1. The President of India presented the National Florence Nightingale Awards.
– The National Florence Nightingale Awards were instituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India to recognise and honour the meritorious services rendered by outstanding nursing personnel
International Nurses Day
– IND is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.
– ICN commemorates this important day each year with the production and distribution of the International Nurses’ Day (IND) resources and evidence.
2. Second International Conference on Green Hydrogen
-India launched the National Green Hydrogen Mission on 4th January, 2023.
– The Mission aims to establish a Green Hydrogen ecosystem in India.
– Government of India is organizing 2nd International Conference on Green Hydrogen at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi to discuss the recent advances and upcoming technologies across the entire Green Hydrogen value chain.
3. Cabinet approves ‘Mission Mausam’
– The Mission aims to create a more weather-ready and climate-smart Bharat with an outlay of Rs.2,000 crore over two years.
– Mission Mausam will be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
– It will help to better equip stakeholders, including citizens and last-mile users, in tackling extreme weather events and the impacts of climate change.
– Three institutes of the Ministry of Earth Sciences: the India Meteorological Department, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting will primarily implement Mission Mausam.
3. Cabinet approves PM-eBus Sewa-Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) scheme
-The scheme supports for the procurement and operation of e-buses by Public Transport Authorities.
– The scheme investment is Rs. 3,435.33 crore..
– This scheme will support deployment of more than 38,000 electric buses (e-Buses) from FY 2024-25 to FY 2028-29.
– The scheme will support the operation of e-buses for a period of up to 12 years from the date of deployment.
4. Cabinet approves PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme
– The scheme aims for promotion of electric mobility in the country.
– The PM E-DRIVE scheme aims to promote EVs to reduce the environmental impact of transportation and improve air quality.
– The scheme has an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore over a period of two years.
– Subsidies/Demand incentives worth Rs.3,679 crore have been provided to incentivize e-2Ws, e-3Ws, e-ambulances, e-trucks and other emerging EVs.
– The scheme will support 24.79 lakh e-2Ws, 3.16 lakh e-3Ws, and 14,028 e-buses.
– The scheme allocates Rs.500 crore for the deployment of e-ambulances.
– The scheme will promote the deployment of e-trucks in the country. Rs.500 crore has been allocated for incentivising e-trucks.
– The scheme proposes the installation of 22,100 fast chargers for e-4 Ws, 1800 fast chargers for e-buses and 48,400 fast chargers for e-2W/3Ws. The outlay for EV PCS will be Rs.2,000 crore.
5. Cabinet approves health coverage to all senior citizens of the age 70 years and above irrespective of income under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)
– This aims to benefit approximately 4.5 Crore families with six (6) crore senior citizens with 5 Lakh rupees free health insurance cover on a family basis.
– The eligible senior citizens would be issued a new distinct card under AB PM-JAY.
– Senior citizens of the age 70 years and above who are already availing benefits of other public health insurance schemes such as Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Ayushman Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) may either choose their existing scheme or opt for AB PMJAY.
– It has been clarified that senior citizens of 70 years and above who are under private health insurance policies or Employees’ State Insurance scheme will be eligible to avail benefits under AB PM-JAY.
6. 2nd International Buddhist Media Conclave
– Organised by The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) and the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF)
– Theme “Mindful Communication for Conflict Avoidance and Sustainable Development.
7. Exercise Eastern Bridge
– Air exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and Royal Oman Air Force.
– The 7th edition is scheduled to be conducted from 11th to 22nd September 2024 at Masirah, Oman.
– The first edition was held between the two Air Forces at Thumrait, Oman in 2009.
India’s Other Military Exercise with Oman:
1. Naseem Al-Bahr: Between Indian Navy and Royal Navy of Oman.
2. AL Najah: Between Indian and Royal Army of Oman.
8. Centre suspends permission for manufacture and marketing of eye drops claiming to do away with reading glasses
– Following last week’s controversy over Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company ENTOD Pharmaceutical’s claims that its eye drops could lead to reading glasses not being needed for presbyopia, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), has suspended, till further orders, the company’s permission to manufacture and market its product.
– CDSCO said the company had made claims for the drug, for which it had not obtained prior approval from the Central Licensing Authority, thereby violating provisions under the New Drugs and Clinical Trial Rules, 2019.
– It also said that in view of public interest, and due to the likelihood of the general public being misled by these claims, permission had been suspended.
– Ophthalmologists pointed out that the active ingredient used in the eye drops, pilocarpine, had been used for decades to treat another eye condition, glaucoma, but had since been replaced with the advent of newer, better drugs.
– They pointed out that the use of pilocarpine could cause several side effects.
9. Madrasas ‘unsuitable’ places to get proper education – National Commission for protect of child rights
– NCPCR informed to Supreme Court that 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 body also claimed that the Taliban was “influenced by the religious and political ideologies” of the Darul Uloom Deoband Madrasa of Uttar Pradesh.
– The NCPCR was making a written submission to the court which is seized of a clutch of appeals challenging the Allahabad High Court order which had declared the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act, 2004 “unconstitutional” on the ground that it violated “the principle of secularism” and fundamental rights under Article 14 of the Constitution.
Note :
The RTE Act exempts madrasas from its purview, the children studying in them “have never been exempted from the ambit of Article 21A of the Constitution of India in any judicial decision or constitutional interpretation”