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Recently, the Supreme Court pushed for the appointment of retired judges to battle the pendency of cases in High Courts. Supreme Court Suggestions: Guidelines for Appointment of an Ad-hoc Judge: The court orally outlined prospective guidelines for the appointment and functioning of an ad-hoc judge. Pendency Beyond a Certain Limit: …

Recently, the World Bank has published the World Development Report 2021:Data for Better Lives. The World Development Report 2021 provides a blueprint on how to harness the power of data for development, to ensure no one is left behind. Important Points: The Social Contract For Data: To get more value …

In fulfilment of the cherished goal of a “TB Mukt Bharat” envisioned by Prime Minister, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare today launched the “Tribal TB Initiative” . A Guidance Note on Joint Action Plan for Tuberculosis (TB) Elimination, a Special Edition of Tribal Ministry’s Publication ‘ALEKH’ on TB, …

Health should be shifted to the Concurrent list under the Constitution, and a developmental finance institution (DFI) dedicated to healthcare investments set up, Fifteenth Finance Commission Chairman N.K. Singh said recently. Enhancing spending: Making a case for enhancing government spending on health to 2.5% of GDP by 2025, Mr. Singh …

The Centre has only rejected 4.3% of all Right to Information (RTI) requests in 2019-20, the lowest ever rate, according to the Central Information Commission’s annual report. However, almost 40% of these rejections did not include any valid reason, as they did not invoke one of the permissible exemption clauses …

India and the United States have agreed to work constructively to resolve key outstanding bilateral trade issues and to take a comprehensive look at ways to expand the trade relationship, the Biden administration has said. United States Trade Representative discussed the important trade and investment relationship between the two countries …

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has decided to introduce new requirements for business sustainability reporting by listed entities. This new report will be called the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR) and will replace the existing Business Responsibility Report (BRR). Important points: SEBI, in 2012, mandated the …

Recently, the Rajya Sabha cleared the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NBFID) Bill, 2021. The Bill seeks to establish the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NBFID) as the principal Development Financial Institution (DFIs) for infrastructure financing. NBFID was announced in the Budget 2021. Development Financial Institution …

The Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020 are mandatory and are not advisories. Apply to all e-commerce retailers, whether registered in India or abroad, offering goods and services to Indian consumers. E-commerce entities need to appoint a nodal person, resident in India to ensure compliance with the provisions of the act …

Recently, a parliamentary panel on the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 has recommended that the government should amend the rules to provide better protection to consumers rights and stop unfair practices. Electronic commerce or e-commerce is a business model that lets firms and individuals buy and sell things over the …

India imports helium for its needs, and with the USA appearing set to cut off exports of helium since 2021, Indian industry stands to lose out heavily. The Federal Helium Reserve which is the major helium reserve of the USA is set to close down production in 2021, and scientists …

Recently, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Shell have released a report titled “India: Transforming to a Net-Zero Emissions Energy System”. It illustrates a pathway to steer the domestic energy system towards net-zero emissions by 2050, while achieving India’s sustainable economic development ambitions. Important points: Possible yet Challenging: India …

 The Supreme Court flagged the possibility of misuse of money received by political parties through electoral bonds for ulterior objects like funding terror or violent protests. The court also asked the government whether there is any “control” over how these donations were used by political parties. Electoral Bond Electoral Bond …

Minister of State for Jal Shakti informed the parliament about the status of water contaminated habitations in India. Minister informed that the Government started a National Water Quality Sub Mission (NWQSM) in the year 2017 specifically aimed at 27,544 habitations affected by Arsenic and Fluoride. Till date, all such habitations …

Yoga, it is widely accepted, is a boon to the individual who seeks health, wellbeing and personal growth. Can this rewarding pursuit be deployed as a productivity boosting tool at the workplace? Can its wider adoption have positive implications on the systematic growth and development of the economy, and hence …

The Rajya Sabha recently cleared the legislation to establish the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NBFID), which was announced in the Budget speech by Finance Minister as the principal development financial institution (DFIs) for infrastructure financing. Opposition members argued unsuccessfully for sending the Bill to a select committee, …

The Joe Biden administration highlighted the strength of U.S.-India ties in its recent meeting with Chinese officials in Alaska, underlining how it has increasingly come to view India as central to its broader objectives in dealing with China in the Indo-Pacific region. The reference to India, it is learnt, was …

 The Supreme Court recently asked the government to clarify on the status of 55 recommendations made by the Collegium for judicial appointments to High Courts six months to nearly a year-and-a-half ago. Of the pending recommendations, 44 were made to fill vacancies in the Calcutta, Madhya Pradesh, Gauhati, Rajasthan and …

The father of the nation of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the late Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said Al Said are to be awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2020 and 2019 respectively. About the Gandhi Peace Prize: Institution of Award: The annual award was instituted by the Government of India in 1995 during the commemoration of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma …

Recently, the Prime Minister addressed the opening ceremony of International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI) through video conference. ICDRI is the annual international conference of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)in partnership with member countries, organizations and institutions to strengthen the global discourse on disaster and climate resilient infrastructure. …