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What are Metamaterials? They are  artificially crafted materials with unique internal microstructures  that give them properties not found in nature. The  constituent artificial units of the metamaterial can be tailored in shape, size, and interatomic interaction,  to exhibit unusual properties. Odisha raises retirement age of doctors: Retirement age of doctors under Odisha Medical and Health Services (OHMS) cadre and allopathic medical officers under the Labour and ESI Department is being  enhanced from 62 years to 65 years. DDT to South Africa for Malaria control program: HIL (India) Limited,  a PSU under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has supplied 20.60 Metric tonne of DDT 75 % WP to South Africa for their Malaria control program. HIL (India) is the sole manufacturer of DDT globally. The company was incorporated in the year 1954 to manufacture and supply DDT to Government of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for malaria control pro...

How to stall COVID’s march in rural India Rural population in India: According to the  Census of India ,  rural populations are comparatively older , placing them at a higher risk of contracting the COVID-19 infection. They also live  much farther from hospitals  than their urban or suburban counterparts and a majority of them list access to good medical care as a  major community problem. As the current pandemic has stretched an  already overburdened  medical infrastructure, other healthcare services such as reproductive and child health, healthcare for the elderly and other curative services have taken a backseat. Context: The country-wide lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from March 25, 2020, impaired the lives of many urban migrants who lost their jobs overnight. With all   modes of public transport  being suspended, urban migrants had no choice but to walk on foot to their native places. Journalists, called it a “gigantic ...

Consumer Protection Act, 2019 Context : The  Consumer Protection Act, 2019  has  come into effect from July 20,  replacing  the earlier Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 got the President’s nod on August 2019. Highlights of the legislation: Definition of consumer: A consumer is defined as  a person who buys any good or avails a service for a consideration. It  does not include a person who obtains a good for resale or a good or service for commercial purpose. It  covers transactions through all modes including  offline, and online through electronic means, teleshopping, multi-level marketing or direct selling. Six consumer rights have been defined in the act, including the right to: Right to Safety. Right to be Informed. Right to Choose. Right to be heard. Right to seek Redressal. Right to Consumer Education. Central Consumer Protection Authority: The  central government will set up  CCPA to promote, ...

Community canteens 2.0 Context: In his recent address to the nation, PM Narendra Modi announced a  three-month extension  to the  Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana . The government would provide  5 kg of grains and 1 kg of chickpea  monthly to about  800 million beneficiaries  across the country. Alongside, he highlighted the implementation of the  ‘One Nation, One Ration’ (ONOR) scheme  to improve access to subsidised grains for migrant workers. Lack of access to food drove millions of them to their native villages  during the lockdown period. However, constraints to migrant workers: While these measures are welcome, they may  fall short of reaching all sections of this vulnerable population . As per the  Economic Survey (2018-19),  India needs to take big initiatives to improve its food security as it  faces supply constraints, water scarcity, small landholdings, low per capita GDP and inadequate irrigation . M...

for students Editorial: In the name of ‘Cooperative Federalism     Introduction: Federation is an agreement between two types of governments sharing power and controlling their respective spheres. Thus, a federation is a  system of national and local governments,  combined under a  common sovereignty  with both national as well as federating units having autonomous spheres assigned to them by the constitution. India opted for  quasi-federal structure after independence . The term “federal” has not been mentioned in the constitution but the working of Indian democracy is essentially federal in structure. However, it is the practical working style of federalism, which brought the concept of cooperative federalism and competitive federalism in India.   Finance Commission role in devolution of funds: Finance Commission has to play an important role  in achieving the delicate balance  in the conflicting domain of finance by addressing the con...

equal treatment: On upholding rights of the disabled   Context: .In holding that people  suffering from disability  are entitled to the  same benefits and relaxations  as candidates belonging to the  Scheduled Castes , the Supreme Court has recognised the  travails of the disabled  in  accessing education or employment,  regardless of their social status. .Even though drawn from all sections of society, those suffering from the several categories of disability recognised by law have always been an  under-privileged and under-represented section , a fact noticed in official studies in the past. United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) .The Convention was adopted by the General Assembly in December 2006 and it came into force on in May 2008. The convention seeks to engage member countries in developing and carrying out policies, laws and administrative measures for securing the rights recognized in...

Maternal death rate declining: report   Context: India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)  has seen a  decline from 130 per 1 lakh live births in 2014-2016 to 122 per 1 lakh live births in 2015-2017 . A decline of 8 points (6.2%) was observed during this period, according to the latest  Sample Registration System (SRS) 2015-2017 bulletin for MMR. This is good news for India as  nearly 2,000 maternal deaths  have been averted per year, according to the bulletin. The figure has declined  from 167 in 2011-2013 to 130 in 2014-2016 and to 122 in 2015-17,  registering a 6.15 per cent reduction since the last survey figures of 2014-2016. While Karnataka has shown the highest percentage decline in MMR, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have shown an increase by 15 points each in MMR. Importance of monitoring Maternal Mortality rate: Maternal mortality in a region is a  measure of reproductive health of women  in the area. As per the World Health Or...

India losing Chabahar project Context: India Dropped from Chabahar Rail Project: Iran has decided to move ahead with the  construction of a railway line from Chabahar port to Zahedan  without any assistance from India  due to delay in funding. The  railway line project  was part of  India’s commitment to the trilateral agreement with Afghanistan and Iran  to build an alternate trade route to  Afghanistan and Central Asia. Completion of this project would give India access to Afghanistan and beyond to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Europe via 7,200-km-long multi-modal North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). About Chabahar Port: Located on the  Gulf of Oman  and is the  only oceanic port  of the country.  With this,  India can bypass Pakistan in transporting goods to Afghanistan . It will also boost India’s access to Iran, the key gateway to the International North-South Transpo...

• The Hindu news • SAARC Reviving SAARC to deal with China Context: .As  India-China border tensions  continue to fester, a  hegemonic China , as part of its global expansionism, is chipping away at India’s interests in South Asia.  .This shouldbe a major cause for concern for New Delhi. China’s proximity to Pakistan is well known. Nepal is moving closer to China for ideational and material reasons. .China is wooing Bangladesh by offering tariff exemption to 97% of Bangladeshi products, and has intensified its ties with Sri Lanka through massive investments. . According to a  Brookings India study , most South Asian nations are now largely dependent on China for imports despite geographical proximity to India. About South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the  SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December 1985. The idea of regional cooperation in South ...

The Hindu news analysisis• ANNULAR SOLAR ECLIPSE Introduction: A solar eclipse takes place when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the Sun for a viewer on Earth. Country witnessed an annular solar eclipse on 21th June, 2020. This eclipse is a rare annular eclipse that occurs once in every one or two years, and coincides with the northern hemisphere’s longest day of the year, called the summer solstice Eclipse: An  eclipse  happens when a planet or a moon gets in the way of the Sun’s light. Here on Earth, we can experience two kinds of eclipses:  solar eclipses  and  lunar eclipses . Solar Eclipse: It is  a natural event that takes place on Earth when the Moon moves in its orbit between Earth and the Sun  (this is also known as an  occultation ). It happens at  New Moon,  when the Sun and Moon are in  conjunction  with each other. During an eclipse, the Moon’s shadow (which is div...