The Centre answering an affidavit disapproved the decision of the Supreme Court to legalise same-sex marriages in India, as any change in a human relationship should come from the legislature, not the court.
The Centre invoked the “accepted view” that a marriage between a biological man and woman is a “holy union, a sacrament and a sanskar” in India.
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What were the Centre’s arguments?
Supreme Court’s stand:
Constitutional Provisions related to same-sex marriage:
There is no specific law or act which gives validation or recognition to same-sex marriage and a proper criterion to bring grievances of the LGBTQI+ Community in the eyes of the law. |
Who can legislate on issues of Marriage in India?
Provision under the Special Marriage Act:
The recently concluded Budget session of the Rajasthan Assembly revived the debate around the ‘Right to Health Bill’.
Key Features:
Constitutional Backing:
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Key Issues and Analysis:
Bhutan is consistently ranked one of the happiest in the world and will become the seventh nation to ‘graduate’ from the United Nations (UN) list of Least Developed Countries (LDC).
What is a Least Developed Country (LDC)?
Currently, the UN lists 46 countries that qualify as LDCs.
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Criteria for LDC designation:
How does a country get off the LDC list?
How did Bhutan get off the LDC list?
Advantages of being an LDC:
Recently, the wheat crop was sown in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, during the first half of November, which is in the initial stages already get affected by several ups and downs, estimating an unpredictable situation for both farmers and consumers.
Factors affecting wheat production:
How does it impact the farmers and consumers?
The evolution of Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) laws and regulations is, however, still at a nascent stage in India, where the focus is often on providing protections regarding the environment or workplace conditions without incorporating the controls and disclosure of contemporary ESG regulation.
What are ESG STANDARDS?
How ESG differs from CSR?
Why is ESG relevant in India?
What are the challenges in the adoption of ESG Norms?
Way forward
Increase awareness: there is a need to increase awareness about the ESG norms among investors. This will influence businesses to adopt sustainability measures.
Recently, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) report says that Antarctic sea ice cover recorded a low for a second consecutive year while the Arctic sea ice extent is also at an all-time minimum.
Findings of the report:
Sea ice extent is the area of ice spread across the Arctic Ocean at any given time. |
Ice extent in Numbers:
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About the Poles:
Significance of the ice at poles:
Factors responsible for Ice melt events:
Effect on Arctic and Antarctica:
What is the impact on India?
Polity and Governance Railways’ Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) |
The Ministry of Railways has rolled out Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure the safety of such sensitive consignments and their escort personnel. About:
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Polity and Governance Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) or Bhu-Aadhar |
Department of Land Resources is organizing the National Conference - Bhumi Samvaad IV on implementation of Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN) or Bhu-Aadhaar on 17th March 2023 in New Delhi. About the conference:
The ULPIN:
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Science and Technology H3N2 influenza Virus ![]() |
With 59 cases of H3N2 detected in Odisha, the state government has asked the district authorities to intensify ILI and SARI surveillance and suggested citizens to maintain personal hygiene and avoid crowded places. What is ILI and SARI?
About H3N2 virus:
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Science and Technology MAIA mission |
NASA and the Italian Space Agency are partnering on the MAIA mission which will use data from an Earth observation satellite to help scientists find correlations between air pollution and health problems in major cities across the world including New Delhi. About:
Key features:
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Science and Technology Fluorescence microscopy ![]() |
In 2014, a group of scientists at Stanford University released Foldscope, a fluorescence microscope, which takes 30 minutes to capture images of cells. About
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Context:
Digital India Act 2023:
Journey so far:
Verifying, please be patient.