Tag: latest Current Affairs

CURRENT AFFAIRS
13 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) FM proposes new measures to boost demand.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has unveiled new proposals to stimulate demand in the economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Addressing a press conference, Sitharaman said that she has broadly classified the proposals into two compartments: consumer spending and capital expenditure. She said the consumer spending proposals include a Leave Travel Concession (LTC) cash vouchers scheme and a special festival advance scheme. The LTC cash vouchers scheme is mainly targeted at employees in the government and other organized sectors. She said the two sets of measures, aided by the participation of state governments and the private sector, can create “additional demand” of ₹1 lakh crore in the economy.

B) LTC cash vouchers and Special Festival Advance Scheme

Explaining the rationale behind the scheme, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government and many organized sector employees have their jobs and salaries protected and some initial indications suggest savings have also increased. In the nutshell, the LTC cash voucher scheme is basically about incentivizing organized sector employees to open up their purse strings and spend their savings.  Well, one can avail tax benefits on the LTC component, provided he spend 3 times his LTC on goods and services that attract at least 12% GST – and do it via digital payments, no cash. In other words, if a person’s LTC is ₹40,000, he will get tax benefits on LTC even if he have not traveled or do not wish to travel, if he spend ₹1,20,000 on goods that attract GST of 12% or more. If he don’t avail this option, and if he haven’t availed LTC travel either, then, of course, he had to pay the usual tax on the ₹40,000 as per his tax slab. As regards the leave encashment component of LTC, he will have to spend an equivalent amount towards the purchase of goods that attract minimum 12% GST. While the scheme is being made available to central government employees, the Centre expects state governments to implement it as well. It has also encouraged private sector employers to offer it to their employees.

C) 34 Bollywood producers move Delhi High Court to restrain TV channels. 

4 Bollywood industry associations and 34 leading producers have moved the Delhi High Court seeking to restrain Republic TV, Times Now, and other social media platforms from publishing irresponsible and defamatory remarks against Bollywood as a whole. The suit has been filed because these channels were using highly derogatory words and expressions for Bollywood such as dirt, filth, scum, and druggies. The producers who moved the High Court include Dharma Productions, Aamir Khan Productions, Ad-Labs Films, Ajay Devgn Films, Yashraj Films, Salman Khan Films, Ashutosh Gowariker Productions, Red Chillies Entertainment, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures, Reliance Big Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Pictures, Vinod Chopra Films, and Kabir Khan Films. The statement said that the producers and associations are merely seeking perpetual and mandatory injunction against the Defendants from carrying on reportage and publication of material that violates applicable laws. 

D) Industrial production declined by 8% in August. 

The Industrial production has declined by 8% in August, mainly due to lower output of manufacturing, mining and power generation sectors. According to the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data, manufacturing sector production registered a decline of 8.6%, while the output of mining and power segments fell 9.8% and 1.8%, respectively. The IIP had contracted by 1.4% in August 2019. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said that it may not be appropriate to compare the IIP in the post-pandemic months with the IIP for months preceding the novel coronavirus pandemic. With the gradual relaxation of restrictions, there has been a relative improvement in the economic activities by varying degrees as well as in data reporting.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Economics Nobel goes to two Americans for their work on auction theory.

2 American economists have won the Nobel Prize for improving the theory of how auctions work and inventing new and better auction formats that are now woven into many parts of the economy. The discoveries of Paul R. Milgrom and Robert B. Wilson have benefited sellers, buyers and taxpayers around the world. Noting that the auction formats developed by the winners have been used to sell radio frequencies, fishing quotas, and airport landing slots. Both economists are based at Stanford University in California.

B) Anthony Fauci says Trump campaign ad twisted his words on pandemic response.

On 11 October, top scientist of U.S. government, Mr. Anthony Fauci has said that an advertisement which was  aired by Donald Trump’s reelection campaign was edited in such a way as to make it look like he was endorsing the President’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He said that in his nearly 5 decades of public service, he have never publicly endorsed any political candidate. Dr. Fauci is the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. He further said that the 30-second campaign ad cites Trump’s personal experience with the virus. President Trump is recovering from the coronavirus, and so is America, it says  before including a brief clip in which Fauci appears to praise the president’s response to the pandemic. He can’t imagine that anybody could be doing more. In his statement on 10 October, Dr. Fauci said that the comments attributed to him without his permission in the GOP campaign ad were taken out of context from a broad statement he had made months ago about the efforts of federal public health officials. Donald Trump defended the clip and his handling of pandemic, and rebutted the doctor’s criticism. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS
12 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) On 15th anniversary of RTI Act, report finds major gaps in implementation.

15 years after the Right to Information (RTI) Act came into force, more than 2.2 lakh cases are pending at the Central and State Information Commissions, which are the final courts of appeal under the transparency law. The increasing backlog is exacerbated by the fact that most Commissions are functioning at reduced capacity, including the Central Information Commission (CIC) which has been headless since August. This is according to a report card which wad brought out by the Satark Nagrik Sangathan and the Centre for Equity Studies to mark the anniversary of the Act on Monday and which found that Maharashtra had the highest number of pending appeals, with over 59,000 cases, followed by Uttar Pradesh (47,923) and the CIC (35,653). The analysis also find out that the government officials face hardly any punishment for violating the law. Analyzing data from 16 commissions in 2019-20, report found that penalties were imposed in only 2.2% of cases that were disposed of, despite previous analysis showing a rate of about 59% violations which should have triggered the process of penalty imposition. The report said that the non-imposition of penalties in deserving cases by commissions sends a signal to public authorities that violating the law will not invite any serious consequences. This destroys the basic framework of incentives built into the RTI law and promotes a culture of impunity. 

B) Health experts warn against increased use of sanitisers, antibiotics.

Health experts at the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) have warned that the increased use of antibiotics and the widespread use of hand sanitizers and antimicrobial soaps, which has especially increased multi-fold during the Covid-19 pandemic, can worsen the situation of antimicrobial resistance. Stating this at a webinar on Antibiotic resistance: Renewed Fight” earlier this week, Rama Chaudhry, who is the Head of Department of Microbiology, AIIMS, Delhi has said that antibiotic resistant organisms have become rigidly established in our environment with many infections failing to respond to available antimicrobials. Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest challenges of modern medicine. This antimicrobial resistance mounts problems beyond the geographical as well as species barriers and can transmit from animals to humans. AMR needs to be addressed in totality by all sectors including healthcare, veterinary and agricultural domains. This is where one health approach comes into place. Experts added that the pandemic has jolted the entire world with its reach and scale and has impacted the local health facilities.  More hospitalization is seen due to 

Covid19 related complications with all the resources being focused primarily on dealing with it while many other important health issues such as AMR and other health programmes have taken a back seat. 

C) New type of test for Covid diagnosis soon, Health Minister announces

On 11 October, the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said that the health Ministry will soon roll out the FELUDA paper strip test for Covid-19 diagnosis. This has been developed by CSIR-IGIB and has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India for a commercial launch. He added that the test showed 96% sensitivity and 98% specificity. This compares favorably to the current acceptation criteria of ICMR of RT-PCR Kit of at least 95% sensitivity and at least 99% specificity. An exact date on the availability cannot be specified yet. The Health Minister also warned people not to put their lives at risk during the upcoming festive season. There is no need to congregate in large numbers to prove the faith or religion. One can pray to their gods at their homes. He suggested that all of us celebrate festivals with our families.  Speaking about a Covid-19 vaccine, he said that it is anticipated that supplies would initially be available in limited quantities. In a huge country like India, it is critical to prioritize vaccine delivery based on various factors such as risk of exposure, co-morbidity among various population groups, the mortality rate among Covid-19 cases.

D) GST council to discuss compensation issue again. 

The GST Council in its meeting on 12 October is likely to discuss the suggestion of non-BJP ruled States of setting up a ministerial panel to develop consensus on the issue of compensation, the Press Trust of India reports..The Council, which is chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising of State Finance Ministers, will for the third time in a row discuss the issue of funding the shortfall of Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue of States. While some Opposition ruled States are demanding that a Group of Ministers be set up to arrive at a decision on the mechanism for funding compensation shortfall, BJP ruled States, which have already opted for the borrowing option given by the Centre, are of the view that they should be given a go ahead so that they can get money quickly. In its previous meeting last week, the Council had decided to extend the surcharge on taxes on luxury goods such as cars and tobacco products beyond June 2022, but failed to reach a consensus on ways to compensate States for loss of tax revenue. The projected total compensation shortfall in current fiscal stands at ₹2.35 lakh crore.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) China backs Iran nuclear deal, calls for new West Asia forum. 

The Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi has called for a new forum to defuse tensions in the West Asia after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart where he reiterated the support of Beijing for Tehran. Mr. Wang and Javad Zarif also reaffirmed their commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal of Iran with world powers, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, an implicit rebuke of the U.S. for abandoning the accord during their meeting on 10 October in the southwestern Tengchong city of China. Iran has been locked in an acrimonious relationship with Saudi Arabia, the other major West Asian power, over the war in Yemen, Iranian influence in Iraq and Saudi support for Washington’s sanctions on Tehran.

B) China grants $90 million to Sri Lanka after visit by official

On 11 October, China has announced that it was providing a $90 million grant to Sri Lanka, 2 days after the President of island nation sought help from a visiting Chinese delegation in disproving a perception that China-funded megaprojects are debt traps. Calling the financial assistance a timely grant, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo said that it would be used for medical care, education and water supplies in Sri Lanka’s rural areas. and that it would contribute to the well-being of (Sri Lankans) in a post-COVID era. During talks with Mr. Yang, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa asked China to help him in disproving a perception that China Funded megaprojects are ” debt traps aimed at gaining influence in local affairs.

Crucial link

China considers Sri Lanka to be a critical link in its massive “Belt and Road” global infrastructure building in initiative and has provided billions of dollars in loans for Sri Lankan projects over the past decade. The projects include a seaport, airport, port-city, highways and power stations.

Critics say that the Chinese-funded projects are not financially viable and that Sri Lanka will face difficulties in repaying the loans.

In 2017, Sri Lanka leased out a Chinese-built port located near busy shipping routes to a Chinese company for 99 years to recover from the heavy burden of repaying the Chinese loan the country received to build it.

The facility is part of Beijing’s plan for a line of ports stretching from Chinese waters to the Persian Gulf. Chie na has also agreed to provide a $989 million loan to Sri Lanka to build an expressway that will connect its tea-growing central region to the Chinese-run seaport.

China’s economic influence over Sri Lanka has worried its closest neighbour, India, which considers the Indian Ocean region to be its strategic backyard.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
11 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Hathras victim’s family to appear in court on October 12 amid tight security.

The Family members of the 19-year-old Dalit woman who died after allegedly being raped by 4 men in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh will appear before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court amid tight security on October 12. On 10 October, the Superintendent of Hathras Police,  Mr. Vineet Jaiswal has said that the district judge of Hathras has been appointed as the nodal officer for the appearance of the Hathras the family member of the victim before the high court. The police and district administration are working on an elaborate plan in this regard as to how many family members will go and when they will depart from Hathras. The Hathras police will be responsible for their security and a detailed plan is being made. 60 security personnel have been deployed and 8 close circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the house of the alleged gangrape victim in her village in Bulgarhi area here to ensure the safety of her family members, according to police. The Hathras SP said a register of visitors was being maintained by policemen at the entry of the house. Shocked by the alleged gang-rape and murder, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court had on October 1 summoned top government officials to the court. A division Bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Jaspreet Singh had ordered the Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary, State police chief and an Additional Director General of Police to appear before it on October 12 to explain the incident. 

B) FIR must on complaints relating to sexual offences against women, Centre tells States.

The Centre has directed all States and Union Territories to compulsorily register cases on complaints relating to sexual offences against women. If a crime is committed outside the jurisdiction of a police station, Zero FIR (First Information Report) should be booked on information of such cognizable offence. In a circular to Chief Secretaries issued on Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said even with stringent provisions in law and several capacity-building measures undertaken, any failure of the police to adhere to these mandatory requirements may not augur well for the delivery of criminal justice in the country, especially in the context of women safety. The MHA called for issuing instructions to all concerned to ensure strict compliance with provisions in the law and also monitor progress in the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) to make sure that suitable follow-up action is taken for charge-sheet of the guilty in a timely manner.

C) Rahul targets Modi again on VIP aircraft with tweet on non-bulletproof trucks for jawans. 

On 10 October, Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi again on the purchase of a VIP aircraft by tweeting a 2-minute video clip. In the video clip, jawans in a truck were complaining how their lives were being put at risk by ferrying them in a non-bullet-proof vehicle. He said that the Jawans are being sent in non-bulletproof trucks to become martyrs, while a ₹8,400 crore plane for the Prime Minister. Is this justice? Neither the date of the video nor its location is known but jawans were complaining that they were being sent in a non-bullet-proof vehicle when even a bullet-proof vehicle in their area was also not sufficient to protect them.  Gandhi has targeted Modi for the second time in 2 days over the purchase of the VIP aircraft. On 8 October, he tweeted to show the number of essential items the government could have purchased for soldiers posted in Siachen-Ladakh with the amount spent on the aircraft. 

D) T.N. rebuts allegations against Mullaperiyar dam panel in Supreme Court.

The Tamil Nadu government has rebutted allegations made in the Supreme Court that the Supervisory Committee for Mullaperiyar Dam abdicated its duties to evaluate the safety of the structure and water levels. The State countered allegations that the Supervisory Committee constituted by the top court in 2014 has delegated its duties to a sub-committee. The court had in September sought a reply from the State on a petition filed by Joe Joseph and office-bearers of the Kothamangalam block panchayat in Kerala expressing their apprehensions about the lack of proper supervision of water levels in the over-a-century-old dam located along the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The State explained that the sub-committee is chaired by the Executive Engineer, Central Water Commission (CWC), with headquarters in Kochi. It has members from both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The sub-committee periodically inspects the dam, collects data on seepage, collects water samples from the lake and seepage water, conducts water quality tests on them and reports the details to the Supervisory Committee. The sub-committee is only assisting the Supervisory Committee. This cannot be called the delegation of the authority of the Supervisory Committee, the affidavit argued.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) China has deployed 60,000 soldiers on Indian border: Mike Pompeo.

China has amassed more than 60,000 troops on the northern border of India, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said as he hit out at Beijing for its“bad behavior and the threats it poses to the Quad countries. The Indians are seeing 60,000 Chinese soldiers on their northern border, Pompeo told The Guy Benson Show in an interview on 9 October after his return from Tokyo, where he attended the second Quad ministerial with his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia. He again repeated the assertion on Fox News. They have stacked 60,000 soldiers against the Indians in the north. When the Australians had the temerity to ask for an investigation of the Wuhan virus and where it began, something that they know a lot about, the Chinese Communist Party threatened them. They even bullied them. The Foreign Ministers from the US, Japan, India and Australia had met in Tokyo on Tuesday in what was their first in-person talks since the coronavirus pandemic began.

B) Pakistan Opposition parties accuse Army of rigging 2018 elections. 

For the first time, the 2 major Opposition parties of Pakistan have come out openly against the powerful military of the country. They are accusing it of rigging the 2018 elections that brought Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party to power. In past, the political leaders have only indirectly pointed out the involvement of the military establishment in the political affairs of the country but this is the first time that the leaders of the 2 main Opposition parties which are the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N). Former prime minister and PML-N supremo Sharif, who is in London since November last year and is facing a number of corruption cases, has fired the first salvo at the inaugural meeting of the Pakistan Democratic Movement. It is an alliance which was formed by the Opposition parties last month to oust Prime Minister Khan.  Mr. Sharif alleged that the military rigged the elections of 2018 in order to bring the current Prime Minister in power. His allegation sparked an angry response from Khan, who said that Sharif was playing a very dangerous game by humiliating the military and intelligence services. After Sharif, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday accused the military of rigging the 2018 elections.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
10 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) RBI keeps key lending rates unchanged, tweaks home loan rules to aid real estate sector. 

On 9 October, the Governor Shaktikanta Das said that the monetary policy committee (MPC) of the RBI has unanimously decided to keep the key lending rates unchanged. The MPC voted to leave the policy repo rate unchanged at 4%. He said that the monetary policy committee has also decided to continue with their accommodative policy stance as long as required this year and next year as well. After the steep decline into which the global economy plunged in the second quarter of this year, there is a rebound in activity in the third quarter but it is not even. The Indian economy is entering a decisive phase in the fight against Covid-19. By all indications, the deep contractions of Q1 2020-21 are behind them. Silver linings are among them. Online commerce is booming, and people are getting back to offices he added that he expected Q4 to record a positive growth. In a bid to boost the real estate sector, the RBI has also decided to rationalize the risk weights on home loans and link them only to the LTV (loan to value) ratio. This provision will apply to all new home loans sanctioned up to March 31, 2022. At present, risk weights are applied to home loans for both the size of the loan as well as the LTV ratio that is, how much of the value of a property a bank can lend to a borrower. The greater the risk weights, the greater the provisions the bank must make to address the risk, and accordingly, the lower would be its capacity to lend. By eliminating risk weights with regard to size of loan, the RBI is aiming for an uptick in home loans growth, which, if it happens, would put more money in the real estate sector, thereby boosting construction and related economic activity.

B) Lalu Prasad gets bail but will stay in jail.

On 9 October, the Jharkhand High Court has granted bail to jailed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad in connection with the ₹959 crore fodder scam case. The case pertained to fraudulent withdrawal of ₹33.67 crore from the Chaibasa treasury in Jharkhand during 1992-93, when he was Chief Minister of undivided Bihar. While granting bail, the Court has asked Lalu Prasad to submit 2 personal bonds of ₹50,000 each and deposit ₹2 lakh for securing the bail. He has been in jail for half of the punishment of five years in the case. However, Lalu Prasad will not come out of jail for now as he has been convicted in many other cases as well. The RJD chief has been undergoing treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for multiple illnesses. Following his conviction in the fodder scam cases, Prasad has been at Birsa Munda central jail in Jharkhand since December 2017.

C) Bhima Koregaon case: NIA files supplementary charge sheet.

On 9 October, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a second supplementary charge sheet against seven accused and one absconding accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case. The central agency has named 83-year-old activist Father Stan Swamy, Anand Teltumbde, 70, Gautam Navlakha, 67, Hany Babu, 54, and members of cultural group Kabir Kala Manch, Sagar Gorkhe, 32, Ramesh Gaichor, 38 and Jyoti Jagtap 32. The absconding accused is the brother of Teltumbde, Milind Teltumbde. Father Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest who works with tribals, was arrested from his home in Jharkhand capital Ranchi by a team of NIA officials from Delhi in a late night operation. He has been sent to jail till October 23 by the special court. The press release which was issued by NIA says that all these accused has conspired with other accused persons to further the ideology of terrorist organization CPI (Maoist) and abetted violence incited disaffection towards the Government established by law and promoted enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, caste and community. 

D) Covid watch: Numbers and Developments.

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 69,59,166 with the death toll at 1,07,109. On 9 October, the active caseload of India fell below 9 lakh for the first time after a month. India had registered about 8.93 lakh active cases on 9 October after registering 8.97 lakh on September 9. Entry to the Padmanabhaswamy temple which is situated in Kerala has been banned till 15 October because at least 10 priests, including the chief priest and the joint chief priest were tested positive for covid-19. The chief executive officer of the temple V Ratheesan has said that the tantri, who usually performs special ceremonies, will perform daily pujas without the devotees.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) World Food Programme wins Nobel Peace Prize 2020.

On 9 October, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the World Food Programme for feeding millions of people, starting from Yemen to North Korea. Berit Reiss-Andersen who is the chairwoman of Nobel committee has said that on unveiling the winner in Oslo the WFP was honoured for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas, and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict. Whether delivering food by helicopter or on the back of an elephant or a camel, the WFP prides itself on being the leading humanitarian organization in a world. Reiss-Andersen said that with this year’s award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to turn the eyes of the world towards the millions of people who suffer from or face the threat of hunger. 

B) World Bank slashes India forecast, says FY21 GDP will contract by 9.6%

The World Bank, in its South Asia Economic Focus report which was released on 8 October, sharply revised its June forecast of a 3.2% contraction of the Indian GDP to 9.6%, for the year 2020-21. This revision reflects the impact of the national lockdown and the income shock experienced by households and firms. The World Bank Chief Economist for South Asia Hans Timmer has said that it is an exceptional situation in India, the situation is the worst in India than we have ever seen before. A very dire outlook. This slowdown in India is expected to depress manufacturing and exporting industries, and the construction sector which relies on Indian migrant workers is likely to experience a protracted slowdown due to a limited pipeline of public sector infrastructure projects as well. The Bank reckoned that there will be a rebound to 5.4% growth in 2021-22, but largely due to base effects and hinging on assumptions that the pandemic-related restrictions are completely lifted by 2022. It said significant disruptions to jobs have likely worsened India’s poverty rate, with 2020 rates back to 2016 levels.

C) Taking potshots at Quad meet, China says it’s against “organising closed and exclusive cliques’

On 9 October, China has said that it was opposed to organizing closed and exclusive cliques, underlining its wary response to this week’s ministerial meeting of the Quad grouping, which comprises India, Australia, Japan and the United States. At the ministerial meet in Tokyo, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had singled out China as a threat to the region, although the three other foreign ministers, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, did not directly mention China. Speaking at a press briefing in Beijing , the first following the week-long national holiday in China, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in response to a question on the Quad meet, this is now the 21st century and they are living in an era of globalization. The interests of all the countries are so intertwined that organizing closed and exclusive cliques will not help to build mutual trust and cooperation, especially when we are faced with urgent tasks of fighting the pandemic and reviving the economy of the whole world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
09 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Ram Vilas Paswan passes away 

On 8 October, the Union Minister of India, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan had died. His son Chirag Paswan broke this news by a tweet. Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan was 74 years old. He was the Lok Janshakti Party patron. He had undergone a heart surgery at a hospital in New Delhi a few days ago. He had been in active politics for more than 5 decades and was one of the most noted Dalit leaders of India. He was the Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Mr. Chirag Paswan tweeted that papa you are not in this world today but he know that no matter where he were, he will always be with him. Miss you papa.

B) Republic TV under scanner as Mumbai Police bust ‘fake TRPs’ racket. 

On 8 October, the Police Commissioner of Mumbai, Mr. Param Bir Singh said that they have busted a Television Rating Point (TRP) racket which involves Republic TV, Box Cinema, and Fakt Marathi. While addressing reporters in Mumbai, he said that these 3 channels were found manipulating TRPs and distorting the system used by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to rate television channels.  He said that there are 2,000 barometers which are installed in Mumbai to monitor TRPs. BARC has given a confidential contract for monitoring these barometers. He also informed that in the preliminary enquiry, 1 person was arrested and he has revealed that he had been working for a company called Hansa Research Group Private Limited, which is a part of the BARC. The accused said that the company has misused confidential data, which had been entrusted to them. It has apparently been done for wrongful gains of various TV channels, which had resulted in wrongful loss to various advertisers and their agencies. Hansa’s ex-employee and his companion were arrested and ₹20 lakh were found along with ₹8.5 lakh in the bank locker. Around ₹400-500 was given to several households on monthly basis. They were produced in court and the police have got their custody till October 9. Officials of Republic TV, which claims the highest TRPs among news channels, will be summoned soon, Singh said that in a move that assumes significance as the Mumbai police has been in conflict with some channels over the coverage of the Sushant Singh Rajput case. 

C) Supreme Court slams Centre on Tablighi Jamaat affidavit

On 8 October, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde has pulled up the Union government for mistreating the Supreme Court by having a junior officer file an evasive affidavit containing unnecessary, nonsensical averments on petitions challenging the discriminatory and communal coverage of the Tablighi Jamaat incident by some sections of the media. Chief Justice Bobde addressed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta by saying that they cannot treat the court the way they are doing in this case. A junior officer has filed their affidavit. They find it extremely evasive and brazenly short on details. They do not want any unnecessary, nonsensical averments like those made now. They want to know if the government has any power to question or ban TV broadcasting signals, he asked the parties. The court said it would hear arguments on this point and adjourned the case for 2 weeks. The petitions have said that certain sections of the print and electronic media were spreading bigotry and communal hatred in relation to the Tablighi Jamaat conference held in the Nizamuddin Markaz area, and sought a direction to the Ministry to identify and take strict action against sections of the media that had communalised the issue.

D) Indian Air Force Day celebration : Medals presented. 

The rapid deployment of Air Force assets to forward areas in the ongoing standoff in eastern Ladakh and support to the Army clearly demonstrated the resolve, operational capability and the will to effectively engage the adversary if the need arose, said that Air Chief Marshal (ACM) R.K.S. Bhadauria on 8 October. ACM Bhadauria also presented the distinguished service medal, Yudh Seva Medial (YSM), to some of the personnel who had taken part in the Balakot air strike on February 26 last year and the aerial engagement a day later.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Trump says no to virtual debate with Biden.

On 8 October, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s Covid-19 diagnosis, the Commission that oversees the debates said that the second presidential debate next week would be a virtual affair. But Trump is not interested in a virtual debate. He is not going to do a virtual debate, he told Fox News, and added that it was not acceptable to them. The Commission on Presidential Debates had said that the debate will remain a town hall-style conversation. Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will appear from remote locations, while voters and the moderator will ask them questions from the original debate site in Miami. Trump, however, accused the bipartisan debate commission of trying to protect his opponent Biden. The news comes a day after the sole vice presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and Biden’s running mate Senator Kamala Harris, where the focus was on the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic. Trump’s campaign had said that he would participate in the October 15 debate, despite concerns that he could still be infectious.

B) American poet Louise Gluck wins the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature 

American poet Louise Gluck won the 2020 Nobel Literature Prize on October 8. Gluck, an unexpected choice, was known for themes of childhood and family life that drew inspiration from myths and classical motifs. Gluck, 77, was honored for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal, the Academy said. Gluck had won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for her collection ‘The Wild Iris’ and the National Book Award for her latest collection, ‘Faithful and Virtuous Night’ in 2014. American poet Louise Gluck attends the National Book Awards ceremony in New York City on November 19, 2014. The 2020 Nobel Literature Prize went to Ms. Gluck for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal .American poet Louise Gluck attends the National Book Awards ceremony in New York City on November 19, 2014. The 2020 Nobel Literature Prize went to Ms. Gluck for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal. Gluck was not seen as a favorite for the Nobel in the run-up to the announcement, though betting sites odds on her reportedly plunged just before the announcement.

C) French person appeals google to pay for showing their news in search content. 

A French appeals court on 8 October has upheld an order that asked Google to pay media companies for showing their news content in search results. The Paris Court of Appeal rejected a challenge by the U.S. tech company, which had refused to comply with an order by France’s competition authority asking it to negotiate with publishers and press agencies for payments to display their material. The court rejected the argument of google that the competition watchdog overstepped its authority in its April decision. Google had said that the day before that it was on the verge of reaching a deal with French newspapers over digital copyright.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
08 October 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) UP police slaps UAPA, sedition charges on Malayalam journalist arrested near Hathras. 

On 7 October, Malayalam journalist Siddique Kappan and three others arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police on their way to Hathras have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 and sedition, according to an FIR registered in Mathura. All the 4 persons were produced before a local court, which sent them in judicial remand. Gaurav Grover who is the SSP of Mathura has said that further action will be taken after collection of evidence in the investigation. The police said that they were taken into custody at a toll plaza in Mathura on 5 October when they were travelling in a car from Delhi to Hathras. An FIR  was lodged against them and charges them under section 124A (sedition) of the IPC, sections 14 and 17 of the UAPA, and sections 65, 72 and 76 of the Information Technology Act, for promoting enmity between groups and outraging religious feelings. Section 17 of the UAPA deals with raising funds for terrorist acts. Apart from Kappan, a journalist working with a Malayalam portal based in Delhi, the other 3 were identified as Ateeq-ur-Rehman of Muzaffarnagar, Masood Ahmed of Bahraich and Alam of Rampur. In the FIR, sub-inspector Prabal Singh accused the four of carrying pamphlets titled ‘Justice for Hathras Victim’ and moving towards the district to disrupt peace as part of a big conspiracy.

B) Bombay HC grants bail to Rhea Chakraborty. 

Actor Rhea Chakraborty, 28, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court on Wednesday. She has been in Byculla jail since being arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau on September 8 in a drug case following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. She was directed to be released from jail on furnishing a bond of ₹1 lakh, with one or two sureties in the amount. Justice SV Kotwal said that the investigation did not reveal any recovery either from Rhea or from the house of Sushant Singh Rajput. It is their own case that the drugs were already consumed and hence there was no recovery. In that case there is nothing at this stage to show that Rhea had committed any offence involving commercial quantity of contraband. The court added that they are satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the applicant, Rhea, is not guilty of any offence punishable under sections 19 [punishment for embezzlement of opium by cultivator], 24 [punishment for external dealings in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances] or 27A [punishment for financing illicit traffic and harboring offenders] [of the Narcotics Drugs Psychotropic Substances Act] or any other offence involving commercial quantity. Since she has no criminal antecedents, there are reasonable grounds for believing that she is not likely to commit any offence while on bail. 

C) UGC declares 24 universities as fake; maximum from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

On 7 October, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced a list of 24 self-styled, unrecognized institutions in the country, terming them as fake. UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain has said that most of these fake universities were operating from Uttar Pradesh, followed by Delhi. Students and public are informed that currently 24 self-styled, unrecognized institutions are functioning in contravention of the UGC Act, which have been declared as fake universities and these are not empowered to confer any degree. While 8 of these universities are from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi has seven, and Odisha and West Bengal two each. Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Maharashtra have one such fake university each

E) Study finds high levels of child stunting among poor with access to PDS, calls for widening food basket. 

A first-ever study on linkages between availability of PDS ration and prevalence of malnutrition has found that the poorest households most in need of free food grains are often left out of the scheme. The study, authored by Basat K Panda, Sanjay K Mohanty, Itishree Nayak, and Vishal Dev Shastri from the International Institute of Population Science in Mumbai and Subramanian SV from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, is titled ‘Malnutrition and poverty in India: Does the use of public distribution system matter’. It was published in BioMed Central’s Nutrition Journal last week. The study, based on National Family Health Survey-4 (NHFS-4) data, found skewed distribution of the BPL cards that determine access to various welfare schemes, including food ration. It found high prevalence of stunting and malnutrition among poor families that used the PDS, as well as the poor who were excluded from the PDS. “Reduction of child nutrition was not in the gambit of PDS. In many states, the odds of stunting among excluded poor are higher than real poor. Since the PDS cards are given largely to poor people, it is no surprise to see high stunting and underweight among these real poor,” Panda said, in response to a question on why there was high prevalence of malnutrition even among poor households which were provided PDS ration. The study concludes that the poorest of the poor, most in need of welfare schemes, are not being covered by them. It recommends improved coverage to ensure poor households are given priority. It also calls for improvement in the quality of nutritious food under the PDS, and a widening of the food basket to help reduce malnutrition.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) U.S.-French duo win Nobel Chemistry Prize for gene-editing tool. 

Emmanuelle Charpentier of France and Jennifer Doudna of the U.S. have won the Nobel Chemistry Prize for the gene-editing technique known as the CRISPR-Cas9 DNA snipping scissors, which is the first time a Nobel science prize has gone to a women’s only team. The Nobel jury has said that using these, researchers can change the DNA of animals, plants and microorganisms with extremely high precision. This technology has had a revolutionary impact on the life sciences, is contributing to new cancer therapies, and may make the dream of curing inherited diseases come true. The technique has been tipped for a Nobel nod several times in the past, but speaking to reporters in Stockholm via telephone link, Prof. Charpentier said that the call was still a surprise.

B) America has become a dangerous place. Standing in front of a held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where a significant battle in the American Civil War was fought, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden spoke of a country divided and the need to come together. The former Vice-President said that America had become a dangerous place with something darker and more dangerous than just broken politics. There is no more fitting place than here in Gettysburg, to talk about the cost of division. About how much it has cost America in the past, about how much it is costing us now, and about why I believe in this moment, we must come together as a nation, he said that in a speech of a little over 20 minutes. There is something bigger going on in this nation than just our broken politics. Something darker, some Call for unity: Joe Biden speaking at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.