Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 13 January 2015

:: National ::

Supreme Court orders status quo on cockfights

• Ordering status quo, the Supreme Court asked the Hyderabad High Court to hear afresh a petition challenging a State government’s ban on cockfights in connection with Sankranti festival.

• This means there would be no cockfights in the State until the HC decides on the petition in the light of relevant provisions of Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, Act which bans animal fighting of any kind and the Supreme Court judgment of 2014.

Government informed SC that NRIs can vote from abroad

• The government informed the Supreme Court of its decision to accept the Election Commission's recommendation to allow Non-Resident Indians to vote from overseas through e-postal ballots or proxy voting.

• A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu gave the government eight weeks' time to inform it about further steps to implement the modalities of the EC recommendations.

• The government’s decision to allow NRIs to vote could set the stage for expatriates to emerge as a decisive force in the country’s electoral politics.

• This decision also, historically, removes an “unreasonable restriction” posed by Section 20(A) of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act of 2010, requiring overseas electors to be physically present in their constituencies to cast their votes.

• The recommendation came in an October 2014 report prepared by the Commission titled 'Exploring Feasibility of Alternative Options for Voting by Overseas Electors.' The report was prepared after consultations with political parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.

• The poll body was acting on the orders of the Supreme Court following two separate petitions filed by V.P Shamsheer, a UAE-based doctor, and Nagender Chindam, chairman of Pravasi Bharat in London.

Pact on Smart Cities signed at Vibrant Gujarat Summit

• The Government of Gujarat, the Government of India and the World Bank have entered into a tripartite agreement in support of Gujarat’s ‘swachhta abhiyaan’ and smart city initiatives, Chief Minister Anandiben Patel announced at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.

• Around 2,100 MoUs to the tune of Rs. 25 lakh crore and 1,225 strategic partnership agreements were signed at the Summit in the areas of skill development, defence, renewable energy and biodiversity.

• Corporate heads Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, Gautam Adani of the Adani Group and Kumar Mangalam Birla of the Aditya Birla Group have pledged investments worth Rs. 1 lakh crore and Rs. 20,000 crore and Rs. 20,000 crore respectively.

• Mr. Adani, whose rise is synonymous with his investments in Gujarat, announced that his company planned to invest Rs. 20,000 crore in Gujarat’s ports over the next five years.

• Given the volume of expected investments in Gujarat, Ms. Patel said the State’s challenge had just begun. Her government would constitute high-level committees to monitor the progress of projects.

• With Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre, she hoped Gujarat would get speedy approvals. “The agreements will boost Gujarat’s inclusive development.

• They will restore confidence among investors about the investment climate in Gujarat and also help in furthering the ‘Make in India’ campaign,” she said. On the occasion, the government released a special Vibrant Gujarat postal cover.

MHA denied issuing any order to stop Greenpeace activist

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has denied issuing any order to stop Greenpeace’s senior campaigner Priya Pillai from leaving the country.

• “No such order restraining her movement has been issued by the Foreigners’ division of the MHA. It appears that the decision may have been made by the intelligence agencies on national security considerations,” government told.

• Senior officials in the Home Ministry said a report on the issue will be sought from the authorities concerned. Ms. Pillai has written another letter to the MHA and other authorities, demanding an explanation.

• She was to brief British MPs on January 14 on forest communities affected by coal mining projects. But despite having a valid U.K. visa, she was stopped from boarding a flight to London. Greenpeace India has written to the Ministries of Home and External Affairs and to the Airports Authority of India.

• Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai has demanded to know why the MHA was preventing her from leaving India. In a letter to the MHA, she wondered why she was being singled out and if there was a lookout notice against her as was reported in a section of the media.

• Ms. Pillai was arrested last year for protests against the London-based Essar Energy in Mumbai along with a group of affected villagers from Mahan. She was charged with criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass, house trespass, defacing property, unlawful assembly, cheating, and even attempted suicide.

• Greenpeace sources, however, said she was released on bail and her bond did not say that she could not leave the country. This is not the first time a Greenpeace campaigner has faced such issues. In September 2014, Ben Hargreaves — a U.K. national — was refused entry into India, despite holding a valid visa.

• Last June, a British academic Dr. Penny Vera-Sanso, who was to attend a meet in Hyderabad, was turned away at the airport. She was invited to attend the 12th Global Conference on Ageing, between June 10 and June 13. She was refused entry by immigration officials without offering an explanation.

• Earlier, she had participated in the fifth national convention of the Right to Food Campaign that was organised in Gujarat from March 1 to 3 and held an exhibition in Sanand and Ahmedabad. That could possibly be the reason she was refused entry, though there was no official confirmation.

Smart cities will be public-private ventures says V. Naidu (Register and Login to read Full News..)

SC Notice on voting rights for inter-State migrants (Register and Login to read Full News..)

CBI summons Mukul Roy in Saradha scam (Register and Login to read Full News..)

Spreading out poverty not a solution says FM (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Persons in News ::

New Secretary of department of space and ISRO chief

• A.S. Kiran Kumar is the new Secretary of the Department of Space as also Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Space Commission.

• Currently Director of the Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, Mr. Kiran Kumar will head the organisation for three years from the date he assumes charge, according to the order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Department of Personnel & Training under the Ministry of Personnel & Public Grievances.

• He is being re-employed on contract basis, it said. Mr. Kumar succeeds K. Radhakrishnan (who retired on December 31, 2014,) as the eighth chief of the prestigious Space dispensation.

• In the interim, the government had entrusted DoS as additional charge to Shailesh Nayak, Secretary, Department of Earth Sciences.

Raghuram Rajan wins ‘Governor of the Year’ award (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Business & Economy ::

RBI & ECB sign MoU for cooperation in central banking

• Reserve Bank and the European Central Bank (ECB) have signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the area of central banking.

• “Raghuram Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank (ECB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of central banking,” RBI said in a release.

• The MoU provides a framework for regular exchange of information, policy dialogue and technical cooperation between the two institutions.

• Technical cooperation may take the form of joint seminars and workshops in areas of mutual interest in the field of central banking, said the RBI.

SEBI proposes easy norms for domestic MF managers

• To make it easier for domestic mutual funds to manage offshore pooled assets, Sebi proposed to drop ‘20-25 rule’, which requires a minimum of 20 investors and a cap of 25 per cent investment by an individual investor in a particular scheme, for certain foreign entities.

• Besides, Sebi has suggested doing away with the rule that requires appointment of separate fund manager for managing an offshore fund.

• In a discussion paper, Sebi has proposed that the requirements of appointing a separate fund manager, replication of portfolio, criteria of 20 investors with no single investor holding over 25 per cent may not be applicable to funds managed by local fund managers in regard to Category I and Category II FPIs (Foreign Portfolio Investors).

• Category I FPIs includes government and government related entities and Category II FPIs includes both broad based entities such as mutual funds, investments trusts and persons such as portfolio managers, investment managers, asset management companies, banks among others.

• Currently, there are 45 mutual fund houses, which together manage Rs 11 lakh crore investor assets. The market regulator has sought comments from public till February 2 on these proposals.

• These suggestions has been made keeping in view the challenges faced by the local fund managers in managing offshore pooled assets and the introduction of FPI Regulations which has rationalized the investment routes and monitoring of foreign portfolio investments and also streamlined categories of overseas investors.

• Sebi said that replication of portfolio becomes difficult to achieve as the investment objective, investment strategy and the benchmark for each of the funds, including offshore funds, managed by local fund managers, are different.

• Majority of offshore funds follow MSCI India Index as their benchmark while none of the local funds follow MSCI India Index. The composition of MSCI India Index is different as compared to local benchmarks such as Nifty, Sensex, CNX 500, BSE 100 or BSE 200.

Industrial output at 5-month high (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: Science & Technology ::

Facebook the leader of social media says a new Survey

• Facebook is the leader of social media, says a new survey, adding that the social networking site has also made inroads into becoming the popular choice among the elderly.

• The findings of a survey by a US-based global think tank Pew Research Centre that involved 1,597 internet users revealed that 71 per cent of US adults were hooked to Facebook in 2014 - up significantly from 63 percent in 2013, Forbes magazine reported.

• It also showed that 56 per cent of Facebook users are in the age bracket of 65 years and older. The social media websites LinkedIn and Pinterest had 28 percent adult users.

• For micro-blogging site Twitter, the percentage of users logging in daily decreased from 46 percent in 2013 to 36 percent last year. 53 percent of internet-users, between the ages 18-29, use Instagram, also owned by Facebook.

• The survey also found that 45 percent of internet users log in to Facebook several times a day. Of the respondents, 52 percent use more than one social media website - an increase compared with 42 percent in 2013.

Asian students to take virtual tour of ‘South Pole’ (Register and Login to read Full News..)

:: International ::

India must help foster peace in the region says U.N. Secretary

• United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on India to play a leadership role in ensuring peace in the region. He was speaking at the Sapru House-UN Lecture: India and the United Nations in a Changing World.

• Calling on Indian leaders to take up a proactive role in helping the region, including Pakistan and Afghanistan that are rocked by violence, to stabilise, the UN Secretary General said, “The world is looking to India to help advance peace, prosperity and security in the region… As the world’s largest democracy India has an important role.”

• He added that India, as well as other countries in the region, need to take a stand on nuclear disarmament as the growing stockpile of nuclear weapons in the region is a cause for concern, even as other nuclear states have announced limitations and end to production of nuclear materials.

• “It is urgent in our era of rising terrorism,” he said. Further, he added that the fruits of development need to reach all groups in India.

• India has lifted millions out of poverty but it must do more, he said, adding that the other facets of development, such as discrimination against minority groups, such as religious as well as gender, need to be ensured in the country.

• “Education is key,” he said, adding that schools have to foster equality and harmony and “shouldn’t be a battleground of divisive ideologies.”

• On sustainable development, too, Ban said India has a huge role to play. While lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Make in India’, he said, “I want to add two words to it. Make it green in India.”

• “Climate action can power growth, increase energy security, deliver better health and many others,” he said. “Challenges here mirror global challenges – poverty, gender inequality, discrimination, environmental degradation.”

Hopes to start uranium exports to India in 2 years: Rio Tinto (Register and Login to read Full News..)

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Sources: Various News Papers & PIB

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