The network of Common Service Centres (CSC) is set to be expanded to 2.50 lakh gram panchayats soon.
CSC acts as access points for delivery of various electronic services to villages in India.
Common Services Centers (CSC) scheme is one of the mission mode projects under the Digital India Program.
CSCs are the access points for delivery of essential public utility services, social welfare schemes, healthcare, financial, education and agriculture services, apart from host of B2C services to citizens in rural and remote areas of the country.
The regular CSC services are banking, health, education, financial services, and a host of other services.
In addition, the CSC model has adopted six villages in the country in the pilot phase and they are called as Digital villages.
DigiGaon or Digital Village is conceptualized as a connected village where citizens can avail various e-Services of the Central Government, state Governments and private players in rural and remote villages in the country.
DigiGaons are projected to be change agents, promoting rural entrepreneurship and building rural capacities and livelihoods through community participation and collective action.
The digital villages have been equipped with solar lighting facility in their community center, LED assembly unit, sanitary napkin unit (with active participation on Asha and Anganwadi workers) and Wi-Fi choupal (rural Wi-Fi infrastructure and a slew of suitable applications).
Nipah virus
Recently, the presence of Nipah virus was confirmed in Kerala.
Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a newly emerging zoonosis that causes severe disease in both animals and humans.
The natural host of the virus is fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus.
NiV was first identified during an outbreak of disease that took place in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia in 1998.
NiV infection in humans has a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection to acute respiratory syndrome and fatal encephalitis.
NiV is also capable of causing disease in pigs and other domestic animals.
There is no vaccine for either humans or animals.
The primary treatment for human cases is intensive supportive care.
Himalayan trillium
The Himalayan trillium is a common herb of the Himalayas.
It is a natural source of steroidal saponins which are important components of steroidal drugs
It could soon go locally extinct in many parts of its range in India due to its excessive harvest.
It is found across India, Bhutan, Nepal and China.
Increased demands over the last decade have made its illegal collection from the wild a rather lucrative business in India.
Mature plants (which can live to 30 years or more) usually produce only one flower per year and vegetative reproduction through tubers occurs only in very old plants.
Kishanganga Hydropower Station
Prime Minister of India inaugurated Kishanganga hydroelectric power plant in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The 330 megawatt Kishanganga hydropower station work was started in 2009.
It is built on the river Kishanganga, a tributary of Jhelum.
It is one of the projects that India has fast-tracked in the volatile state amid frosty ties between the nuclear-armed countries.
The Kishanganga project was delayed for several years as Pakistan dragged India to the International Court of Arbitration, which ruled in India's favor in 2013.
The prohect will provide 13% free power to Jammu and Kashmir including 1% for local area development fund amounting to around Rs133 crore per year.
Zojila tunnel
Prime Minister inaugurated the Zojila tunnel project recently in New Delhi.
It will provide all-weather connectivity to Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.
The 14 km long Zojila tunnel will be India’s longest road tunnel and Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel.
The tunnel will have a transverse ventilation system, uninterrupted power supply, emergency lighting, CCTV monitoring, pedestrian cross passages at every 250 metres and emergency telephones and fire-fighting cabinets at every 125 metres.
The Zoji la pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 ft on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway.
The pass remains closed during winter because of heavy snowfall, cutting off the Ladakh region from Kashmir.
S.R.Bommai case
The historic order by Supreme court in this case in a way put an end to the arbitrary dismissal of State governments under Article 356 by spelling out restrictions.
The verdict concluded that the power of the President to dismiss a State government is not absolute.
The verdict also categorically ruled that the floor of the Assembly is the only forum that should test the majority of the government of the day.
Also the majority of the government will not be based upon the subjective opinion of the Governor, who is often referred to as the agent of the Central government.
S.R. Bommai was the Chief Minister of the Janata Dal government in Karnataka between 1988 and 1989.
His government was dismissed under Article 356 of the Constitution and President’s Rule was imposed.
Bommai went to court against the Governor’s decision to recommend President’s Rule and as a result Supreme court issued the verdict to tackle the arbitrary use of power under article 356 of the constitution.
