastline on the Red Sea in its extreme south-west. Jordan is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe. The capital, Amman, is Jordan’s most populous city as well as the country’s economic, political and cultural centre.

The east is an arid plateau irrigated by oases and seasonal water streams. Major cities are overwhelmingly located on the north-western part of the kingdom due to its fertile soils and relatively abundant rainfall. In the west, a highland area of arable land and Mediterranean evergreen forestry drops suddenly into the Jordan Rift Valley. The rift valley contains the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, which separates Jordan from Israel.

  1. Consider the following statement regarding H-1B visas
  2. The duration of stay is five years, extendable to six years; after which the visa holder may need to reapply for Visa
  3. The H-1B visa has its roots in the H1 visa of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952

Select the correct statement using code given below.

(a)A only       (b) B only

(c)Both       (d) None of above

Answer:  B

It is a visa in the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act, section 101(a)(15)(H) that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. A specialty occupation requires the application of specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent of work experience. The duration of stay is three years, extendable to six years; after which the visa holder may need to reapply. Laws limit the number of H-1B visas that are issued each year. Employers must generally withhold Social Security and Medicare taxes from the wages paid to employees in H-1B status.

The H-1B visa has its roots in the H1 visa of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952; the split between H-1A (for nurses) and H-1B was created by the Immigration Act of 1990. The taxation of income for an individual with H-1B status depends on whether they are categorized as either nonresident aliens or resident aliens for tax purposes.