Section 43-C of the Central Civil Service (Leave) Rules, 2010

• It allows women employees
  • To take childcare leave of 730 days till their disabled children attain 22 years of age, and
  • Women with normal child can avail till the kids reach 18 years of age.

Supreme Court’s recent judgment

• Participation of women in the workforce is not a privilege but a constitutional mandate.
• The bench directed the Himachal Pradesh govt to forthwith constitute a high-level committee to reconsider the entire issue of child care leave to women employees.
• It asked the committee to engage with Union ministries concerned and file a report, recommending appropriate policy decision on inserting child care leave for women in the state service rules, before the court by July 31.

NABARD’s Climate strategy 2030

• Aim - To address India’s need for green financing.
• Key pillars
  • Accelerating green lending across sectors,
  • Playing a broader market-making role,
  • Internal green transformation and
  • Strategic resource mobilisation.
• The initiative reinforces NABARD’s commitment to environmental stewardship and positions it as a pivotal player in India’s transition towards a resilient and sustainable economy

Mission ISHAN (One Nation, One Airspace)

India has kickstarted the process of unifying its 4 airspace regions into one spanning the entire nation. 

• Currently, Indian airspace is divided into 4 flight information regions (FIRs) - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai and a sub-FIR at Guwahati, each managed separately.
• ISHAN - Indian Single Sky Harmonized Air Traffic Management at Nagpur.
• Aim – All coordination for domestic flights flying in upper airspace (above 25,000 ft) will be handled by air traffic controllers (ATCOs) in Nagpur.
• It is expected to make air traffic operations more efficient, safer and seamless, enabling it to handle more capacity.
• The move is also expected to benefit the passengers by reducing congestion and flying times.
• FIRs are controlled by a single authority, which is responsible for providing air traffic services as well as alerting services.
• The air traffic controllers (ATCOs) in every region would only be required to guide the flights approaching or taking off from an airport until they enter the upper space.
• Benefits
  • Flexibility in flight routes
  • Reduced Travel time
  • Lower fuel consumption
  • Reduce carbon footprint

Omorgus Moreshwar

Scientist Dr Aparna Sureshchandra Kalawate recently introduced a new species of beetles named Omorgus (Afromorgus) Moreshwar.

• The species is named after the Moreshwar temple, an ashtavinayak pilgrimage site in Pune.
• Family - The new beetle belonged to the subgenus Afromorgus of the Trogidae family, which now had 10 species from India.
• The new species of beetles is extremely rare and can be found only during monsoon.
• Prey - The beetle is necrophagous (fed on dead bodies) in the last stages of decomposition and also called keratin beetle.
• The beetle is important for forensic science as it helps detect the time of death of an animal or human.
• Characteristics - The beetles of this group are sometimes called ‘hide beetles’ as they tend to cover their body under the soil and hide. 
• They are not photogenic, beetles are usually black or grey and encrusted in dirt.
• Appearance - Their bumpy appearance is distinct, with short, dense setae all over the body.
• After an organism died, blowflies were amongst the first to arrive in the early stages of decomposition.
• The final stage saw the arrival of the newly discovered beetle which fed on the corpse.

About World Energy Council India

• World Energy Council (WEC) is a global body established in 1923, with the aim of promoting sustainable supply and use of energy.
• Headquarters - London.
• The idea for the foundation of the Council came from Daniel Nicol Dunlop in the 1920s.
• It is an UN-accredited global energy body that has convened diverse interests from across the full energy ecosystem for a century.
• It has over 3,000 member organisations and a presence in nearly 100 countries. 
• WEC India is one of the earliest country members of World Energy Council, having joined the Council in 1924.
• WEC India functions under the patronage of Ministry of Power, Government of India and with the support of the Ministries of Coal, New & Renewable Energy, Petroleum & Natural Gas and External Affairs.