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'The Kerala government said that cases of West Nile fever have been reported from three districts in the state – Thrissur, Malappuram and Kozhikode.' One person died of the viral disease on Monday and six other cases have been reported in recent days. West Nile virus can cause a fatal neurological disease in humans. However, approximately 80 percent of those infected will not show any symptoms. The West Nile Virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne, single-stranded RNA virus. It is a flavivirus and is related to the viruses that cause Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever. WNV can also spread through blood transfusion, from an infected mother to her child, or through exposure to the virus in laboratories. It is not known to spread by contact with infected humans or animals.

Reservation within Constitutional bounds

'A political slugfest has emerged over the reservation issues with the BJP making outlandish remarks about the Congress’ demand for caste census by linking it to religion.' The Constitution aims to secure social justice while guaranteeing equality as a fundamental right. Articles 15 and 16 guarantee equality to all citizens in any action by the state (including admissions to educational institutions) and public employment respectively. In the Indra Sawhney case (1992), the Supreme Court upheld the 27% reservation for OBC. It opined that caste is a determinant of class in the Indian context and backwardness cannot be determined solely on economic criteria.

Widal test

Health & Medicine

'More often than not, the experience for patients with a fever is to get tested and treated for a typhoid infection.' The test is a rapid blood test called the Widal test. The subsequent treatment usually consists of tablets, typically in urban areas, or injections in rural ones. Typhoid spreads through contaminated food and water and is caused by Salmonella typhiand other related bacteria. A small 2023 study reported the burden to be 576-1173 cases per 100,000 child-years (one child year is one child being followed up for one year) in urban areas and 35 per 100,000 child years in rural Pune.

A new biocontrol agent to manage ‘foot rot’ disease in Basmati crop

Ecology & Environment

'The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has developed biocontrol agent Trichoderma asperellum (2% WP), and registered it with the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC).' The biocontrol agent will help Punjab farmers manage the deadly ‘foot rot’ or ‘bakanae’ disease that plagues the crops of Basmati rice, varieties of fragrant rice that are popular world over. Foot rot is a fungal disease that affects Basmati rice crops particularly at the seedling stage, though it might also cause infection after transplantation in case infected seedlings are transplanted. It is caused by the fungus Fusarium verticillioides.

History of India and Nepal’s border issue

Geography

'Nepal’s cabinet last week decided to put a map on its Rs 100 currency note showing certain areas administered by India in Uttarakhand as part of its territory, provoking External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to say that such “unilateral measures” by Kathmandu would not change the reality on the ground.' The territorial dispute is about a 372-sq-km area that includes Limpiadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani at the India-Nepal-China trijunction in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district. Nepal has claimed for long that these areas belong to it both historically and evidently. The map was adopted by consensus in Nepal’s Parliament four years ago. The Prime Ministers of India and Nepal have agreed to have the boundary issue examined and settled through diplomatic channels.

The delay in Nagaland civic body polls

'Recently,Nagaland’s State Election Commissioner T.J. Longkumer notified the schedule of elections to the State’s Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across three municipal councils — Dimapur, Kohima, and Mokokchung — and 36 town councils.' The notification came four days after the Neiphiu Rio-led State Cabinet paved the way for holding civic polls stalled for 20 years because of opposition to the reservation of 33% of the wards reserved for women. The apex tribal bodies and village chiefs are said to have, by and large, accepted the provisions of the amended Municipal Act. However, the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) representing the tribes inhabiting six eastern districts of the State, has affirmed its decision not to participate in the ULB polls.

Giving primacy to human development

Index & Reports

'India ranked 134 out of 193 countries in the UN Human Development Index (HDI) in 2022, which was an improvement compared to 2021, when it ranked 135 out of 192 countries.' This one point increase can be attributed to a marginal increase in HDI value to 0.644 in 2022 from 0.633 in 2021. This places India is in the medium human development category. Between 1990 and 2022, India witnessed an increase in HDI value by 48.4%, that is, from 0.434 in 1990 to 0.644 in 2022. The World Inequality Lab study shows that the bottom 50% were getting only 15% of India’s national income in 2022-23.

Registration of marriage

'The Supreme Court last week ruled that despite an official marriage certificate, a Hindu couple before the Court had “never acquired the status of husband and wife.”' Marriage in India is largely governed through a gamut of personal laws, and the Special Marriage Act, 1954 (SMA). Though codified through statute, these personal laws are essentially practices ordained by religion, with each religion having its own set of ‘requirements’ for a marriage — a marriage is ‘valid’ when these requirements are met. Section 8 of the HMA gives powers to the state to register marriages solemnized as per the requirements of Section 7. Similarly, the Indian Christian Marriage Act 1872 provides the procedure for solemnization of Christian marriages and their registration.

The Kotak Mahindra Bank controversy

Economy

08 May 2024

'The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on April 24 barred Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) from onboarding new customers on its online and mobile banking channels, and issuing fresh credit cards.' It would however be allowed to provide these services to its existing customers. The RBI stated the actions were necessitated because of deficiencies observed in the private lender’s IT systems and controls commensurate to its growth. In December 2020, the regulator had ceased HDFC from launching any new digital products and sourcing new credit card consumers. This was also based on a two-year assessment that had come across recurrent incidents of outage in its internet and mobile banking platforms, alongside payment utilities.

Religion-based reservations in India

08 May 2024

'In election season, India is debating fundamental constitutional questions around reservation.' The first constitutional amendment inserted Article 15(4), which empowered the state to make “any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes”. The Mandal Commission, following the example set by several states, included a number of Muslim castes in the list of OBCs. The Supreme Court in Indra Sawhney (1992) laid down that any social group, whatever its mark of identity, if found to be backward under the same criteria as others, will be entitled to be treated as a backward class.