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GS 2
‘Rights of children caught in parental conflict need focus’
A proactive step need to be taken to focus on child rights, specifically in cases of parental conflict, the Supreme Court has highlighted.
More recently, amidst growing scepticism regarding India’s official statistics, more than a hundred scholars comprising economists and social scientists released a statement decrying the fall in standards of institutional independence, suggesting political interference as the cause.
Reality of impunity, rhetoric of human rights
That torture is ‘endemic’ across police stations in India is well known. Official statistics show that last year there were 144 deaths in police custody. About 40% of complaints received every year by the NHRC are against the police — mainly for custodial violence.
The case of the missing election in J&K
The Election Commission recently visited Jammu and Kashmir, met political parties and government officials. Due to constraints in the number of security forces and recent violent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, there will be no Assembly elections in the State.
Integrate TB services with primary health system: Lancet
Of the 10 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases reported globally in 2017 by the World Health Organisation, 2.74 million were from India, showing a marginal reduction from 2.79 million in 2016.
GS 3
About 44% of PM-KISAN beneficiaries await payment from Centre
With just 10 days to go for the first payout deadline under PM-KISAN, only 2.74 crore farm families, or about 56% of the total list of 4.92 crore names submitted by States, have been paid so far. The remaining 2.18 crore farm families are still awaiting processing or are caught somewhere within a four-stage validation process set up belatedly to weed out fakes.
The Reserve Bank of India’s decision last week to resort to a dollar-rupee swap, instead of the traditional open-market purchase of bonds, to infuse liquidity into the economy marks a significant shift in the central bank’s liquidity management policy.
The fight against terrorism can never succeed without holding people to account for costly lapses
India could save $3.3-8.4 trillion in a 1.5°C world. It is in India’s interest to aim for 1.5-2°C. This would mean investing in not new fossil fuels but in renewables and better batteries. Investing in inappropriate infrastructure has costs in terms of climate change and stranded assets — decommissioning oil and gas infrastructure in the Netherlands, a small country, is €6.7-10 billion.
PT Facts
Kazakhstan renames capital as new President takes office
Kazakhstan’s new interim President was sworn in on March 20 following the shock resignation of the country’s long-time ruler and in his first official act renamed the capital after his predecessor.
Finland is the happiest nation; India slips 7 spots, ranks 140th
The report was released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations on March 20, which was designated as the World Happiness Day by the UN General Assembly in 2012.
