Fall Armyworm

• Fall Armyworm (FAW), or Spodoptera frugiperda, is an insect that is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas.
• In its larva stage, it can cause significant damage to crops, if not well managed.
• It prefers maize, but can feed on more than 80 additional species of plants, including rice, sorghum, millet, sugarcane, vegetable crops and cotton.
• FAW was first detected in Central and Western Africa in early 2016 and has quickly spread across virtually all of Sub-Saharan Africa. 

DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill 2018

The Union Cabinet has approved The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill 2018.

Some of the key highlights of the Bill are enumerated below:

•  To expand the application of DNA-based forensic technologies to support and strengthen the justice delivery system of the country.
• The Bill provides for the mandatory accreditation and regulation of DNA laboratories, so that the DNA test results are reliable and the data remain protected from misuse or abuse. 
• Speedier justice delivery.
• The Bill would also enable the cross-matching between persons who have been reported missing on the one hand and unidentified dead bodies found in various parts of the country on the other, and also for establishing the identity of victims in mass disasters.

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)

• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) was set up in March 2007 under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005, an Act of Parliament (December 2005).
• National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is a statutory body under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005 under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development ,Government of India.
• The Commission's Mandate is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• The Child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group.