What is the Special Marriage Act:                                      The Special Marriage Act of 1954 (SMA) was passed by the Parliament on October 9, 1954. It governs a civil marriage where the state sanctions the marriage rather than the religion. Issues of personal law such as marriage, divorce, adoption are governed by religious …

Number of pilgrims and tourists in stressed areas must be capped. Globally, this is the accepted norm. The large cracks appearing on the Badrinath highway near subsidence-hit Joshimath pose big questions for the Char Dham Yatra. There are reports that even old cracks along the highway are re-emerging. If true, …

In line with the overall policy to further step-up military and economic ties with the energy-rich Central Asian republics, India on Monday kicked off a joint combat exercise with Uzbekistan at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand. The 14-day exercise — ‘Dustlik’ — will see Indian and Uzbek soldiers focus on joint counter-terrorist …

Invoking the spirit of G20 of “One Earth, One Family, One Future, India welcomed disaster relief teams on their return from quake-hit Turkiye. No matter which country, if it is about humanity, then India keeps human interest paramount. The whole world saw how and reached us immediately. It shows our …

INDIA, SINGAPORE TO LAUNCH DIGITAL PAYMENT SYSTEM India and Singapore will virtually witness the launch of cross-border connectivity between the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India and PayNow of Singapore. The launch will be done by Governor, RBI, and MD, Monetary Authority of Singapore. India has emerged as one of …

⦁ India is expected to welcome the first batch of 12 cheetahs from South Africa this weekend, after eight of these big cats were ferried from Namibia ⦁ The cheetahs, five of them female, have taken off from Johannesburg aboard an Indian Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster aircraft. ⦁ They …

⦁ In a major tweak to the organ donation policy, the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said the clause that people aged beyond 65 could not receive cadaver organ transplants had been removed. ⦁ “The government has decided to do away with the ceiling. Now, people beyond 65 in need …

⦁ The Supreme Court of India has given permission to fishermen using purse seine fishing gear to fish beyond territorial waters (12 nautical miles) and within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) (200 nautical miles) of Tamil Nadu, but observing certain restrictions. ⦁ The Court’s interim order of January 24, 2023, …

⦁ The Vibrant Villages Programme focuses on developing the rural areas in the northern border states and union territories ⦁ More than 663 villages will be developed under the programme. ⦁ It is to be implemented for two years, that is, between 2022-23 and 2025-26. ⦁ The Central Government allocated …

⦁ Authorities have confirmed the presence of a migratory bird for the first time inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR). The fourth bird survey held at the PTR has spotted 231 bird species in total, including 14 threatened and 20 endemic species. ⦁ The four-day survey began on January 26 …