Current Affairs

May 15. DIPLOMACY: French President Francois Hollande becomes first Western head of state to attend GCC summit @Riyadh. France to supply 24 Rafale jets to Qatar for 7 billion $. Pranab Visit to Russia to commemorate 70 years of end of WW2. Hindu gone crazier than usual, running daily report recycling the same sentences as if nothing else to report. ⇒ US and EU leaders had attended 50th and 60th commemoration but not attending this one to protest against Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. ⇒ 25 nations including BRICS, will participate though. India participating because Russia too had supported us in our ‘difficult’ times.⇒ Military parade on 9th May. Russia to display latest T-14 Armata tanks. India’s Nine Grenadiers to participate in parade, with Russia’s Red Army and China’s People’s Liberation Army. Modi’s visit to China, South Korea and Mongolia in May week2. He’ll visit Russia twice in 2015: BRICS summit @July and Bilateral India-Russia Summit in November. ECONOMY: Most bank use magnetic stripe based credit / debit cards. RBI ordered them to switch to only EVM chip-based and PIN-enabled cards from 1st September because Sept.1 because they protect against counterfeit (skimming) and lost and stolen card fraud. ⇒ State Bank of India (SBI) in association with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) launched ‘State Bank RuPay Platinum Debit Card’ for high networthy individuals. It gives 5% cash-back on utility bill payments, 1% fuel surcharge waiver and complimentary airport lounge access.

Cabinet approves 3 social security schemes (1) Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) (3) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) (3) Atal Pension Yojana (APY) Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY): 1 year accidental death-cum-disability cover. ⇒ 2 lakh for death ⇒ 2 lakh if both eyes, hands, legs gone ⇒ 1 lakh if 1 eye,hand,leg gone. ⇒ 18 to 70 y.o. savings account holders eligible. ⇒ Premium of Rs. 12 per annum per subscriber, auto-debited from your bank account. Breakup: 10 Rs. To insurance company, 1 rupee to agent, 1 rupee to bank ⇒ Validity 1 year, can be renewed. ⇒ General insurance companies – public and private sector, will be implementing this. Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana: (PMJJBY) ⇒ 1 year life insurance cover worth Rs.2 lakh rupees ⇒ Death by any reason eligible ⇒ LIC and other life insurance companies to implement ⇒ premium: 330 per year per person, auto debited from bank savings account. Breakup: 289 to Insurance co. Rs.30 to agent, Rs.11 to bank ⇒ eligible 18-50 years savings account holder. If he has multiple savings account- he can join only once. Atal Pension Yojana (APY): ⇒ for unorganized workers, pension after 60 years age. ⇒ Rs.1k, 2k, 3k, 4k and 5k per month, depending on contribution by the client. ⇒ eligibility: 18 to 40 years ⇒ PFRDA to implement, money autodebited from your bank account ⇒ Government to contribute equal amount in the fund, if you’re not an income tax payer, and not covered in any other social security scheme of Government such as EPFO, Coal Mines, Tea plantation, Seamen’s provident fund, J&K employee PF etc. ⇒ Previous Swavlamban scheme had similar feature- Government to co-contribute in unorganized sector worker’s NPS account. Now all those Swavlamban accounts to be migrated to Atal Pension Yojana, unless the client wants to opt out. Then he’ll continue in NPS.

Kazi Nazrul Islam (KNI) Airport in West Bengal is India’s country’s first private greenfield airport. PM Modi planning to Inaugurate it and become first passenger. Inland waterways: China, Europe >40% goods moved through inland waterways, while in India hardly 3%. ⇒ We’ve Total inland water way >14,000 kms. ⇒ Cost of transporting goods per kms: road- Rs.1.5, Rail-Rs.1, inland waterway just 30 paise. Till now we had five laws for five inland water ways viz. (1) Ganga-BhagirathiHooghly river system (Allahabad-Haldia-1620 km); (2) Brahmaputra (Dhubri-Sadiya-891 km) (3) West Coast Canal (Kottapuram-Kollam) along with Udyogmandal and Champakara Canals-(205 km) (4) Kakinada-Puducherry canals at Godavari and Krishna rivers (1078 km) (5) East Coast Canal at Brahmani river and Mahanadi delta rivers (588 km). ⇒ National Waterways Bill 2015 consolidates them into a single law. ⇒ 7th Sch. Entry 24 allows union to make laws on inland waterways- their shipping, navigation. ⇒ this new bill wants to create 101 waterways. GOVERNANCE: Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill 2014 passed in Lok Sabha. ⇒ Teens between 16-18 ages be tried as adults for heinous crimes such as murder and rape. But Juvenile Justice Board (including psychologists and social experts) will decide on case by case basis, whether given teenager should be tried a ‘child’ or as an ‘adult.⇒ Such 16-18 y.o. juvenile will remain in Borstal. Borstal is an institution meant adolescent offenders. If post-21 years any signs of reform seen then their sentence will be reduced. ⇒ no provision for death sentence or life imprisonment. ⇒ If minor did crime in 16-18 age but was caught post-21 age, then he’d *not* be tried as an adult. It all depends on board decision. Gujarat cadre IAS officer Achal Kumar Jyoti appointed as Election Commissioner.

1941: Delhi special police Establishment act. 1963: CBI setup via home Ministry resolution. D.P. Kohli was the founder director of the CBI (1963). J Bill Pro Arguments: ⇒ National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics says 3,887 juveniles committed heinous crimes in 2013 alone. ⇒ SC itself asked Government to relook into this. ⇒ Yes in poverty and envy the teens may commit crime but its no justification they should not be punished. JJ Bill Anti Arguments: ⇒ Teens from SC/ST and other sections will be persecuted. ⇒ hardly ~1400 juvenile rape cases. (5% of total rape cases). And in many those cases, matter was of elopement / consensual sex. So, it’s a misconception that juveniles rapists are rising in number. ⇒ 80% juveniles criminals come from