Himachal Pradesh Affairs
Justice Barowalia is state’s new Lokayukta
The Governor has approved the appointment of a sitting judge of the , Justice Chander Bhusan Barowalia, as Lokayukta of Himachal Pradesh.
Justice Barowalia was due to retire from the post of Judge on March 15, 2023.
In December 2021, the HP Assembly passed an amendment to the HP Lokayukta Act, 2014, making a provision to appoint a High Court Judge as the Lokayukta. Prior to that, under the provision of the Act, only a retired Supreme Court Judge or Chief Justice of High Courts were eligible for the office of Lokayukta.
National and International Affairs
The new scheme, to be implemented during the remaining four years of the15thFinance Commissionfrom 2022-23 to 2025-26 have anoutlay of Rs.6,600 crore.
The PM-DevINE is in addition to the quantum of Resources available for the development of the NE region. It will not be a substitute for existing central and state schemes.
PM Modi declares Modhera as India’s first 24×7 solar powered village
Modi said Modhera was known for the Sun temple, now it will also be known as solar-powered village.
Modhera is famous for its Sun temple, which is situated on the river Pushpavati. It was built by King Bhima-I of the Chaulukya dynasty in 1026-27.
According to the Gujarat government, which shared information in a series of tweets, over 1000 solar panels have been installed on the village houses, generating electricity round the clock for the villagers. Significantly they will be provided with solar electricity at zero cost.
The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2022
New index shows governments worldwide stoked an inequality explosion during COVID-19 pandemic
Half of the poorest countries saw Health spendings drop despite the pandemic, while 95 percent of all countries froze or even lowered taxes on rich people and corporates
Rich and poor countries alike have exacerbated an explosion of economic inequality since the outbreak of the pandemic from 2020, reveals new research by Oxfam and Development Finance International (DFI).
The overwhelming majority of governments cut their of health, Education and social protection spending. At the same time, they refused to raise taxes on excessive profits and soaring wealth.
The2022 Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index(CRI Index) is the first detailed analysis into the type of inequality busting policies and actions that 161 countries might have pursued during the first two years of the pandemic.
China launches Kuafu-1, its first comprehensive solar probe
China launched its first comprehensive solar probe, the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), according to the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
It’s the world’s first near-Earth satellite Telescope to simultaneously monitor solar flares, coronal mass ejections and the sun’s , according to Gan Weiqun, the satellite’s principal scientist from the Purple Mountain Observatory (PMO) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The mission is a combination of several innovations such as the development of the solar-monitoring instrument installed on the satellite.