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1. India's increasing influence in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has been globally recognized, especially through its advancements highlighted by the G20 Task Force on DPI. The recent report recommends establishing a global-standard organization to harness DPI across regions, integrating AI with DPI to enhance capabilities while ensuring ethical use and data privacy, and addressing biases in AI algorithms. DPI is defined as secure, interoperable digital systems built on open standards, enabling access to public and private services at a societal scale. Key DPI components include technology, governance, and community participation. Foundational DPI elements are identification, payments, and data sharing. India's achievements include the global expansion of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) through the efforts of the Reserve Bank of India and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), engaging with over 80 countries and establishing partnerships in more than 30 countries.
2. A breach of privilege occurs when any individual or authority undermines the privileges, rights, and immunities of Members of Parliament (MPs) or the House collectively, which is punishable by the House. This includes actions that disrespect the House's authority or dignity, such as ignoring its orders or insulting its members, committees, or officers. Contempt of House involves acts obstructing members or the House from performing duties, while Points of Propriety refer to violating specific practices and conventions. Each House of Parliament is the guardian of its privileges and may punish breaches through reprimand, admonition, imprisonment, suspension, or expulsion. The procedure for addressing privilege questions involves obtaining the Chairman's consent and is governed by specific rules. In cases involving members from another House, the Presiding Officer of the concerned House handles the matter and reports the findings.
3. Recently, the Supreme Court warned states and Union Territories of contempt proceedings if they fail to establish Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs) in every district. Despite mandates, 370 out of 760 districts lack operational SAAs, causing a significant gap between adoption registrations (13,467 in 2023-2024) and actual adoptions (approximately 4,000) due to inadequate infrastructure. Only Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, and Chandigarh have fully complied with the directive. Larger states like Uttar Pradesh face major challenges, with 61 out of 75 districts lacking SAAs. Adoption in India is governed by the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act (HAMA), 1956, and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, regulates adoption, ensuring compliance with the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation of 1993. CARA oversees State Adoption Resource Agencies, SAAs, Authorised Foreign Adoption Agencies, Child Welfare Committees, and District Child Protective Units.
4. Scientists from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new species of deep-water dogfish shark, **Squalus hima**, at the Sakthikulangara fishing harbour in Kerala along the Arabian Sea. This species belongs to the genus Squalus, known as spurdogs, characterised by smooth dorsal fin spines. On the Indian coast, two Squalus species are found, with Squalus hima being very similar to Squalus lalannei but differing in several characteristics. The Squalus megalops group species feature a short, angular snout, a small mouth nearly as wide as the snout, and a spotless body. The genus Squalus, along with Centrophorus, is exploited for its liver oil, rich in squalene, a substance in high demand for pharmaceutical uses, especially in high-end cosmetics and anti-cancer products. Established in 1916, the ZSI, headquartered in Kolkata with 16 regional centres, studies India's diverse fauna and performs environmental impact assessments, conservation area surveys, DNA molecular studies, and wildlife forensic studies. It houses over 5.5 million specimens representing 103,920 species from India and neighbouring countries.