Supreme Court Rejected High Court Ruling
- Cancelling the Jammu and Kashmir High Court for asserting the State’s ‘sovereignty’ and ‘sovereign powers’, the Supreme Court ruled J&K has no vestige of sovereignty outside the Constitution of India on December 18, 2016.
- The residents of State are governed first by the Constitution of India and also by the Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir, the bench said, referring to the preamble of the Constitution of J&K, 1957.
- The bench called it ‘disturbing’ that various parts of a judgment in appeal by the J&K High Court spoke of the absolute sovereign power of the State.
‘Swasthya Raksha Programme’ Launched
- The AYUSH Ministry on December 18, 2016 launched ‘Swasthya Raksha Programme’ to promote health and health education in villages.
- This is because alternative medicine systems like homoeopathy have come into focus, to provide high quality AYUSH facilities available to public.
- The programme is being implemented by the eleven institutes of the Central Council of Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH).
- The CCRH has also designed a programme ‘Homoeopathy for Healthy Child’ with the aim to sensitise health workers, patients and care givers to deal with conditions such as diarrhoea, respiratory infections, dental conditions, skin conditions and others through homoeopathy.
Government Formed High-level Task Force on Indus Water Treaty
- The Union government on December 16, 2016, formed an inter-Ministerial task force, to be headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra, to look into all the strategic aspects of Indus Water Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan.
- The task force is mandated with taking all important strategic and policy decisions. It is an all-powerful body which will take decisions regarding the treaty.
- It was also decided that India would exploit to the maximum water of Pakistan-controlled rivers including Jhelum.
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Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2016 Notified
- The government has issued the notification for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop)’ Rules, 2016 on December 16, 2018. The objective of these rules is to make pet shops accountable and to prevent cruelty inflicted on animals kept in such pet shops.
- It will be mandatory for all pet shop owners to register themselves with the State Animal Welfare Board of the respective State govemments/Union Territories.
- Such shops will be registered” only after inspection by the representatives of State Board, a veterinary practitioner and a representative of Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
- The rules define space requirement for birds, cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pig, hamster, rats and mice in the pet shops.
- It defines the basic amenities, power back-up, general care, veterinary care and other operational requirement for animals kept in pet shops.
- It is mandatory to maintain proper records of sale, purchase, death of animals in pet shop, sick animals etc.
‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana’ Announced
- Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY), 2016, will start on December 17 and remain open until March 31, 201-7. Those who declare cash deposits under this will be levied a charge of 50%, which breaks down into 30% tax, 33% surcharge and 10% penalty.
- In addition to this, 25% of the amount declared will go into the noninterest-bearing Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme, 2016, for four years.
- The government offered a ‘last window’ to people with unaccounted wealth to come clean or face stringent penalties while inviting others to blow the whistle on those suspected to be holding black money as it launched j the scheme that had been announced earlier.
