(Current Affairs) National Events | July + August: 2015

National Events

Sahitya Akademi to publish satirical poem on Gandhi: Jnanpith winner

  • Notwithstanding the Supreme Court order stating that the right to free speech and expression is not absolute in the context of attributing obscene language to ‘revered, historical figures’, Jnanpith awardee Bhalchandra Nemade is set to publish the controversial poem Gandhi Mala Bethala (I met Gandhi).

  • Mr. Nemade says he wrote to the poet, Vasant Gurjar, in March and is awaiting a response. His letter dated March 21, praises Mr. Gurjar’s work and seeks his permission to publish the poem in a proposed volume on Gandhi’s works to be brought out by the Sahitya Akademi, which comes under the Department of Culture.

  • “The chairman of the Sahitya Akademi has decided to collect selective and important literary works on Mahatma Gandhi from 24 different Indian languages and I am the chief editor for the Marathi literature on Mahatma Gandhi…

  • “In my opinion your poem, Gandhi Mala Bethala is one of the best poems on Mahatma Gandhi so far published in Marathi poetry. Your poem expresses in a unique style the wide social spectrum of Indian society after assassination of the Mahatma by Godse. Please accord your permission for including your poem in the collection to be published by the Sahitya Akademi,” Mr. Nemade wrote.

Complete Tejpal trial in one year: SC

  • The Supreme Court gave a Goa lower court one year to complete the trial against Tehelka founder-editor Tarun Tejpal in a sexual assault case.
  • A Bench led by Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu agreed to a request from the trial judge to provide more time to conclude the proceedings in the case.
  • The apex court, in January, ordered the lower court to hold daily hearings and decide the case within eight months.
  • The court had expressed unhappiness over the fact that the trial proceedings have been stalled, and asked Mr. Tejpal’s counsel to not delay it further and begin arguments on framing of charges in the case.
  • Mr. Tejpal has been charge sheeted for allegedly raping, sexually harassing and outraging the modesty of a junior colleague during an event at a Goa hotel in November 2013.

India, China to set up hotline between Army HQs

  • The omnibus communiqué, which emerged after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterpart Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People on Friday said a hotline between the two Army Headquarters would be established and additional points along the frontiers would be opened to enable local border commanders to hold crisis-management meetings.

  • Annual exchange visits between the two military headquarters and neighbouring military commands would continue. During talks, Mr. Modi “reiterated the importance of clarification of Line of Actual Control (LAC)”. The Prime Minister said the Chinese leadership was “responsive,” when he suggested that “China should take a strategic and long term view of our relations”.

  • Without directly to referring to Pakistan — a country with which China has a special relationship — Mr. Modi said the two leaderships decided “to enhance strategic communication and coordination on our region.”

  • Indian officials clarified that China’s differences with neighbours in the South China Sea were not discussed — a position that is bound to draw the attention in some countries of the ASEAN bloc and Japan.

  • The joint statement made it amply clear that outer space and nuclear energy are emerging as new areas for collaboration in the future. A Space Cooperation Mechanism had been established, which would steer a five year “outline” for partnership, which would also cover lunar and deep space exploration, between the Indian Space research Organisation (ISRO) and the China National Space Administration.

  • The two sides would engage in peaceful use of nuclear energy — a decision that led to a conversation on China’s stance towards India within the ambit of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) during the talks.

PM’s visit to 18 countries in one year ‘unprecedented’: CPI(M)

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to 18 countries in a short span of one year is “unprecedented”, the CPI(M) said.

  • “It needs to be noted that Prime Minister Modi visited 18 countries during the last one year. This is unprecedented for any Prime Minister during such a short span of time,” party General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said here after the first meeting of its newly-elected Polit Bureau.

  • He said Mr. Modi was “obviously making up for the time he had lost for being denied visas. His meetings with NRIs is an extension of his being in election mode”.

  • Referring to the Prime Minister’s attacks on the Opposition on foreign soil, Mr. Yechury said: “When we go on foreign visits as an Opposition, we ensure that we maintain the dignity of India. He appears to be in continuation of the election mode. What he says about the Opposition on foreign soil, such comments are not expected.”

  • The two-day Polit Bureau meeting took note of Mr. Modi’s visit to China saying it has always supported the improvement of India-China relations that “will result in mutual beneficial consequences for both the countries”.
    It said the visit was part of “the continuation of this process of strengthening bilateral relations with China and people to people contacts.”

  • However, it would carry out a detailed analysis of the texts of the agreements arrived at between the two countries.

  • The two sides signed a record 24 agreements covering railways, mining, outer space, earthquake science and engineering, tourism, sister-cities and establishment of consulates in Chengdu and Chennai.

  • As many as 26 business agreements worth over $22 billion were also signed between Indian firms — including Adani group, Bharti Airtel and Welspun — and their Chinese counterparts during the visit.

Over 11,000 women to be recruited in central Security Forces

  • Over 11,000 women will soon be recruited in central security forces for combat duties such as border guarding and law and order assignments.

  • The government has already set in motion its plan to hire 8,533 women constables in paramilitary forces such as CRPF, BSF, CISF and ITBP.

  • Also, sanctions have been granted by the Union Home Ministry for raising 2,772 women personnel in the Sashastra Seema Bal by 2017.

  • “The recruitments are being done to take the representation of women in central forces to at least 5 per cent of the total strength in the coming days. At present, women constitute about 2.15 per cent of the total strength of these forces,” a senior officer said.

  • A special sanction has also been accorded to the CRPF to raise two exclusive women battalions within its establishment to bolster the strength of the existing three such units.

  • “The CRPF has tasked its women units with rendering extensive law and order duties apart from their recent and small-scale induction in anti-Naxal operations theatre in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. They are also being increasingly deployed for static guard duties and escorting pilgrims of Mansarovar and Amarnath yatras,” the officer said.

  • The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will hold a three-tier examination for these posts with the stages being physical tests, written efficiency and medical tests.

  • Candidates, who have passed Class X and are between 18-23 years of age, are eligible to apply for these posts.

  • The expected salary for those hired would be around Rs 20,200 apart from other benefits that the government extends to the Central Armed Police Forces.

Mongolia gets $1-bn credit gift

  • India announced a $1-billion credit line to Mongolia for infrastructure development as they upgraded their ties to “strategic partnership” and agreed to deepen defence cooperation besides exploring potential for tie-ups in areas such as the civil nuclear sector.

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Mongolia, the first by an Indian Premier, held wide-ranging discussions with his Mongolian counterpart, Chimed Saikhanbileg, and the two leaders pledged to take bilateral economic partnership to a new level.

  • “I am pleased to announce that India will provide a Line of Credit of $1 billion to support expansion of Mongolia’s economic capacity and infrastructure,” Mr. Modi told a joint press interaction with Mr. Saikhanbileg at the State Palace.

  • “Today, Mongolia is also an integral part of India’s Act East Policy,” he said.

  • “The destinies of India and Mongolia are closely linked with the future of Asia Pacific region. We can work together to help advance peace, stability and prosperity in this region,” Mr. Modi said, pitching for close bilateral ties amid China’s push for increasing its regional influence.

  • After their talks, the two signed a joint statement committing to consolidate ties and upgrade the comprehensive partnership to “strategic partnership” and agreed to renew their Treaty of Friendly Relations and Cooperation.

  • The two sides inked 13 other pacts that include one on enhancing cooperation in border defence, policing and surveillance, air services, cyber security and new and renewable energy.

  • At a banquet hosted in his honour at Ulaanbaatar on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Ours is a relationship that is not measured on the scale of commerce or driven by competition against others. It is a relationship of immeasurable positive energy that comes from our spiritual links and shared ideals.”

  • “So, as we celebrate 25 years of democracy in Mongolia and 60 years of our diplomatic relations, we know that the best for our relationship lies ahead of us,” he said.

  • Mr. Modi also called on President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj and discussed bilateral ties and issues of mutual interests.

  • India and Mongolia support the evolution of open, balanced and inclusive security architecture in the Asia Pacific region based on collected efforts, considering legitimate interests of all states of the region guided by respect for norms and principles of international law, the joint statement by the two Prime Ministers said.

  • After signing the agreements, Mr. Modi said: “I was very pleased with my discussions with the Prime Minister. We have strong convergence of views on bilateral relations and our regional and international partnership.”

  • “The agreements that we have just signed speak of the depth of the relationship. These cover economic relations, development partnership, defence and security, and people-to-people contacts,” the Prime Minister added.

SC upholds validity of Company Law Tribunal

  • The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and its appellate forum under the Companies Act of 2013.
  • A five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, however, quashed Section 409(3)(a) and (c) and Section 411(3) of the Act providing for qualifications of technical members.
  • It held that for appointment of technical members to NCLT, directions contained in the 2010 judgment should be “scrupulously followed.”
  • The 2010 decision held that persons below the rank of a Secretary or Additional Secretary should not be appointed as a technical member to NCLT.
  • Justice A.K. Sikri, who delivered the verdict for the Bench, said the provision should not be “tinkered” with as it would dilute standards “so zealously sought to be secure[d].”
  • It also held as invalid Section 412 of the new Act, which contemplates selection by a committee consisting of two Judges and three secretaries.
  • The court directed the Centre to ensure that the bodies are adequately manned and start functioning at the earliest.

TV channels flout rules under garb of media freedom: activist

  • The Electronic Media Monitoring Centre (EMMC) of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has reported 13,000 instances of violations of regulatory norms by television channels in 2013-14.

  • These violations came to light after Guntur-based Edara Gopi Chand, an activist with Media-Watch India, waged a three-year battle to expose the poor regulation of content on India’s TV channels. Using the RTI Act, Mr. Chand succeeded in getting the EMMC to disclose information on TV channels violating programming and advertising codes after the Central Information Commission issued an order in March. After the EMMC disclosure in May, many violations in 2014-15 have been exposed.

  • EMMC data show 5,566 violations pertaining to distracting ‘part-screen’ and ‘scrolling’ ads that interfere with the programme and ‘paid promotional programmes’ telecast in the garb of news/interviews. By Rule 7(10) of the Cable Networks Rules, 1994, all advertisements should be clearly distinguishable from the programme and should not in any manner interfere with the programme such as using the lower part of the screen to carry captions, static or moving messages alongside the programme.

  • The EMMC reports 2,965 instances of surrogate advisements of liquor/tobacco products. It found 1,245 instances of misleading advertisements, which include superstitious and deceptive ads of kavachas, yantras , medicines, creams and so on, claiming to possess miraculous powers which are otherwise serious offences under the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertise-ments) Act, 1955.

  • “Merely publishing statistics of violations is meaningless unless the names of the violating channels and the nature or gravity of each of these violations is revealed. It is an open secret that the I&B Ministry sits on these reports without taking any action. It issues occasional ‘advisories’ to which no channel pays heed,” Mr. Chand said.

  • According to information on the EMMC website, 37 per cent of the violations in 2014 pertained to vulgarity or obscenity and 11 per cent related to representation of women. But National Commission for Women chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam told The Hindu that no complaints pertaining to TV channels were received by her office, although complaints about social media often reach her.

  • “Even if complaints against TV channels do come to us, there is so much hoo-ha over freedom of speech these days, I wonder what concrete action we could initiate against them,” she said.

  • Mr. Chand says that when the Ministry enforces the regulations by prohibiting telecast of the offending channel for a few days, TV channels scream government regulation and approach the courts for relief, thus preventing any action.

Don’t judge a woman by her husband’s past: SC

  • Highlighting that a woman is not a proxy for her husband and enjoys her own identity, the Supreme Court has held that a woman’s character cannot be judged merely on the basis of her husband’s criminal past.
  • The verdict by a three-judge Bench, led by Justice T.S. Thakur, came on a petition filed by Manyata Devi, who runs a construction firm.
  • She had moved the Supreme Court against a decision of the District Magistrate at Basti in Uttar Pradesh to deny her a character certificate. The Allahabad High Court had refused to intervene in the case.
  • The certificate was required to renew her firm’s registration as a contractor for the State Irrigation Department.
  • The District Magistrate was swayed by the fact that her husband had faced several criminal cases, though he was acquitted in all of them.
  • “It is difficult to appreciate how criminal cases registered against the husband of the appellant [Manyata Devi] could possibly deny her a certificate of good moral character,” the judgment on May 15 said.
  • In the apex court, the Uttar Pradesh government said a ‘contract mafia’ was operating in the State. In Ms. Devi’s case, she would be used as a front for her husband to run the operations. The State said she had no experience whatsoever in the construction business.
  • The State quoted the law that “registration is granted only to people who have no criminal background.” This was to ensure that only genuine contractors win govern-ment contract works.
  • The Bench observed that the grant of character certificate had nothing to do with her professional inexperience or her husband’s criminal background, and asked the DM to reconsider her case.

Harman Singh is now a global hero

  • A day after a Sikh man broke religious protocol by removing his turban to help a profusely bleeding child in New Zealand, people praised him on social networking sites, a media report said.
  • The story of Harman Singh, 22, has been shared tens of thousands of times on social media as he woke up to hundreds of messages from around the world.
  • A picture of his setting aside religious protocol by removing his turban to cradle a boy hit by a car has turned him into an instant hero, New Zealand Herald reported.
  • Mr. Singh has since received hundreds of Facebook “herograms” from as far afield as the U.S., Europe and India. “Total strangers are asking to be friends on Facebook and thousands of people have said ‘Well done’. I was only doing what I had to and trying to be a decent member of the community,” he said.

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