SC upheld EWS reservation, Bio Energy program notified, Indian Black Honeybee, COVID-19 brain fog

SC upheld EWS reservation

The Supreme Court has upheld the 103rd Constitution Amendment providing for 10% quota for the economically weaker sections (EWS) from unreserved categories. A five-judge constitution bench, in a 3-2 verdict, held that the provisions of the amendment are not in violation of the Constitution. It examined the angle as the Constitution does not talk about the concept of preferential treatment on the basis of a person’s economic status.

What is the law on EWS reservations?

1. The 103rd Amendment of 2019 inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6) in the Constitution to provide 10 per cent reservation to EWS other than backward classes, SCs, and STs in higher educational institutions and initial recruitment in government jobs.
2. The rationale was that the amendment could empower state governments to provide reservations on the basis of economic backwardness – determined by criteria such as land size owned, annual income, etc.
3. Article 15 prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth. Article 16 guarantees equal opportunity in matters of public employment.
4. The additional clauses gave Parliament the power to make special laws for EWS as it does for SCs, STs, and OBCs.
5. The EWS reservation was granted based on the recommendations of a commission headed by Major General (retd) S R Sinho.
6. The commission, which was constituted by the UPA government in March 2005, submitted its report in July 2010.
7. The Sinho Commission recommended that all below-poverty-line (BPL) families within the general category as notified from time to time, and also all families whose annual family income from all sources is below the taxable limit, should be identified as EBCs (economically backward classes).

Why is EWS reservation under challenge?

1. Calling the amendment “an attack on the constitutional vision of social justice” and “a fraud on the Constitution”, those petitioning against it contend that if upheld, it will be the end of equality of opportunity.
2. They also argue that it violates the basic structure of the Constitution and breaches the 50 per cent ceiling for reservation fixed by the Supreme Court ruling in the Mandal Commission case.

The 50% quota cap issue

1. Petitioners challenging the amendment cited the “50% upper limit” on reservation fixed by the Supreme Court in the Indra Sawhney judgment of 1992.
2. The court had then upheld the introduction of reservation for OBCs, but nevertheless put a cap of total reservation at 50%.
3. Knowing that some advanced communities within the backward class may corner the benefit of reservation, it also introduced the concept of “creamy layer”, by which the affluent among the OBCs should be denied the benefit of reservation.

Bio Energy Programme notified

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy said it will continue National Bio Energy Programme till 2025-26 with a budget outlay of Rs 858 crore for the first phase. The programme will aid the use of huge surplus biomass, cattle dung, and industrial and urban biowaste available in the country for energy recovery.

What

1. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has notified the National Bioenergy Programme, an MNRE statement said.
2. The MNRE has continued the National Bioenergy Programme for 2021-22 to 2025-26. The programme was recommended for implementation in two Phases. Phase-I has been approved with a budget outlay of Rs 858 crore.
3. The National Bioenergy Programme will include the three Sub-schemes: Waste to Energy Programme, Biomass Programme and Biogas Programme.
4. The Waste to Energy Programme (Programme on Energy from Urban, Industrial and Agricultural Wastes /Residues) will support the setting up of large Biogas, BioCNG and Power plants (excluding MSW (municipal solid waste) to power projects).
5. Biomass Programme (Scheme to Support Manufacturing of Briquettes & Pellets and Promotion of Biomass (non-bagasse) based cogeneration in Industries) will support the setting up of pellets and briquettes for use in power generation and non-bagasse-based power generation projects.
6. The biogas programme will also support the setting up of family and medium size Biogas in rural areas.
7. The MNRE has been promoting bioenergy in India since the 1980s to utilise huge surplus biomass, cattle dung, and industrial and urban biowaste available in the country for the recovery of energy.
8. One major support extended by the MNRE has been central financial assistance provided for setting up Bioenergy projects, such as Biogas, BioCNG, power from urban, Industrial and Agricultural Waste / Residues for reducing their capital cost/ interest on loans, therefore, increasing project viability.

Indian Black Honeybee Is Western Ghats Discovery

Recently, A new species of endemic honeybee has been discovered in the Western Ghats. The new species has been named Apis karinjodian and given the common name Indian Black Honeybee.

New Findings:

• The finding has been published in the September issue of the journal Entomon.
• According to findings, Apis karinjodian (Indian Black Honeybee) has evolved from Apis cerana morphotypes that got acclimated to the hot and humid environment of the Western Ghats.
  • Additionally, mitochondrial DNA analysis was done, and the public open database NCBI-molecular GenBank’s sequence data also assisted in confirming the new honeybee’s species designation. Over three years were spent on the research.
• A new species of honeybee has been spotted from the Western Ghats after a gap of more than 200 years.
• The last honeybee spotted from India was Apis indica in 1798 by Fabricius.

Distribution:

• The distribution of Indian Black Honeybee spans the states of Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and parts of Tamil Nadu, from the central Western Ghats and Nilgiris to the southern Western Ghats.

Status: Near Threatened (NT)

• Based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, the species has been designated as Near Threatened (NT) in the State.

Significance:

• The Indian subcontinent has only ever recorded one species, Apis cerana, which is found in a “pretty homogenous population” throughout the plains of central and southern India and Sri Lanka.
• By demonstrating that the nation contains three species of cavity-nesting honey bees, Apis indica, Apis cerana, and Apis karinjodian, the last of which is clearly darker in appearance, the research has provided apiculture in the country a new path.
• The Indian black honeybee brings up new opportunities for increasing honey production because it can produce more honey with a thicker consistency in greater volumes.
• The new discovery brings the total number of honeybee species in the globe to 11.

Covid-19 brain fog

The COVID pandemic has introduced many scientific and medical terms into our everyday language. Many of us are now fluent in conversations about viral strains, PCR tests and mortality rates. “Brain fog” has joined these ranks to describe a now-familiar symptom of COVID and long COVID.

But what exactly is brain fog, and is it limited to COVID?

It is what it sounds like

Brain fog is not a medical diagnosis, but rather the description patients tend to use for their symptoms. Brain fog is what doctors refer to as “cognitive dysfunction”. This describes problems with closely linked tasks such as concentration, information processing, memory, thinking and reasoning, and making sense of language.

Brain fog is exactly what it sounds like: a feeling something like being shrouded by a thick fog, not quite able to grasp ideas, feeling confused or disoriented, and having trouble concentrating or recalling memories.

Sufferers describe experiences with brain fog as lapses in memory and concentration, with some saying they “put food on the gas stove and walked away for over an hour, only noticing when they were burning”. Other people say they “forget how to do normal routines like running a meeting at work”.

Brain fog can make even simple tasks like grocery shopping very difficult: navigating the car park, remembering a list of items to buy, switching attention between products and prices, and reading ingredients can be confusing, overwhelming and exhausting.

Brain fog can be unpleasant in the short term, but over time can make it difficult to work and maintain social activities. Brain fog can also take a toll on relationships, and change the way we see ourselves personally and professionally.

One recent study asked people with long COVID about their experiences with brain fog. They reported feeling guilt and shame, especially about how brain fog had affected their ability to return to work and their relationships.

While the symptoms of brain fog can be similar to those experienced by people with Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions associated with older age, brain fog can affect people of any age. Brain fog doesn’t usually worsen over time, and may not last forever.

Linked to COVID

Brain fog was one of the most common symptoms to emerge in the first months of the COVID pandemic. Recent reports suggest 20-30% of people have brain fog three months after infection. Up to 85% of people with long COVID also have brain fog. Although we’re hearing a lot about brain fog in relation to COVID, people experience the symptom with many other diseases and disorders.

Scientists aren’t sure whether the same biological processes underpin brain fog in different illnesses; however, brain fog is common among people recovering from traumatic brain injury, experiencing persistent post-concussion symptoms, with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, HIV, postural tachycardia syndrome, lupus, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, and as a side-effect of chemotherapy. People with coeliac disease may even experience brain fog after consuming gluten. It’s also been reported as a symptom of menopause.

What causes it?

While COVID may cause shrinkage of some brain areas, brain fog itself has not been linked to brain volume changes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

However, a new case report of two people found that while they had normal clinical MRI findings, they also had decreases in oxygen use in a specific part of the brain called the cingulate cortex. This area, within the limbic system, is thought to be involved in attention and memory.

There isn’t one single test for brain fog, so it can be difficult to diagnose. Although there are combinations of tests that can be used, formal testing may not always be helpful because symptoms can look different for each person, and some days may be worse than others.

How do you know if you have it?

Traditional assessments can test a person’s executive function and cognitive status. But findings have been mixed in people with brain fog due to COVID.

Some studies have found more problems with attention and executive function in people who have had COVID. Cognitive deficits linked to brain fog have also been reported as worse for those with more severe COVID infection.

But other researchers have found standard cognitive screening tests don’t show good specificity for brain fog (that is, they might not detect the absence of the condition and produce false negatives) and may not determine the severity of brain fog.

A new study suggested conflicting findings in studies on brain fog might be due to the brain functions assessed by different tests. People with both mild and more severe cases of COVID might experience problems with processing speed, reasoning, verbal and overall performance, but no problems with memory. So studies that use tests for memory are less likely to show the effects of brain fog, no matter the severity.

Outside of scientific studies, brain fog diagnosis is most likely to be based on the symptoms and experiences people report once other causes, such as not sleeping enough, stress or hormonal changes, have been ruled out.

If you think you may be experiencing brain fog, it would be worthwhile to note down your symptoms and track them over several weeks, alongside any changes in stress, diet or sleep. This information can help your doctor understand your symptoms and help you manage them.

How to manage

For people experiencing brain fog, developing coping strategies and prioritising time to rest may help to manage symptoms. Coping strategies could involve making lists, using visual reminders (such as calendars, digital alerts and timers), and altering work duties where possible.

Clinical trials are underway for naltrexone, a medication used for alcohol and opioid drug addition, which has shown promise in reducing brain fog. While not currently available as a brain fog treatment in Australia, initial research in Ireland shows it is safe and effective in low doses.

Aside from getting enough sleep, people are often encouraged to approach recovery from brain fog holistically. This means looking at their entire health picture and prioritising exercise and a healthy diet. If you are concerned about brain fog, your GP can refer you to a neurologist or neuropsychologist for further assessment and management.

World population to touch 8 billion: UN

The United Nations estimates that the global human population will reach eight billion by mid-November, and will continue to grow, albeit at a slower pace and with regional disparities, in the decades to come. The UN Population Division estimates that the number of humans on Earth will grow to eight billion on 15 November, more than three times higher than the 2.5 billion global headcount in 1950.

Key takeaways from the UN analysis:

1. A key factor driving global population growth is that average life expectancy continues to increase: 72.8 years in 2019, nine years more than in 1990. And the UN predicts an average life expectancy of 77.2 years by 2050.
2. The result, combined with the decline in fertility, is that the proportion of people over 65 is expected to rise from 10 percent in 2022 to 16 percent in 2050.
3. This global graying will have an impact on labor markets and national pension systems, while requiring much more elderly care.
4. Beneath the global averages are some major regional disparities. For example, the UN projects that more than half of the population growth by 2050 will come from just eight countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.
5. The average age in different regions is also meaningful, currently at 41.7 years in Europe versus 17.6 years in Sub-Saharan Africa.
6. India’s population, currently just below that of China, is expected to surpass its northern neighbor in 2023, and grow to 1.7 billion by 2050 — though its fertility rate has already fallen below replacement level.
7. The United States will remain the third most populous country in 2050, the UN projects, but it will be tied with Nigeria at 375 million.