Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease is common in children under the age of 5, but anyone can get it. It is most commonly caused by a coxsackievirus, which belongs to a group of viruses called nonpolio enteroviruses. The illness is usually not serious, but is very contagious. It spreads quickly at schools and daycare centers. It spreads through person-to-person contact when an infected person’s nose secretions or throat discharge, saliva, fluid from blisters, stool or respiratory droplets are sprayed into the air after a cough or sneeze Symptoms Patients usually develop fever, sore throat, painful blister-like lesions on the tongue, gums and inside of the cheeks. The children may develop ulcers inside their mouths. Also, rashes are noticed on the palms, soles and sometimes the buttocks. Children are mostly treated with anti-allergic medicines and ointments. The lesions usually disappear in five to six days. “Drink enough liquids. Mouth sores can make it painful to swallow, so your child may not want to drink much. Make sure they drink enough to stay hydrated,” stated the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Zombie Ice
It is also referred to as dead or doomed ice, zombie ice is one that is not accumulating fresh snow even while continuing to be part of the parent ice sheet. Such ice is “committed” to melting away and increasing sea levels. This is on account of warming that has already happened. The research points to an equilibrium state where snowfall from the higher reaches of the Greenland ice cap flows down to recharge edges of the glaciers, and thicken them. It says that over the last several decades there has been more melting and less replenishment. The World Economic Forum’s 2019 Global Risks Report noted that “already an estimated 800 million people in more than 570 coastal cities are vulnerable to a sea-level rise of 0.5 metres by 2050”.
National Crime Record Bureau
NCRB was established in January 1986 with the aim of establishing a body to compile and keep records of data on crime. It functions under the Union Home Ministry. Apart from publishing annual reports, its functions include “Collection, coordination and exchange of information on inter-state and international criminals to the respective states”. NCRB also acts as a “national warehouse” for the fingerprint records of Indian and foreign criminals, and assists in locating interstate criminals through fingerprint search.
One Nation,One Fertiliser Scheme
Under the scheme, all fertiliser companies, State Trading Entities (STEs) and Fertiliser Marketing Entities (FMEs) will be required to use a single “Bharat” brand for fertilisers and logo under the PMBJP. “The single brand name for UREA, DAP, MOP and NPKS etc. would be BHARAT UREA, BHARAT DAP, BHARAT MOP and BHARAT NPK etc. respectively for all Fertiliser Companies, State Trading Entities (STEs) and Fertiliser Marketing Entities (FMEs),” the Ministry’s order said. The memo outlines the specifications of the new packaging for companies- The new “Bharat” brand name and PMBJP logo will cover two-thirds of the front of the fertiliser packet The manufacturing brands can only display their name, logo, and other information on the remaining one-third space The government has also asked fertiliser companies not to procure old design bags from September 15, adding that the rollout of the new bags under One Nation One Fertiliser would begin from October 2,2022. The order added that the companies would be given a lead time of four months to exhaust the old packaging from the market.
Eco Sensitive Zones
Areas within 10 kilometres of protected areas, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries are referred to as eco-sensitive zones or ecologically fragile areas. In accordance with the Environment Protection Act of 1986, ESZs are declared by the MoEFCC, Government of India. Even areas wider than 10 km can be included in the eco-sensitive zone if there are sensitive connectivity, biologically significant patches, and sensitive corridors in those locations that are essential for landscape linkage. The primary goal of these regulations is to limit the detrimental effects of certain activities on the delicate ecosystem surrounding National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022
The Indian Competition Act was passed in 2002, but it came into effect only seven years later. The Competition Commission primarily pursues three issues 1. Anti-competitive practices in the market: 2.Anti-competitive agreements 3.Abuse of dominance and combinations. As the dynamics of the market changes rapidly due to technological advancements, artificial intelligence, and the increasing importance of factors other than price, amendments became necessary to sustain and promote market competition. Therefore, a review committee was established in 2019 which proposed several major amendments. The long-awaited Bill to amend the Competition Act, 2002, was finally tabled in the Lok Sabha recently. Major changes to 2002 Act. Any acquisition, merger or amalgamation may constitute a combination. Section 5 currently says parties indulging in merger, acquisition, or amalgamation need to notify the Commission of the combination only on the basis of ‘asset’ or ‘turnover’. The new Bill proposes to add a ‘deal value’ threshold. It will be mandatory to notify the Commission of any transaction with a deal value in excess of ₹2,000 crore and if either of the parties has ‘substantial business operations in India’. The Commission shall frame regulations to prescribe the requirements for assessing whether an enterprise has ‘substantial business operations in India’. This change will strengthen the Commission’s review mechanism, particularly in the digital and infrastructure space, a majority of which were not reported earlier, as the asset or turnover values did not meet the jurisdictional thresholds. When business entities are willing to execute a combination, they must inform the Commission. The Commission may approve or disapprove the combination, keeping in mind the appreciable adverse effect on competition that is likely to be caused. The Commission earlier had 210 days to approve the combination, after which it is automatically approved. The new Bill seeks to accelerate the timeline from 210 working days to only 150 working days with a conservatory period of 30 days for extensions. This will speed up the clearance of combinations and increase the importance of pre-filing consultations with the Commission. In the amendment Bill, a provision called ‘Leniency Plus’ allows the commission to give an additional waiver of penalties to an applicant who discloses the existence of another cartel in an unrelated market, provided the information enables the Commission to form a prima facie opinion about the existence of the cartel. Other noteworthy amendments include the appointment of the DG by the Commission rather than the Central government, giving the Commission greater control.