Contents:
- Indian passport ranked 84th in the world
- IT rules to separate social media and other online platforms
- Sikhs to be counted as separate ethnic group in US census for first time
INDIAN PASSPORT RANKED 84TH IN THE WORLD
Why in news?
Latest edition of the Henley Passport Index has been released.
More details:
- India has dropped 10 places to 84 in the latest update.
- Japan has the world’s strongest passport; Afghanistan, at rank 107, the weakest
- The data are updated in real time as and when visa policy changes come into effect
- The index includes 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations
- The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade association of some 290 airlines, including all major carriers
IT RULES TO SEPARATE SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER ONLINE PLATFORMS
Why in news?
- The rules, called Intermediaries Guidelines under the IT Act, are under process of revision in the wake of instances of violence and lynchings , affiliated with content posted on social media platforms
- The IT Ministry had released a draft of the Information Technology Act’s Intermediaries Guidelines (Amendment) Rules in December 2018. Those rules applied to all intermediaries, which would include everything from Amazon to Vodafone to Google.
- Broadly, it is proposed to have a separate thing for intermediaries in general and social media in particular
SIKHS TO BE COUNTED AS SEPARATE ETHNIC GROUP IN U.S. CENSUS FOR FIRST TIME
Why in news?
- Sikhs in the U.S. would be counted as a separate ethnic group in the upcoming 2020 census as per the US Census Bureau
- Several Sikh organisations in the US held meetings with the Census Bureau.
- A separate code is needed to ensure an accurate count of Sikhs in the United States, recognising a unique identity.
- Sikhs meet the criteria for representation in the US Census as a distinct ethnic group and have a distinct unified appearance, culture, language, food and history.
