Social sector

The CJI clarified that the hearing of a batch of petitions seeking legal recognition of same sex marriage scope would be limited to developing a notion of a “civil union” that finds legal recognition under the Special Marriage Act. A “civil union” refers to the legal status that allows same-sex couples specific rights and responsibilities normally conferred …

Traditional healing system faces challenges of being lost and slid into oblivion What is traditional healing? Traditional healing refers to the health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs that incorporate healing and wellness. These practices include using ceremonies, plant, animal or mineral-based medicines, energetic therapies and physical or hands-on techniques. Traditional healing practice is holistic and aims at the overall well-being of the …

Prices of milk across country has gone up. The current price inflation in milk has mainly to do with a shortage of fat. It has led dairies to increase full-cream milk prices more or to cut down fat content through rebranding of existing products. Production statistics: The share of buffaloes to total output was about 46.4% in 2021-22. In 2000-01, it stood at …

Despite attempts to create an egalitarian and modern society, the caste system remains a prominent feature of Indian society. Historically, castes, which are often associated with certain occupations, were arranged in a hierarchy, with some castes considered superior to others and thus accorded more power and privileges than others. This system of social stratification and power relations has been a …

Context: Experimental work undertaken in mice has shown a novel quinoline derivative to be effective in sharply reducing the load of Leishmania donovaniin, also called kala-azar (black fever) both the spleen and liver of lab-grown mice. Key details: The quinoline derivative is a potent inhibitor of an enzyme called topoisomerase 1 (LdTop1), which is essential for …

All drugs and food for special medical purposes, imported for personal use for the treatment of all rare diseases listed under the National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021, have been exempted from basic customs duty by the central government. The new duty exemption The exemption has been granted by the Central Board of …

Five people have died and three others are infected with the Marburg virus  in Tanzania. Marburg virus disease (MVD), earlier known as Marburg hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal hemorrhagic fever. Marburg, like Ebola, is a filovirus and both diseases are clinically similar. Rousettus fruit bats are considered the natural hosts for the Marburg virus. However, African green …

More than three years after the pandemic began, newer variants, an uptick in cases, hospitalisations, and even deaths are being reported from across the world, though a far cry from the earlier alarming levels. After Kappa, Delta, BA.2.75, and BA.2.76, the latest variant (first detected in India) is the Omicron …

India decriminalised homosexuality in 2018, while in 2017 the Supreme Court had recognised sexual orientation as protected under right to privacy. However, because financial and social security benefits are only accorded to those who have the legal sanction of a marriage, same-sex couples have trouble accessing some basic relationship rights. …

Darshan Solanki, an undergraduate student of chemical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, ended his life on February 12, 2023. He was a Dalit. The institute formed a 12-member committee to conduct an investigation, which submitted its report on March 2. The report said, “It appears from …

India is now one of the fastest-growing economies globally. However, this growth has not resulted in a corresponding increase in its Human Development Index (HDI). The HDI is a composite statistical measure created by the United Nations Development Programme to evaluate and compare the level of human development in different …

The study is part of a long-term project called the ‘Consortium on Vulnerability to Externalising Disorders and Addictions’ (C-Veda). It aims to follow up those tested over decades, and evaluate the effect of biological and environmental risk on cognitive development. Brain development progresses from childhood to early adulthood with wide-ranging …

Tamil Nadu has pioneered an initiative across the State to reduce the mortality rate among people with tuberculosis. The initiative — TN-KET (Tamil Nadu Kasanoi Erappila Thittam, meaning TB death-free project) — which began in April 2022 in 2,500-odd public healthcare facilities that diagnosed TB in 30 districts, has already …

herSTART platform to encourage women entrepreneurs inaugurated recently The ‘herSTART’ platform will boost innovation and start-up efforts of women entrepreneurs and also help them connect with various government and private enterprises. The platform will include: a digital platform to provide resources and training modules free of cost to aspiring women entrepreneurs, a digital community for them, and a digital publication to spread their …

Members of the transgender community, moved the Supreme Court seeking to strike down the prohibition on gay and transgender people donating blood in the country. The Centre justified their exclusion by asserting that their inclusion in the “at-risk” category for HIV, Hepatitis B, or C infections is premised on scientific evidence. The ban on blood donations by gay people …

In a park, a group of three-year-old children are playing together, with their mothers watching. One toddler, Arun, is off to the side, looking up at the trees and squinting at the light. His mother calls several times but he does not respond. He doesn’t seem interested in the other …

Using yoga as an additional treatment can help patients suffering from migraine headaches and from syncope, according to two papers recently published in the prestigious journals of the American College of Cardiology and the American Academy of Neurology. The cardiology journal (2021) says that using yoga as an adjunctive therapy …

In the first command appointment for a woman officer in the Indian Air Force, Group Captain Shaliza Dhami has been selected to take over the command of a frontline combat unit in the Western sector, the IAF said on Tuesday. Having been commended by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief on two …

The rumours and fake news about migrant workers in Tamil Nadu being attacked have seen the quick intervention of the authorities, assuring the workers of their safety. Many workers, most from Bihar, have been seen at railway stations waiting to leave for their home State after a video clip of …

The World Bank has approved a loan of USD 1 billion to India to help the country prepare for future pandemics and strengthen its healthcare infrastructure. The loan will be split into two loans of USD 500 million each. The loan will be used to support India’s flagship Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), which was launched in October 2021, and …