- ACCESS TO ABORTION, FOETAL VIABILITY, AND LAWS THEREOF : WOMEN ARE CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE
SUBJECT: SOCIAL ISSUES
- Article highlights women’s lack of awareness about abortion as a family planning method and ethical/legal debates on foetal viability.
- Foetal Viability: The point at which a foetus can survive outside the womb (around 24 weeks).A key factor in abortion laws globally (e.g., Roe v. Wade in the US).
- Indian Law: Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, 1971, allows abortions up to 20 weeks (24 weeks in special cases as per 2021 amendment).
- Issues:Lack of awareness, ethical debates on late-term abortions, legal restrictions
2. UNION GOVERNMENT TO HELP STATES PROCURE PULSES AT MSP: AGRICULTURE MINISTER
SUBJECT: SCHEMES
- 100% procurement of tur (arhar), urad, and masoor at Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 2024-25.
- MSP:Minimum Support Price ensures farmers a guaranteed price, protecting them from market fluctuations.
- Procurement will continue till 2028-29 to achieve self-sufficiency in pulses.
- States Involved: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh.
- Data: 24.6 lakh metric tonnes of tur procured, benefiting 1,71,569 farmers.
- PM-Asha Yojana:Extended till 2025-26 for MSP procurement of pulses and oilseeds.
- This is a Price Support Scheme for MSP procurement of pulses, oilseeds, and copra.
3. CENTRE TELLS STATES TO BE PREPARED TO TACKLE HEAT – RELATED AILMENT
SUBJECT: HEALTH
- Enhance health facilities’ resilience to heat.
- Ensure uninterrupted power for cooling appliances, use solar panels where feasible.
- Promote energy conservation, cool roofs, window shades, and NDMA guidelines.
- Ensure availability of medicines, IV fluids, ice packs, oral hydration, and emergency cooling equipment.
- Heatstroke cases are being tracked on the Integrated Health Information Platform since March 1, 2025.
- Heat-Related Illnesses:Include heatstroke, heat exhaustion, exacerbated by climate change-induced heatwaves.
- NDMA Guidelines:National Disaster Management Authority provides frameworks for heatwave preparedness
4. LS INTERPRETERS RELAY PROCEEDINGS IN REAL TIME IN 18 LANGUAGES
SUBJECT: NATIONAL
- Lok Sabha proceedings are now interpreted in real-time in 18 languages, including Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Kannada, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and Kashmiri, Konkani, Nepali, Sindhi, Santhali(not yet on YouTube).
- Interpretation is done by human interpreters hired by Parliament, not AI.
- Process: Interpreters undergo a 15-day training program; work in pairs, swapping every half hour to ensure accuracy.
- Linguistic Inclusivity:Real-time interpretation enhances accessibility of parliamentary proceedings, promoting transparency in a linguistically diverse country.
5. SHOULD THE FREE MOVEMENT REGIME BETWEEN INDIA AND MYANMAR REMAIN
SUBJECT: BILATERAL
- Centre announced scrapping of Free Movement Regime (FMR)citing cross border crime amid Manipur violence.
- FMR allowed movement up to16 km by people on both sides without visa.
- Stakeholder Concerns
- Zomi, Kuki, Chin communities face disruption of kinship and trade ties.
- Mizoram and Nagaland have not implemented ban yet; cite humanitarian grounds.
- Security vs. Humanitarian Dilemma
- FMR linked to drug trafficking, arms, illegal trade; also used by displaced persons fleeing Myanmar’s civil war.
- Centre advocates fencing and stricter rules; critics fear it will alienate locals and affect livelihoods.
