NATIONAL DECEMBER 2016
- Centre to set up single tribunal to decide inter-state water disputes
The Centre has decided to set up a single, permanent Tribunal to adjudicate all inter-state river water disputes and it will be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. Besides the Tribunal, the government has also proposed to float some benches by amending the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 to look into disputes as and when required. Unlike the Tribunal, the benches will cease to exist once the disputes are resolved.
- EC urges government to amend laws on donations
Election Commission has urged the government to amend laws to ban anonymous contributions of 2,000 rupees and above made to political parties. It is with the objective to check and prevent the flow of black money in polls.
There is no constitutional or statutory prohibition on receipt of anonymous donations by political parties. But there is an indirect partial ban on anonymous donations through the requirement of declaration of donations under the Representation of the People Act. But, such declarations are mandated only for contributions above 20 thousand rupees.
The Commission has also proposed that exemption of Income Tax should only be extended to political parties that contest elections and win seats in Lok Sabha or assembly polls. On 17th December the government had said that political parties depositing old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes in their accounts will be exempt from income tax provided the donations taken are below 20 thousand rupees per individual and properly documented. - Govt writes to States, UTs to implement Supreme Court order on national anthem
Government has written to States and Union territories for necessary action on Supreme Court’s order regarding National Anthem of India. Home Ministry has asked Chief Secretaries of all the States to take necessary action in this regard.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had ordered all the cinema halls in the country to play the National Anthem before the start of the feature film. It said, the entry and exit doors shall remain closed prior to the National Anthem is played or sung in the cinema hall, so that no disturbance is created.
After the Anthem is played or sung, the doors can be opened. When the National Anthem shall be played in cinema halls, it shall be with the National Flag on the screen.
The courts had said, there shall be no commercial exploitation to give financial advantage or any kind of benefit. There shall also be no dramatization of the Anthem and it should not be included as a part of any variety show.
Supreme Court had said, National Anthem or a part of it shall not be printed on any object and also never be displayed in such a manner at such places which may be disgraceful to its status and tantamount to disrespect. - Hyderabad twin blasts case verdict
A Special Court in Hyderabad on 19th December pronounced death sentence to all five convicts in the Dilsuknagar, Hyderabad Twin Bomb Blast case. The NIA special court in Cherlapally Prison pronounced its judgment in on 19th December.
The convicts include Indian Mojahiddin co-founder Yasin Bhatkal, Pakistani national Zia-ur-Rahman alias Waqas, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi, Tahaseen Akhtar alias Monu and Aijaz Sheikh, who are at present lodged in Cherlapally Prison in Hyderabad. The prime accused in the case and Indian Mujahideen Founder Riyaz Bhatkal is still absconding. - EC identifies 200 parties existing only on paper
The Election Commission, EC will soon write to the Central Board of Direct Taxes informing it about its decision to delist 200-odd political parties which exist only on paper. EC officials suspect, these political parties could be nothing but money-laundering operations, are parties which have not contested any election since 2005 and exist mostly on paper.
The EC hopes that the CBDT will have a close look at the finances of these parties so that a clear message can go out that forming a political party for turning black money into white is no longer a good idea. EC data shows there are currently seven National Political Parties, 58 State Parties and a whopping 1786 Registered Unrecognized Parties. - Madras High Court bans unauthorised Sharia Courts
The Madras High Court has banned unauthorised 'Sharia' courts functioning on mosque premises in Tamil Nadu based on a Public Interest Litigation on the issue and asked State government to submit status report in 4 weeks. The court said that religious places and other places of worships are meant for religious purposes only. - Cabinet approved Payment of Wages ordinance
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved ordinances on Enemy Property Bill and Payment of Wages Act.
Under the act, the government proposes to bring an amendment to Section 6 of the Payment of Wages Act which will further provide crediting the wages via e-payments to employee account or payment through cheque along with the existing provisions of payments.
The Union Cabinet also approved creation of Indian Enterprise Development services. Cabinet also approved doubling of 172.64 km long Rajpura- Bathinda railway line. - Class X CBSE Board exams to be mandatory from 2018
CBSE Class 10th Board examinations are all set to be made compulsory from 2018. Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar has said that CBSE has sent this recommendation to the Centre and the HRD Ministry will soon give its nod to the recommendation.
At the meeting of CBSE Governing body, its members unanimously agreed that from the academic session 2017-18, compulsory Board exams should be re-introduced for all students of Class X.
The Class X board examination for CBSE schools was made optional from 2011. Students could either opt for the board exams or school internal exams. It is proposed that Class X Board exams be given 80% weightage and 20 % weightage be given to school-based evaluations.
Reports also say that the CBSE has recommended to the HRD ministry that the three language formula, under which Hindi, English and modern Indian languages are taught, should be extended to class IX and X. - GARV-II app launched to ensure power access to all
To ensure transparency in implementation of rural electrification programme, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal launched a new app, GARV-II in New Delhi.
The new version GARV-II unveiled on 20th December is providing real time data for all six lakh villages in the country. Besides, the GARV-II would enable the commoners to participate in the development work and can give their input about rural electrification programme. Thus, the rural electrification work would be open to public scrutiny.
Further, village-wise works sanctioned under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) have also been mapped to monitor progress of works in each village. - Mizoram's Aizawl becomes first free Wi-Fi city in North-East
Creating history, Aizawl became the first free Wi-Fi city in the North-East region on 22nd December. Free wi-fi is a pilot project of the Aizawl Municipal Corporation. - Venkaiah launches Google Map toilet locator
Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu on 22nd December launched google map toilet locator to help people find access to clean public restrooms. Google toilet locator is a pioneering attempt at providing access to a toilet facility every 500 meters in cities.
As on date, 504 cities and towns which also include 4 Million-plus cities have achieved Open Defecation Free, ODF status and a total of 739 cities and towns have committed to achieve the status by March 2017. Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Sikkim have declared all cities and towns Open Defecation Free and Kerala is set to do so by March 2017.
The minister also released the Government of India calendar 2017 in New Delhi. The theme of this calendar is Mera Desh Badal Raha Hai, Aage Badh Raha Hai. - NITI Aayog launches health index to improve services in states
Government think tank NITI Aayog on 23rd December launched a performance index on health services to nudge states to improve health outcomes and improve data collection systems. The index is launched along with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It is meant to capture the annual incremental improvements by states rather than focus on historical achievements
NITI Aayog further said it is anticipated that the index will assist in the state-level monitoring of performance, serve as an input for providing performance-based incentives and improvement in health outcomes, and meet citizens' expectations. - President Mukherjee gives assent to Enemy Property Ordinance
President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance 2016. It will guard against claims of succession or transfer of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan and China after wars. The Union Cabinet on 21st December had approved re-issuing the ordinance. The ordinance was re-issued as a bill to amend the law could not be passed in Parliament due to repeated adjournments over the demonetisation issue.
To prevent the vested properties, the Ordinance for the first time was promulgated on 7th January, 2016. The move is being made to amend the nearly five-decade- old Enemy Property Act to guard against claims of succession or transfer of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan and China after wars. - New passport rule: Aadhaar can now be used as date of birth proof
The government on 23rd December announced that Aadhaar and e-Aadhaar card could be used as proof of date of birth (DOB) while applying for passports.
While filing the application, it has now been decided that all applicants of passports can submit any one of the documents transfer/school leaving/matriculation certificate, PAN card, Aadhaar card/e-Aadhaar, copy of the extract of the service record of the applicant, driving licence, and Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) or LIC policy bond having Date of Birth.
Birth Certificate issued by the Registrar of Births & Deaths or the Municipal Corporation or any other prescribed authority whosoever has been empowered under the Registration of Birth & Deaths Act, 1969 to register the birth of a child born in India can also be given as proof. - Modi lays foundation stone for Shivaji Smarak, tallest statue in the world
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24th December laid the foundation stone for the ambitious Shivaji Smarak, a grand statue and memorial of Maratha emperor Shivaji in the Arabian Sea in Mumbai.
Besides the Chhatrapati Shivaji Smarak bhoomi puja, Narendra Modi also laid the foundation stone for two metro corridors in Mumbai Trans Harbour Link and later on for the Pune metro rail project.
The 192 meter (309 feet) tall Shivaji Smarak, translated to Shivaji Memorial, will come up on a tiny island in the middle of the Arabian Sea, 1.5 kilometers off the Raj Bhavan shore in South Mumbai.
Investment that will be put on the Shivaji Smarak which is likely to be in the lines of Statue of Liberty is a whooping Rs. 3,600 crore. Contract to build provide the Project Management Consultancy services was awarded to French company Egis which handles the maintenance of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. - Pranab Mukherjee launches Kailash Satyarthi’s ‘100 Million for 100 Million’ campaign
President Pranab Mukherjee on 11th December flagged off a ‘100 Million for 100 Million’ Campaign organized by the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation. The Campaign is with the objective to mobilise 100 million youth and children for the uplift of 100 million underprivileged children across the world.
Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and spiritual leader Dalai Lama were also present during the flag off campaign. The President inaugurated a new Museum for vintage tapestries and carpets, and a new Hall for encouraging innovation in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. - India needs to invest more in public healthcare: WHO
World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to India Henk Bekedam said India needs to invest more in public healthcare and build a robust health delivery system in all aspects, including infrastructure and human resources, with special focus on rural areas.
Though India has made enormous progress in the healthcare sector in recent past, still 60 million people are in poverty through paying healthcare bills because of the country's low investment in health, inadequate financial protection and high out-of-pocket expenditure.
He called for increased investments in health, strengthening the systems to detect and respond to outbreaks as has been demonstrated from global experiences with SARS, pandemic A/H1N1, H5N1, Nepal earthquake and Ebola. - Cyclone Vardah hits Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh
Heavy rains accompanied by high- velocity winds pounded the city and coastal districts of north Tamil Nadu as severe cyclonic storm "Vardah" commenced its landfall through the coast, killing four persons and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people from low-lying areas. The storm which hit India's coast very close to Chennai with top wind speed at 192 km per hour and has caused extensive damage.
The cyclone uprooted hundreds of trees and disrupted power supply lines besides land and air transport, throwing normal life out of gear. - Supreme Court dismisses BCCI's review plea against Lodha panel recommendations
Supreme Court has dismissed the plea of BCCI to review its July 18 verdict directing the cricket body to implement Lodha panel recommendations for structural reforms in BCCI. A bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice S.A. Bobde said they have examined the grounds urged in support of the prayer for review.
The bench said, it found no error apparent on the face of the record to warrant recall of its order dated July 18, 2016. It said the review petitions are, accordingly, dismissed. The order was pronounced in the chambers on November 10 but was made public on the apex court website recently. Over 18,000 students create world record at International Gita Mahotsav
A five-day long International Gita Jayanti Mahotsav was organised at Kurukshetra in Haryana earlier in December 2016. Gita is a religious scripture that teaches us lessons of Humanity. The international Gita Jayanti Mahotsav was organised in Kurukshetra with the aim to spread the teachings of Gita worldwide.
It was a 5-day Mahotsav that began on 6th December. On its second day 7th December, Kurukshetra reverberated with the verses of Gita as over 18,000 students joined each other in reciting them at the Mahotsav. 18,473 school students recited 18 verses from 18 chapters of Gita in 7 minutes 29 seconds entering the Guinness Book of World Records.- Rajya Sabha passes Bill for differently-abled
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill is passed by the Rajya Sabha during the winter session of Parliament, which will conclude on 15th December.
The Bill, with more than 110 official amendments moved by Social Justice Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot, also provides for a two-year jail term and a maximum fine of Rs. 5 lakh for those who discriminate against differently-abled persons.
The Bill replaces the 1995 legislation, Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act. The Bill empowers the Centre to add more disabilities into the list of existing seven to 21. The Centre has added mental illness, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, chronic neurological conditions into the list of disabilities. - Cabinet approves Major Port Authorities Bill
Union Cabinet on 14th December approved the Major Port Authorities Bill- 2016 which will replace Major Port Trusts Act- 1963. The Bill seeks to empower major ports to perform with greater efficiency on account of full autonomy in decision making. It will also promote expansion of port infrastructure and facilitate trade and commerce besides infusing professionalism in governance of port. The Cabinet also provided its approval for signing of revised Air Services Agreement between India and Nigeria.
Cabinet has also provided ex-post facto approval to the Memoranda of Understanding signed in 2008 and 2011 and the renewal of MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and College of Banking and Financial Studies, Oman.
The Cabinet has approved MoU between Ministry of Rural Development and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to improve the effectiveness of rural development programmes in India and to facilitate knowledge sharing.
Cabinet has also approved protocol amending the agreement between India and Tajikistan for avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
In another decision, the Cabinet cleared signing of an agreement with Kyrgyzstan on cooperation in the area of agriculture and food related industry. It also provided its approval to signing of an MoU with Kyrgystan for strengthening cooperation in the field of Tourism.
Besides, Cabinet also provided its ex-post facto approval to India’s approach to Climate Change Negotiations at the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) organised in Marrakesh, Morocco in November. - Supreme Court bans liquor shops on national, state highways across India
The Supreme Court has ordered a ban on all liquor shops on national as well as state highways across the country. The Apex court made it clear that licenses of existing shops will not be renewed after March 31 next year. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur on 15th December also directed that such shops must be at least 500 metres away from highways. The bench also directed that all ads indicating presence of liquor vends will be prohibited on national and state highways. - Parliament passes Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2016
Parliament has passed the 'Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2016' with Lok Sabha approving it on 16th December. The Rajya Sabha has already passed it. The new bill which replaces the earlier Act of 1995 has significant improvements for the benefit of Divyang persons both at the Centre and the State level. - Supreme Court Refers demonitisation matter to constitution bench
The Supreme Court on 16th December refused to tinker with the move to do away with the use of now-defunct high-value currency notes for public utilities, such as, in government hospitals and for rail tickets. It, however, referred to a Constitution Bench the issue of validity of the government's demonetisation decision.
The apex court, which framed nine issues for adjudication by a five-judge Constitution Bench for authoritative pronouncement on the government's demonetisation decision, also refrained from making any amendment to the directive to limit weekly withdrawal at 24,000 rupees. - Triple Talaq is against the rights of Muslim Women; says Kerala High Court
The Kerala High Court on 16th December said equality before law has been denied to Muslim women in India in the matter of triple talaq. Disposing of three cases involving divorced Muslim women, the high court urged the need for codified law with regard to divorce.
The court added that the Quran nowhere approves triple talaq in one utterance, and rather promotes conciliation as best method to resolve marital discord. Even Islamic countries like Egypt, Iraq and UAE have totally derecognised the concept of triple talaq. - New Delhi Declaration on Housing and Urban Development
Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu on 16th December signed the New Delhi Declaration after its' acceptance by the member countries on the final day of the sixth edition of Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development in New Delhi.
According to Venkaiah Naidu, the countries strongly reaffirm the commitments of the Governments made with regard to the 2030 agenda for sustainable development to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
During the conference, five working groups deliberated on various sub-themes like Integrated Planning, Management and Governance Structures and on ensuring sustainable and natural disaster resilient urban development including of climate change. - Supreme Court slams Centre and State governments failed to curb atrocities
Expressing concern over Scheduled Casts and Scheduled Tribes still facing discrimination and atrocities, the Supreme Court has slammed the Centre and State governments for their failure to protect these communities and bring them into the national mainstream.
The court said although state governments are responsible for carrying out the provisions of the Act; the Centre cannot abdicate its responsibility to ensure implementation of the law. It said the evil practice of atrocities against Dalits still exists in society despite the law being passed by Parliament in 1989. - PM Modi, Afghan president Ashraf Ghani inaugurate Heart of Asia conference
At the 6th Heart of Asia Ministerial conference in Amritsar, India reaffirmed its unequivocal support for rebuilding Afghanistan with focus on peace and stability in the war torn country.
Modi said that India’s aim is to put Afghanistan and its welfare first and the same is close to the hearts and minds of Indians. The conference is an effort by participating nations to usher in development in Afghanistan.
On his part, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani attacked on Pakistan for its policy of supporting elements inimical to the interests of land locked country. He neither hesitated to mention Pakistan not minced words while stating that Pakistan's support is proving to be the lifeline of Taliban network.
Amritsar Declaration: The 6th Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference ended after adopting the Amritsar Declaration. According to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the declaration recognises terrorism as the biggest threat to peace and demands an immediate end to all forms of terrorism.
Mr. Jaitley said, the nations are concerned by high level of violence in Afghanistan caused by Taliban and other terror groups including Islamic State and its affiliates LeT, JeM and others. - India needs to increase its domestic oil & gas output
Inaugurating the 12th International Oil and Gas Conference, PETROTECH-2016, in New Delhi on 5th December, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India needs to increase its domestic oil and gas production and reduce import.
Mr. Modi also said, India’s economy is expected to grow fivefold by 2040, for which hydrocarbons will continue to play an important role. Also, he mentioned that government is committed to double national gas grid network and bring eastern region under the grid.
Earlier, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, the three day PETROTECH Conference will provide a platform for national and international experts from oil and gas industry to exchange views and share knowledge, expertise and experience. - WIFEX 2016-17 inaugurated
Ministry of Earth Sciences Secretary Dr. Madhavan Nair Rajeevan, and Director, Indian Meteorological Department Dr. M. Mohapatra, on 6th December inaugurated the Winter Fog Experiment (WIFEX) 2016-17 Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi. According to Dr. Rajeevan, the presence of heavy fog in the northern regions of the country is one of the major reasons that lead to delay in flights.
Forecast of the fog from the WIFEX model will be made operational for winter 2017-18. The aim of the observational campaign is to achieve the better understanding of the fog life cycle and improve capability in fog prediction.
India Meteorological Department, National Center for Medium Range Weather Forecast and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) are participating in the campaign being led by Indian Institute of tropical Meteorology, Pune. - Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana covers over 3 crore farmers: Govt
The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana has made impressive progress in the first season itself. It has provided coverage to more than three crore 66 lakh farmers. According to Agriculture Ministry, a total area of 388.62 lakh hectares has been covered under the scheme with a sum insured of over one lakh 41 thousand crore rupees.
The Yojana was recast as a new scheme by the government as the two earlier existing insurance schemes were not meeting the full requirements of the farmers for insurance coverage.
There has also been a quantum jump of more than six times in the coverage of non-loanee farmers, which shows that the scheme has been well received by the non-loanee segment. Another significant achievement in this season has been 104 per cent enhancement in sum insured. - Allahabad High Court ruled Triple Talaq as unconstitutional
Allahabad High Court terms Triple Talaq 'unconstitutional'; Observes, no personal law is above the constitution and it violates the rights of Muslim women. Coming down heavily on the practice of "triple talaq", the Allahabad High Court has held that this form of "instant divorce" is "cruel" and "most demeaning" which "impedes and drags India from becoming a nation".
The court observed that "divorce is permissible in Islam only in case of extreme emergency. When all efforts for effecting reconciliation have failed, the parties may proceed to dissolution of marriage by Talaq or by Khola". - 2nd edition of 'Khajuraho Int. Film Fest.' begins
The second edition of 'Khajuraho International Film Festival' began on 8th December. The 7-day long event is being organised with the cooperation of the Madhya Pradesh Culture Department. The festival would screen women-oriented films in which either women have played a prominent role in direction or production, or in which an actress is in the lead role. - CBI arrested former Air Force Chief S.P. Tyagi in Agusta Westland deal case
CBI has arrested former Air Force Chief S.P. Tyagi in the 3600 crore Agusta Westland helicopter deal case. It has also arrested Tyagi's cousin Sanjiv Tyagi and a Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan.
The deal is related to purchase of 12 helicopters for VVIPs from Italian manufacturer, Finmeccanica in 2010 during UPA rule. Tyagi, who retired in 2007, was questioned by the CBI extensively in the past in this case. This is for first time a former IAF chief has been arrested by the central probe agency.
India had in 2014 scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks of 423 crore rupees by it for securing the deal. CBI had also got issued Letters Rogatory to multiple countries to gather more leads and evidences in this case. - International film festival of Kerala begins
International film festival of Kerala was launched on 9th December in the capital city Thiruvananthapuram. 185 films from 62 countries will attract cinema lovers during the 8 day-ongoing annual film festival of this State. There will be 490 screenings in the 13 theatres in Thiruvananthapuram. The film festival was started in 1996 and is hosted by Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. - Supreme Court modifies National Anthem order, exempts differently abled
The Supreme Court has modified its order on the National Anthem and exempted physically handicapped persons from standing before screening of a movie in cinema halls across the nation. It also clarified that doors of theatres need not be bolted when the National Anthem is played.
The order was passed on 9th December by a bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy, which agreed to hear the plea seeking recall of its order mandating playing of the National Anthem before films. Apart from relaxing the anthem norms for disabled, it clarified that its direction to close the entry and exit gates of cinema halls when the national anthem is played did not amount to bolting the door.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi informed the apex court that the Centre will issue guidelines within ten days on how physically challenged persons should show respect to the National Anthem. - Murder rate declining in India
Official data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that the murder rate in India has been steadily declining over the past two decades.
The murder rate (murders per lakh population) for 64 years (from 1952 to 2015) from the NCRB were compiled by the Clio Infra Project — a project which has collected worldwide data on social, economic, and institutional indicators. Data show that the rate has declined from 4.6 in 1992, the peak year of violence (in terms of murder rate) to 2.6 in 2015.
Among mega cities, Patna turns out to be the least safe, having a murder rate of 11.3 — four times that of the national average in 2015. Meerut, Ludhiana, Faridabad and Agra come next. Kolkata, Kochi and Mumbai happen to be the safest, all having a rate of less than one murder per lakh population.
Further, as compared with other crimes, murders are is less likely to pass unnoticed. A comparison with data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which pegs the Indian murder rate higher than that of the NCRB, after adjusting it for various factors, corroborates the Clio. The broader trend remains the same — the murder rate has fallen from 4.3 in 1995 to 3.3 in 2013.
Absolute numbers, however, are still high — 32,127 murders were recorded in 2015, which means 88 people were killed every day.
Further, data from UNODC reveals that the murder rate for India in 2012 (3.5) was almost half compared to the world average (6.2). Among 209 countries for which comparable data was available, India ranked 133 (higher rank means higher murder rate). - DigiShala', new 24-hour TV channel for cashless lessons
In another step to push digital transactions, the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) launched a TV channel named 'DigiShala’.
Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad On 9th December launched Digishala TV Channel. It is a free-to-air channel which will educate people about digital payment and is available on DTH service.
The channel will encourage people for digital payment in their everyday life. The channel will be airing shows targeted at the rural and suburban population to inform them of various aspects of going digital like e-wallet, UPI, USSD, AADHAAR and usage of cards through talk shows and demonstrations. The services will initially be available in Hindi and English and later in local languages as well. - India ranked 7 among countries hit most by terrorism
India was ranked seventh in the list of countries most impacted by terrorism in 2015, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), 2016, released by the Institute for Economics & Peace, a think-tank based in Sydney, Australia.
India is one of six Asian countries ranked in the top ten nations most impacted by terrorism.
India recorded 289 terrorism-related deaths in 2015, a 45 per cent decline over 2014. However, the number of Indian Army and paramilitary soldiers killed this year is at an eight-year high, India Spend reported on November 29, 2016.
India experienced 7 per cent of all terrorist attacks around the world, the fourth highest after Iraq (20 per cent), Afghanistan (14 per cent) and Pakistan (8 per cent). Deaths from terror attacks globally declined 10 per cent — from the highest recorded level of 32,765 in 2014 to 29,376 in 2015, the GTI report said. - Jharkhand adopts new bill to curb job racket
The Jharkhand government framed ‘Jharkhand private employment agency and domestic employee bill 2016. The bill is aimed at removing the stain of human trafficking from Jharkhand and to put curb on placement agencies involved in the act.
Under the new act, licence or proof certificate is required for placement agencies, and they should take licence within 90 days of the notification of the act, including those existing before the notification, the release said.
From now on placement agency cannot employ people below 18 years of age and should keep details of every employee along with regulation of minimum wage, eight hours duty and double the wage on doing overtime and leave as per the rule, the release said. The placement agency should also ensure the wages are deposited in the bank account of the employee. - 47th International Film Festival of India concludes at Goa
The 47th International Film Festival of India concluded on 28th February. Iranian film Daughter bagged the Best film award at the IFFI with a cash prize of 40 lakh rupees. Iranian actor Farhad Aslani won the Best Actor (male) award for his portrayal of the strict father in the film ‘Daughter’.
The Best Director award was given to Baris Kaya and Soner Caner for the Turkish film. Rauf. Elina Vaska won the Best Actress Award for the Latvian film “Fellow Mud”. Special Jury award was given to Lee Joon-ik for the Direction of the movie “The Throne”.
The ICFT -UNESCO Gandhi Medal was awarded to Turkish film maker Mustafa Kara’s ‘Cold of Kalandar’. Canadian multi-lingual film ‘The Apology’ won the Special Mention under the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal competition. S.S. Rasjamouli, Director of blockbuster film Baahubali was chief guest at the closing ceremony. - Akodara: India's First Digital Village
Akodara is a small village in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district which enjoys the distinction of being the country's first digital village it has also gone completely cashless.
Situated 90 Kms away from Ahmadabad, Akodara is the country's first digital village. It's a small community of 1,200 people and while most of the country had been busy exchanging or depositing scrapped currency notes or withdrawing cash for their purchases after the centre's demonetisation move it barely created a ripple in Akodara.
Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the village was adopted and developed by the ICICI Foundation as a digitised village with a rural branch of the bank. Be it a purchase of 10 rupees or 10,000 all transactions are carried out without cash exchange but through sms, net-banking or debit cards. - Sex ratio at birth on the decline
Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) continues to worsen in India, falling from 898 in 2013 to 887 in 2014, new data from Civil Registration System (CRS) released by the Office of the Registrar General of India show. The ratio has been declining since 2011 when the figure was 909.
The SRB based on CRS figures indicate the gap between ‘registered’ male and female births, calculated as the number of females per thousand males.
Manipur (684), Rajasthan (799) and Tamil Nadu (834) fare the worst. The highest SRB has been reported by Lakshadweep (1043), followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1031) and Arunachal Pradesh (993).
Data from the Sample Registration System is considered to be a more reliable source for demographic statistics because of inadequate coverage of CRS. The level of registration of births with CRS, however, has been improving. In 2014, it is estimated that 88.8 per cent births were registered, up from 85.6 per cent in 2013. Plus, 16 States or UTs recorded all births. 14 out of 20 major States crossed the 90 per cent level of registration of births in 2014. - Women's right to enter Haji Ali Dargah
After five years women granted permission to enter Haji Ali Dargah; A group of 80 women entered the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai and offered prayers.
The dargah is a popular religious place located on an island off South Mumbai. It houses a mosque and the tomb of Muslim saint Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari and is visited by people of all faiths. Prior to 2012, the Dargah did not discriminate against women and allowed free entry of people across religions. However, the Dargah's board of trustees imposed a ban on women's entry in 2012.
On October 24, the Haji Ali Dargah Trust told the Supreme Court that it was ready to implement the Bombay High Court's order and had sought four weeks for infrastructural changes to make arrangements for it. - National Anthem must be played in movie theatres: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on 30th November directed that the national anthem be played in cinema halls across the country before the screening of a film and people in cinema halls should stand up when the anthem is played and the National Flag be shown on the screen at the time.
It said, there should not be any dramatisation of the anthem and it should not be printed or displayed on undesirable objects. The court also said, a person cannot take commercial benefits by playing the anthem. The apex court directed the Centre that the order should be given effect in a week's time and be circulated to all the States and Union Territories. - Cabinet clears new visa regime
The Union Cabinet on 30th November approved incremental changes in the visa policy of the country. The Centre said it would liberalise, simplify and rationalise the existing visa regime in India. The changes were initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs in consultation with various stakeholders, the Centre said in a release.
The Cabinet also approved the negotiating position of India at the Meeting of Parties (MoP) to the Montreal Protocol of the Vienna Convention for Protection of Ozone Layer that took place in October in Kigali, Rwanda.
In another decision, the Cabinet approved the closure of Kota Unit of Instrumentation Ltd. and transfer of Palakkad Unit of Instrumentation Ltd. to the Kerala Government. - Cabinet approved third phase of Mumbai Transportation Project
The Cabinet also approved the Phase Three of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project. “The estimated cost of project is Rs. 8,679 crore with completion cost of Rs. 10,947 crore. The project is expected to be completed in the next five years during 13th Plan period,” the Centre said in a release. - 1st meeting of Committee of CMs on digital payment systems held
The 1st meeting of Committee of Chief Ministers on implementing digital payment systems was held on 1st December where Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stressed on the need for a massive education campaign on digital payments - from street plays to social media and involvement of communities. Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadavanis said that even in villages people are adapting willingly and need of the hour is to make cashless instruments more accessible.
The Government has set up two committees. One comprising Secretaries of relevant ministries headed by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant to identify all possible modes of digital payments across sectors and the other of Chief Ministers whose convener is Chandrababu Naidu to boost digital payment systems. - Supreme Court approves Centre's graded response system to tackle Delhi-NCR air pollution
The Supreme Court on 2nd December accorded its nod to the Centre's graded response action plan to tackle different levels of pollution and asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to upgrade its existing infrastructure and set up additional monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR within six months.
A bench headed by Chief Justice T. S. Thakur said enforcement of graded response action plan shall be under the orders of Environment Pollution (Control and Prevention) Authority (EPCA) and all other authorities should act in aid of such direction.
It also directed the Centre to examine within four weeks about harmful effects of petroleum coke and furnace oil used in industries and power generation plants in NCR and issue appropriate directions in this regard.
The Centre earlier told the court that when air pollution reaches alarming proportion, immediate steps are needed to be taken including ban on construction activities and implementation of odd-even scheme. - PMC decides to offer free rides to promote public transport
To address the traffic problem Pune Municipal Corporation has come up with a new idea. The Corporation has decided to offer free rides on Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited buses on last Monday of each month in order to promote the use of public transport among citizens.
The Standing Committee of the PMC approved a proposal in this regard during its weekly meeting. PMC will pay the PMPML one day’s income to run the free ride scheme. This amounts to 1 Crore and 70 lakh rupees every month. Though this proposal is approved by standing committee it will be implemented only after approval of general body. - Acid attack survivors to come under disability law
Persons afflicted with Parkinson's disease and acid attack survivors will soon be considered disabled under law. The Persons with Disabilities Bill (PWD), which is set to be tabled in Parliament, lists 21 infirmities. People falling under these 21 categories will be recognized as disabled and be eligible for affirmative action and benefits under the law.
A proposed amendment to the 1995 Act had increased number of disabilities from seven to 19. However, the bill was referred to a group of ministers for discussion and two more categories were added. The Supreme Court had asked the government to consider the disabled tag for acid attack victims, and the home ministry too had made a similar recommendation. The other key additions to the 1995 Act are autism, thalassemia, haemophilia, multiple scelerosis, sickle cell disease and dwarfism.
The bill hikes reservation in government jobs from 3% to 4% and stresses on easy accessibility in public transport. - Time for comprehensive review of Representation of People's Act: CEC
Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi on 3rd December said the time has come for a comprehensive review of Representation of People's Act. Zaidi called for suggestions from legal fraternity present in the Conference for their inputs on the Act.
The Representation of People's Act provides for the actual conduct of elections in India, qualification of voters, preparation of electoral rolls, and allocation of seats in Parliament and state legislatures. The Chief Election Commissioner also said various steps have been taken recently to strengthen legal system in Election Commission including Chief Electoral Offices.
He said election disputes should not be seen as a reflection of weakness in the system but as proof of strength, and openness of country's democracy. He said the increase in disputes should be seen as an increase in public understanding of redressal process and therefore there should be a very effective dispute redressal mechanism. - Pre-historic camping site found in Ladakh
An ancient camping site used by pre-historic man and datable to circa 8500 BCE (that is, 10,500 years before the present), has been found at the high altitude of about 4,200 metres near a place called Saser La in the Nubra Valley in Ladakh. Saser La leads to the Karakoram Pass.
A camping site is a place where hunter-gatherers stayed temporarily before they moved on to another place. S.B. Ota, Joint Director General, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), found the camping site during an exploration there in 2015-16.
Charcoal pieces from hearth activity and remains of bones associated with it were found at the site. The charcoal pieces sent for dating to Beta Analytic, Florida, USA, revealed that the site belonged to circa 8500 BCE.
No comments:
Post a Comment