Current Affair 1:

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is committed to support and promote this ambitious campaign and has introduced a policy for approval of indigenously developed rapid food testing kits/equipment/methods.

FSSAI has published a Regulation in the Gazette, namely “Food Safety and Standards (Laboratory and sample Analysis) First Amendment Regulations, 2020”. This step will ensure that indigenously developed kits/ equipment for food testing are validated and approved under the FSSAI regulations on a fast-track basis.

About FSSAI:

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under Food Safety and Standards, 2006 which consolidates various acts & orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments.

Various central Acts like

1. Prevention of Food Adulteration Act,1954, Fruit Products Order, 1955, Meat Food Products Order,1973,
2. Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947, Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation)Order 1988, Solvent Extracted Oil, De- Oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order, 1967, Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992 etc. repealed after commencement of FSS Act, 2006.

Establishment of the Authority

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the Administrative Ministry for the implementation of FSSAI. The Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have already been appointed by Government of India. The Chairperson is in the rank of Secretary to Government of India.

See this question of UPSC:

Current Affair 2:

National Food Security Act, 2013

 

Don’t read just two three headings of any important Act. Questions are asked now from deep inside topics. Go through all provisions.

The National Food Security Act, 2013 was notified on 10th September, 2013 with the objective to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity.

1. Priority households are entitled to 5 kgs of food grains per person per month, and Antyodaya households to 35 kgs per household per month. The combined coverage of Priority and Antyodaya households (called “eligible households”) shall extend “up to 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of the urban population”.

2. For children in the age group of 6 months to 6 years, the Bill guarantees an age-appropriate meal, free of charge, through the local anganwadi. For children aged 6-14 years, one free mid-day meal shall be provided every day (except on school holidays) in all schools run by local bodies, government and government aided schools, up to Class VIII. For children below six months, “exclusive breastfeeding shall be promoted”.

3. Every pregnant and lactating mother is entitled to a free meal at the local anganwadi (during pregnancy and six months after childbirth) as well as maternity benefits of Rs 6,000, in instalments.

4. The Central Government is to determine the state-wise coverage of the PDS, in terms of proportion of the rural/urban population. Then numbers of eligible persons will be calculated from Census population figures.

5. The identification of eligible households is left to state governments, subject to the scheme’s guidelines for Antyodaya, and subject to guidelines to be “specified” by the state government for Priority households.

6. The Act provides for the creation of State Food Commissions. Each Commission shall consist of a chairperson, five other members and a member-secretary (including at least two women and one member each from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes).

The main function of the State Commission is to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the act, give advice to the states governments and their agencies, and inquire into violations of entitlements (either suo motu or on receipt of a complaint, and with “all the powers of a civil court while trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure 1908”). State Commissions also have to hear appeals against orders of the District Grievance Redressal Officer and prepare annual reports to be laid before the state legislature.

7. The Centre should provide all possible resource and funds to prevent scarcity.

8. Obligation of Local Authorities:

9. Food security to people living in hilly areas:

Current Affair 3:

Sickle Cell Disease:

 

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most prevalent inherited blood disorders in the world. The defect arises from a single mutation in the gene, encoding beta-globin chain of haemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells (RCB) that helps in carrying oxygen throughout the body).

It is a group of disorders that affects haemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body.

People with this disease have a typical haemoglobin molecule called haemoglobin S, which can distort red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent shape. This blocks blood flow and oxygen from reaching all parts of the body.

India alone is home to about 150,000 patients with sickle cell disease and about 88% of SCA cases in Asia. Cases are predominantly found in central India, and northern Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which is also known as the sickle belt of India.

Prevention

Genetic counselling is of paramount importance as the disease has no permanent cure except bone marrow transplant. In areas with high prevalence of SCA, awareness programs should be implemented and routine screening should be done to detect carrier status.

Current Affair 4:

Delimitation Commission

 

Firstly, let’s understand what delimitation means. The Election Commission of India describes it as the “act or process of fixing limits or boundaries of territorial constituencies in a country or a province (state or Union Territory) having a legislative body.” The process may also entail a change in the number of Lok Sabha seats allotted to different states, as well as in the number of Legislative Assembly seats for each state.

What is mention in Constitution about Delimitation?

Article 82 of Indian Constitution provides for delimitation and it says: Upon the completion of each census, the allocation of seats in the House of the people to the States and the division of each State into territorial constituencies shall be readjusted by such authority and in such manner as Parliament may by law determine.

Delimitation Commission:

As per Article 82, Parliament by law enacted a Delimitation Act after every census. Once the Act comes into force, the Central Government constitutes a Delimitation Commission.

Therefore, Delimitation Commission have been constituted four times since independence:

1. In 1952 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1952
2. In 1963 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962
3. In 1973 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1972
4. In 2002 under Delimitation Commission Act, 2002

 What is the composition of the Delimitation Commission?

 

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