• The government has launched Phase-3 of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
• The Phase III involves consolidation of ‘Through Routes’ and ‘Major Rural Links’ connecting habitations to Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs), Higher Secondary Schools and Hospitals.
• Under the PMGSY-III Scheme, it is proposed to consolidate 1,25,000 Km road length in the States. The duration of the scheme is 2019-20 to 2024-25.
• The funds would be shared in the ratio of 60:40 between the Centre and State for all States except for 8 North Eastern and 3 Himalayan States (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand) for which it is 90:10.
• The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched by the Govt. of India to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations as part of a poverty reduction strategy.

• The Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology has launched UMMID (Unique Methods of Management and treatment of Inherited Disorders) Initiative and inaugurated NIDAN (National Inherited Diseases Administration) Kendras to tackle inherited genetic diseases of new born babies designed on the concept of ‘Prevention is better than Cure’.
• The program is being implemented at government hospitals so that people who cannot afford expensive care for genetic disorders will be benefited.
• In India’s urban areas, congenital malformations and genetic disorders are the third most common cause of mortality in newborns. With a very large population and high birth rate, and consanguineous marriage favored in many communities, prevalence of genetic disorders is high in India.

The UMMID initiative aims to

1. Establish NIDAN Kendras to provide counselling, prenatal testing and diagnosis, management, and multidisciplinary care in Government Hospitals wherein the influx of patients is more,
2. Produce skilled clinicians in Human Genetics and
3. Undertake screening of pregnant women and new born babies for inherited genetic diseases in hospitals at aspirational districts.

• As a part of this initiative, in the first phase, five NIDAN Kendras have been established to provide comprehensive clinical care.

• The Union government has notified new rules under the Right to Information Act.
• It reduced the tenure of information commissioners from five years to three.
• Gave the government the discretion to decide on “conditions of service” for which no express provisions are made in the rules.
• The Chief Information Commissioner’s salary has been fixed at Rs 2.5 lakh and an information commissioner’s at Rs2.25 lakh.
• The government had been given the “power to relax” the provisions of the rules.

• To bring down cost of treatment and to encourage Siddha and other systems of alternative medicine, such as homeopathy and ayurveda, Common Service Centres (CSCs) will now provide telemedicine services in collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush through video conferencing in rural areas.
• To run this scheme, Ayush Ministry will arrange doctors for low-cost health services to rural people at their doorsteps.
• For this service, CSCs will use BharatNet broadband network of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
• The service will be first launched in Tamil Nadu and it will be extended in other states later.
• Initially, the service will be available for free, but later there may be some nominal charges to recover the cost of service.

• The Ministry of Law and Justice has amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, on October 22, allowing senior citizens and disabled people in the absentee voter list.
• Differently abled people and those over 80 years of age can now cast their vote through postal ballots.
• The absentee voter refers to a vote cast by someone who is unable to go to the polling station. In both these categories there are people who are unable to reach the polling stations and thus are unable to cast their votes.
• At present, voting through postal ballots is available to the armed forces and those on poll duty.
• The poll officer will attest the absentee voter in the case of senior citizens and person with disability in the form 13A.

• India’s second riverine Multi Modal terminal built at Sahibganj in Jharkhand was dedicated to the nation on 12 September, 2019.  This is the second of the three Multi Modal Terminals being constructed on river Ganga under Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP)
• Earlier, in November, 2018 the first MMT was opened at Varanasi. The third one is Haldia Multi Modal Terminal.
• The Sahibganj terminal will open up industries of Jharkhand and Bihar to the global market and provide Indo-Nepal cargo connectivity through waterways route.
• It will play an important role in transportation of domestic coal from the local mines in Rajmahal area to various thermal power plants located along National Waterway-1.
• Also, Sahibganj will get connected to North-East States through Bangladesh by river-sea route.

• The country’s first-ever ‘’water-grid’’ costing Rs 3,50,000 crore will come in the parched Marathwada region of Maharashtra in the next five years as part of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JMM).
• To be implemented over the next five years, the JJM involves saving water and delivering it to the people’s doorsteps to resolve their water problems.