Current Affair 1:

Unclaimed Deposits in Banks

 

As per Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, a bank account is considered inoperative/dormant if there are no transactions for over two years. Further, the accounts that are not operative for more than 10 years are classified as unclaimed deposits.

There are multiple reasons for accounts becoming inoperative, with the major ones being – the death of the account holder, shifting to a new place, etc.  The RBI has issued guidelines, on how the banks need to deal with inoperative accounts.

As per the instructions issued by RBI to banks vide their Master Circular on “Customer Service in Banks”, banks are required to make an annual review of accounts in which there are no operations for more than one year, and may approach the customers and inform them in writing that there has been no operation in their accounts and ascertain the reasons for the same.

Public Sector banks account for more than 80% of the unclaimed deposits. SBI is highest.

 

70% of the unclaimed deposits are from ‘Savings Accounts’

If we consider the data of the unclaimed deposits by type of account, approximately 70% of the total unclaimed deposits belong to the ‘savings account’ category as of December 2021. This is followed by the ‘other deposits’ category, and the ‘current account’.

Recently, Reserve Bank launches ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ Campaign for Return of Unclaimed Deposits.

Balances in savings / current accounts which are not operated for 10 years, or term deposits not claimed within 10 years from date of maturity are classified as “Unclaimed Deposits”. These amounts are transferred by banks to “Depositor Education and Awareness” (DEA) Fund maintained by the Reserve Bank of India.

The Reserve Bank of India today announced a ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign for banks to trace and settle the top 100 unclaimed deposits of every bank in every district of the country within 100 days. This measure will complement the ongoing efforts and initiatives by the Reserve Bank to reduce the quantum of unclaimed deposits in the banking system and return such deposits to their rightful owners/ claimants.

Current Affair 2:

Blue Pansy declared as 'Butterfly of J&K'

 

News:

The Jammu and Kashmir government has officially declared Blue Pansy as 'Butterfly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir'.

The Blue Pansy is a species of bright blue butterflies found in parts of Southeast Asian countries, Australia and Africa. It is known under this name especially in India. These are territorial arthropods and are spread in 26 local subspecies throughout its range. The butterflies love sunlight and are often seen sitting on bare ground, basking in the rays of the sun.

Current Affair 3:

Hepatitis

 

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that is caused by a variety of infectious viruses  and non-infectious agents leading to a range of health problems, some of which can be fatal. There are five main strains of the hepatitis virus, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.

While they all cause liver disease, they differ in important ways including modes of transmission, severity of the illness, geographical distribution and prevention methods. In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and together are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and viral hepatitis-related deaths. An estimated 354 million people worldwide live with hepatitis B or C, and for most, testing and treatment remain beyond reach

Symptoms:

Many people with hepatitis A, B, C, D or E exhibit only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Each form of the virus, however, can cause more severe symptoms.

1. Symptoms of hepatitis A, B and C may include fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark-coloured urine and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes). In some cases, the virus can also cause a chronic liver infection that can later develop into cirrhosis (a scarring of the liver) or liver cancer. These patients are at risk of death.
2. Hepatitis D (HDV) is only found in people already infected with hepatitis B (HBV); however, the dual infection of HBV and HDV can cause a more serious infection and poorer health outcomes, including accelerated progression to cirrhosis. Development of chronic hepatitis D is rare.
3. Hepatitis E (HEV) begins with mild fever, reduced appetite, nausea and vomiting lasting for a few days. Some persons may also have abdominal pain, itching (without skin lesions), skin rash or joint pain. They may also exhibit jaundice, with dark urine and pale stools, and a slightly enlarged, tender liver (hepatomegaly), or occasionally acute liver failure.

Treatment:

Safe and effective vaccines are available to prevent hepatitis B virus (HBV). This vaccine also prevents the development of hepatitis D virus (HDV) and given at birth strongly reduces transmission risk from mother to child.

A vaccine also exists to prevent infections of hepatitis E (HEV), although it is not currently widely available.

Hepatitis C (HCV) can cause both acute and chronic infection. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Antiviral medicines can cure more than 95% of persons with hepatitis C infection, thereby reducing the risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer, but access to diagnosis and treatment remains low.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is most common is low- and middle-income countries due to reduced access to clean and reliable water sources and the increased risk of contaminated food. A safe and effective vaccine is available to prevent hepatitis A.

Current Affair 4:

Eco-Textiles

 

The textile industry is considered as the most ecologically harmful industry in the world. In the production process like bleaching and then dyeing, the subsequent fabric makes a toxin that swells into our ecosystem. Therefore, the need for eco-textiles is felt. Green textiles refer to clothing and other accessories that are designed to use the organic and recycled material.

Bamboo, corn husk, orange peels, pineapples, soya beans, eucalyptus, lotus stems, betel nut husks, nettle, hemp, aloe vera, rose petals, sugarcane, milk and even fish scales are no longer food or agri residues discarded as waste. They are increasingly becoming a favoured feedstock for the textile industry.

India generates over 500 million tons of agricultural and agro-industrial residues every year, according to official data of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Across the country, agricultural waste is managed largely by burning, which causes unintended environmental damage

Similarly, most aspects of conventional textile manufacturing immensely damage the environment. “For instance, polyester is plastic. Consumers and manufacturers both want to shift to better materials, but choosing between environment and economics has been an either-or choice. This is where agro-waste fabrics come into the picture. When crop waste becomes feedstock for textile manufacturing, both sectors become planet-friendly.

Why it is beneficial for farmers?

Manufacturing yarns from agri-waste requires one-sixth of water needed for producing cotton yarns. As we don’t cultivate the raw material and use only waste, we can argue that these are zero water footprint raw materials.

The work of eco-textile manufacturers is helping reduce fashion’s carbon footprint, it is also benefiting farmers by improving their livelihood prospects in rural areas. From spending money to dispose of crop residues, farmers are now earning extra income by selling agri-waste.

Global fibre production has reached well over 100 million tonne per year in 2019 and is expected to rise even further. Developing alternative fibre sources is more critical now than it’s ever been.

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