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Every year, 21st March, is observed as International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The day calls for solidarity against racism and racial discrimination. The United Nation General Assembly in October 1966 proclaimed 21st March as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, to be commemorated annually. …

In some cases it has been found that the National Security Act-1980 (NSA) was invoked to prevent the person from being released from judicial custody even if the accused had got bail. The NSA empowers the state to detain a person without a formal charge and without trial. National Security …

TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs has now launched “Sankalp se Siddhi” – Village and Digital Connect Drive. It is a 100 day drive which was stared from April 1, 2021. The drive will entail 150 teams visiting ten villages each of which 10 in each region from TRIFED and …

The eCommittee Supreme Court has prepared the draft vision document for Phase III of the eCourts Project under the auspices of the Supreme Court of India. E-Courts Project is a mission mode project undertaken by the Department of Justice, Government of India. The eCourts Project was conceptualized on the basis …

The Supreme Court has held that a public employer can reject a candidate as unsuitable if he/she had, in the past, been acquitted of a serious crime merely on the benefit of doubt. Benefit of doubt is granted to the accused when there is total absence of evidence or in the criminal jurisprudence requiring the case …

Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has approved the National Rare Disease Policy 2021. Earlier, the Delhi High Court had directed the Centre to set up a Rare Diseases Committee, a Rare Diseases Fund and to finalise and notify the National Health Policy for Rare Diseases on or before 31st March, …

Recently, the External Affairs Minister of India participated in the 17th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)Ministerial Meeting. The meeting, chaired by Sri Lanka, was held in virtual mode. India’s Commitment: To further build the momentum of regional cooperation under the BIMSTEC framework and make the organization stronger, vibrant, more effective and result-oriented. …

Government of India launched the All-India Survey of Migrant Workers and All-India Quarterly Establishment-based Employment Survey. Labour and Employment Ministry said, the objective of the All-India Survey of Migrant Workers is to study the kind of employment-related migration undertaken by workers. The survey will provide the details of working and …

Central Government has constituted three expert committees to review the existing rules and regulations on safety, health and working conditions standards, pertaining to factories, docks and construction work. Important points: One committee will look into the safety parameters of industries, docks and ports while the other two committees have been …

The U.S. and Iran said that they would begin negotiations through intermediaries next week to try to get both countries back into an accord limiting Iran’s nuclear programme, nearly three years after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal. Important points: The announcement marked the first major …

The failure of the health system to cope with COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in maternal deaths and stillbirths, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health journal. Important points: Overall, there was a 28% increase in the odds of stillbirth, and the risk of mothers dying …

Union Education Minister launches “MyNEP2020” platform of NCTE Portal. The platform seeks to invite suggestions/inputs/membership from the stakeholders for preparing draft for the development of National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST) and National Mission for Mentoring Program membership (NMM). The NCTE in its previous form was established in 1973 as …

Indian Army to participate in Exercise SHANTIR OGROSHENA, a multinational military exercise in Bangladesh. Multinational Military Exercise SHANTIR OGROSHENA 2021 (Front Runner of the Peace) will be held at Bangladesh to commemorate the birth centenary of Bangladesh ‘Father of the Nation’ Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The DOGRA Regiment will participate …

According to the National Election Watch (NEW) and Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), in the Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, at least 1,157 out of 6,318 candidates have criminal cases against them. NEW is a nationwide campaign since 2002 comprising more than 1200 Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other citizen …

Recently, the Election Commission of India (ECI) delisted Ex-Telecom Minister A. Raja from the list of star campaigners. He has also been reprimanded for violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for making certain remarks during election times. Star Campaigners: A star campaigner is a celebrity vote seeker in an election for a party. This …

The demand for an autonomous state within Assam has been raised by some of the sections of the society in Assam under the provisions of Article 244A of the Constitution. Important points: In the 1950s, a demand for a separate hill state arose around certain sections of the tribal population of undivided Assam. After prolonged agitations, Meghalaya …

The India-Mauritius CECPA will enter into force on 01 April 2021. Important points:  India and Mauritius signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA) on 22 February 2021. The CECPA is the first trade Agreement signed by India with a country in Africa. The India-Mauritius CECPA provides for an …

The Union Commerce and Industry Ministry announced extension of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) of Government of India. Important points: The present Policy which came into force on 1st April 2015, was for 5 years and was extended thereafter upto 31st March, 2021. In view of the persisting COVID-19 pandemic, …

The nomination process for this year’s Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards (PMYA) will begin from 30/03/2021, with the last date for the submission of the entries being 30/04/2021. One of the key initiatives of the Ministry of AYUSH (MoA), the International Day of Yoga (IDY), has gained international recognition. PM Narendra …

Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog launched AIM-PRIME (Program for Researchers on Innovations, Market-Readiness & Entrepreneurship), an initiative to promote and support science-based deep-tech start-ups & ventures across India. In this regard, AIM has joined hands with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) to launch this nationwide program which will …