GS: 2
International Relations:
Track II team holds talks in Pakistan(The Hindu)
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.
Iran deal built on lies, says Pompeo(The Hindu)
U.S. Secretary of State backs Israel’s claims about Iran’s ‘secret nuclear weapons programme’
Indian Constitution and Polity:
SC tells HCs to set up panels to monitor POCSO Act trials(The Hindu)
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 regulate and monitor trials under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
DNA profiling Bill in Monsoon Session, Centre informs SC(The Hindu)
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 provisions.
SC admits petition to quash Section 377(The Hindu)
The Supreme Court had similarly on January 8 referred to a larger Bench a writ petition filed by five gay and lesbian members of the community to strike down Section 377.
GS:3
Economy:
RBI allows FPIs to buy T-bills; debt limit stays(The Hindu)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to invest in treasury bills issued by the central government.
Internal Security:
Aadhaar biometric data is 100% secure’(The Hindu)
CERT has seen about one lakh reported cyber incidents in the past year, and the number is rising definitely. The financial sector has emerged as the place the most cyber incidents occur, then the government sector, then others. One startling trend is the spike in cases of cyber incidents in the medical sector.
Government Schemes:
‘Sub-village units will be powered too’(The Hindu)
“There are reports in some sections of media that some villages are still un-electrified, contrary to the government’s claim of achieving 100% village electrification,” the Ministry of Power said in a statement.
Power drive(The Hindu Opinion)
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 to 92.7%.
Environment:
Restrictions near eco zone eased(The Hindu)
The government has eased infrastructure-development restrictions in the Bhagirathi river eco-sensitive zone, a 100-kilometre stretch between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand.
Yesterday’s current affairs material by Forum IAS
7 PM Editorial: The “informal” India-China Summit at Wuhan
Discover more from Free UPSC IAS Preparation Syllabus and Materials For Aspirants
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
