GUJARAT
- Gujarat spends Rs 12 per malnourished child
- This means 17% of the total malnourished kids in the state fall in the severely underweight category.
- As per details given by the state government, the presence of such malnourished children was highest in Narmada (3,410) and Dahod ( 2,405) followed by Sabarkantha (1,293) and Anand (1274). Narmada and Dahod also have the highest number of underweight children followed by Sabarkantha and Chhota Udepur.
INTERNATIONAL
- New Zealand plans to ease abortion restrictions
- New Zealand’s government announced Monday that it plans changes to the country’s abortion laws that would treat the procedure as a health issue rather than a crime.
- While abortions have been available in New Zealand for decades, the procedure is still regulated under the Crimes Act which came into force in 1961.
- The proposed new law would remove that requirement for women who are up to 20 weeks pregnant. For those more than 20 weeks pregnant, a doctor or health practitioner would still need to approve the procedure.
NATIONAL
- Centre scraps Article 370, bifurcates J & K into two Union Territories
- Article 35(A) stems from Article 370, and was introduced through a Presidential Order in 1954, on the recommendation of the J&K Constituent Assembly. This article empowered the state legislature to define who the state’s ‘permanent residents’ were, along with their special rights and privileges.
The Changes :
- J&K has been reorganised into two Union territories— Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
- Jammu and Kashmir will have a legislature like Delhi and Puducherry, where key subjects like law and order are with the Centre.
- Ladakh will have no legislature like Chandigarh.
- The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir will now become a Lieutenant Governor.
- After the revocation of 370, there will be no separate constitution for J&K and its citizens.
- Before Article 370 – The J&K State had two different flags of India and the state.
After Article 370 – There will be no separate flag for J&K and it will be at par with the entire country.
- Before Article 370 – Only people who had citizenship of J&K could buy and sell property.
After Article 370 – Indian citizens from other states of the country can buy and sell property in J&K.
- Before Article 370 – The citizens of the state enjoyed dual citizenship which was of the state and India both.
After Article 370 – The citizens have just one citizenship which will be prevalent to all other citizens of the state.
- Before Article 370 – Except for defense, foreign affairs, finance, and communications, Parliament needs the state government’s approval for applying any laws.
After Article 370 – The Parliament can implement any law without the state’s approval which also includes changing the state’s name and its boundaries.
- Before Article 370 – J&K had separate national anthems during the application of the article which was of the state and the country.
After Article 370 – There will be only one national anthem for the entire country.
- Before Article 370 – Only state laws could apply before and the central government had no authority to declare financial emergencies.
After Article 370 – Central laws can directly be applied and it can declare financial emergencies under article 360 in J&K.
- Before Article 370 – The citizens of J&K had separate laws related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights.
After Article 370 – There will be no separate laws for the citizens of J&K. It will be the same as the rest of the country.
- India test-fires Surface to Air-Missile from Chandipur in Odisha
- India successfully test-fired its all-weather tracked-chassis Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) from a mobile launcher at launch complex III of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha.
- It was the second developmental trial of the missile in this year from the same test range.
- Earlier, the surface-to-air missile was tested successfully on Feb 26, 2019.
- Jointly developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Ltd, the QR-SAM weapon system is a quick reaction, network-centric missile system capable of search-on-the-move.
- QR-SAM system can also engage multiple targets within a range of around 25 to 30 km with two vehicle configuration for area air defence.
· Lok Sabha passed the Surrogacy Regulation Bill
- The Bill aims to bancommercial surrogacy in the country. It was introduced by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
- The Bill regulatesaltruistic surrogacy and ends the exploitation of women who are lending their womb for surrogacy.
- It provides provisions to protect therights of children born through surrogacy.
- The Bill allows only altruistic surrogacy by infertile Indian couples, who are legally married for at least 5 years, from a close relative. It prohibits foreigners, Non-resident Indians (NRI) Person of Indian Origins (PIO) from commissioning surrogacy.
- The Bill will establish National and State Surrogacy Boards, the appointment of appropriate authorities for the regulation of the practice and process of surrogacy.
- Commercial surrogacyincludes a monetary benefit or reward (in cash or kind) that exceeds basic medical expenses and insurance for the surrogate mother. The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2019 bans this type of surrogacy.
· Lok Sabha passed the 2019 Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Bill
- The Bill establishes anational security authority to safegaurd the rights of the transgenders
- It will provide a mechanism for social, economic and educational empowermentof transgenders
- As per the Bill, irrespective of sex reassignment surgery and hormonal therapy, a person would have the right to choose to be identified as a man, woman or transgender
- The Bill requires a transgender person to go through a district magistrateand district screening committee to get certified as a transperson
- It removes the provision that criminalised begging by transgender people. This provision was part of the Bill when it was introduced
- It will benefit the transgender people who are discriminated and abused against the marginalised section of the society
- It prohibits discrimination against a transgender person in the field of education, employment and healthcare
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