Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 20 May 2015

Current Affairs for IAS Exams – 20 May 2015

:: National ::

Kejriwal, L-G take fight to Rashtrapati Bhavan

The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung separately met President Pranab Mukherjee and accused each other of disturbing the fine balance of jurisdictions in the Constitutional scheme for governance.
A senior government official told that the most significant request made by the CM was to initiate an exercise to streamline the existing procedure of transfers and postings of bureaucrats to avoid a similar impasse in future.
“He has requested that there be clear demarcation in relation to the transfers and postings of bureaucrats as an elected government was well within its constitutional rights to seek whatever the nature of service that it required of its personnel as it deemed fit,” a source said.
Meanwhile, the war between the L-G and the CM showed no signs of abating with the Delhi Government appointing senior bureaucrat Arvind Ray as the Principal Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD), without Mr. Jung’s approval.
In another clear signal of defiance, the ruling party got the appointment orders issued by Principal Secretary (Services) Rajendra Kumar, whose own appointment to the post was held as void by the L-G.
Mr. Jung reportedly apprised the President of the stand-off with the AAP government, while maintaining that he had the power to appoint and transfer Delhi government officers and there was no basis for the ruling party’s complaint against him.
The Lieutenant Governor also met the Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh.

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:: International ::

Farkhunda killing: 11 policemen sentenced

Eleven Afghan policemen were sentenced to one year in prison for failing to protect a woman who was lynched by a mob after being falsely accused of blasphemy, following a landmark fast-track trial.
Farkhunda (27) was savagely beaten and her body was set ablaze in broad daylight on March 19, triggering protests around the country and drawing global attention to the treatment of Afghan women.
Verdict comes after four Afghan men were sentenced to death and eight others were handed 16-year jail terms earlier this month after a three-day trial broadcast live on national television.
“You are sentenced... for negligence of duty to one year in prison,” Judge Safiullah Mojaddidi told the 11 defendants, including senior officers, while eight other policemen were found not guilty.
“This verdict is not final and the defendants have the right to appeal,” the Kabul primary court judge added.
Farkhunda was attacked on the banks of the Kabul River after an amulet seller, whom she had reportedly castigated for peddling superstition, falsely accused her of burning a copy of the Koran.
Forty-nine people were arrested, including 19 police officers, some of whom were shown standing by and doing nothing to stop the mob in cell phone videos recorded by bystanders. The quick trial drew some praise in a country where women victims of violence often have little legal recourse, but also prompted concerns over whether due process had been followed as many of the accused did not appear to have lawyers.
Farkhunda’s family said after the May 6 verdict that they were not happy with the large number of acquittals in a murder caught on cell phone cameras and circulated on social media.
“We have nothing more to say about this new verdict. We have already expressed our concern about the whole process,” Farkhunda’s brother Mujibullah told AFP following judgement.

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:: Business and Economy ::

Tata launches GenX Nano

QUOTE: “There is a huge opportunity in the entry level hatchback segment in India as entry level compact cars account for 15 per cent of India’s automobile market’’ Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business, Tata Motors
In a move clearly aimed at reviving the fortunes of its mini hatchback, ‘Nano’, Tata Motors on Tuesday launched the product in a new refurbished avatar, the GenX Nano, in a move clearly aimed at reviving the fortunes of its mini hatchback. The GenX Nano will replace existing models of the Nano.
The new product, positioned as a ‘smart city’ car, comes with a range of new technological features. The car will be sold in five variants, starting with the base variant, the XE priced at Rs.1.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and the higher end XT priced at Rs.2.49 lakh.
The company also launched two new variants — XMA and XTA with ‘Easy Shift’ Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). While the XMA will be made-to-order and available from August 2015, the top-end XTA will be available post-national launch.
Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business, Tata Motors, said, “There is a huge opportunity in the entry level hatchback segment in India. The last three years were an aberration for the Indian car industry and it is expected to double in the next five years to become the third largest after China and the U.S.” The new variants offer enhanced acceleration and ‘creep’ feature for heavy traffic manoeuvrability and ease of parking.
The GenX Nano continues to have the Electric Power Assisted Steering (ePAS) designed for light steering feel and easy parking. The GenX Nano offers fuel efficiency of 23.6 kmpl and 21.9 kmpl for the manual and AMT variants.
On the new AMT variants, Mr. Pareek said, “there is a huge propensity for AMT vehicles and 30-35 per cent customers are opting for it.’’

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:: Science and Technology ::

India’s eye on universe ready for tests

A fully assembled Astrosat, India’s first space observatory, is ready for intensive tests before its launch around October.
The Indian Space Research Organisation said on that the 1,650-kg spacecraft would orbit Earth equatorially at 650 km and study distant stars, galaxies, black holes and other cosmic objects.
The space-based observatory was built at the ISRO Satellite Centre here to operate for five years and will provide useful data for the country’s astronomy community. It will put India in an elite orbit with the U.S., Europe, Russia and Japan.
“Last week, the spacecraft was fully assembled and switched on. All the [six] payloads and sub-systems are integrated into the satellite. Mechanical fit checks of the satellite with the PSLV [polar satellite launch vehicle] payload adaptor were performed successfully,” the space agency said on its website.
One of ISRO directors said Astrosat would be the first such satellite to scan simultaneously the sky in most of the frequency spectra from ultraviolet to optical and low- and high-energy X-ray bands.
Although previous national satellites carried small astronomy-related devices, “Nothing on this scale, with a dedicated satellite, has been done before [at ISRO]. It should be of immense benefit to our scientists, who have depended on inputs from other agencies and sources like the Hubble [US-European space telescope],” the official said.
In the coming days, Astrosat will undergo a host of environmental tests — electromagnetic interference, electromagnetic compatibility, thermal vacuum, vibration and acoustics and so on.
Later, the satellite will be shipped to the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, for launch.
ISRO developed the six payloads in partnership with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai; the Indian Institute of Astrophysics and the Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru; and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune.
Two payloads were developed with the Canadian Space Agency and the University of Leicester, U.K.

:: Sports ::

MI canters into the final with a handsome victory

Mumbai Indians soared on wings of confidence into its third IPL final, beating league-toppers Chennai Super Kings in the first Qualifier. CSK was on course before plunging downhill, managing only 162 in 19 overs to hand the home team an exhilarating 25-run victory.
Dwayne Smith flicked and missed at a Lasith Malinga delivery on the leg stump, and then looked around bemused as the MI fielders ran towards the Lankan in celebration of a leg-before dismissal.
Mike Hussey turned aggressor, swinging an effortless six off Vinay Kumar high into the mid-wicket stands. The bowler got his man, slanting across for a nick behind.
Rohit Sharma decided to take advantage of a turning track by getting Harbhajan Singh angling the ball in from around the wicket.