1) Women’s reservation in legislations: Centre introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 to reserve 33% of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly for women.
- Centre also introduced the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023 to reserve 33% of seats in the Puducherry Assembly for women.
- Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023, passed recently, provides 33% reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
2) Pliosaur Fossil: Recently, skull of an ancient sea animal called a Pliosaur has been extracted from U.K.’s Jurassic Coast.
- Pliosaurs were large carnivorous marine reptile characterized by massive heads, short necks, and streamlined tear-shaped bodies.
- Pliosaurs have been found as fossils from Jurassic and Cretaceous periods (about 200 million to 65 million years ago) of the Mesozoic Era.
3) Anthrax: WHO reported that five countries in East and Southern Africa have anthrax disease outbreak.
- Nature: Infectious disease caused by spore-forming bacteria called Bacillus anthracis.
- Affect: Livestock like cattle, sheep and goats, as well as wild herbivores.
- Humans can catch the disease from infected animals or through contaminated animal products.
- Treatment: Anthrax vaccines for livestock and humans exist.
- Biological Weapon: In 2001, anthrax-laced letters killed 5 and sickened 17 in United States.
4) National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (NARCL): Government informed that 10 Public Sector Banks transferred Non-Performing Assets (NPA) of over Rs 11,617 crore to NARCL between January and November this year.
- NPA refers to credit for which payment of interest or principal has remained ‘past due’ for a specific period.
- NARCL is registered with the RBI as an Asset Reconstruction Company under SARFAESI Act, 2002.
- It was established to clean up the legacy stressed assets with an exposure of Rs 500 crore and above in Indian Banking system.
- It intends to acquire these through 15% Cash and 85% in Security Receipts.
