Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 27 April 2024 | Download PDF

• The Union Government is expected to roll out a new test, which is designed by the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID).
• The purpose of the test is to diagnose Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs).
• The test is intended for use in adults in India.

About NIEPID:

• NIEPID, formerly known as the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, was established in 1984.
• It is an autonomous body under the administrative control of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
• NIEPID is the apex body for training, research, and surveys in the field of intellectual disability in India.
• The institute is headquartered in Secunderabad, Telangana, and has regional centres in Kolkata, Navi Mumbai, and Noida.
• It empowers persons with intellectual disabilities to access state-of-the-art rehabilitation interventions, educational, therapeutic, vocational, employment, leisure and social activities, sports, cultural programmes and full participation.

• The Defence Secretary led the Indian delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Asthana, Kazakhstan.
• The SCO Defence Ministers agreed to develop the idea of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, which is rooted in the ancient Indian philosophy of ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakam’.

About SCO:

• The SCO was founded in June 2001 in Shanghai by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. 
• India and Pakistan joined in 2017, expanding the organization’s membership.
• The main objectives of the SCO include
  • Strengthening mutual trust and neighborliness among member countries,
  • Promoting effective cooperation in political, trade, economic, research, cultural, and other fields, 
  • Making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security, and stability in the region.

• Harshit Kumar won the men’s hammer throw gold at the 21st Asian under-20 athletics championships in Dubai.
  • He threw a distance of 66.70m.
• His teammate Prateek took the bronze with a throw of 65.97m.
• Laxita Vinod Sandilea won a silver medal in the women’s 800m event.
• The Indian 4x400m mixed relay team, comprising P. Abiram, Kanista Teena, Navpreet Singh and Sandramol Sabu, claimed a silver medal with a time of 3:24.86.
• China won the gold in the 4x400m mixed relay race.

• The Centre has extended Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status to the gem and jewellery sector.
• This information was provided by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), the apex body of the sector.

Key points:

• It is part of a broader framework for ease of doing business and has simplified export operations across various sectors.
• The programme has resulted in significant time and cost savings for exporters.
• The AEO is a programme under the World Customs Organisation (WCO) SAFE Framework of Standards to secure and facilitate global trade.
• The aim of the programme is to enhance international supply chain security and facilitate movement of legitimate goods.

• NASA has successfully launched its spacecraft.
• It is the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System.

Key points:

• ACS3 is a NASA technology demonstration mission launched in 2024.
• It is designed to characterize solar sail structures technologies for future small spacecraft to engage in deep space missions requiring long-duration, low-thrust propulsion.

• The survey for the proposed metro railway in Bhubaneswar began on 26th April by the Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation, starting from Vani Vihar to Sishu Bhawan Square.
• A joint team from various organizations including BMC, BDA, Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited, TPCODL, GAIL, BSNL, WATCO, and Commissionerate Traffic Police conducted the survey.
• The team inspected public roads to prepare for the metro railway project, checking electricity poles, water pipes, telephone lines, gas pipelines, and more around the proposed metro station sites.

Key points:

• The metro railway project will span 26 km, connecting Bhubaneswar Airport to Trisulia in Cuttack, with elevated tracks.
• The project is estimated to cost Rs 6,255 crore and will be funded by the State Government.
• It will include 20 stations along the route, covering key locations such as Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), Capital Hospital, Sishu Bhawan, and others.
• The Bhubaneswar Metro Rail Corporation has signed an MoU with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for the project, which is expected to be completed in four years.

• Odisha farmers in Biridi tehsil are concerned about losing their agricultural land to a proposed coastal highway under Bharatmala Pariyojana. 
• They demand the highway be constructed on government land and the dead Paika river, not their fertile agricultural land. 
• The farmers fear losing around 150 acres of agricultural land belonging to about 1,000 farmers. 

Key points:

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has conducted a thorough examination of the National Highways (NHs) network. 
• As part of this review, it has granted overall financial approval for Phase I of the Bharatmala Pariyojana Scheme. 
• This initiative aims to enhance the transportation infrastructure by developing approximately 34,800 kilometers of roads, which includes 10,000 kilometers of residual NHDP stretches. 
• The estimated investment for this endeavor is around Rs 5,35,000 Crore.
• Bharatmala Pariyojana serves as a comprehensive program designed to improve the efficiency of both freight and passenger movement throughout India’s highway system. 
• The project intends to achieve this goal through various means, including the establishment of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors, and Feeder Routes.
• Additionally, it will focus on enhancing National Corridor Efficiency, constructing Border and International connectivity roads, improving Coastal and Port connectivity, and building Green-field expressways.
• As of Dec-2023, 26,418 km (i.e., 76% of 34,800 km) have been awarded for construction with completion of about 15,549 km. 
• The projects under Bharatmala Pariyojana are mainly funded by Central Government and resource mobilisation by the Ministry. 

• • Orissa High Court expressed concern over the increase in false cases filed under the POCSO Act.
• Judicial Action: The court quashed criminal prosecution against accused in five separate cases of sexual offences under the Act.

POCSO Act Overview:

• The Act prohibits non-consensual and forced sexual relationships with children.
• Sexual relationship with a child below 18 years is considered an offence under the Act as a child below this age is incapable of giving consent for sexual relations.

Concerns Raised by Justice Mishra:

• Stringent provisions of the POCSO Act have led to an increase in vindictive litigation with false cases filed against individuals.
• Teenage romance sometimes leads to consensual cohabitation, and when things go wrong, cases are filed under the Act.
• There has been a rise in love relationships where one or both parties are underage, leading to cases filed invoking the POCSO Act offence.

• The NHRC has issued notices to the governments of Odisha and Chhattisgarh regarding a recent boat capsize in the Mahanadi river, resulting in the death of 8 individuals. 
• The NHRC has requested action taken reports from the chief secretaries of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, as well as the SPs of Jharsuguda and Raigarh, within 6 weeks of receiving the notices.

About:

• The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India, established on October 12, 1993, under the provisions of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, and subsequently amended in 2006, is an autonomous statutory entity. 
• Celebrating its Silver Jubilee on October 12, 2018, the NHRC is headquartered in New Delhi. 
• It serves as the sentinel of human rights within the nation, safeguarding the fundamental rights enshrined in the Indian Constitution, as well as those outlined in international treaties and conventions, which are justiciable in Indian courts. 
• The establishment of the NHRC aligns with the Paris Principles, formulated for the advancement and safeguarding of human rights, ratified during the United Nations General Assembly on December 20, 1993.

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