Impeachment of a SC judge
- Recently four Supreme Court judges went public with charges against Chief Justice of India.
- According to constitution a judge of the SC can be removed from his office by an order of the president.
- The president can issue the removal order only after an address by parliament has been presented to him in the same session for such removal.
- The address must be supported by special majority of each house of the parliament (i.e. a majority of the total membership of that house and a majority of not less than 2/3rd of the members of that house present and voting).
- Article 124 (4) specifies the grounds of removal as proved misbehaviour or incapacity.
- So far no SC judge has been impeached in India.
Ice sheets found in Mars
- NASA has detected thick underground ice sheets along the middle latitudes of the Mars.
- This is believed to be a potential source of water that could help sustain future human outposts.
- The water could be used for drinking and potentially conversion into oxygen to breathe.
U5MR
- India registered a significant decline in under-five child mortality.
- It is calculated per 1000 live births, in India it is 39 out of 1000 births.
- India with the current rate of decline of U5MR is on track to meet the SDG target for under-five child mortality of 25 by 2030.
IMR
- Infant mortality rate is number of deaths per 1000 child births under one year of age.
- In India this number is 34 out of 1000 births.
International termination charges (ITC)
- The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) cut termination charges for international incoming calls to Land line and wireless connections.
- International termination charges (ITC) are payable by an international long-distance operator (ILDO), which carries calls from outside the country, to an access provider in the country in whose network the call terminates.
- ITC is one of the source of foreign earnings for the country.
North Koel reservoir
- A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation for completion of North Koel reservoir project.
- Part of a fund for this project is derived under PMKSY’s LTIF- Long term Irrigation Fund and rest from state governments contribution
- The project situated on North Koel River, a tributary of Sone River.
- It will provide irrigation to most backward and drought prone districts in Jharkhand and Bihar.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)
- This scheme has been formulated with the vision of extending the coverage of irrigation and improving water use efficiency in a focused manner.
- It focuses on end to end solution on source creation, distribution, management, field application and extension activities.
- The scheme now comes under Ministry of Agriculture and farmer’s Welfare.
- PMKSY has been formulated amalgamating schemes of
- Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR),
- Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) of Department of Land Resources (DoLR).
- On Farm Water Management (OFWM) of Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC).
Source: PIB, the Hindu
