The Hindu Morning Digest: January 7, 2024
Representational picture of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-9 Max
| Photo Credit: AP
Digital tools set to save Kashmiri script from disuse
For centuries, the Kashmiri language has survived only through oral traditions; by 2013, those who could write the script fell to just 5%. This year, two technological giants, Microsoft and Google, will infuse a new lease of life into the language, whose rich literature continues to remain accessible to only a small section of people.
Congress gears up for Lok Sabha polls with new war room and publicity committee
Stepping up its preparations for the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress on January 6 constituted a publicity committee with party treasurer Ajay Maken as convenor and a five member “central war room”. The average age of the five members ‘central war room’ is 39-years signalling a generational shift in the decision-making process of the party.
DGCA directs airlines to inspect emergency exits in Boeing 737-8 Max planes
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered Indian airlines to conduct an inspection of emergency exits of all Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft after a mid-flight incident involving Alaska Airlines in the U.S., where it lost a section of its cabin panel, forcing an emergency landing on Friday.
Aimed at ensuring robust quality control for pharma and biopharmaceutical products, the Union Health Ministry on January 6 notified revised rules under Schedule M of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945. Schedule M prescribes the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for pharmaceutical products and the revised Schedule M has been notified as rules to ensure GMP is adhered to, and requirements of premises, plant, and equipment for pharmaceutical products.
Court allows AAP leader Sanjay Singh to personally file nominations
A Delhi court on January 6 allowed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to personally file nomination for the upcoming Rajya Sabha election. Mr Singh is in jail since October last year in connection with now scrapped Delhi excise policy.
Sexual abuse in Odisha’s boarding schools for tribals demotivate first generation learners
For many girls studying in residential schools in Odisha’s tribal regions, the back-to-school routine after an extended winter break comes with a twist — they are likely to undergo medical check-ups, which not only assess their general health, but also include undisclosed screenings, reflecting an unwritten but established protocol. Having reviewed the troubling history of sexual abuse against girls in Odisha’s residential schools, a government-run research institute recommended in 2018 that regular health check-ups, with pregnancy tests for girls, be conducted immediately after the vacation. This was despite the fact that its own study revealed that a significant number of cases of sexual abuse occurred during the school terms, although there were also some cases of abuse occurring in their home communities.
Law Commission examining various formulae on holding three-tier elections together
The Law Commission, which is looking into the issue of holding simultaneous elections in the country, may examine the possibility of carrying out the three-tier voting exercise in two phases in a single year, sources said. In the first phase, Lok Sabha and Assembly elections can be held and in the second phase, local body polls can be organised, they said, citing one of the formulae the law panel may consider for the simultaneous elections.
SC ‘corrects’ digital error to revive a man’s khaki dream
The Supreme Court pointed to the digital divide in India while using its extraordinary constitutional powers to revive a young man’s dream to join the police force. Vashist Narayan Kumar, the youth in question, had missed the error in his date of birth made by an internet cafe operator who had helped him fill up his online application form for a police constable job in Bihar.
Russia says downed four Ukrainian missiles over Crimea overnight
Russia on Saturday announced its forces shot down four Ukrainian missiles over Moscow-annexed Crimea overnight. The attack came a day after Russia said it repelled a Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea, downing 36 of them over the peninsula.
Mario Zagallo, Brazil’s World Cup winning player and coach, dies at age 92
Mario Zagallo, who won two World Cups as a player, one as a coach and another as an assistant coach for Brazil, has died. He was 92. The only person to ever win four World Cup titles was also the last living member of Brazil’s starting team in its first championship victory in the tournament in 1958.
