29-31 MAY 2016
Indian author Aditi Krishnakumar wins 2016 Scholastic Asian Book Award
Aditi Krishnakumar, an Indian woman author in Singapore, in fourth week of May 2016 won the 'Scholastic Asian Book Award'. She was awarded for her 32000-word manuscript "Codex: The Lost Treasure of the Indus".
She won the 10000 Singapore dollar award for her manuscript that carried contemporary feel and roots deep into history of India. The manuscript will be published by Scholastic Asia.
Aditi Krishnakumar
• She has worked in the finance industry in India and Singapore.
• She has been living in Singapore for the past three year.
• At present, she is working with Agent Lila Raman to decipher the mysterious script of the Indus Valley civilization.
• Her first book, A Whole Summer Long, was published in 2012.
• Additionally, another of her manuscripts was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award in 2014.
Runner Ups of the award
1st runner up: Tina Cho from South Korea was selected for Chasing Freedom
2nd runner-up:Stephanie Ho Lee-Ling from Singapore for Island Girl
Scholastic Asian Book Award
The Scholastic Asian Book Award (SABA) is the joint initiative of the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and Scholastic Asia. The NBDCS, founded in 1969, promotes reading and literature, and champions’ literary works of Asians.
Scholastic, founded in 1920, is the largest children's books publisher and distributor in the world.
Eligibility
The Scholastic Asian Book Award is awarded every two years to an unpublished manuscript (original or translation) targeted at children aged 6 to 18 years, written by writers of Asian descent, living in Asia, who are 18 years of age and above.
International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers 2016 observed with theme Honouring Our Heroes
29 May: International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers 2016 was observed on 29 May 2016 with the theme Honouring Our Heroes.
The day offers a chance to pay tribute to the Blue Helmets’invaluable contribution to the work of the Organization and to honour more than 3400 peacekeepers who have lost their lives serving under the UN flag since 1948, including 128 in 2015.
On the other hand, the UN Postal Administration (UNPA) also issued a set of six new stamps for the occasion.
The day was established to
•Honour the memory of the UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace.
•Pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage.
Background
•The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was so designated by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 57/129, on 11 December 2002.
•It was designated after an official request of the Ukrainian Peacekeepers Association and the Government of Ukraine to the UN General Assembly.
•The day was first celebrated in 2003.
•The date, May 29, marks the anniversary of the creation of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in 1948 to monitor the ceasefire after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which was the first ever UN peacekeeping mission.
•Theme for the year 2015 was Together for Peace.
SRH defeated RCB to win maiden Indian Premier League title
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on 29 May 2016 won the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the final clash played at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by eight runs.
This was maiden Indian Premier League title for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while third final lost for Bangalore in the IPL. Earlier, it lost in finals of 2009 and 2011 editions.
Chasing the target of 209 runs, Bangalore got off to a flying start as Chris Gayle (76) and Skipper Virat Kohli (54) laid a perfect platform and forged 114-run partnership. But after the fall of the openers, no other batsman could contribute much as a result they only managed to score 200 runs for seven in 20 overs.
Earlier, propelled by skipper David Warner, Hyderabad scored 208 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs. Warner, who hit 69, finished second in run-getters' list with 848 runs. Ben Cutting of Hyderabad was declared the Man of the Match for his all round performance. He had scored 39 runs and claimed two wickets.
- Player of the match – Ben Cutting (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
- Player of the series - Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
President Pranab Mukherjee presented Malti Gyan Peeth Puraskar 2016
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 29 May 2016 presented the Malti Gyan Peeth Puraskar for the year 2016 at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The award was conferred upon 15 teachers from Punjab for their rare contribution in the field of education.
The awardees were facilitated with 1 lakh rupees cash, certificate of excellence, a Robe of Honour and a medal.
The initiative was mainly taken to promote the quality teaching in the schools besides encouraging the hundred percent attendance of girl students in the government schools.
About Malti Gyan Peeth Puraskar
•The Malti Gyan Peeth Puraskar was instituted by Mohinder Singh Syngle Education & Research Society.
•It was instituted in honour of its founder Malti Mohinder Singh Syngle, eminent educationist and social worker.
•Every year, government school teachers from Punjab Government’s High & Higher Secondary Schools receive this award for their contributions in the field of education.
•The teachers already awarded with the National or State Awards were not considered for this award.
Indian-American scientist Arnab De wins Springer Theses Award
Indian-American scientist Arnab De in May 2016 received the prestigious Springer Theses award. He was awarded for his research in which he developed transgenic mice to study a critical tumor-suppressor called A20.
His thesis was nominated by New York’s Columbia University.
Earlier, his project in which he developed peptide-based prodrugs as therapeutics for diabetes, had received the Young Investigator Award at the American Peptide Symposium.
He dedicated his PhD thesis to cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar and his alma mater, Kolkata’s Presidency University.
Springer Theses Award
The Springer Theses Award is awarded by Springer, a leading global publisher of renowned scientific journals and books, to recognise outstanding PhD research.
Springer
• It publishes internationally top-ranked research institutes best thesis annually for publication in the book series: “Springer Theses: Recognising Outstanding PhD research”.
• Winners also get a cash prize of 500 euros (555 US dollars).
• The research work was highlighted by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Reports.
• Only research considered to be of ‘fundamental relevance to a general readership’ is chosen to be highlighted by EMBO.
Discus thrower Seema Punia qualifies for Rio 2016 Olympics
Asian Games discus throw gold medal winner Seema Punia on 29 May 2016 qualified for the Rio Olympics with a 62.62m effort at the Pat Young's Throwers Classic 2016 at Salinas in the United States.
Punia crossed the Rio Games qualification standard of 61.00m.
The 32-year old discus thrower from Haryana defeated 2008 Olympic discus throw champion Stephanie Brown-Trafton of United States of America for the gold.
This will be Punia’s third Olympic Games appearance. She took part in the games in 2004 and 2012.
She is the 19th Indian track and field athlete to have qualified for Rio Olympics.
Who is Seema Punia?
•Seema Punia originally won the gold medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships. However, she lost it due to a positive drugs test for pseudoephedrine.
•She won a bronze medal at the next World Junior Championships in 2002.
•She won the silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
•She was honoured with Bhim Award by the Haryana state government on 26 June 2006.
•She won the bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
•She finished 13th at the 2012 London Olympics.
•In 2014, she won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and a gold at the Asian Games.
Manohar Parrikar inaugurates second submarine assembly workshop in Mazgaon
Second submarine assembly workshop of the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) was inaugurated by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 28 May 2016.
After inaugurating the workshop, Parrikar said that the level of indigenisation in submarine construction should be much higher than the present.
At present, MDL is building six Scorpene class of submarines for the Indian Navy, with around 35% of indigenisation.
INS Kalvari, the first submarine of this class, is expected to join the Indian Navy by end of 2016.
About the Submarine Marine Assembly Workshop
• It is a pre-engineered building structure to handle construction of multiple submarines simultaneously.
• It was built at an expense of 153 crore rupees.
• It will make it possible to assemble five submarines in the workshop at the same time.
• This facility will enable MDL to go in for a second line of submarines concurrently.
• It can be used to construct additional Scorpenes or the new line of submarines under Project-75I. But the Request for Proposal (RFP) for P-75I is held up for want of clarity on Strategic Partnerships under the new Defence Procurement Procedure.
At present, the current construction of Scorpene class submarines is taking place at its East Yard in collaboration with DCNS of France.
China to launch first hack proof Quantum Communication Satellite
Quantum communication satellite was in news in the last week of May 2016 as China planned to launch its first experimental satellite in July 2016 according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
With this, China will become the first country in the world to send encoded information from space that cannot be intercepted.
The project will bring revolutionary changes in communications. It includes launch of a satellite and building of four ground stations for quantum communication and one space quantum teleportation experiment station.
Keys aspects of the Satellite Project
• China plans to use its quantum satellite system to cover the planet by 2030.
• It is also building its own quantum information sharing network for use in national defense and security on the ground network.
• It will also help to establish quantum optical links simultaneously with two ground bases which are thousands of kilometres away.
• It took five years for Chinese scientists to develop and manufacture the first quantum satellite.
• It will be launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in southwest China after final preparation.
Background
The launch of the quantum satellite is a part of Strategic Priority Program on Space Science which was initiated by China in 2011. The China had already launched their first Dark Matter Satellite, Wukongin 2015 and a Micro Gravity satellite SJ-10 in April 2016. Additionally, a hard X-ray telescope will be sent to space to study neutron stars and black holes in the latter half of 2016.
What is Quantum Communication?
• Quantum communication boasts ultra-high security as a quantum photon cannot be separated or duplicated.
• If anyone tries to decode the information then the encryption would change so that the receiver can know that his information was opened by someone.
• U.S. physicist David Wineland and Serge Haroche of France were awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics for finding ways to measure quantum particles without destroying them.
Trial run of High-Speed Spanish Talgo Train conducted in India
Nine-coach Spanish train Talgo’s trial run was conducted on 29 May 2016 on the Bareilly-Moradabad route of Uttar Pradesh. It was conducted as part of the Railways’ strategy to increase the speed of trains.
The trail run was conducted by a joint team of the Railway Design Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Spanish train manufacturer Talgo.
The nine-coach Talgo train hauled by a 4500 HP diesel engine was tested on the 90-km line as part of the first trial run. The 90-km distance was covered in 1 hour 10 minutes.
Three phases of trial run
The trial run will be conducted in three phases on three routes.These are:
• First phase:Bareilly-Moradabadone route
• Second phase: Mathura-Palwal route
•Third phase: Mumbai-Delhi route
Spanish train Talgo
• It is a lighter and faster vehicle with speed up to 115 km per hour.
• Besides reducing travel time, Talgo's lighter trains consume 30 percent less energy.
• They are designed in a way that it can run on curves without decelerating the speed.
• The nine-coach Talgo train consists of two Executive Class cars, four Chair Cars, a cafeteria, a power car and a tail-end coach for staff and equipment.
• It envisages reducing time of journey between Delhi and Mumbai from 17 hours at present to 12 hours.
As of now, the Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani Express runs at an average speed of 85 km per hour.
Real Madrid wins 2016 European Champions League
Real Madrid on 29 May 2016 won the 2016 European champions title. In the titled clash, Real Madrid defeated their city rivals Atletico Madrid via a penalty shoot-out following a 1-1 draw.
This was Madrid’s 11th European Champion title.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winning penalty in a 5-3 shootout victory against Atletico Madrid. Atletico earlier lost in their two previous finals appearances.
Apart from this, this win also helped Real Madrid’s former player Zinedine Zidane to celebrate as with this, he also became the seventh man to claim the trophy as both a player and a manager. Zidane was appointed as manager of Real Madrid in January 2016.
NASA successfully deploys Bigelow Expandable Activity Module
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Bigelow Aerospace on 28 May 2016 successfully deployed the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM)on the International Space Station. It is the first experimental inflatable room attached to the space station.
Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM)
• It is an expandable habitat technology demonstration for the International Space Station.
• Expandable habitats greatly decrease the amount of transport volume for future space missions.
• These expandables are lightweight and require minimal payload volume on a rocket, but expand after being deployed in space to potentially provide a comfortable area for astronauts to live and work.
• They also provide a varying degree of protection from solar and cosmic radiation, space debris, atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation and other elements of the space environment.
Mission Highlights
• BEAM is scheduled to launch on the eighth SpaceX Commercial Resupply Service mission.
• After being attached to the Tranquility Node using the station’s robotic Canadarm2, it will be filled with air to expand it for a two-year test period in which astronauts aboard the space station will conduct a series of tests to validate overall performance and capability of expandable habitats.
• After two-year test and validation period, BEAM will be robotically jettisoned from the space station, leaving orbit to burn during its descent through Earth’s atmosphere much like many cargo spacecraft do.
• It could lead to future development of expandable habitation structures for future crews traveling in deep space.
• The BEAM project is co-sponsored by NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Division and Bigelow Aerospace.
• It pioneers innovative approaches to rapidly and affordably develop prototype systems for future human exploration missions.
• The BEAM demonstration supports an AES objective to develop a deep space habitat for human missions beyond Earth orbit.
Chabahar Port Deal: How India gains from it?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in May 2016 signed a series of twelve agreements in Tehran.
The most important of these 12 agreements is the trilateral transit agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan. In the deal, India offered to develop the Port of Chabahar in order to allow Indian goods to be exported to Iran, with the possibility of onward connections to Afghanistan and Central Asia.
The deal was signed at the recent visit of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to Iran. It was the maiden visit by an Indian Prime Minister after lifting of sanctions on Iran in the aftermath of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA).
Deal’s focal point
•The bilateral agreement between India and Iran gives India the right to develop two berths of the Chabahar port as agreed in 2015.
•Two firms: India’s India Ports Global Private Limited(IPGPL) and Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization(PMO) have signed the agreement for the construction of the port. IPGPL will invest 85 million US dollars in developing two container berths with a length of 640 metres and three multi-cargo berths.
•The contract is for 10 years and extendable. It will take 18 months to complete phase one of the port construction.
•State run railway body IRCON International will set up a railway line at Chabahar to move goods right up to Afghanistan. The 500-km rail link between Chabahar and Zahedan will link Delhi to the rest of Iran's railway network.
•India has also offered to supply 400 million US dollar worth of steel towards the construction of a rail link between Chahbahar and Zahedan.
Where is Chabahar Port?
•Chabahar Port is a seaport in Chahbahar in southeastern Iran.
•Its location lies in the Gulf of Oman.
•It is the only Iranian port with direct access to the Indian Ocean.
•Being close to Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and others, the port has also been called as the Golden Gate to these land-locked countries.
•The port was partially built by India in the 1990s to provide access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan under the Ashgabat Agreement.
Significance of Chabahar Port
•The port will provide an alternative access to trade with Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan.
•Reduced transportation costs will allow India to import crude oil, urea and dry fruits at lower prices.
•Besides, land-locked country Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistan for sea-access will be significantly reduced. It will ultimately lower Pakistan’s strategic hold on Afghanistan.
•It will provide India access to the Middle East and Gulf countries increasing trade and ties.
•It is the nearest port to India on the Iranian coast. It will provide India access to the resources and markets of Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Why the deal is important for India?
•As a transit point, the Chabahar Port will be the centre of a regional trade, investment and transportation hub. For the first time, India will get access to the region through friendly nations. The port will make way for India to bypass Pakistan in transporting goods to Afghanistan using a sea-land route.
•From the port, the existing Iranian road network can link up to Zaranj in Afghanistan. The Zaranj-Delaram road constructed by India in 2009 can easily give access to Afghanistan's Garland highway. It will set up road access to four major Afghan cities: Herat, Kandahar, Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif.
•The Chabahar-Zahedan-Zaranj corridor is a potential game-changer for regional connectivity because it provides an alternative access for Afghanistan to India via the sea. This connectivity will significantly boost the development nature of economic engagement between the two countries.
•On the other hand, China sponsored Road and Belt Policy is supporting a lot of connectivity projects in China. At this point of time, India’s own initiative will help the country to avoid dependence on China sponsored Central Asian connectivity.
31 may
Lewis Hamilton wins 2016 Monaco F1 Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton on 29 May 2016 won the 2016 Monaco F1 Grand Prix. He emerged victorious in a close battle with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
The Formula One motor race was held at the Circuit de Monaco, a street circuit that runs through the Principality of Monaco. It was the sixth round of the 2016 season.
About Lewis Hamilton
•Lewis Hamilton is a British Formula One racing driver from England.
•He currently races for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team.
•He is the 2008, 2014 and 2015 Formula One World Champion.
•In his first season in Formula One, he set numerous records while finishing second in the 2007 Formula One Championship.
•He won the World Championship the following season, becoming the then-youngest Formula One world champion in history before Sebastian Vettel broke the record two years later.
•Following his second world title in 2014, he was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
•In 2015, he became the first British driver in history to win consecutive F1 titles.
•He is the only driver in the history of the sport to have won at least one race in each season he has competed to date.
About Monaco Grand Prix
•The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One motor race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco.
•It is run since 1929.
•It is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world.
•The race is held on a narrow course laid out in the streets of Monaco, with many elevation changes and tight corners as well as a tunnel, making it one of the most demanding tracks in Formula One.
•It is the only Grand Prix that does not adhere to the FIA's mandated 305-kilometre minimum race distance.
•Nico Rosberg was the winner of the 2015 Monaco F1 Grand Prix.
Alastair Cook becomes youngest cricketer to score 10000 Test runs
England cricket captain Alastair Cook on 30 May 2016 became youngest Cricketer to score 10000 test runs.
Cook, who is 31 years, 5 months, 5 days old, achieved the fete on the fourth day of the second test against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street by flicking Nuwan Pradeep to the deep mid wicket fence for a boundary. It was his 128th Test.
Cook went on to make 47 not out as England won the Test by nine wickets.
The previous record was held by Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar who reached the landmark score against Pakistan at Eden Gardens in 2005. He achieved the same at the age of 31 years, 10 months and 20 days.
Youngest Players to achieve fete of 10000 Test runs include
• Alastair Cook (England): He achieved the fete on 20 May 2016 at the age of 31 years, 5 months and 5 days
• Sachin Tendulkar (India):He achieved the fete on 16 March 2005 at the age of 31 years, 10 months and 20 days
• Jacques Kallis (South Africa): He achieved the fete on 27 February 2009 at the age of 33 years, 4 months and 11 days
• Ricky Ponting (Australia):He achieved the fete on 30 May 2008 at the age of 33 years, 5 months and 11 days
• Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka): He achieved the fete on 26 December 2011 at the age of 34 years, 6 months and 29 days
Cook, the leading Test run-scorer of England, is the 12th player in the history to score 10000 Test runs and only the second opener. The first was Sachin Tendulkar.
The other ten players include Allan Border, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Kumar Sangakkara, Sunil Gavaskar, Ricky Ponting, Mahela Jayawardene, Jacques Kallis, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Steve Waugh.
Veteran TV and film actor Suresh Chatwal passes away
Veteran TV and film actor Suresh Chatwal passed away on 29 May 2016 following a brief illness in Mumbai.
The actor was known for his role of Commissioner Suraj Agnihotri in F.I.R .
About Suresh Chatwal
• Suresh Chatwal made his debut on the big screen in the year 1969 with Rakhi Rakhi.
• His work was appreciated much in the role of Dhukhiya of Doordarshan’s Nukkad, the Sayeed Mirza-Kundan Shah-directed show, which ran for two seasons, starting in 1986.
• He also was seen in Bollywood films like Karan Arjun, Munnabhai, Koyla and many more.
• In his acting career, Suresh has worked with Salman, Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt among others.
• He was last seen on the big screen in Nakshatra in 2010.
• On the small screen, Suresh was last working on the popular comedy show F.I.R. which airs on SAB TV.
Surajit Kar Purkayastha appointed Director General of West Bengal Police
Surajit Kar Purkayastha on 30 May 2016 was appointed the Director General of West Bengal Police.
Purkayastha will replace G.M.P Reddy, who retires on 31 May 2016.
Director General of Police, Intelligence Branch, Raj Kanojia, three years senior to Purkayastha in the service, has been shifted to the post of Commandant General and DG Home Guards.
Who is Surajit Kar Purkayastha?
•Purkayastha is a 1985 batch Indian Police Service officer.
•He has earlier served as Kolkata's Commissioner of Police.
•He has obtained a degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Kharagpur.
•He had worked as ASP in districts including Barrackpore, Asansol and South 24-Parganas and SP of Howrah district.
•He had also worked with the Intelligence Branch for many years. He is one of the few IPS officers who have worked for Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in Iran.
42nd G7 Summit concluded in Japan
The 42nd G7 Summit was held at Ise-Shima in Japan for 2-days from 26 May to 27 May 2016. During the summit, the member countries discussed a wide range of major global economic and political challenges and approved the G7 Ise-Shima Leaders’ Declaration.
The summit assumed significance as it was the first one to be held after the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda by the United Nations in September 2015.
During the summit, global economy and trade, climate change and energy, development, health and quality infrastructure investment were discussed by the leaders.
The Summit was attended by all the seven members’ viz., Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and the European Commission (EC). EC is a permanently welcome participant in all meetings and decision-making since 1981.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu becomes first Indian to play in Tippeligaen
National football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu on 29 May 2016 became the first Indian to play top-tier European football league match. He turned out for Norwegian side Stabaek FC in Norwegian Premier League (Tippeligaen) .
About Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
• Gurpreet Singh Sandhu signed for Stabaek FC in 2014.
• He played his first Tippeligaen (Norwegian Premier League) for Stabaek FC on 29 may 2016 and helped the team to claim a dominant 5-0 triumph over IK Start.
• He was a surprise inclusion in the 2011 Asia Cup squad.
• He made his debut for the Indian national team against Turkmenistan in 2013.
• He was trained in the Tata Football Academy and represented India at the Under-19 and Under-23 levels
Tippeligaen (Norwegian professional league)
• Tippeligaen is a Norwegian professional league for association football clubs.
• It is the country's primary football competition which was founded in 1937.
• It was called Norgesserien(The League of Norway) in its early days and laterHovedserien (The Main League).
• It was expanded to 12 teams in 1972 and the league was renamedTippeligaen in 1990.
• The league is also known as Eliteserien or The Elite League.
Draft Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill 2016 released
Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on 30 May 2016 released the Draft Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill 2016.
It seeks to create a comprehensive law against trafficking of persons and is victim oriented. It makes clear the distinction between the trafficker and the trafficked.
Highlights of the Bill
• Aim: To prevent trafficking of persons and to provide protection and rehabilitation to the victims of trafficking.
• To create a legal, economic, and social environment against trafficking of persons and related matters
• Unifying Existing Laws: It seeks to check human trafficking by unifying and plug loopholes in several existing laws like Indian Penal Code, 1860, Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 and Offenders Act, 1958.
•Offences Included:It includes other offences/provisions which are not dealt with in any other law for the purpose of trafficking, such as
i. Penal provisions for the disclosure of identity of the victim of trafficking and witness
ii. Use of narcotic drug or psychotropic substance or alcohol for the purpose of trafficking
iii. Use of chemical substance or hormones for the purpose of exploitation
•Punishment: It calls for confiscation, forfeiture and attachment of property of an accused who uses the premises for committing trafficking related offences as defined in the bill.
• It makes the trafficking related offences a cognisable and non-bailable offence notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
• Creation of Special Courts:It shall be created by State Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of the High Court by specifying for each district, a Court of Session to be a Special Court.
• The aim is to tackle trafficking cases and form joint working groups with neighbouring countries to undertake preventive measures.
• Special Public Prosecutor: For every Special Court, the Act specifies a Special Public Prosecutor for the purpose of conducting case or cases and offences under sections 370 to 373 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
• To be eligible for Special Public Prosecutor, the person shall possess ten years active practice as an Advocate before a Court of Session having good record of prosecution.
•Special Agency for Investigation: The Union Government shall constitute a Special Agency for investigation of offences under the provisions of the Act.
• Investigating Officer: The State Government shall designate a police officer of the rank of Gazetted Officer to be an Investigating Officer for investigating offences under this Act and under section 370 to 373 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
• Protection and Special Homes: It provides for Protection Homes and Special Homes for short term and long term rehabilitation support.
• These will be in charge of a Welfare Officer who will oversee the management and monitoring of individual care plans of all victims in such homes.
• Anti-Trafficking Fund:It envisages creation of a fund for effective implementation of the Act and welfare and rehabilitation of victims of trafficking.
• Institutional Mechanism: It provides for a dedicated institutional mechanism at District, State and Central level which is to be formed by appropriate Governments for effective implementation of the Act.
• At the Centre there will be Central Anti–Trafficking Advisory Board headed by Secretary, Women and Child Development Ministry.
• At the State there will be State Anti-Trafficking Committee headed by Chief Secretary of the State as the chairperson.
• At the District level, the implementation will be overseen by District Anti-Trafficking Committee headed by District Collector.
Earlier, to deal with the problem of trafficking and missing children, earlier, the government has launched many initiatives like Khoya-Paya web portal, unique initiative with Railways, pasting of posters in railway coaches, expansion of Children helpline-Childline 1098 among others.
Human Trafficking and Constitutional provision in India
Human trafficking is the trade of humans, most commonly for the purpose of sexual slavery, forced labor, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. At present, Trafficking is the third largest organized crime.
Constitutional provision that bans/prohibits trafficking is:
• Article 23 of Constitution of Indiaprohibits traffic in human beings and forced labour. Its clause 1 prohibits traffic in human beings and begar and other similar forms of forced labour, making contravention of this provision shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law.
• Article 21 of Constitution of India guarantees that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law.
India has also ratified the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime and its three Optional Protocols, including the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children.
Admiral Sunil Lanba takes charge as 21st Navy Chief
Admiral Sunil Lanba on 31 May 2016 took over as Chief of Naval Staff. 58-year-old Lanba, a specialist in Navigation and Direction, will have the full three-year tenure as the Navy Chief.
Lanba succeeded Admiral RK Dhowan.
An alumnus of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Lanba is the 21st Indian to be the Navy Chief. The first two were British.
Admiral Lanba
• Born on 17 July 1957, Lanba is a recipient of Param Vishist Seva Medal (PVSM) and Ati Vishist Seva Medal (AVSM) for distinguished service of an exceptionally high order.
• His operational and staff experience in a career spanning more than three decades include
a) He served as Navigating Officer of corvette INS Sindhudurg and frigate INS Dunagiri.
b) He has commanded four frontline warships namely INS Kakinada (minesweeper), INS Himgiri (frigate) and INS Ranvijay and INS Mumbai, both destroyers.
• He is also an alumnus of the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad, where he has served as a faculty.
• Lanba held key staff assignments such as Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet and the Chief of Staff, Southern and Eastern Naval Commands.
• He was also the Flag Officer Sea Training, Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Area and Commandant, National Defence College.
• He was the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command at Kochi, prior to being appointed to head the Western Naval Command. He took over as the Vice Chief on 2 June 2014.
Noted Kannada writer D Javare Gowda passes away
Noted Kannada writer D Javare Gowda, popularly known as De Ja Gow, passed away on 30 May 2016 following a cardiac arrest in a private hospital at Mysuru. He was 101. He is survived by a daughter, a son and grandchildren.
He was a disciple of Kannada doyen and poet lauret K V Puttappa.
About D Javare Gowda
• Gowda served as the Vice-Chancellor of Mysore University from 1969 to 1975.
• He dedicated much of his time and efforts towards protecting Kannada and promoting the language as the medium of instruction in schools.
• He played an important role in getting the classical language status for Kannada by launching an indefinite fast and threatening to return the Padma Shri that was conferred on him in 2001.
• He also awarded with the Pampa Prishathi in 1998 and the Guru Award in 2003.
• In recognition of his contribution to literature and the cause of Kannada, the Karnataka government has honoured him with the Karnataka Ratna (2008) and the Nadoja title (2003).
• His works include Lakshmishana Jaimini Bharata (1957), Kanakadasara Nalacharitre (1959), Andayyana Kabbigara Kavya (1965), Chikkupadyayana Rukmangada Charitre (1964) and many more.
Railways. PEC sign MoU to set up Kalpana Chawla Chair on geospatial technology
Ministry of Railways and PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh on 30 May 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up Kalpana Chawla Chair on Geospatial Technology for Indian Railways at the University.
The MoU was signed in the backdrop of 2016-17 Railway Minister’s Budget announcement.
For the purpose, the Indian Railways would provide a corpus of 10 Crore rupees to PEC University of Technology, for setting and to meet the running expenses of this chair.
Objective
• To encourage research activities in Geo-spatial Technology.
• To strengthen Indian Railways especially Railway projects where use of remote sensing data, global positioning system (GPS) and Geographical information System (GIS) is predominant.
Key highlights
• This academic chair is being instituted in fond memory of Late Kalpana Chawla an Indo–American Astronaut and Alumnus of PEC during the year 1978-82.
• To honour her contributions in Aerospace Engineering Indian Railways decided to institute the academic chair in the area of Geo-spatial Technology in her alma mater.
• Incidentally, Chawla was the first woman of Indian origin in space.
• The Chair will be headed by VK Gupta, Member Engineering, Railway Board as Chairman and Shri Manoj Arora, Director, PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh as Co - chairman.
• The Chair will function through a Chair Core Committee (CCC) having members from Railways and PEC.
Significance
• Development of the chair and its research will help Indian Railways to develop in house solutions to the problems which are often outsourced to western countries.
• It will help in developing applications to remove day to day engineering and technological problems and geospatial solutions to Indian Railways.
Philippine parliament declared Rodrigo Digong Duterte to be president-elect
Rodrigo Digong Duterte on 30 May 2016 was officially declared to be the president-elect by the parliament of Philippine.
He won a landslide victory in the presidential election in May 2016, taking about six million votes more than his competitor.
The joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate also proclaimed Maria Leonor Leni Robredo as vice-president.
They both will assume the charge on 30 June 2016 and serve a single six-year term.
Rodrigo Digong Duterte
• He was born in 1945 into a political family but with a more modest background than many Philippine politicians.
• He is a lawyer by profession.
• He became vice-mayor of Davao in 1986 and mayor in 1988.
• He has also held a seat in congress.
• He had a reputation fighting crime, militancy and corruption.
World No Tobacco Day 2016 observed across the world
31 May: World No Tobacco Day
The World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2016 was observed globally on 31 May 2016.
To mark this occasion, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control called countries to get ready for plain packagingof tobacco products.
Every year, on 31 May, the WHO and its partners in close collaboration with the governmental and non governmental agencies organize events, workshops, seminars to raise awareness about the ill effects of tobacco processing, trade and usage among the masses and the policy makers.
Goals of WNTD 2016 campaign
•Highlight the role of plain packaging as part of a comprehensive, multisectoral approach to tobacco control.
•Facilitate policy development by Member States and the globalization of plain packaging by providing informative, compelling and persuasive information.
•Encourage Member States to strengthen packaging and labelling measures and restrictions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship as they work towards plain packaging in a step-wise approach.
•Support Member States and civil society against tobacco industry interference in political processes leading to adoption of plain packaging laws.
Facts related to plain packaging
•In December 2012, Australia became the first country to fully implement plain packaging.
•In 2015, Ireland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and France all passed laws to implement plain packaging from May 2016.
Background
•On 15 May 1987, the WHO passed a resolution, calling for 7 April 1988, to be the first WNTD.
•The date was chosen because it was the 40th anniversary of the WHO.
•However, on 17 May 1989, the WHO passed another resolution calling for 31 May to be annually known as WNTD. Thus, this event has been observed each year since 1989.
Now get latest Current Affairs
AR Rahman conferred with Japan's Fukuoka prize 2016
Renowned Indian music composer AR Rahman was on 30 May 2016 awarded with the Japan's Fukuoka prize 2016 for his outstanding contribution towards creating, preserving and showcasing South Asian traditional fusion music.
He will receive the award alongside Philippines’ historian Ameth R Ocampo and Pakistan's Yasmeen Lari.
For the year 2015, noted Indian Historian Ramchandra Guha was conferred with Fukuoka Prize in academic category.
Other honours conferred on AR Rahman abroad
• Rahman was also the 1995 recipient of the Mauritius National Award and the Malaysian Award for his contributions to music.
• In 2009, for his Slumdog Millionaire score, Rahman won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.
• He was also awarded with two Academy Awards (Best Original Score and Best Original Song) at the 81st Academy Awards.
About Fukuoka prize
• The Fukuoka Prize is an award established by the city of Fukuoka and the Yokatopia Foundation to honour the outstanding work of individuals or organizations in preserving or creating Asian culture.
• There are three prize categories : Grand Prize, Academic Prize, and Arts & Culture Prize.
• Previous winners of Fukuoka Prize from India include sitar player Ravi Shankar, dancer Padma Subrahmanyam, historian Romila Thapar, sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and historian Ramachandra Guha.
CEAT Cricket Awards 2016 conferred
CEAT Cricket Awards 2016 were conferred on the players in a function of 20th edition of CEAT awards at Mumbai on 30 May 2016. Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
England batsman Joe Root was named as the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year and also International batsman of the Year 2016 while India’s test captain Virat Kohli was namedCEAT T20 Player of the Year.
List of the award winners:
Lifetime Achievement Award –Dilip Vengsarkar
International Cricketer of the Year –Joe Root
International Batsman of the Year –Joe Root
International Bowler of the Year – Ravichandran Ashwin
Test Cricketer of the Year – Kane Williamson
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Martin Guptill
T20 Player of the Year – Virat Kohli
Indian Cricketer of the Year – Rohit Sharma
Domestic Cricketer of the Year – Shreyas Iyer
Young Player of the Year – Rishabh Pant
Special Award – Ajinkya Rahane
About CEAT Awards
The CEAT awards honour the best of the cricketers based on their performances in international cricketing in all formats - Test, ODI and T20 - as rated by the CEAT Cricket ratings (CCR) over a period of 12 months from 1st May to 30th April.
In its first year of Inception of Award in 1995-96 the CEAT International Cricketer award was bagged by Brian Lara.
Sonia Lather won silver in Women’s World Boxing Championships
Indian boxer Sonia Lather on 27 May 2016 won the silver medal at the AIBA Women's World Championships in Astana.
Though she reached the finals in the 57kg category, she was defeated by the gold medalist Mesiano Alessia of Italy 2-1.
India's last gold at the bi-annual event came in 2010 when MC Mary Kom finished on top in the 48kg category to clinch her fifth world title.
About the championships
• The 2016 championships was the 9th edition of the Women’s World Boxing Championship.
• It was conducted by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) in Kazakhstan capital Astana between 19 May and 27 May 2016.
• While Kazakhstan finished on top of the table with 4 golds and 2 bronze medals, China was the runners-up with two medals of each rank.
• Sonia Lather was the lone medal winner in the tournament.
Present Drought Situation & Steps Taken by Modi Government
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), if the rainfall during the four monsoon months of June to September is deficient by 10 per cent of its long-term average, it is declared a drought monsoon.
Indian Monsoon this year is predicted to be normal with La Nina playing the favourable role. Indian subcontinent in last two years received sparse rainfall leading to drought in many parts of the country and affecting million of rural population.
According to a study done by scientists from Kerala and Pune, constant cooling of the atmosphere over Central Asia is set to increase the frequency of drought between 2020 and 2049.
Present Drought Situation: Grim Facts
• In 2015-16, 266 districts in 11 different states were declared drought affected. Among them, more than 70 percent districts were in 8 States.
• The 11 drought affected States are – Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Jharkhand.
• In both Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, 93% of the districts are drought affected followed by Jharkhand with 92% drought affected districts. 90% of the districts are drought affected in both Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
• In terms of absolute numbers, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of drought affected districts (50) followed by Madhya Pradesh (46). More than 20 districts are affected by drought in five other states.
• The present specter of drought has affected more than 300 million people living in these 266 districts.
• Thefood grain production in 2015-16 has decreased compared to the average production of the preceding 5 years.
• The average food grain production between 2010-11 and 2014-15 is 255.59 million tonnes, while in 2015-16, it is estimated to be at 253.16 million tones.
Steps Taken by Government
Announcements made in Budget 2016-17
• Every block in drought affected areas will be taken up as an intensive Block under Deen Dayal Antyodaya Mission
• Cluster Facilitation Teams (CFT) will be set up under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to ensure water conservation and natural resource management.
• Assistance from NDRF: In 2015-16, various states had submitted requests on drought, seeking financial assistance from National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).
• Around 13500 crore rupees were approved from NDRF for drought relief in 10 different states affected by drought.
• Maharashtra was given the highest amount of relief (3049 crore rupees) followed by Karnataka with 2263 crore rupees.
• Formation of Self Help Groups (SHGs) will be speeded up to promote multiple livelihoods
Assistance to Farming Community
During drought the farming community is the worst affected. Against this backdrop, the Union Government in March 2015 revised norms in relation to the compensation to distressed farmers. The revised norms are –
i. Farmers will be eligible for input subsidy even if 33 percent of their crop has been damaged due to unforeseen weather conditions as opposed to 50 percent or more, which is the norm till now.
ii. Input subsidy given to distressed farmers will be enhanced by 50 percent of the existing amounts.
iii. Besides, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana was approved in order to better protect farmers in times of unforeseen crises including drought.
Programmes with potential to aid Drought Management
• National Hydrology Project: The Union Cabinet in April 2016 approved the National Hydrology Project (NHP) at an estimated cost of around 3700 crore rupees.
• The project seeks to build the capacity of the government agencies in water resources management through the use of information systems and adoption of state-of-the-art technologies including remote sensing.
• Neeranchal National Watershed Project:It was approved by the Union Cabinet in October 2015 with a total budget of 2142 crore rupees in which India would bear 1071 crore rupees and the rest 50 percent cost will be borne by the World Bank.
• It will support the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana in hydrology and water management, agricultural production systems, capacity building and monitoring and evaluation.
• The project seeks to support integrated watershed management program (IWMP) through technical assistance to improve incremental conservation outcomes and agricultural yields.
• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana: It was approved by the Union Government in July 2015 with an outlay of over 50000 crore rupees for the period between 2015 and 2020.
• The scheme seeks to provide convergence to existing schemes of water management, thus bringing efficiency to the use of water.
• It also aims at expanding cultivable area under assured irrigation (Har Khet ko pani) and improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water.
Union Government approved retirement age of doctors of Central Health Services to 65
Union Government approved the proposal of extending age of superannuation of all doctors of Central Health Services to 65 years with effect from 31 May 2016.
The proposal was made by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to strengthen the healthcare sector in the country.
Benefits of this increase
• It will help in providing additional doctors in the health pool of the country.
• This will enable the government to retain experienced doctors for a longer period and to provide better services in its public health facilities.
The decision is likely to benefit about 4000 doctors. As of now, the retirement age of doctors in government hospitals 62yeas in some others and is 60 years in others.
Earlier on 26 May 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made an announcement to increase the retirement age from 62 to 65 years at a rally in Saharanpur.
Following the announcement, the Haryana government also decided to raise the retirement age of state government doctors to 65.