Current Affairs Today – September 1 2015

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Indian Affairs 

SC stays Rajasthan HC’s decision declaring ‘Santhara’ ritual illegal

On August 10, 2015 Rajasthan High Court ordered by declaring that Santhara as illegal, the practice, which involves voluntary fast-unto-death, illegal and an offence punishable under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

  • But the Supreme Court stayed the order passed by Rajasthan High Court declaring Santhara as illegal.
  • Santhara is a Jain custom of embracing voluntary death – it involves practitioners taking an oath to stop eating until they die of starvation. According to Jains, this is a way to purge oneself of bad ‘karma’ and attain ‘moksha’.
  • The Bench was hearing a batch of petitions filed by various religious bodies of Jain community members against the High Court order on Santhara.

Law Commission of India submitted its report on Death Penalty

Law Commission of India recommended that the death penalty be abolished for all crimes other than terrorism-related offences and waging war against the country after 53 years which favored retention of the death penalty in statute books.

  • In its 272-page draft report, the commission favoured speedy abolition of the death penalty from the statute books not serve the penological goal of deterrence any more than life imprisonment.
  • The report stated that from January 26, 1950 till date, successive Presidents have accepted 306 mercy petitions and rejected 131.
  • The Commission also held a one-day Consultation on The Death Penalty in India on 11 July 2015 in New Delhi. Thereafter, upon extensive deliberations, discussions and in-depth study, the Commission gave shape prepared its report.
  • It is essential that the state establish effective compensation schemes to rehabilitate victims of crime. It is also essential, the panel said, that courts use the power granted to them under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 to grant appropriate compensation to victims in suitable cases.

Maharashtra government approves ordinance to amend MPDA Act

Maharashtra government gave permission to amend (alter) the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act

  • ShriDevendra Fadnavis, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra at the weekly cabinet meeting, took the decision to imprison the members of sand mafia, for not less than one year.
  • The persons found involved in  sand mafia won’t get bail for one year, if once they got imprisoned under illegal sand mining cases.
  • The MPDA Act, 1981, applies to slumlords, bootleggers, drug offenders, video pirates and other dangerous persons.
  • Now, the illegal sand miners have also been included in the list of dangerous persons in the Act through the recent amendments.

10th World Hindi Conference to be held in Bhopal

  • India is set to host the World Hindi Conference after a gap of 32 years which will focus for the first time on promoting the language as a means to employment.

International Affairs 

Highest mountain of North America Mt McKinley renamed as Denali

Mount McKinley, the 20,237-foot mountain and the tallest in North America which was named after 25th U.S. president, William McKinley, Obama administration renames Mount McKinley to Denali.

  • The mountain, which sits in the 6 million-acre Denali national park, has been known as Denali in Alaska since 1975. Under an order signed by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, the Denali name will also take effect for all federal usage and, therefore, on all official maps.
  • Denali, meaning “the great one” in the Athabaskan language of Alaska natives, was the original name of the mountain. But when European Americans discovered it in the 19th century, they renamed it Densmore’s Mountain and, later, Mount McKinley in an effort to boost the presidential candidacy of Republican William McKinley.

Tejinder Pal Singh named as Australian of the Day by Commonwealth Bank

An Indian-origin Sikh migrant driver in Australia has been named ‘Australian of the Day’ for feeding the homeless in Darwin for the past three years by Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

  • Tejinder Pal Singh has dedicated the last Sunday of the month to feed the poor and homeless locals of northern Darwin after he finishes his shift as a cabbie. He cooks up 30 kg of Indian cuisine to feed the homeless after his night shift.
  • His van carries a signature written as ‘Free Indian food for hungry and needy people, Provide Sikh family.
  • Commonwealth Bank has sponsored the Australian of the Year Awards for over 35 years, recognising extraordinary Australians who have made a big difference to the country.

Banking & Finance 

CSO released estimates of GDP for April-June quarter of 2015-16

The  Central  Statistics  Office  (CSO),  Ministry  of  Statistics  and  Programme Implementation has released the estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the first quarter  (April-June)  Q1,  of  2015-16.

  • GDP at constant (2011-12) prices in Q1 of 2015-16 is estimated at 27.13 lakh crore, as against 25.35 lakh crore in Q1 of 2014-15, showing a growth rate of 7.0 percent.
  • Quarterly GVA at basic prices for Q1 2015-16 from ‘agriculture, forestry and fishing’ sector grew by 1.9 percent as compared to growth of 2.6 percent in Q1 2014-15.
  • Quarterly GVA at basic prices for Q1 2015-16 from ‘mining and quarrying’ sector grew by 4.0 percent as compared to growth of 4.3 percent in Q1 2014-15.
  • Quarterly GVA at basic prices for Q1 2015-16 from ‘manufacturing’ sector grew by 7.2 percent as compared to growth of 8.4 percent in Q1 2014-15.
  • Quarterly GVA at basic prices for  Q1 2015-16 from  ‘Electricity ,Gas, water supply and other utility services’  sector  grew by 3.2 percent as compared to growth of 10.1 percent in Q1 2014-15.
  • Quarterly GVA at basic prices for Q1 2015-16 from ‘Construction’ sector grew by 6.9 percent as compared to growth of 6.5 percent in Q1 2014-15

Awards

Punjab Government wins award for achievement in rooftop solar power output

Excelling in the field of green energy, Punjab New and Renewable Energy Department has been conferred five awards, this includes the first award for highest capacity addition in grid connected solar rooftop power in the country during the financial year of 2014-15.

  • The other four areas includes achieving highest cumulative grid connected solar rooftop power capacity, deployment of highest cumulative numbers of solar water pumps, highest capacity addition of off-grid waste to energy plants, and achieving highest capacity addition in grid connected solar power in the country.
  • Union Territory of Chandigarh bagged the second spot in the highest capacity addition in grid connected solar rooftop power in the country category.
  • Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy presented these awards.

Appointments & Resigns

Manish Sisodia replaces Kapil Mishra as Delhi Law Minister

ManishSisodia

  • Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was on 31 August 2015 given the additional charge of the Law Ministry of the city.
  • Sisodia, who is the third person to hold charge of the portfolio in less than seven months, will replace Kapil Mishra.
  • Kapil Mishra, an MLA from Karawal Nagar, was handing the Law Ministry portfolio ever since Jitendra Singh Tomar was arrested in a fake degree case in June 2015. Mishra will continue as Minister for Water and Tourism and Delhi Jal Board’s chairman.

Sports

Sports Ministry recognizes ‘Yoga’ as a sports discipline

  • The Sports Ministry decided to recognize ‘Yoga’ as a sports discipline and place it in the ‘Priority’ category.
  • The Ministry also decided to upgrade Fencing from ‘Others’ to ‘General’ category, based on the past performance in major international events.
  • It has also been decided to place ‘University Sports’ in the ‘Priority’ category.

Mumbai won Buchi Babu Memorial Trophy of Cricket

  • Mumbai on 1 September 2015 won the Buchi Babu Memorial Trophy in the All India invitation cricket tournament. In the final match played in Chennai, Mumbai defeated Tamil Nadu Cricket Association Districts (TNCA) XI by six wickets.
  • TNCA batting first was able to score 163 all out in 74 over, in response to which, Mumbai scored 166 for four in 45.2 over.
  • Mumbai’s Surya Kumar Yadav, was adjudged as the Man of the Series.

Obituary

Author, neurologist Oliver Sacks passes away

  • Doctor Oliver Sacks, 82, died Sunday at his home in New York City,
  • In February, he had announced that he was terminally ill with a rare eye cancer that had spread to his liver.
  • As a practicing neurologist, Sacks looked at some of his patients with a writer’s eye and found publishing gold.




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