Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 31 May 2014

CBI probe into Badaun rape

Facing criticism from all sides on the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has decided to recommend a CBI inquiry into the gang rape and murder of two minor girls at Katra Sahadat Ganj village in Badaun district.
The girls’ family members do not want an investigation by the State police. The five accused include two policemen, Chhtarapal and Sarvesh Yadav, who have been dismissed from service.
The Bharatiya Janata Party criticised Mr. Gandhi for visiting the village. Party State unit president Laxmikant Bajpai said that after patronising the Samajwadi Party for the past two years despite its misdeeds, criticising it now was beyond comprehension. Not a single penny from the Rs. 1,000-crore Nirbhaya Fund had been spent. There could be no bigger example of the lack of sensitivity of the Congress and Mr. Gandhi.
The Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh has also removed Chief Secretary Javed Usmani and appointed Alok Ranjan in his place.

As part of its 100-day agenda, the Modi government has set the ball rolling on redesigning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
The objective is to ensure that the assets created under the scheme augment rural productivity, besides providing jobs to unskilled rural labourers.
The Modi government plans to leverage the redesigned MGNREGS for development of villages. The BJP manifesto promised to link the scheme to agriculture.

Signalling a break from the past, the Narendra Modi government has announced the “abolition” of all Groups of Ministers (GoMs) and Empowered Groups of Ministers (EGoMs) “for greater accountability and empowerment.”
Nine EGoMs and 21 GoMs were set up by the previous UPA government to take decisions on various matters such as corruption, inter-State water disputes, administrative reforms and gas and telecom pricing, before bringing them for the Cabinet’s consideration.
During the UPA-II, 27 GoMs and 24 EGoMs were formed with former Defence Minister A.K. Antony heading most of the EGoMs.
The issues pending before the EGoMs and GoMs will now be processed by the Ministries and departments.
The announcement came two days after Mr. Modi unveiled his 10-point agenda with a directive to the Ministers to prepare a list of issues that they will take up in the first 100 days in office, with focus on efficiency, delivery systems and implementation.

Diesel prices were have been hiked by 50 paise a litre, excluding state levies, the second increase in rates three weeks.
The monthly hike in price came after several rounds discussions that the new Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held with state-owned oil firms on continuing with the reform initiated by the UPA government.
The announcement of the hike gave clear indications that the BJP government will continue with reforms of the previous Congress regime.
The UPA had in January 2013 decided to raise diesel prices in small doses of up to 50 paise every month till such time that the subsidy on nation’s most consumed fuel is eliminated.
The hikes are excluding state sales tax or VAT and actual increase will be higher and will vary from city to city.

Malawi’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Peter Mutharika has emerged winner of the May 20 presidential race in the southern African country, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) .
Malawi Congress Party (MCP) leader Lazarous Chakwera came second grasping 27.8 percent of the votes and outgoing president Joyce Banda trailed in third with 20.2 percent of the votes, followed by UDF’S Atupele Muluzi with 13.7 percent, the MEC said.
The official announcement came after Ms. Banda attempted to nullify the election and call fresh polls on the ground that the vote was marred by irregularities.

Sania Mirza and Cara Black trounced Gabriela Dabrowski and Alicja Rosolska to move to the pre-quarterfinals of the French Open.
The fifth seed Indo-Zimbabwean pair needed just 59 minutes to dispatch the Canadian-Pole team 6-1, 6-2 in the second round.
Sania and Cara faced only one breakpoint in the contest and broke their rivals four times. They are now up against Jelena Jankovic and Alisa Kleybanova, who got a walkover from Sharon Fichman and A Pavlyuchenkova.