12 September 2024, The Indian Express
Cabinet clears health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh for all aged 70 years and above
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GS2- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health
- THE UNION Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the expansion of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) to provide health coverage to “all senior citizens aged 70 years and above irrespective of their income”.
- Announcing the decision after the Cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said this “will be rolled out soon”.
Effectuation of fundamental duties a contihuing task, AG tells apex court
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GS2- Indian Constitution: significant provisions
- Effectuation of fundamental duties is and will always be a continuing task, calling for duty-specific legislations, schemes and supervision, Attorney General R Venkataramani told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
- Venkataramani told a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Kumar and R Mahadevan that the apex court and various high courts have time and again reiterated that it is not for the judiciary to direct the legislature to enact a law in a particular manner and courts ought to be circumspect about stepping in to fill any perceived gaps, particularly when the issue at hand is under active consideration by the legislature.
PM Modi to semiconductor firms: Chips never down in India, invest
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GS3- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment
- From likening India’s semiconductor market to a “special diode” which conducts energy in two directions, to calling it an “integrated market” for integrated circuits, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on executives from top global chip companies Wednesday to invest in the semiconductor ecosystem in the country.
- “This is the right time to be in India… You are at the right place at the right time,” he said.
Madrasas ‘unsuitable’ for proper education: Child rights body to SC
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GS2- Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education
- India’s child rights body has told the Supreme Court that the education imparted in madrasas “is not comprehensive and is therefore against the provisions of Right to Education Act”, and that textbooks in these institutions teach about the “supremacy of Islam”.
- The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) also claimed that the Taliban was “influenced by the religious and political ideologies” of the Darul Uloom Deoband Madrasa of Uttar Pradesh.
Mission Mausam: Rs. 2000 crore fillip for weather forecasting
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Prelims Syllabus- Current Affairs
- The Union Cabinet Wednesday approved a mission to upgrade the capabilities of India’s weather department in forecasting, modelling and dissemination. Mission Mausam will have a budget of Rs 2,000 crore for the first two years of its implementation.
- A government statement said the mission aims to invest heavily in improving weather surveillance, modelling, forecasting to directly benefit key sectors — from agriculture, aviation and defence to disaster management, tourism and health.
EV push: Cabinet approves Rs. 10,900 cr for new scheme
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Prelims Syllabus- Current Affairs
- The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new scheme called PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) for the promotion of electric vehicles (EV) in India, replacing an earlier flagship scheme. The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) will implement the new scheme with a total outlay of Rs 10,900 crore over a period of two years.
- The PM E-DRIVE will replace Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II).
Hydro output surge, lower agri demand may ease power supply shortfall equation
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GS3- Infrastructure: Power
- Compared to the record-breaking peak demand of 243 GW that strained India’s electricity grid in September last year, healthy rainfall this time around has eased agricultural demand and boosted hydro generation by a whopping 24 per cent. With more rains forecast for the coming days and kharif season expected to end soon, grid operators and base load generating units like coal-fired plants likely face a more manageable situation this September.
Anti-subsidy duty on steel pipe imports from China, Vietnam extended for 5 yrs
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Prelims Syllabus- Economy Current Affairs
- The Ministry of Finance has extended the anti-subsidy duty on imports of “welded steel pipes and tubes” from China and Vietnam for five years, citing injury to the domestic industry, according to a notification issued late on Tuesday. The duty was initially imposed in September 2019.
- This follows a recommendation from the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), under the Ministry of Commerce, to continue the countervailing duty. The DGTR — a quasi-judicial body that independently undertakes investigations before making its recommendations to the Centre on administering trade remedial measures including anti-dumping, countervailing duties and safeguard measures — had said that the additional production capacity of Chinese manufacturers is likely to be utilised for exporting these goods to India.
Controversy over Mumbai’s salt pans: why do these lands matter?
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GS3- Conservation
- Earlier this month, the Centre approved the transfer of 256 acres of salt pan land in Mumbai to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt Ltd (DRPPL), a joint venture between Adani Realty Group and the Maharashtra government, for building rental housing for slum dwellers.
- This invited criticism from opposition leaders and environmentalists, who said that the decision to “benefit Adani” would damage the fragile ecosystem. Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray accused the state government of “selling” Mumbai to the business tycoon.
40% of Amazon Rainforest most vital to climate is unprotected
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GS3- Environment degradation and conservation
- Scientists agree that preserving the Amazon rainforest is critical to combating global warming, but new data published on Wednesday indicate huge swathes of the jungles that are vital to the world’s climate remain unprotected.
- Nearly 40% of the areas of the Amazon rainforest most critical to curbing climate change have not been granted special government protection, as either nature or indigenous reserves, according to an analysis by nonprofit Amazon Conservation.
