Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs September 2017 Karnataka anti-superstition Bill The Karnataka Cabinet has cleared the much-delayed and debated Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices and Black Magic Bill, 2017, popularly known as the anti-superstition Bill. Sitharaman becomes India‟s first full-time woman defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman has become the first woman to become a full-time defence minister of the country. Sitharaman will now be a member of the crucial Cabinet Committee on Security. Facts for Prelims: 1st full time and overall 2nd woman to become defence minister: Sitharaman is the second woman to take charge of the crucial ministry as Indira Gandhi, as the prime minister, had also held the portfolio in the ‘70s. Ahmedabad gets status of India‟s first World Heritage City by UNESCO The commercial capital of Gujarat, Ahmedabad, has been formally accorded the status of India’s first World Heritage City by UNESCO. In July, the UN agency had inscribed Ahmedabad as India‘s first World Heritage City at a meeting held in Poland. Facts for Prelims: Unique IAS Academy,1st Street Gandhipuram, Coimbatore 9884267599 Page 1 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs September 2017 The honour makes the walled city of Ahmedabad the first city in India, and the third in Asia, to be on the list. The other two cities are- Bhaktpur in Nepal and Galle in Sri Lanka. India is second after China in terms of number of world heritage properties in ASPAC (Asia and Pacific) region, and overall seventh in the world. India now has a total of 36 World Heritage Inscriptions — 28 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed site. Two new contraceptives launched by Health Ministry to aid family planning : The two new contraceptives, an injectable contraceptive MPA under the „Antara‟ programme and a contraceptive pill, „Chhaya‟, in the public health system will expand the basket of contraceptive choices to meet the emerging needs of couples. The contraceptives are being launched under the government‟s Mission Parivar Vikas, a central family planning initiative. About Mission Parivar Vikas: The main objective of the Mission Parivar Vikas family planning initiative is to bring down the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) to 2.1, which is when the population starts stabilizing, by the year 2025 Navika Sagar Parikrama Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman recently flagged-off all-women crew of Navika Sagar Parikrama at the INS Mandovi naval training base near Panaji. Bengaluru Named Among World‟s Top 25 High-Tech Cities Unique IAS Academy,1st Street Gandhipuram, Coimbatore 9884267599 Page 2 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs September 2017 Bengaluru has emerged among the top 25 high-tech cities of the world, according to research firm 2thinknow that specializes in analyzing innovative cities. Bengaluru stands at number 19, climbing rapidly from the 49th spot it was at last year. Swachhta Hi Seva The Centre is all set to launch a nation-wide, fortnight-long sanitation campaign from September 15 to October 2 to highlight the government‘s flagship cleanliness initiative Swachh Bharat Mission. The campaign, named „Swachhta Hi Seva‟ (cleanliness is service) will be launched by President Ram Nath Kovind from Ishworiganj village in Kanpur. About the campaign: The campaign is being coordinated by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, the convening Ministry for the Swachh Bharat Mission. The objective of the campaign is to mobilise people and reinforce the “Jan Aandolan” for sanitation to contribute to Mahatma Gandhi‟s dream of a Clean India. Gorakhpur, Koraput and Thane to launch Zero Hunger Programme Three districts – Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Koraput in Odisha and Thane in Maharashtra – will initiate India‟s ambitious „Zero Hunger‟ programme through interventions in farm sector on October 16 (World Food Day). Though many more districts will eventually be covered under this dedicated farm-based programme in sync with India‟s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end hunger by 2030, these three would act as a model of an integrated approach to deal with hunger and malnutrition by adopting suitable agricultural\horticultural practices Unique IAS Academy,1st Street Gandhipuram, Coimbatore 9884267599 Page 3 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs September 2017 Women‟s Reservation Bill The centre is planning to introduce the Women‟s Reservation Bill in the upcoming session of the parliament. Inception: The Women‘s Reservation Bill was first conceived more than 20 years back on September 12, 1996. This bill pushed for a 33% reservation of all Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill on 9 March 2010. However, the Lok Sabha never voted on the bill. The bill lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014. Highlights of the Bill: The Constitution (One Hundred and Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2008 seeks to reserve one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies. The allocation of reserved seats shall be determined by such authority as prescribed by Parliament Rajiv Mehrishi appointed new CAG of India Rajiv Mehrishi has taken charge as the 13th Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). He has a three-year tenure till August 2020. About CAG: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is an authority, established by the Constitution of India under article 148. Unique IAS Academy,1st Street Gandhipuram, Coimbatore 9884267599 Page 4 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs September 2017 CAG audits all receipts and expenditure of the Government of India and the state governments, including those of bodies and authorities substantially financed by the government. The CAG is also the external auditor of Government-owned corporations and conducts supplementary audit of government companies, i.e., any non-banking/ non- insurance company in which the state and Union governments have an equity share of at least 51% or subsidiary companies of existing government companies. The reports of the CAG are taken into consideration by the Public Accounts Committees (PACs) and Committees on Public Undertakings (COPUs), which are special committees in the Parliament of India and the state legislatures Implementation Guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana The government has released the Guidelines of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi had announced the pan-India implementation of this scheme w.e.f. 01st January, 2017. Guidelines inter-alia provide Aadhaar linkage, Direct Benefit Transfer, antenatal check- up and registration of child birth & first cycle of immunisation of the child. PMMVY is implemented by the Ministry of Women & Child Development in collaboration with State Governments. About PMMVY: Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), previously Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana (IGMSY), is a maternity benefit program run by the government of India. Unique IAS Academy,1st Street Gandhipuram, Coimbatore 9884267599 Page 5 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs September 2017 It is a conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating women of 19 years of age or above for first two live births. It provides a partial wage compensation to women for wage-loss during childbirth and childcare and to provide conditions for safe delivery and good nutrition and feeding practices. Cabinet approves Revamped Khelo India Programme The Union Cabinet has approved the revamped Khelo India programme at a cost of Rs.1,756 crore for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20. This marks a watershed moment in the history of Indian sports, as the Programme aims at mainstreaming sport as a tool for individual development, community development, economic development and national development. CARA launches monthly “Jan Sampark” Program to facilitate adoption The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) of the Ministry of Women & Child Development has started a monthly “Jan Sampark” program to enable the public to have interaction with its officials and staff for seeking information related to Adoption as well as flagging their concerns. Govt launches „Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat‟ to boost PMUY The Central government has launched a country-wide LPG Panchayat as a backup to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to distribute LPG connections among the rural areas where conventional fuel is used for domestic purposes. About LPG Panchayat: Unique IAS Academy,1st Street Gandhipuram, Coimbatore 9884267599 Page 6 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs September 2017 The LPG Panchayat is an interactive communication platform aimed at educating rural LPG users about proper safety precautions to be taken while using LPG, its benefit to the environment, its effect on women empowerment and health. Govt launches „Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat‟ to boost PMUY The Central government has launched a country-wide LPG Panchayat as a backup to the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to distribute LPG connections among the rural areas where conventional fuel is used for domestic purposes. About LPG Panchayat: The LPG Panchayat is an interactive communication platform aimed at educating rural LPG users about proper safety precautions to be taken while using LPG, its benefit to the environment, its effect on women empowerment and health. National Nutrition Week The National Nutrition Week will be observed throughout the country from 1st to 7th September. International Literacy Day – 2017 The 51st International Literacy Day is being celebrated on 8th September, 2017 and the theme announced by UNESCO is `Literacy in a digital world‟. Background: Unique IAS Academy,1st Street Gandhipuram, Coimbatore 9884267599 Page 7 Unique IAS Academy – TNPSC Current Affairs September 2017 The International Literacy Day is celebrated on 8th September every year throughout the world. On this day, in the year 1965 the World Congress of Ministers of Education met in Tehran for the first time to discuss the programme of education at the international level. India at 103 rank on Global Human Capital Index The Global Human Capital Index for the year 2017 has been released by WEF.