1. Draft Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill 2016 released
a) The Draft Trafficking of Persons (prevention, Protection & Rehabilitation) Bill, 2016 was recently launched by Union Women and Child Development minister Maneka Gandhi.
b) The bill is aimed at preventing the trafficking of persons and protecting them and help them to rehabilitate. The bill corks several loopholes in the age old laws against human trafficking such as, Indian Penal Code, 1860, Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 and Offenders Act, 1958.
c) The bill recognises new offences such as disclosure of identity of the victim of trafficking and witness, use of narcotic drug or psychotropic substance or alcohol for the purpose of trafficking and use of chemical substance or hormones for the purpose of exploitation.
d) As per this bill, trafficking related offences a cognisable and non-bailable offence notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. Special new courts to tackle the trafficking cases will be created under this bill. Such courts can be created by state government in consultation with the Chief Justice of the HC by specifying for each district, a Court of Session to be a Special Court.
e) Special investigating agencies, investigative officers & welfare officer can be created against trafficking. The bill makes a provision for establishment of Protection Homes and Special Homes for short term and long term rehabilitation support.
f) The bill envisages for creation of an Anti Trafficking fund for implementation of act and rehabilitation of victims. It has also made provisions for 3 tier institutional mechanism at centre, state and district level for effective implementation of act.
2. Government raises retirement age of doctors to 65
a) Government recently raised the retirement age of doctors of central services to 65 years of age with a view to to strengthen the healthcare sector and improve public health service in the country.
b) The move will enable the government to retain experienced doctors for a longer period, and to provide better services in its public health facilities, particularly to the poorest, who are entirely dependent on public facilities.
c) According to WHO criteria, the number of doctors needed were very less in India i.e 1 per 1700 people instead of 1 per 1000 people and this step will help in providing additional doctors in the health pool of the country.
3. India and Morocco have finalized five MoUs to enhance cooperation in various fields
a) To improve the bilateral relation between the countries, India & Morocco have recently signed five Memorandum of Understanding. Two MoUs on cultural cooperation and institutional training were signed between visiting Vice President Hamid Ansari & Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane. They are aimed at Cultural Exchange and Institutional Training for Foreign Service officers
b) The other three MoUs are about Water Resources, Television Broadcasting and Education. The two sides identified new areas of mutual cooperation which included information technology.
4. India and World Bank sign agreement for efficient bus service
a) A $9.2 million grant agreement was recently signed between India & the World bank for the ‘Efficient and Sustainable City Bus Service Project’. The grant is given under World Bank- Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Programme.
b) This project is aimed at improving the efficiency of the transport and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
c) Demonstration cities where the various initiatives for improving city bus services will be undertaken are Mira Bhayandar in Maharashtra,Chandigarh, Jaipur, and Bhopal.
d) The project will focus on modernizing the city bus service through modern depots to improve the maintenance. The project will also bring modern intelligent transport systems and management information system.
5. India and Morocco launch Chamber of Commerce and Industry
a) India & Morocco have jointly launched the Chamber of commerce & Industry to boost bilateral commercial engagements.
b) It was launched by visiting Vice President Hamid Ansari and Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane.
c) The bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $ 1.26 billion in 2015 with Indian exports forming roughly 25 per cent of the trade volume. Various Indian firms now favouring Morocco as an investment destination. Till now, Indian firms have invested &320 million in Morocco including in the flagship project, the Indo-Maroc Phosphore SA joint venture.
6. Asia’s largest tech trade show COMPUTEX kicks off in Taipei
a) COMPUTEX, Asia’s largest technology trade show begun at Taipei on 31 May 2016 which showed a participation of more than 1600 companies from 30 countries to showcase their latest products.
b) Taiwan’s HTC drew the most media attention for its Virtual Reality (VR) headset Vive that debuted in February 2016.
c) MSI came up with its first backpack-sized PC for VR gaming. It allows players to carry the computer around without tripping over wires while playing with VR headsets.
d) COMPUTEX became the biggest trade show with the highest number of nations participating in last five years and is expected to attract around 1,30,000 people to the on going event.
7. World’s longest rail tunnel set to run in Switzerland
a) World’s longest and deepest rail tunnel, Gotthard Base tunnel, is set to run through Alps after 17 years of investment.
b) It is also the first flat low-level route through the Swiss Alps.
c) With a length of 57.09 km and a total of 151.84 km of tunnels, it is expected to make rail freight more efficient partly by supporting heavier cargo, which should reduce the number of smoke emitting lorries and other heavy vehicles on the roads thus improving traffic and curbing pollution.
8. China launches Ziyuan III 02 and two other foreign satellites
a) China successfully launched a new civilian high-resolution mapping satellite, Ziyuan III 02, along with two NewSat satellites developed by URUGUS S A.
b) Ziyuan III 02 will join its predecessor Ziyuan III 01, launched in January 2012 to form a network and capture high-definition 3-D images and multispectral data.
c) Ziyuan III 02 satellite took off on the back of a Long March 4B rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in northern Shanxi Province. All the three satellites launched have successfully entered its preset orbit.
d) The Ziyuan III 02 satellite will be used for land resource surveys, natural disaster prevention, agricultural development, water resource management and urban planning, among other applications.
9. BS Bassi appointed as UPSC Member
a) Former Delhi Police Commissioner, BS Bassi has been appointed as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) member for a term of five years, February 2021.
b) He is an officer of Indian Police Service of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre of 1977 batch.
10. Veteran Comedian and Bollywood actor Razzak Khan passes away
a) Popular TV actor and comedian Razzak Khan passed away after suffering from a cardiac arrest.
b) He made his Bollywood debut in 1993 with Boney Kapoor’s production venture Roop ki Rani Choron Ka Raja and acted in more than 90 films in a career of over two decades.
11. Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Kulasekara announces his retirement from Test Cricket
a) Sri Lankan pace bowler, Nuwan Kulasekera, announced his retirement from Test Cricket with immediate effect.
b) The 33-year-old Kulasekara Kulasekara played the last of his 21 Tests against England at Lord’s two years ago but has been a standout performer in one-dayers, with 186 wickets from 173 matches, and was ranked the top ODI bowler in March 2009.
12. UP Government approves Detailed Project Report of Varanasi Metro Rail
a) The Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Metro Rail Project in Varanasi was recently approved by Uttar Pradesh state government. This report is prepared by RITES , an Indian railway Undertaking.
b) As per this report, the corridors of 29.23km length have been proposed, of which one will be of 19.35 km between BHEL BSE 1.44 % to BHU and another of 9.885 km between Beniya Bagh to Sarnath. There will be 17 stations between BHEL & BHU whereas between Beniya Bagh to Sarnath, there will be total of 9 stations.
c) The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 13,133 crore.
13. World Milk Day observed globally
a) With an intent to emphasize the nutritional value and economic importance of milk, World Milk day was celebrated globally on 1st June, 2016.
b) World Milk day celebration was an initiative of UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which first begun in 2001. FAO actively encourages milk and dairy consumption as part of a daily diet.
c) India celebrates National Milk Day on 26 November in memory of Dr Verghese Kurien, Father of India’s White Revolution. The first National Milk Day was observed on 14 November 2014.
14. Direct Tax Dispute Resolution Scheme 2016 comes into force
a) On 1st of June, 2016, the direct tax dispute resolution scheme 2016 came into force. This scheme was unveiled in the fiscal budget 2016 and it is incorporated in the Chapter X of the Finance Act, 2016.
b) Declarant can do a file declaration in Form-1 to the designated authority not below the rank of Commissioner. IN 60 days from the date of declaration, the designated authority will determine the amount payable by the declarant. After passing such order by designated authority, the declarant will pay the sum within 30 days and furnish a proof of sum. Any amount paid in pursuance of declaration shall not be refundable.
c) This scheme is aimed at resolving cases pending in various courts, tribunals, arbitrations or are in mediation under the Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement (BIPA).
d) This scheme will be more beneficial for companies like Vodafone and Cairn which have been facing multi-billion dollar tax liability following retrospective tax amendments made in 2012.
e) Besides this, 6% Equalisation Levy, which will apply on cross border digital transactions.
15. Global Day of Parents observed across the world
a) To celebrate the selfless commitment and to appreciate the efforts of parents worldwide, Global day of Parents is observed on 1st of June, every year.
b) The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2012 and honours parents throughout the world.
16. Fire breaks out at Central Ammunition Depot, Pulgaon
a) A fire had recently broke out at the central Ammunition Depot in Pulgaon, Wardha District in Maharashtra.
b) At least 16 people were killed, including two Army officials. Seventeen Defence Security Corp (DSC) jawans were also injured.
c) The central ammunition depot at Pulgaon is one India’s biggest ammunition depot. It’s located around 110 km from Nagpur. It recently got an award for using solar energy for disposing expired ammunition.
17. Central Statistical Office releases National GDP Provisional Estimates for 2015-16
a) The provisional estimates of National GDP for 2015-16 was recently released by Central Statistical Office(CSO). It shows the growth at 7.9% in the 4rth quarter of 2015-16 and 7.6% growth in the whole 2015-16.
b) In 2013-14, fiscal deficit was 4.7% and in 2015-15 it was 4.1%. Fiscal deficit of India’s GDP stood at 3.9% in 2015-26 as estimated in Budget Expenditure and Revenue Expenditure of 2015-16.
c) It has also shown a good improvement in the Revenue deficit of 2015-16. The revenue deficit of 2015-16 is 2.5% against the 3.2% in 2013-14 and 2.9% in 2014-15. This has happened due to the capital expenditure by the central government.
d) The plan expenditure of 2015-16 is 4,71,081 cores which is almost more than 8,437 cores than that of in 2014-15.
e) The Gross tax Collection has also shown 17% growth if compared to the fiscal 2014-15. It has also shown around 10.74% improvement in GDP in 2015-16.
f) The non tax receipts in 2014-15 were of 1,97,766 crores. In 2015-16, they are improved to 2,50,744 crores.
18. Index of Industrial Production of Eight Core Industries increased by 8.5% in April, 2016
a) As per the recently released, Index of Industrial Production of (IIP) eight core industries for April 2016, there is a 8.5% growth in the total indices of Eight Core Industries than that of April , 2015.
b) The eight core industries comprise 38% of the weight of the items included in the index.
i) Coal : It has the weight of 4.38% in IIP which was decreased by 0.9% in April, 2016. Its cumulative index during April-March 2015-16 increased by 4.6 % over the corresponding period of the previous year.
ii) Crude Oil : It’s production has decreased by 2.3% in April 2016 from April 2015. ts cumulative index during April-March 2015-16 decreased by 1.4 %
iii) Natural Gas production : It decreased by 6.8 % in April 2016 from April 2015. Its cumulative index during April-March 2015-16 declined by 4.2 %
iv) Refinery products : It increased by 17.9 % in April 2016 over April 2015. Its cumulative index during April-March 2015-16 increased by 3.8 %.
v) Fertilizer : increased by 7.8 % in April 2016 over April 2015. Its cumulative index during April-March 2015-16 increased by 11.3 %
vi) Steel production: increased by 6.1 % in April 2016 over April 2015. Its cumulative index during April-March 2015-16 declined by 1.4 %
vii) Cement production: increased by 4.4 % in April 2016 over April 2015. Its cumulative index during April-March 2015-16 increased by 4.7 %.
viii) Electricity generation: increased by 14.7 % in April 2016 over April 2015. Its cumulative index during April-March 2015-16 increased by 5.2 %
19. Union Cabinet gave green signal for MoU between DGCA and French Civil Aviation Authority
a) Union cabinet has recently gave it’s nod for a MoU between the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of India (DGCA) and the French Civil Aviation Authority – Direction Generale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC) of France to implement Technical Cooperation Programme.
b) the basic objective of this MoU is to promote and implement the Standards and Recommended Practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The MoU will also prove beneficial for the enhancement of skills of officers, training of engineers, technicians and managers of both the countries.
c) The MoU is valid for a term of four years. The common action plan for both the parties is as follows,
i) By exchanging information concerning the various techniques used to reach the objectives;
ii) By sending French experts or instructors to India for training missions; and
iii) By receiving experts, or instructors of India, in France for training missions.
20. Setting up of India Post Payments Bank is approved by Central government
a) Union cabinet has recently approved the setting up of the India Post Payments Banks (IPPB) as a public limited company under the Department of Posts with 100 per cent government equity.
b) The total corpus allowed for Post Payments bank will be of Rs. 800 Crores. Out of which, Rs. 400 Crores will be equity and Rs. 400 crores will be grant.
c) Cabinet gave approval for the establishment of 650 branches of IPPB in the country which will be linked to the rural post offices. This branches will get operational by September 2017 after they obtain their banking licence from RBI by March 2017.
d) India has 154,000 post offices, of which 139,000 are rural post offices. At present the core banking network of post offices is highest in the country. IIPB will help financial inclusion of a large Indian population in rural areas who is outside the reach of Indian banking industry.
21. Rahul Johri assumes charge as first ever CEO of BCCI
a) Rahul Johri has joined the cricket board as its first ever chief executive officer (CEO).
b) Johri’s appointment as CEO, is as per the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Justice R.M. Lodha Committee.
c) Before joining BCCI, he last served as Discovery Networks Asia Pacific’s Executive Vice-President and General Manager for South Asia.
22. Prime Minister releases India’s first National Disaster Management Plan
a) India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released India’s first ever National Disaster Management Plan(NDMP).
b) The primary objective of this plan is to tackle national disasters, to make the country disaster resilient and reduce loss of lives and assets during calamities.
c) NDMP has incorporated the four priorities provided in the the Sendai Framework into the planning framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. NDMP’s five thematic areas for action are,
- Understanding Risk
- Inter-Agency Coordination
- Investing in DRR – Structural Measures
- Investing in DRR – Non-Structural Measures
- Capacity Development
d) The Response part of the Plan has identified eighteen broad activities which have been arranged into a matrix to be served as a ready reckoner,
Early Warning, Maps, Satellite inputs, Information Dissemination, Evacuation of People and Animals, Search and Rescue of People and Animals, Medical Care, Drinking Water/ Dewatering Pumps/ Sanitation Facilities/ Public Health, Food & Essential Supplies, Communication, Housing and Temporary Shelters, etc.
e) The National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) provides a framework and direction to the government agencies for all phases of disaster management cycle.