General Awareness

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES - August 2019

Aug 2019

Dec 14, 2019

AP Clears Bill Seeking Death Penalty for Rapists

The Andhra Pradesh assembly passed two bills to amend the Indian Penal Code to enable expeditious investigation and trial of offences against women and children.
The first bill seeks to award death penalty for rapists and the second to take stringent action for atrocities against women by setting up special courts to deal with such offences.
The Andhra Pradesh Criminal Law (Andhra Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2019, prescribes death penalty for rapes in which there is conclusive evidence. The bill envisages an amendment of Section 376 (Punishment for rape) of the IPC. This apart, the Bill also reduces the judgment period to 21 working days, with seven days for investigation and 14 for trial.
The bill prescribes life imprisonment for other sexual offences against children. During the discussion on the bill, Andhra Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said as the criminal law was part of the concurrent list of State and Centre, the new bill would be sent to the Centre for Presidential assent.

Dec 13, 2019

President Kovind Gives Assent to CAB

President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, turning it into an Act.
According to an official notification, the Act came into effect with its publication in the official gazette on December 12, 2019.
The President's assent came amid widespread protests in several north-eastern states, especially Assam and Tripura, with several civil society groups, students' unions and local parties seeking it immediate withdrawal, contending that it would threaten the interests of indigenous people.

RS Clears Bill on SC/ST Quota for LS, Assemblies

Parliament approved a Constitution amendment bill to extend quota to Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by another 10 years.
The Constitution (126th) Amendment Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha with 163 members voting in favour and none against. Lok Sabha had passed the bill earlier this month. Reservation for members of SCs and STs, given for the past 70 years in Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was due to end on January 25, 2020. The reservation for Anglo-Indians in the form of nomination is, however, set to expire on January 25 as the bill does not extend the facility to the community.

Rajya Sabha Passes IFSC Authority Bill

The Rajya Sabha passed the International Financial Services Centres (IFSC) Authority Bill, 2019, which proposes to set up a unified financial regulator in IFSCs in India.
An IFSC caters to customers outside the jurisdiction of the domestic economy.

Dec 12, 2019

LS Passes Bill to Set Up Unified Authority

The Lok Sabha passed a bill to set up a unified authority for regulating all financial activities in international financial services centres (IFSCs) in the country.
The first IFSC in India was set up at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The unified authority will act as a single-window for regulating various financial activities in the IFSC.
All the laws of land, including the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, will apply, the unified authority which will be independent would be subject audit by the CVC and the CAG.

Rajya Sabha Passes the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019

The parliament passed a bill granting citizenship to religious minorities from three Muslim-majority countries in India's neighbourhood, as the government rushed troops to the North-east to contain protesters who went on a rampage against the controversial legislation that opposition parties called divisive and unconstitutional.
After a seven-hour debate, the Rajya Sabha passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, or CAB, 125-99. The Lok Sabha had cleared the bill earlier. It will become law once President Ram Nath Kovind formally gives his assent to the bill.
The CAB seeks to amend the 1955 Citizenship Act by bestowing citizenship to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis and Jains who entered India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014. This was a key election promise of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2014 and 2019.

Dec 11, 2019

Amendments for Stricter Arms Act

Parliament cleared changes to the Arms act, making the manufacture and possession of illegal fire arms punishable with a life term in an effort to bring in tighter gun control.
The Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019, also has a provision for imprisonment of two years or fine, which may extend to Rs. 1 lakh or both for those using firearms in a rash or negligent manner in celebratory gunfire.
The amendments were passed by voice vote in the Upper House. The Lok Sabha had approved the bill.

Bill May Give Govt. a Wider Berth on Data Surveillance

The proposed law to protect personal privacy in India gives the government more powers to access people's data over reasons such as safeguarding national security as compared to the law recommended by an expert committee, according to a version set to be introduced in Parliament this week.
The Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019, which will underpin India's first legal framework to protect privacy after it was held as a fundamental right by the Supreme Court in 2017, has been circulated among parliamentarians. MPs are likely to push for the bill to be sent to a joint committee for closer scrutiny.
The draft is yet to be tabled in Parliament.
The law is based on a draft prepared by the expert committee led by retired justice B. N. Srikrishna, and on the whole, gives ownership of personal data to the individual, defines obligations for any organisation handling such data, and lays down penalties and punishments in case a user's privacy is breached.

Dec 10, 2019

Andhra Plans New Law for Justice within Three Weeks

The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to bring in a new legislation to fast track the cases pertaining to atrocities on women and children and award punishment to the accused within three weeks. The announcement was made by Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy in the state legislative assembly.
The new bill, to be introduced in the state assembly, envisages completion of investigation within a week, trial in two weeks and awarding punishment within three weeks. "If the accused in the rape and murder cases are caught red-handed and the evidences including DNA reporters are strong, they would be sentenced to death death within three weeks.

Bill on Maritime Piracy Tabled

A bill that provides for strict punishment, including death penalty or life imprisonment, to those involved in piracy at sea was tabled in the Lok Sabha. Congress's Shashi Tharoor opposed the introduction of the bill, saying that the provision of automatic death penalty was against the law. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar assured the house that the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill does not have automatic death penalty provision. It is aimed at promoting the safety of India's maritime trade.

Citizenship Bill Clears Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha passed a controversial bill that grants citizenship to religious minorities from three Muslim-majority countries in India's neighbourhood after a fierce nine-hour debate in which opposition parties alleged the draft legislation violated the Constitution by linking faith to citizenship.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) 2019 seeks to amend the 1955 Citizenship Act by granting citizenship to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, Parsis and Jains who entered India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan on or before December 31, 2014.

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