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September 1st Week 2015 Current Affairs
Category : National Current Affairs
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1) India pitches for anti-terror treaty, UNSC reforms.

  • India has strongly pitched for finalisation of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) and UN Security Council (UNSC) reforms.
  • On behalf of India, these issues were stressed by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her meeting with the President-elect of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Mogens Lykketoft who is on official two-day visit to India.
  • India’s demand Urgent reforms in UNSC to reflect present day world realities in order to reflect current geopolitical realities and increasing role of developing nations.
  • Early finalisation of the CCIT (a treaty proposed by India in 1996) in order to make it binding for countries to ban terrorists, deny funds and safe haven to them.


2) IFFCO started Joint Venture with Mitsubishi Corportion, Japan.

  • Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), the largest producer and marketer of fertilisers in the country, strengthening the “Make in India” campaign started by Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India by joining hands with the global player in agrochemicals business, Mitsubishi Corporation, Japan.
  • To form a Joint Venture Company ``IFFCO-MC Crop Science Private Limited``. IFFCO will hold 51% stake in the company & rest will be with Mitsubishi Corporation, Japan. The company will manufacture the quality agrochemicals in India.
  • The company was formaly launched at IFFCO’s head office in New Delhi. The logo of newly formed company was exchanged between Mr. Balvinder Singh Nakai, Chairman, IFFCO & Mr. Masakazu Sakakida, Chairman & Managing Director, Mitsubishi Corporation India Pvt Ltd.
  • This foray into agrochemical business through its new Joint Venture, IFFCO wishes to fulfill its comitment towards the farming community of the country and will enlarge its services specially to them and agricultural sector as a whole.
 
3) Centre allocates Rs 410-cr for drought affected districts.
  • Aiming to minimise the impact of deficit monsoon, the Centre has allocated Rs. 410 crore to 20 states and union territories this year under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).
  • Realising the gravity of situation, Centre has made an effort for the first time to identify the most vulnerable areas that require immediate attention for water conservation, harvesting and ground water recharge.
  • Department of Agriculture and Cooperation has allocated a sum of Rs. 410 crores during the current year to minimise the impact of drought and improving the ground water recharge.
 
4) Union Government launches SAHAJ scheme for online release of new LPG connections.
  • Union Government has launched SAHAJ scheme for online release of new LPG connections for the consumers as parts of its consumer friendly initiative.
  • It was launched by Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at a function held in New Delhi.
Background
  1. Under the scheme, people can apply online for new LPG connection and they need not visit to the LPG distributors for it.
  2. SAHAJ facility will enable the customers to post online request for a new connection by filing Know Your Customer (KYC) form by uploading bank account details and photographs.
  3. After submitting the details, customer will receive the registration number to know the new connection status. Later, customer can opt for offline or online mode of payment for the new connection.
  4. Once payment is done, electronic subscription voucher will be mailed to the new customer. Later distributor will do physical delivery of the Gas cylinder, regulator with hose pipe.
5) Catch them young`: CVC`s new mantra to check corruption.
  • `Catch them young` has become the new mantra for the Central Vigilance Commission to check corruption in the country.
  • In order to raise awareness among youngsters on harmful effects of corruption, the CVC has decided to rope in youths and college students to debate on the menace.
  • It has also asked Chief Vigilance Officers (CVOs) - who act as distant arm of the Commission - of big government organisations to take responsibility of a particular city in this regard.
  • This first-of-its-kind move is part of a series of programmes to be organised during Vigilance Awareness Week to be organised across the country.
  • The Commission has desired that debates be organised on a large scale involving youth and college students. The debate competitions should be organised in all the major cities of the country and CVOs may coordinate among themselves for taking responsibility for a particular city.
About CVC:
Central Vigilance Commissioner: K.V. Choudhary
 
6) Manipur assembly passes Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015.
  • Manipur Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015 along with other two amendment bills to protect indigenous people of state.
  • Other two bills are Manipur Shops and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015 and Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015.
  • Apart from these bills, the assembly also passed a resolution welcoming the Peace Accord signed between the Union Government and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN)-IM.
Background:
  • Recently there was strong violent protest in the North Eastern State of Manipur over the issue of protection of indigenous people of state.
  • The issue came into light after state assembly had passed the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenant and Migrants Workers Bill, 2015 to protect the interest outsiders in the state.
  • It should be noted that there is long standing demand for implementation of Inner Line Permit (ILP) system in the state.
 
7)Santhara ritual illegal!.
  • The Supreme Court (SC) of India has stayed Rajasthan High Court’s order declaring Santhara, a Jain ritual of voluntary and systematic fasting to death illegal. The stay order was given by SC Bench comprising Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu and Justice Amitava Roy.
  • The Bench was hearing a batch of petitions filed by various religious bodies of Jain community members against the High Court order on Santhara. The pleas had sought a stay on the High Court judgment, claiming it was passed without appreciating the basic philosophy and tenets of Jain religion.
What is Santhara?
  1. Santhara is a religious custom of Jain religion that embraces voluntary death in order to purge oneself of bad ‘karma’ and attain ‘moksha’.
  2. The practitioners of this custom take an oath to stop eating until they die of starvation. This oath is taken in consultation with a guru and follows the most detailed of procedures.
  3. Earlier in August 2015, Rajasthan High Court had banned the practice of Santhara by declaring it as a criminal offence and mentioning it as illegal in the eyes of law.
 
8)Union Government frames Smart National Common Mobility Card Model to enable metro travel, shopping.
  • Union Ministry of Urban Development has come out with a Smart National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) model to enable seamless metro travel, shopping, In this regard, Union Minister of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu has approved the EMV Open Loop Card with stored value.
Key facts:
  1. NCMC card meets basic travel needs based on concept of stored value of money. It can be used for traveling by any means of transport and also enables account based retail shopping applications. The card does away with the need for carrying separate cards for banking and transit requirements.
  2. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will be nodal agency in indigenously developing and managing of settlement and clearing of payments, simulating terminals and network, cards, provide certified tools to vendors for and other services.
 
9)PM releases digital version of Ramcharitmanas.
  • The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, released the digital version of Ramcharitmanas as a set of digital CDs which will be produced by All India Radio- Akashvani.
  • The Prime Minister described the Ramcharitmanas as a great epic which contained the ``essence of India``. The Chairman Prasar Bharati Board Shri Suryaprakash were present on the occasion.
  • Artistes who had contributed to this musical production had performed not just sangeet sadhna, but also sanskriti sadhna and sanskaar sadhna.
Facts about Ramcharitmanas:
  1. The Ramcharitmanas consists of seven Kandas (i.e. parts or books).
  2. A unique feature of Ramacharitmanas is that at least one of the four letters s, t, r, m (symbolizing SitaRam) is present in every line of this epic.
  3. Tulsidas began writing the Ramcharitmanas in Ayodhya in Vikram Samvat 1631 (1574 CE).
  4. The exact date on which it was written ninth day of the month of Chaitra, which is the birthday of Rama, Rama Navami.
 
10)Sports Ministry recognizes Yoga as a sports discipline.
  • The Sports Ministry has decided to recognize Yoga as a sports discipline and place it in the Priority category.
  • The Ministry also decided to upgrade Fencing from ‘Others’ to ‘General’ category, based on the past performance in major international events.
  • The sports ministry reviewed the categorization of various disciplines and also revised the scale of financial assistance admissible to each category.
Facts About Yoga:
  1. June 21 was declared as the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly.
  2. Yoga is a combination of three things: different postures, breathing patterns and meditation.
  3. There are eight energy centers or “chakras” in the body through which humans absorb cosmic energy. Yoga can purify these and keep the positive life energy flowing.
  4. According to a Norwegian study, yoga boosts the immune system on a genetic level.
  5.  
Ministry of Sports: Sarbanad Sonowal
 
11)Centre allocates Rs. 410 crore for drought affected districts.
  • Aiming to minimise the impact of deficit monsoon, the Centre has allocated Rs. 410 crore to 20 states and union territories this year under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).
  • Realising the gravity of situation, Centre has made an effort for the first time to identify the most vulnerable areas that require immediate attention for water conservation, harvesting and ground water recharge.
 
12)Union Government releases Rs. 2,000 crore for Employees Pension Scheme.
  • Employees’ Pension Scheme! The union government has released Rs. 2,000 crore to the Employees’ Pension Scheme as its contribution for the year 2015-16.
  • This is in addition to the Rs. 250 crore contributed by the central government as grant-in-aid for providing minimum pension of Rs. 1,000 to the pensioners of Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995.
  • The minimum pension for the EPS pensioners was increased to Rs. 1,000 per month in September last year.The contribution of central government is calculated at the rate of 1.16 per cent of the monthly wages of the members contributing to the scheme.
  • Employers contribute nearly 8.33% of the monthly wages of the scheme members. Approximately 28 lakh pensioners including five lakh widows will get benefit from this scheme. (There are total 44 lakh pensioners).
  • Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya.
 
13)Law Commission recommends abolition of death penalty.
  • Abolition of death penalty! The Law Commission of India recommended that the death penalty be abolished for all crimes other than terrorism-related offences and waging war against the country.
  • The Law Commission comprises a Chairman, three full-time members, two ex-officio members who represent the government, and three part-time members.
Major Highlights:
  1. In its report, submitted to the government by commission chairman and former Delhi High Court Chief Justice A.P. Shah.
  2. Law Commission report was submitted to the Law Ministry, which is the administrative ministry for the commission, no action - including an announcement that the government would not accept the recommendation - can be expected any time soon.
  3. The reason is that the government is of the firm opinion that with the threat of terrorism still very high, the time is not ripe for any tinkering with the death penalty.
Law Secretary of India: P.K. Malhotra
Law Minister of India: D.V. Sadananda Gowda

 

13)Sakhi, One stop crisis centre (OSCC) for women in distress.

  • Haryana has launched a scheme called ‘Sakhi on 31st August 2015’. Sakhi has been proposed and made to help the women especially who are victims of sexual, mental harassment. Kavitha Jain, Haryana’s Women and Child Development Minister inaugurated, One Stop Crisis Center (OSCC), at Karnal district in Haryana. Haryana is making constant effoorts for the safety of women as it has also opened women police station in 21 districts.
  • Objective: It will provide help and assistance to rape survivors and victims of dowry harassment, domestic violence and other atrocities on women, all under one roof.
Nuts and Bolts of Haryana:
Capital: Chandigarh
Largest City: Faridabad
Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki
Chief Minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
 
14)GOI to invest Rs. 8.5 Lakh Crore in Railways.
  • Jayant Sinha, the Minister of State for Finance, has announced that the government if India will invest Rs. 8.5 lakh crore in Indian Railways to change the face of the sector.
  • Speaking at the annual convention of Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA), Sinha said the government is “very focused” on infrastructure.
  • He also appealed to the opposition parties to help pass the GST bill that will usher in a new indirect taxes regime in the country, boosting business activity.
About:
  1. The New Delhi-Bhopal Shatabdi Express is the fastest train in India. The Nilgiri Express with an average speed of 10 kmph has the distinction of being India’s slowest train.
  2. The longest rail tunnel in India is the Pir Panjal tunnel (Jammu and Kashmir) at a length of 11.215 km.
 
15)TRAI Proposes Compensation to Consumers.
  • Telecom regulator TRAI has proposed compensation to consumers for call drops. Department of Telecom (DoT) had earlier asked TRAI to seek information from telecom operators about their infrastructure and capacity for providing effective services.
  • Modi had recently voiced serious concern over the menace of call drops. The Prime Minister had asked officials concerned to take urgent steps to address it as it affects the common people.
  • The Prime Minister is believed to have told Telecom Secretary Rakesh Garg personally that people get irritated due to call drops and curse the government and this needs to be addressed on war-footing.
  • Modi is worried that the problem may even affect the data services in the future. The problem of call drops has become rather serious in the last 3-4 months. The operators have sought 30-45 days to address it.
TRAI:
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is the independent regulator of the telecommunications business in India.
TRAI was established on February 20, 1997 by an Act of Parliament to regulate telecom services and tariffs in India.
TRAI regularly issues orders and directions on various subjects such as tariffs, interconnections, quality of service, Direct To Home (DTH) services and mobile number portability.
 
Chairman of TRAI: R.S. Sharma

16)PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Delhi-Faridabad Metro Line.

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the extension of the Badarpur line that will connect the satellite city of Faridabad to the national capital.
  • The launch of the section would allow hassle-free travel for around two lakh daily commuters between the national capital and the industrial hub in Haryana.
  • The long-awaited 14 km long extension will have nine stations from Sarai to Escorts Mujesar. Two more stations, NCB Colony and Ballabgarh, will be added by 2017
  • Mr. Modi boarded the Metro at the Violet Line’s Janpath Station. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief Mangu Singh.
  • The Prime Minister also interacted with passengers on the Metro, allowing some of them to take selfies with him.
Difference Between Mono Rail and Metro Rail?
  1. Monorail is a transport system that runs on single rail as against metro rail that runs on 2 rails like all other trains all over the world.
  2. Mono Rail can carry upto 700 people at a time. Metro Rail can carry thousands of people.
  3. Monorail is generally provided in crowded regions where sharp turns are present. Metro is generally provided in regions, where sharp turns are absent and route is mostly straightforward.
 
17)Allow permanent commission to women in Navy: Delhi HC.
  • Women in services are here to stay and "sexist bias or service bias" can`t be allowed to block their progress, the Delhi high court observed, allowing permanent commission for female naval officers.
  • Putting officers from the navy at par with those from Army and Air Force - who already have been granted permanent commission opportunities - the HC allowed a bunch of pleas seeking permanent commission for them in the force, saying "sexist bias and service bias" would not be allowed to block progress of women.