Crux of the Hindu and PIB Vol 66
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aspirantforum.com News of FebruaryTHE CRUX 2020 OF THE HINDU AND PIB THE CRUX OF THE HINDU AND THE PIB Vol. 66 FEBRUARYImportant News In the Field oF 2020 VOL.66National Economy Internatioonal India and the World Science, Tech and Environment Misclleneous News aspirantforum.com Aspirant Forum AN INITIATIVE BY UPSC ASPIRANTS Visit aspirantforum.com for Guidance and Study Material for IAS Exam aspirantforum.com THE CRUX OF THE HINDU AND PIB FEBRUARY Aspirant Forum is a Community for the FEBRUARY 2020 2020 UPSC Civil Services (IAS) Aspirants, VOL.66 VOL.66 to discuss and debate the various things related to the exam. We welcome an active participation from the fellow members to Editorial Team: enrich the knowledge of all PIB Compilation: Nikhil Gupta The Hindu Compilation: The Crux will be published online Shakeel Anwar for free on 10th of every month. Shahid Sarwar We appreciate the friends and Karuna Thakur followers for apprepreciating our Designed by: effort. For any queries, guidance Anupam Rastogi needs and support, Please contact at: [email protected] You may also follow our website Aspirantforum.com for free online coaching and guidance for IAS Visit aspirantforum.com for Guidance and Study Material for IAS Exam aspirantforum.com THE CRUX OF THE HINDU AND PIB Contents FEBRUARY 2020 VOL.66 National News..................5 Economy News...............30 International News..........66 India and the World.........96 Science and Technology + aspirantforum.com Environment...................110aspirantforum.com Miscellaneous News an Events.............................228 Visit aspirantforum.com for Guidance and Study Material for IAS Exam aspirantforum.com THE CRUX OF THE HINDU AND PIB About the ‘CRUX’ FEBRUARY 2020 Introducing a new and convenient product, to help the aspirants for the various public services examinations. The knowledge of the Current Affairs constitute VOL.66 an indispensable tool for all the recruitment examinations today.However, an aspirant often finds it difficult to read and memorize all the current affairs, from an exam perspective.The Newspapers and magazines are full of information, that may or may not be useful for the exams. Thus, acandidate is forced to spend a substantial amount of his time in selecting and maintaining notes for the current affairs. Another problem is that it is difficult to get every bit of information, relevant from the exam perspective at oneplace. Thus, candidates are often found wasting their time in search of current affairs material. It is with this problem in mind that we have come up with the GIST of The Hindu and Press Information Bureau(PIB). The whole concept of the CRUX is to provide you with a summary of the important news and current affairs,from an exam point of view. By reading the CRUX, you will be able to save your precious time and effort, as you get all the relevant matter in a summarized and convenient form. The Crux is particularly helpful for the Civil Services, Banking, SSC and other exams that have a current affairs section.The material is being provided in such a manner that it is helpful for both- objective and descriptive sections. Our aim is to help the candidates in their effort to get through the examinations. Your efforts and dedication inspire us to keep going. It is our sincere effort to make your journey easier. Best Wishes Editorial Board Teamaspirantforum.com Aspirant Forum Courtesy: The Hindu Press Information Bureau (PIB) Visit aspirantforum.com for Guidance and Study Material for IAS Exam aspirantforum.com THE CRUX OF THE HINDU AND PIB FEBRUARY 2020 VOL.66 National aspirantforum.com aspirantforum.com National Visit aspirantforum.com for Guidance and Study Material for IAS Exam aspirantforum.com THE CRUX OF THE HINDU AND PIB ‘CAA is a clear violation of Constitution’ Amnesty International has told the U.S. lawmakers that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) stands in “clear violation” of the Constitution of India FEBRUARY and international human rights law and “legitimises discrimination” on the basis 2020 of religion. VOL.66 The Indian government has been emphasising that the new law will not deny any citizenship rights but has been brought to protect the oppressed minorities of neighbouring countries and gives them citizenship. SC to frame issues for 9-judge Bench hearing religious rights Renowned jurist and senior advocate Fali Nariman has objected to the manner in which the Supreme Court turned a review of the Sabarimala case into an opportunity to set up a nine-judge Bench and examine whether certain essential religious practices of various faiths, including Islam and Zoroastrianism, should be constitutionally protected. “Areaspirantforum.com you saying that when hearing the review of one judgment [Sabarimala in this case], we cannot refer such larger questions to a larger Bench?” Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde, heading the Bench, asked Mr. Nariman . “Yes, that is absolutely right. It will be outside your jurisdiction to do that,” Mr. Nariman replied emphatically. The CJI observed orally that Mr. Nariman had a “formidable point there”. National He, however, said the Bench would not “abort the hearing” now. The objections raised by Mr. Nariman would be framed as an “issue” to be decided by the Bench. It would convene to fix the dates of the hearings that would start next week. The CJI clarified that the nine judges would confer and frame the Visit aspirantforum.com for Guidance and Study Material for IAS Exam aspirantforum.com THE CRUX OF THE HINDU AND PIB issues for hearing. PIL petitions Senior advocate K. Parasaran countered Mr. Nariman, saying that the Sabarimala FEBRUARY case had its genesis in public interest litigation petitions. It was not an in 2020 personam (affecting a specific person) litigation. VOL.66 In a case emanating from a PIL petition, there is no restraint on a constitutional court in extending the scope or questions to be examined, he argued. The Sabarimala case review by a five-judge Bench, led by then CJI Ranjan Gogoi, took a curious turn on November 14 last. The Bench sidestepped the task of reviewing the September 2018 judgment, which declared the prohibition on the entry of women of menstruating age into the Sabarimala temple as discriminatory. Instead, the Bench referred seven questions, including whether essential religious practices should be afforded constitutional protection under Article 26 (freedom to manage religious affairs), to a larger Bench. Further, the Review Bench tagged other pending cases on the prohibition of Muslim women from entering mosques, female genital mutilation among Dawoodi Bohras and the ban on Parsi women who married inter-faith from entering the fire temple to the reference. aspirantforum.com Chiefaspirantforum.com Justice Bobde, when he succeeded Justice Gogoi, promptly set up the nine- judge Bench to decide this reference. , Mr. Nariman argued that the Gogoi Bench had no business to either drag other cases into the reference or frame such “larger issues” when its sole mandate was to simply review the Sabarimala verdict. National Reservation in promotion in public posts not a fundamental right: SC ‘State government cannot be directed to provide quota’ Visit aspirantforum.com for Guidance and Study Material for IAS Exam aspirantforum.com THE CRUX OF THE HINDU AND PIB Reservation in promotion in public posts cannot be claimed as a fundamental right, the Supreme Court has reiterated in a judgment. A Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and Hemant Gupta observed that State FEBRUARY governments are not bound to make reservations. Even the courts could not issue 2020 a mandamus directing the States to provide reservations. VOL.66 “There is no doubt that the State government is not bound to make reservations. There is no fundamental right which inheres in an individual to claim reservation in promotions. No mandamus can be issued by the court directing the State government to provide reservations,” the court observed in its February 7 verdict. Citing Constitution Bench precedents that had settled the law, the court said Articles 16 (4) and 16 (4-A) of the Constitution did not confer individuals with a fundamental right to claim reservations in promotion. The Articles empower the State to make reservation in matters of appointment and promotion in favour of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes only “if in the opinion of the State they are not adequately represented in the services of the State”. “The inadequacy of representation is a matter within the subjective satisfaction of the State,” the judgment said. Thus, the State government has discretion “to consideraspirantforum.com providing reservations, if the circumstances so warrant”. “It is settled law that the State government cannot be directed to provide reservations for appointment in public posts. Similarly, the State is not bound to make reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in matters of promotions,” the top court explained. National PSA file indicts Omar for getting people to vote PSA file indicts Omar Abdullah for getting people to vote, refers to Mehbooba Mufti Visit aspirantforum.com for Guidance and Study Material for IAS Exam aspirantforum.com THE CRUX OF THE HINDU AND PIB as ‘Daddy’s girl’ While hailing the Centre’s decision to revoke J&K’s special status under Article 370 as a “historic decision”, the dossier has accused Abdullah of trying to stoke public FEBRUARY anger to trigger violent protests. 2020 The two former chief ministers have been under preventive detention since August VOL.66 5 last year OMAR Abdullah’s ability to “convince his electorate to vote in huge numbers” and Mehbooba Mufti being “referred (to) as ‘Daddy’s girl’ and ‘Kota Rani’” for “her dangerous and insidious machinations and usurping profile and nature” are among the reasons cited by the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration for invoking the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) against the two former chief ministers.