1. Clash mars bicentenary of Bhima-Koregaon battle Bhima-Koregaon battle:

The Battle of Koregaon was fought on 1 January 1818 between the British East India

Company and the Peshwa faction of the Maratha Confederacy, at Koregaon Bhima.

The 28,000-strong Marathas, led by Peshwa Baji Rao II intended to attack Pune. On their

way, they were met by an 800-strong Company force that was on its way to reinforce the

British troops in Pune.

The Peshwa dispatched around 2,000 soldiers to attack the Company force stationed in

Koregaon.

Led by Captain Francis Staunton, the Company troops defended their position for nearly

12 hours.

The Marathas ultimately withdrew, fearing the arrival of a larger British force led by

General Joseph Smith.

The Company troops of Indian origin included predominantly Mahar Dalit soldiers

belonging to the Bombay Native Infantry, and therefore Dalit activists regard the battle as

a heroic episode in Dalit history.

Significance to Mahars

The Koregaon pillar inscription features the names of the 49 Company soldiers killed in

the battle. 22 of these names end with the suffix -nac (or -nak), which was used

exclusively by the people of Mahar caste. The obelisk was featured on the Mahar

Regiment’s crest until Indian Independence. While it was built by the British as a symbol

of their own power, today it serves as a memorial of the Mahars.

The Mahars were considered untouchable in the contemporary caste-based society. The

Peshwas, who were high-caste Brahmins, were notorious for their mistreatment and

persecution of the untouchables. Because of this, the Dalits (former untouchables) now

see the Koregaon obelisk as a symbol of their victory over the high-caste oppression. The

Dalit Buddhist leader B. R. Ambedkar visited the site on 1 January 1927. To

commemorate his visit to the site, now thousands of his followers visit the site every New

Year’s Day. A number of Mahar gatherings have also been held at the place.

Although it is currently portrayed as victory of lower caste over upper caste Peshwas, the

Mahars had fought for the Peshwa rulers.

2. 1.9 cr. names in first draft of Assam NRC In news:

Nearly 32 years after the Assam Accord was signed, the first draft of an updated National

Register of Citizens (NRC) for the State listed 1.90 crore names out of the 3.29 crore

applicants.

Assam is the only State in the country that prepared an NRC in 1951 following the census

of that year and has become the first State to get the first draft of its own updated NRC.

The time frame for the publication of the NRC draft was set by the Supreme Court which

has been monitoring the entire process of updating the 1951 NRC in Assam.

About National Register of Citizens:

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) contains names of Indian citizens.

The NRC was prepared in 1951, after the Census of 1951.

The NRC is being updated in Assam to detect Bangladeshi nationals, who may have

illegally entered the State after the midnight of March 24, 1971, the cut-off date

This date was originally agreed to in the 1985 Assam Accord, signed between the then

Rajiv Gandhi government and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU)

In 2005, another agreement was signed between the Centre, the then Tarun Gogoi

government in Assam and the AASU where it was decided to update the NRC that was

first published after the Census data of 1951 in post-Partition India

Is the NRC a court-mandated exercise?

The publication of the first draft of the NRC by December 31, 2017, was ordered by the

Supreme Court

The top court has been hearing this case since July 2009 when Assam Public Works

moved court to intervene in detecting and deporting Bangladeshis

Violence expected

The security challenge will emerge only when the process of updating the NRC gets

completed and a large number of people are left out

Manipur takes steps to check influx from Assam

The Manipur government is taking measures to prevent a possible spillover of illegal

migrants into the State in view of the publication of the first draft of the National Register of

Citizens (NRC) in Assam.

3. IPFT team to meet Rajnath over separate State demand In news:

Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) demands:

Convert the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) into

Tipraland – a separate State for indigenous people.

One-third population in Tripura is tribal and the TTAADC consists of three-fourth

geographical area of the State.

About Autonomous district council:

As per the Sixth Schedule, the four states viz. Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and

Mizoram contain the Tribal Areas which are technically different from the Scheduled

Areas.

Though these areas fall within the executive authority of the state, provision has been

made for the creation of the District Councils and regional councils for the exercise of the

certain legislative and judicial powers.

Each district is an autonomous district and Governor can modify / divide the boundaries

of the said Tribal areas by notification.

4. Nagaland declared as ‘disturbed area’ for 6 more months Union Home Ministry declares entire Nagaland as “disturbed area” for six more months, till

June- end, under the controversial AFSPA.

AFSPA empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere and arrest anyone

without any prior notice.

Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA), are Acts of the Parliament of India that

grant special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in what each act terms “disturbed

areas”. According to The Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976 once declared

‘disturbed’, the area has to maintain status quo for a minimum of 3 months.

AFSPA gives powers to the Army and Central forces deployed in “disturbed areas” to kill

anyone acting in contravention of law, arrest and search any premises without a warrant.

It provides cover to forces from prosecution and legal suits without the Centre’s sanction.

5. Arun Jaitley notifies electoral bonds for political donations About Electoral bonds

Electoral bonds would be a bearer instrument in the nature of a promissory note and an

interest-free banking instrument

A citizen of India or a body incorporated in India will be eligible to purchase the bond

Electoral bonds can be purchased for any value in multiples of Rs.1,000, 10,000, Rs.10

lakh, and Rs.1 crore from any of the specified branches of the State Bank of India.

The purchaser will be allowed to buy electoral bonds only on due fulfillment of all the

extant KYC norms and by making payment from a bank account

It will not carry the name of the payee.

These bonds will have a life of 15 days during which they can be used to make donations

to registered political parties that have secured not less than 1% of the votes polled in the

last election to the Lok Sabha or Assembly.

The bonds shall be available for purchase for a period of 10 days each in the months of

January, April, July and October, with an additional 30 days to be specified by the

Central government in the year of a general election.

The bond shall be encashed by an eligible political party only through a designated bank

account with the authorised bank.

Every political party will file before Election Commission return as to how much money

has come through electoral bonds

6. ‘Panic Button’ On Mobiles For Women’s Safety: Trial To Begin From UP On

Republic Day ‘Panic button’ feature on mobile phones:

A pilot project to ensure women safety will kick-start from Uttar Pradesh on the Republic

Day on January 26.

In April, 2016, the Department of Telecommunications had, through a gazette

notification, made it mandatory for mobile manufacturers to provide panic buttons in cell

phones by January, 2017.

The order said the phones will have to have the panic button in the form of numeric key 5

or 9 to invoke emergency calls.

Smart phones without the facility of an emergency call, too, will have to have the same

provision, or allow use of power on or off button as the panic button.

A smartphone user will have to download a mobile application which will send alerts if a

victim long presses the panic button on the phone.

However, a person using a basic phone need only press the designated key.

Once, a user presses the panic button, five calls will be made to emergency number 112.

Following this, five SMSs will be immediately sent to police authorities, and another

three to five SMSs will be sent to family members of the victim.

Nearly 25-50 volunteers in the vicinity of the victim will also be alerted through

messages.

7. Sushma on tri-nation tour In news:

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore from

January 4 to 8.

The three-nation visit is likely to cover India’s annual plans for the region and include the

launch of the Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas for the ASEAN countries.

ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit: marks 25 years since the establishment of

dialogue partnership between India and ASEAN.

Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

The visiting Minister inaugurated the Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas of ASEAN

countries in Singapore.

The Regional PBD is a large-scale event covering a wide range of sectors such as

political relations, culture, connectivity, start-ups and science & technology.

Theme: “Ancient route, new journey: diaspora in the dynamic ASEAN-India

partnership”.

8. Israel passes law to prevent ceding control of Jerusalem

In news:

Israel’s parliament passed a law that bars ceding any part of Jerusalem to a foreign power

without the approval of a supermajority of lawmakers

A move that threatens to further hinder prospects of peace between Israel and the

Palestinians.

The newly passed law also allows the government to separate areas of the city — such as

majority Palestinian neighbourhoods — from the Jerusalem municipality, but requires

those new administrations to remain under Israeli sovereignty.

A 2014 law already requires a supermajority in parliament or a national referendum for

Israel to ratify an agreement that stipulates the conceding of territory under Israeli law,

namely East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights.

9. China develops underwater surveillance networks in Indian Ocean, South China Sea In news:

China has developed a new underwater surveillance network to help its submarines get a

stronger lock on targets while protecting the nation’s interests along the maritime Silk

Road. This includes the Indian Ocean

About the system

The system, which has already been launched, works by gathering information about the

underwater environment, particularly water temperature and salinity

The Chinese system is based on a network of platforms — buoys, surface vessels,

satellites and underwater gliders — that gather data from the South China Sea, and the

Western Pacific and Indian oceans

The Navy can use this data to more accurately track target vessels as well as improve

navigation and positioning

10. ‘Panchayat secretary’s certificate is no proof’ In news:

Supreme Court Observations:

Certificates issued by the ‘gaon’ or village panchayat secretary/Executive Magistrate is

no proof of Indian citizenship.

It is only a supporting document used for the limited purpose of establishing a linkage

between the holder of the certificate and the person(s) from whom legacy is being

claimed

The certificate merely acknowledged the shifting of residence of a married woman from

one village to another.

The certificate by itself by no means establishes any claim of citizenship of the holder of

the certificate.

The certificate has to be verified at two stages. The first is the authenticity of the

certificate itself; and the second is the authenticity of the contents thereof.

11. Lok Sabha passes bill to build public projects in protected monuments

Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill, 2017: The Bill would allow the government to take up infrastructure projects within prohibited

areas around protected monuments. It was passed in the Lok Sabha

Necessity:

The bar on new construction within prohibited areas of a protected monument was

adversely affecting various public works and developmental projects of the central

government

The need was felt to amend the law to allow construction works related to infrastructure

financed and carried out by any department or office of the central government for public

purposes which are necessary for the safety or security of the public at large

1958 Act:

The 1958 Act prohibits carrying out any public work or project or other constructions in

any prohibited area around protected monuments

A ‘prohibited area’ means land in the 100-meter radius around a protected monument

Currently, construction is not allowed in the prohibited areas except for repair and

renovation works

No private work allowed under new provisions

The new law will give relaxation only for government works to be carried out in national

interest and no private work will be allowed

Such construction works would be taken up when there is no possibility of any other

viable alternative to such construction beyond the limits of the prohibited area

The Bill also seeks to have a new definition of “public works” under the Act

Status of archaeological sites

There are more than 3,600 monuments and sites that are centrally-protected under the

jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is responsible for their

maintenance

12. Chinese road building team enters Arunachal Pradesh, India seizes equipment In news:

The Indian Army and Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have foiled a Chinese attempt to

build a track on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Tuting area of

Arunachal Pradesh. Chinese workers were told to return to their side of the LAC

Road construction equipment belonging to Chinese was seized.

13. India calls off deal for Israeli anti-tank missiles In news:

Ministry of defence has called off an order to buy Spike anti-tank guided missiles from

Israel’s state-owned defence contractor Rafael.

The deal was worth about $500 million. The cancellation has been made prior to the

signing of the final contract.

14. Govt. nod for revised PPP port concessions In news:

The government approved a revised model concession pact for projects based on public

private partnership (PPP) design at major ports.

This move is to make the investment climate more investor friendly.

It includes providing an exit route to developers by way of divesting their equity up to

100% after completion of two years from the Commercial Operation Date (COD).

It also envisages constitution of the Society for Affordable Redressal of Disputes – Ports

(SAROD- PORTS) as a disputes resolution mechanism similar to the provision available

in the highways sector.

15. Centre approves 5,369 cr. for waterway project Jal Marg Vikas Project:

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the more than Rs.5,369 crore Jal

Marg Vikas Projec.

Project aims for the development of fairway on National Waterway-1 with the technical

and investment support of the World Bank.

Once completed the project will provide alternative mode of transport that will be

environment friendly and cost effective

The project would contribute in bringing down the logistics cost in the country while

providing a boost to infrastructure development.

The project will include construction of multi-modal terminals at Varanasi, Sahibganj,

Haldia, Kalughat, Ghazipur and Farakka, five pairs of roll-on roll-off terminals,

integrated ship repair and maintenance complexes, bank protection works, and provision

of navigation aids.

16. Notice to govt. on law for working women The Supreme Court asked the government to respond on a petition questioning the lack of

implementation of the various provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace

Act of 2013.

Background The 2013 statutory law had replaced the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in

the historic Vishaka case judgment, which stemmed from the brutal gang rape of a social

worker in a village of Rajasthan.

The Supreme Court verdict authored in 1997 by then Chief Justice J.S. Verma was

inspired by international conventions and the spirit of gender equality enshrined in the

Constitution to declare that “gender equality includes protection from sexual harassment

and right to work with dignity, which is a universally recognised basic human right.”

17. Lok Sabha passes bill to hike salaries of judges The High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment

Bill, 2017 was passed by the Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha passed a bill to hike the salaries of judges of the Supreme Court and High

Courts.

The salary hike, in line with the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission for officers

of all-India services

What the bill intends to do? The Bill proposes to hike the salary of the Chief Justice of India to Rs. 2.80 lakh a month,

Judges of the Supreme Court and Chief Justices of High Courts to Rs. 2.5 lakh a month.

Judges of High Courts will draw a salary of Rs. 2.25 lakh a month once this Bill becomes

law.

The Bill also seeks to revise the rates of house rent allowance with effect from July 1,

2017 and the rates of sumptuary allowance with effect from September 22, 2017

18. Lawyers and Parliamentarians What is the issue?

The issue is whether MPs and MLAs should practice law in courts. By doing so, does it

affect the quality of work in the legislative work?

Rules under Bar Council of India Rule 49 of the Bar Council of India states that any full-time salaried employee, whether

he or she belongs to a corporation, private firm, or the government, cannot practise as a

lawyer before a court of law.

No public servant can engage in the pursuit of any other vocation and certainly cannot

offer his or her services as a lawyer while in service.

Court Ruling

A five-judge Bench in M. Karunanidhi v. Union of India (1979) categorically stated that

MPs and MLAs are public servants, though the employer-employee relationship will not

apply to them. Mr. Karunanidhi had argued that he was not a public servant in a

corruption case.

Practical issues The work of a lawyer is a full-time activity. So is the work of MPs and MLAs; they are

full-time members of Parliament and Assemblies.

They have to take part in the proceedings of the House, meet people in their

constituencies, and grapple with and address people’s issues. They have their work cut

out.

To facilitate their work, they are given a bungalow and a car, an office and a salary. They

should go and serve the people.

19 Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2017 Background

Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 was enacted to define and amend the law relating to

promissory notes, bills of exchange, and cheques.

The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2017 introduces new clauses which

allows the payment of interim compensation to the aggrieved party as an immediate relief

when the case reaches the court.

Issues with 1881 Act In the statement of objects and reasons for the Bill, the government points out that though

the 1881 Act was amended from time to time to provide for the speedy disposal of cases

relating to the offence of dishonour of cheques, it has been receiving several

representations from the public, including from the trading community, relating to

pendency of cheque dishonour cases.

This is because of delay tactics of unscrupulous drawers of dishonoured cheques due to

easy filing of appeals and obtaining stay on proceedings.

This delay has slowly eroded the faith of the traders in the use of cheques, it reasons.

Injustice is caused to the payee of a dishonoured cheque who has to spend considerable

time and resources in court proceedings to realise the value of the cheque. Such delays

compromise the sanctity of cheque transactions.

What the New Bill aims to do? The purpose of the Bill is to provide interim relief to the aggrieved party till the final

solution of the cheque dishonour case in court, and to discourage frivolous and

unnecessary litigation which would save time and money.

The new Section 143A provides for the court trying a cheque dishonour case under

Section 138 may order the drawer of the cheque to pay interim compensation to the

complainant at the time of framing of charges. The interim compensation shall not exceed

20% of the amount of the cheque.

A second provision, Section 148, allows the Appellate Court to first order the party

convicted in a cheque bounce case to deposit 20% of the of the fine or compensation

awarded by the trial court.

The proposed amendments will strengthen the credibility of cheques.

20. Celebs face up to 3-yr ban for misleading ads in new bill In news:

Provisions included in The Consumer Protection Bill, 2018:

Celebrities endorsing misleading ads will have to pay penalty of up to Rs 50 lakh and

serve a ban of up to three years.

One of the major objectives of the bill is to crack down on misleading advertisements.

The bill seeks to set up a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA).

Powers given to CCPA:

If the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is satisfied that an

advertisement is false or misleading, it may issue directions to endorsers, advertiser,

publisher as well traders and manufacturers to discontinue or modify such an ad.

The CCPA will have the powers to impose penalty of up to Rs 10 lakh on endorsers and

manufacturers. For subsequent violation, the penalty will be of up to Rs 50 lakh.

The authority will also have the power to ban endorser of false or misleading ads from

making endorsement of any product or service for a period of one year, while subsequent

violation will attract a ban of up to three years.

21. T.N. tops GER in higher education The All India Survey on Higher Education report (2016-2017):

Tamil Nadu has emerged as the leader in the country in terms of Gross Enrolment Ratio

(GER) in higher education.

Tamil Nadu State leads with a GER of 46.9%.

Among Union Territories, Chandigarh recorded 56.1%.

Tamil Nadu has also done very well in terms of male and female GER figures, as also the

GER figures for the Scheduled Castes.

Bihar, Assam, West Bengal and Odisha posted low GERs of 14.4%, 17.2%, 18.5% and

21% respectively

Uttar Pradesh fared marginally better at 24.9%, close to the national average.

GER for higher education:

GER for higher education is calculated with reference to the age group 18-23.

It is the total enrolment in higher education, irrespective of age, expressed as a percentage

to the eligible official population (18-23 years) in a given school year.

22. Disabled and Public Facilities

The Supreme Court has struck a blow for the rights of the disabled, with a direction to the

Central and State governments to provide full access to public facilities, such as buildings

and transport, within stipulated deadlines.

People with a disability form 2.21% of India’s population according to the 2011 Census.

They have had a law for two decades to enable their full participation in society, but

successive governments have done little to realise those guarantees.

Supreme Court Guidelines:

All government buildings should be made accessible by June 2019;

Half of all government buildings in the capital cities should meet accessibility norms by

December this year;

Railways should present a report in three months from December 15 on implementing

station facilities;

10% of government public transport must be fully accessible by March 2018;

Advisory boards should be formed by the States and Union Territories in three months.

The court’s directions should be welcomed by the government and service providers as

an opportunity to steer policy and practice towards a universal and humane system.

For too long, planners and designers have built infrastructure for use only by able-bodied

individuals, ignoring the aspirations of those with disabilities, and the letter of the law.

23. Rural BPO scheme: women form 40% of added headcount In news:

The government’s India BPO promotion scheme under the Digital India Programme,

which aims to popularise the industry beyond metros, has so far provided employment to

almost 11,000 people across the country, of which 40% are women.

Under the scheme, there are special incentives for employing women and differently-

abled persons, and generating employment beyond target ‘66% of target.

24. GDP growth seen slowing to 4-year low of 6.5% in 2017-18 The Central Statistics Office (CSO) forecast:

The first advance estimates of national income for 2017-18.

The GDP growth in the current financial year ending March 31 will slow to a four-year

low of 6.5%. Reason: deceleration in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.

Gross Value Added (GVA) was also projected to expand by 6.1% in 2017-18, slowing

from 6.6% in the preceding fiscal year.

The GVA growth rate for ‘agriculture, forestry and fishing’ is expected to slow sharply to

2.1%, compared with the previous year’s 4.9% pace.

Manufacturing sector growth has been forecast at 4.6% in 2017-18, compared with the

7.9% expansion provisionally estimated for 2016-17.

CSO estimates project private final consumption expenditure, a proxy for household

spending, growing by 6.3% in 2017-18, down from 8.7% in the previous year

Gross fixed capital formation — a key investment metric — is expected to accelerate to

4.5%, from 2.4% in 2016-17.

Base effect in agriculture

It is a base effect in agriculture because last year saw a very high growth rate as it

followed two years of drought

The Base effect relates to inflation in the corresponding period of the previous year

If the inflation rate was too low in the corresponding period of the previous year, even a

smaller rise in the Price Index will arithmetically give a high rate of inflation now

GDP growth will become more robust in 2018-19

The optimism is due to the momentum seen in the core sector growth, PMI indices and

developed world economies

The manufacturing PMI (Purchasing Managers’ Index) has been showing an uptick in

manufacturing and now has a reading at a five-year high of 54

Further wearing off of the demonetization related residual effects as well as progressively

stabilizing the transitionary effects of GST is likely to support the higher growth rate

estimates

25. Credit Enhancement Fund to be launched by March: Finance Ministry Key points:

The Credit Enhancement Fund, announced by the Finance Minister in the last Budget, is

expected to be operational by the end of this fiscal

The India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) anchored fund will help raise

credit rating of bonds floated by infrastructure companies and facilitate investments from

long-term investors

The government has been thinking about credit enhancement to ease the flow of

institutional credit to infrastructure projects

Raising the credit rating of these companies would help easier access to institutional

financing

In the 2016-17 Budget speech, FM had proposed that the LIC will set up a dedicated fund

to provide credit enhancement to infrastructure projects

LIC could not anchor the proposed company because of regulatory issues

26. Come July, label mandatory for food certified as ‘organic’

In news: New regulations issued by The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):

Food companies selling organic produce to get certified with one of the two authorities

—

a. National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) or

b. The Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) Companies could also get a voluntary logo from the FSSAI that marked its produce as

‘organic.’

Current practice:

Organic farming certification had been done through a process of third party certification

under the NPOP.

It was run by the Ministry of Commerce and was used for certifying general exports.

Nearly 24 agencies were authorised by the NPOP to verify farms, storages and processing

units and successful ones got a special ‘India Organic’ logo.

Peer-review approach:

The PGS-India programme, involves a peer-review approach. Here, farmers played a role

in certifying whether the farms in their vicinity adhered to organic-cultivation practices.

This programme was implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture through the

National Centre of Organic Farming.

27. Medaram’s Jatara to get national tag Central government is likely to declare Medaram’s Sammakka-Sarakka/Saralamma

Jatara a national festival.

The massive event is held bi-annually in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district to honour

the twin goddesses Sammakka and her daughter Sarakka.

Union government had in 2015 declared Vanaj, a tribal dance and music festival, as

national festival.

Sammakka-Sarakka Jatara held by forest dwelling Koya tribe of Telangana and

surrounding States, is the biggest Tribal festival in Asia which is attended by one crore

people on an average.

Once declared a national festival, Jatara can be considered for ‘intangible cultural

heritage of humanity’ tag of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organisation (UNESCO). UNESCO had given the tag to Kumbh Mela, which is world’s biggest festival which

sees participation by up to 10 crore persons.

Out of the huge congregation which comes to Medaram, 50 % are non-adivasi making

the Jatara the most popular Tribal festival in India.

28. Make a swachh investment, PSU banks told

In news:

The Centre has written to PSU banks and insurance companies to build public toilets in

and around their branches and also arrange for their proper maintenance through

outsourcing agencies under corporate social responsibility funds.

Assessments coming

As per the directive banks have been asked to furnish data on construction of toilets and

their maintenance to the Department of Financial Services in the Finance Ministry, so that

their cleanliness efforts can be assessed every quarter along with achievements on credit

growth, bad loan recoveries and priority sector lending.

Cleanliness may figure as a specific agenda item in all quarterly, periodic review

meetings

Banks have also been asked to promote cleanliness in automated teller machine booths, in

withdrawal slips, and also to suggest cleanliness to loan customers while inspecting their

premises.

29. Kerala battles a new health risk In news:

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR):

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is emerging as a major concern in the health as well as

allied sectors such as veterinary, dairy, fisheries and poultry.

Kerala is all set to launch its strategic action plan for tackling AMR.

Main thrust area: Drastic changes in antibiotic prescription policies and practices will

have to be ushered in to tackle AMR, which has already reached dangerous levels in

Kerala.

Curbing antibiotic use:

The State intends to set up an AMR surveillance network to have a clear understanding

of the drug-resistant pathogens in the community, reducing the irrational consumption

of antibiotics, and ensuring that rational antibiotic prescription policies are followed by

medical fraternity.

AMR surveillance in the State is currently restricted to the sample studies done in tertiary

care hospitals but this hardly reflects the situation in the community.

The AMR surveillance data from seven tertiary care centres, including five government

medical colleges in Kerala, have reported that resistance to Colistin, the last-mile

antibiotic available to treat pan-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

‘One Health’ platform: One Health is a recent global concept that the health of humans

is linked to the health of animals and environment.

30. Centre awaiting Siang report: Kiren Rijiju

In news:

The Union government will wait for the final report of the Central Water

Commission on the unusual darkening of the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh before

blaming any man-made activity by China.

The Siang enters India from Tibet, where it flows for about 1,500 km as

the Tsangpo and becomes the Brahmaputra after it flows into Assam.

Reports have blamed tunnel construction by China in Tibet for the unusual darkening of

the river and a surge in silt downstream.

China stand:

China had clarified that a 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Tibet was responsible for the

darkening of the river.

India’s stand:

There is an abnormal change in the Brahmaputra during the past one month and

poisonous, muddy, turbid water is flowing in the river.

As a result, a lot of wild animals and aquatic life have died. This has also resulted in loss

of livelihood for many people.

The main reason for this is China constructing 1,000-km tunnel, connecting South Tibet

and Desert Taklimakan in Jhingjiyang Province. This is the longest tunnel in the world.

And, China has constructed a 200-metre-wide, 13-km-high big dam at Yarlung Tsangpo

to divert the Brahmaputra.

CWC report:

The color of water in the Siang (Tuting) is attributed to excess silt.

The agency’s preliminary reports did not find traces of cement or high alkalinity in the

river — or signs of construction.

31. Food Poisoning: A Common Outbreak

Recent data put out by the Union Health Ministry’s Integrated Disease Surveillance

Programme (IDSP) has indicated that food poisoning is one of the commonest outbreaks

reported in 2017. This is apart from acute diarrhoeal disease (ADD).

Acute diarrhoeal disease and food poisoning have been common outbreaks since 2008.

This is followed by chickenpox and measles.

It is a matter of concern for all as food poisoning outbreaks have increased from 50 in

2008 to 242 in 2017. Similarly, ADD cases have increased from 228 in 2008 to 312 in

2017.

Causes of Food poisoning

The IDSP has interpreted that the incidence of ADD and food poisoning is high in places

where food is cooked in bulk, such as canteens, hostels and wedding venues.

Food poisoning, also called food-borne illness, is caused by eating contaminated food.

Infectious organisms including bacteria, viruses and parasites or their toxins are the most

common causes.

Pointing out that the increase in the number of cases was due to better and increased

reporting of cases, he said the good thing was that the overall mortality was not alarming.

Infectious organisms or their toxins could contaminate food at any point of processing or

production.

Contamination can also occur at home if food is incorrectly handled or cooked.

While it is known that raw meat, poultry and eggs can also harbour diseases, in recent

years most outbreaks of food-borne illnesses have been due to contaminated fresh fruits

and vegetables.

It is important to follow safety measures and maintain hygiene while handling food.

32. Origins of Hepatitis B How old is Hepatitis B?

The DNA analysis of the remains of a 16th century mummy has confirmed that the complex

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has existed in humans for centuries, researchers say.

The findings are based on DNA extracted from the mummified remains of a small child

buried in the Basilica of Saint Domenico Maggiore in Naples, Italy.

Previous analysis of the 450-year old mummified remains – which did not include DNA

testing – suggested that the child was infected with Variola virus or smallpox.

Using advanced sequencing techniques, researchers now suggest that the child was actually

infected by HBV, throwing light on the evolution of the disease.

While viruses often evolve very rapidly, this ancient strain of HBV has changed little over the

last 450 years and that the evolution of this virus is complex, the researchers noted, in the

paper published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

Background

HBV is a deadly viral infection that attacks the liver, can cause both acute and chronic

disease and kills nearly one million people every year.

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. Most adults who get it have it for a short time and

then get better. This is called acute hepatitis B.

Sometimes the virus causes a long-term infection, called chronic hepatitis B. Over time, it

can damage your liver. Babies and young children infected with the virus are more likely to

get chronic hepatitis B.

It’s caused by the hepatitis B virus. It is spread through contact with the blood and body

fluids of an infected person.

33. Solar City Initiative

To promote the use of renewable energy in the Capital, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited

(BRPL), in partnership with United States Agency for International Development

(USAID)-PACE-D and Indo-German Collaboration (GIZ), launched a ‘solar city

initiative’.

The BSES said the ‘utility anchored rooftop programme’ aims to maximise utilisation of

solar rooftop potential in south and west Delhi.

Under this programme, rooftop solar installations will be provided at a single point for

the entire apartment complex. In the first phase, around 150 societies will be targeted in

Dwarka.