News in numbers: India needs $18 billion to eliminate malaria by 2030

11

What is it? The number of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams deployed in Andhra Pradesh (five) and Tamil Nadu (six) in anticipation of Cyclone ‘Vardah’. The cyclone hit the states starting December 11 night, and is gaining speed.

Why is it important? Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall has been predicted in south coastal Andhra Pradesh, north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for 36 hours starting Sunday night. This is likely to cause damage to thatched huts and minor damage to power and communication lines due to breaking of branches, according to the India Meteorological Department. The cyclone is also expected to cause damage to paddy crops, banana, papaya trees and orchards over Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts of Tamil Nadu, and Ongole and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.

Tell me more: The cyclone categorised as ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ at 8.30 am on Sunday morning was expected to weaken to ‘severe cyclonic storm’ by the end of the day to ‘cyclonic storm’ on Monday morning and go into ‘deep depression’ by this evening, according to a release issued on Sunday afternoon.

4

What is it? The number of days for which former Air Force chief S.P. Tyagi has been sent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody on Saturday.

Why is it important? This is the first time a military chief (retired or serving) has been arrested in an investigation into alleged corruption in defence procurement. The Defence Ministry signed a deal with UK’s AgustaWestland in 2010. Italian and Indian investigators had earlier alleged that Tyagi had received bribes and altered specifications to swing the deal in favour of AgustaWestland, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica. Tyagi’s lawyer has blamed the Prime Minister Office (PMO) for the alleged irregularities in the ₹ 3,600-crore deal and said that it was a “collective decision” of which the PMO was a part.

Tell me more: Tyagi’s cousin Sanjeev alias Julie Tyagi and lawyer-businessman Gautam Khaitan were also arrested by the CBI on Friday.

< 1%

What is it? The share of Sweden’s household waste that was sent to landfill last year.

Why is it important? This means over 99% of its household waste is recycled in some way or the other and this number was just 38% in 1975 - an example that could be emulated by other countries. Due to this, Sweden has been importing rubbish from other countries to keep its recycling plants running. However, there are opposing views that raise questions about these claims - Sweden incinerates about 50% of its waste to convert it into heat and energy, which cannot be termed as recycling and also, the fact that the waste-to-energy plants emit high amounts of carbon dioxide.

Tell me more: It imports 700,000 tonnes of rubbish from other nations, up from 550,000 tonnes in 2010, according to Sweden’s national waste management association.

Rs 1,000 crore

What is it? The approximate amount of the estimated annual underground economy of the Maoists (Rs 3,000 crore) that has been dented by the government’s demonetisation move.

Why is it important? Indicates that their procurement of arms and ammunition has been likely hit. This has forced them to put pressure on the locals and infrastructure projects to generate money, asking people for new currency notes and getting their old notes exchanged for new ones. The Maoists are reportedly making use of the people, businessmen and industries to launder money collected through kidnappings, extortion, drugs and other illegal ways. According to one estimate, about ₹ 125-130 crore is enough to run insurgency in 10 states.

Tell me more: As many as 469 Maoists and their sympathisers are said to have surrendered since the withdrawal of high-value currency notes was announced on November 8, the highest to do so in a month. In 2016, 1,399 Maoists have surrendered - the highest in the last six years.

$18 billion

What is it? The estimated amount required by India to eliminate malaria by 2030, according to the health ministry and malaria advocacy groups.

Why is it important? India accounts for over two-thirds (70%) of malaria cases in World Health Organization-classified southeast Asia region and has the highest malaria burden outside of Africa. As many as 7.5 lakh cases and 188 deaths were recorded in India this year and the country’s socio-economic losses due to this disease are estimated to be around ₹ 13,520 crore. A planned financial plan is required to sustain the momentum of India’s fight against the disease - the number of cases have almost halved from 20 lakh in 2000 to 11 lakh in 2014.

Tell me more: The battle is tough as 95% of the Indian population lives in malaria-endemic areas and four of every five cases reported are confined to areas with 20% of the country’s population living in hilly, tribal and inaccessible areas.

howindialives.com is a search engine for public data