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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 07 December 2014

National

Patrolling intensified in coastal district of AP

• Security has been beefed up in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, following an alert from the Intelligence Bureau (IB).
• In Visakhapatnam, the police have intensified the random vehicle checking at key points in the city such as Jalaripeta, Naval Coast Battery, Apu Ghar and Rushikonda.
• According to sources in the police, the central intelligence agency has sent an alert that some Pakistan-based terror group is trying to land a container filled with ammonium nitrate, either at Kolkata port or Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which is also known as Nhava Sheva port, in Maharashtra.
• The chances of landing the cargo at Visakhapatnam, which has also got a container terminal, cannot be ruled out.
• A senior officer in the department informed that according to the intelligence report, the cargo had already left the port of loading sometime in mid-November and was headed towards India.
• However, he was not able to confirm the loading port. He also said that ammonium nitrate was a common ingredient used for making improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and could play havoc if it landed in the wrong hands.
• An officer in the Coastal Security Police (Marine Police) Department said the cargo changing hands in the high seas was not being ruled out. “The inputs from Intelligence Bureau have been shared with the Coast Guard and Navy and they are on the lookout,” he said.
• Meanwhile, a team from the One Town Police in Visakhapatnam led by Inspector Syed Ilyas Mohammed approached local fishermen and members of the Mechanised Boat Owners Association for a briefing.
• “We were told to inform the police if any unusual activity was noticed in the high-seas,” said Dhanaya a fisherman who attended the briefing session.

Second national Lok Adalat settles 1.25 cr. cases in a day

• The Second National Lok Adalat held across the country amicably settled about 1.25 crore pending and pre-litigation cases and brought financial relief of over Rs. 3,000 crore to ordinary litigants in a single day.
• The Adalat held over the day and organised by the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA) has reduced backlog by about nine percent in all the States.
• Even in the Supreme Court, 28 out of 53 cases put up for settlement were disposed of and cheques were handed out at the time of settlement itself.
• The cases settled out of court include family disputes, matrimonial cases, motor accident claims, bank recoveries, petty criminal matters, revenue matters, disbursement of payment under the MGNREGA and other government welfare schemes.
• It able to resolve nearly double the number of disputes than last year. In November 2013, around 71 lakh cases were settled in the First National Lok Adalat.
• “It is evident that the Second National Lok Adalat has greatly benefited the common man,” a statement issued by NALSA, of which the Chief Justice of India is patron, said.
• The Lok Adalat hearings were held in courts at all levels, right from the Supreme Court to the High Courts to the taluk courts. In Delhi, the State Legal Services Authority expanded the network of Lok Adalats to include the State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission, the Debt Recovery Tribunals, the Central Administrative Tribunals, Revenue Department Courts, Sub Divisional Magistrates and district consumer forums.
• Inaugurating the National Lok Adalat at the Supreme Court in the morning, Justice Anil R. Dave asked litigants to keep their ego in control and have a “big heart” to help dispose of the cases. He said alternative dispute mechanisms like the Lok Adalat were the “best ways to resolve a dispute”.

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Business & economy

More steps to rationalise subsidies: Jaitley

• Assuring India Inc. of the National Democratic Alliance’s commitment to economic reforms, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the government would announce more steps to rationalise subsidies.
• “I had a series of meetings with the Expenditure Management Commission. In the next few months ... maybe earlier than that, they will come out with some interim recommendations so that we can proceed with rationalisation,” Mr. Jaitley said.
• Recalling the government’s decision to link the diesel price with the market price, the Minister told the India Economic Conclave, organised by the television channel ET Now, it would help reduce the subsidy burden.
• The Centre had set up a commission to suggest steps to rationalise subsidies and bring down the fiscal deficit. Mr. Jaitley expressed confidence that the government would be able to push the Insurance and the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bills in this session of Parliament.
• Mr. Jaitley ruled out the NDA government “tinkering” with the country’s federal structure to help push economic reforms faster.
• The democratic process “has its own dynamics” and that should go on, the Minister said when asked why the government could not straightaway convene a joint session of both Houses of Parliament to help pass key laws (in the backdrop of the BJP not having a majority in the Rajya Sabha).
• Mr. Jaitley said that even in the past, legislation had been passed in the Rajya Sabha on the basis of a consensus among the parties.
• The Constitutional provisions required that a Bill was first considered and passed by the Lok Sabha and then went to the Rajya Sabha.
• It was only when a Bill was unable to sail through in the Rajya Sabha, in an extraordinary situation, a joint session was convened.

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Sports

Quick win for Deepan in National Premier Chess

• Vidit Gujrathi, the highest-rated player, was forced to a draw for the second successive day, this time by his Petroleum Board teammate Abhijit Kunte, in the second round of the South Indian Bank-CMS College 52nd National Premier Chess championship at the CMS College.
• Meanwhile, Deepan Chakravarthy, who was the quickest of the day with a 27-move verdict over P.D.S. Girinath, Deep Sengupta and M.R. Lalith Babu posted wins on Saturday. Five players, with 1.5 points each, are in the lead.
• The results (second round): Swayams Mishra (Ori, .5) drew with Sahaj Grover (Del, 1.5), S.P. Sethuraman (PSPB, 1) drew with P. Karthikeyan (Rly, 1.5), Deep Sengupta (PSPB, 1.5) bt P. Shyam Nikhil (TN, .5), P.D.S. Girinath (Rly, 0) lost to J. Deepan Chakravarthy (Rly, 1.5), M.R. Lalith Babu (PSPB, 1.5) bt V.A.V. Rajesh (TN, 1), Abhijit Kunte (PSPB, .5) drew with Vidit Gujrathi (PSPB, 1).