Current Affairs in Short: 31 August 2020

No illegal persons would be included in NRC list: Assam Government 

• The Assam Government stated recently that no illegal people will be included in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) list. 
• The Industry and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary informed the same on the first day of the four-day State Assembly Session on August 31, 2020. 
• Patowary that reiterated that no genuine citizens will be left out. He further stated that the state government has favoured 20 percent verification of the NRC list in the districts neighbouring Bangladesh and 10 percent verification in other districts. He said that the state is committed to fulfilling all the clauses of the Assam Accord. 

Hospitals empanelled with Ayushman Bharat scheme to get star ratings

• The hospitals empanelled with the Ayushman Bharat scheme will receive star ratings now, based on their healthcare quality and services. This was informed by the National Health Authority (NHA) in its new guidelines. 
• Over 23000 hospitals across the country are empanelled with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojan, among which over 12,828 hospitals are from the public sector and over 10,000 hospitals are from the private sector.
• The rating of the empanelled hospitals has been proposed on six healthcare quality domains, which include timeliness, safety, patient-centered, effectiveness, efficiency and equitability. The star ranking of the hospitals will guide beneficiaries in approaching empanelled hospitals.
• Ayushman Bharat scheme, launched in September 2018, is the world's largest health care programme, which provides a health cover of five lakh rupees annually to vulnerable families.It aims to benefit poor families across the country. 

Haryana lifts 2-day weekly shutdown of markets after Unlock-4 guidelines

• The Haryana government has withdrawn its two-day weekly shutdown of markets in the non-containment zones of the state’s urban areas. The order’s withdrawal comes as the centre announced Unlock 4.0 guidelines. 
• Under Unlock 4.0, the centre has imposed lockdown only in containment zones and eased restrictions in the non-containment zones. The centre has also directed the state governments to not impose any lockdown outside containment zones without prior consultation with the centre. 
• Haryana state government had earlier on August 28, 2020 ordered that malls and shops in the marketplaces located in urban areas will remain closed on Mondays and Tuesdays instead of the weekend as instructed earlier. However, the order did not cover shops selling essential goods. 

Tamil Nadu govt withdraws E-Pass system for travel within state

• Tamil Nadu government has announced a series of relaxations including the withdrawal of e-pass for inter-state travel after the announcement of Unlock 4.0 guidelines by the Ministry of Home Affairs. 
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy announced on August 31, 2020 that the state is doing away with the e-Pass system for travel within the state. For inter-state travel, the ePass will be auto-generated immediately after applying through the portal.
• The state has also allowed resumption of public and private transport from September 1 within all districts including in Chennai. The Chennai metro will also resume its services from September 7. The suburban trains will though remain suspended till September 15. 
• The state has also allowed the opening of shopping malls, hotels, resorts and parks. Religious places and places of worship have also been allowed to welcome devotees with the regulation on the number of people to be allowed at one time. The usual Sunday lockdowns have also been done away with. 

Japan's ruling party to hold leadership vote on September 14, four PM candidates in fray

• Japan’s ruling party- Liberal Democratic Party plans to hold a leadership vote on September 14, 2020 to find a new leader to replace the outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who resigned recently citing poor health. 
• The new leader of the party will become the country’s next Prime Minister, as the party enjoys a majority in the parliament. Four candidates will be reportedly contending for the position. 
• Former Defence Minister of Japan, Shigeru Ishiba is the most popular choice among the public to succeed Abe as the next Prime Minister of Japan, as per media poll. 
• Abe’s successor will be faced with a daunting task of dealing with a stagnant economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.