9 PM Current Affairs Brief – January 4, 2018

Understanding BhimaKoregaon Context Hindutva forces are worried by the conspicuous politicisation of Dalits The History BhimaKoregaon in Pune, Maharashtra, the seat of unrest now, is a tiny village, but is associated with an extraordinary phase of Maratha history Legendary Battle Two hundred years ago, on January 1, 1818, a few hundred Mahar soldiers of the East… Continue reading Understanding BhimaKoregaon

Spat over Hindi as official language at UN  Context External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday engaged in a war of words in the Lok Sabha over making Hindi one of the official languages at the United Nations. Sushma cries procedure as the biggest hurdle; Tharoor says it is not… Continue reading Spat over Hindi as official language at UN 

Inserting new Section in IPC was discussed Context Before the government introduced a bill for a separate law to make instant triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat a criminal offence, the Centre deliberated on including the violation under Section 498A(b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that pertains to “cruelty by husband or a relative of the… Continue reading Inserting new Section in IPC was discussed

Citizen count  Context The draft of Assam’s National Register of Citizens is a first step, but it opens up concerns The draft of Assam’s National Register of Citizens is a first step, but it opens up concerns Prodded by an unrelenting Supreme Court Bench, Assam met its December 31 deadline for publication of the first draft… Continue reading Citizen count 

Panchayat secretary’s cerificate is no proof  Context Certificates issued by the ‘gaon’ or village panchayat secretary/Executive Magistrate is no proof of Indian citizenship. Supreme Court clarifies on citizenship Certificates issued by the ‘gaon’ or village panchayat secretary/Executive Magistrate is no proof of Indian citizenship Clarification from the SC It is only a supporting document used… Continue reading Panchayat secretary’s cerificate is no proof 

Expect specific action on Pak. this week says US  Context Some specific actions on Pakistan ,which is in the cross hairs of U.S. President Donald Trump for sheltering terrorists, could be expected in the next one or two days, the White House said on Tuesday. Experts say Trump’s tweet does not indicate any shift in policy;… Continue reading Expect specific action on Pak. this week says US 

A new plateau  Context In more ways than one, 2017 marked a turning point in India-China relations. If it began with India taking a strong stance against China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), it ended with China tightening its grip on South Asia. And in between was the Doklam stand-off which underscored the challenges… Continue reading A new plateau 

Behind the enemy line Context The closer you get to the border in J&K, the greater the yearning for an end to ceasefire violations The closer you get to the border in J&K, the greater the yearning for an end to ceasefire violations Author went on a field trip to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir with the Pakistan… Continue reading Behind the enemy line

Chinese road building team enters Arunachal Pradesh, India seizes equipment Context The Chinese track construction was first observed by residents of the area, who informed the ITBP. The ITBP and Army sent a joint patrol on December 28, which asked the Chinese workers to return to their territory. What happened? Months after the two countries de-escalated… Continue reading Chinese road building team enters Arunachal Pradesh, India seizes equipment

Money talks  Context Pakistan is worried less by U.S. withdrawal of aid than the overall downslide in ties US holds Pakistan accountable for terrorism That the U.S. will continue to withhold $255 million in Foreign Military Financing to Pakistan this year suggests it is prepared to downgrade its ties with Pakistan further in an effort to hold… Continue reading Money talks 

India calls off missile deal with Israel  Context India has called off an order to buy Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel’s state-owned defence contractor Rafael The deal had been worth about $500 million The deal was worth about $500 million and its termination came ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India.… Continue reading India calls off missile deal with Israel 

Towards a genomics revolution  Context India has the scientific resources for genetic research — all it needs is the vision at the national level to leverage them Personalised medicine At this point, in principle, the prospect of building individualized medicine based on the precise information stored in each human’s DNA (their genome) had come into… Continue reading Towards a genomics revolution 

Key ministries disagree over CAMPA fund rules  Context Differences between the environment ministry and the finance ministry have become a roadblock to the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). CAMPA This authority was envisaged as an independent body that would manage a corpus — collected from industries that have used forest land for… Continue reading Key ministries disagree over CAMPA fund rules 

Clearing the air on the bail in clause  Context The government on Tuesday issued another clarification on the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill in a bid to clear the air about the many misgivings about the proposed Bill’s most notorious clause: the bail-in. What does the Bill seek to do? It is meant to… Continue reading Clearing the air on the bail in clause