Supreme Court has expanded definition of “acid attack victims” under Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD), 2016 by including forcible acid ingestion victims and victims with internal injuries (even without visible disfigurement).
- SC has also suggested a shift in Burden of Proof on acid attack accused.
- RPwD Act, 2016 ensures that all PwDs can lead their lives with dignity, without discrimination and with equal opportunities.
Legal provisions for acid attack survivors in India
- Section 124, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS, 2023): Acid attack causing injury/deformity is cognizable, and non-bailable offence with punishment up to 10 years to life and fine.
- Section 397, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS): Free, immediate treatment in all hospitals; police intimation mandatory
- Victim compensation scheme: Under Sec 396 Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
- Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) Assistance: Up to ₹1 lakh aid and recognised for welfare schemes.
- Landmark Judgments:
- Laxmi case: Regulated acid sale
- Parivartan Kendra: Action against illegal suppliers
Tea plantation workers in West Bengal invoked Article 24 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Constitution, alleging labour rights violations and poor working conditions in tea gardens.
- Article 24 allows workers’ or employers’ organisations to file a representation against a member state for non-compliance with ratified labour conventions.
About International Labour Organisation (ILO)
- Established: 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles
- Objective: Promote labour rights, decent work and social justice
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- Members: 187 member states (India is a founding member)
- Other key information:
- Tripartite structure involving governments, employers and workers.
- First specialised agency of the United Nations (1946)
- Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1969) for promoting social justice and workers’ rights.
NASA’s NISAR satellite observations revealed rapid land subsidence in Mexico City due to excessive groundwater extraction.
About NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) Satellite
- Nature: First joint Earth observation satellite mission between ISRO and NASA.
- Launch Vehicle: GSLV-F16 (GSLV Mk-II)
- Orbit: Sun-synchronous polar orbit
- Mission Life: 5 years
- Dual Bands: First satellite to use both L-band and S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) from a single platform Unique Feature.
- Imaging Capability:
- Fully polarimetric and interferometric data
- ~240 km swath coverage
- Revisits Earth every 12 days
- Technique Used: Advanced SweepSAR technology for high-resolution wide-swath imaging.
Hantavirus outbreak has trapped 150 people on Dutch flagged cruise ship MV Hondius leaving 3 persons dead.
About Hantavirus
- Zoonotic viruses carried by rodents (rats and mice) that can cause severe disease in humans.
- Transmission: People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva.
- It causes 2 types of syndromes:
- Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS): A rapidly progressive condition affecting the lungs and heart.
- Haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
- There is no specific cure available.
Four mountain bongos arrived in Kenya on their way to their native forests after years in the care of a zoo in the Czech Republic.
About Bongo Antelope (Tragelaphus eurycerus)
- Characteristics:
- World’s largest forest antelope.
- Recognised by its reddish-brown body with white stripes and long spiral horns.
- Two subspecies: Western Bongo and Eastern (Mountain) Bongo.
- Habitat: Dense rainforests and forest-savanna ecosystems, in Central and East African forests.
- IUCN Status: Western Bongo (Near Threatened); Eastern Bongo (Critically Endangered).
- Threats: Habitat loss and poaching.
Light pollution threatens world’s darkest skies in Atacama Desert impacting Astronomical Observations.
About Atacama Desert
- Location: Northern Chile, South America.
- Coastal non-polar hyper arid desert running North to South between Pacific Ocean (west) and Andes Range (east).
- Aridity: Caused by Humboldt Current (cold ocean current) flowing off Pacific Coast.
- Features: salt pans, alluvial fans, dunes, and volcanic cones, supports astronomical observations due to clear skies.
- Major Astronomical Observatories in Atacama: Atacama Large Millimeter Array; Paranal Observatory, etc.
Centre to expand rollout of Samarth Panchayat Portal to states like Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
About Samarth Panchayat Portal
- Ministry: Ministry of Panchayati Raj
- Purpose: Digital platform that empowers Panchayats to enhance and transparently monitor their tax and non-tax revenue sources.
- Helps Panchayats strengthen their Own Sources of Revenue (OSR) through UPI-based online tax assessment and seamless tax payment at the Gram Panchayat level.
Scientists warn that rising temperatures due to climate change can spread the risk of disease-causing amoeba, particularly, brain-eating amoeba.
About Brain-Eating Amoeba
- Lives in soil and warm freshwater lakes, rivers, ponds, and hot springs around the world.
- Enters the body through the nose, and attacks the brain tissues.
- Can cause an infection called Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM).
- PAM is a rare, fulminant infection of central nervous system, that is always fatal.
