WBCS Current Affairs 03/07/2016 to 10/07/2016

[admin]

1. The Supreme Court of India has ruled that army and paramilitary forces cannot use excessive and retaliatory force during counter-insurgency operations in disturbed areas declared disturbed under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958. The verdict was given by SC bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit on the plea filed by the Extra Judicial Execution Victim Families Association (EEVFAM). In the plea EEVFAM had sought a SIT probe into the killing of 1,528 persons by the Manipur Police and security forces since 1978. Supreme Court Ruling The use of excessive force or retaliatory force by the armed forces of the Union or Manipur Police is not permissible. Criminal courts have the jurisdiction over cases of alleged excesses by security forces which earlier were under blanket of immunity provided by AFSPA. Armed forces should refrain from resorting to excessive fire power in counter-insurgency operations. When state uses such retaliatory force leading to death of people, it is referred to as an extra-judicial killing or an extra-judicial execution or as it is called administrative liquidation.

2. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with IIT-Bombay and Madras to establish a bi-nodal ‘Centre of Propulsion Technology’ (CoPT) at the two institutions. The initiative is aims to achieve synergy between DRDO and IITs for channelising the research efforts for developing products and related critical aerospace technologies. Key Facts The Centre will evolve mechanisms to facilitate execution of programmes related to propulsion technology. It will engage both IITs as primary research nodes. It will also undertake advanced collaborative research in the areas of critical defence technologies. It will facilitate and undertake multidisciplinary directed research in the focused areas of futuristic aero engines, hypersonic propulsion for long duration flight.

3. aptain Radhika Menon became the first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for the year 2016 from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). She will be bestowed with this award for saving the lives of seven fishermen, whose hopes of survival were all over. The award will be presented to her at the ceremony set to take place at IMO Headquarters in London on 21 November 2016. She was chosen by 116th session of IMO Council meeting held in London. Captain Menon had displayed great determination and courage in leading the difficult rescue operation in the Bay of Bengal in June 2015. She had rescued all seven fishermen from the fishing boat Durgamma, which was adrift following engine failure and loss of anchor in severe weather. For this bravery she was nominated for the award by the Government of India.

4. The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) has constituted a cyber-cell to check the online abuse and harassment of women and children on social media platforms. Announcement in this regard was made by Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi in New Delhi. Key facts The WCD Ministry has advised women and children to send their complaints, if they are being abused or harassed on social media platforms using the hashtag #IamTrolledHelp. The cyber-cell was constituted in the wake of reported increase in abuse or harassment of women on social media. Besides, WCD Ministry will be working with Twitter India to address abusive behaviour, violent threats (direct or indirect), harassment on social media They will also be working together for the empowerment of women and children to deal with abuse, harassment and hateful conduct on social media. The complaints received by the WCD Ministry, which are of a grave nature will be reported to Twitter India for necessary action. The Ministry will also be working with the Cyber-crime Cells of the police, wherever required.

5. Bornean orangutan, a primate species has been declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The declaration was based on the assessment for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species was carried out earlier. IUCN assessment has found that population of Bornean orangutans has dropped by nearly two-third since the early 1970s. It has projected that their population will further decline to 47,000 animals by 2025 representing population loss of 86%.

6. Cookbook author and food blogger Nimi Sunilkumar has won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award for 2015-16. She was bestowed with this award for her cookbook “4 o’clock Temptations of Kerala”. It was chosen for the award in the ‘Best Indian Cuisine Cookbook’ section. The cookbook is enriched with photos and details of 54 recipes from Kerala and each of these recipes are said to be specific to each district. Nimi Sunilkumar has won award for the second time and earlier in 2013, her Lip-smacking Dishes of Kerala was selected third ‘Best Local Cuisine Book in the World’ category.

7. Kerala Government has proposed a “Fat Tax” on fast food items like burgers, pizzas, donuts and pasta etc. served in branded restaurants in a bid to discourage the junk food culture. The first-of its-kind move in the country was announced in the maiden budget of the CPI(M)-led LDF Government in Kerala presented by Finance Minister Dr. T.M. Thomas Issac. The revised state budget for 2016-17 expects the Fat tax will add an additional Rs.10 crore to the state coffers. The fat tax’s major concern is with issues related to public health more than revenue generation. Implications The revenue impact of the fat tax will be modest, but it could have a big impact nationwide on the food industry if other states follow suit. Companies will pass on this tax partially or fully to the customer which may make the customer cut back on pizzas and burgers. Critics believe that imposing the tax is not going to change consumption patterns but will have an impact on the volume of such food products sold. It will discourage junk food and play some role in healthy lifestyle of people as Kerala has one of the highest numbers of patients of diabetes or hypertension in the country caused due lifestyle changes. Fat tax: It proposed tax on foods or drinks judged to be unhealthy and whose consumption is believed to be linked to rising obesity levels. It is similar to the sin tax imposed on items such as alcohol or tobacco to discourage their consumption. Fat tax on junk food has been successfully imposed in European countries such as Denmark and Hungary. Note: Kerala isn’t the first state to impose so-called Fat tax. In January 2016, Bihar government decided to impose a 13.5% value-added tax (VAT) on items such as salted peanuts, samosas, sweets and a few branded snacks.

8. The Union Government has launched Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) portal (http://kvk.icar.gov.in). It was launched by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh in New Delhi. The portal aims to provide information and advisory to the farmers and facilitate online monitoring of the KVK activities. Features of Portal Provides provisions for online monitoring of KVKs. Reporting of major events of KVKs on regular basis and submission of monthly reports online. Provide information on different services being provided by different KVKs. Provide weather and market related information to the farmers and others. Government’s forthcoming programmes will also be available on it. It will help create awareness about various programmes and benefit farmers and youth in joining different training programmes being organized by KVKs. Question and answer facility is available for the farmers on the portal. Agriculture related information of the districts is available. Agricultural Officers and the farmers may register themselves and seek different informations related to KVKs. The mandate of KVK is technology assessment and demonstration for its application and capacity development. At present there are 645 KVKs operational in the country.

9. India has set up an apparel training centre in Kaduna, Nigeria to support textiles industry of the West African country. This is a first of its kind centre in Nigeria which has been set up by India in partnership with their government.

10. India and South Africa have signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and agreements in four areas of bilateral co-operation. These MoUs were signed in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Jacob Juma in Pretoria, South Africa. PM Narendra Modi Modi had arrived in South Africa from Mozambique on the second leg of his four-nation tour of Africa. Signed agreements MoU on Tourism. MoU on Grass root innovation (Science and Technology) MoU on Information and Communication technology (ICT). Both countries also signed Programme of Cooperation in Arts and Culture. Besides, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had one to one talk with the South African President Jacob Juma on various issues. Both countries have agreed to cooperate in combating terrorism, regionally and globally. They also focused on enhancing business and investment ties further in areas of minerals, mining, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. India also thanked the South African President for support to India’s NSG membership.

11. The second anti-drug working group meeting of heads of anti-narcotics agencies of BRICS countries began in New Delhi to discuss issues related to narco-terrorism and money laundering. The one day meeting was inaugurated Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. It has been organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India. Key Facts The meeting will see participation of delegates from the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) member countrie. The Indian delegation will be headed by Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Director General of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). It will comprise officers from the Department of Revenue, Union Ministry of Finance, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Union Ministry of Health and Family welfare and Narcotics Control Bureau, Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Background The anti-drug working group meeting of heads of anti-narcotics agencies has been organised by India in accordance with the ‘eThekwani Declaration’ adopted during the BRICS summit in March 2013 at Durban, South Africa. Under the ‘eThekwani Declaration’ BRICS countries had decided to explore economic issues and various new areas of cooperation among the member States including drug-related issues.

12. Russian President Vladimir Putin has given his assent to the legislation consisting of a package of controversial anti-terror amendments. The legislation is dubbed as Big Brother law was adopted by the lower and upper houses of Russian parliament in June 2016. The nick-name Big Brother law was coined by Edward Snowden, US intelligence contractor turned privacy activist. He has condemned the law despite being given asylum in Russia.Key provisions of law Boosts the surveillance powers for the security services and grants them access to any user’s messages without any judicial oversight. Mandatory for communication (network) service providers to store users’ calls, messages, photographs and videos for six months and the metadata for up to three years. Federal Security Service (FSB) should be provided with the stored data. Companies and service providers must provide it necessary encryption mechanisms to access files. Tougher sentences for extremism and criminalises several offences. For certain crimes the age of criminal responsibility reduced to 14.

13. South African writer, filmmaker and photographer Lidudumalingani has won the 17th edition of prestigious Caine Prize 2016. He was bestowed with this prestigious award for his short story “Memories We Lost”. The winning short story explores how traditional beliefs are used to tackle schizophrenia. The story highlights the mental health through the relationship of two sisters in a South African village, one of whom is schizophrenic and the other her protector. As the sister’s situation deteriorates the protector sister trusts a local man who employs traditional techniques to rid people of their demons.

14. Union Government has launched various projects under Namami Gange programme for cleaning of river Ganga and its tributaries from Haridwar, Uttarakand. It was launched by Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti. Besides, simultaneous projects were also launched at over 103 locations in seven states for cleaning of river Ganga and its tributaries from Gangotri to Howrah. Key Facts The Namami Gange Programme aims at cleaning the holy river and ensuring its unfettered flow. Union government has allocated Rs. 20,000 crore budget for it. Under it, projects such as modernization and redevelopment of Ghats, crematoriums and other development activities will be undertaken. Besides it will also undertake project for development of sewage infrastructure and treatment, tree plantation, afforestation, pilot drain project, interceptor drain project, trash skimmers and conservation of biodiversity. The projects were launched simultaneously in five basin states of the river Ganga viz. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Besides, projects were also launched in Delhi and Haryana through which Ganga’s largest tributary Yamuna passes. In Uttar Pradesh alone total 112 projects were launched through this ambitious scheme. 47 projects were inaugurated at various locations in Uttrakhand. 20 projects were inaugurated at various locations in West Bengal. 26 projects were inaugurated in Bihar. About Namami Gange Programme (NGP) Namami Gange Programme is an ambitious integrated Ganga Conservation Mission that was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2015. The programme integrates the efforts to clean and protect the Ganga River in a comprehensive manner. Focus of Programme: Pollution abatement interventions by interception, diversion and treatment of wastewater through bio-remediation. Appropriate in-situ treatment or use of innovative technologies such as effluent treatment plant (ETPs) and sewage treatment plants (STPs) for cleaning Ganga. Besides, it also seeks to benefit vast population dependent on the river Ganaga in terms of job creation, improved livelihoods and health benefits.

15. The Union Finance Ministry has constituted four members committee to examine the feasibility and desirability of having a new financial year. The committee has been tasked to examine the merits and demerits of various dates for the commencement of the financial year including the existing date (April to March) by taking into account the various relevant factors. Composition: The committee will be headed by Dr. Shankar Acharya (former Chief Economic Adviser). Besides it will consist of PV Rajaraman (former Finance Secretary, Tamil Nadu), KM Chandrasekhar (former Cabinet Secretary) and Dr. Rajiv Kumar (Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research) as its members. Terms of Reference of Committee Take into consideration genesis of the current financial year and the earlier studies made in the past on the desirability of change in financial year. It will take into consideration suitability of the financial year from point of view of (i) Correct estimations of receipts and expenditure of Union and State Governments. (ii) Effect of the different agricultural crop periods. (iii) Relationship of financial year on the working season. (iv) Impact on business. (v) Taxation systems and procedures. (vi) Statistics and data collection. (vii) Convenience of the legislatures for transacting budget work. (viii) Other relevant matters Recommend the date of commencement of the financial year which in its views is most suitable for the country. In case the committee recommends change in financial year, it will also work out on the modalities for effecting the change. It will include (i) Appropriate timing of change (ii) determination of transistional period (iii) Changing tax laws during transitional period (iv) Amendments needed in various statues (v) Changes in coverage of the recommendations of the Finance Commission. It can interact with experts, institutions, Government Departments and others as deemed necessary. The committee will submit its report to the Union Government by 31st December 2016.

16. Union Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State who assumed office following expansion of Council of Ministers and changes in portfolios are Cabinet Ministers Venkaiah Naidu: Ministry of Information & Broadcasting Ananth Kumar: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Prakash Javdekar: Ministry of Human Resource Development Ravi Shankar Prasad: Ministry of Law & Justice Narendra Singh Tomar: Ministry of Rural Development Ministry Smriti Zubin Irani: Ministry of Textiles Ministers of State Vijay Goel: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (Independent Charge) Piyush Goyal: Ministry of Mines (Independent Charge) Anil Madhav Dave: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Independent Charge). Santosh Kumar Gangwar: Ministry of Finance Faggan Singh Kulaste: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare S. Ahluwalia: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Ramdas Athawale: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Rajen Gohain: Ministry of Railways Jayant Sinha: Ministry of Civil Aviation Arjun Ram Meghwal: Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs Mahendra Nath Pandey: Ministry of Human Resource Development Ajay Tamta: Ministry of Textiles Anupriya Patel: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare R. Chaudhary: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution P. Chaudhary: Ministry of Law & Justice

17. India was placed at 91st position in the recently released 2016 Networked Readiness Index (NRI) by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF). The index was released as the part of the WEF’s Global Information Technology Report. It measures countries’ success in creating the necessary conditions for a transition to a digitised economy and society. Key Facts Top-ten countries in 2016 NRI: Singapore (1st) while Finland (2nd), Sweden (3rd), Norway (4th), United States (5th), Netherlands (6th), Switzerland (7th), UK (8th), Luxembourg (9th) and Japan (10th). Among BRICS: Russia (41st), China (59th), South Africa (65th) and Brazil (72nd). Thus, India was ranked the lowest. India related Facts: India’s position on the list has come down for the fourth consecutive year in a row, from 89th in 2015, 83rd in 2014 and 68th in 2013. In different parameters of Index, India has scored better in terms of political and regulatory environment (78th position). It ranked very high (8th) place in terms of affordability. India’s performance in terms online services (57th) and allowing e-participation (40th). It scored worse in terms of business and innovation environment (110th). In terms of infrastructure it even scored worse (114th) place. India also fares poorly on sub-indices for levels of skills (101st) and individual usage (120th).

18. The Union Government has unveiled National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP), 2016 for adaptation of comprehensive exploration of non-fuel and non-coal mineral resources. It was unveiled by the Union Minister of Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar at National conclave on mines and minerals at Raipur in Chhattisgarh. Key Highlights of NMEP, 2016 Aims to bring together best of knowledge and experience, modern technology, trained manpower and financial resources on a collaborative platform. Uncover full mineral potential of the country in order to put the nation’s mineral resources (non-fuel and non-coal) to best use and maximize sectoral contribution to economy. Emphasizes on making available baseline geoscientific data of world standards in the public domain, quality research in a public-private partnership (PPP). Pave way for the special initiatives for search of deep-seated and concealed mineral deposits. Undertake quick aerogeophysical surveys of country and creation of dedicated geoscience database etc. The Union Ministry of Mines will carry out auctioning of identified exploration blocks for exploration by private sector. Auctioning will be done on the revenue sharing basis in case their exploration leads to auctionable resources. The revenue will be borne by the successful bidder of those auctionable blocks. Gives emphasis to use of space technology to check illegal mining by developing a mining surveillance system.

19. Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to introduce minimum wages for part time workers. In this regard, the Labour Department has issued a notification. With this, part time workers in the state now come under the Minimum Wages Act 1948. As per the new rule, it is now mandatory for employer to pay 50% of the prescribed a day minimum wage to a person who works for less than four hours in a day. Besides, in another decision state government also has decided to increase the minimum wages in all categories of scheduled employments by 104 Rupees per month.

20. he Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has launched ‘MySpeed’ mobile application for measuring real time mobile Internet speed that consumers get. This is the first application to be launched under the Digital India initiative, which is directly trying to tackle the issue of poor data speeds.

21. India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) recently had launched SBI Mingle, a social media banking platform for Facebook and Twitter users. It was launched by SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya, on the occasion of 61st State Bank Day (observed on 1st July). Key Facts The SBI Mingle will allow SBI’s customers to access various banking services via these social platforms. To avail services from this platform, customers will have to register for it through a simple one time registration process using either their social account number or their ATM/Debit Card details. Currently, SBI services such as balance enquiry, mini statement, funds transfer within SBI as well as inter-bank and beneficiary management services are available for Facebook. On Twitter, customers using hashtags can find out their account balance and view mini statements. Besides launching SBI Mingle platform SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya also launched two new digital offerings. They are SBI-Flipkart Partnership: SBI has partnered with home-grown ecommerce giant Flipkart to offer its consumers the facility of pre-approved EMI Facility on purchases. Under this partnership SBI will provide overdraft facility to its pre-qualified set of customers for transacting on Flipkart for a minimum purchase of 5000 Rupees. SBI Digital Villages: This initiative aims to transform villages into cash less eco-system by adopting them. In its first stage of the initiative, SBI has adopted 21 villages to be moved on the digital platform. It plans to bring 100 villages under this initiative across the country by 2017.

22. The Union Cabinet has approved a National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) for providing apprenticeship training to over 50 lakh youngsters in order to create more jobs. The Scheme has an outlay of 10,000 crore rupees and a target of training 50 lakh apprentices by 2019-20. Key Feature of Scheme It will be implemented by Director General of Training (DGT) under the aegis of Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). Union Government for the first time will provide financial incentives to the employers to engage apprentices. Union Government will directly share 25% of the total stipend payable to an apprentice with employers. In addition, Union Government will also support basic training which is considered an essential component of apprenticeship training. Union Government will bear the 50% of the total expenditure incurred on providing basic training to an apprentice. Comment The National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) seeks to catalyze the entire apprenticeship ecosystem in the country. It is expected to become one of the most powerful skill-delivery vehicle in the country and will offer a win-win situation for all stakeholders. Background Apprenticeship Training is considered as one of the most efficient and effictive way to develop skilled manpower for the country. It provides for an industry led, practice oriented, effective and efficient mode of formal training. The NAPS has been framed to meet objective of National Policy of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, 2015 which focuses on apprenticeship as one of the key components for creating skilled manpower in India.

23. The Union Cabinet has approved a long-term contract with Mozambique for import of pulses by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU aims to promote the production of Tur (Pigeon Peas) and other pulses in Mozambique by encouraging progressive increase in the trading of these pulses. Key Facts The MoU will augment domestic availability of pulses in India and thereby stabilise its prices. It aims at doubling the trade from 1 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 to 2 lakh tonnes by 2020-21. It has set target for exports of Tur and other pulses from Mozambique to India for five financial years i.e. till 2020-21. The pulses will be imported from Mozambique either through the Government-to-Government (G2G) or private channels nominated by two countries. Background The total pulses production in India is estimated to be 17 million tonnes during the year 2015-16 while 5.79 million tonnes of pulses were imported to meet the domestic requirements. However, total availability of pulses including domestic production and imports were less than domestic requirements putting pressure on the prices of pulses during 2015-16 and 2016-17. Thus, to mitigate the shortfall in availability of pulses and supplement the existing efforts to meet domestic demand, Union Government has entered into long term G2G arrangement with Mozambique to ensure assured availability of pulses.

24. The Union Cabinet has given its in-principle approval for setting up a Major port at Enayam near Colachel in Tamil Nadu. On completion the port will become country’s 13th major port. The Enayam Major Port project seeks to make India a trans-shipment hub for the global East-West maritime trade route. Enayam Major Port project For development of this port, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be formed with initial equity investment from the three Major Ports in Tamil Nadu. They are V.O.Chidambaranar Port Trust, Kamarajar Port Limited and Chennai Port Trust. The SPV will develop the port infrastructure including construction of breakwater, dredging and reclamation, ensuring connectivity links etc. Key Facts Major port at Enayam will act as a major gateway container port for Indian cargo that is presently trans-shipped outside the country. It will help to reduce the logistics cost for exporters/importers in South India who currently depend on trans-shipment other foreign ports, incurring additional port handling charges. The Enayam port has a natural deep draught of about 20 metres which makes it feasible for larger vessels. It has 10 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) capacity and later can be expanded to 18 million TEUs. Background At present, there are only a few ports in India that have sufficient draft and can match global cargo handling efficiencies. Currently, around 78% of the marine traffic from the east coast ports of India is trans-shipped to Colombo, Singapore and Klang (Malaysia). The traffic is transhipped form India as there are only a few ports in south India that have a draught to match global cargo handling efficiencies and function as a trans-shipment hub. Due to this diversion, Indian port industry is losing out up to 1,500 Crores Rupees of revenues each year. Note: India has 12 major ports at present. They are Kandla, Mumbai, JNPT, Marmugao, New Managlore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore, V.O. Chidambarnar, Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia).

25. The World Zoonoses Day is observed every year on July 6 to create awareness on zoonotic diseases, how to prevent them and what actions to take when exposed. About Zoonoses The word zoonoses has been derived from the Greek words zoon (animal) and nosos (ailment). As per the veterinary doctors, there are about 150 known zoonotic diseases. It is all about spread of infectious disease between species, sometimes done by a vector from animals to humans and from humans to other animals. People can get infected by zoonotic diseases from contact with infected live poultry, reptiles, rodents, insects, amphibians and other domestic and wild animals. Prominent zoonotic diseases are tuberculosis, cat scratch fever, tick paralysis, roundworms, hookworms, scabies and rabies.

26. The Union Cabinet has approved the Interest Subvention Scheme for farmers for the year 2016-17. For this purpose Union Government has earmarked a sum of 18,276 Crore Rupees. The scheme will help farmers getting short term crop loan payable within one year up to 3 lakhs Rupees at only 4% per annum. Interest subvention for providing short term crop loan to farmers has been provided to Public Sector, Private Sector, Cooperative, Regional Rural banks and NABARD. Key Features of Scheme Union Government will provide interest subvention of 5% per annum to all farmers for short term crop loan up to 1 year for loan upto 3 lakhs rupees for year 2016-17. Thus farmers will have to effectively pay only 4% as interest. In case they fail to repay loan in time they would be eligible for interest subvention of 2% as against 5% available above. Union Government will provide an interest subvention of 2% i.e an effective interest rate of 7% for loans upto 6 months to give relief to small and marginal farmers who borrow at 9% for the post-harvest storage of their produce. The interest subvention of 2% will be provided to Banks for the first year on the restructured amount in order to provide relief to the farmers affected by natural calamities. What is Interest Subvention? Interest subvention is a form of waiver of some percentage of interest on loan given to promote some particular industry and general public interest. This implies that with the subsidy in hand, the loan borrower has not to pay total interest on loan amount and the balance interest amount will be borne by the government.

27. The Union Cabinet has given its approval to The High Courts (Alteration of Names) Bill, 2016 to change names of the High Courts based on the nomenclature cities they are located. The Bill facilitates changing of the names of ‘Madras High Court as Chennai High Court’ and ‘Bombay High Court as Mumbai High Court’ respectively. After the enactment of this act, the High Courts of Bombay and Madras will named after the names of the cities in which they were located. Background The proposed Bill in consequence to the change in the names of these High Courts was prepared to fulfil demands of the respective State Government and the people. There was demand to change the colonial names of these High Courts as the colonial names of the cities in which they are located also have been changed. At present, there is no Union Law under which the proposal for change of names of these High Courts can be addressed. This Bill has addressed this requirement.

28. Para swimmer Niranjan Mukundan has won eight medals at the recently-concluded IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports) U-23 World Games held in Prague, Czech Republic. Of the 8 medal’s Niranjan bagged three gold medals in 50m butterfly, 200m freestyle and 50m breaststroke events. He won two silver medals in 100m fly and 50m freestyle, and three bronze medals in 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 100m backstroke events. Earlier in the 2015 edition of the IWAS Games, Niranjan had created a record for highest number of individual medals, raking in 10 medals in all the events that he participated in.

29. The Union Cabinet has approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Mauritius in the field of Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation. The MoU will encourage cooperation between both countries in the field of rural development and capacity building on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. Key Facts The MoU will help to establish a framework for cooperation between the National Development Unit of Mauritius and Union Ministry of Rural Development in the sphere of rural development. Under it, a Joint Committee on Cooperation on Rural Development will be established which will meet alternatively in both countries on mutually agreed dates. Both countries will coordinate and facilitate appropriate technical cooperation, including the access to Indian expertise institutions for fulfilling the objectives of this MoU. They will also exchange of relevant information in the sphere of rural development, including scientific and technical information together with policies and support measures. Background The MoU was signed taking into consideration the institutional arrangement for bilateral cooperation between India and Mauritius in the field of rural development and poverty alleviation. Both countries have a large segment of their population living in rural areas and for their livelihoods are pre-dominantly dependent on agriculture and its allied activities.

30. NASA’s Juno spacecraft has successfully entered into the orbit of Jupiter on 4th July 2016 and started orbiting solar system’s most massive planet. The spacecraft was launched by NASA as part of its New Frontiers program in 2011 to study Jupiter’s composition, gravity field, magnetic field, and polar magnetosphere. About Juno spacecraft The unmanned spacecraft has been named after the Roman goddess Juno, the wife of Jupiter who is considered as the god of the sky in ancient Greco-Roman mythology. Juno is the first mission designed by NASA to see beneath Jupiter’s clouds. It has travelled 2.7 billion kilometres since its launch to reach Jupiter. The mission previously was been referred to by the backronym JUpiter Near-polar Orbiter. Orbit: It will orbit Jupiter from pole to pole, 5,000 kilometres above planet’s cloud tops. It will sample Jupiter’s charged particles and magnetic fields for the first time to study its composition beneath the sky. Payloads: Juno has nine instruments on board to study atmosphere, gravity, magnetic field and possible existence of solid core in Jupiter. Juno will map Jupiter’s gravity and magnetic fields and also track how much water is present in the atmosphere. Mission Life: Juno will have mission life of 20 months from July 2016 to Feb 2018. In its mission life, the spacecraft will circle the Jupiter 37 times before finally making a death plunge in 2018 in order to avoid accidentally crashing onto one of the planet’s moons. Special Note: Juno is not the first spacecraft to orbit Jupiter. It is second spacecraft to orbit Jupiter, after Galileo probe which had orbited the planet from 1995–2003. Galileo probe in its mission had found evidence of subsurface saltwater on Jupiter’s moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Facts about Jupiter Jupiter is solar system’s most massive planet and is fifth from the sun after Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. It is known for its Great Red Spot because of a storm (bigger than size of Earth) that has been raging for hundreds of years. Diameter: 142000km (11times size of earth) Composition: Hydrogen (90%) and Helium (10%). Known moons: Length of day: 10 hours. Average temperature: -145 degree Celsius. Volume: 1329 Earths could fit inside Jupiter.

31. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has given its approval to extend New Horizons mission to investigate a mysterious object deep in the Kuiper Belt. In the extended mission New Horizons space probe will investigate a mysterious object known as 2014 MU69 located deep in the Kuiper Belt. 2014 MU69: It is an ancient object considered one of the early building blocks of the solar system. It lies about 1.5 billion kilometres beyond Pluto and is roughly 45 kilometres in diameter. Its exploration may help to give insights on the building blocks of the solar system. Other decisions taken by NASA Dawn spacecraft to remain at the dwarf planet Ceres rather than changing course to the main belt asteroid Adeona. Extension of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) Extension of the Opportunity and Curiosity Mars rovers, Mars Odyssey orbiter, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Extension to NASA’s support for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express mission. About New Horizons New Horizons is an interplanetary space probe that was launched as a part of NASA’s New Frontiers program. It was launched on January 19, 2006. It is engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Mission: The primary mission is to perform a flyby study of the Pluto system. The secondary mission to fly by and study one or more other Kuiper belt objects (KBOs). Mission Status: On July 14, 2015, New Horizons flew 12,500 km above the surface of Pluto, making it the first spacecraft to explore the dwarf planet. The flyby study ad confirmed presence of frozen methane on Pluto’s surface. After completing flyby mission of Pluto, New Horizons has maneuvered for a flyby of KBO 2014 MU69. It expected to take place on January 1, 2019. About Kuiper belt Kuiper belt is a region of the solar system beyond the planets, extending from the orbit of Neptune. It consist mainly small bodies or remnants from the solar system’s formation. It is similar to the asteroid belt, although it is far larger — 20 times as wide and 200 times as massive. The Kuiper belt objects (KBO) are composed largely of frozen volatiles (termed ‘ices’), such as methane, ammonia and water. Kuiper belt is home to at least three dwarf planets — Pluto, Haumea and Makemake. Pluto, discovered in 1930, is considered its largest member.

32. Noted scientist M V Dhekane has assumed the office of Director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. With this Dhekane becomes the seventh director of IISU which functions under the aegis of the Department of Space.

33. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) at Nhava Sheva in Raigad District of Maharashtra has become the first port in India to implement logistics data bank tagging system of containers. The first of its kind system has been launched as part of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ initiatives implemented at JNPT Port. It focuses on document, time and cost reduction for the benefit of trade. Key Facts Under this system, a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Tag) tag will be attached to each container. It will help to track containers through RIFD readers installed at different locations. The RFID would provide the visibility and transparency of the exporters/importers (EXIM) container movement. It will cover the entire movement of containers through rail or road to the ICDs (Inland Container Depot) and CFSs (Container Freight Station). The system will integrate the information available with various agencies across the supply chain in order to provide detailed real time information within a single window. The first of its kind facility will help exporters/importers track their goods in transit through logistics data bank service. It will also help in reducing the overall lead time of the container movement across the western corridor and also lower the transaction costs incurred by shippers and consignees. About Radio-frequency identification (RFID) The RFID uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. It is one used for Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC). The RFID tags contain electronically stored information. Unlike a barcode, the tag need not be within the line of sight (LoS) of the reader, so it can be easily embedded in the tracked object.

34. India is going to host meet of the heads of anti-narcotics agencies of BRICS nations to discuss issues related to narco-terrorism and money laundering. This meet will be held ahead of the eighth annual Summit of BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa nations scheduled in October 2016. Key Facts The one-day meeting on July 8, 2016 will be hosted by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). The agenda of the high-level meeting is to take into consideration of illicit drug trafficking including diversion of precursors and chemicals, usage of new psychoactive substances. It will also take into consideration maritime drug trafficking, narco terrorism and drug money laundering. All BRICS member nations will discuss ways to enhance cooperation to effectively deal with these issues and keep an effective monitoring on illegal narcotics transport happening between these nations. They will also discuss various trends being observed in the last 5-6 years in these issues and may sign a joint accord at conclusion of the meet. Background India has taken over the BRICS Chairmanship for the year 2016 for the second time after 2012. It will host the eighth annual Summit of the forum in Goa in October 2016. BRICS bloc comprising the five countries account for 42% of the world’s population and a combined GDP of over USD 16 trillion.

35. Sudarshan Sen has been as Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He will replace NS Vishwanathan who was elevated as Deputy Governor of RBI. In his new role, Sudarshan Sen will look after Department of Banking Regulation, Department of Co-operative Bank Regulation and Department of Non-Banking Regulation. About Sudarshan Sen Sen holds an MBA degree in International Banking and Finance from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. He has rich experience as the central banker and has a long association with the RBI in the field of supervision and regulation. Earlier, he had served as in charge of the Department of Banking Regulation. He also had served as the Regional Director of Ahmedabad office of the RBI.

36. Ace Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth (World no 33) has won the 2016 Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton title in the men’s singles category. In the final match played at Calgary Praneeth defeated Lee Hyun II of South Korea by 21-12, 21-10 score.

37. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu became the first Indian football player to play in UEFA Europa League. He achieved this feat after was named in Norwegian club Stabaek FC’s squad for qualifying match against Connah’s Quay Nomads FC in Europa League.

38. The second BRICS Youth Summit was held in Guwahati, Assam from 1st July 2016 to 3rd July 2016. The theme of the summit was “Youth as bridge for intra-BRICS exchanges“. The summit was inaugurated by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in presence of Union Sports Minister Jitendra Singh. Key Facts The summit focused on enhancing people-to-people contacts of BRICS member states viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It has called for shifting of power from the West to the member countries to maintain balance in the world. It also adopted the ‘Guwahati BRICS Youth Summit 2016 Call to Action’ and urged the youth from the five member nations to come together for working towards this goal. It also focused on skill development and entrepreneurship, social inclusions, youth volunteerism and youth participation in governance. The three day summit had witnessed 70-member foreign delegation including ministers and head of executive authorities on youth affairs from BRICS nations.

39. India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has signed an agreement worth 4,200 crore rupees ($625 million) with the World Bank to support its grid connected rooftop solar photovoltaic (GRPV) programme. The programme also aims at improving the investment climate for solar PV, and increase the ease of doing rooftop business. It will also support development of the overall solar rooftop PV market. Key Facts Under GRPV programme, at least 400 MW solar capacity will be created across the country. This agreement will help SBI to finance grid connected rooftop solar photovoltaic projects at very competitive rates. The investment climate for solar PV projects will be improved through technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of key institutions. The eligible beneficiaries under the programme would be developers, aggregators and end-users. Mainly they will set up solar projects on commercial, industrial and institutional rooftops.

40. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) has created significant uncertainty. The uncertainty is likely to dampen growth in the near term, particularly in the UK, but with repercussions for Europe and the global economy. Key facts IMF predicts that macroeconomic and financial market impacts in the UK and EU due to Brexit will radiate outward across the globe. The impacts of Brexit will lead to a rising level of uncertainty, both financial and possibly political in EU and UK. IMF has urged policy makers to remain prepared to act to counter financial market turbulence and higher uncertainty to materially weaken the global outlook. Prolonged periods of uncertainty and associated declines in business and consumer confidence due to Brexit would lead to lower growth. IMF has urged policymakers in EU and UK to play key role in helping to reduce the uncertainty during this period. It also has encouraged UK and EU to work together with a sense of collaboration in an effort to effect a predictable and smooth transition.

41. The first meeting of the BRICS Working Group on Energy Saving and Energy Efficiency began in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The two day conference will be attended by all 5 member BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries. India being BRICS chair for 2016 has organised this event in order to shape and steer the BRICS agenda. The Union Power Ministry is hosting the meeting of the Working Group. Key facts The meeting will deliberate a work plan on development of cooperation in energy saving and energy efficiency with BRICS. The BRICS countries would make presentations on measures taken by them in the field of energy saving and energy efficiency. India will also showcase its efforts in energy saving, energy efficiency, in particular the LED street lighting programme. It will also showcase PAT (Performance Achievement and Trade) programme for industrial energy efficiency. Background In November 2015, BRICS energy ministers had signed a Memorandum of Mutual Understanding in energy saving and energy efficiency in Moscow, Russia. They had agreed to pursue their energy cooperation through technology transfer, joint research and technology projects, conferences and seminars and exchange of experience and best practices for energy saving and energy efficiency.

42. India’s first Commercial Court and Commercial Disputes Resolution Centre was inaugurated at Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh. It was inaugurated by State Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh along with Supreme Court judge Madan B. Lokur. Key facts The first Commercial Court and Commercial Disputes Resolution Centre complex has ultra-modern facilities like e-Court, e-Library, e-Filing, Video-conferencing and e-Summons. It will help in improving the judicial system and the investors and business world. It will also facilitate the investors in their commercial dealings. The court also consists of arbitration centre and a mediation centre

43. In the recently released bi-annual Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2016 of World Bank Group, India ranked 35th among 160 countries. The index was published in the World Bank bi-annual report ‘Connecting to Compete 2016: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy’. For the third time, Germany has topped in LPI. Key facts Top 5 countries in 2016 LPI: Germany (score: 4.23 points), Luxembourg (4.22), Sweden (4.20), Netherlands (4.19) and Singapore (4.14). India related facts: In the 2016 report, India has increased its LPI score to 3.42 compared to LPI score of 3.08 in 2014. In 2016 edition of LPI, India has improved its ranking by jumping 19 positions compared to 54th rank in 2014 LPI. Improvement in India’s ranking demonstrates Union Government’s commitment to make it easy to do business in India. Note: The LPI analyses countries across six components. They are (i) quality of trade and transport infrastructure, (ii) competence and quality of logistics services, (iii) efficiency of customs and border management clearance, (iv) ease of arranging competitively priced shipments, (v) ability to track and trace consignments and (vi) frequency with which shipments reach consignees within scheduled or expected delivery times.

44. World’s largest international maritime exercise named RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) 2016 began in Pacific Ocean at Hawaii, United States. RIMPAC 2016 will see participation of navies from 26 countries. This year it is the 25th edition of biennial exercise in the series that began in 1971. RIMPAC 2016 Theme: “Capable, Adaptive, Partners”. Key Facts In this edition of exercise (from 30 June to 4 August 2016), 45 ships, 5 submarines, about 200 aircrafts and 25000 personnel are participating. 26 Participating Countries are: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, China, Peru, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States. Participating countries will exercise wide range of capabilities including complex warfighting, maritime security, disaster relief operations and sea control. It will also include war games that will cover the Hawaiian Island and southern California. In RIMPAC 2016, three new nations are participating for the first time. They are Denmark, Germany and Italy. India is being represented by Indian Naval ship (INS) Satpura, an indigenously built guided missile stealth frigate. About Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise The RIMPAC is the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise. It is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii. It is hosted and administered by the United States Navy’s Pacific Fleet (headquartered at Pearl Harbor) in conjunction with the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and Hawaii National Guard forces under the control of the Governor of Hawaii. Host country United States invites military forces of countries from the Pacific Rim and beyond to participate. The biennial exercise seeks to provide a unique training opportunity to participants in order foster cooperative relationships to ensure the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans.

45. Indian Navy has launched INS Tarasa, the fourth and last ship in the series of the Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC). It is being built by Kolkata (West Bengal) based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), for the Indian Navy. The WJFACs are ideally suited and used for interception of fast-moving surface craft. About INS Tarasa INS Tarasa like the previously launched ships of WJFACs series has been named after the picturesque island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in Bay of Bengal. It is an improved variant of the Car Nicobar-class high-speed offshore patrol vessels (OPVs). It is powered by the latest 4,000-series MTU engines and has displacement capacity of 315 tonnes. It is fitted with advanced machinery control system. It has been designed to attain maximum speed of 35 knots and for an endurance of nearly 2,000 nautical miles at 12-14 knots. The ship will be fitted with CRN-91 indigenous 30mm gun with optronic pedestal. It will also have the latest communication equipment and radars to enable effective surveillance. INS Tarasa will perform anti-smuggling, fishery protection and search and rescue operations.

46. The Union Government has launched National Green Highways Mission (NGHM), a plantation drive around 1500 km of National Highways. It was launched by the Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi. About National Green Highways Mission NGHM was launched under the Green Highways Policy, 2015 to provide a holistic vision of developing eco-friendly and green National Highways. The mission aims to provide a green canopy along 100,000 km of highways and create jobs for 1 million youth. It has been initiated to engage corporates, Public Sector units, Government organizations and other institutions for developing green corridor along National Highways through plantation and allied activity on median, avenue and other available nearby land patches . The funds for the mission will be met by Green Fund corpus which is 1 per cent of the total project cost set aside for plantation purposes Potential: The afforestation across National Highways is expected to help in sequestering approximately 12 lakh metric ton carbon annually. It will also generate jobs and can be a game-changer for agriculture and rural economy. In future, the mission will be linked with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme. Besides, the minister also launched ‘Adopt a Green Highway’ Program, ‘Kisan Harit Rajmarg Yojana’ and National Green Highways Mission Mobile App. Kisan Harit Rajmarg Yojana: It is a pilot scheme to extend green belt beyond the existing ‘Right of Way’ of highways. It seeks to engage farmers and also provide alternative livelihood option to the nearby communities.