18-10-22 Daily-Kerala-KPSC Current Affairs

In 2021 during the peak of the second Covid wave in India,Ernakulamdistrict reported the highest numbers of Covid cases in India, according to a research paper published by a team of doctors who were part of the Covid-19 surveillance unit of Ernakulam district, and hence, had access to the data collected. Even when the number of Covid cases reported in the other states started coming down, Ernakulam district continued to record a large number of cases, as per the paper that aimed to analyse the pandemic situation in the district.

Ernakulam district had the highest number of Covid cases in January 2021 and May 2021.

However, the silver lining, as per the paper is that this is mainly because of the high number of tests (five to six times the national Average) and targeted testing strategy, resulting in low case fatality rate (0.35%) and low bed occupancy rate. This work is relevant even now as Ernakulam records the maximum number ofCovid cases in Kerala, which contributes to more than 30% to 35% of Covid cases and 50% Covid deaths in the country. However, Covid deaths in the district remain low with case fatality rate (CFR) being 0.91%, while the state CFR is 1.05%. The recovery rate here is more than 96%.

NHAI InvIT is the Investment trust sponsored by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to support the governments National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP). NHAIs InvIT is a Trust established by NHAI under the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 and SEBI (Security and Exchange Board of India) regulations.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime MinisterNarendra Modihad approved the NHAIs Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) in December 2019, and the company had started to meet investor groups the following year.

Infrastructure investment trusts are institutions similar to Mutual Funds, which pool investments from various categories of investors and invest them into completed and revenue-generating infrastructure projects, thereby creating returns for the investor.

The Union Government has filed a fresh affidavit before The Supreme Court, through the Ministry of Social and Empowerment, stating its current position on the inclusion ofDalit Christians and Dalit Muslims in the Scheduled Castes listand on the petitions challenging the constitutionality of Para 3 of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, which allows only members of Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism to be identified as SCs.

The Union government said it had examined the issue and noted the demands from Dalit Christian and Dalit Muslim communities for inclusion in the SC list and accordingly formed athree-member Commission of Inquiry headed by former Chief Justice of India Justice K.G. Balakrishnanto look into all aspects of the matter. It said this was done because the issue is a seminal and historically complex sociological and constitutional question that requires a definitive study and extensive consultation with all stakeholders.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on October 21, 2022 said most of the “hotspots” in the country are almost free from anti-national activities now and the situation in major security theatres has improved over the last eight years of the Narendra Modi government.

He said more than 70% decline has been recorded in incidents of violence that were reported from insurgency-hit areas of the Northeast during this time period and this is an indicator of a “happy Northeast”.

Same was the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in the states affected by Naxal violence, the Minister said while addressing top Police and paramilitary forces commanders at the National Police Memorial in the Chanakyapuri area here on the occasion of the National Police Commemoration Day.

To bolster investments in solar power projects, the (ISA), in its General Assembly meeting here on Tuesday, approved the Solar Facility, a payment guarantee mechanism expected to stimulate investments into solar projects through two financial components a Solar Payment Guarantee Fund and Solar Insurance Fund.

The thrust of the facility is to attract private capital to flow into underserved markets in Africa. The ISA would aim to crowdsource investments from various donors across the globe and proposed projects in Africa would be able to purchase payment guarantees or partial insurance premium from these funds.