ODISHA

·         Govt announces setting up of ITI in Bijepur

 

• It is in the interest of the students of western Odisha who want to pursue technical education courses that an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) would soon be established at Bijepur in Bargarh district.

 

• “With a view to strengthening ITI training facilities at the block level and to facilitate skill training need of local youths, Government have been pleased to sanction establishment of one.

 

• Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Bijepur block under the craftsman training pattern out of the State plan budgetary allocation.

 

• After forming his Government this time, Patnaik had announced a Rs 1,330-crore package, including provision of pucca houses to 34,000 households, for the Bijepur constituency.

 

INTERNATIONAL

• New Zealand plans to ease abortion restrictions

 

• New Zealand’s government announced Monday that it plans changes to the country’s abortion laws that would treat the procedure as a health issue rather than a crime.
• While abortions have been available in New Zealand for decades, the procedure is still regulated under the Crimes Act which came into force in 1961.
• The proposed new law would remove that requirement for women who are up to 20 weeks pregnant. For those more than 20 weeks pregnant, a doctor or health practitioner would still need to approve the procedure.

 

NATIONAL

• Centre scraps Article 370, bifurcates J & K into two Union Territories

 

• Article 35(A) stems from Article 370, and was introduced through a Presidential Order in 1954, on the recommendation of the J&K Constituent Assembly. This article empowered the state legislature to define who the state’s ‘permanent residents’ were, along with their special rights and privileges.

 

The Changes :

 

• J&K has been reorganised into two Union territories— Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

 

• Jammu and Kashmir will have a legislature like Delhi and Puducherry, where key subjects like law and order are with the Centre.

 

• Ladakh will have no legislature like Chandigarh.

 

• The Governor of Jammu and Kashmir will now become a Lieutenant Governor.

 

• After the revocation of 370, there will be no separate constitution for J&K and its citizens.

 

• Before Article 370 – The J&K State had two different flags of India and the state.

After Article 370 – There will be no separate flag for J&K and it will be at par with the entire country.

 

• Before Article 370 – Only people who had citizenship of J&K could buy and sell property.

After Article 370 – Indian citizens from other states of the country can buy and sell property in J&K.

 

• Before Article 370 – The citizens of the state enjoyed dual citizenship which was of the state and India both.

After Article 370 – The citizens have just one citizenship which will be prevalent to all other citizens of the state.

 

• Before Article 370 – Except for defense, foreign affairs, finance, and communications, Parliament needs the state government’s approval for applying any laws.

After Article 370 – The Parliament can implement any law without the state’s approval which also includes changing the state’s name and its boundaries.

 

• Before Article 370 – J&K had separate national anthems during the application of the article which was of the state and the country.

After Article 370 – There will be only one national anthem for the entire country.

 

• Before Article 370 – Only state laws could apply before and the central government had no authority to declare financial emergencies.

After Article 370 – Central laws can directly be applied and it can declare financial emergencies under article 360 in J&K.

 

• Before Article 370 – The citizens of J&K had separate laws related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights.

After Article 370 – There will be no separate laws for the citizens of J&K. It will be the same as the rest of the country.

 

• India test-fires Surface to Air-Missile from Chandipur in Odisha

 

• India successfully test-fired its all-weather tracked-chassis Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) from a mobile launcher at launch complex III of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha.

 

• It was the second developmental trial of the missile in this year from the same test range.

 

• Earlier, the surface-to-air missile was tested successfully on Feb 26, 2019.

 

• Jointly developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Ltd, the QR-SAM weapon system is a quick reaction, network-centric missile system capable of search-on-the-move.

 

• QR-SAM system can also engage multiple targets within a range of around 25 to 30 km with two vehicle configuration for area air defence.

 

·         Lok Sabha passed the Surrogacy Regulation Bill

• The Bill aims to bancommercial surrogacy in the country. It was introduced by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

 

• The Bill regulatesaltruistic surrogacy  and ends the exploitation of women who are lending their womb for surrogacy.

 

• It provides provisions to protect therights of children born through surrogacy.

 

• The Bill allows only altruistic surrogacy by infertile Indian couples, who are legally married for at least 5 years, from a close relative. It prohibits foreigners, Non-resident Indians (NRI) Person of Indian Origins (PIO) from commissioning surrogacy.

 

• The Bill will establish National and State Surrogacy Boards, the appointment of appropriate authorities for the regulation of the practice and process of surrogacy.

 

• Commercial surrogacyincludes a monetary benefit or reward (in cash or kind) that exceeds basic medical expenses and insurance for the surrogate mother. The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2019 bans this type of surrogacy.

 

·         Lok Sabha passed the 2019 Transgender Persons Protection of Rights Bill

• The Bill establishes anational security authority to safegaurd the rights of the transgenders

 

• It will provide a mechanism for social, economic and educational empowermentof transgenders

 

• As per the Bill, irrespective of sex reassignment surgery and hormonal therapy, a person would have the right to choose to be identified as a man, woman or transgender

 

• The Bill requires a transgender person to go through a district magistrateand district screening committee to get certified as a transperson

 

• It removes the provision that criminalised begging by transgender people. This provision was part of the Bill when it was introduced

 

• It will benefit the transgender people who are discriminated and abused against the marginalised section of the society

 

• It prohibits discrimination against a transgender person in the field of education, employment and healthcare