(Current Affairs) National Events | September: 2014

National Events

Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha made a frontal attack on the Centre

  • Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha made a frontal attack on the Centre for unilaterally segregating senior advocate Gopal Subramanium’s name for elevation as a Supreme Court judge without his knowledge and concurrence.
  • Speaking at a farewell function for Justice B.S. Chauhan on his superannuation, the CJI said “the segregation of Mr. Gopal Subramanium’s name was done unilaterally by the Executive without my knowledge and concurrence which was not proper.”
  • Referring to the appointment controversy, the CJI said: “This is one subject which is non-negotiable. At no cost the independence of the judiciary will be allowed to be compromised. I will not hold my office if I feel that the independence of the institution of the judiciary has been compromised. I failed to understand that the appointment to a high constitutional position has been dealt with in a casual manner.

Central govt. extends validity of industrial licences

  • The Modi Government, announced its first step towards greater ease of doing business by addressing the industry’s demand on the simplification of the process for the extensions of industrial licences.
  • In a new Press Note, the government extended the period of validity of industrial licences from two years to three years and relaxed the requirement for companies to have to go back to the Licensing Committee for the extensions. The extensions will now be done with the approval of the Joint Secretary concerned of the administrative ministry.
  • The new guidelines will apply to those cases where even three years after the issue of the industrial licence, the licence holder has not commenced production. The renewals would be allowed for a period of two years.
  • The Press Note also clarified the preconditions for the extensions. These include: Land should have been acquired, either under ownership or on lease for a minimum period of 30 years and the orders for plant and machinery for the project should have been placed. Certificates from an appropriate local body such as the Municipal Corporation stating construction on the project has commenced will also be required.

J&K visit: Development, security to top Modi’s agenda

  • Development and security will top Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda on his visit to Jammu and Kashmir, which comes just a month after he was sworn-in.
  • The Prime Minister is making a short one-day visit, but touching both Jammu and the Kashmir Valley, with stops in Jammu, Katra, Srinagar and Uri, inaugurating a railway line, a power project, addressing a gathering in Katra and addressing the troops in Srinagar. However, there will be no political outreach as in the past. There are no official meetings with the Chief Minister, his cabinet, or any public gatherings in the Valley.
  • The Prime Minister’s agenda isn’t the only departure from the past. He will be stopping in Srinagar for a couple of hours only, to address a ‘Sainik Sammelan’, speaking to a group of soldiers posted at various places in the State. He will also hold a security review meeting with corp commanders.

Modi is the third most followed on Twitter

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an avid user of social media, is the third most followed world leader on micro blogging website Twitter, next only to U.S. President Barack Obama and the Pope.
  • Mr. Modi, who overtook Indonesian President S.B. Yudhoyono on Thursday, has 5.09 million followers. Mr. Obama has 43.9 million followers, while the Pope has over 14 million and Yudhoyono has 5.08 million.
  • This shows how Mr. Modi has been actively using Twitter to connect with the masses reinforcing the tool of digital diplomacy in a larger context making the social media platform a powerful channel for communicating and engaging with all Indians across the country.

Government favours Aadhaar

  • In a bid to clear confusion and duplication between the National Population Register (NPR) and Aadhaar cards, the NDA government has decided to explore the possibility of a synergy between the two ambitious projects of the previous UPA government.
  • The issue was discussed at a high-level meeting, convened by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by Law and Justice and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Minister of State for Planning Rao Inderjit Singh. The meeting discussed how the two could be made “complementary.
  • The issue will now be discussed by officials of all Ministries concerned and a way will be found soon.
  • The Home Ministry has already suggested that the NPR and Aadhaar schemes be merged under the Registrar General of India (RGI) or division of work between the two should be in such a way that enrolment is done entirely by NPR while the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which runs Aadhaar, carries out reduplication ahead of generating the unique number.
  • The UIDAI was set up by the UPA government in 2009 under the chairmanship of Nandan Nilekani. It comes under the Planning Commission.

Centre to sort out GST compensation

  • Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the Centre would sort out compensation issues with States to ensure early roll-out of Goods and Service Tax (GST), a new indirect tax regime that will subsume various levies.
  • After meeting State finance ministers, he said there was a broad consensus on implementing the GST regime, and efforts would be made to sort out the pending issues, especially with regard to compensation for loss of revenue.

ED books Tyagi

  • The Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case against retired Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi and others in connection with the alleged payment of over €21.4 million by AgustaWestland to IDS Infotech India and its erstwhile Tunisia subsidiary.
  • Transferred in seven instalments between 2007 and 2011, the money was allegedly meant to pay kickbacks for the Rs.3,700 crore VVIP chopper deal. While IDS Infotech allegedly received a total of €2.14 million, the rest went to IDS Tunisia.

Supreme Court stays order Quashing VC’s Appointment

  • The Supreme Court stayed an order of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, quashing the appointment of Kalyani Mathivanan as Vice-Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University.
  • After hearing senior counsel K.K. Venugopal, who appeared for Ms. Kalyani, a Bench of Justices S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Ranjan Gogoi issued notice to the respondents, including the petitioner who got the appointment quashed.
  • Since 1965, Madurai Kamaraj University, like every other university in Tamil Nadu, had prescribed no qualification for appointment as Vice-Chancellor, going instead by the wisdom of the Chancellor and the experience of the search committee. The UGC Regulations, introduced in 2010, upset the existing mechanism, affecting the federal structure of the Constitution.

Goa Governor also Quits

  • Goa Governor Bharat Vir Wanchoo, who was quizzed by a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation as a “witness” in AgustaWestland Chopper deal scam, submitted his resignation in the evening.
  • He forwarded his resignation to the President of India.The Governor, a former chief of the elite Special Protection Group, recorded his statement as a “witness” in the VVIP helicopter case under Section 161 CrPC. Continuing its probe into allegations of over Rs.360 crore bribe paid in the purchase of VVIP helicopters, a team of CBI comprising officials from Mumbai and Delhi recorded Mr. Wanchoo’s statement.
  • His questioning comes a week after former West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan was quizzed by the CBI; Mr. Narayanan resigned thereafter.

Maharashtra had the highest number of police suicides

  • Maharashtra has had the highest number of recorded suicides by police personnel in the past year, according to latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau.
  • The State recorded 40 cases of suicides by men in uniform in 2013, edging out Tamil Nadu (31) and West Bengal (29) to top the charts. Overall, 222 police suicides were reported from all States last year.In 2012, the State ranked second with 28 police suicides.
  • Between 2006 and 2013, the State reported 267 police suicides, the highest among all States including Uttar Pradesh, which has the largest police force in terms of sanctioned strength. During the same time period, Tamil Nadu stood second with 216, while West Bengal was a distant third with 96.
  • Maharashtra has consistently been among the two worst performers for the past decade.distant third with 96. Maharashtra has consistently been among the two worst performers for the past decade.

Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal transferred

  • Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal transferred to Mizoram for the remainder of her term.
  • Vakkom Purushothaman, Governor of Mizoram, was shifted and appointed as Governor of Nagaland for the rest of his term. However, Mr. Purushothaman will continue to hold the additional charge of the office of the Governor of Tripura.
  • According to the communiqué, Rajasthan Governor Margaret Alva will discharge the functions of the Governor of Gujarat, in addition to her own duties, until regular arrangements are made. Her tenure finishes in August.
  • Among the names doing the rounds for appointment as Governors are BJP leaders Kesri Nath Tripathi, Lalji Tandon from U.P., Kailash Joshi from Madhya Pradesh, V.K. Malhotra from Delhi, O. Rajagopal from Kerala and Balramji Dass Tandon from Punjab. Eminent jurist Soli Sorabjee, who served as the Attorney-General during NDA rule, was also said to have been shortlisted.

Government extends NDA’s senior citizen pension scheme for one more year

  • Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana, first introduced by the previous NDA government has been revived again for the period of one year.
  • Govt. also proposed setting up a committee to examine unclaimed amounts lying as deposits in accounts of PPF, Post Office and other saving schemes and recommend how this amount can be used to protect and further financial interests of the senior citizens.

Budget 2014 Highlights-Aim: a second green revolution

  • Government announced in its Budget a technology-driven second green revolution with emphasis on higher productivity and a “protein revolution.”
  • A Kisan TV channel will be launched for providing real-time information on new techniques, water conservation and organic farming.
  • The agri-tech fund will be used to make farming competitive and profitable, develop agro-technology and modernise existing agri-business infrastructure.
  • Two more institutions on the lines of the Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Pusa, will be set up in Assam and Jharkhand.

Housing for all by 2022 and Rs. 7,060 crore for 100 smart cities

  • Finance Minister offered a tax sop for homeowners by extending the additional tax incentive on home loans.
  •  A sum of Rs. 4,000 crore has been earmarked for National Housing Bank with a view to increase the flow of cheaper credit for affordable housing to the urban poor.
  • Slum development has been added to the list of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.
  • Government announced 100 smart cities, which will be enabled with the latest technology like wi-fi connectivity and infrastructure and will have concepts such as sustainability, walking spaces and specialised domains.

Seven New Dwarf Galaxies Discovered

  • Astronomers have used a new type of telescope made by stitching together telephoto lenses to discover seven new dwarf galaxies.
  • Their Dragonfly Telephoto Array uses eight telephoto lenses with special coatings that suppress internally scattered light, This makes the telescope uniquely adept at detecting the very diffuse, low surface brightness.
  • The previously unseen galaxies may yield important insights into dark matter and galaxy evolution
  • These are the same kind of lenses that are used in sporting events like the World Cup.

President Pranab Mukherjee asks CPWD to become more dynamic

  • President Pranab Mukherjee urged the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) under the Ministry of Urban Development to focus on areas where innovation and modernisation in the infrastructure sector.

  • Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 160 years of CPWD’s service, Mr. Mukherjee urged the organisation to evolve into “a smarter, more dynamic and highly professional organisation”.

  • He asked the Department to aim at providing last mile connectivity of rural roads, health and educational infrastructure, water supply and sanitation and referring to sustainable habitats as the need of the hour and energy-efficient building.

  • He also completed the CPWD for undertaking and complementing challenging assignments in the Rann of Kutch, Thar Desert, in high altitude areas of the Himalayas, North-Eastern Region and also in Afghanistan.

Pay revised wages for MGNREGA, says SC

  • The Supreme Court on Friday directed all States to pay workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Act (MGNREGA) revised wages as per the notification issued by the Centre in February this year.

  • It further asked the government to find a way out to end the disparity between the wages paid under the MGNREGA and State-mandated rates under the Minimum Wages Act.

  • As per the February 13, 2014 notification issued by the Ministry of Rural Development, the wages per day to be paid by the States and Union Territories range from Rs. 156 in Uttarakhand to Rs. 236 in Haryana.

INS Kamorta handed over to Navy and Navy gets its largest destroyer

  • INS Kamorta, the first in series of anti-submarine corvettes indigenously built by Kolkata based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), was handed over to Indian Navy.
  • It is first Indian Naval warship ever built in the country with almost 90 per cent of indigenous content.
  • The Indian Navy has got its largest-ever destroyer after the addition of the 163 metre-long vessel Kolkata (D63).
  • Kolkata (D63) is India’s first domestically built guided missile destroyer to feature a Western-style air search radar and stealth technology.
  • Kolkata has an all-round capability against enemy submarines, surface warships, anti-ship missiles and fighter aircraft.
  • It incorporates modern weapons and sensors having advanced information warfare suite, an auxiliary control system with sophisticated power distribution architecture and modular crew quarters.

Ram Naik is new UP Governor, O.P. Kohli for Gujarat

  • New governors have been appointed in Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Gujarat and Nagaland.
  • Former Union Minister Ram Naik appointed as Governor of Uttar Pradesh and veteran Delhi leader O.P. Kohli will move to Gujarat as Governor.
  • 80-year-old Mr. Naik has the rare distinction of being the only Minister who completed five years as Petroleum and Natural gas minister in one government.
  • According to the communique, Keshari Nath Tripathi, a former Uttar Pradesh Speaker will take over the post of Governor in West Bengal.
  • Balram Das Tandon, 87, founder member of Jan Sangh in 1951, was appointed Governor of Chhatisgarh.
  • Padmanabha Acharya, was appointed as Governor of Nagaland.

<< Go Back To National Events Main Page

National Issues
Current Affairs
Civil Services EXAM
Civil Services Preliminary
Civil Services Mains
UPSC