WHO Global Report on Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Use | Reforming Passive Euthanasia in India | MY Bharat-National Service Scheme (NSS) Awards | PM-SETU Yojana | All Jal Jeevan mission Pipelines to be mapped | Securities Transaction Tax

WHO Global Report on Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Use

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

In News

• The WHO Global Report on Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Use 2000–2024 and projections 2025–2030 has been released.

Key Highlights

Global Trends:

• Decline in Use: Global adult tobacco use dropped from 26.2% (2010) to 19.5% (2024).
• Still Prevalent: Despite progress, 1 in 5 adults globally still consumes tobacco.
• E-Cigarettes Rise: Over 100 million people worldwide now use e-cigarettes, posing new regulatory and health challenges.

India’s Progress & Status:

• Tobacco Users (2024): Around 48 million Indians aged 15+ use tobacco.
• Global Standing: India is the 2nd largest producer (after China) and 2nd largest exporter (after Brazil).

Initiatives taken by India to Control Tobacco Consumption

• Cigarettes Act, 1975 – The act mandated the display of statutory health warnings in advertising and cigarette packages.
• Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003 – The act replaced the Cigarettes Act of 1975. It aims to provide smoke-free public places and also place restrictions on tobacco advertising and promotion.
• Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Bill, 2019 – To prohibit the Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement of e-Cigarettes.
• National Health Policy 2017 – It has set an ambitious target of reducing tobacco use by 30% by 2025.
• Tobacco Quit line service – 1800-112-356 – It was initiated in 2016 to reach a large number of tobacco users. It aims to provide telephone-based information, advice and support for tobacco cessation.
• National Tobacco Control Programme (launched in 2007-08): Aims to create awareness about harmful effects, aligned with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
• Tobacco-Free Film Rules (2024): Enforced new standards for tobacco depiction in films and TV.
• Yellow Line Campaign: Introduced visible indicators (yellow lines) around schools to reinforce bans on tobacco sales within 100 yards.
• Taxation and Price Interventions: Incremental increases in excise and GST duties, though experts recommend further hikes to maximize impact.

About Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

• Cultivation – It is an annual herbaceous plant native to tropical and subtropical regions of South America and widely cultivated worldwide.
• Climatic conditions – It requires a frost-free period of 90–120 days, with optimal temperatures of 20°C–30°C and at least 500 mm of rainfall;
• Soil – It prefers well-drained sandy loam or alluvial soils.
• Nicotine content – Every part of the plant (except the seed) contains nicotine (2–8% nicotine), concentrated mostly in the leaves (about 64% of total plant nicotine content).

Reforming Passive Euthanasia in India

Syllabus: GS2/Polity and Governance; GS4/Ethics

Context

• Despite the legal validity of passive euthanasia, its implementation remains mired in procedural complexity, institutional gaps, and ethical ambiguity.
• Note – Karnataka is the second State after Kerala to implement the directive.

Supreme Court Ruling

• Common Cause vs. Union of India & Anr. (2018) case – It recognised right to die with dignity as a fundamental right under Article 21 and upheld legal validity of passive euthanasia.
• Definition of Euthanasia – It is an act of deliberately ending a person’s life to relieve suffering from painful and incurable disease or disorder.

Passive euthanasia v/s Active euthanasia

• Passive euthanasia – It is withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment for terminally ill patients undergoing prolonged medical treatment with no hope of recovery and do not have decision-making capacity.
• Active euthanasia – It is the intentional act of killing a terminally ill patient on voluntary request. It is illegal in India.

MY Bharat-National Service Scheme (NSS) Awards

Syllabus: Miscellaneous

Context

• President Droupadi Murmu presented the MY Bharat-National Service Scheme (NSS) Awards for the year 2022–23 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

MY Bharat-National Service Scheme (NSS) Awards

• Instituted by – Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
• Aim – These awards are conferred annually to acknowledge outstanding voluntary community service.

National Service Scheme (NSS)

• Launched in – 1969 during the birth centenary of Mahatma Gandhi,
• It is one of the flagship youth programmes of the Government of India.
• It aims to foster the personality and character development of students through voluntary community service, inspired by the Gandhian ideals of selfless service.
• The motto of NSS – “Not Me, But You” (स्वयं से पहले आप) – reflects its core philosophy of prioritising community welfare above individual interest.

PM-SETU Yojana

Syllabus: GS2/Governance

Context

• The Prime Minister launched the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs- PM – SETU.

PM-SETU Yojana

• Abbreviation – Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs
• Financing – It is a centrally sponsored scheme
• Objective – to transform 1,000 Government ITIs across India into modern, industry-aligned training institutions.

All Jal Jeevan mission Pipelines to be mapped

Syllabus :GS2/Governance

In News

• The Union government is planning  to map all drinking water assets, including pipelines under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), on the GIS-based PM Gati Shakti platform.

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)

• Launched in – 2019
• Objective – to provide Functional Household Tap Connections
• Significance – to ensure 55 litres per capita per day of safe drinking water to all rural households by 2024.
• However, due to implementation challenges, the deadline has now been extended to 2028.
• Nodal Ministry – Ministry of Jal Shakti.
• Financing  – Central sponsored scheme

Securities Transaction Tax

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

In News

• The Supreme Court of India decided to examine a plea challenging the constitutional validity of the Securities Transaction Tax (STT).

Securities Transaction Tax (STT)

• It is a direct tax levied on the transaction value of securities traded on the Indian stock exchange under the Finance Act, 2004.
• It aims to combat tax evasion in the stock market.
• It includes – derivatives, shares, and equity-oriented mutual funds.
• It is applied on the buying and selling of securities irrespective of the profit or loss made in the transaction.