Contents:
- The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020
- Royal Australian Navy Ship HMAS Toowoomba at Mumbai
- Operation Vanilla
- NCRB Launches two online national level services related to Search of Missing Persons and to Generate Vehicle NOC
- Madhavpur Mela of Gujarat
THE MEDICAL TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2020
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 the Parliament.
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 authorized in any law for the time being in force.
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY SHIP HMAS TOOWOOMBA AT MUMBAI
- Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Ship HMAS Toowoomba is currently on a visit to Mumbai. Cmde Ray Leggatt, Commander Combined Task Force (CTF) – 150 and Commander Mitchell Livingstone, Commanding Officer, HMAS Toowoomba called on the Chief of Staff, VAdm RB Pandit at the Headquarters of the Western Naval Command.
- HMS Toowoomba is on an Overseas Deployment in the region under operational control of CTF-150.
- The visit of the RAN ship and the professional interactions of IN personnel with RAN crew will serve to further strengthen the good relations between India and Australia and underscore the shared interests in the maritime domain.
OPERATION VANILLA
- Indian Navy Ship Airavat, whilst mission deployed in the Southern Indian Ocean has been diverted to Antsiranana based on request received from Madagascar.
- The ship will undertake Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief mission as part of ‘Operation Vanilla’ which has been launched to provide assistance to the affected population of Madagascar post devastation caused by Cyclone Diane.
Vanilla Islands
- Vanilla Islands is an affiliation of the island nations Seychelles, Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius, Comoros, Mayotte in the Indian Ocean to form a new travel destination brand.
- Aim of the co-operation that has been founded on August 4, 2010 at La Réunion is to pool forces and jointly market the region compared to the solely individual marketing of each island in the past.
NCRB LAUNCHES TWO ONLINE NATIONAL LEVEL SERVICES RELATED TO SEARCH OF MISSING PERSONS AND TO GENERATE VEHICLE NOC
- These online services will help Citizens in Searching their Missing Persons and Generating Vehicle NOC. The services can be accessed through ‘digitalpolicecitizenservices.gov.in’ portal or through a link in the existing ‘Digital Police Portal’.
- So far such services are being provided through the state citizen portals and it is the first time that these are being launched centrally
- NCRB and National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC), USA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to receive information on such material originating from India.
- NCMEC is a non-profit organization established by the United States Congress.
- It has a centralized reporting system by which internet service providers across the world or intermediaries like Facebook, YouTube, etc. can report about persons who circulate images of child pornography
MADHAVPUR MELA OF GUJARAT
- Madhavpur (Ghed) is a small but culturally significant village in state of Gujarat, India. It lies on the seashore, close to Porbandar.
- According to folklore, Krishna married Rukmini at Madhavpur after first kidnapping her. This event is memorialized with a temple dedicated to lord Madhavrai and by an annual fair held in the village
- Every year, for five days from day of Ram Navmi, a cultural fair is organized mainly on the background of religious belief of Krishna getting married to Rukmani.
- A colorful chariot is decorated and idol of Krishna is placed in the chariot and a procession proceeds through the village as a part of celebrating the event of Krishna’s marriage.
- Village people throws colors at each other as part of celebration and also involves joyful dancing.
- Madhavpur is also culturally significant due to one of the seats of Vallabhacharya who is founder of Pushti Marg Vaishnava Hindu sect.
- The seat, called as Baithak or more respectably Bethakji is 66th of the 84 Baithak of Vallabhacharya.
