1. Supreme Court upheld OROP
Tags: National
The Supreme Court has upheld the central government One Rank One Pension(OROP) scheme for the defence personnels. A three judge bench headed by Justice D.Y.Chandrachud held that “government of India order of 7, November 2015 on the implementation of the pension scheme was valid.
The Supreme Court accepted the government order that states that pension shall be reviewed every five years.
What is OROP
One rank one pension means that defence personnel who retire at the same rank shall get the same pension. But in reality it does not happen .
In the military ,the soldiers normally retire at the age of 35 years and the officers , depending upon their ranks retiers at different ages .
From 1950 to 1973, there was a concept known as the Standard Rate of Pension, which was similar to OROP.
The 1973 Central Pay commission and later pay commission made certain changes in the pension and it resulted that military personnel who retired earlier were denied the benefit of revision in pension .
Government of India set up Brigadier K.P.Singh committee in 1983 which recommended a system similar to Standard Rate of Pension.
This was accepted by the Modi Government and implemented in November 2015, and it was made applicable from July 1, 2014.
2. ICJ ask Russia to stop military operation in Ukraine
Tags: Popular International News
The top United Nation court , International Court of Justice(ICJ), has asked Russia to immediately stop its military operations in Ukraine. In a 13-2 judgement pronounced on 16 March 2022 the court ordered the”Russian Federation to immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on Feb 24, 2022 on the territory of Ukraine.”
The court also ordered that Russia must also ensure that other forces under its control or supported by Moscow should not continue the military operation.
Ukraine filed its case at the ICJ shortly after Russia's invasion began on Feb. 24, saying that Moscow's stated justification, that it was acting to prevent a genocide in eastern Ukraine, was unfounded.
During hearings earlier this month, Ukraine said there was no threat of genocide in eastern Ukraine, and that the U.N.'s 1948 Genocide Convention, which both countries have signed, does not allow an invasion to prevent one.
Although the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are binding, it has no direct means of enforcing them, and in rare cases in the past countries have ignored them.
Russia never participated in the ICJ hearing on the Ukraine case and it has rejected the ICJ ruling.
International Court of Justice(ICJ)
The International Court of Justice is successor to the Permanent Court of Justice set up in 1920 by the League of Nations.
After the Second World war, it was replaced by the International Court of Justice in 1945. The United Nation replaced the League of Nation in 1945.
ICJ is one of the six principal organs of the United Nation and is also called the World Court.
It hears cases relating to disputes between the member states of the United Nations according to International law.
Headquarters of the ICJ : The Hague, Netherlands
ICJ is composed of 15 Judges elected by the UN for a term of Nine Years .
Four Indian has so far been elected as the Judge of the ICJ
B.N RAU, in 1952 -53
NAGENDRA SINGH ( He was the President of the ICJ from 1985-1988). He was the first Indian judge to have been elected for a 9 years term
R.S.Pathak (1989-91)
DALVEER BHANDARI (2012- till date)
3. Covid risk surveillance centre set up by IIT Kanpur
Tags: National
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has set up IIT Kanpur – CII Risk Surveillance Centre to monitor and control the spread of Covid-19 and other such infections in the future.
The IIT-CII Centre would work on mathematical forecast models based on health data that would help minimise the impact of infectious diseases. It would assist in understanding the transmission of infections and identify risk factors involved.
Important for Exam
CII : Confederation of Indian Industries
Founded in 1895.
President : T.V. Narendran
Headquarters : New Delhi
CII is a lobby group of industrialists which try to influence the government’s in India to make policies which are favourable to the industrialists in India.
4. Karnataka High Court rule that Hijab is not a part of Islamic culture
Tags: Popular National News
A three judge bench of the Karnataka High Court headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and which also included justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice Jaibunnisa M Khazi has dismissed petition filed by some muslim students which challenged the Karnataka government order to ban the wearing of hijab in educational isntituions where uniform were prescribed.
The petition challenged the state government order dated 05.02.2022 issued under sections 7 & 133 of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983. This order directs the College Development Committees all over the State to prescribe ‘Student Uniform’,
In the RESHAM AND ANOTHER VS. STATE OF KARNATAKA AND OTHERS 2022 main issues raised by the petitioners in the court were as follows :
Whether wearing the hijab or the headscarf is part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith under article 25 of the Constitution?”
Second issue was ;Whether wearing school uniform is violation of petitioners fundamental rights guaranteed under article 19 (1) a of the constitution that is freedom of expression and article 21 that is privacy?
Third Issue was ; The government order of 5 February 2022 which made uniform compulsory in educational institution was violative of fundamental rights of article 14 ,which guarantees equality before law and article 15 which prohibits the dicrimination by state on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them?
The High Court Judgement
The High Court held that “wearing of the hijab by Muslim women does not make up an essential religious practice in Islamic faith” as per the article 25 of the constitution which provides freedom to practice and propagate of religion in India.
On the second issue the court held that the government has the power to impose reasonable restrictions on the right to freedom under Article 19 of the constitution. Hence the government move to prescribe uniforms for the students is a reasonable restriction under article 19 of the constitution. The state can make this rule.
On the third issue the court held that the government was competent to issue the 5 February order 2022 which made uniform compulsory for students and banned hijab was valid.
Seat of Karnataka High Court : Bangalore
5. Covid vaccination for 12-14 age years to start from 16 March 2022.
Tags: National
The Government of India will start vaccination of 12 to 14 age groups from 16 March 2022 on the occasion of the National Vaccination Day. The COVID19 vaccine to be administered would be Corbevax manufactured by Biological E. Limited, Hyderabad.
Persons above 60 years of age are now eligible for booster dose from 15 March 2022 as the condition of comorbidity for this age group has been removed. The booster dose is to be administered after 9 months (36 weeks) after the date of second vaccination.
This follows the decision of the Union Government to start COVID19 vaccination for those between 15 years to 18 years of age from 3 January 2022. These age groups are administered Covaxin vaccine.
The Corbevax vaccine has been developed by Biological E in collaboration with Texas Children’s Hospital Centre for Vaccine Development and Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, United States.
Covid Vaccination in India
The covid-19 case was first detected in Wuhan China on 19 December 2019.
The first case of covid-19 in India was detected in the Thrissur district of Kerala on 29 January 2020.
The Covid vaccination in India was started on 16 January 2021.
So far 7 covid vaccines have been approved by the government of India for emergency use.
It is currently using only four, Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute of India, Covaxin by Indian firm Bharat Biotech and Russian made Sputnik V and Corbevax manufactured by Biological E. Limited for its vaccination drive.
In December 2021 the Indian government approved Serum Institute of India's Covovax for emergency use.
The Government of India also has the world’s first DNA vaccine against Covid ZyCoV-D vaccine manufactured by Indian firm Cadilla, but it's not available yet.
The Indian Government has also approved Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine, which was to be introduced in India through a supply agreement with Biological E, and it has allowed Indian pharma company Cipla to import the Moderna vaccine. These Vaccines are not available in India yet.
6. India is the largest importer of arms in the world :SIPRI
India is the largest importer of arms in the world accounting for over 11% of the world arms import during 2017-21 ,according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). These finding were published in the SIPRI’S “Trends in International Arms Transfers 2021”
Highlights of the SIPRI report
India’s arms imports have decreased by 21 percent between 2012-16 and 2017-21,but it still remains as the largest importer globally.
The five largest arms importers in the 2017-21 period were India, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Australia, and China.
These five countries accounted for nearly 38 % of the world's arms import during this period.
Russia was India’s largest supplier of arms in both 2012-16 and 2017-21. However, the volume of India’s imports from Russia fell by 47 per cent between these two periods.
France is the second largest supplier of arms to India after Russia.
The five biggest exporters of arms in the same period were the United States, Russia, France, China, and Germany.
They accounted for around 77% of the world arms export during 2017-21.
As for exports, the US remained the world’s biggest weapons supplier accounting for 39 per cent of the total.
Russia is the second-largest exporter, but their trade has fallen by 26 per cent.
Meanwhile, the largest arms importers in Europe are the UK, Norway, and the Netherlands.
In 2017-21, China accounted for 4.6 per cent of global arms exports, a 31 per cent drop from its exports share in 2012-16. However, 47 per cent of China’s exports during 2017-21 went to Pakistan.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. It is funded mainly by the Swedish Government .
Established in 1966,
Headquarters : Solna, Sweden
7. Indian embassy shifts to Poland from Ukraine
Tags: International News
The Government of India has temporarily shifted its embassy from the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv to Poland. The decision has been taken due to the fear that the Russians will launch a full scale attack on Kyiv after many of the foreigners have left the Ukrainian capital.
The decision of the government of India also was influenced by the fact that all Indians had been evacuated from Ukraine under operation Ganga.
The last big group of students from the besieged town of Sumy in Ukraine were flown back to India on 11 march 2022, after being seen off on trains to Poland by Indian Ambassador to Ukraine Partha Satpathy.
The neighbouring countries of Ukraine are Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Russia, and Belarus.
Important for Exam
Poland
It is an Eastern European country.
Capital : Warsaw
President : Andrzej Duda
Currency : Polish zloty
Poland is located in the exact geographical centre of the European continent.
Poland is the first European country (1791) and second country overall to have written a constitution. The first country in the world to have a written constitution was the United States of America (1789).
Note- russia-ukraine
8. Maternal Mortality Ratio declines to 103 in India
According to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) special bulletin on maternal mortality in India (2017-19), brought out by the office of the Registrar General of India,the Maternal Mortality Ratio(MMR) has declined to 103 per lakh live births.
It was 113 per lakh live births, according to the special bulletin on maternal mortality(2016-18) in India.
The lowest MMR was in Kerala 30 per lakh live births and the highest MMR was in Assam,205 per lakh live births.
The MMR for Uttar Pradesh was 167, Bihar 130,Madhya Pradesh 163,Chhhatisgarh 163,Odisha 136, Rajasthan 141,Uttrakhand 101.
The target of the government of India under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is 70 MMR per lakh live births by 2030.
The number of states which have achieved the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target has now risen from 5 to 7 . These states are Kerala (30), Maharashtra (38), Telangana (56), Tamil Nadu (58), Andhra Pradesh (58), Jharkhand (61), and Gujarat (70).The states which have recently achieved this target are Jharkhand and Gujarat.
The target of 100 MMR per lakh live birth under the National Health Policy by 2020 is likely to be achieved by the country .
The number of states which have achieved the National Health Policy target are Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh ,Jharkhand ,Gujarat Karnataka (83) and Haryana (96).
Four states West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh have shown an increase in MMR. Haryana MMR increased from 91 in 2016-18 to 96 in 2017-19. Similarly in West Bengal it increased from 98 to 109,in Uttarakhand the MMR increased from 99 to 101 and in Chhattisgarh it increased from 159 to 160.
States in India have been divided into three groups for better monitoring of MMR situation in India .
Empowered Action Group (EAG) States comprising Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand and Assam. These states have high MMR.
Southern States which include Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu; and
“Other” States covering the remaining States/UTs(Union Territories).
Concept Clearing
Maternal Mortality Ratio(MMR)
It refers to the death of the mother while delivering a child . It does not include children which are born dead and includes only children which are born alive.
It is a statistical tool which refers to the proportion of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births.
9. Government allows self enumeration for Census 2021
Tags: National
The Government of India has changed the Census Rules 1990 to allow self enumeration and capturing and storing of data in electronic format .
The 2021 Population census will be held in both digital and through paper modes where respondents are asked a set of questions by the census enumerator and the response of the respondent is recorded.
The self enumeration means the respondent has to fill the census form and then submit it through mobile phone.
Census enumerators are those who conduct census . They are mainly government employees and government school teachers.
The 2021 census will be conducted in two phases . The first phase called “Houselisting and Housing census” along with updating the National Population Register (NPP) was scheduled to be held from April 2020 but was postponed due to the corona pandemic . The second and the main phase “Population Enumeration “ was to be concluded by March 2021. However it has been delayed due to the corona pandemic.
Census
The first population census in India was held in 1872 under Viceroy Lord Mayo but it didn't cover all of India .
The first proper census was conducted in 1881 under Viceroy Lord Rippon and after that census was conducted every 10 years .
After Independence the census was conducted under Census act 1948.
Census is conducted by the Registrar General Population under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
The 16th Census will be held in 2021.
10. Government reduces EPF interest rate to 8.1% for 2021-22
The Central Board of Trustee, Employment Provident Fund (EPF) under the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has decided to reduce the interest to be paid on the EPF fund to 8.1% for the financial year 2021-22.
During the 2020-21 the interest rate was 8.5%.
The meeting of the Central Board of Trustee was held in Guwahati ,under the chairmanship of the Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav.
This is the lowest interest rate since 1977-78 when the EPF interest rate stood at 8%.
Employees provident Fund (EPF)
Employee Provident Fund (EPF) is a retirement benefits scheme framed under the Employees Provident Fund & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.
The Act is applicable to every factory or industry mentioned in Schedule 1 of the Act, wherein 20 or more persons are employed or to any other establishment which the Central Government specifies by notification in the official Gazette, even when the number of employees is less than 20.
It includes any worker having salary(basic salary and Dearness allowances ) of Rs 15,000 or less per month .
The Employee has to contribute 12% of its salary and a similar contribution is made by the Employer. The Government of India pays interest on the amount every year.
On retirement, the employee receives a lump sum corpus of EPF, including the employee’s contribution, employer’s contribution and the interest amount credited every year.
- The fund is managed by Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) under the Union Ministry of Labour
