National Current Affairs May 2016
Collegium Recommended Four Judges for Supreme Court
- The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, recommended the elevation of Justice AM Khanwilkar of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Justice DY Chandrachud of the Allahabad High Court and Justice Ashok Bhushan of the Kerala High Court to the Supreme court on May 4, 2016.
- A senior lawyer and former Additional Solicitor General L. Nageshwar Rao has also been recommended for appointment as a Supreme Court judge.
- This is the first set of recommendations made by the SC Collegium for appointment as judges of the apex court after the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act was struck down by a Supreme Court bench on October 16, 2015.
Union Government Launched Portal for Contract Labour Payment Management System
- Pivush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy launched Contract Labour Payment Management System—a portal of Coal India Limited, on May 4, 2016.
- E The Contract Labour Payment Management System web portal is created for monitoring compliance of labour payment and other benefits to the contract workers under the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970.
- The system has in-built mechanism to validate minimum wages paid, generate wage slips and employment card etc. of contract workers as required under the Act.
Lok Sabha Passed Compensation Afforestation Fund Bill
- The Lok Sabha passed the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Bill, 2015 on May 3, 2016. It aims to ensure expeditious utilisation of accumulated unspent amounts for increasing forest cover in India.
- The Bill establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under j the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each State.
- These funds will receive payments for Compensatory afforestation, Net piresent value of forest and Other project specific payments. The National J Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State funds will receive the remaining 90%.
- These funds will be primarily spent on afforestation to compensate for loss of forest cover, regeneration of forest ecosystem, wildlife protection and infrastructure development.
