The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Context :
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971.
The Bill will be introduced in the ensuing session of theParliament.
Salient features of proposed amendments :
- Proposing requirement for opinion of one provider for termination of pregnancy, up to 20 weeks of gestation and introducing the requirement of opinion of two providers for termination of pregnancy of 20-24 weeks of gestation.
- Enhancing the upper gestation limit from 20 to 24 weeks for special categories of women which will be defined in the amendments to the MTP Rules and would include ‘vulnerable women including survivors of rape, victims of incest and other vulnerable women (like differently-abled women, Minors) etc.
- Upper gestation limit not to apply in cases of substantial foetal abnormalities diagnosed by Medical Board. The composition, functions and other details of Medical Board to be prescribed subsequently in Rules under the Act.
- Name and other particulars of a woman whose pregnancy has been terminated shall not be revealed except to a person authorised in any law for the time being in force.
Why Need Amendment :
- The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 is for expanding access of women to safe and legal abortion services on therapeutic, eugenic, humanitarianor social grounds.
- The proposed amendments includesubstitution of certainsub-sections, insertion of certain new clauses under some sections in the existing Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, with a view to increase upper gestation limit for termination of pregnancy under certain conditions and to strengthen access to comprehensive abortion care, under strict conditions, without compromisingservice andquality of safe abortion.
- The proposed increase in gestational age will ensure dignity, autonomy, confidentiality and justice for women who need to terminate pregnancy.
Operation Vanilla
Context :
On January 29, 2020, the Indian Navy launched Operation Vanilla in the Southern Indian Ocean. The operation was launched based on the request received from Madagascar.
Highlights :
- The Operation has been launched to assist the population of Madagascar that were affected by Cyclone Diane.
- The Indian Navy ship Airavat has been deployed in the relief mission.
- The operation will provide succor to the flood affected population.
- The ship will also set up a medical camp and offer water, food and other essential relief materials.
Madagascar :
Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean. It is the fourth largest island in the world. India has been trying to include Madagascar and Comoros in its Indian Ocean Vision for their strategic location. On the other hand, Seychelles and Mauritius are part of Indian Ocean Region division.
All the four islands Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar and Comoros are members of African Union and Indian Ocean Commission.
Spitzer telescope
Context:
Spitzer space telescope of NASA will be retired on January 30, 2020. Spitzer is going to shut down permanently after about 16 years of exploring the cosmos in infrared light.
Background :
Launched into solar orbit on August 25, 2003, Spitzer was initially scheduled for a minimum 2.5-year primary mission. But the space telescope has lasted far beyond its expected lifetime.
What Will Happen to the Spitzer Space Telescope After It Is Retired :
The telescope has a very particular orbit, trailing about 158 million miles behind the Earth to keep it away from interfering heat.
In about 53 years, Spitzer’s orbit will take it past our planet. But, once the telescope flies by Spaceship Earth, Spitzer will drift off in the opposite direction into the emptiness of space.
Key achievements :
- Spitzer’s discoveries extend from our own planetary backyard, to planets around other stars, to the far reaches of the universe.
- Spitzer has logged over 106,000 hours of observation time in the past 15 years. It has illuminated some of the oldest galaxies in the universe, revealed a new ring around Saturn, and peered through shrouds of dust to study newborn stars and black holes.
- The telescope also assisted in the discovery of planets beyond our solar system, including the detection of seven Earth-size planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1, among other accomplishments.
About Spitzer :
NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope was launched in 2003 to study the universe in the infrared.
It is the last mission of the NASA Great Observatories program, which saw four specialized telescopes (including the Hubble Space Telescope) launched between 1990 and 2003.
The goal of the Great Observatories is to observe the universe in distinct wavelengths of light.
The other observatories in Greta Observatories Program looked at visible light (Hubble, still operational), gamma-rays (Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, no longer operational) and X-rays (the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, still operational).
source : the hindu
Bodo Accord
Context :
Recently, the central government, the Assam government and the Bodo groups, including all factions of the militant National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), signed an agreement to redraw and rename the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) as the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), in Assam.
Key Points :
- Bodoland Territorial Region would include the villages which are dominated by Bodos but are outside BTAD presently. Villages with non-Bodo population would be excluded from it.
- A committee will be formed to decide the exclusion and inclusion of new areas. Subsequently, the total number of Assembly seats will go up to 60, from the existing 40.
- Both the representatives of the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) will be present in the committee.
- Bodo-Kachari Welfare Council will be set up for focused development of Bodo villages outside BTAD.
- Bodos living in the hills would be conferred a Scheduled Hill Tribe status.
- Bodo language with Devanagari script would be the associate official language for the entire Assam.
- However, the agreement has not addressed the issue of “citizenship or work permit” for non-domiciles in the BTAD yet.
- Around 1500 cadres of NDFB will be rehabilitated and assimilated by the Central and the state governments.
- The criminal cases registered against factions of NDFB members for non-heinous crimes shall be withdrawn and the cases of heinous crimes will be reviewed.
- Comprehensive solutions have been made to redress the grievances of the people.
- Families of the people killed during the Bodo movement would get ₹5 lakh each.
- A Special Development Package of ₹1500 crore would be given by the Centre to undertake specific projects for the development of Bodo areas.
Benefits :
- The accord will successfully bring together leading stakeholders under one framework.
- People previously associated with armed resistance groups will enter the mainstream and contribute to the nation’s progress.
- It will further protect and popularise the unique culture of the Bodo people and will give them access to a wide range of development-oriented initiatives.
- It will bring peace, harmony and togetherness in the people of Assam.
Background :
- Bodos are the single largest community among the notified Scheduled Tribes in Assam. Bodos are a part of Bodo-Kachari and constitute about 5-6% of Assam’s population.
- The first organised demand for a Bodo state came in 1967-68.
- The Assam Accord of 1985, gave rise to Bodo aspirations and in 1987, ABSU revived the Bodo statehood demand.
- Bodo Security Force which arose in 1986 as an armed group renamed itself NDFB, and later split into factions.
- The first Bodo accord was signed with the ABSU in 1993. It led to the creation of the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) with some limited political powers.
- In 2003, the second Bodo Accord was signed by the extremist group Bodo Liberation Tiger Force (BLTF), the Centre and the state. This led to the creation of BTC, which is an autonomous body under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.