Current affairs - July 7, 2016
Babu Jagjivan Ram on his death
anniversary
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, paid tributes to BabuJagjivan Ram on his death anniversary on 6th July.
Key facts:
- Jagjivan Ram, popularly known as Babuji was a national leader, a freedom fighter, a crusader of social justice, a champion of depressed classes, an outstanding Parliamentarian, a true democrat, a distinguished Union Minister, an able administrator and an exceptionally gifted orator.
Network Readiness Index
India has slipped two places to the 91st position on a global list
of countries in terms of their
- The index, forming part of the WEF’s Global Information Technology Report, measures countries’ success in creating the conditions necessary for a transition to a digitised economy and society.
‘Almost 30 per cent of our land undergoing
degradation’
According to a study, nearly 30% of the country’s total
geographical area is undergoing degradation. The ongoing study, initiated by
the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, was led by the
Indian Space Research Organisation and involved 19 institutes. The study
analysed satellite imageries of the country over an eight-year period.
- The report was recently released by ISRO’s Space Applications Centre in the form of a ‘Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas’, combining GIS and remote sensing data.
Highlights of the report:
- The degrading area has increased over 0.5% to 29.3 million hectares during the period 2003-05 and 2011-13. Desertification increased by 1.16 million hectares (m ha) and stood at 82.64 m ha during 2011-13.
Collegium reiterates objections to draft memo
The Supreme Court collegium has reiterated its rejection of
several crucial clauses in the government’s draft Memorandum of Procedure for
appointment of judges. The collegium is standing firm by its objections despite
government’s insistence to smoothen ruffled feathers over judicial
appointments. The collegium has said both merit and seniority should be
balanced.
Proposed contentious rules:
- Government’s right to reject a recommendation on concerns of national interest.
- Involvement of the AG in suggesting a list of suitable candidates.
- Names for judges’ appointments could be suggested by all judges of the bench as well as by the AG and the bar.
- The list of candidates brought before the collegium will first be vetted by a committee of two retired judges and an eminent person.
Kutchi new year:
Kutchi new year was celebrated on 6th July. The Kutchi people celebrate Kutchi New Year on Ashadi Beej,
that is 2nd day of Shukla paksha of Aashaadha month of Hindu calendar. - This Hindu New Year is observed in the Kutch region in Gujarat. As for people of Kutch, this day is associated with beginning of rains in Kutch, which is largely a desert area.
The findings of the 2.6
million-word Iraq Inquiry — seven years in the making — were recently released
by probe chairman John Chilcot in London. The official inquiry delivered a
devastating indictment of Britain’s decision to invade Iraq, finding that the
war was based on flawed intelligence and had been launched before diplomatic
options were exhausted.
Financial year committee:
The finance ministry has set up
a committee under former chief economic adviser
Shankar Acharya to examine the desirability and feasibility of having a new
fiscal year. Currently, India follows the April-March
fiscal year and all macroeconomic and company data, including the government’s
budget, are compiled and prepared for the same period.
