Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 02 July 2020

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 2 July 2020

Home Ministry has declared nine individuals as designated terrorists under provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. They include Wadhawa Singh Babbar, a key leader of BabbarKhalsa International, Lakhbir Singh, a Pakistan-based Chief of terror organisation International Sikh Youth Federation and Ranjeet Singh of KhalistanZindabad Force.
Home Ministry said in a release that these individuals are involved in various acts of terrorism from across the border and from foreign soil. It said they have been relentless in their nefarious efforts of destabilizing the country, by trying to revive militancy in Punjab through their anti national activities and through their support to and involvement in the Khalistan Movement.
The Central Government had amended the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in August last year to include the provision of designating an individual as a terrorist. Prior to this amendment, only organizations could be designated as terrorist organizations.
Home Minister Amit Shah during the debate in Parliament last year on the amendment to the act had strongly expressed NDA Government’s commitment to firmly fight the menace of terrorism and had unequivocally reaffirmed the nation’s resolve on this matter.

The Election Commission of India said on Wednesday that political parties had been consulted on its decision to extend postal ballot to more categories of voters.
The poll panel was responding to Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary SitaramYechury’s criticism that it was in a hurry to extend postal ballot to electors over the age of 65.
In a letter to the EC on Monday, Mr.Yechury had raised concerns at the lack of consultation before the EC decided to expand the postal ballot facility to electors over 65 and those infected with or suspected to have COVID-19 in the run-up to the Bihar Assembly elections.
The Representation of the People Act, 1951 provides for any person to be given the postal facility by the ECI in consultation with the government, it said. The ECI had recommended that three categories of electors

Amendments in the Indian Stamp Act, 1899 brought through Finance Act 2019 and Rules made thereunder will come into effect today. In order to facilitate ease of doing business and to bring in uniformity of the stamp duty on securities across States and thereby build a pan-India securities market, the Central Government, through requisite amendments, has created the legal and institutional mechanism.
It will enable states to collect stamp duty on securities market instruments at one place by one agency through one Instrument.Ministry of Finance said that a mechanism for appropriately sharing the stamp duty with relevant State Governments has also been developed which is based on the state of domicile of the buyer.
It said, the present system of collection of stamp duty on securities market transactions led to multiple rates for the same instrument, resulting in jurisdictional disputes and multiple incidences of duty, thereby raising the transaction costs in the securities market.
This rationalized and harmonized system through centralized collection mechanism is expected to ensure minimize cost of collection and enhance revenue productivity.
Further, this system will help develop equity markets and equity culture across the length and breadth of the country, ushering in balanced regional development.

The United Nations Security Council has demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities in key conflicts including Syria, Yemen, Libya, South Sudan and Congo to tackle COVID-19 in its first resolution on the Novel Coronavirus.
The UN’s most powerful body voted unanimously yesterday to adopt the resolution after the United States and China resolved a lengthy dispute over mentioning the World Health Organization.
Germany’s UN Ambassador ChristophHeusgen, the Council President for July, announced the result, calling it a sign for hope for all people currently living in conflict zones around the world.
The resolution backs UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ March 23 call for global ceasefires to tackle the pandemic and demands an immediate cessation of hostilities in all conflicts on its agenda which include key conflicts in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere.
The resolution, sponsored by France and Tunisia, states that these measures do not apply to military operations against the Islamic State and Al-Qaida extremist groups and their affiliates.

President Vladimir Putin has won a resounding victory in his bid to stay in power until the middle of the next decade, as Russians voted overwhelmingly to endorse the country's political status quo, according to preliminary results.
Russians went to the polls yesterday to cast ballots in a nationwide referendum on Constitutional Amendments. The vote paves the way for Putin, who has ruled for two decades, to remain President until 2036.

The Environment Ministry has reconstituted the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to include an expert from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, and a molecular biologist. The CZA is a statutory body chaired by the Environment Minister and tasked with regulating zoos across the country.
The authority lays down guidelines and prescribes rules under which animals may be transferred among zoos nationally and internationally.
Apart from the chairman, it consists of 10 members and a member-secretary. Almost all of them are officials in the Environment Ministry and non-government experts are those who are wildlife conservationists or retired forest officers.
In the new dispensation, that came into effect on Tuesday, AbhilashKhandekar, senior journalist and environmentalist, continues to be part of the new list of members.
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ShashankManohar has formally stepped down as International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman after heading the sport’s global governing body for four years.
Singapore’s Imran Khwaja — previously Manohar’s deputy — has been elevated as interim chairman until the process for the next chairman’s election is finalised.
Despite Khwaja being an aspirant for the chairman’s post — BCCI president SouravGanguly remains a rank outsider Reports state that England’s Colin Graves is the favourite to assume responsibility during the CLICK HERE FOR FULL CURRENT AFFAIRS (Only for Course Members)
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