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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 07 May 2014

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 07 May 2014

Increase in Mullaperiyar water level

  • In a major victory for Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional the law passed by Kerala in 2006, constituting the Dam Safety Authority to prevent the State from raising the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam from 136 ft to 142 ft.

  • A five-judge Constitution Bench of Chief Justice R.M. Lodha and Justices H.L. Dattu, C.K. Prasad, Madan B. Lokur and M.Y. Eqbal, allowing the suit filed by TN permanently restrained Kerala from interfering with the rights of Tamil Nadu from raising the water level in the dam from 136 ft to 142 ft.

  • Justice Lodha, who wrote the judgment, also restrained Kerala from enforcing its law on Tamil Nadu. By enacting the law and fixing the storage height of the dam at 136 ft, Kerala had nullified the 2006 judgment and usurped judicial power and thus interfered with the judicial functioning.

  • The Bench said the Legislature could only amend the law but could not invalidate a judgment or a decree passed by the court. The law enacted by Kerala legislature was an attempt to interfere with the judicial functioning, the Bench said and struck the law as unconstitutional and void.

  • On a suit filed by Tamil Nadu, the apex court in 2006 permitted the State to raise the water level from 136 ft to 142 ft. Within 15 days of the verdict, Kerala enacted a law and constituted Dam Safety Authority to prevent Tamil Nadu from raising the water level beyond 136 ft. In April 2006, Tamil Nadu filed a fresh suit to declare the law as unconstitutional. After eight years the apex court decreed the suit in favour of Tamil Nadu.

Political violence index

  • India's long-drawn election campaign may have seen rhetoric reach new extremes of divisiveness but the risk of conflict and political violence in the country has significantly declined relative to others, according to a global index that has red-flagged rising terror attacks in China as a growing cause of concern for prospective investors.

  • India remains a high-risk country and is rated 18 on the places most risky to do business in according to the Conflict and Political Violence Index for 2014 compiled by London-based risk analytics firm Maplecroft. But this is an improvement from ninth place on the political violence front among 197 countries in 2011, when it was categorised as an "extreme risk" nation.

  • While Syria, Iraq, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Pakistan are among the most conflict-ridden and violent countries to do business in, what should worry investors is the surge in such risks across the world, from Ukraine to the Arab Spring countries as well as major growth economies such as China, Nigeria, Thailand, Indonesia and Turkey.

  • China's ranking on the index for instance has risen five places in just six months, owing to a major spurt in fatalities due to terrorist attacks perpetrated by Uighur separatists. While corruption and labour standards are currently more immediate concerns for investors in China, this growing trend is a cause for concern, the risk report noted.

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 06 May 2014

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 06 May 2014

Constitutional validity of RTE Act

  • The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutional validity of Articles 15(5) and 21-A of the Constitution in so far as it relates to unaided educational institutions to provide compulsory education for children in the age group of 6 to 14 years.

  • A five-judge Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice R.M. Lodha and Justices A.K. Patnaik, Dipak Misra, S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Ibrahim Kalifulla also upheld the provisions of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2010.

  • The Constitution 93rd Amendment Act, 2005, inserting clause (5) in Article 15 enables the State to make special provisions for members of the SCs, STs and socially and educationally backward classes, for admission to all educational institutions, including private unaided institutions, but except minority institutions. The right to education law was enacted by Parliament in 2009 by inserting Article 21A to provide free and compulsory education to children between 6 and 14 years.

  • It imposed obligations on the schools, which included privately-managed unaided educational institutions to admit at least 25% students from weaker sections. A three-judge Bench upheld the constitutional validity of this Act by a majority of 2:1. On a reference that the matter ought to have been decided by a Constitution Bench, it was heard by a five-judge Bench.

  • Writing the judgment, Justice Patnaik, however, said the minority unaided educational institutions could not be compelled to provide free and compulsory education to children belonging to weaker sections. To this extent the Bench overruled the three judges’ decision upholding the RTE law.

  • The Bench held that the 93rd Constitution Amendment inserting clause 5 in Article 15 to provide for reservation to weaker sections in admission to unaided private educational institutions did not violate the basic structure of the Constitution.

INS Vikrant’s another lifeline

  • India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, which was headed for the scrap yard, got another breather from the Supreme Court as it blocked the vessel’s journey to ignominy.
  • The ship was due at the scrapyard on May 17 after it was sold for Rs.60 crore through an e-auction to the Mumbai-based IB Commercials Pvt Ltd.
  • Through the ‘Save Vikrant Committee’, Mr. Paigankar and other activists last month moved the apex court in a bid to save the vessel which saw action in the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
  • The imposing vessel, commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1961, was decommissioned in 1997 and has been kept anchored at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
  • During the hearing of Mr. Paigankar’s public interest litigation in January, the Central government informed the Bombay High Court that the 15,000-tonne ship had completed its operational life.
  • The Maharashtra government expressed its inability to preserve it as a floating museum owing to financial constraints, following which the Bombay High Court dismissed Mr. Paigankar’s PIL.
  • The 70-year-old vessel, purchased as HMS Hercules from Britain in 1957 and rechristened as ‘INS Vikrant’, helped enforce a naval blockade of East Pakistan — now Bangladesh — during the 1971 war.

(Jobs) Tripura PSC : Recruitment of Sub-Inspector of Police under Home Department, Advt. No. 06/2014

Tripura Public Service Commission

Advt. No. 06/2014

Applications are invited in the prescribed form from bonafide citizens of India for selection of candidates for recruitment to the post of Sub- Inspector of Police (Men and Women) (Un-Armed and Armed Branch), Group-C Non-Gazetted under the Home Department, Govt. of Tripura.

Vacancy Details:

Total Post : 82

Pay Scale : Rs. 5310-24,000/-(PB-2) with grade pay of Rs.2,400/-

Age:

  • Minimum 21 years and maximum 27 years as on 01-01-2014.

Educational Qualification :

  • At least Graduate in any discipline (for Men and Women)

Physical Measurement:

Scheme of Examination :

(Syllabus) UPPSC: Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services (Pre.) Examination

UPPSC Logo

Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission

SYLLABUS FOR THE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

PAPER - I General Studies-I (200 marks) Duration: Two hours

  • Current events of national and international importance.
  • History of India and Indian National Movement.
  • Indian and World geography - Physical, Social, Economic geography of India and the World.
  • Indian Polity and governance - Constitution , Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights issues etc.
  • Economic and Social Development - Sustainable Development Poverty Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
  • General Issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change- that do not require subject specialization.
  • General Science

PAPER- II General Studies-II (200 marks) Duration: Two hours

  • Comprehension
  • Interpersonal skills including communication skills.
  • Logical reasoning and analytical ability.
  • Decision making and problem solving.
  • General mental ability
  • Elementary Mathematics upto Class X level- Arithmatic, Algebra, Geometry and Statistics.
  • General English upto Class X level.
  • General Hindi upto Class X level.

Current events of national and international importance:- On Current Events of National and International importance, candidates will be expected to have knowledge about them.

History of India and Indian National Movement:- In History emphasis should be on broad understanding social, economic and political aspects of Indian history. In the Indian National Movement, the candidates are expected to have synoptic view of nature and character of the freedom movement, growth of nationalism and attainment of Independence.

Indian and world Geography - Physical, Social, Economic geography of India and the World:- In World Geography only general understanding of the subject will be expected. Questions on the Geography of India will relate to Physical, Social & Economic Geography of India.

(Notification) UPPSC: Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services Examination - 2014

UPPSC Logo

Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission

Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services Examination - 2014

Advertisement No: A-1/E-1/2014

“Applications will be accepted only when fee is deposited in the Bank upto prescribed last date for fee submission. If the fee is deposited in Bank after prescribed last date for fee submission, the candidature of the candidate will be rejected and application will not be accepted. Once fee deposited in the Bank will not be refunded to the candidate in any condition. It will be responsibility of the candidate to deposit fee in the Bank upto prescribed last date for fee submission and submit the application upto prescribed last date for submission of applications.

No. of vacancies:

  • Presently the approx no. of vacancies is 300

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION:

  • The candidates must possess Bachelors Degree of any recognised University or equivalent qualification upto the last date for receipt of application

AGE LIMIT:

(i) Candidates must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have crossed the age of 40 years on July 1, 2014 i.e. they must have not been born earlier than 2nd July, 1974 and not later than July 1, 1993. For PH candidates, the maximum age limit is 55 years i.e. they must have not been born before 02 July, 1959

Application Fee:

After filling in the Candidates ‘Registration’ format of the On-line application, the candidate shall procure the print-out of the E-challan in duplicate. The E-Challan will be used to deposit the fee in any of the branches of State Bank of India or Punjab National Bank by the candidate according to his/her category. The fee will not be allowed to be deposited by any other mode except EChallan/I-collect. The above fee, for Preliminary Examination according to the category, is as under:-

1. Unreserved (General) - Exam fee Rs. 100/- + On-line processing fee Rs. 15/- Total = Rs.115/-
2. Other Backward Class - Exam fee Rs. 100/- + On-line processing fee Rs. 15/- Total = Rs. 115/-
3. Scheduled Caste - Exam fee Rs. 40/- + On-line processing fee Rs. 15/- Total = Rs. 55/
4. Scheduled Tribe - Exam fee Rs. 40/- + On-line processing fee Rs. 15/- Total = Rs. 55/
5. Handicapped -Exam fee NIL + On-line processing fee Rs. 15/- Total = Rs. 15/-
6. Dependents of the Freedom Fighters -According to the original category mentioned from Sl. Nos. 1 to 4.
7. Ex-Servicemen -According to the original category mentioned from Sl. Nos. 1 to 4.
8. Women -According to the original category mentioned from Sl. Nos. 1 to 4

How to Apply:

1. When the candidate clicks “ALL NOTIFICATION/ADVERTISEMENT DETAILS” on the Commission's website http://uppsc.up.nic.in the “On-line advertisement” shall be automatically displayed wherein there shall be 3 parts:

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 05 May 2014

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 05 May 2014

Panama’s presidential election

  • Vice-President Juan Carlos Varela was declared the victor of Panama’s presidential election , thwarting an attempt by former ally President Ricardo Martinelli to extend his grip on power by electing a handpicked successor.

  • With 60 per cent of ballots counted, officials said Mr. Varela led with 39 per cent of the votes, compared to 32 per cent for former Housing Minister Jose Domingo Arias, the preferred choice of Mr. Martinelli. Juan Carlos Navarro, a former mayor of the capital, was in third in the seven-candidate field with 27 per cent.

  • The incumbent party has still never won re-election to Panama’s presidency since the United States’ 1989 overthrow of military strongman Manuel Noriega.

India’s first cyber lab

  • The National Law School of India University (NLSIU) on May 6 will launch what is touted to be the country’s first cyber lab in a legal academic institution.

  • The lab, co-funded by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY), Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, will be inaugurated by Shyamal Ghosh, the former Telecom Secretary, Government of India; Gulshan Rai, Director-General, Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and R. Venkata Rao, Vice-Chancellor, NLSIU.

  • A release from NLSIU’s Advanced Centre for Cyber Law and Cyber Forensics, said the centre also offers training programmes for bank officials and other professionals who want to gain knowledge of cyber technology and forensics crucial for detection and investigation of cyber crimes.

  • The centre launched its Postgraduate Diploma in Cyber Law and Cyber Forensics in June 2013, which senior police officers, IT security officers and lawyers have enrolled for.

Damage by mining in Karnataka

  • The country's first programme to mitigate the adverse impact of mining on the environment - forests, wildlife and the local community -is set to take off in Karnataka soon. With the Supreme Court having given it the green signal, the state government will set up a company under Section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 in a month with an initial corpus of close to Rs 4,000 crore.

  • The court, while rejecting the Karnataka government's plea for allowing it to set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, ordered the state to set up a Section 25 company under the Companies Act. This company will formulate and implement projects under the Comprehensive Environment Plan for Mining Impact Zone (CEPMIZ).

  • Karnataka will be the first state to undertake such a massive and ambitious environment project. It could become a model for replication elsewhere in the country.

  • The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court, in its report dated February 3, 2012, had recommended the establishment of a special purpose vehicle for taking ameliorative and mitigative measures according to the CEPMIZ around the mining leases in the districts of Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur.

  • The SPV will implement not only afforestation programmes but also a whole series of development works in the areas of education, health, nutrition, water supply, employment and training, roads, minor irrigation, among others.

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 04 May 2014

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 04 May 2014

Indian missile Astra

  • Marking an important milestone, for the first time an Indian missile, Astra, was successfully test-fired from a fighter aircraft — the Sukhoi-30 MKI — from a naval range in the Western Sector .

  • The test-firing met all the mission objectives and the air-launch was captured by side and forward looking high-speed cameras and the separation was exactly as per simulation, according to a press release from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

  • Astra is India's first Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air missile and has been designed and developed indigenously by the DRDO. The 60-km plus range missile possesses high Single Shot Kill Probability (SSKP) making it highly reliable.

  • Astra is an all-weather missile with active radar terminal guidance, excellent ECCM (electronic counter-counter measures) features, smokeless propulsion and process improved effectiveness in multi-target scenario, making it a highly advanced state-of-the-art missile.

The Gist of Science Reporter: April 2014

The Gist of Science Reporter: April 2014

Saffron the Golden Spice

A strong and haunting aroma, a characteristic bittersweet taste, saffron bestows a golden hue to all the dishes it graces. A high value and low volume cash crop, and highly labour intensive, saffron is one of the world’s most expensive price. It is used mainly as a source of secondary metabolites with have incredible aromatic, medicinal and therapeutic values.

(Notification) MPSC : Assistant Preliminary Examination - 2014

https://iasexamportal.com/files/mpsc-ogo.gif

Maharashtra Public Service Commission

Vacancy Details:

Pay Scale:

Educational Qualification:

Application Fee:

The Gist of Press Information Bureau (PIB): April 2014

The Gist of Press Information Bureau: April 2014

VVIP Choper Agreement

The Government of India has terminated with immediate effect the Agreement that was signed with M/s. AgustaWestLand International Ltd. (AWIL) on 08 February, 2010 for the supply of 12 VVIP/VIP helicopters on grounds of breach of the Pre-contract Integrity Pact (PCIP) and the Agreement by AWIL.

Based on the opinion received earlier from the Attorney General of India, it has been the view of the Government that integrity-related issues are not subject to arbitration. However, AWIL has since pressed for arbitration and appointed an arbitrator from its side. In view of this, MoD sought afresh the opinion of the Attorney General. With a view to safeguard the interests of the Government, MoD has nominated Hon’ble Mr Justice BP Jeevan Reddy as its arbitrator.

PARAM Supercomputer

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has achieved a significant milestone with PARAM Yuva II supercomputer being ranked 1st in India, 9th in the Asia Pacific Region and 44th in the world among the most power efficient computer systems as per the Green500 List announced at the Supercomputing Conference (SC‘2013) in Denver, Colorado, USA.

Supercomputers, in general, consume a lot of electrical power and produce much heat that necessitates elaborate cooling facilities to ensure proper operation. This adds to increase in the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a supercomputer. To draw focus towards development of energy efficient supercomputers, Green500 ranks computer systems in the world according to compute performance per watt, thus providing a world ranking based on energy efficiency.

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 03 May 2014

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 03 May 2014

Samsung infringed patents of Apple?

  • A California jury awarded Apple $119 million far less than it demanded in apatent battle with Samsung over alleged copying of smart phone features, and the jury made the victory even smaller by finding that Apple illegally used one of Samsung’s patents.

  • The verdict was a far cry from the $2.2 billion Apple sought and the $930 million it won in a separate 2012 trial making similar patent infringement claims against older Samsung products, most of which are no longer for sale in the United States.

  • The jury found that Apple had infringed one of Samsung’s patents in creating the iPhone 4 and 5. Jurors awarded Samsung $158,400, trimming that amount from the original $119.62 million verdict. Samsung had sought $6 million.

  • Unlike the first trial in San Jose federal court in 2012, Samsung lawyers made Google a central focus of their defence. Google makes the Android software that Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers use as their operating systems. Samsung argued that Google was Apple’s real target.

  • More than 70 percent of smartphones run on Android, a mobile operating system that Google Inc. has given out for free to Samsung and other phone makers

  • The verdict marked the latest intellectual property battle between the world’s top two smartphone makers. Apple and Samsung have sued each other in courts and trade offices around the world.

  • Apple and Samsung are locked in a bitter struggle for dominance of the $330 billion worldwide smartphone market. Samsung has become the leader of the sector with a 31 percent share after being an also-ran with just 5 per cent in 2007. Apple, meanwhile, has seen its market share slip to about 15 per cent from a high of 27 per cent three years ago.

The Gist of Kurukshetra: April 2014

The Gist of Kurukshetra: April 2014

Panchayati Raj – Three Tier System in India

The Panchayati Raj is a South Asian Political system mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The world “Panchayat” literally means “assembly” of five wise and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community.

Panchayati Raj is a system of governance in which gram Panchayats are the basic units of administration. Mahatma Gandhi advocated Panchayati Raj, a decentralized form of government. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian sub continent. This system was adopted by state governments during the 1950s and 60s as laws were passed to establish Panchayats in various states. It also found backing in Indian constitution with the 73rd Amendment 1992 to accommodate the idea. In the history of Panchayati Raj in India, on 24th April, 1993, the constitution (73rd Amendment) Act 1992 came into force to provide constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj institutions.

The Three-Tier System of Panchayati Raj in India

The states of Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim have two-tier Panchayats – one at the village level and the second at the zila or District level. In all other states Panchayati Raj is a three-tier system-village as first level, block or janapad as second level and zila or district as the third level.

Village Level

Village is the basic unit of Panchayati Raj Institutions. It is generally a revenue unit. The unit of local government here is called village Panchayat. In the structure of the Panchayati Raj, the village Panchayat is the lowest unit. The Panchayat chiefly consists of representatives elected by the people of the village.

Only the persons who are registered as voters and do not hold any office of profit under the government are eligible for election to the Panchayat. The persons convicted by the court for criminal offences are disqualified from election of the Panchayat.

There is also provision for co-option of two women and one member of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, if they do not get adequate representation in the normal course.

(Addendum) UPSC : Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Exam 2014

https://iasexamportal.com/images/upsc.JPG

Union Public Service Commission

Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Exam 2014

This is with reference to UPSC’s Advt. No.08/2014 for Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) Examination, 2014 published in Employment News/Rozgar Samachar dated 12th April, 2014. It is informed that under the heading “Eye Sight”, mentioned in Appendix-V(A), Para (2)(a) of the Notice, the following portion may be read as having been substituted :

For

  Better eye
(corrected
vision)
Worse eye
(corrected
vision)
Distant vision 6/6                        6/12

OR

6/9                         6/9

Near Vision J1 (corrected) J2 (corrected)
Type of corrections permitted Spectacles
Limits of
Refractive
errors
permitted
-4.00 D (including cylinder) Non
pathological myopia
+4.00 D (including cylinder)
Hypermetropia
Colour vision Colour vision

 

Candidate should not have squint of any degree and should have high colour vision. The candidate will be tested for colour vision by Ishihara’s test as well as Edridge-Green Lantern Test. Eyes should be bright, clear with no abnormality/disease. Movements of eyeballs should be full and free in all direction. In every case of Myopia, fundus examination should be carried out and the results should be recorded. Contact lenses or laser surgery is not allowed.

Read

  Better eye
(corrected
vision)
Worse eye
(corrected
vision)
Distant vision 6/6                        6/12

OR

6/9                         6/9

Near Vision N6 (corrected) N9 (corrected)
Type of corrections permitted With Glasses/LASIK Surgery*
Limits of
Refractive
errors
permitted
-4.00 D (including cylinder) Myopia
+4.00 D (including cylinder)
Hypermetropia
Colour vision High grade **

 

* LASIK surgery correction is permitted subject to prescribed criteria mentioned in Table-L. However, no redial keratotomy or any other refractive surgery is permitted except LASIK.

** The colour vision standards shall be as per the extant guidelines issued by MHA and applicable on the day of the medical examination.

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 02 May 2014

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 02 May 2014

Pressure on Switzerland to disclose bank info

  • India has strongly objected to Switzerland’s denial of information about account details of certain Indians at HSBC’s Swiss bank branches, in whose cases “incriminating evidence of tax evasion” have been found .

  • In a strongly-worded letter to his Swiss counterpart, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has also warned that an effective exchange of tax-related information was “extremely important” for economic co-operation between the two countries and Switzerland must honour its “rights and duties” agreed to in their bilateral Direct Tax Avoidance Convention (DTAC).

  • Mr. Chidambaram also said that the interpretation made by Switzerland that it can not share information as per India’s request was not in accordance with international standards.

  • Under global pressure, Switzerland has agreed to ease its banking secrecy laws in recent years and it also signed a revised tax treaty with India in 2011 to facilitate greater flow of information about alleged black money.

  • However, it has refused to share information with India about the accounts mentioned in the so-called ‘HSBC list’ which India had received from France through a bilateral treaty.

The Gist of Yojana: April 2014

The Gist of Yojana: April 2014

To be a “Tribe’ in India

Tribes in India have come to be conceptualized primarily in relation to their geographical and social isolation from the larger Indian society and not in relation to the stage of their social formation. This is why a wide range of groups and communities at different levels of the social formation have all come to categorized as tribes.

Tribes as citizens of free India were extended civil, political and social rights in equal measure as others. Civil and political rights have been enshrined within the purview of the Fundamental Rights of the Indian Constitution while social rights have been envisaged in the Directive Principles of the Indian Constitution.

Beside the ones stated above, tribes were extended certain special rights as being members of a distinct community. Such rights, among other things, include provisions for statutory recognition (article 342); proportionate representation in Parliament and state legislatures (article 19(5); conservation of one’s language, dialects and culture, etc (article 29). The Constitution also has a clause that enables the State to make provision or reservation in general (article 14(4) and in particular, in jobs and appointment in favor of tribal communities (article 16(4)). There is also the Directive Principle of the Constitution that requires that the educational and economic interest of the weaker sections of society, including tribes, is especially promoted (Article 46). Besides these, there are provision in the 5th or 6th schedule of the Constitution (Article 244 and 244 (a) that empower the state to bring the area inhabited by the tribes under special treatment of administration.

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