News In Shorts

• Delhi High Court said that Right to adopt children is not a fundamental right within Article 21. 
• HC also said that Right to adopt children cannot be raised to a level granting Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) the right to demand their choice of who to adopt.
• Therefore, HC upheld Regulation 5 (7) of Adoption Regulations 2022. 
  • Under Regulation 5 (7) couples with two or more biological children shall only be considered for special needs children and hard-to-place children (applicable retrospectively).
    • special needs child means a child who is suffering from any disability as provided in Rights of Persons With Disabilities Act, 2016.
    • hard-to-place child means a child who has not been placed in adoption after going through procedure mentioned under rule.
  • Under Regulation 5 (2) Other PAPs, irrespective of marital status, with or without a biological child (son or daughter) can go for adoption subject to following:
    • Married couple need consent of both spouses 
    • Single female can adopt a child of any gender 
    • Single male shall not adopt a girl child.
• The 2022 Regulations are issued under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act or JJ Act of 2015. 

About JJ Act 2015 (Amended in 2021)

• JJ Act, 2015 is a secular Act that governs adoption of an orphan / abandoned / surrendered child. 
  • Hindu Adoption Maintenance Act, 1956 (HAMA) also governs adoption in India. 
• It establishes Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) under Ministry of Women & Child Development,
  • CARA is the nodal body to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions of Indian children.

• GHAR (GO Home and Re-Unite) Portal was launched earlier by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
  • The portal digitally monitor and track restoration and repatriation of children as per the protocols under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. 

• About NCPCR
  • Apex body for safeguarding children's rights.
  • Constituted under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005. 
    • It is a statutory body.
  • Consists of 1 chairperson and 6 members.
  • Present reports to central government annually.
  • NCPCR has responsibilities under POCSO Act (2012), RTE Act(2009) as well.

• Ministry of Education launched MoE-AICTE Investor Network jointly established by AICTE and MoE’s Innovation Cell (MIC). 
• It aims to bring students, faculty, investors and market on one platform to strengthen culture of innovation and address issue of start-up funding. 
• It will provide crucial financial support, mentoring, and strategic guidance to early-stage student or faculty-led startups.

• All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) launched SSPCA to bolster global competitiveness of Indian students in technical education.
• Objectives: To provide travel assistance registration fee to a team of minimum 2 to 10 Bachelor students for attending competition on scientific event at international level. 
• Eligibility: A team of Students in the field of technical education enrolled and undergoing a technical course notified by AICTE in an AICTE-approved technical institution.
• Grant: Entire amount subject to a maximum 1 lakh per student.

• Karnataka Government announced Digital Detox Initiative in collaboration with All India Game Developers Forum (AIGDF) and NIMHANS.
• Digital Detox is a period of time during which one intentionally reduces amount of time spent online on electronic devices, like mobiles, laptops, etc.
• Initiative seeks to ensure responsible gaming, through -
  • Awareness, Digital Detox centres for personalized guidance, Community connection through workshops, etc.

• Need of Digital Detox: Mental health challenges, decreasing attention spans and strained real-world connections due to overdependence on technology, etc.