9 PM Current Affairs Brief – May 2nd, 2018

SC admits petition to quash Section 377 Context Seventeen years after he was imprisoned for his sexual orientation and efforts to help the LGBT community, the Supreme Court on Tuesday admitted the petition of a man to quash the “tyranny” of Section 377 IPC, which criminalises homosexuality What has happened? The Supreme Court had similarly… Continue reading SC admits petition to quash Section 377

DNA profiling Bill in Monsoon Session, Centre informs SC Context PIL plea seeks use of technology to identify unclaimed bodies What has happened? Last year, the Law Commission of India, in its 271st report, prepared the draft Bill named, The DNA Based Technology (Use and Regulation) Bill, 2017, after examining various judicial pronouncements and constitutional… Continue reading DNA profiling Bill in Monsoon Session, Centre informs SC

SC tells HCs to set up panels to monitor POCSO Act trials Context Supreme Court shocked by high rate of pendency of child sexual assault cases What has happened? Shocked by the high rate of pendency of child sexual assault cases, the Supreme Court directed High Courts to set up panels of its judges to… Continue reading SC tells HCs to set up panels to monitor POCSO Act trials

Iran deal built on lies, says Pompeo What has happened? U.S. Secretary of State backs Israel’s claims about Iran’s ‘secret nuclear weapons programme’ Documents as proof presented to US by Israel According to US Secretary of State: Documents claimed by Israel as proof of Iran’s secret nuclear weapons programme are authentic and the U.S. is… Continue reading Iran deal built on lies, says Pompeo

Track II team holds talks in Pakistan What has happened? A group of Indian experts visited Pakistan to discuss all aspects of bilateral ties and revive the Track II diplomacy process with Islamabad, amid the chill in the relationship after a number of terror attacks in India by Pakistan-based outfits Neemrana dialogue The original Track… Continue reading Track II team holds talks in Pakistan

Restrictions near eco zone eased What has happened? The government has eased infrastructure-development restrictions in the Bhagirathi river eco-sensitive zone, a 100-kilometre stretch between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand Char Dham project The notification makes way for development projects for the marquee Char Dham project. In 2012, the government had severely restricted development works in… Continue reading Restrictions near eco zone eased

Power drive Context Getting affordable electricity to every household needs sustained policy support What has happened? Census data for 2001 and 2011 indicate that the number of rural households that use electricity as their primary source of lighting rose by about 12 percentage points to 55.3%, while in that decade urban households rose five points… Continue reading Power drive

‘Sub-village units will be powered too’ Will be covered under Saubhagya scheme The government on Tuesday responded to allegations that its village electrification programme was still incomplete despite its claims of 100% electrification, saying that the few remaining “sub-village units” would be covered under its Saubhagya household electrification scheme Saubhagya Scheme: Key points Pradhan Mantri… Continue reading ‘Sub-village units will be powered too’

RBI allows FPIs to buy T-bills; debt limit stays(The Hindu) What has happened? The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to invest in treasury bills issued by the central government Earlier Foreign portfolio investors were permitted to invest in corporate bonds with minimum residual maturity of above one year Consistency… Continue reading RBI allows FPIs to buy T-bills; debt limit stays