Gujarat becomes first State in the country to launch Balika Panchayat.   Details – The country’s first-ever girl Panchayat, “Balika Panchayat”, which was started in several villages of Gujarat’s Kutch district, aims to promote the social and political development of the girls and ensure their active participation of girls in politics. This is a unique… Continue reading Balika Panchayat

Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India have discovered a new species of bamboo-dwelling bat in Ri Bhoi district of Meghalaya.   Details – The species, found near the forested patch of Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, has been named Glischropus meghalayanus. The present discovery is the first report of a thick-thumbed bat not only from India… Continue reading Glischropus Meghalayanus

The United States Senate has passed a gun safety bill, the most significant action against rising gun violence in the country.   What is the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on gun violence? The bill was introduced with the aim “to make our communities safer”, and has been called the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The bipartisan… Continue reading Gun Safety Bill in the U.S.

Union Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah has stated that cooperative banks will not be treated as “second class,” but that they must adopt modern and transparent banking methods in order to compete.   Details – The Minister urged the Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) to implement institutional reforms, as they account for only 3.25% of… Continue reading Cooperative Banks

European Union leaders granted Ukraine and Moldova the coveted status of official candidate to join their 27-nation club. However, it could take Ukraine and Moldova more than a decade to eventually join the bloc.   Highlights – New official candidates to join EU — Six years after Britons voted to leave the EU, Ukraine and… Continue reading EU Candidate Status

The United States Supreme Court has overturned by a 6-3 majority ‘Roe v. Wade’, the court’s landmark 1973 judgment that made abortion a constitutional right. The decision will transform life for women in America. Near total bans on abortion will come into effect in about half of the country’s states.   What is the Roe… Continue reading Roe v Wade Case

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently convened its emergency committee to consider whether the monkeypox outbreak warrants declaring a global emergency.   About ‘monkeypox’ – Monkeypox is a rare zoonotic (disease that spreads from animals to humans) viral disease belonging to the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family, the same virus family as smallpox. Monkeypox… Continue reading Monkeypox

A report named ‘Migration in India 2020-21’ was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).   Details – The ‘Migration in India’ report, which is based on first-time collection of additional data during the annual round of Periodic Labour Force Survey for July 2020-June 2021, separates the categories of ‘temporary visitors’ and… Continue reading ‘Migration in India’ Report

The debate surrounding the comments by BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal have put the spotlight on the law that deals with criticism of or insult to religion.   Details – India does not have a formal legal framework for dealing with hate speech. However, a cluster of provisions, loosely termed hate speech laws,… Continue reading Section 295A of IPC

The U.S. state of New York recently passed the Fair Repair Act, which requires manufacturers to supply repair information, tools, and parts to independent repair shops and not just their own stores or partners.   Details – This provides consumers with the right to repair and refurbish their purchased goods. With access to relevant tools… Continue reading Right to repair