In News: Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda virtually addressed at National Dialogue on Manufacturing Excellence and Innovation for Competitiveness and Sustainability of Chemicals Manufacturing in New Delhi .

Key takeaways:

• Union minister said that the Chemicals and Petrochemicals sector will play an important role in achieving the goal of 5 trillion-dollar economy.
• The Indian chemicals industry stood at 178 billion dollar in 2019 and is expected to reach 304 billion dollar by 2025 and the demand for chemicals is expected to expand by 9% per annum by 2025.
• The Minister hoped that United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) will support domestic industry with international best practices and policy & technical assistance.
• The Minister thanked UNIDO for taking the initiative for raising dialogue on transforming the chemical industry sector of India into a more efficient, effective and competitive ‘growth engine’.
• UNIDO organised a dialogue under ‘Clean Manufacturing in India’ (Swachh Udyog) and hosted National Dialogue on ‘Excellence and Innovation for Competitive and Sustainable Chemicals Manufacturing in India’.
•  The dialogue discussed opportunities and challenges for chemical manufacturing growth and garner momentum among policy makers, industry sector and other stakeholders on need for knowledge and skill-based transformative change to safeguard and future proof chemicals manufacturing in India.

Significance of chemical industry in INDIA:

• The chemical industry occupies a pivotal position in meeting basic needs and improving quality of life.
• The chemical sector, which is knowledge- and capital-intensive, is the mainstay of industrial and agricultural development, and provides building blocks for downstream industries such as textiles, papers, paints, soaps, detergents, and pharmaceuticals, among others.
• The fertilizer and agrochemical industries ensure food security, and are thus vital to India’s developing and agrarian economy.
• The synthetic fiber industry is crucial to providing affordable clothing, and the pharmaceutical industry gives the country’s vast population access to low-cost drugs.

Important information:

UNIDO(United Nations Industrial Development Organization)

• UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations.
• 170 States are Members of UNIDO as of 1 April 2019
• Mandate: To promote and accelerate Inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) in Member States.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
• It was established in 1966 by the UN General Assembly.

SOURCE:PIB (April 7th current affairs)

2. Aazadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

In News:

The Vice President, Sh M. Venkaiah Naidu  graced the colourful closing ceremony of the 25-day long commemorative Dandi Padyatra as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav near National Salt Satyagraha Memorial , Dandi, Gujarat.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Gandhi’s iconic Dandi Salt March was a watershed moment in our freedom struggle.
• It altered the course of history.
• Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”—a 75 week festival to commemorate 75 years of India’s Independence, was flagged off by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi from Sabarmati Ashram, on March 12, 2021.
• The festival celebrates the rapid strides India has taken in the past 75 years.

BASIC:

About the 1930 Dandi March:

• The Dandi March, also known as the Salt March and the Dandi Satyagraha was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
• The march lasted from 12th March, 1930 to 6th April, 1930 as a direct action campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly.
• On 12th March, Gandhiji set out from Sabarmati with 78 followers on a 241-mile march to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. There, Gandhi and his supporters were to defy British policy by making salt from seawater.
• At Dandi, thousands more followed his lead, and in the coastal cities of Bombay and Karachi, Indian nationalists led crowds of citizens in making salt.
• Civil disobedience broke out all across India, soon involving millions of Indians, and British authorities arrested more than 60,000 people. Gandhiji himself was arrested on 5th May, but the satyagraha continued without him.
• On 21st May, the poet Sarojini Naidu led 2,500 marchers on the Dharasana Salt Works, some 150 miles north of Bombay. The incident, recorded by American journalist Webb Miller, prompted an international outcry against British policy in India.
• In January 1931, Gandhiji was released from prison. He later met with Lord Irwin, the viceroy of India, and agreed to call off the satyagraha in exchange for an equal negotiating role at a London conference on India’s future.
• In August 1931, Gandhiji traveled to the conference as the sole representative of the nationalist Indian National Congress. The meeting was a disappointment, but British leaders had acknowledged him as a force they could not suppress or ignore.

SOURCE:PIB (April 7th current affairs)

3. First Meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors

In News:

• India hosted a Meeting of BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors virtually today on April 6, 2021.
• The meeting was jointly Chaired by Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Shri. Shaktikanta Das. Participants included Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the BRICS countries.

Key takeaways:

• As 2021 BRICS Chair, India’s approach is focused on strengthening intra-BRICS cooperation based on Continuity, Consolidation and Consensus.
• This was the first meeting of the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors under India Chairship in 2021.
• BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors discussed financial cooperation agenda set by India for 2021 –
  • Global Economic Outlook and Response to COVID-19 pandemic,
  • New Development Bank (NDB) Activities,
  • Social Infrastructure Financing and Use of Digital Technologies,
  • Cooperation on Customs related issues,
  • IMF reforms,
  • Fintech for SMEs and Financial Inclusion,
  • BRICS Rapid Information Security channel and BRICS Bond Fund.

BASIC:

About BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa)

• On November 30, 2001, Jim O’Neill, a British economist who was then chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, coined the term ‘BRIC’ to describe the four emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.
• Established in 2009, BRICS represents the collective voice of the Global South with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa as its members.
• After its establishment more than a decade ago, BRICS became the first-ever compact non-Western, inter-continental multilateral club.
• It was lauded as a unique experiment to bring together politically, economically and culturally diverse countries who share a range of concerns and interests with regard to the functioning of the western liberal international order.
• BRICS has been driven by the idea to challenge, if not dismantle, western hegemony and bring new ideas on the table for global governance.
• The BRICS is mainly portrayed as a grouping of fast-emerging economies with huge market potential.
• Bilateral relations among BRICS nations are conducted on the basis of non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit.
• There are two components that make up the financial architecture of BRICS:
  • New Development Bank (NDB) (BRICS Development Bank)
  • Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA).

Source:PIB (April 7th current affairs)

4. National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021

In News:

Recently a news article in a newspaper stating that patients of rare diseases will get treatment under Ayushman Bharat scheme of the Government.

Key points:

• It is clarified that under National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021 there is a provision for financial support upto Rs. 20 lakhs under the Umbrella Scheme of Rastriya Arogya Nidhi for treatment, of those rare diseases that require a one-time treatment (diseases listed under Group 1 in the rare disease policy).
• Beneficiaries for such financial assistance would not be limited to BPL families, but the benefit would be extended to about 40% of the population, who are eligible under Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
• This financial support for treatment of rare diseases is proposed under the Umbrella Scheme of Rastriya Arogya Nidhi (RAN) and not under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY.
• Besides, the Rare Diseases Policy also envisages a crowdfunding mechanism in which corporates and individuals will be encouraged to extend financial support through a robust IT platform for treatment of rare diseases.
• Funds so collected will be utilized by Centres of Excellence for treatment of all three categories of rare diseases as a first charge and the balance financial resources can also be used for research.

IMPORTANT INFO:

National Rare Disease Policy 2021.

Aim:

• To increase focus on indigenous research and local production of medicines.
• To lower the cost of treatment of rare diseases.
• To screen and detect rare diseases early at early stages, which will in turn help in their prevention.

Major Provisions of the Policy:

Categorization:

The policy has categorised rare diseases in three groups:

Group 1: Disorders amenable to one-time curative treatment.

Group 2: Those requiring long term or lifelong treatment.

Group 3: Diseases for which definitive treatment is available but challenges are to make optimal patient selection for benefit, very high cost and lifelong therapy.

Rare Diseases

• There are 6,000-8,000 classified rare diseases, but less than 5% have therapies available to treat them.
• Example: Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSD), Pompe disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, haemophilia etc.
• About 95% rare diseases have no approved treatment and less than 1 in 10 patients receive disease-specific treatment.
• These diseases have differing definitions in various countries and range from those that are prevalent in 1 in 10,000 of the population to 6 per 10,000.
• However broadly, a ‘rare disease’ is defined as a health condition of low prevalence that affects a small number of people when compared with other prevalent diseases in the general population. Many cases of rare diseases may be serious, chronic and life-threatening.
• India has close to 50-100 million people affected by rare diseases or disorders, the policy report said almost 80% of these rare condition patients are children and a leading cause for most of them not reaching adulthood is due to the high morbidity and mortality rates of these life-threatening diseases.

SOURCE: PIB (April 7th current affairs)

5. Shri Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana appointed as Chief Justice of India

Key points:

• The President of India, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution of India, appointed Shri Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana, Judge of the Supreme Court, to be the Chief Justice of India.
• He will be 48th Chief Justice of India.
• He is first-generation lawyer, having agricultural background, and hails from Ponnavaram Village, Krishna District in Andhra Pradesh.
• He is an avid reader and literature enthusiast. He is passionate about Carnatic music.

Important info:

Procedure for Various Judicial Appointments:

For CJI:

• The President of India appoints the CJI and the other SC judges.
• As far as the CJI is concerned, the outgoing CJI recommends his successor.
• In practice, it has been strictly by seniority ever since the supersession controversy of the 1970s.

For SC Judges:

• For other judges of the SC, the proposal is initiated by the CJI.
• The CJI consults the rest of the Collegium members, as well as the senior-most judge of the court hailing from the High Court to which the recommended person belongs.
• The consultees must record their opinions in writing and it should form part of the file.
• The Collegium sends the recommendation to the Law Minister, who forwards it to the Prime Minister to advise the President.

For Chief Justice of High Courts:

• The Chief Justice of High Court is appointed as per the policy of having Chief Justices from outside the respective States.
• The Collegium takes the call on the elevation.
• High Court judges are recommended by a Collegium comprising the CJI and two senior-most judges.
• The proposal, however, is initiated by the outgoing Chief Justice of the High Court concerned in consultation with two senior-most colleagues.
• The recommendation is sent to the Chief Minister, who advises the Governor to send the proposal to the Union Law Minister.

Related Constitutional Provisions

• Article 124(2) of the Indian Constitution provides that the Judges of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President after consultation with such a number of the Judges of the Supreme Court and of the High Courts in the States as the President may deem necessary for the purpose.
• Article 217 of the Indian Constitution states that the Judge of a High Court shall be appointed by the President consultation with the Chief Justice of India, the Governor of the State, and, in the case of appointment of a Judge other than the Chief Justice, the Chief Justice of the High Court.

SOURCE:THE HINDU

April 7th current affairs

The post April 7th current affairs appeared first on Vignan IAS Academy.

April 4th Current Affairs -Vignan IAS

NAXALISM
Five security personnel were killed and more than 12 injured in an encounter with Maoists in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.
About:
Two of the dead were from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). One of them belonged to the elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) of the CRPF, a unit specially trained for operations in areas affected by left-wing extremism.
a 400-strong team of security forces came under attack by a People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) platoon in the Tarrem area near the Sukma-Bijapur border.
The attack comes close on the heels of the March 23 incident when five DRG personnel were killed as Maoists blew up a bus carrying security personnel with an IED in Narayanpur district.
Important Info :
Sukma district?
Sukma district is the southernmost district in Chhattisgarh.
It is located in the Bastar region, known for its tribal culture. It is mainly inhabited by Gonds and other tribals.
The district was carved out of Dantewada in 2012.
Sukma district borders with Odisha (Malkangiri district), Telangana (Bhadradri Kothagudem district) and Andhra Pradesh (East Godavari district).
One major river that flows through the district is Sabari.
The district is one of the least developed districts of India and is severely affected by Naxalism or Maoism.
Source : The Hindu
Defence & Security

 

 DECISION REVIEW SYSTEM (DRS)

The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) cricket committee has made changes to the way lbws will be decided under the Decision Review System (DRS).
About:
The “wicket zone”, the area of the stumps a ball must hit for an on-field not-out decision to be overturned, which previously ended below the bails, will now extend all the way up to the top. The committee also decided to retain the umpire’s call, an element that allows
the on-field decision to stand when there is no conclusive evidence to overturn it. A player can also ask the umpire whether an attempt was made to play the ball before deciding to review an lbw call.
Important Info :
What necessitated the review?
Under DRS, 50% of the ball should predictively hit the “wicket zone” for an on-field not-out decision to be reversed. Earlier, if the ball-tracking simulation showed the ball to be clipping the bails, the on-field verdict, even if it was not out, stood because the “wicket
zone” ended below the bails. This left both players and supporters exasperated because two balls, both predictively shown to be hitting the stumps, can both be out and not out depending on the on-field umpire’s call. The 50% test is also applied for balls projected to hit the outside of the off-stump or leg-stump.
Source : The Hindu
Sports

 April 4th Current Affairs -Vignan IAS

DIGITAL RMB
China in February 2021 launched the latest round of pilot trials of its new digital currency, with reported plans of a major roll-out by the end of the year and ahead of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February 2022.
About:
Officially titled the Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP), the digital RMB (or Renminbi, China’s currency) is, as its name suggests, a digital version of China’s currency.
It can be downloaded and exchanged via an application authorised by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), China’s central bank.
China is among a small group of countries that have begun pilot trials; others include Sweden, South Korea and Thailand.
How is it different from an e-wallet? 
Unlike an e-wallet such as Paytm in India, or Alipay or WeChat Pay, which are the two dominant apps in China, the Digital RMB does not involve a third party. For users, the experience may broadly feel the same. But from a “legal perspective”, the digital currency is “very, very different”. This is legal tender guaranteed by the central bank, not a payment guaranteed by a third-party operator. There is no third-party transaction, and hence, no transaction fee. Unlike e-wallets, the digital currency does not require Internet connectivity.
The payment is made through Near-field Communication (NFC) technology. Also, unlike non-bank payment platforms that require users to link bank accounts, this can be opened with a personal identification number. 
Important Info :
Significance
While several countries have been experimenting with digital currencies, China’s recent trials in several cities have placed it ahead of the curve. The central bank-issued digital RMB will turn the logic of decentralised cryptocurrencies on its head, without the privacy and anonymity they offer, by giving regulators complete control over transactions. There are global motivations as well.
Source : The Hindu
Economy

 April 4th Current Affairs -Vignan IAS

H-1B VISA RULE
USA President Joe Biden has allowed a Trump-era H-1B visa rule to expire.
About:
Last June, the administration of former President Donald Trump, a Republican, halted the issuance of non-immigrant work visas of several types, including the skilled worker visa, or H-1B. At the time, the White House had stated that the aim of the policy was to stop foreign workers from cornering American jobs during the economic distress and consequent shortage of economic opportunities brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While the original order was valid until December 31, 2020, it was extended by the Trump administration to be valid until March 31, 2021. Now, the 46th and current U.S. President, Democrat Joe Biden, has allowed the
ban on H-1B visa issuance to expire, potentially bringing relief to a large number of Indian nationals, especially IT workers who are prospective applicants for the visa.
Important Info :
Statistics
Until now, the U.S. issued 85,000 H-1B visas annually, of which 20,000 went to graduate students and 65,000 to private sector applicants, and Indian nationals would garner approximately 70% of these.
Source : The Hindu
International

 April 4th Current Affairs -Vignan IAS

INFLATION TARGETING
On the last day of the financial year 2020-21, the Finance Ministry announced that the inflation target for the five years between April 2021 and March 2026 will remain unchanged at 4%, with an upper tolerance level of 6% and a lower tolerance level of 2%.
About:
This is the retail inflation target that will drive the country’s monetary policy framework and influence its decision to raise, hold or lower interest rates. India had switched to an inflation target-based monetary policy framework in 2015, with the 4% target kicking in from 2016-17. Many developed countries had adopted an inflation-rate focus as an anchor for policy formulation for interest rates rather than past fixations with metrics like the currency exchange rate or controlling money supply growth. Emerging economies have also been gradually adopting this approach. In adopting a target for a period of five years, the central bank has the visibility and the time to smoothly alter and adjust its policies in order to attain the targeted inflation levels over the medium term, rather than seek to achieve it every month.
Source : The Hindu
Economy

 

April 4th Current Affairs -Vignan IAS

SOFT SIGNAL PROTOCOL
The soft signal protocol for outfield catches, which was in the news during the India-England series, was not adjudicated on in the recent meeting of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) cricket committee.
About:
According to the International Cricket Council’s rules, a ‘soft signal’ is a “visual communication by the bowler’s end umpire to the third umpire (accompanied by additional information via two-way radio where necessary) of his/her initial on-field decision prior to initiating an Umpire Review.”
In most cases, the third umpire upholds the ‘soft signal’ (out or not out) of the on-field umpire if there is no conclusive evidence to overturn the first verdict.
Source : The Hindu
Sports

The post April 4th Current Affairs – Vignan IAS appeared first on Vignan IAS Academy.

• The Seven Day event was organized by Nubra Adventure Club.
  
• Ice climbing is a popular winter sport abroad. Taking the cue, local adventure sports lovers have explored several ice climbing spots in Nubra valley to attract the adventure tourists to the region.
  

Important Info :

• Nubra is a subdivision and a tehsil in the union territory of Ladakh.
• Its inhabited areas form a tri-armed valley cut by the Nubra and Shyok rivers.
• The Shyok River meets the Nubra River (or Siachan River) to form a large valley that separates the Ladakh and Karakoram Ranges. The Shyok river is a tributary of the Indus river.

Source : All India Radio

India has expressed serious concern over the security situation in the Sahel and Lake Chad region in West Africa. India also condemned terrorist attacks by Boko Haram in Nigeria and Lake Chad region and by Islamic State in West Africa

• Lake Chad is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in central Africa, which has varied in size over the centuries.
  
• The freshwater lake is located in the Sahelian zone of West-central Africa. Lake Chad is mainly in the far west of Chad, bordering on northeastern Nigeria.
  
• Lake Chad provides water to more than 30 million people living in the four countries surrounding it (Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria) on the central part of the Sahel.
  
• It is the largest lake in the Chad Basin.
  
• The Chari River, fed by its tributary the Logone, provides over 90% of the lake’s water, with a small amount coming from the Yobe River in Nigeria/Niger.
  
• Despite high levels of evaporation, the lake is fresh water.
  

Source : All India Radio

Shijiazhuang has become China’s new hotspot of Coronavirus surge

• Shijiazhuang formerly known as Shimen and romanized as Shihkiachwang, is the capital and largest city of North China’s Hebei Province.
  
• Shijiazhuang is situated east of the Taihang Mountains.
  
• The city stands at the edge of the North China Plain, which rises to the Taihang Mountains to the west of the city, and lies south of the Hutuo River.
  

Source : All India Radio

Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog launched its new edition of Atal Tinkering Lab handbook which reinforces detailed establishment and operational processes of the Atal Tinkering Labs and its journey towards an innovative ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’

• The handbook named ‘The Atal Tinkering Lab Handbook 2.0’ outlines a practical guidance on structural, selection, establishment and celebration aspects of the AIM’s flagship ATL programme.
  
• The ATL Handbook encompasses work done by the AIM team in a framework using 4 key pillars of the ATL initiative – Selection, Establishment, Enablement, and Celebration.
  

Important Info :

About ATL?

• An Atal Tinkering Lab provides a makerspace where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands on do-it-yourself mode; and learn innovation skills.
• To foster entrepreneurship and innovation, Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog has established over 7000 ATLs across the country so far enabling over 3 Million+ students between Grade VI to Grade XII acquire a problem solving, tinkering and innovative mindset.

Source : PIB

Manipur has become the 4th State in the country to successfully undertake “Urban Local Bodies (ULB)” reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance in its letter to the States dated 17th May, 2020

• Thus, the State has become eligible to mobilise additional financial resources of Rs.75 crore through Open Market Borrowings.
  
• Manipur has now joined the three other States namely, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, who have completed this reform.
  

Benefits:

• Reforms in the Urban Local Bodies and the urban utilities reforms are aimed at financial strenghtening of ULBs in the States and to enable them to provide better public health and sanitation services.
  
• Economically rejuvenated ULBs will also be able to create good civic infrastructure.
  

Important Info :

The reforms stipulated by the Department of Expenditure to achieve these objectives are:

• The State will notify (a) floor rates of property tax in ULBs which are in consonance with the prevailing circle rates (i.e. guideline rates for property transactions) and (b) floor rates of user charges in respect of the provision of water-supply, drainage and sewerage which reflect current costs/ past inflation.
• The State will put in place a system of periodic increase in floor rates of property tax/ user charges in line with price increases.

Source : LiveMint

Crop Insurance Scheme- The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yajana (PMFBY) successfully completes 5 Years of operations on 13th January 2021

• The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was launched in 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  
• It is an insurance service scheme for farmers for their yields. It aims to reduce the premium burden on farmers and ensure early settlement of crop assurance claim for the full insured sum.
  
• It was formulated in line with One Nation–One Scheme theme by replacing earlier two schemes National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).
  
• The Scheme covers all Food & Oilseeds crops and Annual Commercial/Horticultural Crops for which past yield data is available and for which requisite number of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) are being conducted under General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES).
  
• The scheme is implemented by empanelled general insurance companies. The scheme is being administered by Ministry of Agriculture.
  
• The scheme is compulsory for loanee farmers availing Crop Loan /KCC account for notified crops and voluntary for other others.
  

Source : PIB

Zanskar Winter Sports & Youth Festival 2021 is being organized from 18th to 30th January 2021 by the Dept. of Sports & Youth Services under the Khelo India banner in collaboration with the Ladakh Tourism Department

• Zanskar, Zahar (locally) or Zangskar is also known as Janskar or Jangskar.
  
• It is a subdistrict or tehsil of the Kargil district, in the union territory of Ladakh.
  
• The administrative centre is Padum.
  

Important Info :

Zanskar Range?

• The Zanskar Range is a mountain range in the union territory of Ladakh that separates Zanskar from Ladakh. Geologically, the Zanskar Range is part of the Tethys Himalaya, an approximately 100-km-wide synclinorium formed by strongly folded and imbricated, weakly metamorphosed sedimentary series.
• The average height of the Zanskar Range is about 6,000 m. Its eastern part is known as Rupshu.

Source : All India Radio

The Supreme Court has put a stay on the implementation of the three farm laws until further orders. It has also set up a committee of agricultural experts to facilitate talks between the Centre and farmers’ unions to resolve the impasse

• The members includes
  • Bhupinder Singh Mann, the national president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union and All India Kisan Coordination Committee;
    
  • Dr Parmod Kumar Joshi, an agricultural economist who is also the Director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute;
    
  • Ashok Gulati, agricultural economist and former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices;
    
  • Anil Ghanwat, the chief of Shetkari Sanghatana, who in articles written in the media have expressed views in favour of the farm laws.
    
  
  
• The Chief Justice said that the committee will not pass an order or punish and submit a report to the Supreme Court. He said the committee is the judicial process in this case.
  

Source : All India Radio

Actor Anuskha Sharma and her husband, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, became parents to a girl on January 11. While the Indian team is on a tour to Australia, Kohli came back to India after the first Test, on paternity leave

• Unlike maternity leave, which is legally mandated, the private sector is not bound to provide paternity leave in India.
  
• There is a legal stipulation for central government employees –– a “male civil servant (including an apprentice, probationer) with less than two surviving children may be granted Paternity Leave for a period of 15 days before or up to six months from the date of delivery of the child.”
  
• The “less than two surviving children” means the employee can take paternity leaves only for his first two children.
  
• Thus, the decision on how long a paternity leave they wish to provide rests with a particular company.
  

Important Info :

• For women, on the other hand, the law mandates that female workers of all establishments with 10 or more workers can take 26 weeks of paid leave, up to eight weeks of which can be claimed before the delivery of the child.

Source : Indian Express

Public and Private Health Facilities were felicitated with Kayakalp award for high standards of Sanitation and Hygiene

• The government had launched a National Initiative ‘Kayakalp’ on 15th May 2015 to ensure hygiene, sanitation and cleanliness in Public Health Facilities in India.
  
• The scheme, which saw the participation of 716 District Hospitals and central government institutions in its first year has spread to 26 thousand 172 public health facilities now.
  
• Health Ministry had collaborated with Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and launched Swachh Swasth Sarvatra programme, under which, one community health centre (CHCs) situated within ODF block receives one-time grant of 10 lakh rupees for undertaking improvement activities, so that the CHC becomes Kayakalp CHC.
  

Source : All India Radio

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