The Daily Brief – 27th November 2019

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Fit India School grading system in schools across the country. The Fit India School rankings have been divided into three categories – Fit India Schools (which is the first level of ranking), Fit India School 3 star and Fit India School 5 star. The level of rankings will depend on how much importance a school gives towards inculcating fitness among its students as well as teachers.

The Centre has extended a ban on the Assam-based Bodo insurgent group National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) by another five years, citing that the terrorist outfit has continued to indulge in violent activities, which includes killings, extortion and undermining the country’s territorial integrity in collusion with anti-India forces. The ban is extended on the NDBF under the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The NDFB was first declared an outlawed organisation in the 1990s and the ban has been extended every five years since then.

The National Cadet Corps (NCC), the largest uniformed youth organisation in the world, is celebrating its 71^stRaising Day on 24^th November, 2019. The Defence Secretary Dr. Ajay Kumar and DG NCC Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra payed homage to the martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. The National Cadet Corps Act was accepted by the Governor General and on 15^th July, 1948 the National Cadet Corps came into existence.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the 8^th National Tribal Craft Mela in Bhubaneswar, which aims to preserve, promote and popularize traditional tribal art and craft and help the artisans to find better opportunities to develop their skills through cross-cultural interactions for commercial viability of their products. As a part of the 5T initiative of the state government, 45 supplementary readers prepared in 21 tribal languages have also been released simultaneously by the Chief Minister on the occasion.

The National Statistical Office (NSO), under the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), conducted a survey on the Household Social Consumption related to Health in the 75^thround of the National Sample survey (NSS), during the period of July 2017 to June 2018. The average medical expenditure per hospitalization case was about Rs 16,676 in rural, Rs 26,475 in urban India. The report showed that in case of the in-patient hospitalization (excluding childbirth), government hospitals accounted for 42 per cent where as private hospitals accounted for 55 per cent and charitable/trust/NGO-run hospitals accounted for 2.7 per cent.

The Etawah Lion Safari was thrown open for public in Uttar Pradesh on 24^th November 2019. Formally known as the Etawah Safari Park, it is spread over 350 hectares of land. It has been developed as an educative tourist destination for children as well as youth. It is also the first in the country to have a lion breeding center to develop a research facility on Asiatic lions.

Manipur Sangai Festival, named after the State animal, Sangai, is organised every year in November in Manipur. This year, it is being organised from 24^th November to 30^th November in Imphal. Started in the year 2010, the festival is all about unity in diversity and a true reflection of Manipur’s saga.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) released the report ‘Drinking Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Housing Condition in India’ on 23^rd November, 2019. According to it, around 71.3 per cent of rural households and 96.2 per cent of urban households had access to toilets during 2018. The survey was conducted between July and December of 2018. According to the NSO, almost 42% of rural households in Jharkhand had no access to toilet.