1. Rajya Sabha passed Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Bill, 2015
i. Rajya Sabha
on 22 December 2015 passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of
Children) Bill, 2015. With this passage, the bill awaits the President’s nod to
be qualified as an act as it was already passed by the Lok Sabha on 7 May 2015.
ii. Most
importantly, the Bill permits juveniles between the ages of 16-18 years to be
tried as adults for heinous offences. Also, any 16-18 year old, who commits a
lesser (serious) offence, may be tried as an adult only if he is apprehended
after the age of 21 years.
iii. The Bill replaces the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection
of Children) Act, 2000. It addresses children in conflict with law and
children in need of care and protection.
iv. Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) and Child Welfare Committees
(CWC) will be constituted in each district. The JJB will conduct a preliminary
inquiry to determine whether a juvenile offender is to be sent for
rehabilitation or be tried as an adult. The trial of the case will take place
accordingly by the board which will consist of psychologists and social
experts.
v. During the
passage of the bill, inside and outside the parliament differing views were
expressed on the provisions of the bill especially on whether juveniles should
be tried as adults.
vi. The
provision of trying a juvenile committing a serious or heinous offence as an
adult based on date of apprehension could violate the Article 14 (right to
equality) and Article 21 (requiring that laws and procedures are fair and
reasonable).
vii. The
Standing Committee, which examined the bill, observed that it was based on
misleading data regarding juvenile crimes and violated certain provisions of
the Constitution.
2. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar approved Patna Metro Rail project
i. Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar on 22 December 2015 approved much anticipated Patna Metro
Rail project's proposal. The state government will now send the proposal for
the union government's clearance.
ii. The proposal
for the metro rail project was approved at a meeting, which was called to
review the performance of the state urban development department at Patna. The
Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Patna Metro Rail project will be presented
to the state cabinet for approval soon.
iii. In 2014,
the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) submitted the DPR on the
project to the Bihar government, reducing the project estimates to 14000 crore
rupees from 17000 crore rupees earlier.
iv. The Metro
proposal aims at two corridors in the first phase covering a total distance of
31km. The first corridor will run east to west over 14.5 Kilometres from
Mithapur bus stand to Saguna Mor via Bailey Road and Patna Junction.
v. The second
north-south corridor will run from Patna Junction to the proposed bus stand at
Bairiya on Patna-Gaya road via Ashok Rajpath, Gandhi Maidan and Rajendra Nagar
Terminal over 16.5km. A corporation on the lines of Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation will be formed for monitoring the construction of the project in
Patna.
3. Union Cabinet approved Lucknow Metro Rail Project Phase-1A
i. Union Cabinet
chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 December 2015 approved the
Lucknow Metro Rail Project Phase-1 A. To be developed at an expenditure of 6928
crore rupees, the project will cover a length of 22.878 km with 22 stations.
ii. Out of the
total route length of 22.878 km, elevated route will be 19.438 km while
underground route length will be 3.440 km with total 19 elevated and three
underground metro stations. The metro train will ply between Chowdhary Charan
Singh Airport and Munshi Pulia.
iii. The project
will cost 6928 crore rupees of which the Union Government will give 1300 crore
rupees in form of equity and subordinate debt.
iv. The project
will be implemented by the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC), which will be
reconstituted into a 50:50 jointly owned company of Union Government and
Government of Uttar Pradesh.
4. Philippines became first Asian country to approve world's
first-ever dengue vaccine
i. The
Philippines on 22 December 2015 became the first Asian country to approve the
sale of the world's first-ever dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.
ii. The
Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration approved the dengue vaccine for the
prevention of disease caused by all four dengue types in individuals from 9 to
45 years old living in endemic areas. Earlier on 9 December 2015, Dengvaxia,
manufactured by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, secured its first
regulatory approval in Mexico.
iii. The Federal
Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) approved
Dengvaxia for the prevention of disease caused by all four dengue virus
serotypes in preadolescents, adolescents and adults, 9 to 45 years of age
living in endemic areas.
iv. The COFEPRIS
approval of Dengvaxia is based on results from an extensive clinical
development program involving over 40000 people of different ages, geographic
and epidemiological settings, and ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds living
in 15 countries.
v. Sanofi is a
French multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Paris, France. It
was founded in 1973 as subsidiary of Elf Aquitaine. The company engages in the
research and development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical drugs
principally in the prescription market.
5. CCEA approved 3000-crore rupees scheme for integrated development
and management of fisheries
i. Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22 December 2015 gave its approval for
implementation of an umbrella scheme for integrated development and management
of fisheries. The scheme will be implemented at an outlay of 3000 crore rupees,
for a period of five years.
ii. It will
cover development and management of inland fisheries, aquaculture, marine
fisheries and all activities undertaken by the National Fisheries Development
Board (NFDB) towards realizing Blue Revolution.
iii. The scheme
aims development and management of fisheries and aquaculture sector to ensure a
sustained annual growth rate of 6 to 8 percent. It will be implemented in all
the States including North East States and Union Territories.
6. Zimbabwe announced to adopt Chinese currency Yuan
i. Zimbabwe's
Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa on 21 December 2015 announced that the
country has planned to adopt the Chinese Yuan as legal tender. It will be done
in return for debt cancellation worth 40 million dollars in the second week of
December 2015.
ii. As per the
decision, Yuan will be a function of trade between China and Zimbabwe and
acceptability with customers in Zimbabwe.
iii. China has
become the largest investor in Zimbabwe, which has been shunned by the West
over its human rights record and is struggling to emerge from a deep 1999-2008
recession that forced the government to ditch its own currency in 2009.
iv. In the last
five years, Zimbabwe has received more than one billion dollars in low interest
loans from China, which is Harare's second largest trading partner after South
Africa. China has been accused of exploiting the continent's vast mineral and
energy resources at the expense of local people.
v. Earlier also
to stabilize its hyperinflation crisis, the nations has adopted foreign
currencies, mostly the US Dollar and South African Rand, as legal tender. This
adoption helped the country to boost its economy.
7. RBI created Dedicated Helpline for guiding Start-ups in India on
Forex Matters
i. The Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) on 22 December 2015 created a dedicated helpline (Email)
for start-ups in India in order to offer assistance on Forex matters to them
for undertaking cross-border transactions within the ambit of the regulatory
framework.
ii. While
seeking guidance on the helpline, the enterprises will be asked to provide
complete information to the Reserve Bank and mention the specific issues on
which they need guidance from the Bank in relation to the Foreign Exchange
Management regulations.
iii. This will
enable the personnel attending the helpline to offer timely and effective
information. Generally, Start-up enterprises undertake a wide range of
cross-border transactions including those related to investment.
iv. Cross-border
transactions of resident Indians are subject to the regulatory regime provided
by the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.
8. CCEA approved investment of 5000 crore rupees into ONGC Videsh
i. The Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22 December 2015 gave its approval for
investment of 5000 crore rupees by Oil and Natural Gas Company Limited (ONGC)
into the equity share capital of ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) by conversion of
existing loan of equivalent amount into equity.
ii. The approved
investment will strengthen the capital base of ONGC Videsh. It will enhance the
ability of ONGC to undertake overseas Exploration and Production (E&P)
business, thereby improving the energy security of the country.
iii. With this
investment, the equity base of OVL will rise to 15000 crore rupees. All the
loan ONGC had given to OVL was at zero interest.
iv. Oil and
Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is a multinational oil and gas company.
It was founded on 14 August 1956 by Government of India (GoI). It is a Public
Sector Undertaking (PSU) of the GoI, under the administrative control of the
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
v. ONGC Videsh
is a Miniratna Schedule A Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) of the
Government of India. It is the wholly owned subsidiary and overseas arm of Oil
and Natural Gas Corporation Limited. It was incorporated as Hydrocarbons India
Pvt. Ltd. on 5 March 1965 to carry out exploration and development of the
Rostam and Raksh oil fields in Iran and undertaking a service contract in Iraq.
9. Pawan Kumar Agarwal appointed as CEO of FSSAI
i. Senior IAS
officer Pawan Kumar Agarwal was on 22 December 2015 appointed as Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority
of India (FSSAI).
ii. He succeeded
Yudhvir Singh Malik, who was shifted as Additional Secretary in Niti Aayog in
September 2015. Malik is believed to be the man behind the ban on global giant
Nestles popular noodle brand Maggi, which has now been removed.
iii. Prior to
Pawan Kumar Agarwal's appointment, FSSAI Chairman Ashish Bahuguna was holding
the additional charge of FSSAI CEO.
iv. Pawan Kumar
Agarwal is a 1985 batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre. He is presently
serving as the Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
10. Winners for the 2015 ICC Awards announced
i. The
International Cricket Council (ICC) on 23 December 2015 announced the winners
for the 2015 ICC Awards in Dubai, the UAE. The awards were based on performance
of individuals and teams, both men and women, between 18 September 2014 and 13
September 2015.
ii. Among the 10
awards announced, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year
and Test Cricketer of the Year were conferred on Australian captain Steve
Smith. With this announcement, Smith became the fourth Australian and 11th
overall to win the prestigious award named after former West Indies cricketer
Sir Garfield Sobers.
iii. During the
voting period, the 26-year-old from New South Wales finished as the leading
run-scorer in Tests with 1734 runs in 25 innings of 13 matches at an average of
82.57. This included seven centuries and six half-centuries.
- Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year
- Steven Smith (Australia)
- ICC
Test Cricketer of the Year - Steven Smith (Australia)
- ICC
ODI Cricketer of the Year - AB de Villiers (South Africa)
- ICC
Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year - Meg Lanning (Australia)
- ICC
Emerging Cricketer of the Year - Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
- ICC
Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year - Khurram Khan (UAE)
- ICC
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year - Faf du Plessis (South
Africa)
- ICC
Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year - Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)
- David
Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year - Richard Kettleborough
- ICC
Spirit of Cricket Award - Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)
11. FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee banned Sepp Blatter, Michel
Platini from football for 8 years
i. The
adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee on 21 December 2015 banned FIFA
President Sepp Blatter and Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee
of FIFA and President of UEFA Michel Platini.
ii. They were
banned for eight years from all football-related activities (administrative,
sports or any other) on a national and international level.
iii. The ban
came into force immediately. Blatter and Platini have also been fined 40000 US
dollar and 80000
US dollar
respectively.
iv. The Ethics Committee of football's global
governing body that suspended the duo was chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert. The
decision was made in the wake of payment of 20 lakh Swiss Francs (CHF) which
was transferred to Platini by Blatter in February 2011.
12. International Tennis Federation announced winners of 2015 World
Champions
i. International
Tennis Federation (ITF) on 22 December 2015 announced winners of 2015 World
Champions. The awards were conferred on the basis of players’ performance in
the 2015 season. They will receive their awards at the 2016 ITF World Champions
Dinner on 31 May 2015, in Paris, during Roland Garros.
Men’s World
Champion - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Women’s World
Champion - Serena Williams (the USA)
Men’s Doubles
World Champions - Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) & Horia Tecau (Romania)
Women’s Doubles
World Champions - Martina Hingis (Switzerland) & Sania Mirza (India)
ITF Junior World
Champions - Dalma Galfi (Hungary) & Taylor Fritz (the USA)
ITF Wheelchair
World Champions - Jiske Griffioen (Netherlands) & Shingo Kunieda (Japan)
0 comments:
Post a Comment