General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Feb 02, 2019

Not Going Back to the Ballot Boxes

Amidst the opposition parties demanding a return to the ballot boxes in the electoral process ahead of the Lok Sabha elections alleging EVM tampering, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora stated there will not be a going back to the ballot boxes.
The Commission has informed the political parties that VVPATs will be used in all polling booths countrywide in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Arora added that the commission has firm belief and convinced that EVM and VVPAT machines are secure and have proved effective on all the parameters. As per extant practice, VVPAT slips will be matched with EVM vote count in one randomly selected polling station of each assembly segment of a parliamentary constituency.

Understanding on 6 Bills

With the intervention of Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu, the government and the opposition reached an understanding on six bills to be taken up for consideration and passage in the Upper House.
As a result of the meetings, it was decided six legislative proposals, including one to replace an ordinance, will be taken up during the session.
The Companies (Amendment) Bill to replace ordinance, trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill 2019, Personal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2019.

Feb 01, 2019

NITI Aayog Rubbishes Report of Unemployment

The NITI Aayog said that a yet-to-be-released report, which claims that the rate of unemployment is at a 45-year high in 2017-18, is not verified.
According to NITI Aayog Vice Chairman, the government did not release the data (on jobs) as it is still being processed. When the data is ready the government will release it.
The clarification from the NITI Aayog came as the opposition mounted attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government over the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO)'s periodic labour force survey (PLFS), which was withheld by the government but accessed by a newspaper.

Jan 31, 2019

Rally against Citizenship Bill

Several tribal parties led by the Congress held a joint rally near Agartala to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
The unprecedented huge rally took place a day after 11 parties of the Northeast held a convention in Guwahati on the same issue.
Led by Congress General Secretary in-charge of Sikkim Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debburman participants in the rally unitedly planned to obstruct the passing of the Bill into an Act.
Earlier this month, amid strong opposition by various political parties, including the Congress, Left and Trinamool Congress, the Lok Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill but it is yet to approved by the Rajya Sabha.

Automatic Listing of Fresh Cases

The Supreme Court launched its new system of automatic listing of fresh cases within three to seven days in a bid to do away with the system of mentioning of matters for urgent listing every day.
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had earlier said that the Supreme Court was devising a mechanism to do away with the process of mentioning of pleas and to ensure automatic listing of fresh cases for hearing soon after being filed.
The new mechanism will come into effect on February 4.

Jan 30, 2019

Ten North-East Parties Join Hands Against Citizenship Bill

Ten Northeast political parties, most of which are members of BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), came together on a common platform to jointly oppose the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 "in the interest of the NE people".
They also decided that a delegation, comprising their representatives, would call on the President and the Prime Minister to apprise them of their opposition to the bill that seeks to provide Indian citizenship to minorities who fled religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and entered India before December 31, 2014, after six years of residence in the country.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma, on whose initiative the meeting was called, and his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga attended the meeting. The Asom Gana Parishad, which pulled out of Sonowal-led BJP government in Assam over the issue, was also associated with the convening of the meeting.
The 10 parties were Mizo National Front, United Democratic Party, AGP, Naga People's Front, National People's Party, National Democratic Progressive Party, Hill State People's Democratic Party, People's Democratic Front, Indigenous People's Front of Tripura and the Khnam.

Jan 29, 2019

EC Wants Ban on All Party E-Ads 48 hrs Before Polls

The Election Commission has sought an amendment to the law to prevent social media and other digital platforms from carrying political advertisements in the final 48 hours before elections.
While Section 126 of the Representation of People Act prevents electronic media from airing political advertisements in the 'silent period' before elections, the EC in 2015 brought in rules that made pre-certification mandatory for campaign material to be published in newspapers during the 48 hours.
Social media platforms, which are under scrutiny the world over for how they influence election outcomes, however, have been completely out of the purview of the pre-screening and prohibition rules.
The EC has written to the law ministry, suggesting to extend the provisions under Section 126 to digital and print media as well, keeping in mind the differential approach to print and electronic media, and the rising impact of social media on elections.
While Section 126 expressly bans television channels from broadcasting "political matter" during the period, lack of any backing by law has led to print media carrying political advertisements during the silent period despite the curbs imposed by the EC.
Accordingly, the EC suggested inclusion of 'print media' and 'other entities' within the ambit of Section 126 (1) (b). Other entities will pertain to all social media formats.

Lokpal Panel to Conduct its First Meeting on Appointments

The panel set up to recommend names for appointments to anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal will hold its first meeting on 29 January 2019.
The government had in September constituted the eightmember panel to recommend names for the top anti-corruption ombudsman. Former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai is heading the panel.
The committee also includes retired bureaucrat Lalit K Panwar, former Allahabad high court judge Sakha Ram Singh Yadav, ex-State Bank of India chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, Prasar Bharati chairperson A Surya Prakash, Indian Space Research Organisation head A S Kiran Kumar, former Gujarat police chief S S Khandwawala and ex-solicitor general Ranjit Kumar.
As per the guidelines, the search committee would recommend the names for selection to a Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led panel.
According to the Lokpal Act, the Prime Minister's panel has the Lok Sabha speaker, leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, chief justice of India or an apex court judge he nominates as its members.
The Lokpal will have a chairman and eight members. It can inquire into offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act including against the Prime Minister with specified safeguards.
Sitting and former Union ministers as well as current and former Parliament members also come under its purview.
The Lokpal can look into allegations of corruption against government employees and those of companies, societies or trusts set up by acts of Parliament or financed or controlled by the central government. Employees of associations of people receiving funding from the government or having received public donation or foreign funding up to Rs 10 lakh annually, too, come under the Lokpal's purview.

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