The Daily Brief – 5th January 2020

Gujarat government launched ‘Study in Gujarat’ campaign with an aim to make the state an educational hub at national and international level. As a part of this campaign, a high level delegation will hold road shows in 10 cities of India as well as in western Asian countries. As many as 22 private and government universities and 4 colleges of the state are participating in the campaign.

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on 4^th January, 2020 issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan to submit a detailed report about the death of more than 100 children at a government run hospital in Kota district of Rajasthan in the month of December in 2019. The report is to be submitted within four weeks. Union Health Ministry has sent an expert panel to conduct gap analysis of clinical protocols, human resources and equipment and paediatric services. NHRC is a public body constituted in 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights act.

Speaker of Tripura Legislative Assembly, Rebati Mohan Das inaugurated the Lai Haraoba, a ritualistic festival observed by Manipuri meitei communities since ancient times, in Agartala on 2^nd January, 2020. The five day long festival is jointly organised by Government of Tripura, Puthiba Lai Haraoba Committee and Puthiba Welfare & Cultural Society, Agartala. The festival aims to uphold tradition and cultural values of Meitei community. Lai Haraoba is celebrated through oral literature, music, dance and rituals.

Iran’s most powerful military commander, General Qasem Soleimani, has been killed by a US air strike at Baghdad airport in Iraq on 3^rd January, 2020. The 62-year-old spearheaded Iranian military operations in the Middle East as head of Iran’s elite Quds Force. Under his leadership Iran had expanded its military presence in Syria and Iraq. According to Iran, Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was also among those killed. Meanwhile, in the wake of the attack, the global oil prices have soared by more than 4%.

Maharashtra Government, on 3^rd January, 2019, on the birth anniversary of Savitribai Phule, launched a ‘Cyber Safe Women’ initiative under which awareness camps will be held across all the districts of the state regarding cyber safety. The initiative will help in educating women about how the web is used by anti-social elements and child predators to commit various types of crimes.

World Braille Day is celebrated every year across the world on 4^th January to commemorate the birth anniversary of Louis Braille, who invented Braille, a written language for blind people. The day aims to create awareness of the importance of braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and visually impaired people. In November 2018, UNGA passed a resolution to celebrate the day. The first World Braille Day was celebrated on 4^th January, 2019

National Health Authority (NHA) has de-empanelled a total of 171 hospitals and imposed penalties of more than ₹4.5 crore for allegedly committed fraud and indulging in malpractices under the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). The National Anti-Fraud Unit (NAFU) at NHA found the cases of malpractices among empanelled hospitals.