Prelims Focus 20th June 2024

20/06/2024

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Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2023 report

In News: The Kerala Migration Survey (KMS) 2023 report is a comprehensive study that provides insights into the migration trends and patterns from Kerala, India. The report is prepared by the International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD) and the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT).

Key Findings

Decline in Emigration to the Gulf: The report shows a decline in emigration to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, with a preference for destinations beyond the GCC growing from 10.8% in 2018 to 19.5% in 2023.
Increase in Returnees: The number of returnees has increased significantly, with 1.8 million individuals returning to Kerala in 2023, up from 1.2 million in 2018. This surge in returnees is attributed largely to job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rise in Student Emxigration: The number of students migrating abroad for education has doubled since 2018, reaching approximately 250,000. This group now constitutes 11.3% of total emigrants.
Increase in Women Emigrants: Women emigrants have seen a rise both in numbers and proportion, increasing from 15.8% in 2018 to 19.1% in 2023. A significant portion (71.5%) of women emigrants are graduates, compared to 34.7% of men.
Total Remittances: Total remittances to Kerala have surged to Rs 216,893 crores in 2023, marking a 154.9% increase from 2018. This translates to a per capita remittance of Rs 61,118, with substantial contributions towards housing renovation, loan repayments, education, and healthcare.

Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS)

In News: Japan is currently experiencing a concerning surge in STSS cases, with over 1,000 reported as of early June 2024 – surpassing the previous annual record of 941 cases in 2023. Experts warn the number could reach 2,500 by the end of 2024. The reasons behind this increase are still unclear.

About the Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS):

STSS is a rare but serious and potentially life-threatening bacterial infection caused by group A Streptococcus (GAS) bacteria. It can develop very quickly into a medical emergency.
Symptoms and Progression: The initial symptoms of STSS often include fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting. Within 24-48 hours, the infection can progress to more severe complications like low blood pressure, organ failure, rapid heart rate, and rapid breathing.
Complications and Mortality: STSS can lead to serious complications like the need for surgery to remove infected tissue or limbs. Even with treatment, STSS has a high mortality rate – up to 3 out of 10 people diagnosed with STSS may die from the infection.
Risk Factors: Risk factors for STSS include older age (most common in adults 65+), infections or injuries that break the skin, and underlying health conditions like diabetes or alcohol use disorder.
Causes and Transmission: STSS is caused by toxins produced by group A Streptococcus (GAS) bacteria. While STSS itself is rare, less severe GAS infections like strep throat can potentially progress to STSS. STSS is not easily transmitted between people, but the underlying GAS bacteria are contagious.

Post Office Act 2023 Comes into Force

In News: The Post Office Act 2023 which was introduced to repeal the Indian Post Office Act, 1898 and to consolidate and amend the law relating to the Post Offices in India comes into force w.e.f. 18th June, 2024.

- Simplified Framework: The Act simplifies the legislative framework for postal offerings, eliminating provisions consisting of the specific privilege of accumulating, processing, and delivering letters.
- Ease of Doing Business: By removing useless regulations, the Act complements the benefit of doing enterprise.
- Ease of Living: It guarantees that citizens can get admission to vital services seamlessly.

Key Features

- No Penal Provisions: Unlike its predecessor, the Indian Post Office Act, 1898, the brand new Act does not prescribe any penal provisions.
- Addressing Standards: The Act presents a framework for prescribing standards for addressing objects, coping with identifiers, and usage of postcodes.

Pro-tem Speaker of Lok Sabha

In News: Senior Congress leader K Suresh, as the senior most member of the Lok Sabha, is expected to be appointed as pro-tem Speaker when the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha begins.

In the new Lok Sabha, the Speaker of the House is decided with the aid of a clean majority.
Until her choice, the seasoned-tem Speaker is selected to manage a few vital obligations. ‘Pro-tem’ essentially means ‘in the mean time’ or ‘temporarily’.
The Constitution does no longer point out the put up. However, the reliable ‘Handbook on the Working of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs’ speaks about the ‘Appointment and Swearing in of Speaker seasoned tem’.
Administering oaths to the brand new MPs is the seasoned-tem Speaker’s number one obligation.
The senior most members (in terms of number of years of membership of the House) are normally selected for the purpose, even though there are exceptions.
As soon as the brand new government is fashioned, the Legislative I Section of the Government of India prepares a list of the seniormost Lok Sabha participants.
It is then submitted to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs or the Prime Minister for identifying an MP as Speaker pro-tem.