General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Apr 11, 2019

NGT Sets up Central Monitoring Panel

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted a Central Monitoring Committee to ensure the implementation of action plan meant for reducing pollution stretches across the country.
A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said that it is necessary to constitute a Central Monitoring Committee to undertake a national initiative by way of preparation and enforcement of a national plan to make river stretches pollution-free.
Senior representatives of NITI Aayog, Secretaries of the Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will be a part of the panel, apart from the Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board and Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga.
The panel will coordinate with States to oversee the action plans and ensure execution of the same.

SC Rejects Centre's Plea

The Supreme Court dismissed the government's plea to declare the Rafale jets' purchase documents a secret, while upholding the right of free speech of The Hindu to publish the defence papers in a series of articles since February 2019.
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, who shared the lead judgment with Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, said that The Hindu's right to publish the Rafale documents was in consonance with the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech.
With this, the apex court has dismissed preliminary objections raised by the government against petitions seeking a review of the December 14, 2018 judgment of the Supreme Court, which upheld the deal for purchase of 36 Rafale jets.
The government had claimed that the review pleas were based on secret Rafale documents unauthorisedly removed from the Ministry of Defence and leaked to the media.

Apr 10, 2019

Phase 1 Campaign Ends

Campaigning ended for the first phase of polling for the 17th Lok Sabha election scheduled for 11/04/2019.
Ninety-one Lok Sabha constituencies across 20 States and Union Territories will vote in the first of the seven phases. Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and parts of Odisha will be voting to elect new Assemblies also.
Counting of votes of all phases will be on May 27.

Body Scanners to Replace Metal Detectors

According to the aviation security regulator, starting in April 2020, air travellers will be examined by body scanners at Indian airports, which has directed airport operators to replace metal detectors with superior technology.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) asked airport operators and security agencies to install the devices at pre-embarkation security check points of all airports in a phased manner.
Body scanners detect objects being carried by a traveller without the need for physical contact such as frisking.
The government communication does give air travellers the option of refusing to go through body scanners.
In that case, the traveller will be subjected to a full pat-down search. Air travellers with medical conditions will also be exempt from security screening by body scanners.
They will be screened using door frame metal detectors (DFMDs).

Centre Denies RTI Plea

The Centre has denied a Right to Information (RTI) request for details of the ongoing recruitment process for four vacancies in the Central Information Commission (CIC), despite a recent Supreme Court order mandating that such information be made public.
The CIC is the RTI Act's highest appellate body.

Apr 09, 2019

Third Front Government a Possibility

According to Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) leader Kamal Haasan, the Lok Sabha election will result in a hung Parliament and there is a possibility of the Third Front forming the government.
The way the election is going, the MNM predicts a hung Parliament, and a Third Front will eventually form the government.

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.

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