News In Short 08-05-2026

JANANI Platform

Syllabus: GS 2/Welfare Schemes 

In News 

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched JANANI (Journey of Antenatal, Natal and Neonatal Integrated Care) at the recently concluded National Summit on Innovation and Inclusivity. 

About JANANI Platform

• It is a service-oriented digital platform designed to comprehensively monitor and maintain digital health records of women during their reproductive age.
• It is  developed as an upgraded version of the existing Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal. 

• It is a digital maternal and child health platform that introduces QR-enabled digital Mother and Child Health (MCH) Cards for easy and portable access to health records. 
• It supports real-time monitoring through high-risk pregnancy alerts, supervisory dashboards, and due-list generation for timely interventions.
• It integrates with national systems such as U-WIN and POSHAN to enable seamless data sharing and coordinated beneficiary tracking.
• It allows beneficiary registration using ABHA, Aadhaar, or mobile numbers, supports self-registration, and ensures continuity of care for migratory populations while preventing duplicate records.

Source :PIB 

Article 26(b)

Syllabus: GS2/Polity and Governance

Context

• The Central Board of Dawoodi Bohra Community, questioned the power of the religious head of the community to excommunicate persons, saying it violated the fundamental rights of the faithful.
  • The court asked if the power to excommunicate isn’t protected under Article 26(b).

About Article 26(b)

• Article 26 deals with the Freedom to manage religious affairs and grants rights to every religious denomination or any section thereof, subject to public order, morality, and health.
  • (a) to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes;
  • (b) to manage its own affairs in matters of religion;
  • (c) to own and acquire movable and immovable property; and
  • (d) to administer such property in accordance with law.

Essential religious practices 

• Essential religious practices are those that are vital or fundamental to religion and if they are not followed, the religion itself will change. 
• The Doctrine was originally conceived in the Madras v. Shirur Mutt Case, in which the Court made a distinction between ‘religious’ and ‘secular’ practices.
• Religious practices were considered to be those of the utmost importance to the religion and secular activities were defined as practices associated with religion but do not really constitute an essential part of it.

Source: IE

Decentralising School Governance Through School Management Committees

Syllabus: GS2/ Education

Context

• The Union Ministry of Education has issued new national guidelines mandating the constitution of School Management Committees (SMCs) in all schools, including secondary and senior secondary schools up to Class 12, in line with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Key Features of the New SMC Guidelines

• Mandatory Constitution of SMCs: Every school across the country must constitute an SMC within one month of the commencement of the academic session.
  • The new SMC framework will replace the earlier School Management Development Committees (SMDCs).
• Community-Centric Representation: At least 75% of SMC members must be parents or guardians of enrolled students.
  • A minimum of 50% of the members must be women to promote gender-inclusive participation in school governance.
  • The remaining 25% will include elected local officials, teachers, alumni, and local experts such as Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, and academicians.
  • Proportionate representation must be given to Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), including SC, ST, OBC, and Children with Special Needs (CwSN).
• Two sub-committees will be established under the SMC: 
  • The School Building Committee for maintenance and construction, and
  • The Academic Committee focused on improving educational quality.

Financial and Administrative Powers of SMCs

• The SMCs are authorised to execute all school civil works costing up to ₹30 lakh. 
  • For projects exceeding this amount, SMCs will participate in the public tendering process (per CPWD/PWD manuals) to ensure quality and transparency
• The SMC will also be responsible for reviewing the school budget, preventing financial irregularities, and maintaining accurate records of receipts and expenditures.
• Driving learning outcomes: SMCs have also been tasked with creating a three-year School Development Plan consisting of annual sub-plans.
  • This roadmap will detail class-wise enrollment projections, infrastructure requirements, and the need for additional teaching staff.

Source: TH

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB)

Syllabus: GS3/ Energy; Science and Technology

Context

• The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has issued permission for “major equipment erection” at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) Units 5 and 6.

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB)

• The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board is India’s apex nuclear regulatory authority responsible for ensuring radiation and nuclear safety in the country.
  • It was established in 1983 under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962.
• The regulatory authority of AERB is derived from the rules and notifications promulgated under the Atomic Energy Act and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
• The Board functions under the administrative control of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). It is headquartered in Mumbai.
• Objectives of AERB: 
  • To ensure that the use of ionising radiation and nuclear energy does not cause undue risk to people and the environment.
  • To regulate nuclear and radiation facilities through licensing, inspection, and enforcement.
  • To establish safety standards for nuclear power plants, radiation facilities, and radioactive waste management.

Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP)

• It is located in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu near the southern tip of India.
• The project is being developed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited in collaboration with Russia.
• Reactor Type: The project uses VVER-type Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) of Russian design.
  • VVER stands for “Water-Water Energetic Reactor”.
  • These reactors use light water as both coolant and moderator.
• Capacity and Units: The site consists of six nuclear reactor units and each reactor has a capacity of 1000 MW.

Source: TH

Vadinar Ship Repair Facility

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

In News

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the development of a ship repair facility at Vadinar, Gujarat, at a combined investment of ₹1,570 crore.

About

• Vadinar is on the western coast of Gujarat, in the Gulf of Kutch. 
• It sits close to Kandla (Deendayal Port) and Mundra, two of India’s busiest cargo ports and is well-positioned relative to major shipping lanes in the Arabian Sea. 
• The site’s natural deep draft makes it physically suitable for berthing very large vessels, which many Indian ports cannot accommodate.

Do you Know?

• India currently accounts for less than 1% of the global ship repair market, despite around 7–9% of all international shipping traffic passing within 300 nautical miles of its coastline. The domestic ship repair market is estimated at around ₹2,000 crore annually.

Source: TH