QUICK REVISION MODULES VALUE ADDED NOTES CURRENT AFFAIRS *INDIAN POLITY * Need some help? [email protected] Or use live chat from home page Www.IASTODAY.in ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Domestic Violence Act Why its important? ✔ Supreme Court widens ambit of Domestic Violence Act orders striking down of the two words ‘adult male’, paving the way for prosecution of women and non-adults for violence against a woman. What next to study? ➢ The Supreme Court has widened the scope of the Domestic Violence Act by ordering deletion of the words “adult male” from it, paving the way for prosecution of women and even non- adults for subjecting a woman relative to violence and harassment. ➢ The apex court has ordered striking down of the two words from Section 2(q) of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which deals with respondents who can be sued and prosecuted under the Act for harassing a married woman in her matrimonial home. Design bureau to reduce dependence on imports Why its important? ✔ To indigenise procurements and reduce import dependence, the Indian Army announced the establishment of the Army Design Bureau which will integrate various stake holders in its long-term requirements. What next to study? ➢ The design bureau will be the repository of all technical know-how for defence equipment manufacturing. ➢ The Army Design Bureau (ADB) has been conceptualised as an interface of the Indian Army with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), academia, defence PSUs, OFBs and private industry, paving the way for high-quality research and development of defence products. ➢ The establishment of the ADB which is expected to be headed by a Maj Gen rank officer. Higher Education Financing Agency Why its important? ✔ The Union Cabinet, has approved the creation of the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) to give a major push for creation of high quality infrastructure in premier educational institutions. ✔ What next to study? ➢ The HEFA would be jointly promoted by the identified Promoter and the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) with an authorised capital of Rs.2,000 crore. ➢ The HEFA would be formed as a SPV(Special Purpose Vehicle) within a PSU Bank/ Government-owned-NBFC (Promoter). ➢ HEFA would leverage the equity to raise up to Rs. 20,000 crore for funding projects for infrastructure and development of world class Labs in IITs/IIMs/NITs and such other institutions. ➢ The HEFA would also mobilise CSR funds from PSUs/ Corporates, which would in turn be released for promoting research and innovation in these institutions on grant basis. ➢ The HEFA would finance the civil and lab infrastructure projects through a 10-year loan. ➢ All the Centrally Funded Higher Educational Institutions would be eligible for joining as members of the HEFA. Trinamool Congress became 'national party' Why its important? ✔ The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been recognised as 7th national party by the Election Commission of India. What next to study? ➢ Trinamool Congress has satisfied one of the three conditions mentioned in the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 to be recognised as a national party — having been recognised as a State party in at least four States. ➢ The poll panel had on August 22, 2016 amended a rule whereby it will now review the national and State party status of political parties every 10 years instead of the five. ➢ According to the criteria set by the poll panel for recognising as national party, 1. A “national party” needs to win at least two per cent of the total seats in the Lok Sabha (11 seats) from at least three different states, OR 2. Get at least six per cent votes in four states in addition to four Lok Sabha seats,OR 3. Be recognised as a “state party” in four or more states. ➢ TMC is a recognised State party in West Bengal, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. ➢ Recognition as a national or a State party ensures that the election symbol of that party is not used by any other political entity in polls across India. ➢ National parties get land or buildings from the government to set up their party offices. They can have up to 40 ‘star campaigners’ during electioneering. Others can have up to 20 ‘star campaigners’. ➢ Now, India has seven recognised national parties — the Congress, the BJP, the BSP, the CPI, the CPI(M), the NCP and the All India Trinamool Congress. Permanent Residency Status to Foreign Investors Why its important? ✔ The Union Cabinet has approved the scheme for grant of Permanent Residency Status (PRS) to foreign investors subject to the relevant conditions as specified in the FDI Policy notified by the Government from time to time. What next to study? ➢ In order to avail this scheme, the foreign investor will have to invest a minimum of Rs. 10 crores to be brought within 18 months or Rs.25 crores to be brought within 36 months. ➢ Further, the foreign investment should result in generating employment to at least 20 resident Indians every financial year. ➢ Permanent Residency Status will be granted for a period of 10 years initially with multiple entry facility, which can be renewed for another 10 years. ➢ PRS will serve as a multiple entry visa without any stay stipulation and PRS holders will be exempted from the registration requirements. ➢ PRS holders will be allowed to purchase one residential property for dwelling purpose. ➢ The spouse/ dependents of the PRS holder will be allowed to take up employment in private sector (in relaxation to salary stipulations for Employment Visa) and undertake studies in India. Chilli-based PAVA shells for mob control Why its important? ✔ The Government has approved the use of chilli-based PAVA shells for crowd controlling as an alternative to pellet guns which would still be used in rarest of rare cases. What next to study? ➢ PAVA shells are non-lethal munition which temporarily incapacitates the targets and renders them immobile for several minutes. ➢ An expert panel of the home ministry was set up and the use of PAVA was recommended by a seven-member expert committee, headed by Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry T V S N Prasad, in its report submitted. ➢ PAVA shells were on trial for over a year at the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR) a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory in Lucknow. ➢ PAVA stands for Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide, also called Nonivamide, and is an organic compound found characteristically in natural chilli pepper. ➢ On the Scoville scale (the degree to measure the power of chilli), PAVA is categorised as "above peak", meaning it will severely irritate and paralyse humans, but temporarily. ➢ It is also used as a food additive to add pungency, flavouring and spicy effect to food. Death penalty Why its important? ✔ The Supreme Court has moved away from death penalty (capital punishment) after it commuted the death sentence of a youth for raping and killing a seven-year-old girl with the Special Category of Punishment. What next to study? ➢ Special Category of Punishment is judicial innovation that will be veering away from capital punishment. It will be limited to a “very few cases”. ➢ In this case capital punishment will be shifted to life imprisonment without the benefit of release on remission for prolonged periods ranging from 25 to 30 years, if not more. ➢ Special category status was formalised by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the Rajiv Gandhi killers’ case in December 2015. ➢ The judicial innovation of the special category of punishment bridges the gap between death sentence (capital punishment) on the extreme and only 14 years of actual life imprisonment on the other. Smaller parties in Rajya Sabha unites Why its important? ✔ Vice-President Hamid Ansari has formally recognised a group of 22 MPs belonging to parties with less than four MPs and certain independents as a consolidated block — the United Group. What next to study? ➢ This is only the third time in the history of Indian Parliament that this is happening, the first was in 1983, and the second in 1990. ➢ With this grouping, United Group will be the third largest group of MPs in the Rajya Sabha, after the Congress and the BJP and it will find a place in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) that decides time allotment. ➢ Time allotted to parties to speak on debates depends entirely on their strength in the House. Web Responsive Pensioner’s Service portal to provide better services to the pensioners Why its important? ✔ Web Responsive Pensioners' Service is a Digital India initiative taken-up by the Controller General of Accounts which works under the administrativecontrol of the Union Ministry of Finance. What next to study? ➢ The Web Responsive Pensioners' service has been developed to provide single-point web solution for pensioners to obtain comprehensive information relating to status of the pensions and pension payments. ➢ This service will also help in speedy redressal of pensioners’ grievances. Inter State Council (ISC) and Standing Committee of ISC Reconstituted Why its important? ✔ The Government has reconstituted the Inter State Council (ISC) and the Standing Committee of the Inter State Council under Clause 2 of the Inter State Council order,1990. What next to study? ➢ The Government has approved the following composition of the Inter State Council. Chairman - Prime Minister Members (i) Chief Ministers of all States. (ii) Chief Ministers of Union Territories having a Legislative Assembly and Administrators of Union Territories not having Legislative Assembly. Six Union Ministers a) Minister of Home Affairs b) Minister of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs c) Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting d) Minister of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs e) Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping f) Minister of Defence.