• Continuing efforts to further improve the Ease of Doing Business, the government will introduce an integrated electronic form for incorporating new companies from February 15, 2020 wherein EPFO and ESIC registration numbers will also be allotted at the same time.
• The Corporate Affairs Ministry would introduce the form — SPICe+ — to offer 10 services.
• Currently, the Ministry has the electronic form SPICe (Simplified Proforma for Incorporating Company Electronically) and that would be replaced with SPICe+.
• The 10 services offered through the new form would help in “saving as many procedures, time and cost for starting a business in India,” the Ministry said in a public notice.
• The incorporation of companies are made through the Corporate Affairs Ministry portal MCA21. The new form would be available on this portal.

• The Indian government has sharply censured the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for funding an “unapproved” Indian laboratory in Manipal, and not securing the necessary permissions for undertaking training in India for work on Nipah virus, considered a potential bio-weapon.
• A Union Health Ministry communication to CDC said the work was undertaken despite knowing that high risk pathogens can be tested only in BSL4 lab.
• As the highest level of biological safety, a BSL4 lab consists of work with highly dangerous and exotic microbes.
• Infections caused by these microbes, including Ebola and Marburg viruses, are frequently fatal.

Biological Safety Levels (BSL):

• Biological Safety Levels (BSL) is a series of protections relegated to autoclave-related activities that take place in particular biological labs.
• They are individual safeguards designed to protect laboratory personnel, as well as the surrounding environment and community.
• These levels, which are ranked from one to four, are selected based on the agents or organisms that are being researched or worked on in any given laboratory setting.
• For example, a basic lab setting specializing in the research of nonlethal agents that pose a minimal potential threat to lab workers and the environment are generally considered BSL-1—the lowest biosafety lab level.
• A specialized research laboratory that deals with potentially deadly infectious agents like Ebola would be designated as BSL-4—the highest and most stringent level.

• United Kingdom (UK), which had been a founding member of the European Union EU formally gave up its membership recently.
• With this, the EU has now 27 member countries.

• India and Maldives has recently signed five MoUs for establishing the Addu Tourism zone in five islands of Addu atoll located in Maldives at a cost of 2.49 million dollars.
• A 6th MoU to set up a bottled water plant in Hoarafushi was also signed.
• All six projects are grant projects falling under India’s High Impact Community Development Scheme (HICDP). 
• These projects are driven by the needs of communities on the islands. 

• The Union government has recently asked drug makers and their associations to adhere to current guidelines for marketing drugs i.e. Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP).
• UCPMP is a voluntary code issued by the Department Of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers relating to marketing practices for Indian Pharmaceutical Companies and as well medical devices industry. 
• Under the code, pharmaceutical companies and their sales representatives are barred from giving gifts and free trips to doctors.
• Even if a doctor goes for a conference, they will have to do so at their own cost, as per the code.
• But the recent order by Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) was criticized as rather than taking steps towards instituting statutory regulation of unethical marketing and promotion, the DoP is still requesting companies to abide by a toothless, unenforceable UCPMP.

• Recently, a research has shown that the the chemical processes of Fermentation can be used to create spontaneous tunes.
• The researcher built an art exhibits called Fermentophone to showcase how Fermentation can make music.
• Fermentation chemical process by which molecules such as glucose are broken down anaerobically.
• It is used to produce cheese, chocolate, wine, beer and yogurt.
• The chemical breakdown of a substance is by microorganisms such as bacteria or yeasts.

• The Uttar Pradesh government recently introduced the Police Commissioner system in Lucknow and Noida.
• Police in India are generally subject to dual control although their administration under The Police Act, 1861 is vested in the police hierarchy, the District Magistrate exercises general control within his jurisdiction.
• The Commissionerate system is a Unified command structure with the Commissioner of Police as the sole head of the force within the city.
• It allows for quicker responses to law and order situations.
• The office also has magisterial powers, including those related to regulation, control, and licensing.
• The CP is drawn from the Deputy Inspector General rank or above, and is assisted by Special/Joint/Additional/Deputy Commissioners.
• Almost all states barring Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, UT of J&K, and some Northeastern states have a commissionerate system.

• Recently, the Government has given clearance to an ambitious Gene-mapping project called Genome India Project.
• The Project will involve 20 leading institutions including the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru and a few IITs.
• The IISc’s Centre for Brain Research, an autonomous institute, will serve as the nodal point of the project.
• Its aim is to ultimately build a grid of the Indian “reference genome”, to understand fully the type and nature of diseases and traits that comprise the diverse Indian population.
• Studying and understanding both diversities would provide the bedrock of personalised healthcare for a very large group of persons on the planet.
• The first stage of the project will look at samples of “10,000 persons from all over the country” to form a “grid” that will enable the development of a “reference genome”.

• Recently, as a measure of conservation of Manipuri pony, one of India’s 5 indigenous horse breeds, the  Manipur state hosts an international polo tournament.
• India has 5 indigenous horse breeds: Marwari, Kathiawari, Zanskari, Manipuri and Spiti.
• Of them, the Marwari and Kathiawari are the most well-known, their "lyre" ears which bend inwards and can be rotated 180 degrees being the only sort in horse breeds around the world.
• The Manipuri horse is the quintessential polo horse and is easily manoeuvrable, while the Zanskari and Spiti breeds are strong ponies adept at work in mountainous terrain.
• The Manipuri horse is considered as the descendants of the Asian wild horse.
• These horses once enjoyed special status in Manipuri society, and were used only for sport and rituals.
• A Pony sanctuary is also being set up at Heingang to preserve the breed.

• The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC)’s 105 MW multipurpose hydroelectric project had drastically affected the scenic beauty of the Loktak Lake in Manipur.
• Many people lost their precious agricultural lands and homes after the lake was flooded following the implementation of the project.
• The project was more of a nightmare for the people that had inhabited near the Loktak Lake.
• The fishing community of Karang claimed to have spotted a new kind of unknown aquatic insects around the island in the recent past besides experiencing rise of mosquito population.
• Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India and is famous for the phumdis floating over it.
• Phumdis are the heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil and organic matter at various stages of decomposition.
• Keibul Lamjao National Park is the only floating national park in the world and is an integral part of Loktak Lake.
• It is the last natural refuge of endangered Sangai deer.
• The Sangai deer is a Schedule-1 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Endangered on IUCN Red List.