Current Affairs in Short: 7 December 2021

NHRC issues notice to Central Government, Nagaland govt

• The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Government of India and Nagaland Government over the reported botched-up operation against the militants in the state by Army para commandos. It resulted in the deaths of civilians.

• The Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the Union Home Secretary, Union Defence Secretary, Chief Secretary, and the Director-General of Police, Nagaland. NHRC has also sought a detailed report on the matter within the period of 6 months.

• The National Human Rights Commission has taken sou-motu on the killings of the civilians in Nagaland when their vehicle was fired upon in the alleged operation in the Army para commandos in the Mon district of Nagaland.

Tougher restrictions in Italy for unvaccinated people amid Omicron concern

• The Government of Italy has introduced tougher restrictions for unvaccinated individuals amid the concern over the Omicron Covid variant and the potential spike in new infections.

• Many public activities in Italy will be off-limits to anyone without a Covid Super Green Pass which is proof of vaccination and recovery from the virus within the last six months.

• The new measures in Italy will also help in strengthening the existing covid green passes which can be easily obtained after a COVID negative test. Italy has been grappling with a spike in new COVID-19 infections which are rising gradually since mid-October 2021.

• In the last few weeks, various countries in Europe have placed stricter measures on unvaccinated people due to the increasing number of infections.

Central Government mandates the contactless self-declaration at Air Suvidha Portal

• The Civil Aviation Ministry of India and the Health & Family Welfare Ministry have made the contactless self-declaration at Air Suvidha Portal mandatory. The portal was launched in August 2020 and it has now been strengthened to accommodate the travel guidelines.

• Air Suvidha Portal in India is the first of its kind digital portal which eases international passenger arrival in the country. The portal helps in providing the passenger details including RT PCR and vaccination status.

• The international passengers in India are now mandated to declare their current health status before boarding on Air Suvidha Portal.

• In order to ensure the prevention of the Omicron variant, the exemption forms on the portal have also been discontinued.

Third phase of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana to be completed by year 2025

• Giriraj Singh, the Union Rural Development Minister informed that the third phase of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana will be completed by the year 2025. The focus of the yojana will be on providing easy access to hospitals, schools, and markets.

• The Union Minister informed about the development during the Question Hour in Lok Sabha on December 7, 2021. He also said that the first phase of Yojana was focused on connectivity and the next phase will be on the up-gradation of rural roads.

• While answering another question in Lok Sabha, the Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti stated that the ongoing phase three of the Central Scheme, even road-length of less than previously mandated 5 km can also be considered for development.

Tamil Nadu requests Government to declare Tamil as official language of India

• Nityananda Rai, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs informed Lok Sabha that Tamil Nadu Government has made a request to declare Tamil as one of the official languages of the country.

• The Minister of State in a written reply mentioned that Tamil Nadu Government made a request regarding the Tamil language and also requested to declare Thirukkural as a National Book during the 29th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council.

• The Minister also mentioned that no discussion on the issues took place during the meeting.

• The Parliament Winter Session started on November 29 and will conclude on December 23, 2021.