Important current affairs for UPSC and UPPCS

1. National Crisis Management Committee

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS-III Disaster Management

In News

Recently Cabinet Secretary chairs NCMC meeting to review flood situation in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Gujarat.

At the national level, Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) are the key committees involved in the top-level decision-making wrt Disaster Management (DM). 

NDMC is a temporary committee set up in the wake of a natural calamity. Its key function includes

Effective coordination and implementation of relief measures and operations.

Overseeing the command, control and coordination of the disaster response.

Composition of NDMC: 

Cabinet Secretary (Chairperson). 
Secretaries of Ministries / Departments and agencies with specific Disaster management responsibilities

2.Sex-ratio at birth

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS I – Society

In News
The sex ratio at birth (SRB) in the country, defined as the number of female births per 1,000 male births
SRB improved from 914 to 919 between the third and fourth National Family Health Surveys (NFHS), carried out in 2005-06 and 2015-16 respectively
The highest improvement was in Punjab at 126 points to reach SRB of 860

Second highest improvement in SRB was in Kerala, by 122 points from 925 in 2005-06 to 1,047 in 2015-16 (the highest SRB among all states)
The sharpest decline was in Sikkim, where the SRB dropped 175 points to reach 809,

(the lowest SRB among all states)
SRB has been falling in states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Assam
Projects such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC-PNDT) Act,
Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act

3.Article 371F

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS II – Indian Federalism

In News
Sikkim CM assures people of state that Centre will not interfere with Article 371F and also rejected any possibility of merger of Sikkim and Darjeeling hills,
Article 371F of the Constitution, is the result of the agreement in 1975 between the Union of India, the king of Sikkim and the State’s political parties
Article 371F (36th Amendment Act, 1975): To protect the rights and interests of various sections of the population of Sikkim, Parliament may provide for the number of seats in the Assembly to be filled only by candidates from those sections

4.Virasat-e-Khalsa

Part of: GS Prelims and Mains GS II – Public administration

In News

The Virasat-e-Khalsa museum is set to find a place in Asia Book of Records for becoming the most visited museum in the Asian sub-continent on a single day.

Virasat-e-Khalsa was built to commemorate the rich history and culture of Punjab and Sikhism.

It was inaugurated in 2011 and located in Anandpur Sahib town in Punjab

This would be the third entry for the museum in record books. Earlier, Virasat-e-Khalsa made it to Limca Book of Records in the February 2019 edition and India Book of Records.