SC stays Lokpal order on powers over HC judges

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a Lokpal order bringing High Court judges under its jurisdiction, terming the top anti-corruption ombudsman's interpretation "very disturbing". 

The Bench, in a brief hearing, was offered assistance by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and B.H. Marlapalle even as Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Union government. 

Microsoft unveils new quantum chip

Microsoft has announced a new chip, called Majorana 1, that it said showed quantum computing is "years, not decades" away, joining Google and IBM in predicting that a fundamental change in computing technology is closer than believed. 

The transformation of Koraput's tribal food basket

Koraput, a district in Odisha, is a beautiful landscape, rich in biodiversity and home to a predominantly tribal population. But there is also a paradox. There is rampant poverty and undernutrition. There is no dearth of government schemes, in the form of direct feeding programmes or schemes for livelihood activities. 

Yet, undernutrition levels remain high. According to an estimate based on the National Family Health Survey-5 data (2019-21) 43% of children under five years of age are stunted (low-height-for-age) and 33% are underweight. Only 17% are fed an adequate diet. More than 50% of women are anaemic. 

Watering down

Official estimates suggest that around 45 crore visitors, nearly a third of India's population, have already been to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh Mela, which began in mid-January. With such a massive influx, even a small percentage of individuals who carry microbes could trigger extensive chains of disease transmission. The Ganga at Prayagraj, where devotees not only have ritual baths but also drink the water, inevitably becomes a complex receptacle of microbiomes.  

Is consumption enough to drive growth?

An economy's growth depends on two factors. One is the supply or the production of goods and services and the other is the demand or expenditure for purchasing these goods and services. Among the sources of demand, investment stands out for its ability to create multiplier effects Consumption can only follow, not lead, growth 

I&B Ministry warns OTTS against 'obscene content'

Warning over-the-top (OTT) streaming services against transmitting "any content that is prohibited by law", the Union Information and Broad-casting (I&B) Ministry on Thursday said they should ensure "age-based classification of content" under the Information Technology (Intermediary Liability and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. 

Key provision of DPDP Act infantilises PwDs: activists

Disability rights activists in Delhi are building a coalition to get a key provision of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 dropped or amended. Section 9(1) of the Act has clubbed children with persons with disabilities (PwDs) to mandate that even in cases of disabled adults who have legal guardians, consent for use of any personal data must be obtained from the guardian concerned.