Who stands responsible in crisis- state, people or tech?
Job Board + Healthcare + Hunger Crisis + Pegasus
Hello, hope you are having a great Sunday. This week we bring to you the analysis of the Healthcare budget, the deepening crisis in Africa & domestic impact of Pegasus.
Top Jobs of the Week
Public Policy, UpGrad
Location- Delhi. Apply here
Reporter for Down To Earth, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)
Location- Delhi. Apply here
Program Associate, Centre for Health Research Innovation (CHRI)
Location- Delhi. To apply, mail your CV at - recruitment(at)chri.org.in
Health for All?
The pandemic brought to light the inadequacies within healthcare systems across the world, and India did not stand as an exception. The Union budget acts as a catalyst every year, to mend the loopholes and similar were the expectations for the healthcare sector. Given this, with the announcement of the budget, the healthcare experts analysed and gave mixed responses to it.
The expectations from the Budget-
It was expected that the budget will include separate funds for emergency use of healthcare facilities to respond to future health emergencies on time, learning from the experiences.
The budget was expected to allocate some finances to boost the manufacturing of medical devices of the import-dependent industry and boost domestic production.
The Healthcare Budget presented-
The healthcare budget focused on strengthening role of tech through digital health infrastructure initiatives like the National Digital Health Ecosystem which will pave the way to universal healthcare.
The pandemic reinforced the importance of mental health in our daily lives. On the same lines, the budget announced the National Tele-Mental Health programme where 23 tele-mental health centres would be launched with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences.
The Hits and Misses
Hits
The budget focused on providing universal healthcare by strengthening digital platforms. The initiatives like the National Digital Health Ecosystem and the plan to set up National Tele mental health programs have been welcomed widely.
Misses-
Meena Ganesh, MD, co-founder and chairperson of Portea Medical says that-
“Over the last couple of years, the government has spent a lot on vaccination and Covid-19 management, but the fact of the matter is that the fundamental health care system for the country needs significant higher investment, be it for taking care of people with chronic diseases or for elders. I did not see any specific mention of that.”
(Sources: EconomicTimes, Business Standard, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, The Hindu)
Th Crisis of Past, Present and Future: African Story
The Hunger crisis has been looming over South Africa for decades now as more than 40 % of the people go to bed, hungry, every night.
With the looming problem and with no solution in sight, the World Food Program in February 2022 has brought into light potentially the world’s largest hunger crisis with 13 million people impacted by it.
The Worrisome Trends-
Nearly 6.9 million children in the region are threatened by malnutrition which can rise by 50 per cent if rains do not come over the next three months.
The situation is worsening because of the shortage of water and grazing land and forecasts of below-average rainfall in the coming months.
As per the projections, 25.3 million people will face “high acute food insecurity” by mid-year.
Policy interventions & Assistance-
The World Food Program is launching its regional response plan for the region this week and calling for $327 million. UNICEF is seeking $123 million to prevent a disaster for children and their families.
Cash for work programmes will be initiated for people to earn extra income by helping to restore irrigation canals, boreholes or other agricultural infrastructure.
(Sources: United Nations News, Al Jazeera, The Hindu. Reuters)
Have you been Pegasus-ed yet?
A few months ago, an Indian media house- The Wire brought to light spyware which is being used to tap mobile phones of politicians and journalists in India. The spyware, known as ‘Pegasus’ developed by the NSO group and homegrown in Israel, became a point of contention among groups with diverse interests. Later, it was uncovered that the particular spyware is being used in many countries especially by authoritarian governments spying on their opponents. The reaction and response of Israel to it can be accounted to be ‘underrated’.
However, the tables are turning, as the impact of the spyware can be witnessed in Israel.
Domestic use/abuse of Pegasus
Without any warrant or the supervision of the court, the Israeli police allegedly intercepted the phones of Israeli citizens, including politicians and activists, using Pegasus spyware, as per an investigation by the Israeli business media site Calcalist.
The use was done by the police without any court orders. The centrepiece of Israel’s tech industry has now become a concern, as it has been considered by the international community since 2016. With it being part of the US trade blacklist.
What is Pegasus?
Pegasus is a spyware that can infiltrate a mobile phone and harvest personal and location data and can control the phone’s microphones and cameras without the user’s knowledge or permission. Some of the information Pegasus has access to includes photos, web searches, passwords, call logs, communications and social media posts.
The impact across the globe
More than 1000 individuals across 50 countries have been allegedly selected by NSO clients for potential surveillance since 2016. Most of the clients were from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Global Industry reacts-
“NSO Group can no longer hide behind the claim that its spyware is only used to fight crime – it appears that Pegasus is also the spyware of choice for those wanting to snoop on foreign governments,” said Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard
USA has also blacklisted NSO Group and said that the spyware has been used to “conduct transnational repression”.
Social media and Tech companies have sued NSO Groups time and again for hacking into their accounts.
(Sources: BBC, Guardian, Al Jazeera)
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