EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
29th May 2021
Yellow Fungus Disease
Amid the rising cases of black fungus infection across India, the first case of yellow fungus, which is considered dangerous than black fungus and white fungus, has been reported from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.
- Like black fungus and white fungus, yellow fungus too is a fungal infection, but it can be rather fatal and deadly as it begins internally.
- It is mainly caused by bad hygiene.
- The delay in its diagnosis makes it very difficult to manage and more dangerous as early diagnosis is a necessity in such cases.
- It may not start from the lungs but it invades internal organs of the body and affects the entire functioning.
Symptoms of Yellow Fungus
- The symptoms of yellow fungus are loss of appetite, lethargy and weight loss.
- In latter stages of the infection patients suffering from yellow fungus exhibit severe symptoms sunken eyes due to malnutrition and organ failure, slow healing of wounds and oozing of pus from the wounds, and necrosis.
Treatment of Yellow Fungus
- The treatment for yellow fungus is similar to mucormycosis i.e. Amphotericin-B injection.
43rd GST Council meet
Recently, the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting after a gap of seven months.
Key Highlights of 43rd GST Council Meeting
- The council has decided to exempt import of relief items and is being extended till October 31, 2021.
- The Council decided to keep the GST rate of 5% as it is on COVID vaccines.
- The import of medicine for black fungus, that is Amphotericin B, has also been included in the exempted category.
- The import of Covid-related relief items, even if purchased or meant for donating to government or to any relief agency upon recommendation of state authority, to be exempted from IGST till August 31, 2021.
- Amnesty scheme: To provide relief to small taxpayers, an Amnesty scheme has been recommended for reducing late fee payable by mall taxpayers & medium-sized taxpayers.
- The Amnesty Scheme is recommended to benefit 89% GST Taxpayers.
- The rationalization of Late fee for Small Taxpayers to be applicable to future liabilities.
- The taxpayers can now file their pending returns and avail the benefits of this Amnesty scheme with reduced late fees.
- The maximum amount of late fee has been also reduced and will come into effect from future tax periods.
- Annual Return Filings under GST: The Annual Return filing will continue to be optional for FY 2020-21 for small taxpayers, having a turnover less than Rs 2 crores while reconciliation statements for 2020-21 will be furnished only by those taxpayers whose turnover is Rs 5 crores or more.
- Session on Compensation cess: A special session dedicated to compensation cess collection beyond July 2022 will be convened.
- The centre to borrow Rs 1.58 lakh crore to meet states’ compensation demand this fiscal.
- New rates in exemptions: Group of ministers to be formed quickly, who will examine need for further reductions & decide on any new rates in exemptions and will submit the report on reduction of rates on COVID-related items by June 8, 2021.
GST Council
- It is a constitutional body for making recommendations to the Union and State Government on issues related to Goods and Service Tax.
- It is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and other members are the Union State Minister of Revenue or Finance and Ministers in-charge of Finance or Taxation of all the States.
- As per Article 279A (1) of the amended Constitution, the GST Council has to be constituted by the President within 60 days of the commencement of Article 279A.
- As per Article 279A of the amended Constitution, the GST Council which will be a joint forum of the Centre and the States, shall consist of the following members:
- the Union Finance Minister as Chairperson;
- the Union Minister of State in charge of Revenue or Finance as a Member;
- the Minister in charge of Finance or Taxation or any other Minister nominated by each State Government as Members.
- As per Article 279A (4), the Council will make recommendations to the Union and the States on important issues related to GST.
GST Compensation Cess
- All taxpayers who are engaged in the supply of selected goods or services other than composition taxpayers will collect compensation cess.
- The compensation cess is levied over and above the amount of GST charged in relation to a particular supply.
- The calculation is similar to that of GST i.e. the prescribed rate is applied to the transaction value given under section 15 of the CGST Act 2017 to arrive at the cess liability.
Herero and Nama Genocide
Recently, Germany for the first time has recognised that it had committed genocide against the Herero and Nama people in present-day Namibia during its colonial rule over a century ago.
Herero and Nama Genocide
- Germany formally colonized parts of present-day Namibia i.e. a territory which was roughly twice as large as the European nation, but not as densely populated between 1884 and 1890.
- By 1903, around 3,000 German settlers had occupied the central high ground of the region.
- The tensions quickly rose as local tribes saw the German settlers as a threat to their land and resources.
- The conflict reached a boiling point in 1904, when the Herero nation (a primarily pastoral community) rebelled against the Germans, and were closely followed by the Nama tribe.
- The violence first broke out between Herero fighters and German settlers in a small town called Okahandja.
- Lieutenant General Lothar von Trotha had directed his troops to corner the Herero fighters, who had by then fled to the Waterberg plateau at the edge of the Kalahari Desert.
- During the Battle of Waterberg, around 80,000 Herero, including women and children, were chased across the desert by German troops.
- The southern Nama communities had led an insurrection against German colonialism but much like the Herero, they too were brutally suppressed.
Impact of atrocities on relations between Germany and Namibia
- The atrocities committed in what was then known as German South West Africa have been described by some historians as the first genocide of the 20th century.
- The two countries have been negotiating an agreement in an attempt to “heal the wounds” of the past which was meant to combine an official apology by Germany as well as some sort of financial package.
- The aim of the talks was to find a common path to genuine reconciliation in memory of the victims.
- In August 2020, Namibia rejected the reparations offered by Germany, claiming that their offer was “unacceptable”.
- Germany was also reluctant to use the term “reparations” to describe the financial aid they were planning to provide, the southern African nation noted at the time.
- In 2018, as a gesture of goodwill, Germany returned the human remains of some Herero and Nama tribe members, which were used during the colonial-era in experiments to assert the superiority of the European race.
Kalahari Desert
- It is a large semi-arid sandy savannah in Southern Africa.
- It is a gently undulating, sand-covered plain, and all of it is 900 metres or more above sea level.
- The temperatures in the Kalahari Desert are extreme, with summers being very hot while winter temperatures can go below zero degrees Celsius at night.
- It covers much of Botswana, the eastern third of Namibia and the northernmost part of the Northern Cape Province in South Africa.
- It is the sixth biggest desert by area on Earth and the second biggest in Africa after the Sahara.
New Spider Cricket from Chhattisgarh
Recently, a team of zoologists headed by Dr Ranjana Jaiswara of the Zoology Department of Punjab University, Chandigarh has discovered a new spider cricket from Chhattisgarh.
New Spider Cricket from Chhattisgarh
- It has been found in the Kurra caves of Chhattisgarh.
- The new subgenus was named Jayanti after Professor Jayant Biswas, one of the leading cave explorers in the country, who assisted the team.
- It has become the twelfth subgenus, or species, of cricket identified under the genus Arachnomimus Saussure, 1897.
Arachnomimus Saussure, 1897
- Arachnomimus is the genus name given by Swiss Entomologist Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure in 1878 to crickets that resembled spiders.
- The word Arachnomimus is derived from two Ancient Greek words arakhne means “spider” and mimos, means “imitator, actor”.
- It is apt because crickets of this group are commonly called spider crickets because of their smaller body size and long legs.
Characteristics of New Spider Cricket from Chhattisgarh
- The newly discovered subgenus, Indimimus, is different from the two subgenera,Arachnomimus and Euarachnomimus, because of the male genitalia structure.
- The insects have a lock-and-key model genitalia structure which is unique to each subgenus.
- The genus and subgenus are taxonomic levels created by taxonomists to classify organisms.
- A genus is represented by a set of diagnostic characters.
- The certain variations in characters compel taxonomists to divide the genus into subgenus and document the variation.
Saline Gargle RT-PCR Testing Method
Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approves ‘Saline-Gargle’ RT-PCR Test.
Saline Gargle RT-PCR Test
- It is a do-it-yourself version of the RT-PCR test developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
- It is an innovative, patient friendly method developed by CSIR’s National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).
- It is a swab-free, non-invasive testing mechanism for testing COVID-19.
Working of Saline Gargle RT-PCR Test
- The saline gargle RT-PCR method uses a simple collection tube filled with saline solution.
- The patient gargles the solution and rinses it inside the tube.
- This sample in the collection tube is taken to the laboratory where it is kept at room temperature, in a special buffer solution prepared by NEERI.
- An RNA template is produced when this solution is heated, which is further processed for Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).
Significance of Saline Gargle RT-PCR Test
- The adoption of gargle for sample collection will translate to substantial cost savingsas it would cut down the need for swabs and personal protective equipment (PPE).
- It will reduce the need to develop and maintain special infrastructure for swab collection.
- It offers a bunch of attractive benefits such as it is simple, fast, cost-effective, patient-friendly and comfortable.
- It offers instant results and is well-suited for rural and tribal areas, given the minimal infrastructure requirements.
National AI Portal (INDIAai)
Recently, the National AI Portal (INDIAai) has celebrated its first anniversary in a virtual event attended by nearly 400 participants and dignitaries.
- It is a joint initiative by Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and NASSCOM.
- It serves as a central hub for AI related news, learning, articles, events and activities etc., in India and beyond.
- It aims to be the trusted content powerhouse in the backdrop of India's journey to global prominence in Artificial Intelligence.
- It is the single central knowledge hub on artificial intelligence and allied fields for aspiring entrepreneurs, students, professionals, academics, and everyone else.
- The portal focuses on creating and nurturing a unified AI ecosystem for driving excellence and leadership in India's AI journey, to foster economic growth and improve lives through it.
National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)
- It is a not-for-profit trade association of Indian Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing industry.
- It was established in 1988.
- It is a global trade body with over 2000 members, of which over 250 are companies from the China, EU, Japan, US and UK.
- It facilitates business and trade in software and services and encourages the advancement of research in software technology.
- It is dedicated to expanding India’s role in the global IT order by creating a conducive business environment, simplifying policies and procedures, promoting intellectual capital and strengthening the talent pool.
- It focuses on accelerating the pace of transformation of the industry to emerge as the preferred enablers for global digital transformation.
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