Daily Current Affairs 20 March 2024 – IAS Current Affairs
Current Affairs 20 March 2024 focuses on the Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :
Patents (Amendment) Rules 2024
Source: PIB
GS II: Governance
Overview
- News in Brief
- About Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2024
Why in the News?
The Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2024 and the Patent (Second Amendment) Rules, 2024 have been notified and have come into force from the date of Publication in the Official Gazette
News in Brief
- On March 15, the Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2024 were published in the Gazette of India, making crucial changes in the Indian patent regime.
- There will likely be more posts in the coming days that take a deeper look into these Rules.
About Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2024
- Timelines for filing requests for examination and opposition procedures have been reduced, promoting quicker resolution of patent matters.
- The time limit for providing foreign application filing details in Form 8 has been reduced from six months after applying to three months after receiving the first examination report.
- The time limit for filing a request for examination has been reduced from 48 months to 31 months from the date of priority of application or from the date of filing of application, whichever is earlier.
- A new provision, Rule 29A, introduces a grace period, allowing applicants to avail of specified time extensions under Section 31.
- A unique provision for a New ‘Certificate of Inventorship’ has been introduced to acknowledge the contribution of inventors in the patented invention.
- Rule 70A enables patent controllers to issue certificates of inventorship upon request, promoting transparency and acknowledgement of inventors’ contributions.
- Frequency of filing the statements of working of patents in Form 27 has been reduced from once in a financial year to once every three financial years.
- The process for filing and resolving Pre-grant representations through opposition under section 25(1) has been refined and clarified, including clear methods for handling representations and setting fees for their submission.
- This aims to deter fraudulent oppositions while promoting genuine oppositions.
World Happiness Report 2024
Source: Indian Express
GS II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
Overview
- News in Brief
- About World Happiness Report 2024
Why in the News?
The World Happiness Report for 2024 was released.
News in Brief
- In this issue of the World Happiness Report, we focus on the happiness of people at different stages of life.
- In the seven ages of man in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, the later stages of life are portrayed as deeply depressing.
- But happiness research shows a more nuanced picture and one that is changing over time.
- The 2024 report for the latest findings on the happiness of the world’s young, the old – and everyone in between.
About World Happiness Report 2024
- The World Happiness Report is a partnership of Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR’s Editorial Board.
- The report is produced under the editorial control of the WHR Editorial Board.
- The World Happiness Report reflects a worldwide demand for more attention to happiness and well-being as criteria for government policy.
- It reviews the state of happiness in the world today and shows how the science of happiness explains personal and national variations in happiness.
Report Details
- As expected, Finland topped the list for the seventh year in a row, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Sweden.
- Israel made it to the top five of the ranking.
- The United States fell in ranking from the 16th spot last year to the 23rd spot this year.
- Afghanistan was deemed as the least happy country, after Congo, Sierra Leone, Lesotho and Lebanon.
- This year, Canada took the 15th spot while the UK was at the 20, Germany at 24 and France at 27.
- Among Middle Eastern nations, the UAE was ranked at 22 and Saudi Arabia at 28.
- Among Asian nations, Singapore was at 30, Japan at 50 and South Korea at 51.
- India and Neighbouring Nations
- India ranked 126th.
- China ranked 60th, Nepal at 93, Pakistan at 108, Myanmar at 118, Sri Lanka at 128 and Bangladesh at 129th spots.
- In India, older age is associated with higher life satisfaction.
- Older Indian women reported lower life satisfaction than older men.
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