Published on: January 8, 2025
Snippets : 8 JANUARY 2025
Snippets : 8 JANUARY 2025
- The Karnataka government has launched a new initiative, Mission Zero Preventable Deaths, to improve maternal health outcomes. This program introduces 24×7 services at taluk hospitals, ensuring round-the-clock care for pregnant women with additional specialists and staff. With approval from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the initiative focuses on eliminating preventable maternal deaths by recruiting 1,205 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and 300 Health Inspectors to fill key vacancies. Hospitals with high delivery rates will receive obstetricians and anaesthetists, while doctors from low-demand areas will be redeployed. ANMs and ASHA workers will conduct regular home visits to identify risks early, with gynaecologists overseeing monitoring. These measures have already contributed to a reduction in the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) from 69 per lakh in 2018-20 to 55 in 2022-24, placing the state below the national average. The health department has utilized ₹6,593 crore of its ₹11,182 crore budget, with plans for transparent medicine procurement through the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited, now managed by an IAS officer.
- The Karnataka Forest Department is set to implement the ‘Garudakshi’ software to streamline the registration and tracking of forest and wildlife crime cases. Initially rolled out in Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru forest mobile squad, Bhadravati, Sirsi, and Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Division, this software automates FIR filing and document generation (excluding Mahajar), significantly reducing processing time. Developed by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) with support from NTT DATA, Garudakshi was formerly named HAWK. The system includes four key modules: Legacy Module (uploading case data from 1993), Online FIR Module (user-friendly FIR registration), Investigation Module (document generation and follow-up), and Reporting and Analytics Module (monitoring progress). It also provides timely prompts and reminders to increase conviction rates. WTI is conducting workshops to train forest officers, with the initiative aiming to combat the growing number of forest and wildlife crimes effectively.
- The Bharatpol portal, launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and developed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), aims to revolutionize international police cooperation in combating transnational crimes such as cybercrime, organized crime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. Acting as a broadcast hub, it connects central and state law enforcement agencies with Interpol, replacing traditional communication methods with a real-time interface for seamless communication. The portal enhances efficiency in sharing data, accessing Interpol databases, and issuing Red Corner Notices. Key features include accelerated investigations, improved fugitive apprehension, and enhanced interoperability among Indian police forces as extensions of Interpol’s National Central Bureau (NCB-New Delhi). Bharatpol’s five modules—Connect, Interpol Notices, Broadcast, References, and Resources—streamline international collaboration, strengthen India’s crime-fighting capabilities, and foster better coordination between law enforcement agencies and Interpol.
- The Rural Community Immigration Class (RCIC), launched by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in December 2024, offers a promising pathway to permanent residency (PR) for international students and foreign workers willing to settle in designated rural communities. The initiative addresses labor shortages in rural areas and promotes economic development in smaller towns outside major Canadian cities like Ontario and Vancouver. This scheme is particularly significant for the 7.66 lakh international students whose Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) are set to expire by 2025, leaving many at risk of losing their status in Canada. To be eligible, applicants must meet criteria including a minimum education level (10+2 or graduation), language proficiency (CLB 4–6 based on NOC TEER levels), and a job offer from a designated rural employer. Financial proof and intent to reside in rural areas are also required. International graduates who studied for at least 18 months in these communities enjoy streamlined PR access. The RCIC program benefits Indian students, who make up nearly 40% of international students in Canada, by reducing competition and offering employer assistance in rural settings, thus creating a viable alternative to urban-centric PR pathways.
- The Centre appointed V Narayanan as the new chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro). He will have a tenure of two years and succeed S Somanath on Jan 14, said a notification issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. Narayanan is currently director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Valiamala.
- In a setback for the Central government’s net-zero 2070 goal, the Karnataka High Court struck down the Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy Through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2022 (GEOA Rules), deeming them beyond the Centre’s legislative competence under the Electricity Act, 2003. The court emphasized that regulating open access, including transmission and determination aspects, falls exclusively within the State Electricity Commission’s purview under Sections 42(2) and 181 of the Act. While partly allowing petitions from hydropower companies, the court also invalidated Karnataka’s corresponding 2022 regulations as they were based on the now-defunct GEOA Rules. Although the court granted the state commission the option to create new regulations or maintain its 2004 open access rules, it rejected the Centre’s argument that Article 253 of the Constitution (implementing international agreements) allowed it to override existing law.
- India and the U.S. have announced a landmark agreement to co-produce U.S. sonobuoys, advanced undersea technology for submarine tracking, to enhance the Indian Navy’s undersea domain awareness (UDA). This partnership between Ultra Maritime (UM) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), formalized during U.S. NSA Jake Sullivan’s visit to India, reflects growing concerns about China’s naval expansion in the Indian Ocean Region. The co-production, aligned with “Make in India” principles, will involve joint manufacturing and supply of sonobuoys meeting U.S. Navy standards, with production split between the two countries. This initiative is significant for interoperability, as the co-produced sonobuoys will be compatible with U.S., Indian, and allied (including Quad members) maritime aircraft like the P-8, MH-60R, and MQ-9B Sea Guardian, strengthening strategic cooperation and addressing shared security challenges.
