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The Lok Sabha recently passed a Bill that defines that the word “government” in Delhi means the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) and makes it mandatory for the elected government in the national capital territory to take the opinion of the L-G before any executive action. Amid strong protests from Opposition parties, including the Congress and …

Recently, the Government has launched the Gram UJALA Programme – an ambitious scheme offering the world’s cheapest LED bulbs in rural areas at a mere Rs. 10. Important points: In its first phase launched from Arrah in Bihar, 15 million LED bulbs will be distributed across villages of 5 districts – Aarah (Bihar), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Vijayawada …

Recently, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan announced the implementation of the Rajasthan Model of Public Health that would include a Right to Health as well as measures for preventive, primary and curative care as envisioned by the WHO Rajasthan Model of Public Health: The MukhyaMantriChiranjeeviYojana will also be launched as a Universal Health Care scheme as part of …

Recently, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a special court in Mumbai that the arrested assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, now suspended from Mumbai Police, was not cooperating in the probe against him and was insisting on his lawyer being present during interrogation. Separately, Waze filed an application seeking to be allowed …

Recently, a new research conducted by Pew Research Center has found that the coronavirus pandemic has pushed about 32 million Indians out of the middle class and increased poverty in the country. The report is based on an analysis of World Bank data. Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, …

The Jharkhand government announced the launch of SAAMAR (Strategic Action for Alleviation of Malnutrition and Anemia Reduction) campaign to tackle malnutrition in the state. About: The campaign aims to identify anaemic women and malnourished children and converge various departments to effectively deal with the problem in a state where malnutrition …

Union Minister for Agriculture questioned in the Rajya Sabha the methodology and data accuracy of the Global Hunger Index (GHI) report, which has placed India at 94th among 107 countries in 2020. About: The Minister said the government had written to the NGO, Welthungerhilfe, which compiles the report, expressing concerns …

Lok Sabha passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021 to streamline the renewal of the auction process for minerals and coal mining rights About: The amendment proposes to allow captive miners of both coal and other minerals to sell up to 50 per cent of their …

The Lok Sabha passed The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that seeks to put seven castes under one nomenclature of “DevendrakulaVellalars” with some exceptions for some of the castes in certain districts of Tamil Nadu. About: The castes include Devendrakulathan, Kadaiyan, Kalladi, Kudumban, Pallan, Pannadi and Vathiriyan. The …

Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, has been appointed Chairman of the Stop TB Partnership Board. He will serve a three year term, commencing July 2021, as the Chair of the Board of Stop TB Partnership. Important points: It was established in 2000 and is mandated to eliminate Tuberculosis as a …

Recently, the Coal and Mines Minister introduced the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Amendment Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha. The Bill seeks to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957which regulates the mining sector in India. Removal of restriction on end-use of minerals: The Act empowers the central government …

The Bihar Assembly recently passed the Bihar Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that proposes to punish people filing false cases before the anti- corruption ombudsman body to prevent any waste of time or misuse of the institution. Four other Bills passed by the Assembly during the day are the Bihar Municipality (Amendment) Bill, Bihar Taxation …

Supreme Court judge, Justice N.V. Ramana, has outlined a three-pronged approach, with special focus on alternative dispute resolution, to reverse the nearly 4 crore pendency in courts across the country. Justice Ramana, who is next in line to be the Chief Justice of India as per the seniority norm, was speaking at the …

India has assured Sri Lanka of its support at the UN Human Rights Council, Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary JayanathColombage has said, just days before member countries vote on a new resolution on the island nation’s rights record. India’s Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on the Sri Lanka Foreign Secretary’s …

Chief Justice of India agreed with advocate Prashant Bhushan recently to urgently hear a plea by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms to stay the sale of a new set of electoral bonds on April 1, before the Assembly elections in crucial States such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Responding to an …

Recently, the Union Minister of State Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) said that connectivity is an important element of Act East Policy. Important points: The ‘Act East Policy’ announced in November, 2014 is the upgrade of the “Look East Policy”. It is a diplomatic initiative to promote economic, strategic and cultural relations with the vast Asia-Pacific region at different …

The U.S. has sought to build strength before engaging China later this week and the Quad summit is an example of this. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan are scheduled to meet China’s Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi and …

The Lok Sabha recently cleared the Appropriation Bill, allowing the Central government to draw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India for its operational requirements and implementation of various programmes. Key terms: An appropriation bill, also known as supply bill or spending bill, is a proposed law that authorizes the expenditure of government …

The Supreme Court recently said it was a “very serious” matter if the Centre had really cancelled around three crore ration cards, even those of tribal people and the poor, solely because they could not be biometrically linked with Aadhaar. A Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, asked …

The Union Cabinet recently approved a Bill to set up a Development Finance Institution, Finance Minister announced. The Minister said the government had mentioned in the Budget that it would be setting up a national bank for funding infrastructure and development activity. As of December 2019, she said, there were over 6,000 brownfield and …