Organ transplant rules In India

• The changes to the organ transplant rules announced by the Union health ministry last week, are small, but significant, steps towards giving a new lease of life to many people with failing organs. Despite of performing the third-the greatest number of transplants in the world, only about 0.01 percent of Indians donate their organs after death, according to the World Health Organization.

What are the changes introduced?

• No age ceiling for organ receivers: With the new changes, patients who are 65 years and older can now register for receiving organs from a deceased donor. Now an individual of any age can register for organ transplant.
• Previously: Previously, the upper age limit for registering patients requiring organs from deceased donors was 65 years, but this ceiling has now been removed.
• No domicile criteria for receivers: Eliminate the domicile criterion for registering to receive organs, so that patients in need can register in any state.
• Previously: Currently, certain states restrict registration for deceased organ donors to only those who are domiciled in the state or give them preference. Organs harvested in one state are first shared with other hospitals within the same state, then in the region and then share nationally on the occasion that no match was found.
• No registration fees: The ministry has also requested that states not impose any fees on patients seeking registration for organ transplantation, as it violates the 2014 Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules.
• Previously: States such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat, and Telangana charge between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 to register patients who need an organ replacement. The health ministry has rightly directed these states to stop charging this fee.

Where does India stand?

• Third Highest number of transplants in the world: India conducts the third highest number of transplants in the world every year. Yet barely four per cent of the patients who require a liver, heart or kidney transplant manage to get one.
• Organ transplants has significantly increased over the past decade: According to latest available official data, the number of organ transplants has significantly increased over the past decade. In 2013, there were 4,990 organ transplants, whereas in 2022, there were 15,561 a jump of 211 percent.
• Kidney transplants: Specifically, the number of kidney transplants from living donors increased by approximately 181 percent from 3,495 in 2013 to 9,834 in 2022. The number of kidney transplants from deceased donors increased by approximately 193 percent from 542 in 2013 to 1,589 in 2022.
• Liver transplants: The total number of liver transplants from living donors increased by approximately 350 percent from 658 in 2013 to 2,957 in 2022, and from deceased donors, it increased by approximately 217 percent from 240 in 2013 to 761 in 2022. Deceased donors account for nearly 17 percent of all transplants in India.
• Heart and Lung transplants: The total number of heart transplants increased by approximately 733 percent from 30 in 2013 to 250 in 2022, while lung transplants increased by approximately 500 percent from 23 to 138.
• Government hospitals fall behind: Furthermore, private hospitals lead in organ transplants while numbers in government hospitals remain relatively low, sources said.

Challenges to Organ Donation in India

• Lack of awareness: There is a lack of awareness among the general public about the importance of organ donation, the legal framework governing it, and the procedures involved. This can limit the number of potential donors.
• Cultural beliefs and superstitions: In India, there are several cultural beliefs and superstitions that discourage organ donation. Some people believe that organ donation is against religious beliefs, or that it can impact the soul or afterlife.
• Lack of infrastructure: India faces a shortage of hospitals and medical facilities that are equipped to handle organ transplantation. This can limit the availability of organs for transplantation.
• Regulatory bottlenecks: While the legal framework exists, there is a lack of implementation and enforcement of the law. This can lead to issues such as organ trafficking and black-market activities.

Did you know?

• NOTTO Scientific Dialogue 2023 was organized to bring all the stakeholders under one roof to brainstorm ideas about interventions and best practices in the organ and tissue transplant field that can be taken up for saving lives.

What is National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO)?

• NOTTO is a national level organization set up under Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
• It has following two divisions:
• National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network: It functions as apex Centre for All India activities of coordination and networking for procurement and distribution of Organs and Tissues and registry of Organs and Tissues Donation and Transplantation in the country
• National Biomaterial Centre: The main thrust & objective of establishing the centre is to fill up the gap between ‘Demand’ and ‘Supply’ as well as ‘Quality Assurance’ in the availability of various tissues. The centre will take care of the Tissue allografts such as Bone and bone products, Skin graft, Cornea and Heart valves and vessel.

Conclusion

• The percentages are very likely to go up once the changes in the rules announced last week take effect. The organ shortage problem is, however, a complex one, that continues to confound planners, even in nations whose healthcare systems are far better equipped than that of India’s. There is a need to expand the number of institutions where surgeries and transplants are undertaken. A uniform policy, will help patients in seeking transplant from deceased donors at any hospital in the country, giving them a lot of flexibility.

 

How is the Stock Market regulated in India?

The Supreme Court asked the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the government to produce the existing regulatory framework in place to protect investors from stock market volatility.

Central idea

• After short-seller Hindenburg Research published a report accusing the Adani Group of stock market manipulation and accounting fraud, its shares plummeted.
• Investors were reported to have lost lakhs of crores.

Laws governing the Indian Stock Market

• The securities market in India is regulated by four key laws —

1. Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (SEBI Act)
2. Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (SCRA) and
3. Depositories Act, 1996
4. Companies Act, 2013
5. The framing of these laws reflect the evolution and development of the capital market in India.

Brief explanation of each acts-

(1) Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 (SEBI Act)

• The SEBI Act empowers SEBI to protect the interests of investors and to promote the development of the capital/securities market, besides regulating it.
• SEBI was given the power to register intermediaries like stock brokers, merchant bankers, and portfolio managers and regulate their functioning by prescribing eligibility criteria, conditions to carry on activities and periodic inspections.
• It also has the power to impose penalties such as monetary penalties, including suspending or cancelling the registration.

(2) Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (SCRA)

• The SCRA empowers SEBI to recognise (and derecognise) stock exchanges, prescribe rules and bye laws for their functioning, and regulate trading, clearing and settlement on stock exchanges.

(3) Depositories Act, 1996

• As part of the development of the securities market, Parliament passed the Depositories Act and SEBI made regulations to enforce the provisions.
• This Act introduced and legitimised the concept of dematerialised securities being held in an electronic form.
• Today almost all the listed securities are held in dematerialised form.

(4) Companies Act, 2013

• It is an Act of the Parliament on Indian company law that regulates incorporation of a company, responsibilities of a company, directors, and dissolution of a company.
• It stipulates the type of Companies that can be formed such as- Public Ltd., Pt. Ltd., One Person Company ex.

Key role-player: SEBI

• SEBI set up the infrastructure for doing this by registering depositories and depository participants.
• The depository regulations empower SEBI to regulate functioning of depositories and depository participants by prescribing eligibility conditions, periodic inspections and powers to impose penalties including suspending or cancelling the registration as well as monetary penalties.

You should know this! Shares and stocks both represent ownership in a company, but they are not the same thing A share is a unit of ownership in a company. It represents a portion of the company’s capital, and the shareholder is entitled to a corresponding portion of the company’s profits or losses.A company can issue different types of shares with varying rights, such as voting rights or dividend payments.Stock, on the other hand, is a broader term that refers to the total capital raised by a company through the issuance of shares.It represents the ownership of a company as a whole, rather than an individual unit of ownership.So, shares are a component of stock, and owning shares of a company means owning a portion of the company’s stock. Stock represents the aggregate value of a company and includes all its shares.

Can SEBI step in to curb market volatility?

• No direct meddling: While SEBI does not interfere to prevent market volatility, exchanges have circuit filters — upper and lower — to prevent excessive volatility.
• Issue directions: SEBI can issue directions to those who are associated with the market, and has powers to regulate trading and settlement on stock exchanges. Using these powers, SEBI can direct stock exchanges to stop trading, totally or selectively.
• Instant regulation: It can also prohibit entities or persons from buying, selling or dealing in securities, from raising funds from the market and being associated with intermediaries or listed companies.

What about stock exchanges?

• The SCRA has empowered SEBI to recognise and regulate stock exchanges and later commodity exchanges in India; this was earlier done by the Union government.
• In fact, the term “securities” is defined in the SCRA and powers to declare an instrument as a security remain vested in SEBI.
• The rules and regulations made by SEBI under the SCRA relate to listing of securities like equity shares, the functioning of stock exchanges including control over their management and administration.
• These include powers to determine the manner in which a settlement is done on stock exchanges (and to keep them with the times for e.g. T+1) etc.
• It seeks to protect the interests of investors by creating an Investor Protection Fund for each stock exchange.

Safeguards against fraud

• Fraud undermines regulation and prevents a market from being fair and transparent. To prevent the two key forms of fraud, market manipulation, and insider trading, SEBI notified-

1. Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices Regulations, 1995
2. Prohibition of Insider Trading Regulations, 1992
3. These regulations, read with provisions of the SEBI Act, define species of fraud, who is an insider and prohibit such fraudulent activity and provide for penalties including disgorgement of ill-gotten gains.
4. It must be noted that violation of these regulations are predicate offences that can lead to a deemed violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Do you know? SEBI has been given the powers of a civil court to summon persons, seize documents and records, attach bank accounts and property, and to carry out investigations.Using these powers, SEBI has acted against entities and individuals like Satyam, Sahara India, Ketan Parekh and Vijay Mallya.

Tribal Culture & Sustainable Development

• The Prime Minister remarked that the world can learn a lot about sustainable development from Adivasi culture and it can be a solution to global problems like climate change and global warming.

About

• India comprises 8.6% tribal population, has access to an enormous indigenous knowledge which through recognition, adoption, and mainstreaming has the potential to provide sustainable solutions to concerns related to falling agricultural productivity and soil quality, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, pollution, and Climate Change challenges.
• Sustainable Development refers to a way of achieving economic growth and development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

What is Tribal Culture?

• Communal living: Many tribal communities in India have a strong emphasis on communal living and sharing resources. They live in close-knit communities and often make decisions collectively.
• Connection with nature: Tribals have a strong connection with nature, with traditional beliefs and practices that revolve around the forests and animals.
• Self-Sufficiency: Tribe is a synonym for a self-reliant community, a tribe is a relatively closed society and its openness is inversely related to the extent of its self-sufficient pursuits.
• Spiritual beliefs: Tribals often have their own unique spiritual beliefs, which may involve the worship of ancestors, nature spirits, or deities.
• Folk arts and crafts: Tribals are known for their unique art forms, including pottery, weaving, and jewellery making. These crafts often have spiritual or cultural significance and are passed down through generations.

Tribal Lifestyle and Sustainable development

• Respect for the natural environment: Tribal traditional practices, such as using natural materials for housing, food, and medicine, and living in harmony with the cycles of nature.
• Conservation of natural resources: Sustainable practices involve limiting the use of resources to ensure their long-term availability, such as rotational farming or allowing forests to regenerate before harvesting timber.
• Community-based decision-making: Collective decision-making takes into account the needs of the community as a whole and ensures that decisions are made in a sustainable and equitable manner.
• Emphasis on intergenerational knowledge sharing: Passing down knowledge to the next generation includes traditional knowledge of the natural environment and sustainable practices for managing resources.
• Promotion of biodiversity: Tribals have developed practices to protect and promote diversity which includes traditional methods of agriculture, such as intercropping and seed-saving, as well as the protection of sacred sites that are important for the preservation of biodiversity.
• Use of renewable energy: Tribal communities have traditionally used renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydropower which can be expanded and modernized to provide clean energy for more people.
• Protection of water resources: Tribal communities rely on water resources and have developed practices that can help to ensure that water is available for future generations, and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Regenerative agriculture:  tribal communities have been practicing regenerative agriculture for centuries, which involves practices like crop rotation, intercropping, and regenerating soils with organic matter. These practices help to sequester carbon in the soil, which can help to mitigate climate change.

Challenges faced by tribals in performing their lifestyle

• Land rights: Tribal communities have been displaced from their traditional lands due to industrialization, and mining which has resulted in the loss of cultural identity, and social and economic marginalization.
• Discrimination: Tribal communities often face discrimination and prejudice from the dominant society, including limited access to education, healthcare, and other basic services.
• Climate change and environmental degradation:  Climate Change, such as changes in rainfall patterns, increased frequency of natural disasters, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, pollution, and loss of habitat, has negatively impacted their traditional livelihoods and ways of life.
• Socioeconomic marginalization: Many tribal communities have limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, which can result in poverty and social exclusion.
• Cultural assimilation: Many tribal communities face pressure to assimilate into the dominant culture, which can lead to the loss of traditional knowledge, language, and cultural practices.
• Lack of political representation: Tribal communities often lack political representation and may not have a voice in decision-making processes that affect their lives.
• Health challenges: Tribal communities often face challenges in accessing quality healthcare, which can result in higher rates of disease, malnutrition, and other health issues.

Way Ahead

• Tribal lifestyles can offer solutions to climate change and global warming through sustainable practices that protect and preserve the natural environment.
• Overall, tribal lifestyles can provide valuable lessons for sustainable development, particularly in areas with high levels of biodiversity or where development threatens the natural environment.

Payment Aggregators

The payments arm of big technology companies Amazon and Google have been given in-principle approval by the RBI to operate as online payment aggregators.

About Payment Aggregators:

• A payment aggregator or merchant aggregator is a third-party service provider that allows merchants to accept payment from customers by integrating it into their websites or apps.
• A payment aggregator bridges the gap between merchants and acquirers.
• A merchant need not have a merchant account directly with the bank.
• At its core, payment aggregators bear the heavy load of integration with various payment providers to provide an all-inclusive solution for payment acceptance.

Types of payment aggregators in India

• Third-party payment aggregators:
  • Third-party PAs offer innovative payment solutions to businesses.
  • Their user-friendly features include a comprehensive dashboard, easy merchant onboarding, and quick customer support.
• Bank payment aggregators:
  • They lack many of the popular payment options along with detailed reporting features.
  • Bank payment aggregators are not suitable for small businesses and startups because of the high cost and difficult to integrate.