Daily Current Affairs 1 April 2020 | UPSC Crrent Affairs 2020

Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Stranded in India

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, to extend support to the foreign tourists who are stranded in India, has come up with a portal to disseminate information regarding the services that can be availed by foreign tourists who have stuck far away from their homeland. The portal is titled ‘Stranded in India’ and aims to act as a support network for foreign tourists stuck in various parts of the country.
The portal strandedinindia.com consists of the following information that will be useful for the tourists in their time of need:

Comprehensive information around COVID-19 helpline numbers or call-centers that the foreign tourists can reach out to for help.
A variety of information around the Ministry of External Affairs control centers along with their contact information.
Information around state-based/regional tourism support infrastructure.
Help Support section to extend help to the ones in need of further information and connect foreign tourists to concerned authorities.

Source: PIB

2) Govt hikes MG-NREGS wages in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic

Concerning COVID 19 pandemic, the Department of Rural Development, GoI in close collaboration with State Governments has taken various initiatives. Mahatma Gandhi NREGS wages have been revised by the Department of Rural Development, GoI with effect from 1st April 2020. The average national increase is Rs 20. The focus of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS may be on individual beneficiary-oriented works that directly benefit SC, ST, and women-headed households as well as small & marginal farmers and other poor households. However, close consultation and guidance of the State, as well as district authorities, would be necessary to ensure that lockdown conditions are not violated and norms of social distancing are scrupulously followed.
Ministry of Rural Development is according top priority to liquidate the wage and material arrears. An amount of Rs. 4,431 crore has been released this week to various States/UTs to liquidate these liabilities of the current fiscal year and the remaining such liabilities along with 1st tranche for the year 2020-21 will be released before 15th April 2020. An amount of Rs. 721 crore has been released to the State Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act 2005

Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (or, NREGA No 42, later renamed as the "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act", MGNREGA), is Indian labor law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the 'right to work'. This act was passed in September 2005.
It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work
The act was first proposed in 1991 by P.V. Narasimha Rao.[3] It was finally accepted in the parliament and commenced implementation in 625 districts of India. Based on this pilot experience, NREGA was scoped up to cover all the districts of India from 1 April 2008.[4] The statute is hailed by the government as "the largest and most ambitious social security and public works program in the world". In its World Development Report 2014, the World Bank termed it a "stellar example of rural development".
The MGNREGA was initiated with the objective of "enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year, to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work".[7] Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds, and wells). Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant's residence, and minimum wages are to be paid. If work is not provided within 15 days of applying, applicants are entitled to an unemployment allowance. That is, if the government fails to provide employment, it has to provide certain unemployment allowances to those people. Thus, employment under MGNREGA is a legal entitlement.
MGNREGA is to be implemented mainly by gram panchayats (GPs). The involvement of contractors is banned.
Apart from providing economic security and creating rural assets, NREGA can help in protecting the environment, empowering rural women, reducing rural-urban migration and fostering social equity, among others."
The law provides many safeguards to promote effective management and implementation. The act explicitly mentions the principles and agencies for implementation, list of allowed works, financing pattern, monitoring and evaluation, and most importantly the detailed measures to ensure transparency and accountability.

Source: PIB

3) G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Virtual Meeting

Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 2nd Extraordinary G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the Saudi Arabian Presidency, to discuss the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and coordinate efforts in response to this global challenge.
Finance Minister appreciated the Saudi Presidency for organizing these meetings which provide an opportunity for all G20 members to not only share their individual experiences but also to work in better coordination.
G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors during the 1st Extraordinary Virtual G20 FMCBG Meeting held on March 23, 2020, had decided to meet virtually regularly to continue discussions on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its impact on markets and economic conditions and take further actions to support the economy during and after this phase. This meeting was held to follow up on the discussion of the 1st virtual meeting as well as to discuss the follow-up in line with the statement made by G20 Leaders during the G20 Virtual Leaders Summit held on March 26, 2020. During the summit, the Leaders had tasked G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to deliver a G20 Action Plan in Response to COVID-19, in close cooperation with relevant international organizations (IOs).
Smt Sitaraman supported the proposed G20 Action Plan and emphasized that such an exercise would provide an opportunity for immense cross-learning and critical insights. Referring to the G20 Leaders statement, regarding regulatory and supervisory measures, she emphasized the importance of ensuring that the financial system continues to support and quickly revive the economy
Finance Minister made specific interventions on reviewing and enhancing the IMF toolkit and further expanding the swap line network. She suggested that the IMF can develop innovative and ingenious methods to meet COVID-19 related financing requirements given that policy space is severely constrained in most countries in these unprecedented circumstances.
On the issue of swap arrangements, Smt. Sitharaman encouraged the IMF to use its existing resources to create a non-stigmatized short-term liquidity swap facility which could be rapidly deployed as and when needed by the countries. She also emphasized the need to allow flexibility for countries to engage in new lines of bilateral swap arrangements as per requirements.
During her intervention, Smt. Sitharaman also briefly shared with her G20 counterparts the efforts being made by Government of India to deal with COVID-19 crisis, including the recently announced relief package of INR 1.7 Trillion for the poor, the emergency health fund of INR 150 Billion, along with several other monetary, fiscal and regulatory measures taken to address the economic and social concerns of those most impacted by the crisis.

G20

The G20 (or Group of Twenty) is an international forum for the governments and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union (EU). Founded in 1999 to discuss policy about the promotion of international financial stability, the G20 has expanded its agenda since 2008 and heads of government or heads of state, as well as finance ministers and foreign ministers, have periodically conferred at summits ever since. It seeks to address issues that go beyond the responsibilities of any one organization.
Membership of the G20 consists of 19 individual countries plus the European Union. The EU is represented by the European Commission and by the European Central Bank. Collectively, the G20 economies account for around 90% of the gross world product (GWP), 80% of world trade (or, if excluding EU intra-trade, 75%), two-thirds of the world population, and approximately half of the world land area.
With the G20 growing in stature after its inaugural leaders' summit in 2008, its leaders announced on 25 September 2009 that the group would replace the G8 as the main economic council of wealthy nations. Since its inception, the G20's membership policies have been criticized by some intellectuals, and its summits have been a focus for major protests by left-wing groups and anarchists.
The heads of the G20 nations held summits twice in 2009 and twice in 2010. Since the November 2011 Cannes summit, G20 summits have been held annually.

Source: PIB

4) Hydroxychloroquine combination allowed

The Union Health Ministry has allowed the use of Hydroxychloroquine in combination with Azithromycin under close monitoring for patients with severe disease and requiring ICU management as per the revised Guidelines on Clinical Management of COVID–19.
Hydroxychloroquine was previously under testing and was allowed to be administered only to doctors and caregivers in direct contact with COVID-19 positive cases.
The Health Ministry has noted that no specific antiviral has been proven to be effective as per currently available data. However, based on the available information (uncontrolled clinical trials), the following drugs may be considered.
It has, however, cautioned that the medication is presently not recommended for children less than 12 years, pregnant and lactating women. “The revised guidelines are based on currently available information and would be reviewed from time to time as new evidence emerges,” it added.
Health Ministry’s Revised National Clinical Management of COVID19 is intended for clinicians taking care of hospitalized adult and pediatric patients of COVID–19. “This is not meant to replace clinical judgment or specialist consultation but rather to strengthen clinical management of these patients and provide uptodate guidance,” noted the document

Hydroxychloroquine

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), sold under the brand name Plaquenil among others, is a medication used to prevent and treat malaria in areas where malaria remains sensitive to chloroquine. Other uses include treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and porphyria cutanea tarda. It is taken by mouth. It is also being studied as an experimental treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Common side effects include vomiting, headache, changes in vision, and muscle weakness. Severe side effects may include allergic reactions. Although all risk cannot be excluded, it remains a treatment for rheumatic disease during pregnancy. Hydroxychloroquine is in the antimalarial and 4-aminoquinoline families of medication.
Hydroxychloroquine was approved for medical use in the United States in 1955. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the safest and most effective medicines needed in a health system. In 2017, it was the 128th-most-prescribed medication in the United States, with more than five million prescriptions.

Medical use

Hydroxychloroquine is used to treat systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatic disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, porphyria cutanea tarda, and Q fever, and certain types of malaria. It is considered the first-line treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus. Certain types of malaria, resistant strains, and complicated cases require different or additional medication.
It is widely used to treat primary Sjögren syndrome but is not effective. Hydroxychloroquine is widely used in the treatment of post-Lyme arthritis. It may have both an anti-spirochaete activity and an anti-inflammatory activity, similar to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Side effects

The most common adverse effects are mild nausea and occasional stomach cramps with mild diarrhea. The most serious adverse effects affect the eye, with dose-related retinopathy as a concern even after hydroxychloroquine use is discontinued. For short-term treatment of acute malaria, adverse effects can include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, heart problems, reduced appetite, headache, nausea, and vomiting.
For the prolonged treatment of lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, adverse effects include the acute symptoms, plus altered eye pigmentation, acne, anemia, bleaching of hair, blisters in mouth and eyes, blood disorders, convulsions, vision difficulties, diminished reflexes, emotional changes, the excessive coloring of the skin, hearing loss, hives, itching, liver problems or liver failure, loss of hair, muscle paralysis, weakness or atrophy, nightmares, psoriasis, reading difficulties, tinnitus, skin inflammation and scaling, skin rash, vertigo, weight loss, and occasionally urinary incontinence. Hydroxychloroquine can worsen existing cases of both psoriasis and porphyria.
Children may be especially vulnerable to developing adverse effects from hydroxychloroquine

Source: The Hindu

5) Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES)

Amid coronavirus, Encephalitis returns in Bihar as a toddler dies in Muzaffarpur.
While the causes of AES are still researched, the association with hypoglycemia and litchi fruit has drawn attention.

About AES:

Acute encephalitis syndrome is a basket term used for referring to hospitals, children with clinical neurological manifestation that includes mental confusion, disorientation, convulsion, delirium, or coma.
Meningitis caused by virus or bacteria, encephalitis (mostly Japanese encephalitis) caused by a virus, encephalopathy, cerebral malaria, and scrub typhus caused by bacteria are collectively called acute encephalitis syndrome.
The disease most commonly affects children and young adults and can lead to considerable morbidity and mortality.

Symptoms:

It is characterized as acute-onset of fever and a change in mental status (mental confusion, disorientation, delirium, or coma) and/or new onset of seizures in a person of any age at any time of the year.

Cause of the disease:

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) is considered a very complex disease as it can be caused by various agents including bacteria, fungi, virus and many other agents.
Viruses are the main causative agents in AES cases, although other sources such as bacteria, fungus, parasites, spirochetes, chemicals, toxins, and non-infectious agents have also been reported over the past few decades.
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the major cause of AES in India (ranging from 5%-35%).
Nipah virus, Zika virus are also found as causative agents for AES.

How is it related to litchi fruits? How it affects?

In India, AES outbreaks in the north and eastern India have been linked to children eating unripe litchi fruit on empty stomachs.
Unripe fruit contains the toxins hypoglycin A and methylene-cyclopropyl glycine (MCPG), which cause vomiting if ingested in large quantities. Hypoglycin A is a naturally occurring amino acid found in the unripened litchi that causes severe vomiting (Jamaican vomiting sickness), while MCPG is a poisonous compound found in litchi seeds.

Why it affects undernourished children?

Blood glucose falls sharply causing severe brain malfunction (encephalopathy), leading to seizures and coma, and death in many cases.
This is because under-nourished children lack sufficient glucose reserve in the form of glycogen and the production of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources is blocked midway leading to low blood sugar levels.
This causes serious brain function derangement and seizures.

Measures needed:

Increase access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities.
Improve the nutritional status of children at risk of JE/AES.
Preparative measures to be in place before the possible outbreaks.
Vector control.
Better awareness generation among children, parents through Anganwadi workers, ANMs, etc.

Source: Down To Earth

6) Rapid test

To tackle suspicions of whether the novel coronavirus has spread into the community and if not prevent such a scenario, the Kerala government has announced ‘rapid tests’ that will ensure speedy results within half an hour.

What is the ‘rapid test’ for Coronavirus?

A rapid test is conducted to determine whether there has been any kind of recent viral infection in a person’s body.

When a pathogen enters a human body, specific antibodies are released as a response to the virus.
A rapid test can detect the presence of such antibodies in blood, serum or plasma samples quickly, indicating a viral infection. Rapid testing is conducted usually to check for community transmission of a virus during an epidemic.
According to the health department, it is a simple test that can be done with a person’s blood sample and will give out results within 10-30 minutes. It is also a low-cost test.

What does Kerala’s health department plan to do?

Rapid tests can be used to conduct screening within the community and identify those with suspected infection, put them under observation and if required, subject them to the PCR test for coronavirus confirmation.
Kerala plans to acquire as many rapid antibody kits as possible from ICMR-NiV and begin to use them, especially on those under quarantine in areas like Kasaragod district which has reported 80 of the 181 active cases. The situation in Kasaragod is critical than in other districts and has been met with stricter lockdown measures by the administration.

Source: Indian Express

7) Earth Hour

Every year, Earth Hour is observed on the last Saturday of March at 8:30 pm. And while previously it brought the public out onto the roads to mark the hour, this year the famous environmental initiative went digital as many countries are in lockdown.

What is Earth Hour?

Dating back to 2007, Earth Hour is an annual event organized by the World Wildlife Fund that promotes conservation and sustainable energy. During this time, civilians are encouraged to switch off their lights for one hour to help reduce the effect of global warming and raise awareness for climate change and wildlife conservation.

Background:

It was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide. Today, Earth Hour engages a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues. The one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement.

What’s the difference between Earth Hour and Earth Day?

Whereas Earth Hour stands as a climate change initiative where people reduce their electricity usage, Earth Day (April 22) celebrates our natural environment by inspiring people to plant trees, recycle regularly and keep the planet tidy.

Why do we need earth hour?

Global warming and climate change have dominated the scientific discourse in the past more than one decade. With the ever-rising population of the world, climate change has put humankind at a great risk along with other species.
Global warming, rising levels of pollution due to ever-increasing industrialization, declining forest cover and rising sea levels are some of the dangers that drastically affect the workings of life on the earth.
Though the largest polluters are big industries, the WWF tries to make the masses more and more aware of the impending dangers of the adverse climate so that they could put pressure on the respective governments to frame environment-friendly policies and laws.
With Earth Hour, the WWF aims to engage people across the globe to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Turning off lights for an hour is just an annual reminder that if the world does not mend its ways, it will be heading to a dark age, literally.

Source: All India Radio

8) Migrant Workers Given Mass Disinfectant Bath

Recently, migrant laborers returning to their homes from urban centers were forced to take an open bath with disinfectant before they were allowed to enter Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh).
It was done to prevent COVID-19 from spreading even further in the town.

Key Points

The nodal officer-in-charge of COVID-19 in the district confirmed that the disinfectant was only chlorine mixed with water and not a chemical solution.
However, the Medical Officer of Bareilly has informed that sodium hypochlorite solution was sprayed on the migrants.
The solution is also being used in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Punjab for disinfecting buildings and solid surfaces in a bid to wash away any presence of novel coronavirus.
It was argued that the move was initiated for the safety of the incoming migrants who arrived in special buses run by the government as it was necessary to eradicate the possible spread of the disease.
The District Magistrate has ordered action against officials who recklessly forced migrants to take bath with the disinfectant without knowing its harmful effects on humans.

In Delhi, a 1% sodium hypochlorite solution was used in the spray applied to migrant workers’ belongings.
A 1% solution can cause damage to the skin of anyone who comes in contact with it.

Sodium Hypochlorite

Sodium hypochlorite is commonly used as a disinfectant, a bleaching agent, and also to sanitize swimming pools.
It releases chlorine, which is a disinfectant and big quantities of chlorine can be harmful.
Uses:

A normal household bleach usually is a 2-10% sodium hypochlorite solution.
At a much lower 0.25-0.5%, this chemical is used to treat skin wounds like cuts or scrapes.
An even weaker solution (0.05%) is sometimes used as a handwash.

Harmful effects on human beings:

Sodium hypochlorite is corrosive and is meant largely to clean hard surfaces.
If it gets inside the body, it can cause serious harm to the lungs.
Even a 0.05% solution could be very harmful to the eyes.
It can cause itching or burning and is not recommended to be used on human beings, certainly not as a spray or shower.

Effect on the novel coronavirus:

The World Health Organization (WHO), and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommend homemade bleach solutions of about 2-10% concentration to clean hard surfaces to disinfect them from coronavirus.
A Michigan State University tutorial says that cleaning hard surfaces with this solution can disinfect them not just from novel coronavirus but also help prevent flu, foodborne illnesses, and more.
However, it advises to always use the bleach in a well-ventilated area and wear gloves when handling the product or solution.

Source: The Hindu

9) IIT-B Designs UV Sanitiser

Recently, the Industrial Design Centre (IDC) of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay has developed a portable UltraViolet (UV) sanitizer.
It can sterilize wallets, purses and other small items that are passed on from hand to hand.

Key Points

The UV sanitizer has been made using stainless steel kitchen containers and aluminum mesh and is in the proof-of-concept stage right now.
Its design is based on a study published in a journal PubMed, by the US National Library of Medicine.

The study demonstrates how ultraviolet C Light can inactivate Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) Virus and Nipah Virus.

Objects might be carriers of the viruses and sanitizing gel cannot be used on every object humans come in contact with like papers, files, currency notes, and phones.
Other contributions by IDC:

IDC is also working on projects on sanitizing bigger surfaces and working on different models.
The institute has also been making its own cotton masks, which are double-layered and washable.
IDC has also collaborated with a company called Applied Systems to manufacture face shields using helmet visors.
IIT also developed apps to help keep quarantine violations in check.

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever

It is a viral hemorrhagic fever usually transmitted by ticks.
It can also be contracted through contact with viraemic animal tissues (animal tissue where the virus has entered the bloodstream) during and immediately post-slaughter of animals.
CCHF outbreaks constitute a threat to public health services as the virus can lead to epidemics, with a high case fatality ratio (10-40%).
CCHF is endemic in all of Africa, the Balkans, the Middle East, and Asia.
Symptoms:

Fever, muscle ache, dizziness, neck pain, backache, headache, sore eyes and photophobia (sensitivity to light).
There may be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and sore throat early on, followed by sharp mood swings, confusion, depression, and liver enlargement.

Treatment:

General supportive care with the treatment of symptoms is the main approach to managing CCHF in people.
The antiviral drug ribavirin has been used to treat CCHF infection with apparent benefit. Both oral and intravenous formulations seem to be effective.
There are no vaccines widely available for human or animal use. In the absence of a vaccine, the only way to reduce infection in people is by raising awareness of the risk factors and educating people about the measures they can take to reduce exposure to the virus.

Source: Indian Express

10) Lockdown Made Kaveri and Tributaries Cleaner

According to the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), the strict enforcement of 21-day lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the pollution in the Kaveri river and its tributaries.
However, the Board will test the water samples at the regional laboratory in Mysore under the national program ‘Monitoring of Indian National Aquatic Resources' and Global Environmental Monitoring Scheme.

Key Points

Untreated sewage from residential areas; pollutants from industries; religious waste material from pilgrims, and construction debris had been polluting the rivers.
These rivers were flowing with hazardous elements such as lead, fluoride, fecal coliform, and some suspended solids in highly dangerous quantities.
The prohibition of industrial and religious activities has helped in reducing pollution levels in the rivers.

Kaveri River

Kaveri is a sacred river of southern India. It rises in the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats and falls in the Bay of Bengal south of Cuddalore, in Tamil Nadu.
It forms the sacred islands of Srirangapatna and Shivanasamudra and Shivanasamudra falls and also a wide delta.
Total Length of the river is about 760 km.
Its main tributaries are Amravati, Bhavani, Hemavati, Kabini, Shimsha, and Lakshmana Tirtha.
Its basin drains parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS)

It was introduced in 1975 at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment.
It is a global operation that collects information to better understand and protect the Earth’s environment.
This effort is made with the cooperation of other countries, who contribute data to the GEMS.

Monitoring of Indian National Aquatic Resources (MINARS)

MINARS is a National Programme of monitoring national aquatic resources.
It was started in 1984, with a total of 113 stations spread over 10 river basins.
The present network comprises 870 stations on rivers, lentic water bodies and subsurface waters.

Source: The Hindu

11) GPS Data to Map Corona High-risk Zones

Recently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to use Global Positioning System (GPS) data to map high-risk zones in the city and the number of positive cases in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Points

Till now, BMC had refrained from revealing details about COVID-19-afflicted patients to mitigate fear and prevent stigmatization.
However, with a spike in the numbers, lockdown and quarantine violations, the civic body has decided to map the high-risk zones to alert citizens to stay away from these areas and follow lockdown instructions.
Ward officers will ensure mandatory home-delivery of essentials like medicines and grocery items to restrict citizens' movement in these zones.

Other initiatives:

To strengthen the healthcare facilities, final-year medical and nursing students will be drafted into its workforce and given charge of OPDs and administrative duties at various civic-run hospitals.
To decongest major hospitals and effectively use isolation beds for patients, BMC has decided to categorize patients based on the three categories-
asymptomatic patients below 55 years and without any co-morbidity.
asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients above 55 years.
symptomatic patients.

Global Positioning System

It is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), used to determine the ground position of an object.
It is a US-owned utility that provides users with positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services.
Services Provided:
The civilian service is freely available to all users on a continuous, worldwide basis.
The military service is available to the US and allied armed forces as well as approved Government agencies.
Other GNSS include European Union's Galileo, Russia's GLONASS, China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and India’s Navigation in Indian Constellation (NavIC).

Navigation in Indian Constellation

It has been developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
The main objective is to provide reliable position, navigation, and timing services over India and its neighborhood
It is named after Indian fishermen and navigators and will provide two types of services-
Standard Positioning Service (SPS) is meant for the general public.
Restricted Service (RS) is an encrypted service meant for authorized users and agencies.
Unlike the widely used GPS which includes 24 satellites, NavIC has 7 satellites and their range is within India and its adjoining regions extending up to 1,500 km from the country's border.
Technically satellite systems with more satellites provide more accurate positioning information.
However, compared to GPS which has a position accuracy of 20-30 meters, the NavIC can pinpoint location to an estimated accuracy of under 20 meters.

Source: Indian Express

12) Public Health vs Private Information

Recently, a list containing private information of suspects of COVID-19 was not only found on social media but also some state governments, officially, have made public the disclosure of data of those under quarantine.
Such disclosures have raised concerns over balancing the importance of public health, doctor-patient confidentiality and the fundamental right to privacy.

Key Points

In the absence of a national protocol or law, state governments are divided on the approach to handle the situation.
While some states have put data in the public domain to better inform citizens, other states are making efforts to protect identities to avoid panic and to respect privacy.
For contact tracing and ensuring social isolation, states are relying upon informing communities. Example:

Karnataka has published a district-wise list of those who are home-quarantined with travel details and exact addresses on the Department of Health and Family Planning’s website.
Many states including Delhi, Gujarat, and Karnataka have instructed local authorities to label houses where individuals are quarantined.

However, West Bengal, which has put peoples under home surveillance and in isolation, has not disclosed the identities of individuals or hospitals in which they are kept.

Legal Perspective

No law backs disclosure of personnel information to the public.
The Code of Medical Ethics prescribed by the Indian Medical Council bars disclosure of information relating to the patient learned during the treatment except in certain cases.

The exceptions include circumstances where there is a serious and identified risk to a specific person and/or community; and in the case of notifiable diseases.

Even the Ministry of Health guidelines for surveillance provides for sharing of patient/contact information with the state or district level surveillance units of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme or any other authority that first comes in contact with the patient.

But there is no provision in these guidelines to make patient details public or even naming missing patients.

Legislation invoked to handle a public health emergency, the Epidemic Act, 1897, and the Disaster Management Act, 2005, provide legal immunity to action taken in “good faith” during this time.

The provision states that officers and employees of the Central/ State Government shall be immune from the legal process regarding any warning in respect of any impending disaster communicated or disseminated by them in their official capacity or any action taken or direction issued by them in pursuance of such communication or dissemination.

Even, under the Data Protection Bill, a data fiduciary (the government) can process personal data of individuals to respond to a medical emergency where the life of a data principal is at risk.

It can also be processed in the face of an epidemic, outbreak of diseases or any other threat to public health.
The COVID-19 pandemic can fall under these categories.

Issues

Publishing names of individuals, along with their addresses on social media or in front of their houses put families at risk of physical or emotional distress.
It will also create more panic among the people.
If challenged in court, disclosure of personnel information by the government will have to pass the “proportionality test” prescribed by the Supreme Court in the landmark 2017 Puttaswamy verdict that recognized the fundamental right to privacy.

The proportionality test is a legal method used by constitutional courts, to decide hard cases, that is cases where legitimate rights collide.
In such a case, a decision necessarily leads to one right prevailing at the expense of another.

Way Forward

Disclosures that are needed for contact tracing need to be restricted to public officials who are entrusted with enforcing the quarantine.
Personal details must be masked when disclosed in public.

Source: Indian Express

13) Withdrawal from EPF Accounts

The Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has notified an amendment to the Employees’ Provident Funds (EPF) Scheme allowing members to withdraw non-refundable advance amounts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key Points

The notification amends the EPF Scheme, 1952 by inserting Sub-Para (3) under Para 68L of the EPF Scheme, 1952.
This permits withdrawal not exceeding the basic wages and dearness allowance for three months or up to 75% of the PF balance, whichever is lower, in the event of an outbreak of epidemic or pandemic.
Earlier, non-refundable advances were permitted only for specified purposes such as housing and marriage. Even these were permitted only where the employee has put in a minimum service period.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 had been declared a pandemic for the entire country, all employees of establishments and factories in India who are members of the EPF scheme would be eligible for the amended scheme.
Recently, the Finance Minister — as part of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana — said that the government will bear the cost of the provident fund contributions, both of the employer and employees—12% each—for the next three months for those establishments which have up to 100 employees and 90% of whom are earning less than ₹15,000 per month as salary. It also relaxed withdrawal conditions from EPF accounts.

Employees’ Provident Funds Scheme

EPF is the main scheme under the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Act, 1952. This scheme offers the institution of provident funds for factory employees and other establishments.
The employee and employer each contribute 12% of the employee’s basic salary and dearness allowance towards EPF.
The Economic Survey 2016-17 had suggested that employees be allowed to choose whether or not to save 12% of their salary into EPF or keep it as take-home pay.
As per current laws, a person mandatorily becomes a member of EPF if his monthly salary does not exceed Rs. 15,000.

Source: Indian Express

14) Humidity and Spread of Coronavirus

Recently, a study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States found that regions experiencing a monsoon might see a slowdown (not a stop) in the transmission of the coronavirus as a result of moderate levels of humidity.
This could help mitigation strategies in tropical countries such as India.

Key Points

The findings show that 90% of the novel coronavirus transmissions have occurred in regions with temperatures between 3 and 17 degrees Celsius.
These regions also had an average humidity range of 3-9 grams per cubic meter (g/m3).
These regions comprised the United States and several European countries that are inundated by COVID-19 infections.
There are comparatively fewer infections in warmer and humid countries such as Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, and Qatar.

It is also possible that warmer temperatures retarded the spread of the virus.

A series of experimental studies have shown that the Coronaviruses are sensitive to humidity and are less likely to thrive at moderate levels of humidity.
A 2018 study in the peer-reviewed Applied and Environmental Microbiology concluded that

Coronaviruses thrived when the Relative Humidity (RH) (the proportion of water vapor in the air compared to what’s the maximum possible) exceeded 85% or dipped below 60%.
There is a significant decrease in infectivity at mid-range RHs (60 to 85%).

A similar experiment that tested the ability of viruses to survive on stainless steel surfaces, found that

At 4°C, infectious viruses persisted for as long as 28 days.
The lowest level of inactivation occurred at 20% RH.
Inactivation was quicker at 20°C than at 4°C at all humidity levels.
The slowest inactivation occurred at low levels of RH.

Source: The Hindu