Current affairs 31 March 2024

New Satellite-based toll collection system to replace old systems.

• Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the end of tolls, introducing a new satellite-based toll collection system.
• Money will be deducted directly from bank accounts based on road usage, saving time and money for travelers.
• He emphasized the Bharatmala Pariyojana's importance in enhancing freight traffic handling and its aim to elevate India's road network to US standards.

Allahabad High Court declares "Madarsa Education Act" Unconstitutional.

• Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) has declared the UP Board of Madarsa Education Act 2004 as Unconstitutional for violating the principle of Secularism.
• It also violates fundamental rights provided under Article 14 of the Constitution.
• A bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Subhash Vidyarthi have given the verdict.
• The Lucknow bench's order came on a petition by Anshuman Singh Rathore

No microplastics, new rules queer the pitch for biodegradable plastics.

• The recent amendments to India’s Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2024, have introduced stricter criteria for labelling plastic products as biodegradable.
• The rules now require that biodegradable plastics must not leave any microplastics behind during the degradation process.
• Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that have a diameter of less than five millimeters (0.2 inches).

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IIM Mumbai, Starburst collaborate to boost aerospace, defence startups.

• Starburst & IIM-Mumbai have partnered to boost Aerospace, New Space, and Defence (ASD) startups in India.
• The initiative has targeted creating an ASD ecosystem around IIM-Mumbai to support national startups.
• The partnership has reflected India's growing momentum in the aerospace, new space, and defence sectors.
• Starburst is a leading European Aerospace, new Space, and Defence accelerator.

Saudi Arabia to chair UN forum on women's rights and gender equality.

• The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) unanimously appointed Saudi Arabia to chair its 69th session in 2025.
• Saudi ambassador to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, was elected as chair.
• The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country in West Asia, bordered by Red Sea, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Oman and Yemen.