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THE SUPREME COURT ORDER VIEWS ON PF PENSIONS

On November 4, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled in a case where the EPFO appealed various orders favouring employees issued by the Kerala, Rajasthan, and Delhi High Courts. The order provided relief to some employees. The Supreme Court upheld the amendments to the pension scheme made by …

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INDIA RUSSIA TALKS

Russia is India’s “steady and time-tested partner”, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, defending the 20-fold increase in India’s oil imports from the country this year, said after meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Denis Manturov in Moscow on Tuesday. Laying out India’s …

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GARUDA-VII AIR EXERCISE

The chiefs of Indian and French Air Forces on Tuesday joined the Air Exercise Garuda-VII in Jodhpur. While Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal (ACM) V.R. Chaudhari flew a sortie on an IAF Rafale fighter, French Air and Space Force (FASF) Chief General Stéphane Mille flew on an …

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UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL’S COUNTER-TERRORISM COMMITTEE

India’s decision to host the special session of the United Nations Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee (UNSC-CTC) last month — held in Mumbai and New Delhi, it focused on new and emerging technologies — is one of a number of events planned by the Government to give its counter-terror diplomacy a …

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IPC TO CURB ‘PRINTING OF INDECENT MATTER

Taking cue of the legislation introduced in Odisha and Tamil Nadu, the Kerala government proposes to amend the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and bring in legislation to curb the printing, publishing and distribution of ‘grossly indecent or scurrilous matter or matter intended for …

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EPFO PENSION SCHEME

Employees who were existing EPS members as on September 1, 2014 can contribute up to 8.33 per cent of their ‘actual’ salaries —as against 8.33 per cent of the pensionable salary capped at Rs 15,000 a month — towards pension. Employees who were existing EPS members as on September 1, …

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INDIA’S G20 PRESIDENCY AND FOOD SECURITY

Global and regional food security have been deliberated upon as one of the priority agendas of the G20 for many years now. The situation has worsened with growing conflicts, and spiralling climate crises marked by droughts, floods, cyclones, and economic downturns in the past few years. In this context, India’s …

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THE BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE

Russia has re-joined the Black Sea Grain deal. “The Russian Federation believes that the guarantees it has received currently appear sufficient, and resumes the implementation of the agreement,” the Russian Defence Ministry stated. It added that the mediation of the UN and Turkey had secured the continued cooperation. The Black …

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NEED FOR UPDATING OF NATIONAL POPULATION REGISTER (NPR)

There is a need to update the National Population Register (NPR) again to incorporate the changes due to birth, death and migration for which demographic and other particulars of each family and individual are to be collected, the Union Home Ministry said in its 2021-22 annual report, which was published …

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INDIA-PAKISTAN TIES

India-Pakistan relations have entered an age of minimalism, counter-intuitive as it might seem. There is very little bilateral contact today, even fewer expectations of a bilateral breakthrough, and hardly any warmth in the relationship. And yet, there is a certain ‘cold peace’ between the traditional rivals — on the Line …

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SUPREME COURT VERDICT ON EWS RESERVATION

A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Monday, in a 3:2 majority decision, upheld the validity of the 103rd Constitutional Amendment, which provides 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of society but excludes the “poorest of poor” among Scheduled Castes (SC), …

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MARITIME PARTNERSHIP EXERCISE WITH ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY

A Maritime Partnership Exercise involving Royal Australian Navy(RAN) ships HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Anzac and Indian Navy Ships Jalashwa and Kavaratti along with their embarked helicopters was held in the Bay of Bengal from 02 to 03 Nov 2022. The exercises included tactical manoeuvres, helicopter landings and amphibious operations, which …

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THE UNIFORM CIVIL CODE

Gujarat has joined the list of BJP-ruled States that have called for implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). While there is no draft or model document yet for the UCC, the framers of the Constitution envisioned that it would be a uniform set of laws that would replace the distinct …

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CHILD MARRIAGE IN INDIA

The steering committee of a global programme to end child marriage is on a visit to India to witness state interventions which have helped reduce the prevalence of child marriage. The visit by the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage team is in view of an estimated increase in …

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SNAKEBITE DEATHS IN INDIA

That snakebite (a neglected tropical disease) is a public health problem in India and many other low- and middle-income countries has been long known. But a global estimate of deaths due to snakebite was not known till recently. A study that our group, along with researchers from 21 other countries, …

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MALABAR EXERCISE

The Navy chiefs of India, Australia, Japan and the U.S., which comprise the Quadrilateral (Quad) grouping, met in Japan on Saturday and exchanged views on “further enhancing interoperability” in future editions of the Malabar multilateral naval exercise. Meanwhile, a Chinese research vessel, Yuan Wang-6, has entered the Indian Ocean via …

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REMOTE VOTING- POSTAL BALLOT SYSTEM

India has the largest diaspora population, with nearly 1.35 crore non-resident Indians spread across the globe. Many of them leave the country for short-term work and could miss out on exercising some of their rights such as registering their vote in India’s Assembly or parliamentary elections. Currently, the Election Commission …

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IPR OF THE NEW DESIGN AND CAMOUFLAGE PATTERN UNIFORM

The process for registration of the new Camouflage Pattern and Design of Improved Combat Uniform to establish ownership of Indian Army has been completed by the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademark, Kolkata. The registration has been published in the official journal of the Patent Office vide Issue No …

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INDIAN OCEAN RIM ASSOCIATION (IORA)

A Seminar on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, under the aegis of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), was conducted by the Indian Navy at Goa on 02 November 2022. As the third largest ocean, the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is a lifeline for nearly 35% of global population. Fish and Fisheries comprise …

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