23 April 2024, The Indian EXPRESS
SC: denying women child care leave is violation of constitution
Page no-1
GS2- Indian Constitution—Historical Underpinnings, Evolution, Features, Amendments, Significant Provisions and Basic Structure
- Participation of women in the workforce is a constitutional entitlement and denying mothers child care leave violates this, the Supreme Court said Monday.
- A bench of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and J B Pardiwala was hearing a plea by a woman, an assistant professor in the Government College, Nalagarh, who said the Himachal Pradesh government had denied her child care leave to attend to her child who is suffering from a genetic condition.
Amid India’s chip push, Taiwan flags talent gaps, high import tariff
Page no-1
GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to Planning, Mobilization of Resources, Growth, Development and Employment
- A “cumbersome” administrative structure, lack of experienced engineers, high tariffs on electronics component imports and inadequate infrastructure — these are some of the challenges that India needs to address before chip companies from the island territory start to commit serious investments, a top Taiwanese government representative said.
- Responding to a question on what has stopped Taiwanese chip companies from investing in India, Joseph Wu, Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, also said the country should focus on signing a long-negotiated free trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan that would allow companies in the semiconductor supply chain to import components, equipment and material to India easily.
Eye on turnout, EC sets up task force to review heat wave impact before polling
Page no-7
GS3- Disaster and Disaster Management
- Following a decrease in turnout in the first phase of polling last week, the Election Commission (EC) on Monday set up a task force to review the impact of the heat wave five days before polling for the remaining six phases of the Lok Sabha elections.
- The task force comprises officials of the poll panel, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, the EC said in a statement.
EU eases norm to offer Indians multiple entry Schengen visa with longer entry
Page no- 9
GS2- Effect of Policies and Politics of Developed and Developing Countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora
- In a major reprieve for Indian travellers seeking to visit Europe during the upcoming holiday season, the European Union will now offer multiple entry Schengen visas with longer validity.
- As EU eases the visa norms, frequent Indian travellers will now be able to apply for five-year multiple entry visas, which puts them at par with “visa-free nationals”.
- As per a statement issued by the European Union on Monday to this effect, Indian nationals can now be issued long-term, multi-entry Schengen visas valid for two years after having obtained and used two visas in the past three years.
- “The two-year visa will normally be followed by a five-year visa, if the passport has sufficient validity remaining,” the readout said.
FSSAI asks states to test branded spices amid quality concerns
Page no- 9
GS2- Statutory, Regulatory and various Quasi-judicial Bodies
- The country’s apex food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards of Authority India (FSSAI), is finding an answer to as it has asked all states to collect samples of different brands of powdered spices and do random testing.
- This comes after authorities in Hong Kong and Singapore withdrew four spice mixes from two of India’s top manufacturers, MDH and Everest, after finding high levels of ethylene oxide in them.
- This is often used by manufacturers as a fumigant and a germicide to lend a long shelf life to their products. However, FSSAI doesn’t allow its use in any food product.
- A consolidated report on spices is likely to come out in 25 days, according to officials in the know of the matter. “Samples of spice mixes from all brands will be collected to test for the presence of ethylene oxide.
- While exported food items do not fall under the purview of FSSAI, it is our job to ensure that products consumed by the Indian population are safe.
- So, we decided to check whether this contaminant is present in products available in the Indian market as well.”
Over 70% workers globally exposed to excessive heat, India’s manual labour at risk
Page no-13
GS3- Disaster and Disaster Management
- Over 70 per cent of all workers globally are exposed to excessive heat due to rising temperatures and a growing labour force, marking an increase of 34.7 per cent in exposure estimates in the 20-year period between 2020 and 2000, as per a report titled ‘Ensuring safety and health at work in a changing climate’ by the International Labour Organization (ILO) released Monday.
- In hot and rural regions of countries like India, epidemics of chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology (CKDu) are affecting large numbers of workers conducting heavy manual labour, the UN-agency said in its report citing data from a study.
Health insurance for all age
Page no-15
GS3- Inclusive Growth and issues arising from it
- Senior citizens, even if they are 80 or 90 years old, will now be able to buy health insurance, irrespective of existing medical conditions. This is a huge relief for all Indians above the age of 65.
- The insurance regulator, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), has asked insurance companies to offer their usual health policies to everyone, including senior citizens, students, and children.
- This comes after the ruling BJP said in its election manifesto that “everyone over the age of 70 years” would be brought under the government’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.
Plastic treaty talks: What do countries, firms want?
Page no- 15
GS3- Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation
- Global leaders will gather in Canada’s capital this week to discuss progress in drafting a first-ever global treaty to rein in soaring plastic pollution by the end of the year.
- The hoped-for treaty, due to be agreed at the end of this year, could be the most significant deal relating to climate-warming emissions and environmental protection since the 2015 Paris Agreement, which got 195 parties to agree to keep global temperatures from rising beyond 1.5C.
Why HC upheld Karnataka’s ban on hookah
Page no-15
GS2- Structure, Organization and Functioning of the Judiciary
- The Karnataka High Court on Monday (April 22) upheld the state government’s ban on hookahs as being in the interest of the general public, and ruled that hookah bars were an illegal “service” under India’s anti-tobacco law.
- On March 11, a single judge Bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna had reserved its judgment on the challenges by several restaurant owners to the government’s February 7 notification.
