GOA
At 838 girls, Goa’s sex ratio plunges from 966 in 5 years
Of the births recorded in the last five years, the sex ratio for Goa is unusually skewed at just 838 females born per 1,000 males, as per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) for 2019-20. This is drastically down from the 966 girls per 1,000 boys born prior to the five years for the 2015-16 survey.
For the overall population of Goa, the sex ratio is not only healthy at 1,027 females for every 1,000 males, but it is also better than the 1,018 recorded at the last family health survey.
As per the 2019-20 data, the urban population appears to be a contributing factor for the skewed female sex ratio where the figure for the overall population as well as birth recorded in the last five years are concerned.
For the overall population, the sex ratio in rural areas stands at a fine 1,092 females per 1,000 males. But the figure for urban areas brings down the female sex ratio at 985 women per 1,000 males. This may not be as alarming as male movement to urban areas for employment may be a contributing factor.
But in children born over the last five years, there are 864 female births per 1,000 male births in rural areas. In urban areas of Goa, this figure stood at just 822. When the NFHS results were out for 2015-16, Goa had cheered the improvement in sex ratio to 966 among children born during the previous five years.
This was because 966 was a significant improvement over 921 female birth reported by the 2005-06 survey.
But in 2019-20, Goa’s figure is much lower than even the 2005-06 figure, which is set to be a cause for concern for the state.
Another area of concern for the state is its dropping fertility rate. As per the latest data, Goa’s fertility rate dropped to 1.3 from 1.7 during the last survey. The government of India norm is that every family should have two children or that the ‘total fertility rate’ (TFR) should be 2.1. But the TFR for Goa is lower than this expected figure 1.7. The total fertility rate is the average number of children per woman in the eligible group.
The parameters for Goa on most other fronts were encouraging like an improved civil registration of births, higher female population attending school and lowering figure of females marrying before the age of 18.
INTERNATIONAL
Boeing announces Super Hornet demonstrated compatibility with Indian carriers
American aviation giant Boeing announced that its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter has demonstrated compatibility with India’s aircraft carriers between the U.S. and India.
The F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet would not only provide superior war-fighting capability to the Indian Navy but also create opportunities for cooperation in naval aviation between the U.S. and India.
F/A-18 can also interface with the Navy’s P-8I as a “force multiplier” and also with other platforms under induction.
NATIONAL
Centre and WB sign USD 500 million project to build Green National Highway Corridors
The Centre and the World Bank signed a USD 500 million project to build safe and green national highway corridors in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
The project will also enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in mainstreaming safety and green technologies.
The Green National Highways Corridors Project will support the Road Transport and Highways Ministry to construct 783 kilometres of highways in various geographies by integrating safe and green technology designs such as local and marginal materials, industrial byproducts and other bioengineering solutions.
The project will help reduce GHG emissions in the construction and maintenance of highways.
Positive Pay system for Cheques
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to introduce a new rule for cheque payments from January 1, 2021.
It is called ‘positive pay system’ for cheques, under which re-confirmation of key details may be needed for payments beyond Rs 50,000.
Availing of this facility would be at the discretion of the account holder.
However, banks may consider making it mandatory in case of cheques for amounts of Rs 5 lakh and above.
Rafael Nadal wins Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award
Former world number one tennis player Rafael Nadal bagged the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the third year in a row and fourth time in his career at the ATP Awards
Nadal, who won a record-stretching 13th Roland Garros title at the French Open this year, was voted for the award by fellow players.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic along with US Open champions Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares were also honoured for finishing 2020 on top of the men’s singles and men’s doubles rankings.
Break dancing gets Olympic status to debut at Paris Games in 2024
Breaking, the official name for competitive breakdancing, will become an Olympic sport for the first time at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The sport was one of four to be approved for the summer games.
Surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing were also approved for Paris 2024, but all three events will also be a part of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.