Daily CURRENT AFFAIRS

Details :

• Karnataka government had taken up pilot project
• Aerial spraying of organic disinfectant was to be taken up in Shivajinagar and K.R. Market areas that are thickly populated and congested
• Karnataka State Pollution Control Board was to study the efficacy of the initiative.
• Project would be extended to other parts based on its sucess

What is the recent news : The project has been called off

Why was the project stopped :

• Civic body had sprayed disinfectants using jetting machines and sprayers in the past, it had been proven that the novel coronavirus spreads more through contact. 
• Environment concerns were cited as well

What is the news : The pension coverage under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) scheme has been extended to all registered dependents of those who died due to Covid-19.

Details:  It has also reiterated the announcement of the expansion of the insurance benefits under the Employees' Deposit-Linked Insurance (EDLI) scheme for members registered under the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

Benefits:

• The benefits under the ESIC pension scheme for employment-related death cases are being extended to even those who have died due to Covid.
• All dependent family members of such persons will be eligible for a pension equivalent to 90 per cent of the average daily wage drawn by the worker as per the existing rules.
• This benefit will be available retrospectively with effect from March 24 last year till March 24, 2022.
• The eligibility conditions for the ESIC benefits are likely to include the norm that the insured person must have been registered on the ESIC online portal at least three months prior to the diagnosis of Covid resulting in death.
• Also, the insured person must have been employed for wages and contributions for at least 78 days should have been paid or payable for the deceased insured person during a period of one year immediately preceding the diagnosis of Covid resulting in death.
• The amount of maximum insurance benefit under EPFO-EDLI, as was announced earlier this month, has been increased to Rs 7 lakh from Rs 6 lakh. The provision of minimum insurance benefit of Rs 2.5 lakh has been restored and it will apply retrospectively from February 15 last year for the next three years.
• The government has tweaked a significant eligibility condition for the workers, with benefits being made available to families of even those employees who may have changed jobs in the last 12 months preceding his/her death.

Who are covered under ESIC and EPFO?

• ESI Act applies to all factories and notified establishments located in implemented areas employing 10 or more persons and is applicable on employees drawing wages up to Rs 21,000 per month (Rs 25,000 for persons with disabilities). It covers about 3.49 crore of family units of workers and provides cash benefits and medical facilities to 13.56 crore beneficiaries.
• The EDLI scheme is managed on the basis of contribution of 0.5 per cent of monthly wages paid by the employer to the fund and there is no employee contribution. The nominee registered by the employee is eligible to claim the benefit under the scheme.

What : Monetary assistance to support COVID-19 orphans

About PM-CARES for Children scheme

• Children who lost either parents or surviving parents or legal guardians or adoptive parents due to COVID-19 disease, will be supported through PM-CARES fund.
• Under the PM-CARES scheme, contribution will be made through PM CARES Fund till they attain age of 18 years. Contribution will help in creating a corpus of Rs 10 lakh for them
• They will be given a monthly stipend for five years starting from 18 years till 23 years to fulfil their personal requirements.
• After they will attain 23 years of age, they will be given full amount of Rs 10 lakh to use it professionally or personally.
• Scheme will ensure free education for such kids by giving them admissions in nearest Kendriya Vidyalayas or private schools fees for which will be given from PM CARES fund.
• Provisions are there for educating kids between 11 to 18 years in residential schools like Sainik Schools and Navodaya Vidyalayas.
• All expenditure concerned with child’s education such as expenditure on notebooks, textbooks and uniform will be made through PM CARES Fund.
• Students going for higher education will be given education loans for which PM CARES will pay interest and scholarships.
• They will also be enrolled under Ayushman Bharat Scheme to provide them health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh till 18 years. Premium will be made by PM CARES Fund

What : ECLGS was launched under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package in May 2020. It was launched to overcome the distress caused on economy due to lockdown. It helped different sectors by providing credit to them. Credit is provided to them for four years besides one year moratorium period on principled repayment.

What is the news : Government has increased the scope of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for three more months overviewing the disruptions caused by second wave of COVID 19 pandemic. Extension will help businesses across several sectors of economy.

Other details :

• 100% guarantee cover to be provided on loans, in hospitals/nursing clinics/medical colleges/homes, up to Rs.2 crore. Loan can be utilized up to set up on-site oxygen generation plants. Interest rate on load was capped at 7.5%.
• Additional ECLGS assistance of up to 10% of outstanding by February 2020 to borrowers who are covered under ECLGS 1.0.
• Ceiling of Rs. 500 Cr. of loan outstanding for eligibility under ECLGS 3.0 will be removed. It is subject to maximum additional ECLGS assistance provided to each borrower which is limited to 40% or Rs.200 crore, whichever is lower.
• Civil Aviation sector will be eligible under ECLGS 3.0
• Validity of ECLGS extended to 30.09.2021

What : Foreign Contributions regulation Act 2010

What is the news : The problems that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and registered organisations are facing due to the strict regulations of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010, are magnified when individuals  attempt to channel international funds into the country.

 FCRA 2010

• The FCRA

• Regulates foreign donations and ensures that such contributions do not adversely affect internal security. First enacted in 1976, it was amended in 2010 when a slew of new measures were adopted to regulate foreign donations.
• Is  applicable to all associations, groups and NGOs which intend to receive foreign donations. It is mandatory for all such NGOs to register themselves under it. The registration is initially valid for five years and it can be renewed subsequently if they comply with all norms.
• Registered associations can receive foreign contribution for social, educational, religious, economic and cultural purposes. Filing of annual returns, on the lines of Income Tax, is compulsory.

• In 2015, the MHA notified new rules, which required NGOs to give an undertaking that the acceptance of foreign funds is not likely to prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India or impact friendly relations with any foreign state and does not disrupt communal harmony.
• It also said all such NGOs would have to operate accounts in either nationalised or private banks which have core banking facilities to allow security agencies access on a real time basis.

Who cannot receive foreign donations?

Members of the legislature and political parties, government officials, judges and media persons are prohibited from receiving any foreign contribution. However, in 2017 the MHA, through the Finance Bill route, amended the 1976-repealed FCRA law paving the way for political parties to receive funds from the Indian subsidiary of a foreign company or a foreign company in which an Indian holds 50% or more shares.

How else can one receive foreign funding?

• The other way to receive foreign contributions is by applying for prior permission. It is granted for receipt of a specific amount from a specific donor for carrying out specific activities or projects. But the association should be registered under statutes such as the Societies Registration Act, 1860, the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, or Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956.
• A letter of commitment from the foreign donor specifying the amount and purpose is also required. In 2017, the MHA suspended the FCRA of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), one of India’s largest public health advocacy groups, on grounds of using “foreign funds” to lobby with parliamentarians on tobacco control activities. After several representations by the PHFI to the government, it was placed in the ‘prior permission’ category.

What is the news : The programme was launched recently

Why : Address all major issues related to the Indian horticulture sector including pre-production, production, post-harvest management, logistics, marketing and branding. Speciality : The programme is designed to leverage geographical specialisation and promote integrated and market-led development of horticulture clusters. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) has identified 53 horticulture clusters, of which 12 have been selected for the pilot launch of the programme.

Implemented by : National Horticulture Board

Clusters selected : Shopian (J&K) and Kinnaur (H.P.) for Apple, Lucknow (U.P.), Kutch (Gujarat) and Mahbubnagar (Telangana) for Mango, Anantpur (A.P.) and Theni (T.N.) for Banana, Nasik (Maharashtra) for Grapes, Siphahijala (Tripura) for Pineapple, Solapur (Maharashtra) and Chitradurga (Karnataka) for Pomegranate and West Jaintia Hills (Meghalaya) for Turmeric.

What : Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) for the Month of April, 2021.ICI measures combined and individual performance of production in selected eight core industries viz. Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity.The Eight Core Industries comprise 40.27 percent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

What is the news : The Office of Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade is releasing Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) for the Month of April, 2021.

 

What : A species of frog resembling chocolate was recently discovered in the rainforests of New Guinea

Other details :

The cocoa-coloured frogs have turned out to be a new species — and an addition to our knowledge of the animal kingdom.

It is called Litoria mira, inspired by the Latin adjective mirum, which means surprised or strange, stemming from the scientist’s surprise in discovering an undescribed member of the predominately Australian Litoria genus of tree frogs.

The Litoria mira has a well-known relative — the common green tree frog of Australia called Litoria cerulean.

What :

• A large number of Covid patients who did not require hospitalisation are complaining about lingering post-recovery health issues including Covid-like symptoms of mild to moderate fever, bodyache, breathlessness, coughing, heaviness in the chest, chronic fatigue, joint pains, headache, brain fog, insomnia etc.
• Moreover, people who have not taken either not take the first dose of vaccination or infected after the first dose, cannot be vaccinated at least for 6-8 weeks post recovery.
• This situation is called Long covid

How long can these symptoms last: According to doctors, such symptoms post recovery can last from 4-12 weeks generally, or beyond in some cases. Sometimes a patient feels like he/she has gotten re-infected because of these symptoms. Such a condition is also called Post Covid syndrome or Long Covid. Experts advise them to be in touch with their physicians and remain active.

What leads to Long Covid: According to doctors, the coronavirus is not only causing respiratory problems but several others too. It can affect the functioning of several other parts of the body, including lungs, liver, heart, nervous system, kidneys etc. People with co-morbidities are more vulnerable. The effect on these organs is different from person to person, depending upon their lifestyles (sedentary or active), their immune system and functioning of their organs. Hence, several recovered persons are experiencing Long Covid which can last for three months or beyond. It takes time to repair these organs and till that time those who have recovered from Covid may experience the symptoms

What : It is an unbarred spiral galaxy located about 125 million light-years away in Aries constellation. It was discovered by German-born British astronomer William Herschel in November, 1786. Spiral galaxy is the foremost member of NGC 691 group which is the collection of nine galaxies with different shapes and colours. It is referred as “LEDA 6793, UGC 1305 and TC 448”. The Spiral galaxy has a diameter of 130,000 light-year

What is The news : NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured beautiful photo of spiral galaxy called “NGC 691”.

Hubble Space Telescope: This space telescope was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990. It still in operation. It is the largest and most versatile telescope which is renowned as vital research tool as well as public relations boon for astronomy. It has been named after astronomer Edwin Hubble

What :  Device that records real-time ambient temperature during the transportation of perishable products, vaccines and even body organs and blood.

Developed by : Indian Institute of Technology, Ropar (IIT Ropar) in Punjab

Other details :

• Shaped as USB device, AmbiTag continuously records the temperature of its immediate surroundings “from -40 to +80 degrees in any time zone for a full 90 days on a single charge.
• The device has been developed under Technology Innovation Hub – AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) and its Startup ScratchNest.
• Awadh is a research center at IIT Ropar established with support from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) to carry out extensive research in the field of agriculture and water.

What : Aspergillosis is a fungal infection, fungal growth or allergic reaction caused due to Aspergillus fungus. The fungus is found indoors as well as outdoors. It lives on decaying vegetation or dead leaves

What is the news : Amid the country’s battle against covid-19 pandemic and increasing cases of mucormycosis, Doctors in Ghaziabad, Mumbai and Gujarat have reported cases of new disease called ‘aspergillosis’.

How people contract to this infection: People can come in contact with the fungus by breathing in microscopic “aspergillus spores” from environment. Though people come in contact with the fungus daily but never contracts illness. Because, aspergillosis infects people suffering from lung disease or weak immune system. It causes infections in organs and other allergic reactions.

Types of Aspergillosis: There are 5 types of aspergillosis namely, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, aspergilloma (fungus ball), allergic Aspergillus sinusitis, chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and invasive aspergillosis. But, COVID-19 patients are being diagnosed with rare sinus pulmonary aspergillosis.

What are the symptoms of pulmonary aspergillosis: Weight loss, cough, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, and fatigue are some of its symptom.

• The B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 variants of the Covid-19, first identified in India, have been named as 'Kappa' and 'Delta' respectively, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Monday as it named various variants of the coronavirus using Greek alphabets.
• Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh, AVSM, VSM, has assumed charge as the Controller Warship Production and Acquisition on 31 May 21.
• Vajra Kavach is a machine developed by Mumbai-based startup Indra Water,removes any possible traces of the disease-causing SARS-Cov-2 virus from Personal Protective Equipment, N95 masks, coats, gloves and gowns. It thus enables reuse of PPEs and other materials used by healthcare workers. It thus protects not only them, but our environment too, by helping reduce biomedical waste generation. It is also making personal protective equipment more available, affordable, and accessible.
• Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant, launched solar-based electrification programme for rural households of state, on the occasion of Goa statehood Day (May 30).This programme will bring electricity using renewable energy to rural areas in Goa where grid connectivity is not feasible. It was launched with focus on delivering clean, reliable and affordable energy to all.Solar PV-based home lighting systems was inaugurated two days after agreement was signed between Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL) and Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA).
• National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval, has commissioned Indian Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Vessel Sajag. It was dedicated nation to safeguard maritime interests.Offshore Patrol Vessel, Sajag has been constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited, which was commended by NSA for indigenously developing ships for Maritime Armed forces with state-of-the-art machinery, latest technology sensors and equipment.

What is the news : India started its ambitious Covid vaccination drive on January 16, which is slowly gaining momentum. As of May 27, India has administered 2,057,20,660 doses overall, including first and second doses of the currently-approved vaccines. This includes 83,071,923 male,73,073,573 female and 23,499 others

Points to be noted :

• Sex ratio of the total population in India is skewed. There are 108.18 males per 100 females with the percentage of the female population at 48.04 per cent compared to 51.96 per cent for the male population. The gender gap persists at all levels in India and our record with regard to gender indices is extremely poor.
• Gender-related Development Index (GDI) measures life expectancy, educational attainment and income and takes note of inequality in achievement between men and women.The closer the ratio to 1, the smaller the gap between men and women. As per Human Development Report, 2019, the GDI value of India is 0.892 with a rank of 129 out of 189.
• The Gender Inequality Index (GII) introduced in 2010 reflects the gender-based disadvantage in three dimensions of reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. Countries with unequal distribution of human development also experience high inequality. It is a useful, composite measure to quantify the loss of achievement within a country due to gender inequality. India has an abysmal GII value of 0.0501 and a ranking of 122 as per the UNDP report 2019. The Human Development Index (HDI) value for females in India is 0.549 whereas it is 0.671 for males, indicating a glaring disparity.

Reasons Quoted:

• Due to digital illiteracy, women in many cases do not know how to register for the vaccination on the CoWIN platform. They are dependent on the more tech savvy males to do the needful.
• The patriarchal ecosystem that persists in rural areas further amplifies this gap. Vaccine hesitancy is also aggravated amongst women due to myths and rumours related to its impact on menstruation and fertility. Pregnant and lactating women are hesitant to take the shots due to the lack of information and effective communication advocacy.
• Women have been greatly suffering during the pandemic due to increased gender-based violence, girls dropping out of school and job losses in the unorganised sector. Due to regular lockdowns, household work has also increased manifold. Studies have shown that women shoulder 75 per cent of the world's total unpaid care work burden, including child care, cooking, cleaning and caring for the sick and the elderly, which has increased by 30 per cent during the pandemic. Women are the providers, caregivers and nurturers of the young and old. Their vaccination needs to be prioritised as they shoulder greater responsibility and are motivators for children, especially girls and the elderly.

Way forward

• The vaccination drive must be viewed from the gender lens and equity initiatives need to be prioritised for this vulnerable section of the population. Gender-related barriers must be adequately addressed in the planning and rollout of vaccines. We need to channel our paramedical staff like ASHA and anganwadi workers, midwives, nurses who are thankfully, mostly women. These health workers need to be given more incentives so that they can motivate women at the grassroots. Larger representation of women at the panchayat level also makes them effective opinion leaders who can mobilise the women to participate in health communication strategies.
• Innovative practices conducted in some states during International Women's Day by organising vaccination melas to make the women feel special are the need of the hour. All-women vaccination centres should be created to attract more women beneficiaries. Mobile vaccination centres need to be encouraged. Every tier of state and local administration needs to think out of the box to attract more women to the vaccination centres.

• The Union government on Monday appointed J.B. Mohapatra as the interim chief of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for three months
• Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh, AVSM, VSM, has assumed charge as the Controller Warship Production and Acquisition on 31 May 21.

• The SB7 Bill that aims to provide powers to local officials is being opposed in city of Texas
• World No Tobacco Day is being observed on May 31, 2021 under the theme “Commit to Quit”.  It is observed since 1987 after member states of  World Health Organisation created “World No Tobacco Day”  to bring global attention towards  tobacco epidemic and associated preventable death.

• A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border protection, immigration law-enforcement, search and rescue duties
• Patrol Boat are classified as inshore patrol vessels (IPVs) and offshore patrol vessels (OPVs). They are warships of smaller size and include fast attack craft, missile boats and torpedo boats. Offshore patrol vessels are smallest ship in Navy. However, they are large and seaworthy enough to patrol off-shore.