Payments bank

• A payments bank is like any other bank, but operating on a smaller scale without involving any credit risk. In simple words, it can carry out most banking operations but can’t advance loans or issue credit cards.
•  It can accept demand deposits (up to Rs 1 lakh), offer remittance services, mobile payments/transfers/purchases and other banking services like ATM/debit cards, net banking and third party fund transfers.

IPPB or Indian Post Payments Bank

• The IPPB or Indian Post Payments Bank is an initiative of the government aimed at making banking services available at people’s doorstep.
• This payments bank of the Indian postal department will work through a network of post offices and nearly 3 lakh postmen and ‘Grameen Dak Sewaks’.

Services

• The operations of IPPB will be on a smaller scale as compared to other banks and will not advance loans or issue credit cards to avoid risk. Performing the rest of its functions, it will accept deposits, offer remittance services, mobile payments/transfers/purchases and other banking services like ATM/debit cards, net banking and third-party fund transfers.
• It has teamed up with PNB and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance for loans and insurances.The maximum limit on deposits is Rs 1 lakh, beyond which the account will be automatically converted into post office savings account.
• The bank offers a 4 per cent interest rate on savings account.

Leptospirosis or rat fever

• After floods ravaged Kerala last month, the state is staring at a new problem — an outbreak of Leptospirosis or rat fever.
• The state government Sunday sounded an alert after the disease, which is transmitted from animals to humans, claimed 17 lives.
• The health department has asked people who came in contact with floodwaters to take preventive medicine as among those who died were involved in cleaning in flood-hit areas.

Leptospirosis

• According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Leptospira.
• The disease is detected in areas which have witnessed excessive rainfall or flooding.
• The bacteria can be transmitted to humans through cuts and abrasions of the skin, or through the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth with water contaminated with the urine of infected animals.
• The WHO claims that the disease can also be transmitted through drinking water or ingestion of food contaminated with urine of infected animals, often rats.
• However, human-to-human transmission occurs very rarely.