Daily Current affairs - July 19th, 2018 for all competitive exams
Lok Sabha has
passed The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Second
Amendment) Bill, 2017 to abolish the ‘no detention policy’ in schools. No student can be detained up
to class VIII under current provisions of the Act.
- The
Bill amends the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act,
2009. The Act was having provision of no detention policy i.e. no child
can be held back in any class until completion of elementary school
(classes 1-8).
- The
Bill amends provision related to no detention policy in the parent Act to
empower central or state government to allow schools to hold back child in
class 5, class 8, or in both classes. It mandates conducting, regular
examination in class 5 and class 8 at end of every academic year.
- In
case, child fails class 5, class 8 examinations, he will be given
additional instruction and opportunity for a re-examination (within two
months from the declaration of the result). If child fails again in
re-examination, he may be held back in class 5, class 8, or in both
classes.
- The
Bill empowers Union and State governments to decide whether to not hold
back child in any class till completion of elementary education. Further,
Union or State governments will decide manner and conditions subject to
which child may be held back.
The TSR
Subramanian committee for formulation of the National Policy on Education has
also suggested that ‘no detention’ policy should be discontinued after Class
V. It had recommended restoration of detention provision, remedial coaching
and two extra chances to each student such to move to a higher class.
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Parliament passed State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill, 2017
Parliament
passes State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill, 2017 to merge six subsidiary banks with State Bank of India after
it was approved by Rajya Sabha.
- The
bill repeals two Acts namely- State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks)
Act, 1959, and State Bank of Hyderabad Act, 1956. These two acts had
established State Bank of Bikaner, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of
Mysore, State Bank of Hyderabad and State Bank of Travancore. These banks
were subsidiaries of SBI.
- By
repealing these two acts, five subsidiary banks will be merged with
SBI. The bill also seeks to amend State Bank of India (SBI) Act,
1955 to remove references to subsidiary banks and powers of SBI to act as
an agent of the RBI for subsidiary banks.
Union
Cabinet in February 2017 had approved merger of five associate banks along
with Bharatiya Mahila Bank with SBI. The purposes of merger were
rationalisation of public bank resources, reduction of costs, better profitability,
lower cost of funds leading to better rate of interest for public at large
and improve productivity and customer service of the public service banks.
The merger had made SBI one of 50 biggest banks of world.
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Government to create National Database of Arms
Licenses system from Apr 2019
Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is
planning to create National Database of Arms Licenses system from Apr 2019.
- It
will include names of all arms licence holders, new or old and they will
be issued a unique identification number (UIN).
- It
aimed at keeping tab on authorised private gun holders, many of whom are
often found involved in crimes and celebratory firing leading to loss of
lives.
Union cabinet approves MoU signed between ICAI and BIBF
Cabinet
approves MoU between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and
Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance, Bahrain.
- The
MoU will provide an opportunity to the ICAI members to expand their
professional horizon and simultaneously ICAI will become an entity to aid
strengthen building of local national capabilities.
- The
aim is to work together to develop a mutually beneficial relationship in
the best interest of members, students and their organizations.
The
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is a statutory body established by an Act
of Parliament of India, ‘The Chartered Accountants Act, 1949′, to regulate
the profession of Chartered Accountancy in India. ICAI is the
second largest professional Accounting & Finance body in the world. ICAI is the only licensing cum regulating body of the financial audit and accountancy profession in
India.
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Union cabinet approves signing of MoU amongst
BRICS nations on RAPC
Union Cabinet has approved the signing
of MoU amongst BRICS Nations on the Regional Aviation Partnership
Cooperation (RAPC).
- The
objective is that BRICS countries will benefit from the establishment of
an institutional framework to cooperate in the field of civil
aviation.
- The
MoU signifies an important landmark in the civil aviation relations
between India and other BRICS Member States and has the
potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural
exchanges amongst the BRICS Nations.
Union cabinet approves MoU signed on BRICS Regional Aviation
Partnership
Union Cabinet
has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) amongst BRICS
Nations on the Regional Aviation Partnership Cooperation viz. Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa.
The objective
is that BRICS countries would benefit from the establishing of an institutional
framework to cooperate in the field of civil aviation.
Among the
areas of cooperation, following areas have been identified:
- Public
Policies and best practices in regional services.
- Regional
Airports.
- Airport
infrastructure management and air navigation services.
- Technical
cooperation between regulatory agencies.
- Environment
Sustainability; including deliberation of global initiatives.
- Qualification
and Training.
- Other
fields as mutually determined.
The MoU
signifies an important landmark in the civil aviation relations between India
and other BRICS Member States and has the potential to spur greater trade,
investment, tourism and cultural exchanges amongst the BRICS Nations.
CCEA approved the Fair and Remunerative Price of Sugarcane
Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has
approved the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane.
- FRP
is the minimum price that the sugar mills have to pay to farmers. It is
supposed to signal to farmers the need to plant more or less cane for the
coming year.
- CACP
recommends the fair and remunerative prices based on inter-crop price
parity, inflation considerations, fair return to farmers and a host of
other factors. It is the cabinet Committee on Economic affairs that
finally approves it.
Union cabinet relaxes NELP, pre-NELP pact rules
Union Cabinet
approved the policy framework to streamline production sharing contracts signed
in the pre-New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) and NELP periods.
- Key
decisions under the framework include
increasing the exploration period granted for blocks in the northeast, and
easing the sharing of royalties with the developers of the blocks.
New
Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) was conceptualized by the Government of
India, during 1997-98 to provide an equal platform to both Public and Private
sector companies in exploration and production of hydrocarbons. It provided
for establishment of Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) as a nodal
agency for its implementation. It was introduced to boost the production of
oil and natural gas and providing level playing field for both public and
private players.
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WCD ministry proposed to make child marriages invalid
The WCD
Ministry has proposed to make child marriages “void ab initio” (invalid from
the outset).
- The
ministry seeks to amend section 3 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage
Act, under which a child marriage is only voidable at the option of the
contracting parties.
- Currently, child
marriages are valid in India, but can be annulled if a case is filed in a
district court by either of the two contracting parties within two years
of becoming an adult, or through a guardian in case of minors.
- Also,
in October 2017, the Supreme Court had ruled that “sexual intercourse with
a minor wife amounts to rape, as under no circumstances can a child below
18 years give consent, express or implied, for sexual intercourse.
- The
legal age for marriage in India is 18 for a woman and 21 for a man.
According to
a study based on Census 2011, there are 2.3 crore child brides in the
country. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2015-16 also showed that
26.8 per cent women were married off before they turned 18.
According to
the NFHS 2015-16, nearly eight per cent girls in the 15-19 age group had
already become mothers or pregnant at the time of the survey.
The West
Bengal government, in June 2017, won the prestigious UN Public Service Award for
its initiative to combat child marriage and ensure education to the girl
child in the state. West Bengal has been awarded for the ‘Kanyashree
Prakalpa‘ initiative that sought to reduce the high child
marriage rates and low female education rates in the state.
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J&K's 1st all-women branch inaugurated at
Jammu and Kashmir Bank
Jammu & Kashmir's first all-women branch of
Jammu and Kashmir Bank was inaugurated. First Lady Usha
Vohra e-inaugurated the first 'All-Women Branch of Jammu and
Kashmir Bank' at a function organised at the Sher-i-Kashmir International
Convention Centre (SKICC).
- Ms.
Vohra also launched special services and products designed exclusively for
women clients of the bank, which included Pink Gold Saving Scheme,
Pink Platinum Saving Scheme, Special Loan Facility for Women
Entrepreneurs, Pink Gold Debit Card and Pink Platinum Credit Card.
Twelve new moons discovered orbiting Jupiter
Scientists have discovered 12 new moons
orbiting Jupiter, making the total number of natural satellites circling around
Jupiter to 79.
- The
findings include 11 “normal” outer moons, and one that scientists call an
“oddball.” Researchers, led by Scott S Sheppard from Carnegie Institution
for Science in the US, first spotted the moons in last year while they
were looking for a possible massive planet far beyond Pluto.
USFDA approved Sun Pharma for cancer treatment
injection
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has received
approval from the United States Food & Drug Administration
(USFDA), the U.S. health regulator, for its INFUGEM injection which
is used for the treatment of cancer.
- This
is the first US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approval for a
product from the company's Halol facility after receipt of Establishment
Inspection Report (EIR) in June 2018.
- The
approval from the USFDA is for INFUGEM injection (gemcitabine in 0.9 per
cent sodium chloride injection) 10 mg/mL, for intravenous use in a
ready-to-administer bag
Amazon, 2nd company to Hit $900 billion valuation
after Apple
E-commerce giant Amazon briefly
crossed $900-billion market cap for the first time in its history
becoming only the second company after Apple to achieve this milestone.
- This
comes after Amazon announced it sold over 100 million products during its
Prime Day sale. Apple is currently the world's most valuable company with
a market cap of $935 billion.
RBI to issue new design Rs.100 denomination
banknote
Reserve Bank of India will shortly issue
Rs100 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series, bearing
the signature of Dr Urjit R. Patel, Governor, Reserve Bank of India.
- The
new denomination has Motif of “RANI KI VAV” on the reverse,
depicting the country’s cultural heritage. The base colour of the
note is Lavender. The dimension of the banknote will be 66 mm ×
142 mm.
- All
the banknotes in the denomination of Rs100/- issued by the Reserve Bank in
the earlier series will continue to be legal tender.
10th edition of Delhi Dialogue begins in New
Delhi
The 10th edition of the Delhi Dialogue begins in
New Delhi. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj delivered the keynote
address of the two-day event.
- The
theme of this event is ‘Strengthening India-ASEAN Maritime
Co-operation’.
- Political
leadership, policymakers, officials, diplomats, business leaders,
think-tanks and academicians from India and ASEAN Member States
will participate in the discussions. This is the first major event to be
organised after the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit that was held in New
Delhi.
Brij Bhushan Saran Singh to be named India’s
Chef de Mission at 2018 Asian Games
He is the president of Wrestling
Federation of India (WFI). The four deputy Chefs de Mission set to be be
appointed are B.S. Kushwaha, R.K. Sacheti , D.K. Singh, Colonel R.K. Swain.
- The
Host cities for Asian Games 2018 are Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia.
Central government renews appointment of Prof.
Sahasrabudhe as AICTE chairman
The central government has renewed the
appointment of Prof D Sahasrabudhe as the chairman of
the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
- The
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the renewal of
appointment of Sahasrabudhe till he attains the age of 65 years. He was
appointed to the top post of the country's technical education regulator
in July 2015.
7 new medal events added to Beijing winter
games 2022
Planning for its next three Olympic Games,
the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has added seven medal
events to the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, published a 2020 Tokyo Olympics
schedule with no agreement on when to race swimming finals, and set a timetable
to add new sports to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
- The
next Winter Olympics will now include: women’s monobob, Big Air
freestyle skiing for men and women, plus mixed team events in short track
speed skating, ski jumping, ski aerials and snowboardcross.
