9 PM Current Affairs Brief – 19th December, 2017

Outrage in Satna:  Context Vigilante violence against carol singers, state response, raise questions about protection of minority rights in MP What has happened? 30 priests and seminarians singing carols in a village near Satna town were detained by local police after Bajrang Dal activists accused them of trying to forcibly convert the villagers. One of… Continue reading Outrage in Satna: 

‘Farm reforms, job creation to be priority’:  Context Post polls, ‘doubling farmer income, skills mission revamp high on agenda’ What has happened? Taking note of the BJP’s lacklustre performance in rural areas in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state as well as the development mandate in the hill state — will ‘prioritise and expedite agricultural… Continue reading ‘Farm reforms, job creation to be priority’: 

Goa sets up task force to fight drug menace: Context Rave parties in Goa What has happened? Admitting the need to control rave parties, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday said that his government had formed an Anti-Narcotics Task Force, comprising members of various law enforcement agencies, to draw a comprehensive action plan to… Continue reading Goa sets up task force to fight drug menace:

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath says UPCOCA will be the remedy for crime: Context Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said the proposed UPCOCA bill would help check crime and sought cooperation from the Opposition parties for its passage Views of UP CM Speaking on an adjournment notice on law and order in the… Continue reading  Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath says UPCOCA will be the remedy for crime:

‘Manuscript magazines’ a hit among statisticians:  Context Government staff rediscovering their creative side through Malayalam calligraphy What has happened? Employees of the Economics and Statistics (E&S) Department in Kerala have launched manuscript magazines (Kaiyezhuthu Masika), with the aim of promoting Malayalam and giving a creative break to the staff from the drab world of statistics,… Continue reading ‘Manuscript magazines’ a hit among statisticians: 

EWS patients also ‘overcharged’ at Fortis:  What has happened? The four-member committee appointed by the Haryana government to probe into the death of seven-year-old Adya Singh during dengue treatment at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, has also found faults with the treatment of patients from Economically Weaker Sections at the hospital Precondition As per the… Continue reading EWS patients also ‘overcharged’ at Fortis: 

 Trump to unveil ‘America First’ national security strategy: Context Prioritizing national sovereignty over alliances, President Donald Trump is poised to outline a new national security strategy that envisions nations in a perpetual state of competition What is going to happen? Prioritizing national sovereignty over alliances, President Donald Trump is poised to outline a new national security strategy… Continue reading  Trump to unveil ‘America First’ national security strategy:

Rafale deal has better terms, cleared by CCS, says Nirmala:  Context Latest development with regard to Rafale deal What has happened? The Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France for 36 Rafales was arrived at to meet the critical requirement of the Air Force (IAF) and was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) Backdrop In… Continue reading Rafale deal has better terms, cleared by CCS, says Nirmala: 

‘Link policies to Aadhaar by March 31’:  What has happened? The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has fixed March 31, 2018 as the deadline for insurance policy holders to link Aadhaar and PAN, or Form 60, to their policies. For new policies, the process has to be completed within six months.

Plea in SC seeks OBC status for farmers: Context Regarding granting OBC status to farmers not falling within creamy layer What has happened? The Supreme Court has decided to entertain a writ petition seeking ‘farmers’ who do not fall within the creamy layer to be recognised as Other Backward Classes (OBC) as an occupational group… Continue reading Plea in SC seeks OBC status for farmers:

For a safe cyberspace:  Context Cybersecurity needs to be integrated in every aspect of policy and planning India is a key player in the digital world India is one of the key players in the digital and knowledge-based economy, holding more than a 50% share of the world’s outsourcing market Pioneering and technology-inspired programmes such… Continue reading For a safe cyberspace: 

Hidden figures of Indian science:  Context It is strange how India ignores some of its best intellectuals Popular intellectuals ignored Many of the greatest scientists that independent India has produced are little known, like hidden figures in their own homeland Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri in cosmology N. Ramachandran in protein crystal structures, and K. Majumdar and… Continue reading Hidden figures of Indian science: 

Environmentalists allege winter forest fires in Charmadi range are ‘engineered’:  Context Forest fires in the otherwise completely green landscape of the Western Ghats during the winter at Somanakadu valley of Barimale in the Charmadi range has set off alarm bells among the greens in the locality Why? This, they say, is done to encroach upon… Continue reading  Environmentalists allege winter forest fires in Charmadi range are ‘engineered’: 

Focus on income mobility: Context The World Inequality Report 2018 Who releases the world inequality report? World Inequality lab Aim of the report The World Inequality Report aims to become the reference global report on inequality and to attract extensive coverage in the international media. The first report will be published in December 2017 World… Continue reading Focus on income mobility: