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ONE NATION ONE LANGUAGE  Recently, Union Home Minister urged the use of Hindi as the lingua franca, rather than English, in inter-State communication. About Hindi Language • Hindi belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of Indo-European family of languages. It is a descendant of Sanskrit, which is an ancient Indian language. • In 1949, Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi, along with English, as Official Language of Union of India. • In 1950, Constitution of India declared Hindi in Devanagari script as Official language of India under Article 343. • In 1963, Official Languages Act was passed, which provided that English ‘may’ still be used along with Hindi for official communication. • At present, Eighth Schedule of Constitution specifies 22 languages including Hindi. Debates on the issue of One Nation One Language • Understanding the Relation Between Language and Identity: Language is intrinsically tied to identity, and this often includes the identity of a nation....

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION (AIED) Recently, UNESCO launched ‘State of the Education Report for India, 2022: Artificial Intelligence in Education’. Key highlights of the report- Key highlights of the report • India’s current status in AI -  India has the highest relative AI skill penetration rate (3.09 times the global average). • AI in Education systems have contributed to reach US$7.8 billion by 2025 at a rate of 20.2% CAGR. Challenges in the adoption of AI in the education sector  • Lack of comprehensive policy for integrating AI in the education sector. • Inadequate States capacity and human resources availability to cope with the speed of innovation in the field of AI. • Low expenditure on Education which is under 3.5% of GDP compared to a global average of 4.2%. • Digital divide like 54% of the population in India does not use the internet. • Ethics and transparency like possibility of algorithmic biases, digital or data colonialism (controlling of ...

 TRANSGENDERS Recently, Supreme Court issued notice to Centre on petition to grant legal recognition to same sex marriages and alliances between LGBTIQ+ community under Special Marriage Act (SMA), 1954. • Earlier, petitioners had submitted that issue is sequel to Navtej Singh Johar and Puttaswamy judgments. * Under Puttaswamy case, privacy was declared as a fundamental right and Navtej Singh Johar case de- criminalization consensual Homosexuality in 2018. * SC held that LGBTQ+ persons enjoy right to equality, dignity and privacy guaranteed by Constitution on same ground as all other citizens. • However, legal framework governing marriage institution in India does not presently allow members of LGBTQ+ community to marry the person of their choice. * This is violative of fundamental rights including Articles 14, 15, 19(1)(a).   About Transgender community: Constitutional values R ight to equality before law and equal protection under the law is granted in Arti...

What is Surrogacy? Surrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman (the surrogate) agrees to carry and give birth to a child on behalf of another person or couple (the intended parent/s). A surrogate, sometimes also called a gestational carrier, is a woman who conceives, carries and gives birth to a child for another person or couple (intended parent/s). Altruistic surrogacy:  It involves no monetary compensation to the surrogate mother other than the medical expenses and insurance coverage during the pregnancy. Commercial surrogacy:  It includes surrogacy or its related procedures undertaken for a monetary benefit or reward (in cash or kind) exceeding the basic medical expenses and insurance coverage. Currently, Karnataka High Court has evolved “triple tests” to help a couple facing legal hurdles to have a surrogate child under provisions of Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021. More on news # The triple test entails: = Genetic test for husband to ensure chil...

Recently, the Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to bring uniformity in the marriageable age of men and women. By amending the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006 and other personal law, the legal age of marriage of women will be raised rom 18 to 21 years.The decision is based on the recommendation of a four-member task force led by former Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitly. Note: The task force was set up to re-examine the age of marriage and its correlation to health and social indices such as infant mortality, maternal mortality, and nutrition levels among mothers and children. Key Points About Legal Framework of Minimum Age for Marriage: In India, the minimum age of marriage was prescribed for the first time by the law known as the Sarda Act, 1929.  It was later renamed as the Child Marriage Restraint Act (CMRA), 1929.In 1978, the law was amended to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys....

. SEXUAL HARASSMENT Why in news? Recently, the Supreme Court took the cognizance of “serious lapses” and “uncertainty” in the implementation of the Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act, 2013. More on the news • The cognizance came in the backdrop of a newspaper survey revealing only 16 out of 30 national sports federations in the country had constituted Internal Complaints Committees (ICC) mandated under the 2013 Act. About Sexual harassment at workplace • Cost of Sexual harassment at workplace  Individuals: Psychological suffering; behavioral change like isolation; Stress-related physical and mental illness; and Professional losses like foregoing career opportunities.  Employers/Enterprises: Low productivity, Hindered progress and innovation, Poor image of company, etc.  Society: Women’s undermined access to high-status; Legal and criminal justice expenses; Long term rehabilitation costs; etc. • Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (...