National Current Affairs December 2015 (Part 1)

Married Daughters Considered for Appointment on Compassionate Grounds

• The Allahabad High Court ruled on December 4, 2015 that married daughters of deceased government employees should be considered for appointment on compassionate grounds under the Dying in Harness Rules.
• The High Court held that the State government’s existing policy of extending the facility to only unmarried or widowed female offspring was unconstitutional and violated fundamental rights.
• The petitioner had contended that the government policy I was discriminatory and in violation of the Right to Equality j as enshrined in the Constitution, since the marital status of sons of deceased government officials did not impact their eligibility for appointment on compassionate grounds.

Union Cabinet Approved Six New IITs

• A meeting of the Cabinet presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval for operationalisation of I 16 new IITs initially by forming Of Societies under the j 1 Societies Registration Act, 1860 in order to give them legal status till the amendment for their incorporation in the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 is enacted.

• These new IITs will be set-up in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Karnataka. The total cost for running these IITs is Rs 1411.80 crore and will be incuried between 2015-16 and 2018-19. At present, there are 16 IITs in the country.

• Each new IIT will have an initial intake of 180 students I £ in its first year which would increase to 450 in the second j c year and to 928 (840 Undergraduates, 80 Postgraduates and 8 (PhDs) In the third year of their operation.

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Government Announced to Allow e-Postal Ballot System for Overseas Electors

• Union government announced on December 3, 2015 to allow e-Postal Ballot System and Proxy voting to Overseas electors as an alternative voting option.
• Since, the proposal of amendment of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and 1951 require consideration and approval of both the Houses of the Parliament, no time frame could be indicated.
• The e-Postal Ballot System provides blank ballots electronically to the Non Resident Indian (NR1) voters and thereafter after casting vote they can return it by normal post. Proxy voting would allow such overseas voters to appoint a proxy after following certain formalities and exercise his/her franchise.

Commemorative Postage Stamps Released to Mark Centenary Year of ZSI

• Minister for Communications 8- Information Technology, Raw Shankar Prasad released a set of nvo commemorative postage stamps to mark the Centenary year of Zoological Stove) of India (ZSI), in New Delhi on December 3, 2015.
• The also released publications of ZSI-The Centenary Souvenir, Centenary Directory and A Glorious 100.
• The Zoological Survey of India ZSI) was established on July, 1916 to promote the survey, exploration and research of the fauna in the region under the Ministry of Environment. Forest and Climate Change, government of India.

Lok Sabha Passed Bill to Replace ‘BIS’

• The Lok Sabha passed a bill on December 3, 2015 that provides for establishing Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India and enable the government to bring more products, systems and services under ambit of standardisation.
• The Bill seeks to replace the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, I9S6 and to empower the Central government to authorise any other agency haying necessary accreditation for the purpose of conformity assessment against Indian standards.
• This Bill on standardisation passed by voice vote has come to the house after (about) 30 years. This bill is passed because government did not want an ‘inspector raj’ but there will be investigations in case of complaints.

Centre Approved Pacts with Germany for Solar Energy and Capital Goods

• The Union government approved a post facto agreement with Germany to expand bilateral cooperation in the field of solar energy on December 2, 2015
• The Union Cabinet also approved another agreement with Germany to roll out the ‘Make-in-India’ campaign for the capital goods sector.
• The Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) which was signed in October. 2015. between India and Germany, to expand bilarcral development cooperation in the field of Solar Energy by increasing use of solar energy in India through technical as well as financial cooperation.
• Under the agreement, Germany would provide concessional loans in the range of one billion Euros over the next 5 years through Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (KfW)
• The funds of KfW will also be utilised for providing soft cleans to the end-users through partner banks.

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