Assam Accord
Syllabus: GS2/ Governance
Context
- The Assam government has decided to fulfill most of the recommendations of the high-powered committee appointed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, 1985.
What is Assam Accord?
- The Assam Accord was signed in 1985 amongst Union of India, Govt. of Assam, All Assam Student of Union, All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad.
- To implement the various Clauses of Assam Accord a new Department has been established in the name of “Implementation of Assam Accord Department” during the year 1986.
- The Accord set March 24, 1971, as a cut-off. Anyone who had come to Assam before midnight on that date would be an Indian citizen, while those who had come after would be dealt with as foreigners.
- The same cut-off was used in updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Clause 6 of the Assam Accord
- The Assam Accord’s Clause 6 says, “Constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards, as may be appropriate, shall be provided to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people.”
- Clause 6 focuses on protecting the cultural, social, and linguistic identity of the Assamese people.
Source: TH
Kerala Wins Top Performer Award in Lists of Business-Centric Reforms
Syllabus: GS2/ Governance
Context
- Kerala has emerged the country leader in two categories of business-centric reforms and seven categories of citizen-centric reforms in the ranking of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
About
- The business-centric reforms in which Kerala emerged top performer are facilitating utility permits for business and paying taxes.
- The citizen-centric reforms where Kerala emerged as the top achiever are;
- Online single window system,
- the process of issuing various certificates with ease provided by Urban Local Bodies (ULBs),
- issuance of certificates by the Department of Revenue,
- providing utility permits,
- public distribution system (Department of Food and Civil Supplies),
- improvements in the transport sector and running employment exchanges.
Source: TH
Swachh Bharat Mission Drives Significant Reductions in Infant Mortality Rates
Syllabus: GS2/Governance
Context
- A recent study published in Nature, revealed that the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), has contributed significantly to reducing infant and under-five mortality rates across the country – averting 60,000 – 70,000 infant lives annually.
What is the Swachh Bharat Mission?
- The Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission (SBM) was launched in 2014 with the goal of achieving universal sanitation coverage by 2019, as a tribute to the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
- It consisted of two sub-missions, urban, and rural or Gramin (G).
- The urban component of the mission is implemented by the Ministry of Urban Development, and the rural component by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
- SBM(G) sought to improve “the levels of cleanliness through Solid and Liquid Waste Management activities and making Gram Panchayats Open Defecation Free (ODF), clean and sanitized.
- SBM Phase II: The second phase, started in 2020-2021, expands efforts with a focus on safe management of solid and liquid waste and sustainability of ODF.
- An ODF Plus village is one which has sustained its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status along with implementing either solid or liquid waste management systems.
- It would transform villages from ODF to ODF Plus by 2024-25.
Source: PIB
Africa Urban Forum
Syllabus: GS 2/IR
In News
- African bureaucrats and development experts have gathered in Ethiopia for the inaugural African Urban Forum (AUF)
Africa Urban Forum
- It is a continental platform that promotes sustainable development in African human settlements.
- It is a platform through which governments collaborate to enhance African cities, enabling them to fulfill their potential as centers of hope, growth, and prosperity.
- The African Union Commission and its member-states established the Africa Urban Forum in 2022 in response to the rising consciousness of the rapid urbanization in Africa, its opportunities, & challenges, and the need to create a continental scale forum to support an inclusive and holistic approach to unlocking the potential of urbanization in the continent.
Focus Areas:
- Fostering African urban solutions aligned with Agenda 2063.
- Urbanization trends and prospects towards Agenda 2063.
- Managing rapid urbanization for positive structural transformation.
- Financing urbanization for socio-economic transformation.
- Promoting institutional and political reforms in urban development.
| Do you know ? – In 2010, 36% of Africa’s population lived in urban areas. – In 2030,it is Expected to rise to 50%. – In 2050 it is Projected to reach 60%. Regional Variations: 1. East Africa: Lowest urbanization rate. 2. South and North Africa: Highest urban growth. 3. Central and West Africa: Home to some of the largest megacities. |
Source:DTE
ONDC received the National Awards for e-governance
Syllabus: GS2/Governance
Context
- Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) has received the The national awards for e-governance by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).
- The objective of the award is to recognise and promote excellence in implementation of e-Governance initiatives and to encourage innovation in successful e-Governance solutions.
About
- ONDC is an initiative of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
- It aims to promote an open platform for all aspects of e-commerce retail and help small retailers expand their business through e-commerce medium and reduce dominance of giants in the sector.
- The network is now enabling more than 12 million orders per month, spread across categories ranging from fashion to electronics in products, and ride-hailing to metro ticketing in services.
- Over 6 lakh sellers across India have been on-boarded so far.
Source: BS
National Exit Test (NExT)
Syllabus: GS2/ Governance
In News
- National Exit Test (NExT) for Ayush to be Effective from 2021-2022 Batch.
About
- The test is mandatory for licensing and enrollment in State or National Registers after completing a one-year internship.
- This will grant license to practice as medical practitioner of respective discipline of Indian system of medicine
- The National Exit Test (NeXT) is required to be conducted by the Commissions under the provisions of National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) Act 2020 and the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) Act, 2020.
Source: PIB
Eastern Economic Forum
Syllabus: GS2/ International Bodies
In News
- The Eastern Economic Forum 2024 was held in Vladivostok, Russia.
About Eastern Economic Forum
- It is an annual international event held in Vladivostok, Russia, since 2015.
- Its primary aim is to promote economic development in the Russian Far East and to encourage investment, collaboration, and cooperation between Russia and Asia-Pacific nations.
- The forum brings together government officials, business leaders, investors, and policymakers to discuss key economic issues, opportunities in various sectors, and enhance regional connectivity.
- It plays a vital role in shaping economic diplomacy and fostering partnerships in the Asia-Pacific region.
- It borders two oceans, the Pacific and the Arctic, and five countries (China, Japan, Mongolia, the United States and North Korea).
Source: ET
Quantum Gravity
Syllabus: GS 3/Science and Tech
In News
- Researchers are investigating quantum gravity, aiming to unify classical gravitation and quantum mechanics.
Quantum Gravity
- Quantum gravity (QG) is a field of theoretical physics that seeks to describe gravity according to the principles of quantum mechanics particularly in environments where both gravitational and quantum effects are significant, like near black holes or neutron stars.
- Previous Findings: It has been shown that treating the gravitational field quantum mechanically introduces fluctuations (noise) in the lengths of gravitational wave detectors, such as LIGO’s interferometer.
- New Development: Researchers are studying the signatures of quantum gravity in terrestrial systems to advance towards a complete quantum theory of gravity.
- They have derived an uncertainty relation between the position and momentum of freely falling bodies in a quantum gravitational field.
- This uncertainty relation indicates a genuine quantum gravitational effect and demonstrates the coupling between the degrees of freedom of a particle and the quantized gravitational field.
Source: PIB