Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 18th August 2023

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC – 18th August 2023 addresses various important topics related to urban housing, gender stereotypes in law, Bihar’s caste-based survey, the Global Initiative on Digital Health, and the MoEFCC’s reorganization. The blog post discusses the Daily Current Affairs for UPSC 18th August 2023. These Daily Current Affairs will help you to Prepare for UPSC.

Addressing the housing shortage in urban areas requires urgent, concerted efforts.

The article discusses Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of a new scheme to assist urban poor in building houses, which signifies a change in government approach towards addressing urban housing shortages. The progress of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) is also highlighted, with only about 76.25 lakh out of 1.19 crore sanctioned houses completed or handed over in the past 8 years. The article emphasizes the need for collaborative discussions with various stakeholders to enhance the success of urban housing.

SC unveils handbook to eliminate gender stereotypes from law.

The Supreme Court has released a handbook aimed at addressing gender-unjust language in Indian courts. The purpose and impact of the handbook are discussed, highlighting its intention to free the judiciary and legal community from using gender stereotypical language in judgments, orders, and pleadings. The article explains how gender stereotypes can affect judicial assessment and distort the application of law to women, reinforcing ideas against constitutional principles.

Why is Bihar’s caste-based survey facing legal challenges?

The article explores the legal challenges faced by Bihar’s caste-based survey, which aims to gather socio-economic data for better policy-making for disadvantaged groups. The lack of proper caste data, apart from Scheduled Castes, in regular census is discussed, along with the political implications of the survey. The opposition and challenges to the survey are also mentioned, including the argument that only the Centre can conduct a census.

Centre and WHO to Launch Global Initiative on Digital Health.

India and the World Health Organization (WHO) are launching the Global Initiative on Digital Health to enhance data convergence, health platform interface, and investments in the digital health sector worldwide. The article highlights the components of the global digital platform and its focus on data security and ownership. Efforts to establish a Climate and Health Initiative in India and a patient and healthcare workforce mobility portal are also mentioned.

Understanding the MoEFCC’s U-turn

The article discusses the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change’s (MoEFCC) initial plan for integrated regional offices and reorganization in environmental agencies, which was later dropped. The concerns raised regarding the weakening of environmental agencies, administrative confusion, and interference in decision-making are highlighted. The article also mentions the opposition faced by the MoEFCC and the lack of objective criteria in the reorganization proposal. The importance of strengthening environmental monitoring and decentralization is emphasized.