CURRENT AFFAIRS
29 August 2020
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) States can postpone final year UGC exams beyond September 30 but can’t promote students, in that case, says SC
The Supreme Court of India on 28 August upheld the validity of the decision taken by some states to cancel final-year UGC exams due to Covid-19. These exams are supposed to be completed by September 30. The court, however, added that students cannot be promoted until they have given the exams. But the states can apply and ask the UGC for an exam deadline extension. Maharashtra, Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana have canceled their UGC examinations. A Bench which was led by Justice Ashok Bhushan held that the States’ Disaster Management authorities acted beyond their jurisdiction in seeking to promote final-year students without exams.
B) Six non-BJP States move SC against the conduct of JEE/NEET.
The Ministers of 6 non-BJP states have moved the Supreme Court against the conduct of the JEE Mains and the NEET during the pandemic by saying that lakhs of young students should not fall prey to the Centre’s haphazard plans, which could prove worse than the disease itself. The National Testing Agency (NTA) had notified the date of JEE between September 1 to 9. The NEET is scheduled to be held on September 13. The JEE is to be conducted over 660 exam centers with 9.53 lakh students giving it. This means that roughly 1,443 students in every center. Similarly, the NEET will see 15.97 lakh students in 3,843 centers across the country or around 415 students to an exam center. The Ministers of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Punjab moved the court. The petition from these states comes after a meeting among Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and the chief ministers of these non-BJP States. Meanwhile, the President of INC Sonia Gandhi on 28 August said that the decision to hold NEET and JEE should be taken with the concurrence of students. In a separate video message, former chief of the INC, Rahul Gandhi said that the government should have a conversation with students and decide on holding the exams only after arriving at a consensus.
C) Covid watch: Numbers and Developments.
A record single-day spike of 77,266 infections in a day, as reported in the Union Health Ministry data updated on August 28 marked the highest single-day spike for any country in the world. According to data given by JohnsHopkins University, 77,255 new cases were reported in the U.S. on July 17, 2020, was the previous high. India currently stands third in the number of cases after the U.S. and Brazil. In terms of deaths, India has recorded the fourth highest mortality, after the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico. The total number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 34,56,147 with the death toll at 62,708. The Supreme Court rejected a petition asking to postpone the Bihar Assembly elections due to the current coronavirus crisis. The Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in November. The dates, however, are yet to be announced. Justice Ashok Bhushan that Coronavirus cannot be a ground for stopping elections and interfering with the powers of the Election Commission.
D) Ministry of Home Affairs notifies new rules for administration in J&K.
On 28 August, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified new rules for the administration in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that specify the functions of the Lieutenant Governor (LG) and the Council of Ministers. As per the rules which were notified by the Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla says that the matters which affect the peace and tranquility of the Union Territory or the interest of any minority community shall essentially be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary, under intimation to the Chief Minister, before issuing any orders. In case of a dispute of opinions between a Minister and LG, the decision of the LG shall be final and should be accepted by the Ministers.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) Shinzo Abe resigns as Japan’s PM, citing health reasons.
The Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, who is Japan’s longest-serving premier has announced his resignation on 28 August. He citing poor health as the reason behind the same. This brings to an end an 8-year stint at the helm of the world’s third-biggest economy. It was the second time he has resigned as the Prime Minister because of poor health. He similarly quit in 2007 after one year as premier due to illness. He has battled the disease ulcerative colitis for many years and 2 recent hospital visits within a week had provided speculation that he would not be able to serve out his term. In a statement, he said that he apologized from the bottom of his heart that despite getting all the support from the citizens, he is leaving the post with a year left in his tenure and in between various policies and coronavirus.
B) UN Secretary-General slams India’s push for fossil fuels such as coal.
The Secretary-General of United Nations, Antonio Guterres on 28 August has criticized India for subsidizing fossil fuels and promoting coal auctions. He said that they are the ticket to growth and prosperity. Yet, in India, subsidies for fossil fuels are still some 7 times more than the subsidies for clean energy. The continued support for fossil fuels in so many places around the world is deeply troubling. His criticism is significant in the light of Prime Minister Modi launching an auction of 41 coal blocks for commercial mining on June 18, as part of India’s Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan. At the launch, PM Modi had said that it marked not only the implementation of reforms to the coal mining sector but also the creation of lakhs of jobs. The government had decided to spend ₹50,000 crore for the creation of infrastructure for coal extraction and transport. However, there has been severe criticism of the decision to auction these blocks, with independent analysts pointed out that it would cause the destruction of the pristine forests in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. Others have the opinion that investing in polluting coal plants was an economically unsound policy.
SPORTS NEWS
A) CSK to increase its quarantine period. IPL team Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be extending its quarantine period till early next week after some members of the contingent has tested positive for the coronavirus upon landing in Dubai for the IPL. While the franchise officials remained tight-lipped on the matter, Sportstar has learned that the test reports of at least 10 members of the franchise which includes a fast bowler who has played for India have returned positive.
