United States of America’s (USA) Declaration of Independence

Why in the News?

On July 4, 2024, the United States celebrates the 248th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

About

• The USA Declaration of Independence, authored by Thomas Jefferson, was adopted on July 4, 1776, marking the colonies' separation from British rule and the birth of United States on an ideal of democracy
• It was a one-page document, but it laid the foundation for other documents that followed, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
• It contains three main ideas:
  • All men are created equal.
  • All men have certain inalienable rights, which include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
  • People have a civic duty to defend these rights for themselves and for others.

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Dr. B.N. Gangadhar Appointed as Chairperson of National Medical Commission (NMC)

• He is the former director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS).
• He previously served as the president of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board.

National Medical Commission (NMC)

• NMC has been constituted by an act of Parliament known as National Medical Commission Act, 2019 which came into force on 25.9.2020.
• Aims
  • To improve access to quality and affordable medical education.
  • To ensure availability of adequate and high quality medical professionals in all parts of the country.
  • To promote equitable and universal healthcare that encourages community health perspective and makes services of medical professionals accessible to all the citizens.
  • To encourage medical professionals to adopt the latest medical research in their work and to contribute to research.
  • To assess medical institutions periodically in a transparent manner.
  • To maintain a medical register for India.
  • To enforce high ethical standards in all aspects of medical services.
  • To have an effective grievance redressal mechanism.

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Sampoornata Abhiyan

Why in the News?

• National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog launched a three-month campaign Sampoornata Abhiyan.
• It aims to achieve saturation of six key indicators in Aspirational Districts and Aspirational Blocks across the country.
• The campaign is a part of the Aspirational Districts Programme and Aspirational Blocks Programme.

Aspirational Districts Programme

• It was launched in January 2018.
• It aims to quickly and effectively transform 112 districts across the country.
• Focuses on five themes
  • Health & Nutrition
  • Education
  • Agriculture & Water Resources
  • Financial Inclusion & Skill Development
  • Infrastructure

Aspirational Blocks Programme

• It was launched in January 2023
• It aims for saturation of essential government services in 500 Blocks (329 Districts) across the country.
• Focuses on five themes
  • Health & Nutrition
  • Education
  • Agriculture and Allied Services
  • Basic Infrastructure
  • Social Development

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Rajinder Khanna has been promoted to Additional National Security Adviser (NSA)

• He was the Former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief.
• Previously, he served as a Deputy NSA where he headed the Technology and Intelligence (T&I) section.

National Security Council (NSC)

• It was established in 1998 by the government of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• The headquarters of the NSC is located in New Delhi.
• It is headed by the Prime Minister of India.
• It operates under a three-tier structure i.e. Strategic Policy Group (SPG), National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) and National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS).
• Member: It includes Deputy NSA and additional NSA, Ministers of Defence, External Affairs, Home Affairs, and Finance of the Government of India, and the Vice Chairman of the National Institution for Transforming India Aayog (NITI).