Greenland ice sheet releasing large amount of phosphorus
Glacial meltwater has been known to contain phosphorus, but as Greenland ice sheet melts, it could be releasing more of phosphorus — a key nutrient that can enrich waters of the oceans, potentially stimulating the growth of marine food chain, finds a new study. The total phosphorus concentrations found in the meltwater of the Leverett glacier in Antarctica was 10 …
50 % reservation for women in panchayats
Govt will push amendments for increasing reservation for women in Panchayats from 33% to 50%. Some States had provided 50 per cent reservation to women in Panchayats, but through a Constitutional Amendment, it will be implemented in the whole country.
Don’t disclose examiners’ names: SC
The Supreme Court has held that candidates in recruitment examinations can seek scanned copies of answer sheets and tabulation of interview marks under the Right to Information Act, but the right to information does not extend to disclosure of names of examiners. Disclosure of those who evaluated their mark sheets would not be in public interest.
Sedition and the government
Although sedition was originally a part of the IPC, as drafted by Thomas Macaulay, it was bizarrely dropped from the law when it was enacted in 1860. A decade later, the offence was introduced into the IPC as Section 124-A. The provision defines sedition as any action — whether by words, signs or visible representation — which “brings or attempts …
Protecting India’s trade interests
The Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) has been signed in Auckland on February 4 by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the U.S. and Vietnam. Even as it is touted as the world’s biggest trade deal to date, with signatory countries accounting for more than 50 per cent of global GDP, the TPP still has a …
Jeevan Pramaan
Jeevan Pramaan provides a big relief to all pensioners. A pensioner can now digitally provide Annual Life Certificate to the authorities for continuity of pension instead of presenting himself physically or through a Life Certificate issued by specified authorities every year. Launched in Nov 2014, nearly 12 Lakhs pensioners have registered for Digital Life Certificate (DLC) in about a year. …
Central nodal agency to curb human trafficking planned
To strengthen the fight against human trafficking, Union government has decided to set up a central nodal agency. Sustained initiatives such as Operation Smile, a month-long campaign to rescue and rehabilitate those trafficked, had also been bearing fruit. Last year, 9,146 children under Operation Smile and 19,742 children under Operation Muskaan were rescued or rehabilitated.
India ratifies pact on nuclear compensation
Five years after signing the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), India has ratified the convention. The CSC is a convention that allows for increasing the compensation amount in the event of a nuclear incident through public funds pooled in by contracting parties based on their own installed nuclear capacities. It entered into force on April 15, 2015. …