16-04-2021 The Asian Independent

www.theasianindependent.co.uk
Social isolation may
reduce face recognition
ability: Study
New York : A solitary
lifestyle can have profound
effects on the
brains' abilities to recognise
faces, finds a study
on wasps with implications
on humans facing
social isolation due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
Paper wasps -- a
social insect -- recognises
the brightly coloured
faces of other paper
wasps. But, when reared
in isolation, they tend to
lose the ability, according
to researchers from
Cornell University in
New York, US. The
wasps' ability to remember
faces is similar to primates
and humans, but unlike
other social insects, they noted.
The findings, published in the
journal Biology Letters, revealed
that when adult wasps are
housed in solitude, visual areas
of their brains -- especially those
involved with identifying
nuanced colour patterns and
shapes -- are smaller and less
developed than their peers who
lived with other wasps.
"The wasps provide us with a
simple insect brain that offers a
Japan PM Suga to leave for
US for talks with Biden
Tokyo : Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to depart
for the US on Thursday for
talks with President Joe
Biden amid the Covid-19
pandemic and tension with
China. Suga is scheduled
to hold a summit meeting
with Biden at the White
House on Friday, becoming
the first foreign leader
to meet in person with the
new president, who was
inaugurated in January,
DPA news agency reported. Suga wants the talks to be "productive",
he told reporters on Wednesday. The two leaders want to show the
strong ties of the Japan-US alliance and their commitment to the
Indo-Pacific region, Tokyo said. Suga and Biden are expected to discuss
climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, issues related to China
and North Korea and cooperation toward a free and open Indo-
Pacific region, the Japanese government said. Tokyo has expressed
concerns about a new Chinese law which allows Beijing's coastguard
to use weapons on foreign ships. Chinese coastguard vessels were
spotted near a group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea every
day in the past two months. The Japanese-administered Senkaku
Islands are also claimed by China and Taiwan, where they are known
as Diaoyu and Tiaoyutai, respectively.
system for understanding
the basic constructs of
how neural circuits work
and how social interactions
shaped the brain,"
said Michael Sheehan,
Assistant professor at the
varsity's College of
Agriculture and Life
Sciences.
"To my knowledge,
this is the first empirical
study to propose a candidate
brain region in an
insect that is involved
with individual identity
processing," said
Christopher Jernigan, a
postdoctoral researcher in
Sheehan's lab.
The study has implications
on human patients forced
to isolate themselves from family
and friends due to the coronavirus
pandemic, which has so
far infected 138 million people
and claimed 2.97 million lives
globally.
Total Covid cases cross 11-lakh mark in Karnataka
Bengaluru : With a record
14,738 new cases in a day, total
Covid cases in Karnataka
crossed the 11-lakh mark, while
nearly 10-lakh recovered so far,
said the state health bulletin on
Thursday. "The state's Covid
tally shot up to 11,09,650, with
96,561 active cases after 14,738
patients tested positive on
Wednesday, while 9,99,958
recovered, with 3,591 discharged
in the last 24 hours,"
said the daily bulletin. As epicentre
of the pandemic in the
state, Bengaluru reported 10,497
new cases on Wednesday, taking
its Covid tally to 5,12,521,
including 71,827 active cases,
while 4,35,730 recovered, with
1,807 discharged during the day.
Of 66 lives lost to the infection
during the day, 30 were in
Bengaluru, taking the state's
death toll to 13,112 and the city's
toll to 4,963 since the pandemic
broke out in mid-March a year
ago.
Of 555 patients in the intensive
care units (ICUs), 174 are in
Bengaluru hospitals, 81 in
Kalaburagi, 43 in Kolar, 31 in
Mysuru, 25 in Dharwad, 23 in
Bidar and 21 in Tumakur, with
the rest in the remaining 24 districts
in the state.
Out of 1,29,400 tests conducted
in the day across the state,
11,192 were through rapid antigen
detection and 1,18,208
through RT-PCR method.
Positivity rate shot up to
11.38 per cent while case fatality
rate declined to 0.44 per cent
across the state on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 73,687 people,
including 28,365 senior citizens
above 60 years of age and
43,904 in the 45-59 years age
group were vaccinated during
the day across the state.
NEWS
16-04-2021 to 30-04-2021 23
Wheat procurement in full swing,
farmers getting MSP in their
BANK accounts: FOOD SECY
New Delhi : Food Secretary
Shudhanshu Pandey said on
Thursday that wheat procurement
has gained pace in the
ongoing Rabi Marting Season
(RMS) 2021-22 with the government
agencies procuring 64.7
LMT of wheat worth Rs 12,800
crore at MSP (Minimum Support
Price) of Rs 1,975 per quintal,
against an estimated target of
427 LMT this year.
Speaking to mediapersons
virtually, Pandey said that the
government of India is committed
to purchase wheat at MSP
and ensure that payments are
made directly into the accounts
of the farmers.
He said that from the current
RMS 2021-22 onwards, transfer
of MSP will take place through
the DBT mode across India.
Briefing about the wheat procurement
in Punjab, he informed
that 10.6 LMT has been procured
as on April 14. In Punjab,
wheat procurement started from
April 10, and the agencies have
bought 10.56 lakh tonnes of
wheat in only five days.
Shillong : Meghalaya's opposition
Congress on Thursday has
emerged as the single-largest
party in the 29-member Garo
Hills Autonomous District
Council (GHADC), winning 12
seats while the ruling National
People's Party (NPP) won 11
seats, officials said.
The election to the GHADC
was held on April 12 and the
results were declared on
Thursday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, a
junior partner of the NPP-led
Meghalaya Democratic Alliance
(MDA), has bagged two seats
while the Garo National Council
secured one and three seats went
in favour of the independent candidates.
The United Democratic Party,
a local party, could not even
open its account. BJP's Bernard
Marak won the key Tura seat,
under the South Tura Assembly
Procurement in Punjab is in
full swing and on April 14, there
was an arrival of 5.57 LMT
wheat in the mandis, which is
likely to speed up in the coming
days.
Pandey said that there is no
stakeholder interest clash or
encroachment in Punjab.
Arhtiyas are receiving their commission
separately through the e-
mode of payment. Earlier, the
MSP was going to the farmers
via the Arhtiyas, but now it is
being directly transferred to the
farmers online.
As per the data available with
the Food Corporation of India
(FCI), the government agencies
in Haryana have procured over
30 lakh tonnes of wheat as on
April 14, while 20.63 lakh
tonnes of wheat has been bought
directly from the farmers in
Madhya Pradesh.
Over 1.83 lakh tonnes of
wheat was procured in Uttar
Pradsh till April 14.
Responding to a question
about storage conditions of
godowns, he said it is an incorrect
perception that due to the
poor condition of godowns,
foodgrain stocks get ruined.
In 2019 and 2020, the damage
was 0.006 per cent and 0.004 per
cent of the total storage, he
added.
"To improve the storage infrastructure
in India and increase
storage capacity by 100 LMT,
we are launching a storage modernisation
plan. By 2024-25, we
will store our stocks in modern
silos and phase out the conventional
godowns, Pandey said.
On proposals for maize procurement
in Bihar, the secretary
said that the existing policy of
the government of India is to ask
for quotes from the states and
accordingly the MSP is
announced. So, the state governments
can procure the required
quantity of maize according to
their needs, he said.
Additionally, as a result of the
government permitting ethanol
production, Bihar has announced
a policy on this which will
increase the demand for maize
crop in the state.
Some complaints against judges
are 'shockingly false', says SC
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on
Thursday said some allegations levelled
against judges are shockingly false, as it
heard a plea seeking appointment of adhoc
or additional judges to High Courts
as per Article 224A of the Constitution.
A special bench headed by Chief
Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising
Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Surya
Kant emphasised that the position of a
judge has to be made secure.
"We have seen allegations against judges
which are shockingly false..You can easily
knock out a judge if there is no security.
There has to be security of tenure for ad hoc
judges," it noted.
In a measure to reduce the pendency of
cases, the top court has voiced its support for
tenure of two or more years for ad hoc judges
if they are appointed in High Courts. The
bench said that frivolous complaints are
often made when a judge is appointed, as it
emphasised that it cannot put the entire system
of appointment of ad hoc judges in question.
Article 224-A says that "the Chief
Justice of a High Court for any State may at
any time, with the previous consent of the
President, request any person who has held
the office of a Judge of that Court or of any
other High Court to sit and act as a Judge of
the High Court for that State". During the
hearing, the bench noted that ad hoc judges
cannot be made vulnerable. The bench also
did not agree with the contention of senior
advocate Vikas Singh and other counsel that
many former judges may not show interest,
rather they would be more interested in other
lucrative fields like arbitration.
"We think this decision should be left to
the former judges. We cannot decide for
them," the bench noted.
It added that if retired judge thinks he has
something better to take up, then the judge
could simply decline the appointment. "If an
ad hoc judge is appointed, then regular cases
can be dealt by him and the Chief Justice can
focus on important constitutional issues."
The observations were made by the bench
while hearing arguments on the modalities of
appointments of ad hoc judges raised in a
plea filed by NGO Lok Prahari. The petitioner
sought appointment of additional judges in
the high courts under Article 224A in order
to reduce the pendency of cases. After a
detailed hearing in the matter, the top court
has reserved the verdict.
Congress emerges single largest
party in Meghalaya tribal body
constituency represented by
Chief Minister Conrad K.
Sangma.
Marak was a former member
of the Achik National Volunteer
Council, a militant outfit that
signed an agreement earlier with
the government.
NPP sources said that the BJP
is most likely to support the NPP
and the party is also trying to get
the support of the three independents
to govern the GHADC.