NATIONAL NOVEMBER 2017
- Parliamentary panel to examine operational preparedness of armed forces
A parliamentary panel will examine the operational preparedness of the armed forces and review the accidents involving strategic defence assets.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, headed by BJP MP B C Khanduri, will also assess the procurement policy relating to defence equipment.
According to a Lok Sabha bulletin the issue of preparedness of the armed forces is likely to be discussed in the next meeting of the panel
The committee has also decided to "critically review" the accidents involving strategic defence assets and look into the quality of ration given to the forces especially in border areas. - Apex court to set up Constitution Bench to hear pleas against Aadhaar
The Supreme Court has said, a constitution bench will be set up to hear a clutch of petitions challenging the Centre's decision to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing various services and government welfare schemes. A bench, comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said that the larger bench will commence hearing on these petitions in the last week of November this year.
Recently, a nine-judge Constitution bench had held that the Right to Privacy was a Fundamental Right under the Constitution. Several petitioners challenging the validity of Aadhaar had raised the issue that the scheme was violative of privacy rights. - Govt should ratify UN convention for extraditing criminals from foreign countries: Law Commission
The Law Commission has said the government should ratify a UN convention to tide over difficulties in extraditing criminals from foreign countries due to the absence of a law preventing harsh treatment by authorities.
It also said that a bill should be introduced in Parliament to amend various laws to prevent torture by government officials, in case the government decides to ratify the UN convention on torture and other inhuman treatment.
The draft 'Prevention of Torture Bill, 2017' proposes "stringent punishment" to perpetrators to curb the menace of torture and to have a deterrent effect on acts of torture. The punishment could extend up to life imprisonment and include a fine.
The report submitted to the law ministry said the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 require amendments to accommodate provisions regarding compensation and burden of proof.
It recommended an amendment to section 357B to incorporate payment of compensation, in addition to the payment of fine provided in the Indian Penal.
The report also said, an effective mechanism must be put in place to protect victims of torture, complainants and witnesses against possible threats, violence or ill treatment.
The Commission recommended the State own the responsibility for injuries caused by its agents on citizens. In July this year, the Centre had asked the panel to examine the issue of ratifying the convention after a writ petition was filed in a court. - India tops list of new tuberculosis cases in 2016
India has topped the list of seven countries, accounting for 64 per cent of the over 10 million new tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide last year.
According to the Global TB Report 2017 released by WHO, India was followed by Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa.
The report said, an estimated 1.7 million people died from TB last year, including nearly 4 lakh people who were co-infected with HIV, recording a drop by 4 per cent as compared to 2015.
It also said, India along with China and Russia accounted for almost half of around 5 lakh multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases registered in 2016. - Supreme Court favours setting up special courts to deal with criminal cases involving politicians
The Supreme Court on 1st November favoured creation of special courts to exclusively deal with criminal cases involving politicians and their speedy disposal, saying such a move would be in the interest of the nation.
Hearing a bunch of petitions, the apex court directed the Centre to place before it a scheme in this regard within six weeks.
It asked the Centre about the 1,581 cases involving MPs and MLAs, as declared by the politicians at the time of filing of their nominations during the 2014 elections, and the details of how many of them have been disposed of within one year as per its directions passed in 2014.
A bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Navin Sinha made the remarks after the Centre said decriminalisation of politics has to be done.
Additional Solicitor General Atmaram Nadkarni, representing the Centre, told the bench that the government is not averse to setting up of special courts for quick and early disposal of criminal cases involving politicians.
He said, recommendations of the Election Commission of India and the Law Commission favouring life-time disqualification of politicians convicted in criminal cases was under the active consideration of the Centre.
The bench directed the Centre to place before it the scheme for setting up of such special courts and also indicate the amount of funds that could be earmarked for the purpose.
The apex court asked the government to place these details before it within six weeks and fixed the matter for hearing on December 13.
The top court was hearing petitions seeking to declare the provisions of the Representation of People (RP) Act, which bar convicted politicians from contesting elections for six years after serving jail term, as ultra vires to the Constitution. - Delhi government needs Lieutenant Governor's nod, observes Supreme Court
The Supreme Court 2nd November observed that the Delhi government requires the Lieutenant Governor's nod to govern the national capital. The court indicated that the Lieutenant Governor did appear to have the last word according to the constitution and the elected government would have to operate within this framework. The court however said, the city's administrative head also cannot sit on files beyond a reasonable period.
The observations came on a petition by the AAP government against a court verdict that held the Lieutenant Governor was the national capital's boss.
The five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, and consisting of Justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan said, law is very clear at present that LG partially enjoys delegated powers of President and partially he has to work in aid and advice of council of ministers. If there is a difference of opinion, then he may refer the matter to the President for early resolution.
The AAP government had in February told the Supreme Court that it has exclusive executive powers on matters within the ambit of the Legislative Assembly and neither the Centre nor the President or the Lieutenant Governor can encroach upon these.
It had said that the constitution has given a face and identity to a government in Delhi with Article 239AA and the executive decisions taken and implemented by it cannot be reversed by the Lieutenant Governor.The matter will next be heard on 7th November. - Border Roads Organisation builds world’s highest motorable road in Ladakh
In a major feat, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed the world’s highest motorable road in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, passing through Umlingla Top at a height of over 19,300 feet. The feat was achieved under Project Himank of the organisation.
Being close to Hanle, the 86km long strategic road connects Chisumle and Demchok villages, located 230 Kms from Leh. These villages are very near from the Indo-China border in eastern sector. - Tribal farmers in Rajasthan take pledge to preserve indigenous practices
Hundreds of farmers from the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan took a pledge to preserve their indigenous agricultural practices and stop using chemical fertilisers and pesticides in their fields at a massive “tribal conclave” organised in Banswara earlier this week. The event laid focus on sustainable farming through rain-fed agriculture and safeguarding of forest, land and seeds.
The conclave was held at the historic Tripura Sundari temple in Umrai village of Banswara district to consolidate the findings of a fortnight-long Janjatiya Kisan Swaraj Yatra taken out as an outreach tour in the Vagad region, comprising Banswara and Dungarpur districts, last month. Farmers taking part in the yatra, which covered 101 villages, claimed their inalienable right on natural resources.
Tribal farmers addressing the conclave threw light on their struggle for self-reliance by applying their indigenous knowledge to agricultural practices in order to reap their benefits. The samples of soil, seeds and water from different tribal areas and the local produces, including fruits and vegetables, especially attracted the participants.
The nutritional value of vegetables such as rajan, dhimada, jhumka, arri and ragi, grown in the Vagad region, was highlighted on the occasion through their display, while the farmers were asked to make use of minor foograins such as kuri, kodra, bati, baota, kang, cheena, hama, hamli and gujro, which are on the verge of extinction.
The main organisers of the yatra and the conclave were Banswara-based Vaagdhara group and the Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture (RRA) Network. Vaagdhara secretary Jayesh Joshi said there was a need to promote the natural rain-fed agricultural techniques which could save the uncultivated nutritious food and make tribal farmers self-sufficient.
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