Mains – 30th Oct 23
Energy Transition Index
Why in News?
Recently, Energy Transition Index was published by World Economic Forum
About
It is prepared on the three parameters- equity, security, and sustainable.
Key Findings
- Sweden is placed at the first spot, followed by Norway and Denmark.
- India has been ranked at 67th place out of 120 countries.
- India & Singapore are the only two countries making advances in all aspects of energy system performance.
- ET has increased each consecutive year over the last decade, but the growth has plateaued in the past three years, due to rising challenges to the equity and inclusiveness of the transition.
Need for Energy Transition in India
- Growing urbanisation: Every year, India adds a city the size of London to its urban population, involving vast construction of new buildings, factories and transportation networks. Coal and oil have so far served as bedrocks of India’s industrial growth and modernisation, giving a rising number of Indian people access to modern energy services.
- Future growth potential of India: India’s sheer size and its huge scope for growth means that its energy demand is set to grow by more than that of any other country in the coming decades.
- Reducing emissions and tackle Global warming: Sector-wise, electricity generation is a major contributor in India’s Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions (contributing around 34 % in total emissions in 2019).
- Environmental Impact: Fossil fuel extraction and combustion have significant negative environmental impacts, such as air and water pollution, habitat destruction, etc.
- Fulfill International Commitments: India needs to accelerate the energy transition in order to fulfil its Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and Panchamrita Pledge, such as- achieving 50% energy from non-fossil fuel resources by 2030, net-zero emissions by 2070, etc.
- Reduced Energy Dependency/Energy Security: India needs to reduce its dependency on energy imports to overcome issues related to energy supply chain volatilities. For instance, recent economic and geopolitical developments, such as the Ukraine crisis, have led to high fuel prices, reducing accessibility of energy.
- Energy accessibility and affordability: Renewable power generation technologies, notably solar photovoltaic and onshore wind power, have become mature, cost competitive, and can enhance accessibility at different topography.
- Create green jobs: International Renewable Energy Agency’s Global Energy Transition Outlook estimates that 43 million people could be employed in the RE sector by 2050.
Proposed Medical Course for Rural Areas
Why in news?
Recently, the West Bengal Chief Minister proposed a Shorter Medical Course for medical practitioners who would serve in primary health centers (PHCs) in rural areas.
Similar initiatives have been implemented in other states, such as Chhattisgarh, which introduced a three-year community health program producing Rural Medical Assistants (RMAs) to serve in villages.
About
A shorter medical course proposed in India is a three-year diploma course for medical practitioners who would serve in primary health centres (PHCs) in rural areas. This course is different from the regular MBBS course.
The shorter medical course focuses on providing first-level care in rural areas, while the regular MBBS course covers all aspects of medical science and practice
Health Sector in India
India spend 2.1% of GDP on health (Economic Survey). According to NHP 2017, it should be 2.5% by 2025. 
In India, healthcare is dominated by private healthcare providers. In the early 1950s, the share of the private sector was 8% of the total healthcare market which has now risen to 70%. Almost two-third of all doctors are employed in the private sector.
Recently, government has informed Parliament that India’s doctor patient ratio is – 1:834 against the WHO norm of 1:1000. If we consider ratio of allopathic doctors to population it is 1:1194.
15th Finance Commission has stated the ratio to be 1:1511. Nurse Population ratio 1:670 against the norm of 1:300.
Status of Doctors in Rural India as per Rural Health Statistics Report 2021-22
- The Rural Health Statistics report reveals an acute shortage of specialist doctors at Community Health Centres (CHCs) in India.
- Nearly 80% of the required specialists are unavailable.
- There is a shortfall of specialist doctors, including surgeons (83.2%), obstetricians and gynaecologists (74.2%), physicians (79.1%) and paediatricians (81.6%).
- The number of specialist doctors in CHCs has seen a 25% increase from 3,550 in 2005 to 4,485 in 2022.
- However, the growth in CHCs has resulted in an increased requirement for specialist doctors, creating a disparity.
- In addition to the shortage of specialist doctors, there is also a lack of female health workers and auxiliary nursing midwives in PHCs and sub-centers, with upto 14.4% of these posts lying vacant.
