News for January aspirantforum.com 2017 Hindu and PIB Crux Vol. 29 NewsVol. and 29 Events of Jan 2016 aspirantforum.com Vol. 29 Jan 2016 29 Jan Vol. Visit Aspirantforum.com for guidance and study material for IAS Exam. aspirantforum.com Hindu and PIB Crux Vol. 29 News and Events of Jan 2016 Aspirant Forum is a Community for the UPSC Contents Civil Services (IAS) Aspirants, to discuss and debate the various things related to the exam. We welcome an active National News.............4 participation from the fellow members to enrich the knowledge of all. Economy News..........22 Editorial Team: PIB Compilation: Nikhil Gupta International News....51 The Hindu Compilation: Shakeel Anwar India and the World..57 Ranjan Kumar Shahid Sarwar Karuna Thakur Science and Technology + Designed by: Anupam Rastogi Environment..............75 The Crux will be published online Miscellaneous News and for free on 10th of every month. We appreciate the friends and Events.........................99 followers for apprepreciating our effort. For any queries, guidance needs and support, Please contact at: [email protected] You may also follow our website Aspirantforum.com for free on- line coaching and guidanceforIASaspirantforum.com Vol. 29 Jan 2016 29 Jan Vol. Visit Aspirantforum.com for guidance and study material for IAS Exam. aspirantforum.com Hindu and PIB Crux Vol. 29 News and Events of Jan 2016 About the ‘CRUX’ Introducing a new and convenient product, to help the aspirants for the various public services examina- tions. The knowledge of the Current Affairs constitute 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 Team Aspirant Forum Courtesy: The Hindu Press Information Bureau (PIB) aspirantforum.com Vol. 29 Jan 2016 29 Jan Vol. Visit Aspirantforum.com for guidance and study material for IAS Exam. aspirantforum.com Hindu and PIB Crux Vol. 29 News and Events of Jan 2016 and Rural Development (NABARD). to lend to co-opera- tive banks and societies at a lower interest rate. National BCCI vs. Supreme Court: A timeline The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), as Modi thanks people for enduring note we know it, will not exist anymore. The Supreme Court brought down the curtain on its face-off with the BCCI by ban pain removing its president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a relief package Shirke from their posts for not implementing the Lodha for farmers, senior citizens, small enterprises, women Committee reforms. While asking Thakur and Shirke to and the rural poor as a return gift of sorts for enduring the step down from their positions, the apex court asked them pain caused by the Centre’s decision to scrap the legal why they should not be tried for perjury and contempt. tender nature of old Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes. He Here is a timeline of how the conflict between the world’s also acknowledged that crores of citizens had to stand in richest and most influential cricket board and the Su- queues for hours to withdraw their own money. preme Court has panned out since the spot-fixing scan- Linking the surge of black money to the unavailability of dal that broke out during the Indian Premier League (IPL) affordable housing for the poor and the middle class, Mr. in 2013. Modi announced a special scheme under the Pradhan Year of 2013 Mantri Awaas Yojana to provide an interest subvention May of 4 per cent on loans up to Rs. 9 lakh and 3 per cent on • Three Rajasthan Royals players—S. Sreesanth, loans up to Rs. 12 lakh for urban housing. Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila—arrested on spot-fix- A similar scheme would be rolled out for the rural poor to ing charges revealing a deep nexus between franchise get a house-building loan of up to Rs. 2 lakh at a 3 per members, players and bookies. A follow-up probe led cent lower interest rate. to the arrest of Gurunath Meiyappan, team principal of While appreciating the endurance of the people at large Chennai Super Kings (CSK). in supporting the government’s move to replace old cur- Year of October rency despite facing genuine hardships, the Prime Minis- • Supreme Court appoints a committee headed by ter said, “The lack of cash in the economy is very painful, Justice Mukul Mudgal to look into the spot-fixing scandal. but an abundance of cash is also problematic. Our at- Year of 2014 tempt is to seek a balance on this front. ” November Guaranteed interest rate • The Mudgal Committee found that IPL chief op- Promising to convert three crore Kisan credit cards to Ru- erating officer Sundar Raman, Meiyappan and Rajasthan pay cards in the next three months, the Prime Minister Royals owner Raj Kundra guilty of betting. flagged the inconvenience posed by Kisan credit cards • The Committee’s report pointed fingers at BCCI which require farmers to go to the bank to withdraw cash chief N. Srinivasan as well. against their credit limit. With a Rupay card, they will be Year of 2015 able to make transactions for farm inputs without visiting January the bank, he said. • The apex court appoints a panel headed by re- Mr. Modi also announced a guaranteed 8 per cent return tired justice R.M. Lodha to suggest reforms for BCCI as on bank deposits up to Rs. 7.5 lakh made by senior citi- well as determine punishments for those guilty in the IPL zens for a period of 10 years. spot-fixing case. Farm sector credit July He also announced a virtual doubling in the credit flow • Justice Lodha panel suspends CSK and Ra- to the farm sector via district central co-operative banks jasthan Royals for two years and hands a lifetime ban to and primary societies, withaspirantforum.com the Centre bearing the inter- their owners. The players of the two franchises, however, est cost for 60 days on existing loans availed by farmers. were allowed to be auctioned for other franchises. This interest subvention will be credited to farmers’ ac- Year of 2016 counts and an additional Rs. 30,000 crore is being pro- January vided by the Centre to the National Bank for Agriculture Vol. 29 Jan 2016 29 Jan Vol. • Lodha panel recommends complete overhaul of Visit Aspirantforum.com for guidance and study material for IAS Exam. aspirantforum.com Hindu and PIB Crux Vol. 29 News and Events of Jan 2016 the BCCI structure. Major recommendations include one- ant on implementing key reforms. vote-one-state criteria, limiting tenure of office bearers, November: separate players’ associations for men and women, and • Justice Lodha panel recommends removal of barring ministers over 70 from holding any position in the BCCI top brass, including in its state associations, due to board or state associations. continued defiance of the board. • The panel also gave BCCI time till 31 January • The panel urges the Supreme Court to appoint to come back with suggestions. No response from the former home secretary G.K. Pillai as an observer to guide board forces the panel to approach the Supreme Court. the board with powers to appoint an auditor. February December • The apex court gives BCCI the deadline of 3 • The Supreme Court says Thakur should go to jail March to respond to Lodha panel suggestions. over his attempt to obstruct justice. He had asked the March ICC to furnish the BCCI with a letter that indicated the • BCCI files its response and objections to the re- apex court order as government interference. port in a 55-page counter-affidavit. April Union Budget to be presented on • The Supreme Court questions BCCI’s method of disbursing funds to state associations. February 1 May Departing from convention, the Union Budget will be pre- • SC calls BCCI’s constitution non-transparent. sented in Parliament on February 1, a month earlier than September the usual, and the Economic Survey will be tabled on • In a plea to the Supreme Court, the panel asks January 31, the same day President Pranab Mukherjee for replacing BCCI top bosses. Later, a bench headed addresses the joint Houses of Parliament. by Chief Justice T.S.