aditya
17:46
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Wednesday, May 04, 2022
The HINDU Notes – 04th May 2022
aditya
09:18
📰 India, Denmark to strengthen Green Strategic Partnership
Focus to be on green hydrogen, renewable energy and wastewater management
•India and Denmark on Tuesday agreed to further strengthen the Green Strategic Partnership with a focus on green hydrogen, renewable energy and wastewater management.
•“During our discussions, we reviewed the joint work plan for the Green Strategic Partnership. I am happy that significant progress has been made in various fields, especially in the areas of renewable energy, health, ports, shipping, circular economy and water management,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi told reporters here after talks with his Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen.
•A number of agreements covering sectors such as green shipping, animal husbandry and dairying, water management, energy, cultural exchange were inked after the bilateral talks.
•In a joint statement issued here, the two Prime Ministers welcomed the intention of both countries to deepen and expand the existing cooperation in the field of safe and secure water to meet present and future demand through a holistic and sustainable approach.
•“They looked forward to the early signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Danish Environment Ministry as a broad-based framework to enhance the existing cooperation and to launch new initiatives, including a Smart Laboratory on Clean River Water in Varanasi and a Centre of Excellence on Smart Water Resources Management,” it said.
•The two Prime Ministers welcomed the Letter of Intent on the establishment of a Centre of Excellence on Green Shipping, which will further strengthen bilateral maritime cooperation.
•The two leaders also agreed to expand the cooperation on agriculture by a Joint Declaration of Intent establishing among others a Centre of Excellence on Dairy.
•India and Denmark also confirmed their continued collaboration in the field of antimicrobial resistance. India conveyed its acceptance of the Danish invitation to join the International Center for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS) as Mission Partner, the joint statement said.
•The Danish Prime Minister confirmed Danish accession to the Global Digital Health Partnership on India’s invitation to improve public health and well-being through evidence-based digital technologies.
•Mr. Modi and Ms. Frederiksen welcomed the international agreement at COP26 on the need for accelerated climate action for holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below two degree above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial level.
•“The two sides confirmed the aspirations — through the Green Strategic Partnership — to take global leadership in pushing for ambitious green energy transition and demonstrate the pathways to achieving it, focusing both on energy efficiency and renewable energy,” the joint statement said.
•“India’s Green Strategic Partnership with Denmark is deeply valued. PM Frederiksen and I discussed how we can make this partnership even more effective. We also discussed cooperation in sectors such as renewable energy, ports, shipping, water management and more,” Mr. Modi said in a tweet.
•Ms. Frederiksen stressed Denmark’s commitment to speed up the phase out of fossil fuels and the deployment of renewable energy in Denmark to reach the goal of reducing emissions by 70% by 2030.
📰 Joblessness on the rise in India
Tuesday, May 03, 2022
States and Capitals of India 2022, India Now Has 28 States and 8 UTs 2022
aditya
19:17
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the appointed day for the two Union Territories J&K and Ladakh was October 31.
States and Capitals
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the appointed day for the two Union Territories J&K and Ladakh was October 31. This is for the first time that a state is converted into two Union Territories. The total number of states in the country will now be 28, with effect from 26th January 2020, India has 8 union territories.
The HINDU Notes – 03rd May 2022
aditya
13:35
📰 COVID-19: Supreme Court upholds individual’s right against forcible vaccination
Bodily autonomy and integrity are protected under Article 21 of the Constitution, holds Supreme Court
•The Supreme Court on Monday upheld both the right of an individual against forcible vaccination and the government’s current vaccination policy to protect communitarian health, but found certain vaccine mandates imposed by State governments/Union Territories, which tend to deny access to basic welfare measures and freedom of movement to unvaccinated individuals, disproportionate.
•A Bench led by Justice L. Nageswara Rao said that such vaccine mandates wilted in the face of “emerging scientific opinion” that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 infection from unvaccinated individuals was almost on par with that from vaccinated persons.
‘Set up virtual public platform’
•The court directed the Centre to set up a virtual public platform at the earliest to facilitate individuals and private doctors to report adverse vaccine events without compromising their privacy.
•“Information related to adverse events is crucial to create awareness about vaccines and their efficiency, apart from contributing to scientific studies about the pandemic... There is a pertinent need for collection of data on adverse events and wider participation,” Justice Rao, who authored the judgment, observed.
Paediatric vaccination policy
•The Bench also comprising Justice B.R. Gavai, in a judgment, held that India’s paediatric vaccination policy against the COVID-19 virus was in tune with “global scientific consensus” and the opinions of expert bodies like the World Health Organisation, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
•The court said it did not want to “second guess” these expert opinions on the basis of which the government had implemented its paediatric vaccination policy.
•However, the court directed the Union government to ensure that the findings and results of the relevant phases of clinical trials of vaccines already approved by the regulating authorities for administration to children be made public at the earliest, if not already done.
•The court said the government had already disclosed segregated clinical data on phase three trials.
•It held that materials published by the government did “not warrant the impression that the emergency use authorisation for Covishield and Covaxin vaccines was given in haste without thorough review of the data”.
•The court reiterated that, subject to the protection of the privacy of individuals, with respect to ongoing and future trials, “all relevant data to be published under the statutory regime must be made available to the public without undue delay”.
•The Bench said though the government had a wide latitude to frame policy affecting public health based on expert medical opinion, the court could not be barred from scrutinising whether the policy was unreasonable, manifestly arbitrary and affected the right to life of individuals.
•The court struck a balance between individual right to bodily integrity and refuse treatment with the government’s concern for public health.
•“With respect to bodily integrity and personal autonomy of an individual in the light of vaccines and other public health measures introduced to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are of the opinion that bodily integrity is protected under Article 21 (right to life) of the Constitution and no individual can be forced to be vaccinated,” the Supreme Court laid down.
•A person has the right under Article 21 to refuse treatment, the court acknowledged.
•“Personal autonomy of an individual, which is a recognised facet of protection guaranteed under Article 21 encompasses the right to refuse to undergo any medical treatment in the sphere of individual health,” Justice Rao observed.
‘Communitarian health’
•However, when the issue extended to “communitarian health”, the government was indeed “entitled to regulate issues”.
•But the government’s right to regulate by imposing limits to individual rights for the sake of protecting public health was also open to judicial scrutiny.
•Courts had the authority to review whether the government’s interventions into the personal autonomy of an individual and right to access means of livelihood met the “three-fold” requirements as expounded in the Constitution Bench judgment in K.S. Puttuswamy case (the judgment which upheld the right of privacy as a constitutional right under Article 21).
•The three-fold requirements include whether the legality of the limitations imposed by the government on individual rights presupposes the existence of a law. That is, the limitations should be backed by a clear statutory law.
•Secondly, the need for limitations should be proportionate to a legitimate State aim.
•Thirdly, there should be rational nexus between the State’s objectives for imposing the restrictions and the means adopted to achieve them.
•The court concluded that the Union government’s current vaccination policy met the requirements and “cannot be said to be unreasonable and manifestly arbitrary”.
•The policy reflected the “near unanimous views of experts on the benefits of vaccination in addressing severe infection, oxygen requirements, hospital and ICU admissions, mortality rate and stopping of new variants from emerging”.
•The judgment did not engage the argument from “certain quarters” that natural immunity offered better protection against the virus, saying “it was not pertinent for the determination of the issue before us”.
•The court, however, said neither the Union government nor the States had produced any “material” to counter the opinion raised in the petition filed by Jacob Puliyel, a former member of National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, that a vaccinated individual could spread the virus as much as his or her unvaccinated counterpart.
•“In light of this, restrictions on unvaccinated individuals imposed by various vaccine mandates by the State governments and Union Territories are not said to be proportionate,” Justice Rao noted.
•The court hence “suggested” that, as long as the infection rate remained low or until any new development or research justified the imposition of “reasonable proportionate restrictions on unvaccinated individuals”, all authorities, including private organisations and educational institutions, review their restrictions for the time being.
•The Bench clarified that “in the context of the rapidly evolving situation presented by the pandemic, our suggestion to review the vaccine mandates imposed by the States/Union Territories is related to the present situation alone and should not be construed as an interference in the lawful exercise of power by the executive to take suitable measures against the spread of infection”.
•The judgment was a result of Dr. Puliyel’s challenge that certain vaccine mandates notified by States, including those that made vaccination a precondition for accessing any benefits or services, were violative of the rights of citizens and unconstitutional.
📰 No short circuits: On electric vehicles catching fire
UPSC IAS interview date 2021 released; check complete schedule here
aditya
07:07
Union Public Service Commission has released the schedule of the UPSC CSE 2021 interview at the official website upsc.gov.in. The UPSC Civil Service Exam 2021 interview will start on April 5, 2021. Candidates who are successfully qualified can attend the UPSC CSE 2021 interview as per the schedule. Earlier, the commission had declared the UPSC CSE main exam result 2021 on March 17, 2022.
Monday, May 02, 2022
International Borders of India and important border lines 2022
aditya
16:19
International Borders of India
•An international borderline depicts the separation of two different countries. For example, the India Pakistan border separates India and Pakistan with a 3323 km long international border. An international model line divides two different countries and marks the territorial limits between the two countries. India has 15106.7 km long land borders which run through 18 states and 92 districts including the union territories. India shares its international land borders with 7 different countries. The seven countries that share international borders with India are Bangladesh China Afghanistan Myanmar Bhutan Nepal and Pakistan. It shares maritime borders with Sri Lanka Maldives and Indonesia.
•The coastline of India is 7516.6 km long which brushes approximately 13 states and union territories. The longest international borders of states and union territories are, West Bengal is 2509.7 km long, Rajasthan is 1170 km and Arunachal Pradesh is 1817 km long. Nagaland has the smallest international borders, it is 125 km. Ladakh is the only union territory to have three international boundaries with three different countries, Ladakh has its international borders with Pakistan China and Afghanistan.
States in India that share International Borders
Daily Current Affairs, 02nd May 2022
aditya
16:11
1) World Laughter Day 2022 celebrates on 1st May
•World Laughter Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of every May to remind people to laugh and make those around them laugh. This year the day is celebrated on 1st May. It has been scientifically observed that laughter tends to decrease the cortisol level in the brain, which subsequently, affects positively on the body. Laughter has utmost importance when it comes to lifting the mood or tweaking the train of thought that is not heading in the right direction.
2) World Tuna Day observed 2022 On 2nd May
•World Tuna Day is observed globally on 2nd May every year. This day is established by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness about the importance of tuna fish. Tuna is a significant source of food for humans as the fish has several rich qualities such as Omega 3, Vitamin B12, proteins and other minerals.
3) Statehood Day 2022 of Maharashtra and Gujarat
•Maharashtra and Gujarat celebrated their statehood day on 1st May 2022. On May 1st, 1960, the bilingual state of Bombay was divided into two separate states by the Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960: Maharashtra for Marathi speaking people and Gujarat for Gujarati speaking people. Gujarat was established as the 15th state of the Indian Union.
4) Indian Army Red Shield Division signs MoU for ‘Manipur Super 50’
•Red Shield Division of the Indian Army under the aegis of Spear Corps entered into a tripartite agreement with the State Bank of India Foundation (SBIF) and the National Integrity and Educational Development Organization (NIEDO) to establish ‘Red Shield Centre for Excellence and Wellness’ in Manipur’s Bishnupur district. The project ‘Manipur Super 50’ is expected to be fully functional for the first batch of 50 students by the first week of July 2022.
5) To upgrade railway telecommunications, Railway Ministry signs an agreement with the C-DOT
•The Ministry of Railways and the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to form a strong collaborative working partnership for coordination and resource sharing in the provision of telecommunication facilities in the delivery and implementation of C-Telecom DOT’s Solutions and services in railways.
6) Vinay Mohan Kwatra assumes charge as India’s new Foreign Secretary
•Vinay Mohan Kwatra took charge as India’s new Foreign Secretary. A 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Mr Kwatra succeeded Harsh Vardhan Shringla who retired from service. Mr Kwatra was serving as India’s envoy to Nepal before assuming the charge of the Foreign Secretary.
7) Lt Gen BS Raju appointed as Vice Chief of Indian Army
•The Indian Army’s Director General of Military Operations, Lieutenant General Baggavalli Somashekar Raju has been appointed as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff from May 1. He was an alumnus of Sainik School Bijapur and National Defence Academy and commissioned in the Jat Regiment on December 15, 1984. He had commanded a battalion during Operation Parakram in the Western Theatre and J&K. He has been awarded the Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and Yudh Seva Medal.
•Before taking over the new role, Lt General BS Raju was serving as the Director-General of Military Operations during the standoff on the LAC, the de facto border between India and China. The two countries have been locked in a standoff since June 2020 when both sides lost several troops.
8) RBI changes the rules for banks participating in KCC’s short-term agricultural loan plan
•The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) changed the rules for banks to claim the amount of interest subsidies paid to farmers under the short-term crop credit plan via the Kisan Credit Card (KCC) during the previous fiscal year.
9) Former Amazon Music CEO Sahas Malhotra joins JioSaavn as CEO
•JioSaavn has named Sahas Malhotra, a former Amazon Music director and entertainment industry expert, as its new CEO. Previously, Sahas Malhotra worked for Sony Music India and Tips Industries. Sahas Malhotra was the business leader at Tips Music and the marketing director for Tips Film Production at Tips Industries.
•From the JioSaavn company’s Mumbai headquarters, Sahas Malhotra will manage the company’s efforts in the rapidly changing and fascinating Indian market. Sahas Malhotra has more than 24 years of experience in the entertainment sector, including team development, film marketing, music P&L management, licensing, media planning, music publishing, and product management, according to JioSaavn.
Daily Current Affairs, 01st May 2022
aditya
16:02
1) International Labour Day 2022 observed globally on 1st May
•International Labour Day is observed globally on 1st May every year. It is also known as International Worker’s Day and May Day. The day is celebrated to spread awareness about Labour’s rights and mark their achievements. The day aims to pay tribute to workers’ sacrifices in achieving economic and social rights all over the world.
2) Mother’s Day 2022: History and Celebration
•A mother has different names like mommy, mom, and mamma, but every mother has the same role in our lives. She is a pillar of support for every family. She is the caretaker and gives unconditional love to all. The definition of a mother can be different for every individual, for someone she may be a caretaker, for someone she may be a best friend, and for someone, she is the best cook. We celebrate Mother’s Day to pay gratitude and appreciation to every mother in this world. A mother is such a great inspiration that only one day is not enough to appreciate the efforts of a mother.
•This year Mother’s day is on 8 May 2022. The first Mother’s Day was celebrated by Anna Jarvis in the year 1908 to honour her mother Ann Jarvis with a Memorial. Every mother deserves a day dedicated to her by her children and family. She works hard to put everyone together and encourages everyone. Only one day is not enough to celebrate a mother. Mother’s day is celebrated worldwide by expressing our love for our mother.
3) 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India 2022
•There are 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India. Dholavira and Ramappa Temple are the latest addition to the list under the ‘Cultural’ category. ‘Ramappa Temple’, Telangana and ‘Dholavira’, Gujarat which is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 2021. This decision was made in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee’s 44th session held in China. In 2021 the total number of World Heritage Sites has increased from 38 to 40.
4) Brazil landscape garden Sitio Burle Marx receives UNESCO World Heritage status
•The Sitio Burle Marx site, a landscape garden in Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro has been added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites. The garden features more than 3,500 species of plants native to Rio and is considered a laboratory for botanical and landscape experimentation.
•The site has been named after Burle Marx, a Brazilian landscape architect whose designs of parks and gardens made him world-famous. The Sitio Burle Marx site was his home until 1985.
