Medical Council of India

Medical Council of India

MCI: reforming the unreformed

In news:  A recent report by the NITI Aayog, authored by a committee chaired by its vice-chairperson, Arvind Panagariya, has proposed a sweeping overhaul of medical education in India. The committee’s remit was to suggest an overhaul of the Indian Medical Council Act, which dates back to 1956.

• The Medical Council of India(MCI) is a statutory body for establishing uniform and high standards of medical education in India. The Council grants recognition of medical qualifications, gives accreditation to medical schools, grants registration to medical practitioners, and monitors medical practice in India.
• It is under the aegis of Indian Medical Council Act 1956, with subsequent amendments and ordinances, that the Medical Council of India (MCI) governs medical education in India.

Reforms in the sector

Looking for a big bang reform in an important sector that remains unreformed, there is important reforms proposed under the new Bill that the Panagariya committee has drafted and appended to its report.

• The most arresting and important governance-related element of the proposed reform is the scrapping of the MCI and its replacement by a new body, the National Medical Commission (NMC).

1. Members of the MCI are elected. While the current system of election to the MCI was based on noble intentions, the effect has been to keep serious medical educationists out of the body.
2. The NMC, on the other hand, would have its members selected by a high-powered committee of unimpeachable integrity, to be chaired by the cabinet secretary.

• The evaluation of medical colleges, which at present is conducted based on inputs, will switch over to an output-based evaluation.

1. This will eliminate the possibility of corruption, which has flourished under an opaque input-based system in which the MCI could threaten closure of a medical college
2. The proposed new legislation will mandate both entrance and exit exams for medical professionals. Anyone practicing medicine in India will have to pass the exit exam. This would bring India in line with the norms of medical certification in other major countries.
3. With a mandatory exit exam before anyone is allowed to practice medicine, medical colleges will have to perform. A college which charges exorbitant fees and whose students fail the exit exam will soon be out of business.

• The regulation of fees for medical education:

1. The Panagariya committee’s proposal, private medical colleges will be free to set their own fees in a transparent manner. Further, all colleges will need to announce and post upfront their structure of fees.
2. For-profit medical colleges will be permitted.

• System of Equity with Efficiency:

To take note of the concerns of states, and to work towards a system characterized by equity, not just efficiency, states will be allowed to regulate the fees that up to 40% of students are charged, with colleges free to charge the tuition fees of their choice for the remaining 60%.This amounts to what economists would call a cross-subsidy from the latter to the former group of students.

Criticism of the report

• The Panagariya committee’s proposal for for-profit colleges will increase various capitation and other hidden fees charged by the colleges that will considerably jack up a student’s costs over and above the official, regulated tuition fees.
• This can lead to a completely non-transparent system which has served no one well.

Way ahead

• Our current status is that India’s system of medical education features ostensibly non-profit medical colleges, while profiteering by unscrupulous colleges which are subject to opaque and capricious regulation has continued unabated.
• The Panagariya committee has courageously established the principle that, in medical education as in other sectors, profit is not a dirty word.
• It is far better for society to have well regulated for-profit medical colleges with transparent and upfront fees and with a scrupulous system of entrance and exit exams that will keep them honest, than our current system in which no one is genuinely accountable, standards are poor, and it is both medical professionals—and ultimately patients—who suffer.

Connecting the dots:

• “For achieving the desired objectives, it is necessary to ensure that the regulatory institution remain independent and autonomous”. Discuss in the light of experiences in recent past.
• “India’s system of medical education features ostensibly non-profit medical colleges, yet there are unregulated, profiteering and opaque colleges”. Critically analyze the recent reforms suggested by Arvind Panagariya committee

Plot sell at Allahabad

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ISRO launched 8 satellites in two different Orbits

ISRO launched 8 satellites in two different Orbits Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 26 September 2016 successfully launched eight satellites in two different orbits in a single mission. These satellites were launched with the PSLV C35 from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta.  The satellites that was carried into space include the primary payload SCATSAT-1 of India, weighing 371 kg, and seven other customer payloads (five foreign and two domestic) together weighing 304 kg during lift off. The weather satellite SCATSAT-1 will be hurled into a polar sun synchronous orbit of 730 kilometer height. The other seven satellites that will be injected into a different orbit as compared to the principal payload are  • Three smaller payloads from Algeria: Alsat-1B 103 kg, Alsat-2B 110 kg and Alsat Nano 7 kg. They are meant for earth observation, remote sensing and technology demonstration. • One from US: Pathfinder-1 of 44 kg. It is a high resolution imaging microsatellite and is owned by BlackSky. • One from Canada: NLS-19 of 8 kg developed at University of Toronto, Canada. It is a nano-satellite to experiment reduction of space debris. • The other two satellites are from India and they are a) Pratham: A student-satellite of the IIT, Bombay. It would estimate the total electron count with a resolution of 1km x 1km location grid. b) PISAT (पैसेट): It is developed by a consortium-led by the PES University in Bengaluru. It would explore remote sensing applications. The two Universities/Academic Institute Satellites and the five foreign satellites were placed into a 670 km polar orbit. SCATSAT-1 of India would serve as a continuity mission for the highly acclaimed Oceansat-2 that has completed its operational life. Its data to accurately predict the landfall of the Cyclone Phailin in Odisha coast recently helped avoid major loss of lives as precautionary measures could be taken in advance. As per reports, this will be made possible by shutting down and restarting the fourth and last stage of the vehicle twice during the flight. The ISRO has gained valuable expertise on restarting the engine of the polar synchronous satellite launch vehicle PSLV in space during June 2016 and December 2015. Through them, the scientists of the space agency gained the expertise to use a single launch mission to inject multiple satellites in different orbits altogether. So far, the PSLV has launched 39 remote-sensing satellites of ISRO including the Chandrayaan-1 of 2008 and the Mars mission of 2013-14. Apart from this, it has also launched 74 foreign commercial and university satellites.   Now get latest Current Affairs on mobile, Download # 1  Current Affairs App Click below to see the complete story http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/ISRO-launched-8-satellites-in-two-different-Orbits-1474861389-1 Sent via Jagran Josh

Current Affairs Quiz: 24 September 2016

1.    Name the long range air-to-air missile that was successfully test fired by Indian Air Force from Mirage-2000 Upgrade combat aircraft. a)    Novator K-100 b)    Barack-8 c)    MICA d)    Astra 2.    Name the state/union territory that increased the retirement age of doctors working in its hospitals to 65 years. a)    Pondicherry b)    Delhi c)    West Bengal d)    Punjab 3.    Name the Sangeet Natak Akademi winning Hindi and Urdu writer and television personality who died in September 2016. a)    Reoti Saran Sharma b)    Nalinidhar Bhattacharyya c)    Gobind Tez d)    TA Rasaq 4.    Name the country with which India started a Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’? a)    Nepal b)    Russia c)    Sri Lanka d)    China 5.    Staffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy to a country called the countries crisis as the worst humanitarian tragedy since the Second World War. Name the country. a)    Iraq b)    North Korea c)    Syria d)    Ukraine 6.    Name the venue from where Asia’s oldest and world’s 3rd toughest mountain biking (MTB) race kicked off. a)    Shimla b)    Nainital c)    Mussoorie d)    Manali 7.    By what percent, the Union Government cut import duty on wheat and potato to boost supplies and check prices of the commodities during the upcoming festival season? a)    5 percent b)    10 percent c)    15 percent d)    20 percent 8.    Name the state that adopted the resolution to use Cauvery water only for drinking needs. a)    Tamil Nadu b)    Pondicherry c)    Kerala d)    Karnataka 9.    Name the person for whose birth centenary commemoration the Union Government approved the constitution of two committees. a)    Bal Gangadhar Tilak b)    MS Golwalkar c)    Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay d)    Vinayak Damodar Savarkar 10.    Name the state that quashed all notifications regarding 10 percent quota for EBC Economically Backward Classes. a)    Haryana b)    Gujarat c)    Goa d)    Maharashtra 11.    Name the Pakistani cricketer who became the first Pakistani to receive Test mace from ICC. a)    Mohammad Hafeez b)    Shahid Afridi c)    Misbah-ul-Haq d)    Younis Khan 12.    Who of the following was appointed as the Indian ambassador to the United States of America? a)    Pavan Kapoor b)    Navtej Sarna c)    Pankaj Saran d)    Ronen Sen 13.    Who of the following topped in the 2016 Forbes list of 100 Richest Indians? a)    Azim Premji b)    Acharya Balkrishna c)    Anil Ambani d)    Mukesh Ambani 14.    In what number of high focus districts the Union Government will soon launch Mission Parivar Vikas for improved family planning services? a)    120 b)    136 c)    145 d)    162 15.    Who of the following was appointed as the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court? a)    Girish Chandra Gupta b)    Mohan M. Shantanagoudar c)    Chittatosh Mookerjee d)    Ashok Bhushan Answer. 1. (c) MICA 2. (b) Delhi 3. (a) Reoti Saran Sharma 4. (b) Russia 5. (c) Syria 6. (a) Shimla 7. (b) 10 percent 8. (d) Karnataka 9. (c) Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay 10. (b) Gujarat 11. (c) Misbah-ul-Haq 12. (b) Navtej Sarna 13. (d) Mukesh Ambani 14. (c) 145 15. (b) Mohan M. Shantanagoudar

Current Affairs One Liners of the Week:

Current Affairs One Liners of the Week: 19 September to 24 September 2016 The recap of the week covers important current affairs of the week like India-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’, Rafale fighter jet deal between India and France and 2016 Right Livelihood Award among others. •    Indian Air Force successfully fired the recently acquired long range air-to-air MICA missile on a manoeuvring target from - Mirage-2000 Upgrade combat aircraft •    The renowned Hindi and Urdu writer, playwright and television personality, who died in New Delhi is - Reoti Saran Sharma •    Delhi government on 23 September 2016 increased the retirement age of doctors working in its hospitals from 62 to - 65 •    The eighth edition of India-Russia Joint Military Exercise ‘INDRA-2016’ begun in - Ussiriysk District in Vladivostok, Russia •    The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura called the Syrian crisis the worst humanitarian tragedy since - the Second World War •    Test captain of the Pakistan national cricket team who became the first Pakistani to receive the prestigious ICC Test Championship mace after topping in the ICC Test Team Rankings - Misbah-ul-Haq •    He was appointed as India’s Ambassador to the US - Navtej Sarna •    He was appointed as the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court – Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar •    India and France inked the 7.8-billion Euro deal for - 36 Rafale fighter jets •    State that will now have its own bravery awards and these awards will be given out on Independence Day and Republic Day every year is - Delhi •    Afghanistan signed a peace agreement with one of the country's largest militant groups Hezb-e-Islami led by - Gulbuddin Hekmatyar •    Two Indian forest officials, who were selected for the 2016 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Awards are - Sanjay Dutta and Ritesh Sarothiya •    Hindustani classical singer who will be honoured with the annual 'LalitArpan Samman' this year is - Shubha Mudgal •    The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) signed a contract with M/s DST, Germany to design vessels, especially suited to navigate the 1620 km stretch of - National Waterway-1 (NW-1) •    Author of the book "Citizen and Society" that was launched by President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is - Vice President Mohd Hamid Ansari •    China's city that is set to host India Week celebrations with a business and investment meeting to be attended by CEOs of top Indian firms is - Yangzhou •    Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the 10 percent reservation given to economically weaker sections in - Haryana •    Winners of the 2016 Right Livelihood Award widely referred as the Alternative Nobel Prize are - Syria Civil Defence (The White Helmets), Egypt’s Mozn Hassan and Nazra for Feminist Studies, Russia’s Svetlana Gannushkina and Turkish daily Cumhuriyet •    The state where about 52000 government primary and upper primary schools functioning under the School and Mass Education Department, have no teacher for each class is – Odisha •    The country where the Muslim Brotherhood has made a return to parliament after winning 16 seats in the 130-member house is - Jordan •    Government's think-tank Niti Aayog has devised a short-term and medium-to-long term action plan to help India achieve 50 medals in - 2024 summer Olympics •    The company that has landed a 99.7-million dollar contract from Vietnam Border Guard to design, construct and supply high-speed patrol vessels is - Larsen & Toubro (L&T) •    Two institutions that signed an MoU to work jointly towards sustainable development of the tea sector are - the United Planters' Association of Southern India (UPASI) and the China Tea Marketing Association (CTMA) •    Asian Development Bank in September 2016 approved 631 million US dollars loan for- Visakhapatnam-Chennai industrial corridor •    Two companies that recently signed MoU with Dhamra LNG Terminal Private Limited for taking equity stake in the Terminal- Indian Oil Corporation Limited and GAIL India Limited •  CCEA approved the partial capital grant of 5176 crore rupees for development of 2539 km long Jagdishpur-Haidia and Bokaro-Dhamra Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL) project to- GAIL (India) Limited •    Person appointed as the World Bank Country Director for India recently- Junaid Ahmad •    PV Bharathi was recently appointed as the Executive Director (ED) of- Canara Ban •    Oscar-winning director of movie LA Confidential who passed away recently- Curtis Hanson •    The India cricketer who was recently named the captain of the India's all time Test XI by Wisden is - MS Dhoni •    The person recently appointed the chairman of the BCCI Selection Committee is - MSK Prasad •    The Indian industrialist who was recently conferred the Clinton Global Citizen Award is - Adi Godrej •    Person sworn in as the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court- Girish Chandra Gupta •    The team lifted the title of the Obaidullah Khan Heritage Cup Hockey Tournament by defeating Indian Railways - Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) •    The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for initiating the process of winding up of Hindustan Diamond Company Private Limited (HDCPL), which is a - 50:50 joint venture of the Union Government and De Beers Centenary Mauritius Limited (DBCML) •    The Union Cabinet approved the signing and ratification of agreement for the exchange of information with respect to Taxes with – Samoa •    The Union Cabinet approved the provision of a direct communication link through a dedicated submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) between - Mainland (Chennai) and Andaman and Nicobar Islands •    The two nations that was requested by Assam Government to immediately rectify their travel advisory to its citizens to the state - UK and Australia •    Country that topped the World Economic Freedom (WEF) Index 2016- Hong Kong •   India stood at which position in the World Economic Freedom (WEF) Index 2016- 112th •   Nobel laureate who was honoured as the 2016 Humanitarian of the Year by the Harvard Foundation- Aung San Suu Kyi •    Person appointed as the India's Ambassador to Sweden recently- Monika Kapil Mohta • Transportation app Ola in September 2016 tied-up for Cab Booking Interface Integration with- Yatra.Com •    Country hit by Typhoon Meranti recently- China •    Joint Sea-2016 naval exercise was conducted between- China and Russia •    Person appointed as the Chairman of Life Insurance Corporation of India recently- VK Sharma •  International Day of Peace was observed across the world on 21 September 2016 with theme - The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace •    The Giant African Land Snail (GALS) was spotted in the campus of - the Goa University at Taleigao •    Number of cities in the third list of Smart Cities that was released by Union Government – 27 •    Scientists at MIT have developed a spectroscopic technique that would help the 2020 Mars Rover to identify the signs of life at – Mars •    Rushiraj Barot won gold in the junior men's 25m rapid fire pistol event in - ISSF Junior World Cup •    The state that objected to Genetically-Modified (GM) mustard from being considered for commercial cultivation in India is – Kerala •    Two-day North East Connectivity Summit was held in- Agartala •    Person who resigned as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jubilant FoodWorks Limited recently- Ajay Kaul •    Company acquired by Facebook recently to build Wi-Fi drones, data servers and virtual reality goggles faster- Nascent Objects •    Service launched by Indian Railways recently to facilitate access to wheelchairs, battery operated cars for elderly, differently-abled people- Yatri Mitra Sewa •    World Leaders recently at the United Nations General Assembly Summit for Refugees and Migrants adopted the- New York Declaration •    Company that was recently conferred with the prestigious membership of the Asia-Pacific Aerospace Quality Group- Hindustan Aeronautics Limited •    The first football referee of Odisha who recently passed away at age of 100 is - Narottam Mohanty •   Naropa Festival recently started in Ladakh region of India. The festival is also known as - Kumbh of Himalayas •    A team of researchers recently created a three-dimensional lung, called as organoids. This technique could be used to study specifically - Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis •    The financial services firm with which the Board of Control for Cricket in India recently tied up is - Janalakshmi Financial Services •    Anandi Ramalingam has been appointed as the first woman Director (Marketing) of - Bharat Electronics Limited •    He became the first minority actor in 18 years to win the Emmy Award for best leading actor in a drama series - Rami Malek •    India successfully test-fired the most advanced surface-to-air missile off the Odisha coast - 'Barak-8' •    Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on 19 September 2016 inaugurated the super computer PARAM ISHAN at - IIT Guwahati campus •    President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party on 19 September 2016 won the Russian parliamentary election by securing 343 seats of the total 450 in - Duma, the lower house of Russian Parliament •    The Cauvery Supervisory Committee headed by Shashi Shekhar directed Karnataka to release 3000 cusecs of water per day from 21 to 30 September 2016 to - Tamil Nadu •    Guided Missile Destroyer Ship that was launched recently at Mazagaon Dock Ship Builders Limited (MDL), Mumbai- INS Mormugao •    Malayalam critic chosen for the prestigious N Mohanan Suvarna Mudra Award 2016- M Leelavathy •    Pulitzer-winning US playwright who authored the masterpiece Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and died recently- Edward Albee •    Person appointed as the Head of International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT) recently- Ravi Reddy •    Sports personality appointed as Brand Ambassador of Punjab National Bank recently- Virat Kohli •    The UPSC member who was recently appointed the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission is- Alka Sirohi •    Charkhi Dadri has been recently declared as the 22nd district of - Haryana •    The Indian hearing-impaired shooter who won the bronze medal in the first World Deaf Shooting Championships is - Priyesha Deshmukh\ •    The recent joint naval exercises conducted between China and Russia in the South China Sea is - Joint Sea-2016 •    The drama series that won the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards is - Game of Thrones •    The Indian wrestler who won gold medal in Junior World Wrestling Championships is – Manisha •    Indian shooters clinched seven medals, including three golds, on the opening day of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup for pistol, rifle and shotgun at - Gabala in Azerbaijan •    The new import policy for marble and travertine blocks and marble and granite slabs notified by the government will come into effect from - 1 October 2016 •    First Indian music and dance festival aimed to showcase the country's rich and diverse culture was kicked off in - Sydney, Australia •    7-day-long Naropa festival is being celebrated in- Jammu and Kashmir

Barack Obama vetoed a bill

Barack Obama vetoed a bill that would have allowed families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia US President Barack Obama on 23 September 2016 vetoed a bill that would have allowed the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. Earlier, the Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) was passed by both the chambers of the Republican controlled Congress. As per President, the JASTA, would have jeopardized the long standing international principles regarding sovereignty and would have made adverse impact with US interests and nationals overseas.  In his message accompanying his veto, he said that the bill departs from longstanding standards and practice under US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. It also threatens to strip all foreign governments of immunity from judicial process in the country based solely upon allegations by private litigants that a foreign government's overseas conduct had some role or connection to a group or person that carried out a terrorist attack inside the United States. The US President said the bill would upset longstanding international principles regarding sovereign immunity, putting in place rules that, if applied globally, could have serious implications for the country's national interests and it can even complicate relations with its closest partners.

Asia’s oldest MTB race kicks off in Shimla

Asia’s oldest MTB race kicks off in Shimla The 12th edition of Asia’s oldest and world’s 3rd toughest mountain biking (MTB) race kicked off on 24 September 2016 from historic Ridge Maidan of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. Nearly 67 participants from 14 countries including 11 men of SSB are taking part in the race which would conclude on 3 October 2016 in Dharmshala, the district headquarter of Kangra. Mohit Sood, President Himalayan Adventure Sport and Tourism Promotion Association said that total 650 kilometers would be covered by the participants during their journey. This year the new route of race is going to be more challenging to the riders in terms of terrain. There will be an equal amount of uphill and downhill segments in the race. Looped circuits of approximately 60-70 km each day of the race will be covered by the riders. On the way these bikers would also meet 10000 school children’s studying in the different government schools and aware them to preserve environment as well as adopt habit of cycling in their day today activities.