Important Current Affairs 19th May 2017

Important Current Affairs 19th May 2017

Download Daily Gk and Current Affairs PDF (English)

Download Daily Gk and Current Affairs PDF (HINDI)

Current Affairs 19th May 2017: NATIONAL NEWS

CIC organises Seminar on implementation of the RTI Act

The Central Information Commission organised a seminar on the Implementation of the Right to Information Act 2005 here today. 
●    The Seminar was attended by CIC, ICs, former CICs, State ICs, NGOs and other stakeholders. The Seminar began with an address by Shri Radha Krishna Mathur, Chief Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission. Shri Mathur highlighted the efforts made in the Commission over the past year to increase the pace of disposal of pending cases putting digitisation to good use.
●    In his address, Information Commissioner, Prof. M. Sridhar Acharyulu focused on the scope of privacy of Public Servants in analysing the case of Girish R Deshpande vis-a-vis other binding precedents. Shri Sanjoy Hazarika, Director, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), highlighted the issue “RTI as a tool for more Professional journalism”. 
●    Ms. Anjali Bhardwaj touched upon the adjudication of RTI Act. Ms. Amrita Johri addressed the topic of National assessments on implementation of the RTI Act. Shri S.C. Agrawal, RTI Activist, talked about misuse of RTI Act, by the applicants based on his personal experience. 
●    Shri Venkatesh Nayak, CHRI focussed on some contradictory developments in RTI jurisprudence. Ms. Pankti Jog of Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel, touched on the initiatives taken for “Reaching the unreached citizens with RTI to allow them to participate in Governance.”

BPR&D to organise National Conference of Micro Mission of National Police Mission on May 23-24, 2017

The Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D), under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), will organise the 1st National Conference of Micro Missions of National Police Mission (NPM) on May 23-24, 2017. 
●    Shri Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), will deliver the Inaugural Address. 
●    Nobel Peace Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi will be the Chief Guest during the Valedictory Session. 
●    Briefing the media here today, Shri Nirmal Kumar Azad, Inspector General, Head, National Police Mission, BPR&D said that during the conference, there will be sessions on the eight Micro Missions working under the BPR&D on issues including Proactive Policing and Visualizing Future Challenges (Extremism and Naxalism – Mob Violence – Cyber Crime – Money Laundering – Narco Terrorism – Human trafficking etc.) and Communication and Technology (Polnet – CIPA – Cyber Techniques – Forensic Science – DNA – Narco Analysis etc.).

Manual titled “Living conditions in Institutions for Children in conflict with Law” released by WCD Ministry

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has developed a manual titled “Living conditions in Institutions for Children in conflict with Law” as per the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court dated 05.02.16, in the matter of Re-inhuman conditions in 1382  prisons, WP (C) 406 of 2013,  in which the Apex court had directed the Ministry of WCD to prepare a manual similar to the Model Prison Manual as being prepared by Ministry of Home Affairs that will take into consideration the living conditions and other issues pertaining to juveniles who are in Observation Homes or Special Homes or Places of Safety in terms of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
●    The objective of preparing such a Manual for children in conflict with law is to provide guidelines to the States/UTs and other stakeholders which will help them to establish institutions for children in conflict with law and providing appropriate institutional and rehabilitative services to them.        
●    The Manual has been framed within the purview of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Model Rules, 2016. 
●    The Manual puts in one place all aspects of the living conditions and other issues pertaining to children in conflict with law who are in Observation Homes, Special Homes and Place of Safety. 
●    It also lays down the processes to be followed by all concerned stakeholders while providing services to children.

Anant Geete inaugurates Test Track Facility developed by GARC

Anant G. Geete, Union Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises Minister, on 18 May 2017 formally inaugurated the Test Track Facility at Oragadam, Chennai.  
●    The test track facility is developed by Global Automotive Research Centre (GARC). The facility has been notified to issue certificates under CMVR 1989.
●    The total cost of Test tracks project is Rs. 193.25 crore.
●    The Global Automotive Research Centre is a body working under the National Automotive Testing & R&D Infra Project (NATRiP).
●    The NATRiP is the largest and one of the most significant initiatives of the Government of India in the automotive sector. 
●    It represents a unique joining of hands between the Government of India, a number of State Governments and Indian Automotive Industry to create a state of the art Testing, Validation and R&D infrastructure in India.

GST Council announces GST Rates of 1211 items

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on 18 May 2017 fixed the GST rates for specific products which may lead to lower prices for a majority of products of mass consumption.
●    Moreover, the GST Council also fixed the deadline for rolling out the GST on 1 July 2017 to create a single national market.
●    GST Rates of 1211 items were finalised by the GST council with 81 per cent of them facing a levy of up to 18 per cent. 
●    However, GST  Council has still to decide on the GST levy on gold, biscuits, packaged and branded cereals, footwear, bidis and textiles.
●    Foodgrains, cereals and milk will cost less from 1 July as the GST Council decided to exempt these daily-use commodities from the GST levy.
●    Common use products like hair oil, soaps and toothpaste will be charged with GST of 18 per cent instead of present 22-24 per cent tax incidence.
●    Milk and curd will be exempted from taxation when the Goods and Service Tax.
●    'Mithai' or sweets will attract 5 per cent GST levy.
●    Daily-use items like sugar, tea, coffee (barring instant coffee and instant tea) and edible oil will attract the lowest tax rate of 5 per cent, almost the same as current incidence. 
●    Instant tea and coffee are expected to be in a separate bracket.

Indian Army gets M777 howitzers 30 years after Bofors scandal

After a 30-year wait for new artillery guns since the Bofors scandal, the Indian Army on 18 May 2017 received the first two M-777 A-2 (Indian) ultra-light howitzers (ULH) from BAE systems of the US.
●    This is a part of an order for 145 long-range guns which will be mostly deployed on borders. The M-777 A-2 (Indian) ultra-light howitzers (ULH) having a maximum range of 30 km were being taken to Pokhran firing range in Rajasthan for test firing.
●    After firing tables are ready, three more guns will be received in the second stage in September 2018 for training. 
●    Thereafter, induction will commence from March 2019 onwards at the rate of five guns per month till complete consignment is received by mid-2021.
●    While 25 guns will come in a fly-away condition, the rest will be assembled in India by the BAE Systems in partnership with Mahindra Defence. 
●    The 155 mm, 39-calibre guns will fire Indian ammunitions.

Current Affairs 19th May 2017: PERSONS

Anshu Jamsenpa became the first Indian woman to scale Mount Everest for the fourth time

Indian mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa created history on 16 May 2017 by becoming the first Indian woman to scale the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest for the fourth time.
●    Jamsenpa, who is a native of Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh, scaled the peak successfully along with Furi Sherpa. 
●    The same was confirmed by Dawa S Lama, the Managing Director at Dream Himalaya Adventure.
●    Lama further stated that Jamsenpa would be attempting a double ascent to make it a total of five successful climbs.
●    Jamsenpa, the mother of two teenage children, started her climb at 1.45 am on 13 May and reached the top at 9 am on 16 May to unfurl the national flag.
●    The mountaineer’s double ascent expedition from Guwahati in Assam was flagged off by the Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual leader, on 2 April 2017.
●    She had started the summit expedition after 38 days of acclimatisation, climbing several nearby peaks and passes, at the Everest Base Camp from 4 April to 12 May.