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  • Current Affairs 22nd March 2018

    Updated : 22-Mar-2018

    Current Affairs 22nd March 2018 - Important Points

    • All pharmacies and chemists have to report TB cases, notified on - 20th March 2018
    • Full autonomy to 62 higher educational institutes granted by - UGC
    • Export duty on sugar scrapped by - Government
    • Google launched Google assistance in Hindi on - 15th March 2018
    • Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 passed by - Lok Sabha
    • Opening of 18 new missions in Africa by 2021 approved by - The Union Cabinet
    • Amendments in Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 - The Union Cabinet
    • Health Ministry increases reservation quota for disabled in PG medical courses to 5 %  on - 21st March 2018
    • World Water Day observed globally on - 22nd March 2018

    Current Affairs 22nd March 2018 - Details

    All pharmacies and chemists have to report TB cases, notified on - 20th March 2018

    The Union Health Ministry in a notification on March 20th, 2018 declared that it would be contact with the chemists to reinforce the process of informing tuberculosis cases to the concerned authorities.
    The announcement stated that all pharmacies and chemists supply anti-tuberculosis medicines will have to inform Tuberculosis patients along with drug details and a photocopy of the prescriptions either electronically or in hard copy, to the nodal-officer of the authorised officials by him. 
    Key Objective 
    The main objective behind the conclusion is to track the missing tuberculosis incidents by fortifying the reporting system.
    Outcome
    The Health Ministry announcement stated that in case of disappointment on part of a health formation, pharmacy or chemist to inform a tuberculosis patient to a nodal-officer or public health authority, or if the concerned officer does not take suitable reaction on getting any such a information, then the fault-party would face penal action under IPC sections 269 and 270.
      
    Penal Action

    • IPC section 269: As per to this section of the IPC which states that to careless act likely to increase infection of disease dangerous to life, the faulty party would have to face imprisonment of six months or extended period, or with a fine, or with both.
    • IPC section 270: As per to this section of the IPC the evil act likely to blowout disease dangerous to life, the guilt-ridden party would have to face caging of either description to 2 years or above, or with fine, or with both.
    • The announcement further states that seeking the importance of patient support required for wide-range and suitable treatment, all TB patients are stimulated to self-alert themselves with their own information.
    • It informed that to make sure adequate diagnosis and supervision of TB, it is vital to collect broad information of all tuberculosis patients.

    Full autonomy to 62 higher educational institutes granted by - UGC

    The University Grants Commission sanctioned proposal to approve full autonomy to 62 higher
    educational organizations which have preserved high-standards of brilliance under Autonomous
    Colleges Regulation. These 62 higher educational organizations include five central universities, twenty-one state universities, twenty-six private university campuses and ten other colleges.
    Key Points

    • The whole autonomy will permit these higher educational organisations to initiate new courses, skill courses, off-campuses facilities, research areas, allow foreign-students, employ foreign faculty, new sections, new programmes and introduce online distance-learning programmes.
    • They can also get into academic partnership with world’s top 500 universities. They can also choose their admission process, fee-structure and curriculum. They need not to come to University Grant Commission again and again looking for permission as they preserved quality and achieved a standard of 3.26 and more than that National Accreditation and Assessment Council ranking.
    • The ten colleges which have been sanctioned autonomy will have complete liberty apart from degree awarding authorities.
    • These colleges will be permitted to take admissions, finalise curriculum, take exams on their own and assess them and announce results. However, degrees presented will have name of the university sideways with theirs.

    University Grants Commission

    • The University Grant Commission is statutory body formed by Union government in agreement to the UGC Act 1956. It works under Ministry of Human Resource Development.
    • It is delegated to initiate important conclusions and dialogues which have significant bearing on the whole student population of the nation.
    • The 3 key functions of University Grant Commission include supervision distribution of approvals to universities and colleges in India, providing scholarships and fellowships to recipients and observing traditionalism to its guidelines by universities and colleges.

    Export duty on sugar scrapped by - Government

    The Central Board of Excise and Customs under Ministry of Finance has sparred export duty of 20 percent on raw and refined sugar to increase shipments. The exclusion of export duty will assist to export additional sugar output in India for sugar period 2017-18. This will also avoid further price-loss of the domestic sugar values.
    Did you know?

    • Sugar production is assessed to increase sharply to 29.5 MT in 2017-18 from 20.3 million tonnes in the past year. The domestic need is 24-25 MT per year.
    • With domestic prices dropping below cost of making, there was need exclusion of export duty to settle excess domestic quantity. In February 2018, Government had folded import charges on sugar to 100 per cent and controlled sale by mills to keep a eye on dropping prices.

    Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 passed by - Lok Sabha

    The Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 is approved by  Lok Sabha to entitle government to set
    maternity-leave duration and tax-free gratuity value with a decision-making order. The Bill  is looking forward towards altering the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972.
    Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972
    It approves for payment of gratuity to workers in any establishment, mine, port, railways, factory, oilfield, plantation or company retaining minimum 10 or more workers.  Under it, workers are paid gratuity if they have completed minimum five years of continuous job period at time of termination.
    Key Features

    • The Bill entitles central government to inform time period of maternity leave qualified for eligibility as continuous service and regulate sum of gratuity available to workers.
    • The extreme maternity leave, for manipulating continuous service under the Act, was grounded on the maternity leave granted under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961.
    • The Bill eliminates the reference to twelve weeks in Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 and entitles central government to notify the extreme maternity leave. Under the Act, maternity leave was altered to 26 weeks by Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017.
    • The Bill eliminates the present ceiling of Rupees 10 lakhs amount of gratuity payable to a worker and states that the ceiling may be informed by the central government.

    Google launched Google assistance in Hindi on - 15th March 2018

    Internet search mega Google broadcasted the inauguration of Google Assistant in Hindi, on March 15th , 2018. The fresh feature will soon be available for Android and iPhone gadgets.

    The progress is one of the various changes that Google has brought in the last 1 year. In December 2016, Google Allo got a native Hindi Assistant and Google inaugurated a distinct Google Assistant variable for Jio Phone with backing for Hindi and English languages.
    Google Assistant

    • Google Assistant is a virtual person-specific assistant developed by Google, that involves in 2-way
      conversations, mainly available on mobiles phones.
    • The Google Assistant allows the subscriber have a chat with Google to help get daily routines accomplished in a easy way counting searching the hassle-free route to work, receiving updates on the sports, setting reminders or alarms, calling or sending message desired contact, searching out the nearby ATM or restaurant.
    • The feature can be triggered by simply touching and holding the Home button or saying ‘Ok Google’ on suitable smartphones gadgets.

    Accessing Google Assistant in Hindi

    • To access the feature, the subscribers would have to initially set their device language to Hindi and then touch and hold the Home button or say ‘Ok Google’ facility.
    • The subscribers would have to download the modern Google Search app to receive the fresh experience.
    • Further, Google has manufactured a devoted site to highlight what Hindi commands subscribers can practice in the Google Assistant application.
       
      Significance
    • The progress opens new paths for communication and learning for the non-English speaking handlers of Google Assistant.
    •  The personal assistant also learns subscriber predilections, likes, and dislikes to give a personalised understanding.

    Opening of 18 new missions in Africa by 2021 approved by - The Union Cabinet

    The Union Cabinet has sanctioned opening of 18 fresh Indian Missions in Africa over 4-year period from 2018-2021. Conclusion in this regard was granted at the Union Cabinet conference led by the PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
    Key Points

    • The 18 fresh Indian Missions in Africa will be started in Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Guinea Bissau, Chad, Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Swaziland and Togo.
    • It will rise number of Resident Indian Missions in Africa from 29 to 47.
      Importance
    • The conclusion will improve India’s diplomatic outreach and upsurge its tracks in African continent,
      which is rich in resources. It will permit India to involve with Indian dispersion in African nations.
    • It is also measured as step towards executing vision of enhanced coordination and engagement with African continent.
    • It will further augment coordination to device promises of India-Africa Forum Summit.

    Health Ministry increases reservation quota for disabled in PG medical courses to 5 %  on - 21st March 2018

    The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare sanctioned the approval to alter the admission regulation to Post-Graduate medical courses to enlarge the scope of disabled persons to get the advantages of reservation, on March 21st, 2018. With this decision, the number of seats held in reserve for disabled persons for admission to Post Graduate medical courses will be raised from 3% to 5%.

    Talking on the same, Union Minister of health and family welfare J.P.Nadda informed that the proportion of seats to be filled up by disabled-persons has been augmented from 3% to 5% in agreement with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
    As per the corrected provision, 21 different types of disabilities consisting intellectual disability, mental illness, blindness, dwarfism, multiple sclerosis, speech and language disability, thalassemia, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions, less-vision, leprosy patients, deaf and hard of hearing, movement disability, autism spectrum-disorder, cerebral-palsy, specific learning disabilities, haemophilia, sickle-cell anaemia, deaf-blindness, Parkinson's disease and acid-attack victim.

    Further, the government has amended the software utilised by the DG Health Services for central counselling to permit registration of altogether similar applicants. 

    The registration and allocation of seats would be shadowed by a medical test to determine the disability level beforehand final permission to admission of the selected applicant under the reserved-allocation.

    Amendments in Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 - The Union Cabinet

    The Union Cabinet gave sanction for moving official amendments in the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, on March 21st, 2018. Once the Bill is passed by the Parliament, the National Surrogacy Board will be formed. While, the States and UTs will form the State Surrogacy Board and State Appropriate Authorities within 3 months of the announcement by the Union Government.
    Provisions of the Bill

    • The Bill suggests to regulate surrogacy in India by founding National Surrogacy Board at the central level.
    • It suggests to found State Surrogacy Boards and Appropriate Authorities in the States and UTs.
      The Bill will be applicable to whole India, excluding the State of J&K.
      Significance of the Bill
    • Once the Bill becomes an Act, it will legalise the surrogacy facilities in the nation and will control the corrupt practices in surrogacy.
    • It will avoid commercialization of surrogacy together with sale and purchase of human-embryo and gametes.
    • It will ban potential misuse of surrogate mothers and child born via surrogacy. 
    • It will permit moral surrogacy to the deprived infertile couples with the completion of certain situations and for specific determinations.
    • It will safeguard the rights of surrogate mother and kids born with surrogacy.

    World Water Day observed globally on - 22nd March 2018

    The World Water Day was celebrated internationally on March 22nd , 2018 with the subject “Nature for Water”. Present year’s subject discovers how nature can be utilised to conquer the water challenges of the 21-century.
    Objective
    The day objects to spread public alertness about issues related to water, so as to inspire people to take act to make a difference. 
    Significance 

    Environmental damage, along with climate alterations, is pouring the emergency related to water that is being noticed around the biosphere.  Floods, water-scarcity and water-pollution are all being made poorer by tainted vegetation, rivers, lakes and soil.
    Key Facts

    • Internationally, more than 80% of the waste-water produced by civilization flows reverse into the environment without sanitised or recycled. 
    • Approximately 1.8 billion people utilise a source of drinking water that is polluted with faeces, pushing them at danger of cholera, dysentery, typhoid and many more diseases. 
    • Contaminated water, poor-hygiene cause about 842,000 deaths every year. 
    • Safely managed waste-water is a reasonable and maintainable source of nutrients, water, energy and other renewable materials.
       
      Did you know?
    • The International Day is organised yearly on March 22 nd to impact importance on the freshwater and to support for the bearable-management of fresh-water sources.
    • The day’s celebration was 1st suggested at the 1992 UNs Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. 
    • The UNs General Assembly answered by labelling March 22 nd , 1993 as the 1st World Water Day.
    • All the associated-states were requested to devote the day, to deportment concrete actions aiming on promoting public alertness on the matter through numerous programmes counting conferences, discussions and educational-documentaries.