Defence Minister approves posting of Women Officers of the Territorial Army along the Line of Control.

Topic: GS1, GS3.

Issue:

• The Ministry of Defence, Department of Military Affairs in India has approved an amendment to existing cadre management provisions for the Territorial Army (TA) women officers.
• Women officers will now be posted with Engineer Regiments of the Territorial Army serving along the Line of Control and as staff officers at TA Group Headquarters/ Directorate General of Territorial Army in New Delhi, per organisational requirements.
• The move aims to enhance the scope of employment of women officers and meet their professional aspirations, allowing them to serve and train under the same conditions as their male counterparts.
• The Territorial Army is based on a Citizen Soldiers’ army concept, where officers undergo annual training on basic military skills while remaining employed in civilian life.

What is a territorial army:

• The Territorial Army (TA) is a part of the Indian Army that consists of volunteers who receive military training for a few days every year so that in case of an emergency or war, they can be mobilised for the country’s defence.
• The TA comprises civilians and ex-servicemen who undergo military training and can be called upon to serve alongside the regular army when needed.
• The TA was established in 1949 under the Territorial Army Act and is headquartered in New Delhi.
• The TA’s primary role is to relieve the regular army from static duties and assist the civil administration in case of natural disasters and other emergencies.
  

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Union Minister stated that India is prepared to take the lead in technology-based diabetes care.

Topic: GS3 – public healthcare.

Issue:

• Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said India can lead technology-driven diabetes care.
• The rest of the world is looking up to India in the healthcare field after successfully handling the pandemic.
• India is technologically and in human resources, much ahead of most other countries.
• The number of StartUps in India has increased from around 350 to more than 90,000, with over 100 Unicorns after the launch of special StartUp schemes in 2016.
• India is also rated No: 3 in the world’s StartUp ecosystem.
• The Government has opened up the Space sector for private participation, leading to more than 100 StartUps in the Space sector within just about three years.
• Biotech StartUps went up from around 50 in 2014 to nearly 6,000 today.
• Recently, the Union Cabinet approved the launch of the National Quantum Mission, which will boost medical diagnosis and treatment in the country.
• India has some of the best StartUps in the field of Telemedicine, and they have developed AI doctors.
• India is becoming a technology leader and an important medical tourism hub.
• Dr Jitendra Singh cautioned that the prevention of diabetes is our duty towards healthcare and nation-building.
• The DTechCon 2023 is a global conference dedicated to the latest developments in technology and therapeutics.