Sixty-three years after the implementation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in 1960, the central government made reforms under the legislation.
|
Need for reforms:
Animal rights and safety:
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in 1960:
Concerns:
Other Government Interventions:
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister has mentioned in a written response to Rajya Sabha that government does not subscribe to World Press Freedom Index rankings due to lack of ‘adoption of a methodology which is questionable and non-transparent’.
The World Press Freedom Index is published by a foreign non-government organisation, called Reporters without Borders |
India and Freedom of Press:
Laws related to Press:
Agencies involved:
|
Other provisions:
The Lok Sabha has approved amendments to the Finance Bill 2023 as recommended by the Rajya Sabha amid difference in view with the Opposition members.
What is Finance Bill?
Why it is important?
Money Bill vs. Finance Bill:
|
Financial Bills (II):
The government is going to regulate the practices of market index providers on the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), amid concerns about the safety of passive investors’ savings parked in funds linked to indices that have added or retained several Adani group stocks.
Who are market index providers?
The most prominent indices in India are the Nifty50 by NSE Indices, and Sensex provided by a venture of S&P Dow Jones Indices and BSE Lied. |
How they help investors?
What are index funds?
Need for regulation:
As of January2023, almost 16% of the mutual fund industry’s ?41 lakh crore assets under management were in index and exchange traded funds (ETFs), including from large investors like the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) which oversees formal sector workers’ retirement savings. |
About the development:
Significance:
Weighting is a method that balances out the influence of any single holding in an index or a portfolio. |
Role of Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI):
Mutual fund houses are re-opening their international funds for investment due to the potential loss of long-term capital gains tax benefits if invested after the end of March 2023.
International Mutual Funds:
|
What are overseas investment funds?
Foreign funds are also known as international funds. Foreign funds can be mutual funds, closed-end funds, or exchange-traded funds. |
Rules governing international investments:
Following Prime Minister’s high-level meeting to review the heatwaves preparedness — a new report by the Centre for Policy Research indicates that the country is ill-prepared to face the heat.
What is Heat wave?
Highlights of the report:
Need of the initiative:
India and Heatwave:
Heat Index: The heat index is the combination of air temperature and relative humidity; it measures how hot it really feels when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature. |
Geography Saving Day time |
Recently, Lebanon was thrown into mass confusion after its government at the last minute delayed the start of daylight saving time by a month.
What is phenomenon behind it?
|
Polity and Governance Revised NCERT books under NEP 2020 |
After nearly two decades, school students at all levels will learn from updated textbooks to be introduced in the 2024-25 academic year. About the development:
Key features:
|
Polity and Governance ‘Bharat Nepal Ashtha Yatra’
|
As per the information by IRCTC, more than 80 per cent of seats for the first-ever trip of the 600-seater ‘Bharat Nepal Ashtha Yatra’ special train have already been booked.
|
Environment Plastic-rock hybrid discovered in Andaman’s Aves island
|
A team of marine biologists during routine monitoring of marine litter in some of the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, have stumbled upon a piece of rock made from plastic. Background:
Concerns:
|
Context:
What is Taiwan’s relationship with mainland China?
How has China responded to the increasing tensions?
Verifying, please be patient.