News In Shorts

Key Findings:

• Escherichia coli (E. coli) was identified as the most commonly occurring pathogen, followed by Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Staphylococcus aureus.
• E. coli exhibited low susceptibility percentages to many of the CIAs, including levofloxacin (16%), ciprofloxacin (12%), cefotaxime (18%), ceftazidime (19%), and piperacillin-tazobactam (35%).
• Resistance to common pathogens is more pronounced to fluoroquinolones, carbapenems, and third-generation cephalosporins classes of antibiotics.

Other important points:

• CIAs are a class of antibiotics considered a last resort when other antibiotics have failed and are essential for treating severe infections.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a list of HPCIAs, the most critical CIAs to preserve.
• Resistance to CIAs is a significant threat to global health and security. It can lead to more extended hospital stays, higher medical costs, and increased mortality.

What is e-FIR?

• An E-FIR is a digital version of the FIR that can be filed online through the official website of the police department. 

 Key recommendations:

• Amend relevant legislation, including Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Indian Evidence Act, the Information Technology Act, and the Indian Penal Code, to support e-FIR registration.
• Allow the registration of e-FIRs for all cognizable offenses where the accused is not known and for all cognizable crimes with a maximum punishment of three years where the identity of the accused is known.
• Give states the power to expand the list of offenses eligible for e-FIR registration.
• The e-FIR scheme will not apply to all offences, especially matrimonial disputes, commercial offenses, medical negligence cases, corruption cases, and those with abnormal delays in reporting, in which the Supreme Court has mandated preliminary inquiries (Arnesh Kumar guideline).

About Balochistan: 

• It is the largest province by area, encompassing arid desert plains and mountain ranges, such as the Sulaiman and Toba Kakar ranges. 
• The province has been the site of a series of bloody insurgencies, brutal state repression, and an enduring Baloch nationalist movement since 1948.
• Gwadar Port which is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor located in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province.
• Its location and abundance of natural resources, especially oil, make it strategically vital for Pakistan.