Recently, India’s External Affairs Minister recently flagged India’s Special China Problem over the world’s general China problem.

• He stressed on the careful examination of the investments from China.

India’s outstanding issues with China

• Border Disputes: Lack of consensus on Line of Actual Control, incursions in Ladakh, etc. 
• Economic: Disproportionately higher trade deficit (~ USD 85 billion in 2022-23).
• Security and strategic: Chinese tactics of ‘Salami Slicing’ Grey zone warfare, String of Pearls in the Indian Ocean Region, Belt and Road Initiative, etc. 
• Neighborhood presence: Increasing influence in the Indian Ocean Region, pro-China governments in Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, etc. 

Recently, India Post Payment Bank (IPPB) marked its 7^th Foundation Day.

About IPPB

• Established under the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communication with 100% equity owned by the Government of India.         
• Aims to provide every household in India an access to efficient banking services and enable them to become financially secure and empowered by leveraging postal network of 1,61,000+ Post Offices.
• Services offered: Saving/ Current account, Direct Benefits Transfers, Bill and Utility Payments, access to 3^rd Party products such as loans, insurance, etc.

Supreme Court criticized the Union Ministry of AYUSH for its notification requesting state licensing authorities not to take action under Rule 170 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.

• Rule 170 governs the manufacture, storage, and sale of medicines in the country, “specifically for controlling inappropriate advertisements of Ayurvedic, Siddha, and Unani medicines”.
• Ministry’s notification and subsequent observations by the Supreme Court highlights the challenges in regulating AYUSH drugs.

Challenges in regulating AYUSH Drugs

• Most AYUSH drugs can be approved simply based on the rationale provided in authoritative texts of that particular stream.
• Safety trials are required only for formulations that use around 60 specific ingredients listed in the act, such as snake venom, heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury, etc.

Recently, man-eating wolf attack in Bahraich (UP) has put around 35 villages on high alert. And ‘Operation Bhediya’ has been launched by the forest officials to capture wolves. 

About Grey Wolf 

• Distribution in India: India has two species of wolves -
  • Indian Wolf (Canis Lupus Pallipes): In peninsular India including Rajasthan, Gujarat, etc.
  • Himalayan wolf or Tibetan wolf (Canis Lupus Chanco): In Upper trans-Himalayan ranges. 
• Behavioral characteristics
  • extremely social living in a pack of 6-8 individuals, 
  • Run at very high speeds, 
  • monogamous and follow male dominance hierarchy,
  • communicate with different vocalizations and scent-marking. 
• Conservation Status
  • IUCN: Least Concern (Grey Wolf), Vulnerable (Himalayan Wolf).
  • WPA, 1972: Schedule I.

Recently, scientists have discovered a new target for cancer treatment which is used by cancer cells to regulate DNA repair during Cell division.

• Cancer cells use the enzyme TDP1 to repair DNA damage caused by chemotherapy drugs like camptothecin, leading to treatment resistance. 

About DNA Repair

• DNA repair is a mechanism of a cell to maintain the integrity of its genetic code.
• It exist in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms.
• DNA repair ensures the survival of a species. 
• 3-types of repair mechanisms: direct reversal of the damage, excision repair, and post-replication repair.

CBI has recently conducted polygraph tests, in connection with the rape of a resident doctor at the R.G. Kar Medical College in Kolkata.

• It is one of the deception detection tests, which also includes Narco-analysis and brain-mapping.

Polygraph tests

• It operates on the presumption that specific physiological responses are triggered when a person is lying.
• Tests measure physiological responses like blood pressure, sweat, breathing, and pulse rate, to determine truthfulness or deception.
• However, the efficacy of such tests remains contentious in the medical field.

The Centre has reduced the windfall tax on domestically produced crude oil. 

Windfall Tax

• A windfall tax is a tax imposed by governments on certain industries that experience significantly above-average profits due to favorable economic conditions.
• The purpose is to redistribute excess profits in one area to raise funds for the greater social good.
• Governments justify the tax by asserting that these profits are not solely due to the taxed entity's efforts but also due to external factors.

The government has implemented various interim measures for the LGBTQI+ community.

Important measures

• The Centre announced that LGBTQIA+ couples and partners in Queer relationships will now be considered part of the same household for ration cards.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has urged all stakeholders to ensure LGBTQI+ rights in healthcare, including prohibiting conversion therapy, etc.
• MoHFW has framed guidelines in respect of medical intervention required in infants/ children with disorders of sexual differentiation (intersex) to have medically normal life without complications.

Ministry of Women and Child Development has launched 7th Rashtriya Poshan Maah 2024.

• Focus is on comprehensively addressing malnutrition which is a key component of Mission Poshan 2.0.

Mission Poshan 2.0

• Key schemes: POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anganwadi Services, and Scheme for Adolescent Girls to address malnutrition in children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers.
• Key Achievements
  • Reduction in Malnutrition: NFHS-5 shows improvements in key child nutrition indicators (wasting, underweight, stunting) compared to NFHS-4.