Current Context : Union Minister of Women and Child Development launches new She-Box Portal to make Workplaces safer for Women. It is a centralized platform for registering and monitoring complaints of sexual harassment of women at the workplace. It offers a common platform to file complaints, track their status and ensure a time-bound processing of complaint by ICs. It provides assured redressal of complaints and streamlined process for all stakeholders. It will enable real-time monitoring of complaints through a designated nodal officer.Read More

Current Context : Central government granted permission to the UK-based University of Southampton to establish a campus in Gurugram, Delhi-NCR. University of Southampton will become the first international university to set up a campus in India under the UGC (Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India) Regulations, 2023. The University of Southampton is among the top 100 universities in the QS World University Rankings (a portfolio of college and university rankings). The first academic session is likely to begin in July 2025, and the campus will hire faculty from both India and abroad. The....Read More

Current Context : Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released details of Anemia Mukt Bharat Initiative. Objective : to reduce prevalence of anaemia in children, adolescents, and women in life cycle approach. The 6X6X6 strategy : aims to reduce anaemia among six beneficiary age groups-children 6-59 months, children 5-9 years, adolescents 10-19 years, women of reproductive age (15-49 years), pregnant women and lactating women through implementation of six interventions. PROGRAMMES AND INITIATIVES BY GOVERNMENT : Mission Poshan 2.0 : to address the challenge of malnutrition and for improved health, wellness and immunity through community engagement, outreach, behavioral change, and advocacy.....Read More

Current Context : Recently, Government has allocated ₹7,212 crore to Nirbhaya Fund for FY 2023-24 ABOUT NIRBHAYA FUND  It was created for the implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security for women in the country. Established in 2013 following the Nirbhaya case (gang rape and murder of a young woman in Delhi). Objectives: Enhance Women’s Safety: To improve the safety and security of women in India. Support Victims: To provide financial assistance for the treatment, legal aid, and rehabilitation of victims of gender-based violence. Promote Infrastructure: To fund infrastructure improvements, such as better street lighting, safer public....Read More

Current Context : Union Home Minister inaugurated PM Colleges of Excellence in Indore Madhya Pradesh (MP). MP is the first state to implement the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. ABOUT PM COLLEGES OF EXCELLENCE These colleges are upgraded according to the parameters fixed in line with National Education Policy. Flexibility in subject selection based on one’s interests in multiple disciplines without barriers of streams, this approach is referred as No compartmental education. Focus on diverse subjects like Biotechnology, Computer Science, Arts and Data Analytics etc.  Read More

Current Context : The Ministry of Education formed a high-level committee under K. Radhakrishnan  to ensure transparent, smooth and fair conduct of examinations. The committee consists of seven eminent people. It will be headed by former ISRO chairman Koppillil Radhakrishnan. ROLE : The expert panel has been formed to review and make recommendations on: Reform in the mechanism of the examination process Improvement in Data Security protocols Review of structure and functioning of National Testing Agency Analyse the whole examination process and suggest measures to improve the efficiency of the system and to stop any possible breaches, ABOUT THE NATIONAL....Read More

Current Context : Recently, National Human Rights Commission seeks report on ‘sale of underage girls’ as part of ‘Nata Pratha’. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices on to the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development and the States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat over a practice known as ‘Nata Pratha’. ABOUT NATA PRATHA Nata Pratha is a traditional practice prevalent in certain communities in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat. This practice involves the selling of girls, often on stamp paper, under the guise of marriage. The woman typically goes to....Read More

Current Context:  Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship  inaugurated the country’s biggest skill competition designed to demonstrate the highest standards of skilling Inauguration ceremony held at Yashobhoomi, Dwarka, New Delhi. Participation of over 900 students from more than 30 states and Union Territories and over 400 industry experts. About 5 lakh candidates registered for the competition on the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) Portal, out of which 26,000 were shortlisted through a process of pre-screening. Objective : To develop a variety of skills from Construction and Building Technology, Creative Arts and Fashion to Information and Communication Technology, Manufacturing and Engineering....Read More

Thailand is set to become the 1st nation in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. The Thai bill amends the Civil and Commercial Code of the country and proposes replacing gendered terms like “husband and wife” with gender-neutral language such as “spouses” and “individuals” ABOUT SAME SEX MARRIAGE: Several countries in Asia criminalise lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people —Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Malaysia all criminalise some form of same-sex activities, according to United Kingdom-based registered charity....Read More

In a historic gathering in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé, African health ministers, global malaria partners, funding agencies, scientists, civil society organisations and other principal malaria stakeholders pledged to end malaria deaths. STATISTICS Globally, the number of malaria cases in 2022 surged significantly compared to the pre-COVID-19 era. The total cases rose from 233 million in 2019 to a staggering 249 million. Africa remains the epicentre of the malaria crisis, bearing an immense burden. It accounts for 94 per cent of all global malaria cases and a staggering 95 per cent of global malaria-related deaths, totaling an estimated 580,000 deaths in 2022.....Read More