Impacts of plastic pollution: 

• It severely affects human health
• The pollution promote soil infertility and land degradations
• Groundwater Pollution 

Way Forward: 

• The people should be made aware to stop  plastic pollution
• The government should come up with more stringent law
• Awareness camp with bottom up approach

 Source Link: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/how-much-plastic-is-in-your-weekly-diet/article27893747.ece

DRDO conducts maiden test of hypersonic technology demonstrator 

Context: 

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted test of an indigenously developed Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV).

About:

• The test was undertaken to validate several technologies including the HSTDV.
• The HSTDV project is meant to demonstrate the “performance of a scram-jet engine at an altitude of 15 km to 20 km.
• In this project hypersonic vehicle that will be powered by a scram-jet engine.

Advantages of the Project:

• It will have multiple civilian applications.
• It can be used for launching satellites at low cost.
• It will also be available for long-range cruise missiles of the future.

What is scram-jet technology?

• In scram-jet technology, combustion of fuel takes place in a chamber in the missile at supersonic speeds.
• A ramjet is a form of air-breathing jet engine that uses the vehicle’s forward motion to compress incoming air for combustion without a rotating compressor.

Source Link:https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/drdo-conducts-maiden-test-of-hypersonic-technology-demonstrator/article27890922.ece

Indian Medical Council Amendment Bill cleared 

Context:

The central government has approved the Indian Medical Council (Amendment Bill), 2019 and the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment Bill), 2019.

Background:

• The Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 was promulgated on January, 2019.
• Indian Medical Council Bill), 2019 and the Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment Bill), 201 9 were lapsed in the 16th Lok Sabha session.

About:

• The Ordinance amends the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 which sets up the Medical Council of India (MCI) which regulates medical education and practice.
• The 1956 Act provides for supersession of the MCI and its reconstitution within a period of three years.
• The Ordinance amends this provision to provide for the supersession of the MCI for a period of one year.

Advantages of the amendment:

The Indian Medical Council (Amendment Bill), 2019

• It will bring in transparency, accountability and quality in the governance of medical education
• It would provide for supersession of the Medical institutions.  

The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment Bill), 2019

• It seeks to extend the period for reconstitution of the Central Council from an existing period of one year to two years.

The union government is also inclined to make the Dental Council of India more effective.

• The government has approved the introduction of a Bill to amend the Dentists Act, 1948.
• The Bill would help restructure the Dental Councils and the representation of Central government members and elected members would no longer be made mandatory in the Dental Councils.

Source Link: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indian-medical-council-amendment-bill-cleared/article27891351.ece

Triple talaq Bill to be sent to Parliament again

Context:

The central government has approved the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019.

About:

• The bill will be introduced in the Budget session of Parliament.
• The Bill will replace the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Second Ordinance, 2019.
• The government had promulgated the ordinance on triple talaq twice, thefirst in 2018 and second and second in February 2019.
• The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, which made the practice of instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) a penal offence.