1.
PM launches ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ campaign

i. Prime
Minister of India launched today launched “Beti Bachao – Beti Padhao” campaign
which aims to save and empower the girl child.

ii. Prime Minister launched the campaign in
Panipat, Haryana the state with the lowest sex ratio in the country and
appealed to people to change their mindset towards girl child.

2. Govt launches HRIDAY campaign to preserve, rejuvenate rich cultural
heritage of India

i. The government has launched a
Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) to preserve and
rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country.

ii. The cities include Ajmer, Amrawati, Varanasi,
Mathura, Gaya, Puri and Dwaraka. Mr Naidu said, it will be a hundred percent
centrally funded scheme which also intends to create infrastructure and provide
facilities around the heritage sites to attract more tourists.

iii. Launching the scheme at a function in New
Delhi yesterday, Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said that in the
initial phase, 12 heritage cities have been identified which will be
rejuvenated and developed.

3. Shanta Kumar Committee on restructuring of food Corporation of India
submitted its report

i. Shanta Kumar committee on restructuring of
Food Corporation of India has recommended reduction in coverage of population
form 67 per cent to 40 per cent under the National Food Security Act.

ii. The panel headed by former Food Minister
Shanta Kumar has suggested gradual introduction of direct cash transfer regime
for food subsidy. He said the initiative will help the government to save
around 3000 crore rupees per year.

iii. In its report the committee recommended
the procurement operations be streamlined to bring back private sector in grain
markets. It has also suggested that FCI should be provided a free hand to
dispose off the excess food grain stock above the buffer limits.

4. Neither a
Hawk nor a Dove book authored by Khurshid
Mahmood

i. Book
titled “Neither a Hawk nor a Dove” is authored
by Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri.

ii. The book is based upon the relations between India and
Pakistan.

iii. Kasuri in his book writes that the two countries have
no option but to go for a just and peaceful solution to Jammu and Kashmir and
other contentious issues between them.

5. SC
Court bars N Srinivasan from contesting BCCI elections

i. The
Supreme Court of India ban N Srinivasan  to
contest Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) elections  as long as he is involved in a “conflict
of interest” situation as an owner of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings
(CSK).

ii. The
apex court bench, headed by Justice TS Thakur, held Srinivasan’s son-in-law and
CSK “official” Gurunath Meiyappan, and IPL franchise Rajasthan
Royals’ co-owner Raj Kundra guilty of betting and said the punishment will not
only be confined to them but also extend to the franchises they represent.

iii. The
court set up a three-member committee headed by former Chief Justice RM Lodha
to decide, besides other issues, the quantum of punishment to be given to
Meiyappan and Kundra.