5-6 JUNE 2016

Veteran actor Sulabha Deshpande passed away

Eminent actor and theatre personality Sulabha Deshpande passed away 4 June 2016 in Mumbai. She was 79.

Deshpande was considered to be one of the pioneers of the experimental theatre movement that swept Mumbai in the 1970s.

Who was Sulabha Deshpande?

•Sulabha Deshpande was an acclaimed Indian film, theatre and television actress and theatre director.

•She started her career as a teacher at Chhabildas Boy's High School in Dadar, Mumbai.

•Apart from Marathi theatre as well as Hindi theatre in Mumbai, she acted in over 73 movies mainstream Bollywood.

•She also acted in art house cinema, like Bhumika, Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaanand Gamanas a character actor.

•In 1971 she co-founded, theatre group, Awishkarwith her husband Arvind Deshpande.

•Soon, she established the Chandrashala, the children's theatre wing of Awishkar. Notable Bollywood actors Nana Patekar and Urmila Matondkar have been students of Chandrashala.

•In recent years, she acted in serials like Jee Ley Zara, Ek Packet Umeed, Asmitaand films like English Vinglish.

World Environment Day observed with theme Zero tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife

5 June: World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED) was observed globally on 5 June 2016 with themeZero tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife. The day aims at inspiring more people to take action to prevent the growing strain on Earth’s natural systems from reaching the breaking point.The host country for the WED 2016 is Angola. At present, Angola is seeking to restore its elephant’s herds, conserve Africa’s biodiversity-rich wildlife, and safeguard the environment as it continues to rebuild after more than a quarter-century of civil war.

The year’s slogan "Go Wild for Life" encourages everyone to spread the word about wildlife crime and the damage it does. It also asks people to challenge all to do what they can to prevent it.

What does theme highlights?

The 2016 theme highlights the fight against the illegal trade in wildlife, which erodes precious biodiversity and threatens the survival of elephants, rhinos and tigers, as well as many other species. It also undermines our economies, communities and security.

Illegal trade in wildlife products is eroding Earth’s biodiversity and driving whole species to the brink of extinction. Wildlife crime endangers iconic elephants, rhinos, tigers, gorillas and sea turtles.

As per an estimate, in 2011, a subspecies of Javan rhino went extinct in Vietnam, and the last western black rhinos vanished from Cameroon. Great apes have disappeared from Gambia, Burkina Faso, Benin and Togo, and other countries could quickly follow.

Lesser-known victims include helmeted hornbills and pangolins, as well as wild orchids and timbers like Rosewood – flowers and timber that are also considered as wildlife.

WED 2016 celebrations in India

On this day to create awareness for environment, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off Tiger Express, a semi-luxury tourist train, from Safdarjung station New Delhi. The train was launched on the World Environment Day with an aim to spread awareness among people on tiger conservation.

Background

The day was established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the day when Stockholm’s United Nations Conference on the Human Environment 1972 began. The first World Environment Day was hosted in 1973 and since then it is being held every year with a different theme in different cities.
The theme for 2015 World Environment Day celebrations was Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care. and the host country was Italy.

Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to win 1st French Open title

World number one Novak Djokovic on 5 June 2016 won 2016 French Open title. In the final clash in Paris, Djokovic defeated Britain's Andy Murray 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.

It was Djokovic's first French Open title and 12th major title of his career. Other 11 titles include six Grand Slam titles from the Australian Open, three from Wimbledon and two from the US Open. Among men, only Roger Federer (17), Rafael Nadal (14) and Pete Sampras (14) own more.

With this win, he also became the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams at once. The 29-year-old also becomes the third man ever to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time, joining American Don Budge and Australian Rod Laver in a quite remarkable feat.

NASA Scientists finds 39 unreported human-made sources of toxic sulfur dioxide emissions

NASA scientists located 39 unreported and major human-made sources of toxic sulfur dioxide emissions. They used a new satellite-based method to locate the sources of toxic emissions.

The study was published in The Nature Geoscience journal on 30 May 2016.

NASA scientists of Environment and Climate Change, Canada along with The University of Maryland, College Park, and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, contributed to the study.

Highlights of the Study

• The 39 unreported emission sources were found after analyzing data of satellite from 2005 to 2014.

• They are clusters of coal-burning power plants, smelters, oil and gas operations found notably in the Middle East, but also in Mexico and parts of Russia.

• Along with this the reported emissions from known sources in these regions were in some cases two to three times lower than satellite-based estimates.

• The unreported and underreported sources account for about 12 percent of all human-made emissions of sulfur dioxide.

• The research team also located 75 natural sources of sulfur dioxide like non-erupting volcanoes slowly leaking the toxic gas throughout the year.

• Smaller SO2 concentrations were also detected from those emitted by human-made sources such as oil-related activities and medium-size power plants.

Significance of the findings

A new computer program was used by the research team to more precisely detect SO2 that had been dispersed and diluted by winds.

It was the first improvement in the computer processing that transforms raw satellite observations from the Dutch-Finnish Ozone Monitoring Instrument aboard NASA's Aura spacecraft into precise estimates of sulfur dioxide concentrations.

While not necessarily unknown, many volcanoes are in remote locations and not monitored, so this satellite-based data set is the first to provide regular annual information on these passive volcanic emissions.

It takes the estimation of SO2 emission beyond the present use of emission inventories derived from ground-based measurements and factors such as fuel usage. In fact, the study uses more accurate estimates of wind strength and direction derived from a satellite data-driven model to trace the pollutant back to the location of the source. It also helped to estimate the quantity of SO2 that was emitted from the smoke stack.

About Sulfur dioxide (SO2)

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is one of six air pollutants that are regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency. It is hazardous to health and contributes a lot to acid rain.

CR Sasikumar takes over as MD of State Bank of Travancore

CR Sasikumar on 1 June 2016 took over as Managing Director (MD) of State Bank of Travancore (SBT).

The State Bank of Travancore is one of the associate banks of State Bank of India (SBI).

Who is CR Sasikumar?

•Sasikumar started his career as a probationary officer with SBI in 1978. Since then, he has held several key assignments.

•Prior to the present posting in State Bank of Travancore, he worked as Deputy Managing Director, Inspection & Management Audit, at SBI Corporate Centre in Hyderabad.

About State Bank of Travancore

•State Bank of Travancore is a subsidiary of the State Bank Group and also has private share-holders.

•It is the premier bank of Kerala where it handles its majority of business.

•Overall, SBT as of 31 March 2015 has a network of 1157 branches and 1602 ATMs, covering 18 states and three union territories.

•The bank was established in 1945 as the Travancore Bank Ltd, at the initiative of C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, then Divan of Travancore.

•Following violent resentment against the dictatorial rule of C.P.Ramaswamy Iyer, the bank no longer credits his role.

•The Bank now credits the Maharaja of Travancore as the founder, though the Raja had little to do with the founding.

•In 1960, it became a subsidiary of State Bank of India under the SBI Subsidiary Banks Act, 1959, enacted by the Parliament of India.

Odisha becomes first Indian state to give pension and food benefits to transgenders

Odisha in the first week of June 2016 became the first Indian state to give transgender people social welfare benefits, such as a pension, housing and food grains.

The state took the step to give the transgender community the same benefits as those living below the poverty line. The step was aimed at improving their overall social and economic status.

Key highlights of the policy

•Members of the transgender community will be given BPL cards.

•The BPL cards will allow them to access benefits under various government welfare programmes.

•This includes schemes that provide free housing, 100 days of paid work annually, pensions and loans to start up their own businesses.

•They will also be entitled to 5 kg of food grains every month under India’s National Food Security Act.

India, Qatar inked 7 agreements to boost cooperation

India and Qatar on 5 June 2016 signed seven agreements in various fields including assistance in custom matters, skill development and recognition of qualifications and health.
The agreements were inked after delegation-level talks between Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at Doha. Modi was on a two day visit to Qatar on 4 June to 5 June 2016.

Before the talks, Modi was given a ceremonial reception at the Emiri Diwan, the seat of power of Qatar's ruler.

The inked MoUs/Agreements include

• Agreement on assistance in Customs Matters: It promotes cooperation and mutual assistance between the two countries on matters pertaining to customs administration through exchange of information and intelligence.

• MoU on cooperation in the exchange of intelligence related to money laundering, terrorism-financing and related crimes:The MoU facilitates exchange of intelligence related to money laundering, terrorism-financing and related crimes and persons connected thereto. This was inked between Financial Intelligence Unit – India (FIU-IND) and the Qatar Financial Information Unit (QFIU).

• MoU on participation of Qatari institutional investors in Infrastructure projects in India: Under this, a framework will be established to facilitate participation of Qatari institutional investors in Infrastructure projects in India under NIIF. This MoU was inked between National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).

• MoU for cooperation in Skill Development and Recognition of Qualifications: It aims to enhance cooperation between the two countries on skill development and mutual recognition of qualifications to facilitate mobility of skilled workers from India to Qatar. This was inked between the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and the National Qualifications Authority/Supreme Education Council, Government of the State of Qatar.

• MoU on cooperation in Tourism: It aims at bilateral cooperation in the field of planning and developing of tourism, through marketing and promotion as also to support cooperation between private sector stakeholders.

• MoU for cooperation in the field of Health:It provides cooperation in areas of health, including interalia in occupational and environmental health, pharmaceuticals, medical education, exchange of the best practices in the field of primary healthcare, research in the field of health care, technology, health care system and exchange of medical experts and scientists.

• The First Executive Programme for MoU in the field of Youth and Sports:As a follow up to the existing MoU in the field of Youth and Sports, the first Executive Programme provides for exchanges and cooperation in sports activities, training camps for sports teams and exchange visits of leaders and officials etc between the two countries.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister held discussions with business leaders and invited them for investment in India. He asked the Qatari businessmen to recognize India’s potential and assured them to address the identified bottlenecks.

This is the second high level engagement between the two countries in 14 months. Earlier in March 2015, Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani was on a two day official visit to India.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar launches Right to Public Grievance Redressal Act

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on 5 June 2016 launched Right to Public Grievance Redressal Act. The act seeks disposal of peoples' complaints or redressal of grievances from Government officials within 60-days.

Features of the Law

• The law has strict provisions in non-compliance of applications.

• Officials not adhering to provisions of the law could be dismissed from service or face a penalty of from 500 rupees to 5000 rupees.

• All the 42 Departments of the State government will be covered under the new Act.

• The Government has one Grievance Redressal Officer in each department as well as first and second Appellate authorities.

In cases where the grievance cannot be redressed, then the complainant will get a letter citing reasons for not getting the grievance redressed. In that case, the complainant can file an appeal if he/she is not satisfied with the answer.

Limitation of the Law

Complaints relating to subjects covered under the Right to Information Act, Right of Public Service Act and cases pending in courts will not be entertained under Right to Public Grievance Redressal Act.

World's first 3D-printed aircraft THOR displayed at International Aerospace Exhibition

Airbus on 1 June 2016 displayed the world's first 3D-printed aircraft THOR at the International Aerospace Exhibition in Schoenefe.

The drone THOR is short forTest of High-tech Objectives in Reality and it resembles a large, white model airplane.

About 3D-printed aircraft THOR

• Is the world's first 3D-printed aircraft with just 3 parts.

• It is windowless, weighs 21 kilo grams (46 pounds) and less than four metres (13 feet) long. It is Lighter, faster and cheaper.

• Except the electrical elements, all other parts are printed (3D) from a substance called polyamide.

• Thor's inaugural flight was conducted in November 2015 near the northern German city of Hamburg.

• Airbus and Boeing are already using 3D printing, notably to make parts for their huge passenger jets the A350 and B787 Dreamliner.

3D printing in Aviation

• The new 3D printers can make pieces up to 40 centimetres (15 inches) long and is of most use in particularly complex designs.

• Apart from costs savings, 3D printing also promises ecological benefits as lighter jets use less fuel and spew out fewer pollutants.

• It will be a radical technical innovation to reducing carbon emissions in aviation with air traffic expected to double in the next 20 years.

Assam Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2016 passed by State Assembly

Assam Assembly on 4 June 2016 passed the Assam Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2016. The legislation will facilitate the enterprises with a view to attract fresh investment in the state through an easy computerised clearance system.

The Bill replaces the Assam Ease of Doing Business Ordinance, 2016 which came into effect on 26 February 2016.

Highlights of the Bill

• It has a provision for speedy processing of applications and issue of clearances for setting up industries.

• It will create an investment-friendly environment for economic development of the state.

• It provides for establishment of a bureau under the name Assam Bureau of Investment Promotion (ABIP) for the purpose of overall supervision and administration of the speedy processing of applications and issue of various clearances.

How the Bill will facilitate in doing business in the state?

• On receiving the application online, the system will automatically forward it to the competent authority.

• Then the single window agency will hand over hard copies of such applications to the officer under the disposal of the CEO, who will be responsible to get the clearance within the stipulated time-frame.

• Then the single window agency will submit a report to the bureau, the government as well as to the chairman of the executive committee about the status of applications received, disposal, pending and reasons for pending on monthly basis.

The Board of Governors of the ABIP will comprise of

• Chief Minister as chairman

• Industry minister as vice-chairman

• Ministers and senior-most secretaries of all the line departments as members

• At least three representatives from industry bodies

• The Chief Executive Officer of the single window agency will be the member-secretary of the board

N K Chari takes over as MD of State Bank of Mysore

N.K. Chari on 30 May 2016 took over as the Managing Director (MD) of State Bank of Mysore.

The State Bank of Mysore is one of the associate banks of State Bank of India (SBI).

Who is N.K. Chari?

•Prior to his new position, N.K. Chari served as the Deputy Managing Director of State Bank of India.

•He joined State Bank of India as a Probationary Officer in September 1978.

•He served as the Chief Operating Officer in National Banking Group, the retail branch network of State Bank of India.

•He has also headed the Mid Corporate Vertical of State Bank of India.

•Prior to that, he was the Chief General Manager of State Bank of India, Chandigarh Circle, covering the four states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

•He has also served as the Managing Director of Nepal SBI Bank Limited for four years from 2007.

•He holds a postgraduate degree in Commerce from Delhi University.

About State Bank of Mysore

•State Bank of Mysore is a nationalised bank in India, with headquarters at Bengaluru.

•It is one of the five associate banks of State Bank of India.

•It was established in the year 1913 as The Bank of Mysore Ltd. under the patronage of Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV.

•During 1953, Mysore Bank was appointed as an agent of Reserve Bank of India to undertake Government business and treasury operations.

•In March 1960, it became a subsidiary of the State Bank of India under the State Bank of India (subsidiary Banks) Act 1959.

Garbine Muguruza of Spain won 2016 French Open Women’s Singles tennis title

Garbine Muguruza of Spain on 4 June 2016 won the French Open Women’s Singles tennis title at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France.

For the 22-year-old Muguruza, this was her first Grand Slam title. With this win, she also became the first Spanish woman to win a Grand Slam title since Sanchez-Vicario in Paris in 1998.

To win the title, she defeated the defending champion Serena Williams of the USA in straight sets 7-5, 6-4 in the final match.

This was Muguruza’s second major final. She was defeated by Serena Williams at Wimbledon finals in 2015 in which Serena won the 21st Grand Slam singles title.

At present, Steffi Graf holds the record with 22 Grand Slam singles championships, the most in the Open era, which began in 1968.

Leander Paes, Martina Hingis won 2016 French Open Mixed Doubles tennis title

India’s ace tennis player Leander Paes and Martina Hingis of Switzerland on 3 June 2016 won the French Open Mixed Doubles title.

To win the title, the duo defeated the Indo-Croatian pair Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig 4-6 6-4 10-8.

With this win, Paes completed a Career Slam in mixed doubles with Martina Hingis. Earlier, he won Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open titles in 2015 with Hingis.

Overall, it was the 18th Grand Slam title for Paes and 10th in the mixed doubles category. So far, he won 8 Grand Slam titles in the doubles category that include Australian Open (2012), French Open (1999, 2001 and 2009), Wimbledon (1999) and the US Open (2006, 2009 and 2013).

For 35-year-old Hingis, it was the 22nd Grand Slam title and 5th trophy in the mixed doubles category. Earlier, pairing with Sania Mirza, Hingis won Australian Open (2016), Wimbledon (2015) and the US Open (2015) titles in the doubles category.

Nita Ambani becomes first Indian women to be nominated for International Olympic Committee

The founder and chairperson of Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani was on 3 June 2016 nominated as a candidate to be a new member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquartered at Lausanne, Switzerland.

The election will be held at the 129th IOC Session in Rio de Janeiro between 2 and 4 August 2016. The independent selection process follows a new procedure for recruitment of IOC members based on the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations.

Once elected, she will continue to be IOC member until she attains the age of 70.

The Other seven members who were nominated are Sari Essayah (Finland), Ivo Ferriani (Italy), Luis Moreno (Colombia), Auvita, Rapilla (Papua New Guinea), Anant Singh (South Africa), Tricia Smith (Canada), Karl Stoss (Austria).

International Olympic Committee (IOC)

• It is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement.

• It acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all parties of the Olympic family, from the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the International Sports Federations (IFs), the athletes, the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs), to partners and United Nations agencies.

• It ensures the regular celebration of the Olympic Games, supports all affiliated member organisations of the Olympic Movement and strongly encourages, by appropriate means, the promotion of the Olympic values.

• The Olympic Charter is the codification of the Fundamental Principles, Rules and Bye-laws adopted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It governs the organisation and running of the Olympic Movement and sets the conditions for the celebration of the Olympic Games.

V Narayanasamy sworn-in as Chief Minister of Puducherry

Congress Legislature Party leader V Narayanasamy was sworn-in as Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry on 6 June 2016. Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi administered his oath of office and secrecy along with five ministers at Gandhi Thidal in Beach Road.

Five Congress legislators who were also sworn-in as ministers are A Namassivayam, Shah Jahan, Malladi Krishna Rao, M Kandasamy and R Kamalakannan.

V Narayanasamy

• He represented Puducherry in Rajya Sabha for three terms.

• He was elected to Lok Sabha in 2009 and served as Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs in UPA-I.

• In UPA-II, he served as Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office.

• Narayanasamy is not a member of the house hence he will need to face polls in 6 months.

Earlier on 19 May 2016, Congress - DMK alliance has 17 members in the 30 member Territorial Assembly. DMK which has 2 members in the Assembly will be supporting the Government from outside.

Of the four regions of the Union Territory, Mahe alone do not have representation in the Council of Ministers.

Suresh Prabhu launches Tiger Trail Circuit Train on World Environment Day

Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on 5 June 2016 flagged off the inaugural run of the Tiger Trail Circuit Trainfrom Delhi Safdarjung Station.

The launch of this Tiger Express on World Environment Dayis to highlight the significance of environment.

The most important objective of the train is to create and spread awareness about the wildlife in general and the tiger in particular.

Key highlights of the train

•This tourist train will be operated by Indian Railway PSU namely Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

•It is one of the most innovative tourism products ever launched by Indian Railways.

•This is for the first time that Indian Railways have forayed into the exciting and fascinating wildlife tourism.

•This is also the first semi-luxury train on a tourist circuit having a dining car. The objective behind it is to facilitate frequent interactions among travellers during the travel.

•The train with 5 days/6 nights itinerary will start from Delhi Sufdarjung railway station.

•The semi-luxury train will take the guests onboard to the world famous Bandhavgarh and Kanha National Parks in Madhya Pradesh.

•The 5 days/6 nights itinerary of the Tiger Express includes three Tiger Safaris.

French Open 2016 concluded

French Open, the second Grand Slam of the 2016 tennis season, concluded on 5 June 2016. It was held for three weeks beginning on 16 May 2016 in the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France.

Winners of 2016 French Open

Category	Winner	Runner-up
Men’s Singles	Novak Djokovic (Serbia)	Andy Murray (the UK)
Women’s Singles	Garbine Muguruza (Spain)	Serena Williams (the USA)
Men’s Doubles	F Lopez and M Lopez (Spain)	M Bryan and B Bryan (the USA)
Women’s Doubles	C Garcia and K Mladenovic (France)	E Makarova and E Vesnina (Russia)
Mixed Doubles	Leander Paes (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland)	Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Sania Mirza (India)

Manohar Aich, India’s first Mr Universe passes away

Legendary Indian body builder and India’s first Mr Universe, Manohar Aich died at his north Kolkata residence following age related health issues on 5 June 2016. He was 104.

About Manohar Aich

• He was born in Comilla district, now in Bangladesh.

• He was famously called Pocket Hercules as he was 4 feet 11 inch tall.

• He won gold medals for three times in Asian Games.

• He was the first Indian to win the Mr Universe title post-independence in 1952.

• He started his career as a coconut vendor at Sealdah station.

• Age never a bar for the veteran body builder who kept a stringent routine and even performed in his eighties.

• He began his career as a stuntman performing with the legendary magician PC Sorkar.

• He even tried his luck in politics he contested in the Lok Sabha elections of 1991 from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

IOC honours IOA chief N Ramachandran with Olympic Order

N Ramachandran, the president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was awarded the prestigious Olympic Order by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 1 June 2016. He was honoured for his outstanding services to the Olympic movement.

Earlier to him, former IOA president, the late BS Adityan was the other Indian to be honoured with the same award in 1995.

N Ramachandran

• He is an Indian squash administrator.

• He is serving as President of World Squash Federation (WSF) since 2008 when he succeeded Jahangir Khan.

• He became the president of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in February 2014.

Olympic Order

• The Olympic Order is the highest award of the Olympic Movement which is awarded in recognition of efforts worthy of merit in the cause of sport.

• It was established in May 1975 as a successor to the Olympic Certificate by the International Olympic Committee.

• The Olympic Order originally had three grades gold, silver and bronze, although the bronze grade fell dormant in 1984.

• As a tradition, IOC bestows the Olympic Order upon the chief national organiser(s) at the closing ceremony of each respective Olympic Games.

• The insignia of the Olympic Order is in the form of a collar (or chain), in Gold, Silver or Bronze according to grade; the front of the chain depicts the five rings of the Olympic Movement, flanked on either side by kotinos emblem (olive wreath). A lapel badge, in the form of the five rings in Gold, Silver and Bronze according to grade, is presented to recipients to wear as appropriate.

• Nadia Comaneci is the only athlete to be awarded the Olympic Order twice, that is, in 1984 and 2004. He also is the youngest ever recipient.

Switzerland voters reject unconditional basic income proposal in referendum

Switzerland voters on 5 June 2016 rejected an unconditional basic income (UBI) proposal in referendum.

As per the proposal, all Swiss citizens and foreigners who have been residents in Switzerland for at least 5 years are provided with the UBI irrespective of their income status.

The referendum result is of significance because of its wide margin. Out of the total votes polled, nearly 77 percent were against the plan, while only 23 percent were in favour of it.

The amount to be paid was not determined before the vote, but the political-group behind the initiative suggested paying 2500 US dollars a month to each adult and 640 US dollars for each child.

As per an estimate, the proposal would have cost an additional 25.62 billion US dollars on the exchequer.

Comment

The result of the referendum is of importance to policy makers across the world. The proposal for providing unconditional basic income was mooted due to growing uncertainties in the job market because of economic downturn.

Supporters argued that providing such income grant would assist people in a world where good jobs with steady salaries are becoming harder to find.

However, the critics of the proposal argued that the UBI initiative would lead to sky-high costs and people quitting their jobs in large numbers.