Child Care Leave (CCL)
Two-judge bench of the Supreme Court directed the government of Himachal Pradesh to review its policies on CCL
- Mentioned in – Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972
- It provides for 2 years of CCL to female employees with children under 18 years of age to look after their kids.
- No age limit in case of disabled child
- The leave can be used for any child-related needs like exams or illness.
- Himachal Pradesh has not adopted these provisions of CCL.
Compulsory Convertible Debentures
Competition Commission of India approved subscription to CCD of Napino Auto and Electronics Limited by International Finance Corporation (IFC).
- Debt instruments that are convertible into equity at a specified time or on happening of specified event(s).
- Other features –
- Hybrid securities as they initially behave like debt instruments but eventually convert into equity shares.
- Often used by companies for raising long-term funds without immediately diluting equity shareholding of existing investors.
WHO Sodium Benchmarks
World Health Organization (WHO) has released the 2nd edition of its global sodium benchmarks
- Part of – WHO initiative to reduce sodium consumption and prevent chronic conditions related to high blood pressure and obesity.
- It provides reference values for sodium content to assess progress in reducing sodium consumption.
- Benchmark for adults – Less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt)
Miyawaki method
Embassy of Israel in India joined ‘Million Miyawaki’ project
- A community-led initiative aimed at improving air quality in Indian cities through mass afforestation in urban spaces.
- Based on – Work of Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki
- Involves cultivating multi-layered forests that exhibit rapid growth and replicate natural biodiversity found in native forests.
- Concern – Such forests lack some qualities of natural forests, like medicinal properties and ability to bring rain.
TTDF (Telecom Technology Development Fund)
C-DOT and IIT Jodhpur signed an agreement for “Automated Service Management in Network of 5G and beyond Using AI” under the TTDF.
- Launched by – Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), a body under the Department of Telecommunications.
- Aim – To fund R&D in rural-specific communication technology applications and form synergies among academia, start-ups, industry, etc.
- Entails grants to Indian entities to encourage and induct indigenous technologies tailor-made to meet domestic needs