18 December 2013 – Daily Current Affairs (Hindi and English)

Rajya-Sabha-lPasses-Lokpal-Bill

1) The Rajya Sabha on 17 December 2013 passed the amended Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill. The bill would now be introduced in the Lok Sabha to pave the way for setting up the anti-corruption ombudsman. When was the Lokpal Bill first passed by a house of Indian Parliament before it lapsed? – In 1969 (The 4th Lok Sabha had passed the Lokpal Bill for the first time in 1969. It however, lapsed as it wasn’t passed by the Rajya Sabha)

2) The Supreme Court on 17 December 2013 ruled that the Centre’s approval was not required to investigate officers of ………………….level and above when a constitutional court monitors the probe. – Joint Secretary (This ruling is seen as an assertion of Supreme Court’s supremacy over the executive as the ruling dilutes government’s authority to decide on investigation against its top officers. The Supreme Court held that the approval of the Central Government is not necessary under Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act in a matter where inquiry/investigation into the crime under the Prevention of Corruption Act is being monitored by it)

3) Angela Merkel was on 17 December 2013 overwhelmingly elected as German Chancellor for a rare third term after she struck a hard-fought deal with her centre-left rivals to end months of political limbo. She was later sworn-in by Parliament President Norbert Lammert in Berlin. Merkel’s party Christian Democrats Union (CDU) entered a deal with which party? – Social Democrats (SPD) – With this deal the CDU-SPD coalition got a whooping majority of 504 seats out of 631 in the Bundestag, the lower house of German Parliament. Merkel had secured a stunning hat-trick win in the elections held on 22 September 2013 but had failed to grab an outright majority)

4)  More than a year after allowing FDI in multi-brand retail, the government on 17 December 2013 received the first application to open stores under this category. Which company gave this application to set-up multi-brand retail

stores in India with an Indian group? – Tesco Plc. (Tesco Plc. is a UK-based retailer and it has sought approval to open retail stores in India with an investment of $110 million in joint venture with Tata Group. The joint-venture Trent Hypermarket, will trade in products under 14 categories and plans to open three to five stores every financial year. The government in September 2012 had allowed 51% FDI in multi-brand retail with certain riders)

5) India on 17 December 2013 launched a low-cost, indigenously-manufactured Thalassemia and Sickle Cell diagnostic kit. This kit will simplify the identification of 7 common beta-thalassemia mutations and two common abnormal haemoglobins, common in India. To be available at approximately Rs. 400 in the public health facilities up to district levels, the kit is expected to bring down the prices of such test in the open market where it costs up to Rs. 15,000. This kit has been developed by scientists of which two institutions/organisations? - National Institute of Immunohaematolgoy (NIIH) and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) – The kit is now being domestically manufactured by IMGENEX Ltd. The inherited haemoglobin disorders are the commonest single gene disorders in India, beta-thalassemia, Hb E-beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease pose a huge health burden. The overall prevalence of beta-thalassemia carriers in India is 3-4%, while in certain ethnic groups like Sindhis, Kutchi, Bhanushalis, Punjabis, Jains and Muslims it can vary from 5 to 15%.

6) Australia reclaimed the Ashes Trophy after defeating England by 150 runs on the final day of the third Test match at Perth on 17 December 2013. With this win Australia took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. When Australia last held the Ashes? – In August 2009 (Australia won the first Test in Brisbane by 381 runs and the second in Adelaide by 218 runs)

7) International Migrants Day was observed across the world on 18 December 2013. The number if international migrant worldwide has reached 232 million

in 2013. The Secretary General of UN put forward an ambitious eight point agenda in his report to the General Assembly to “make migration work” for all: for all: migrants, societies of origin and societies of destination alike.

8) Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan surprised the markets, today, by leaving all key policy rates unchanged. The Reserve Bank, in its Mid-Quarter Monetary Policy Review, kept its short-term lending rate unchanged at 7.75 per cent, and the Cash Reserve Ratio steady at 4 per cent. The RBI governor said the apex bank will take calibrated action in the future, based on inflationary trends and action by the US Federal Reserve.

9) Parliament on Wednesday passed the Lokpal bill with the Lok Sabha adopting the measure as amended by the Rajya Sabha after a short discussion, amid the din created by members for and against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Members from Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena, opposed the bill and staged a walkout in protest, as their counterparts from other parties, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and the Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, supported the measure.

10) The Union Cabinet has approved the Prevention of Communal Violence Bill 2013 yesterday. The bill aimed to prevent and tackle the communal violence in the country and punish the perpetrators of the violence. The Bill has been named as The Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill, 2013. The Bill has the provision of creating an institutional arrangement for speedy investigation, disposal of cases and for providing relief and rehabilitation to victims of communal violence.

11) The Rann Utsav, a cultural festival of Gujarat state was inaugurated by Gujarat Tourism Minister Saurabh Patel at Kutch, Gujarat. The two-month long cultural festival that attracts huge number of domestic and international tourists is celebrated from 17 December to 14 February 2014. The Rann of Kutch is a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar Desert in the Kutch District of Gujarat. Kutch is one of the Gujarat largest districts. It is surrounded by the Arabian Sea and the salt encrusted desert.

12) The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) has appointed M. K. Goel as the new Chairman and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC). Currently Goel is the Director (Commercial) and acting Chairman and Managing Director of the public sector finance company.

13) Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Oscar Fernandes has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, following death of Minister Sis Ram Ola. Earlier, President Pranab Mukherjee condoled the passing away of Ola, a veteran Congress leader from Rajasthan.

14) India and Macedonia have signed a new double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) that provides for among other things exchange of banking information for tax administration purposes. This DTAA was signed by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki here on Tuesday. As per the new agreement, dividend, interest and royalty will be taxed in the source country and the rate of taxation will not exceed 10 percent.

15) The Union Ministry of Power has selected the Poovar Island Resort for the National Energy Conservation Award 2013. M.R. Narayanan, Managing Director, received the award from President Pranab Mukherjee at a function in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi. Kabeer Khader, Chairman, was also present.

16) India and Arab League inked an MoU to elevate the political, trade and cultural relations. The MoU was signed by Salman Khurshid, External Affairs Minister of India and Nabil Elaraby, Secretary General of the League of Arab States during his visit to India.

17) Eminent historian Bipan Chandra  was awarded Itihas Ratna from Asiatic Society Bihar. The award was given to Bipan Chandra on his 86th birthday. He was honoured by O.P. Jaiswal, the Secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bihar in the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Campus, New Delhi. Bipan Chandra is the fourth historian to be honoured with the Itihas Ratna by the society.

18) Ronnie Biggs, known for his role in the 1963 Great Train Robbery, died on Wednesday, his daughter-in-law said. He was 84. Veronica Biggs did not provide details of the cause of death. He had been released from prison four years ago on compassionate grounds because of ill health and had suffered several strokes. Biggs was famous or notorious for taking part in the 1963 robbery and then escaping from Wandsworth Prison. He eventually made his way to Brazil, where he lived for many years beyond the reach of British justice.

19) Yahoo has acquired content delivery network provider PeerCDN in a bid to resolve its mail issues. PeerCDN's technology delivers site resources like images, videos and downloads via a peer-to- peer network of people currently visiting a website using WebRTC, real-time communication technology, instead of using an additional software, TechCrunch reports. This reduces some of the bandwidth costs of the website provider by letting visitors share the burden, the report added. 

1) प्रत्यक्ष विदेशी निवेश (FDI) के रास्ते भारत के मल्टी-ब्राण्ड रिटेल क्षेत्र में प्रवेश करने की अनुमति दिए जाने के एक साल से भी अधिक समय के बाद 17 दिसम्बर 2013 को केन्द्र सरकार को इस क्षेत्र के लिए पहला आवेदन प्राप्त हुआ। यह आवेदन किस कम्पनी के द्वारा किया गया है? - टेस्को पीएलसी - Tesco Plc., जो कि ब्रिटेन की सुप्रसिद्ध रिटेल चेन है (इस आवेदन में टेस्को पीएलसी ने भारत के टाटा समूह के साथ मिलकर देश में 11 करोड़ डालर का निवेश कर मल्टी-ब्राण्ड रिटेल स्टोर्स खोलने की योजना की जानकारी दी है। यह दोनों मिलकर ट्रेन्ट हाइपरमार्केट (Trent Hypermarket) नामक मल्टी-ब्राण्ड रीटेल स्टोर खोलेंगे तथा 14 विभिन्न प्रकार की उत्पाद श्रेणियों के अंतर्गत उत्पादों का विपणन करेंगे। उल्लेखनीय है कि भारत सरकार ने सितम्बर 2013 में मल्टी-ब्राण्ड रिटेल क्षेत्र में 51% FDI की अनुमति प्रदान की थी)

2) एक ऐतिहासिक घटनाक्रम में राज्य सभा ने 17 दिसम्बर 2013 को लोकपाल तथा लोकायुक्त की नियुक्ति से सम्बन्धित विधेयक को पारित कर देश को लोकपाल मिलने का रास्ता साफ कर दिया। अब इस विधेयक को लोक सभा में पारित किया जाना है जिससे देश में भ्रष्टाचार पर नज़र रखने के लिए लोकपाल नामक पद का सृजन हो सकेगा। भारतीय संसद के एक सदन द्वारा लोकपाल की नियुक्ति से सम्बन्धित एक ऐसा ही प्रस्ताव पहली बार कब पारित किया था जो पूर्णतया पारित न हो सकने के चलते निलंबित हो गया था? - 1969 में (1969 में चौथी लोकसभा ने लोकपाल सम्बन्धी एक विधेयक को पारित किया था। लेकिन राज्य सभा द्वारा पारित न किए जाने के चलते यह विधेयक स्वत: निलंबित हो गया था)

3) भारत के सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने 17 दिसम्बर 2013 को भ्रष्टाचार के आरोपी वरिष्ठ नौकरशाहों के खिलाफ जांच में सीबीआई को खुली छूट देते हुए अपने आदेश में कहा कि न्यायालय के आदेश और निगरानी में हो रही जांच में सीबीआई को ...............एवं उससे ऊपर के अधिकारियों के खिलाफ जांच से पहले सरकार की मंजूरी लेने की कोई आवश्यकता नहीं है - संयुक्त सचिव – Joint Secretary (उल्लेखनीय है कि दिल्ली स्पेशल पुलिस इस्टेब्लिशमेंट एक्ट (DSPE) की धारा 6ए कहती है कि भ्रष्टाचार निरोधक अधिनियम में संयुक्त सचिव या उससे ऊपर के अधिकारी के खिलाफ जांच से पहले केन्द्र सरकार की पूर्व अनुमति आवश्यक होगी। लेकिन अपने आदेश में सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने नौकरशाहों को बचाने वाला यह सरकारी कवच हटा दिया और कहा कि ऐसे मामलों में सरकार की पूर्व अनुमति जरूरी नहीं है)

4) 17 दिसम्बर 2013 को एंजेला मार्केल (Angela Merkel) को रिकार्ड तीसरी बार भारी बहुमत से जर्मनी का चांसलर चुन लिया गया। ऐसा तब संभव हुआ जब उनकी पार्टी क्रिश्चियन डेमोक्रेट्स यूनियन (CDU) ने वामपंथी झुकाव वाले मुख्य विपक्षी दल से एक समझौता किया। यह समझौता किस दल के साथ किया गया? - सोशल डेमोक्रेटिक पार्टी – SPD (उल्लेखनीय है कि इस समझौते के चलते एंजेला मार्केल के नेतृत्व वाले इस गठबंधन को जर्मन संसद के निचले सदन बुण्डस्टाग (Bundestag) में कुल 631 सीटों में से 504 सीटों का भारी भरकम बहुमत मिल गया। इसके बाद मार्केल को इसी दिन चांसलर की शपथ दिला दी गई। उल्लेखनीय है कि 22 सितम्बर 2013 को हुए चुनाव में हालांकि मार्केल ने शानदार जीत प्राप्त की थी लेकिन उनकी पार्टी को पूर्ण बहुमत न मिल पाने के कारण जर्मनी में पिछले तीन माह से राजनीतिक संकट की स्थिति कायम थी)

5) 17 दिसम्बर 2013 को भारत ने थेलेसीमिया तथा सिकल सेल विकार का पता लगाने में सक्षम पहली स्वदेशी तकनीक ने निर्मित कम कीमत की किट (Thalassemia and Sickle Cell diagnostic kit) जारी की। इस किट के द्वारा 7 प्रकार के बीटा-थेलेसीमिया म्यूटेशन्स व भारत में पाए जाने वाले दो प्रकार के समस्याग्रस्त हीमोग्लोबिन्स का पता लगाया जा सकता है। खास बात यह है कि इस किट को देश के सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य केन्द्रों पर मात्र 400 रु. में उपलब्ध कराया जायेगा जबकि बाजार में इसी प्रकार की जांच किट की कीमत लगभग 15,000 रुपए है। इस स्वदेशी किट का विकास किन दो संस्थाओं/संगठनों ने किया है? - नेशनल इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ इम्यूनो-हेमेटोलाजी (NIIH) और इण्डियन काउंसिल फार मेडिकल रिसर्च (ICMR)

6) पर्थ में 17 दिसम्बर 2013 को इंग्लैण्ड को 150 रन से हराकर ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने एक बार फिर एशेज़ (Ashes) ट्राफी पर अपना कब्जा करने में सफलता प्राप्त की। यहां खेले गए तीसरे टेस्ट मैच में जीत दर्ज कर ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने इंग्लैण्ड पर पांच टेस्ट मैचों की श्रॄंखला में 3-0 की अपराजेय बढ़त ले ली। इससे पहले एशेज पर ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने अपना कब्जा आखिरी बार कब किया था? - अगस्त 2009 में (उल्लेखनीय है कि इससे पहले ऑस्ट्रेलिया ने इंग्लैण्ड को ब्रिसबेन में 381 रन से तथा एडिलेड में 218 रन से पराजित किया था)