News In Short 09-03-2026

SHINE App for Women Employees

Syllabus: GS1/Women Empowerment 

In News

• Recently, the Indian Railways launched the SHINE app on International Women’s Day to enhance safety and empowerment at work.

Sexual Harassment Incident Notification for Empowerment (SHINE) App

• It is mobile app for women employees to lodge complaints about sexual harassment in the workplace.
• It is designed to maintain confidentiality and ensure complaints are addressed quickly by the Internal Complaints Committee, in line with Visakha guidelines (1997) and government instructions.
• Complaints can be filed through the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) and the Employee Self Service portal.

Source :TH

How Votes for Rajya Sabha Elections are Calculated

Syllabus: GS2/Polity

Context

• On March 16, the Assemblies of ten states will elect 37 MPs to Rajya Sabha.

About

• Rajya Sabha has up to 250 members, 12 of whom are nominated for their special knowledge of literature, science, art or social service. The others are elected.
• Unlike Lok Sabha, whose members are directly elected by citizens, Rajya Sabha members are elected by state Assembly members through the system of proportional representation by a single, transferable vote.
• Each MLA has one vote however, the vote is preferential: MLAs rank candidates as 1, 2, 3, 4… in order of preference.
  • A candidate must secure a minimum number of votes (quota) to get elected.
  • If a candidate gets more votes than the quota, the surplus votes are transferred to other candidates based on the next preference.
  • If seats are still vacant, the candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated, and their votes are transferred according to next preferences.
  • This continues until all seats are filled.
• Rajya Sabha MP: The minimum age to be a Rajya Sabha MP is 30.
  • Must be an elector for a parliamentary constituency in that State or territory. 
  • The term of a Rajya Sabha member is six years, and one-third of the members retire every two years. 
  • This ensures continuity, as Rajya Sabha is a permanent body that is never dissolved, unlike the Lok Sabha.

Source: IE

Orunodoi Scheme

Syllabus: GS2/Welfare schemes 

In News

• The Assam Chief Minister announced plans to transfer ₹9,000 to approximately 40 lakh beneficiary families under the Orunodoi scheme through direct benefit transfer (DBT).

Orunodoi scheme

• Orunodoi’ or Arunodoi Scheme is a new scheme of the Government of Assam launched in 2020. 
• It envisages women empowerment, poverty alleviation and socio-economic inclusion of financially vulnerable women of the state through sustained financial assistance on a monthly basis, so that they are assured of minimum monthly cash flow. 

Benefits

• The Assam government’s Orunodoi 3.0 Scheme provides financial support of ₹1,250 per month to women from low-income families via Direct Benefit Transfer.
• The amount covers various essential expenses: ₹400 for medicines, ₹200 for a 50% subsidy on 4 kg of pulses, ₹80 for a 50% sugar subsidy, ₹150 for fruits and vegetables, ₹150 for other essential needs, ₹170 for COVID-19-related expenses, and ₹250 for a subsidy on 50 units of electricity. 

Source :TH

AI Animal Deepfakes on the Rise

Syllabus: GS3/Science and Technology; Environment

In News

• AI-generated animal videos are rapidly spreading on social media platforms like Meta AI, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and X.

AI-generated Animal Videos

• These videos, often called “AI slop,” show sensational or unrealistic encounters between humans and animals, including violent or anthropomorphized scenarios.
• They are easy to create using generative AI tools and are incentivized by platforms that reward viral, low-effort content.

Consequences

• Viewers may believe endangered animals are abundant or behave like humans.
• Children or adults may attempt unsafe interactions with animals, thinking they are harmless.
• Misleading videos can undermine efforts to educate the public, identify species, and protect wildlife.
• Potential for overtourism or demand for exotic pets, leading to wildlife trafficking and ecosystem disruption.
• Fake depictions of dangerous animals attacking humans can lead to harm against real animals.
• Entertainment-focused AI animal videos distort public perception, frustrate wildlife managers, and risk real-world harm.

Expert view

• Conservation experts acknowledge AI’s benefits in research, like identifying species in camera-trap images or analyzing bioacoustics, but strongly warn against AI videos made for entertainment.
• WWF-India’s notes such videos distort public perception, creating real-world risks for both humans and animals.

Source :TH