Gender Parity and Women's Empowerment Gap
These empowerment deficits and disparities are harmful not just to women’s well-being and advancement but also to overall human progress, the report said.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous recalled the international community’s strong commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
However, she said the new indices reveal that women’s full potential remains unrealized, and large gender gaps persist, thereby obstructing and slowing progress towards the realization of the goals.
“Sustained efforts are therefore needed to deliver on the promise of gender equality, secure the human rights of women and girls and ensure that their fundamental freedoms are fully realised,” she said.
UN Women:
UN Women was established in 2010 by the UN General Assembly to accelerate progress on meeting the needs and rights of women and girls worldwide.
UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design and implement laws, policies, programs and services that benefit women and girls.
UN Women focuses on four strategic priorities: women’s leadership and political participation, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, and peace, security and humanitarian action.
Gruha Lakshmi Scheme-
Here are some of the key points about the Gruha Lakshmi Yojana:
The scheme is open to all women who are the heads of their households in Karnataka.
The monthly financial assistance of Rs. 2,000 will be transferred directly to the beneficiary’s bank account through the DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) mode.
The registration for the scheme will start on 19th July 2023.
The beneficiaries can register for free online or offline.
Gruha Lakshmi Scheme Benefits?
In less than two months after assuming power, the government of Karnataka has made its promise of launching the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme. The registration of the Gruha Lakshmi Scheme starts on 19th July.
Gruha Lakshmi Scheme is an effective scheme launched to provide financial assistance of Rs.2000 per month to the women head of a household.
The beneficiaries will get the amount under the scheme from August 15-20 and the registration will continue for a year.
The scheme will benefit over 1,11,00,000 women and the amount set aside by the government is Rs.18,000 crore.
The scheme will benefit 12.8 million families in the state.
India supports U.N. on Black Sea initiative-
India has thrown its weight behind the United Nations’ efforts to continue the Black Sea Grain initiative and has called for a swift resolution to the impasse. The Black Sea Initiative holds significant importance for Ukraine’s agricultural sector, known as “Europe’s breadbasket,” which faces disruptions due to the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Impact of the Russian Invasion:
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 disrupted the Black Sea trade route, historically responsible for 90% of Ukraine’s grain exports.
This interference, coupled with other challenges like droughts and COVID-19 supply disruptions, put immense pressure on the global food supply, leading to fears of a potential hunger crisis and surging food prices.
The Black Sea Grain Project:
In response to the food crisis, Turkey and the UN mediated the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022.
The agreement allowed three Ukrainian Black Sea ports (Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi) to export commercial fertilizer and food.
Teams from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the UN were involved in inspecting ships leaving these ports, ensuring safe navigation through a predetermined path to Istanbul, avoiding minefields.
All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Amendment Rules, 2023-
Change in Rule 2: Inclusion of Earned Increment in Emoluments
One of the notable changes in the amended rules is found in Rule 2. Previously, if a member of service earned an increment before retirement or death, it was not included in their emoluments. However, the amendment now states that such increments, even if not actually drawn, will be considered part of their emoluments or average emoluments.
Conditions for Grant and Continuation of Pension
Under the amended rules, future good conduct is an implied condition for the grant and continuation of pension. This emphasizes the importance of maintaining exemplary conduct throughout the service period and after retirement.
Withholding or Withdrawal of Pension
The Central Government has the authority to withhold or withdraw a pension, either for a specified period or indefinitely, under certain circumstances. These situations arise when a pensioner is sentenced for a severe offense or when they are proven to have committed serious misconduct. Importantly, the Union Public Service Commission must be consulted before passing such an order.
Restrictions on Publishing After Retirement
Members of specific organizations listed in the Second Schedule to the Right to Information Act, 2005, face restrictions on publishing certain materials after retirement. These materials include any information related to the organization’s domain, personnel details, expertise gained, and sensitive information that could jeopardize India’s sovereignty, security, or international relations. Prior clearance from the organization’s head is required before publishing such material.
Appeals and Provisions for Family Pension
If an individual wishes to appeal against an order passed by the Central Government, the appeal must be made to the President in consultation with the Union Public Service Commission.
The amended rules also address provisions for family pension. For divorced daughters, the family pension will be payable from the date of divorce if the divorce proceedings were initiated during the lifetime of the member of service or pensioner. Additionally, a child or sibling with a mental or physical disability will be deemed as not earning their livelihood if their income from sources other than family pension is below the entitled amount.
Gaganyaan Human spaceflight mission: ISRO successfully tested service module propulsion system-
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully tested Gaganyaan Human Spaceflight Mission on 19th July at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tamil Nadu.
It involves sending a crew of three members to a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and bringing them back safely to Earth, with a planned landing in Indian Sea Waters.
Gaganyaan Human Spacecraft Mission:
Gaganyaan Human Spaceflight Mission has been successfully tested by ISRO on 19th July. It send a crew of three members to a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission and bringing them back safely to Earth with a planned landing in Indian Sea Waters.
Gaganyaan Human Spacecraft Mission involved five liquid apogee motor (LAM) engines with a thrust of 440 Newton and 16 reaction control system (RCS) thrusters with a thrust of 100 N. The Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate India’s capability for human spaceflight.
Service module of Gaganyaan:
The Service Module of Gaganyaan incorporates a regulated bi-propellant based propulsion system, fulfilling various critical functions such as orbit injection, circularisation, on-orbit control, de-boost manoeuvring and SM-based abort procedures during the ascent phase.
During the mission’s ascending phase, the 440 N thrust LAM engine provide the primary propulsive force, while the RCS thrusters ensure precise attitude correction.
Recent Hot Tests:
The recent hot tests of the System Demonstration Model simulated the fluid circuit of the Service Module Propulsion System, including the propellant tank feed system, helium pressurisation system, flight-qualified thrusters and control components. According to ISRO, the first hot test of the Phase-2 test series successfully demonstrated the integrated performance of the Gaganyaan SMPS. The test lasted for 250 seconds and involved continuous firing of LAM engines and RCS thrusters. The SMPS has advanced in demonstrating its integrated performance in the full configuration with the successful completion of this hot test.
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