Current Affair 1:

Kerala HC upholds marital rape as valid ground to claim divorce

 

In a significant judgement, the Kerala high court upheld that marital rape, although not penalised in India, is a good ground to claim divorce while dismissing a set of two appeals filed by a husband challenging the decision of the Family Court.

The high court was hearing an appeal filed by the husband against the judgment of the Family Court allowing a petition for divorce on the ground of cruelty. The high court took note of the women’s struggle as the divorce proceeding have been prolonged for more than a decade (12 years). The court also noted that in desperation for obtaining a divorce, she has also forsaken and abandoned all her monetary claims.

The judgement takes cognizance of the fact that although marital rape is alien to our penal jurisprudence, it is intimately and intrinsically connected to individual autonomy and any intrusion, physically or otherwise into such space would diminish privacy. This essentially would constitute cruelty.

 

Current Affair 2:

Rajasthan’s orans and bustards under threat from green energy infrastructure

 

Just know about Orang of Rajasthan and Great Indian Bustard.

Orans are patches of jungle preserved in the name of local deities or saints. The oran (sacred grove) is an integral part of Rajasthan’s culture. The orans in Jaisalmer, also a habitat of the great Indian bustard, are currently the site of disagreement between renewable energy companies and local residents.

The villagers allege that power lines, as part of a solar power plant project, are being proposed to be laid right in the centre of Jaisalmer’s Degrai oran.

The state bird of Rajasthan, the great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), is a protected species under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals in 2020 classified it as ‘critically endangered’. In the whole world, these endangered birds are only found in Rajasthan. But here too, their numbers have reduced to 120-130 birds.

Current Affair 3:

A draft policy for ‘Rare Diseases’ and launches a ‘Crowdfunding Platform’ for treatment costs

 

The draft policy recognises the varying definitions of rare diseases. The WHO defines a rare disease as often debilitating lifelong disease or disorder with a prevalence of 1 or less, per 1000 population. However, different countries have their own definitions to suit their specific requirements and in the context of their own population, the health care system and resources.

India lacks epidemiological data on the incidence and prevalence of rare diseases

The policy highlights that the data on how many people suffer from different diseases that are considered rare globally is lacking in India. The lack of epidemiological data on the incidence and prevalence of rare diseases impedes understanding of the extent of the burden of rare diseases and the development of a definition.

To overcome this, a hospital-based National Registry for Rare Diseases has been initiated by ICMR by involving centres across the country that are involved in the diagnosis and management of Rare Diseases.

Only a limited number of diseases have been recorded in India from tertiary care hospitals that are globally considered as rare diseases encompassing 7000-8000 disorders. The commonly reported such diseases include Primary immunodeficiency disorders, Lysosomal storage disorders (Gaucher’s disease, Mucopolysaccharidoses, Pompe disease, Fabry disease, etc.).

The term rare diseases, for the purpose of the policy, constitutes the following groups of disorders identified and categorized by experts based on their clinical experience:

Group 1: Disorders amenable to one-time curative treatment.

This group includes disorders amenable to treatment with Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation such as Lysosomal Storage Disorders, Adrenoleukodystrophy, etc., and disorders amenable to organ transplantation such as Tyrosinemia, Fabry disease, etc.

Group 2: Diseases requiring long-term / lifelong treatment having a relatively lower cost of treatment and benefit has been documented in the literature and annual or more frequent surveillance is required.

 

This group includes Phenylketonuria, Maple Syrup Urine Disorder, Tyrosinemia type 1 and 2¸ Homocystinuria, etc.

Group 3: Diseases for which definitive treatment is available but challenges are to make an optimal patient selection for benefit, high cost, and lifelong therapy.

This group includes Gaucher Disease, Hurler Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, etc.

A dedicated crowdfunding platform to be established, indigenous production of drugs to be encouraged

Keeping in view the resource constraint and competing for health priorities, the policy lays the ground for a digital platform (crowdfunding platform) for bringing together notified hospitals where such patients are receiving treatment or come for treatment, on the one hand, and prospective individual or corporate donors willing to support treatment of such patients, on the other hand.

 

Current Affair 4:

UN Climate Change Report with respect to India.

 

See a small video given below:
https://youtu.be/V8CY2TOf5xk

 

Current Affair 5:

Termination of Session:

 

A sitting of Parliament can be terminated by adjournment or adjournment sine die or prorogation or dissolution (in the case of the Lok Sabha).

Adjournment: It suspends the work in a sitting for a specified time, which may be hours, days or weeks.

Adjournment sine die: It means terminating a sitting of Parliament for an indefinite period. In other words, when the House is adjourned without naming a day for reassembly.

The power of adjournment as well as adjournment sine die lies with the presiding officer (Speaker or Chairman) of the House.

Prorogation: The President issues a notification for prorogation of the session after the business of a session is completed and the presiding officer declares the House adjourned sine die. The President can also prorogue the House while in session.

Dissolution: Only the Lok Sabha is subject to dissolution. Rajya Sabha, being a permanent House, is not subject to dissolution. A dissolution ends the life of the existing House, and a new House is constituted after general elections are held.

The President is empowered to dissolve the Lok Sabha.

 

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