9 PM Current Affairs Brief – April 19th, 2018

Minority institutions panel gets court relief Context NCMEI has jurisdiction to determine minority status: SC What has happened? The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) has original jurisdiction to determine which institution should be granted minority status SC observed Constitution granted a fundamental right to all minorities,… Continue reading Minority institutions panel gets court relief

Make BCCI a public body: law panel Context Commission also wants the cricket board to be brought under RTI Act for scrutiny by any citizen What has happened? The 90-year-old Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should be declared a public body. The board and all its member cricket associations should be brought… Continue reading Make BCCI a public body: law panel

The soft power of India Context A mere wish to be praised as a global or regional power should not be allowed to guide our foreign policy What has happened? There is a lot of talk these days, not so much among government circles as among the ‘strategic community’, about India being a major or… Continue reading The soft power of India

Still using chemical weapons  Context On the latest suspected attack in Douma, Syria What has happened? The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is a Hague-based intergovernmental body that works for the elimination of chemical weapons. It was formed after the Chemical Weapons Convention — an arms control treaty that bans the production,… Continue reading Still using chemical weapons 

India, U.K. resolve to lower trade barriers What has happened? India and the U.K. on Wednesday decided to build on the recommendations of a joint trade review to reduce barriers. At his meeting with his British counterpart Theresa May, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged that there would be no dilution in the importance of… Continue reading India, U.K. resolve to lower trade barriers

India, Sweden agree upon ‘win-win’ joint action plan  What has happened? After a hectic day of bilateral parleys here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Swedish counterpart, Stefan Löfven, on Tuesday agreed upon a joint action plan (JAP) for both countries to take forward a wide range of initiatives in defence, trade and investment, counterterrorism,… Continue reading India, Sweden agree upon ‘win-win’ joint action plan 

Olive Ridleys return for rare mass nesting What has happened? In a rare occurrence, Olive Ridley turtles turned up for mass nesting for the second time at the Rushikulya rookery on the Odisha coast in the early hours of Wednesday, where mass hatching of eggs of these endangered marine turtles is still continuing Needs study… Continue reading Olive Ridleys return for rare mass nesting

No pollution-reduction targets in Central plan What has happened? In a strange move that is unlikely to impress anyone concerned over the worsening air quality in our cities, the government has refrained from specifying pollution-reduction targets in its draft National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) Key points The draft NCAP will be open to public comments… Continue reading No pollution-reduction targets in Central plan

National portal to share research facilities soon Context Easy access to expensive equipment What has happened? The portal — Indian Science, Technology and Engineering Facilities Map (I-STEM) — will soon become operational. The government green signaled the project last month Online reservation system The institutions and organizations that have the equipment and facilities will provide… Continue reading National portal to share research facilities soon

Centre proposes relaxation of coastal regulation zone norms Context States to get leeway in developing tourism, industrial infrastructure  What has happened? The Centre has allowed India’s coasts to be made more accessible to tourism and industrial infrastructure and given individual States considerable leeway to decide how they should plan such development, according to a draft… Continue reading Centre proposes relaxation of coastal regulation zone norms

More to cash crunch than supply issues Context Currency in circulation has grown slower in the past 2 years than GDP growth; digitisation has not helped cut the demand  What has happened? The unusual cash crunch situation in several States has thrown up a conundrum. Is this due to an unmet demand in cash supply… Continue reading More to cash crunch than supply issues