Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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India Slips 21 Places to 108, On Gender Gap Index

News:

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap index, India slipped 21 places to a lowly 108, behind neighbours China and Bangladesh, primarily due to less participation of women in the economy and low wages.

WEF:

The World Economic Forum was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests. The Forum strives in all its efforts to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while upholding the highest standards of governance. Moral and intellectual integrity is at the heart of everything it does.

Parameters under WEF consideration 

1. Health,
2. Education,
3. The workplace
4. Political representation

• Economic participation and opportunity – outcomes on salaries, participation levels and access to high-skilled employment.
• Educational attainment – outcomes on access to basic and higher level education.
• Political empowerment – outcomes on representation in decision-making structures.
• Health and survival – outcomes on life expectancy and sex ratio.

Delhi LG cannot sit on govt. schemes: SC

News:
The Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) of Delhi cannot stultify proposals or schemes forwarded by the Council of Ministers to him by simply sitting on it, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud orally observed on Thursday.

Beyond news:

• The AAP government argued that the High Court declared that the LG has “complete control of all matters regarding National Capital Territory of Delhi, and nothing will happen without the concurrence of the LG.”
• The Kejriwal government wants the Supreme Court to lay down the law on whether the LG can unilaterally administer the National Capital without being bound by the “aid and advice” of the elected government.
• The focus of the current controversy is a provision to Article 239AA (4), which mandates that in case of a difference of opinion between the LG and the Council of Ministers, the former has to refer the issue to the President.
• The 69th Amendment of the Constitution in 1992 gave the National Capital of Delhi special status with its own democratically elected government and legislature. Sub-section (4) of Article 239AA mandates that a Council of Ministers shall aid and advise the LG in his functions regarding laws made by the Assembly.

India offers to share real-time maritime data

News:

India has made an offer to share intelligence of maritime movements in the Indian Ocean in real-time with 10 Indian Ocean littoral states.

Beyond News:

• This comes even as India gears up to counter China’s increased presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
• The information to be shared includes movement of commercial traffic as well as intelligence.
  India already has co-operative arrangements with several countries in the region and this initiative would see that expanding further.
• For instance, white shipping agreements to share commercial shipping data have been signed with 12 countries and more are in the works.

Won’t take criminal action against holders of banned notes, Centre tells Supreme Court

News:

• The government on Friday assured in the Supreme Court that it will not take any criminal action for possessing demonetised notes beyond December 31, 2016 against those who have approached the apex court.

Beyond News:

• The petitioners, which include farmers from Maharashtra to the hospitalised and overseas citizens, urged the Supreme Court to direct the government to extend the deadline.
• Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal reassured the petitioners, but added that protection against criminal action would only extend to the demonetised money they have specifically mentioned in their petitions before the Supreme Court.

China blocks U.N. move on Azhar

• As a veto-wielding member of the Security Council, China had blocked India’s move to put a ban on the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council.

Beyond News:

• This is the second year in succession that it has blocked the resolution.
• The official’s comment indicates that China would veto the application in the 1267 Committee of the UN Security Council that would subject him to an assets freeze and travel ban to allow it to lapse.
• The JeM, founded by Azhar, has already been in the U.N.’s list of banned terror outfits.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Chennai rains & flood

News: 

Raising fears of a repeat of the 2015 rain havoc, rain lashed Chennai and its suburbs from Thursday evening to Friday morning, affecting the life of most of the people.

Beyond News:

India Meteorological Department (IMD) says more rain is likely later in the day. It has forecast heavy to very heavy showers in north coastal Tamil Nadu till tomorrow.

A low pressure area has formed over Sri Lanka and adjoining south west Bay of Bengal, according to the IMD. It would bring moderate rain over most places in southern Tamil Nadu and a few places in the northern coastal districts

Disaster management:

• Air carrier Jet Airways waived off penalty charges to passengers who prefer to change flights or cancel trips due to torrential rains that has been witnessing in Chennai and neighborhood.
• Electricity has been cut in 70 localities across the city that have been identified as “low-lying areas”

U.S. ‘terror list’ to Pak. includes LeT

News:

• The U.S. has shared with Pakistan a list of 20 terrorist groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) that Washington believes are operating from its soil to target India and Afghanistan.

Beyond News:

• On the top on the list is the Haqqani network which the U.S. says has safe havens in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in northwestern Pakistan and uses them to launch attacks into Afghanistan, Dawn reported.
• The list includes three types of militants groups: those that launch attacks in Afghanistan, those that attack targets inside Pakistan and those that are focussed on Kashmir, the newspaper quoted diplomatic sources as saying.

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