General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2015

Sep 2015

Apr 08, 2019

Standard Rating for Private Security Agencies

The Central Association of Private Security Industry (CAPSI) has tied up with the Quality Council of India for certification and rating of private security agencies, with an aim to enhance the employability scope of security guards and also their credibility in the eyes of those employing them.
CAPSI, an apex body of security guards, joined hands with the council in March, for certification and rating programme for the private security agencies.
Christened as Security Agencies Rating Scheme (SARS), the unique process of standardisation will help the agencies enhance their credibility and consequently their business.
The guards deployed by private security agencies are mandatorily governed under the Private Security Agencies Regulation Act, 2005 (PSARA) and are monitored by the controlling authorities of the states which grant licences.

Apr 07, 2019

Wildlife Board Not to Hear J&K Cases

Wildlife clearances for projects in the protected areas of Jammu and Kashmir will no longer be considered by the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).
This is because of the special status granted to the state, although some activists and lawyers believe the body's clarification is misplaced.
Existing laws, including the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act, do not provide for consultation of the NBWL for cases related to national parks or sanctuaries in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to minutes of the 53rd meeting of the standing committee of NBWL published on March 25, the union environment ministry, through an office memorandum dated May 7, 2018, formed a committee to examine matters related to projects falling within national parks or wildlife sanctuaries of Jammu and Kashmir, projects in conservation reserves or community reserves, and projects falling within the eco-sensitive zone of a protected area.
Jammu and Kashmir has 38 conservation reserves, 14 wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks
Supreme Court judgments, such as the landmark case of TN Godavarman vs Union of India, which covers both issues related to wildlife and forests "do not specifically mention the state of Jammu and Kashmir while making no exception...," the minutes said.
The committee has said important cases may be referred to the NBWL by state authorities for advice or consideration but in view of the special provisions for Jammu and Kashmir, NBWL will take the view of the ministry of law before considering any case.

EC Bans Uncertified Political Ads on Poll Date and Day Before

The Election Commission barred parties, candidates and others from publishing political advertisements on polling day and a day prior to it in each of the seven phases of Lok Sabha polls unless their contents are pre-certified by screening committees.
The EC had taken a similar decision for the first time in 2015 Bihar polls.
The poll panel said instances of advertisements of offending and misleading nature published in print media have been brought to its notice in the past.
The EC order said to ensure that no untoward incident takes place, it is using its constitutional powers to direct that "no political party or candidate or any other organization or person" will publish any advertisement in the print media on the day and one day prior to poll day unless the contents are pre-certified by screening committees.

Apr 06, 2019

Sumitra Mahajan Out of the Fray

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced that she would not contest the 2019 Lok Sabha poll as she perceived that the BJP appeared hesitant in declaring a candidate for the Indore seat because of her presence. She has represented the Indore seat eight times and is the longest serving woman MP currently in Parliament.
Ms. Mahajan is on a long list of senior party leaders past the age of 75 who have been quietly put out to pasture with regard to electoral politics. The list is led by former Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani, former Union Ministers Murli Manohar Joshi and Shanta Kumar, senior leader Karia Munda among others.

Relief for National Herald

The Supreme Court stayed the eviction and further proceedings against Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publishers of the National Herald newspaper, started by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1938 to advance the freedom movement, from a centrally located building in the national capital.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi ordered the stay of proceedings against AJL under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971 till further notice.

Compensation for Rape Survivor

The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has directed the State government to provide a compensation of Rs. 3 lakh and a shelter under a government scheme to a minor girl, who became a mother in a residential school. The minor girl was repeatedly assaulted sexually allegedly by a school headmaster in Koraput district in 2017.

Apr 05, 2019

No Kartarpur Meet

India and Pakistan are not expected to hold any more meetings on the Kartarpur corridor before the country's general elections as Islamabad is yet to respond to issues raised by New Delhi.
On March 29, India called off the second meeting with Pakistan to discuss modalities for the corridor, which was scheduled for April 2, over the inclusion of pro-Khalistan activists such as Gopal Chawla and Bisan Singh in a Pakistani committee to facilitate Sikh pilgrims.

Nishad Party Switches to NDA

In a fillip to the caste arithmetic of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, the Nishad Party joined the NDA, less than a week after it walked out of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance.
Gorakhpur MP Praveen Nishad, who won the seat in a bypoll on a SP ticket in 2018 with BSP support, was also inducted into the BJP. He is the son of Sanjay Nishad, the founder and president of the Nishad Party.

Apr 04, 2019

AAP to Not Contest LS Polls in Maharashtra

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will not be contesting the Lok Saha election in Maharashtra, the party's State convener Brigadier Sudhir Sawant (Retd) announced, citing the need to stop the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Upendra Kushwaha to Contest from Two Seats

RLSP chief and former Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha announced that he would contest from two parliamentary constituencies in Bihar.
He will contest from Karakat and Ujiarpur Lok Sabha seats.

The Intangible Seat

On April 11, when the Himalayan State of Sikkim goes to the polls, elections will be held in a unique Assembly constituency that does not exist on the State's map and has no geographical boundaries.
"The 32-Sangha Assembly constituency has no geographical boundary and it is only one-of-its-kind constituency in the country reserved for the monastic community (Sangha)," the office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Sikkim states on its website.
Buddhist monks registered with 51 monasteries in the State are the only ones who can contest and cast their votes for the unique Assembly seat. R. Telang, CEO of Sikkim, said that the number of voters for the Sangha seat this year is 3,293, which includes 3,224 (monks) and 69 (nuns).

Women to March for Change

Women's organisations across India will conduct a mass action, Women March For Change.
Their goal, their communication says, is to encourage women to use their vote to reject the current environment of hate and violence and to claim their constitutional rights as citizens of a democratic republic.
The action has no single owner, it is a loose collective, decentralised, with groups all over the country self-organising events. The team at the core expects marches and protests to happen across metros, smaller towns and villages; an incomplete list on Wednesday evening named 141 events in 20 states.

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