Current Affairs : August 19, 2011

Lok Sabha passes Indian Medical Council Amendment Bill 2011

• Lok Sabha passed the Indian Medical Council Amendment Bill 2011
  
• The bill seeks to provide better health facilities in the country
  
• Government committed to add 15,000 Medical Post Graduation seats in the span of five years
  
• Government has formulated policies to give incentives to private sector to set up Medical colleges
  
• Government also taking effective measures to encourage medical practitioners in rural areas across the country
  

Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill introduced in Rajya Sabha

• The Juvenile Justice Amendment Bill 2010 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha
• Objective: To ensure proper care and protection of children. To create a proper atmosphere for a balanced growth of the children. Children will also be properly treated for diseases as per the provision of bill.
  • The Bill omits a provision from the Act which provided for the separate treatment of juveniles or children suffering from leprosy, sexually transmitted disease, Hepatitis B, Tuberculosis, or children with unsound minds.
    
  • The Bill also replaces a provision which gave competent authorities in special homes or children’s homes the power to move children suffering from leprosy, unsound mind, or drug addiction to special facilities for such children.
    
  • Under the Bill, the competent authority can move children who are mentally ill or addicted to alcohol or drugs, only if such condition leads to a behavioural change in the children. He can then order their removal to a psychiatric hospital or psychiatric nursing home.
    
  • In case the child has been removed to a psychiatric facility, the competent authority can remove the child to an Integrated Rehabilitation Centre on the basis of the discharge certificate issued by the psychiatric facility.

   

The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Bill, 2011

• The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Bill, 2011 introduced in Rajya Sabha by the Ministry of Labour and Employment
  
• Objective:
  
  

1. To replace the word “workman” with “worker” in the 1979 Act
   
2. To make inter-state migrants regulation gender neutral
   

West Bengal to be named Paschim Banga

• West Bengal state to be named: “Paschim Banga”
  
• A unanimous resolution to this effect was adopted at an all-party meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee
  
• The same name to be used in English als
  
• The proposal to be sent to the Centre for its approval after ratifying it by the state assembly
  
  

SC lifts ban imposed by Uttar Pradesh Government on screening of “Aarakshan”

• Supreme Court quashed the ban imposed by Uttar Pradesh Government for the Screening of ‘Aarakshan’
  
• A bench of justices Mukundakam Sharma and A R Dave lifted the state’s two-month ban on the film in UP holding that the restriction would go against the democratic value of free speech and expression
  
• Punjab and Andhra Pradesh, which had also stopped the film’s release
  
• 
  The apex court passed the order while upholding the writ petition filed by film maker Prakash Jha challenging the decision of UP, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh to suspend the screening of the film.
  

INS Satpura commissioned in Indian Navy

• INS Satpura: India’s second Shivalik class indigenous stealth frigate
  
• INS Satpura commissioned in Indian Navy
  
• The Shivalik class frigate are conceived and designed by Indian Naval Team and would be frontline frigates of the Indian Navy in future
  
• INS Satpura will considerably heighten Indian Navy’s strike capabilities due to versatile control system with signature management and missile capabilities.
  

Common Examination for Technical UG courses to be delayed by the Government till 2013

• The Government to have common examination for different under-graduate programmes across the nation from 2013
  
• Candidates to qualify for the prestigious institutes as per the merit
  
• Government to also crack down on fake universities, practice of taking capitation fee, misleading advertisements and other actus reus
  
• The National Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2010 amends the National Institutes of Technology Act, 2007, which declares certain institutions of technology as Institutions of National Importance and provides for instruction and research in these institutions
  
• The Act has a schedule of institutions declared as institutions of national importance
  
• The Bill adds another schedule to include 5 Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (established in Kolkata, Pune, Mohali, Bhopal and Thiruvananthapuram) as institutions of national importance
  
• The Bill specifies the members of the Board of Governors of each institute
  
• The members include Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Director of the Institute ex officio, Director of one of the Indian Institutes of Technology, and three Secretaries to the Government of India.
  
• A Council shall be established for all the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research. It shall consist of specified members including Minister in charge of technical education, Secretary of technical education, chairperson of every Board of the Institutes, and Chairman, University Grants Commission.
  
• As per Mr. Sibal the bill has the objective to establish an independent mechanism to accredit the quality of higher education institutions
  
• A National Knowledge Network, is being set up to overcome the deficiency of faculty
  
• Pains being made to provide equal opportunities to both rural and urban students
  

India inks TIEA Agreement with Switzerland

• India inked an agreement with Switzerland for sharing banking information on demand
  
• The Agreement likely to come into force by September
  
• Objective : It will assist in sharing banking information of Indians having accounts in Switzerland
  
• Swiss Parliament had ratified the agreement but as per rules all states of that country have to ratify it
  
• India’s Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) with 4 sovereign entities, namely Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and Isle of Man already in force
  
• India inked TIEA with Cayman Islands but it is yet to come into force
  

Zoroastrian New Year ‘Navroz’ celebrated by the Pasi families

• ‘Nav’ means new and ‘roze’means day
  
• The Parsi families in Mumbai celebrated the Zoroastrian New Year ‘Navroz’ with great ebullience
  
• They thronged the Agiyary and sought blessings for the year ahead
  
• As per to a legend, 3000 years ago Shah Jamshed of the Peshadian dynasty rose to the throne on the Navroz day

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Month: Current Affairs - August, 2011