GK and Current Affairs Updates

 Lok Sabha passed Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016. This bill will grant voting rights to people of Bangladesh who became citizens of India. 
•    The bill amended the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Delimitation Act, 2002. 
•    Under the 2015 Act, enclaves were exchanged between India and Bangladesh. 
•    In July 2015India received 51 enclaves from Bangladesh and transferred 111 enclaves to Bangladesh. 
•    The bill empowers ECI to amend the delimitation order to Include relevant constituencies the Bangladeshi enclaves that got transferred to India. 
•    This bill also excludes relevant constituencies in the Indian enclaves that were transferred to Bangladesh. 
•    The Representation of the People Act 1950, and Delimitation Act, 2002 gives ECI the responsibility to maintain delimitations.
 

Chemical scientist and well-known researcher Goverdhan Mehta has been awarded with Germany’s prestigious Cross of the Order of Merit Award. The award was given to him by German Consul General, Achim Fabig, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 
•    Goverdhan Mehta is former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad (UoH).
•    He served there from 1994 to 1998.
•    He has authored more than 400 research papers. 
•    He served as the Director of the IISc, Bengaluru from1998 to 2005
•    He was also President of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA). 
•    At present he is the National Research Professor and Lilly-Jubilant Chair Professor at the University of Hyderabad. 
•    He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) and a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Science. 
•    He has been awarded Padma Shri in India
•    He has also been awarded with Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur’ by the President of France.
•    In 1995, he became the first Indian scientist to receive the Alexander von Humboldt Research Award. 

 On 23 February 2016 Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee took oath as the 28th Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka.
•    In Raj Bhavan Governor Vajubhai R. Vala administered the oath to Justice Mukherjee.
•    He was born on 10 October 1955
•    He obtained his M.A., LL.B. from University of Calcutta.
•    He joined legal profession on 5 July 1982.
•    On 15 September 2000 he became Permanent Judge of the High Court of Calcutta.
•    On 15 April 2015 he became Judge of Karnataka High Court 
•    On 1 June 2015 he became Acting Chief Justice of High Court of Karnataka.
In exercise of the powers conferred by article 223 of the Constitution of India, the President appointed Shri Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee, senior-most Judge of the Karnataka High Court, to perform the duties of the office.

 On 24 February 2016 Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a proposal to establish Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Self Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) in NITI Aayog.
•    AIM and SETU will encourage innovation ecosystem and entrepreneurship.
•    AIM and AIM Directorate positions will be established.
•    Mission High Level Committee (MHLC) would guide the Mission to take all decisions relating to AIM and SETU.
•    Mission Director and other appropriate manpower will be hired by NITI Aayog.
•    They will be established with an initial sum of 500 crore rupees and 1000 crore rupees respectively.
•    NITI Aayog considered this proposal on 28 August 2015.
•    The Committee also emphasized on the need to establish clear systems to monitor implementation, execution, and impact.

 National Food Security Act (NFSA) 2013 got officially launched in Mizoram on 24 February 2016. 
•    The Act was launched by John Rotluangliana at Aizwal who is state Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister.
•    The Act will be effective in the state from 1 March 2016.
•    3 kilogram of rice in addition to the 5 kilogram covered by Food Security Act will be allocated.
•    As per Census 2011, 644882 people will be covered by Food Security Act 
•    8 kilogram of Rice will be provided at the rate of 15 Rupees to those not covered by Food Security Act.
•    The National Food Security Act (NFSA) started on 5 July 2013. 
It targets to provide 5 kg of subsidised food grains per person per month at 1-3 rupees per kilogram to two-thirds of the country’s population legally. 

 On 24 February 2016, Bolivia's Electoral Commission rejected an amendment to the Constitution in a referendum with 51.3 percent vote.

• With this President Evo Morales got disqualified for contesting the Presidential election in 2019.

• He wanted to contest for the fourth term.

• Evo Morales is into his third term.

• He has won in 2014, 2006, 2009.

• As per 17th Constitution, which was promulgated by Evo Morales in 2009, the President of Bolivia is allowed to re-elect only once.

This decision of people of Bolivia has shown to the world the real power of democracy. India need to learn many things from other countries and one of the most important things which is important to learn is to respect people decision

 World Trade Organization on 24 February 2016 ruled in favour of the United States. It had challenged New Delhi's discrimination against US solar exports.

• The panel agreed with the US that India's localisation rules discriminated against imported solar cells.

• The US Trade Representative's office termed the ruling a significant victory that will fasten the spread of solar energy across the world.

• In 2013, the US launched a dispute against India at the WTO.

• It complained that its DCR measures violated core norms of trade-related investment provisions

• The US argued that the rules are a barrier to solar products made in America

The US said that its solar exports to India had fallen by 90 per cent from 2011, after India imposed the rules.

 Tamil movie Kanavu Variyam, directed by a Chennai techie Arun Chidambaram, got selected for the prestigious Remi Award.

• The award will be given to Chidambaram during the 49th World Fest Houston International Film Festival.,

• 49^th World Fest Houston International Film Festival will be held from 8 April 8 to 17 April 2016.

• The story of Kanavu Variyam is about power cuts in Tamil Nadu.

• Remi Award is given to independent films and filmmakers.

• World Fest started 50 years ago as Cinema Arts, an International Film Society in August 1961.

• It is the third competitive international film festival in North America.

• Other First two film festivals happen in San Francisco and New York.

• It is oldest Independent Film & Video Festival in the World.

• It was founded by award-winning producer/director Hunter Todd.

On 24 February Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi 2016 signed an agreement between India and Maldives to avoid double taxation of income from international air transport.
•    Tax certainty for airline enterprises of India and Maldives will be confirmed by this.
•    It provides relief from double taxation for airline enterprises of both the countries 
•    Income derived by the enterprise of India from the operation of aircraft in international traffic will be exemption from Maldivian tax.
•    Profits from the operation of aircraft in international traffic will be taxed by the country for which the product or enterprise belongs to.
•    Mutual Agreement Procedure is provided to resolve difficulties or doubts.
Under the agreement, profits from the operation of aircraft in international traffic will be taxed in one country alone. Accordingly, the taxing right is conferred upon the country to which the enterprise belongs. 

 Missouri state court of United States on 22 February 2016 ordered Johnson & Johnson Company to pay 72 million dollars. Amount has to be paid to the family of Jacqueline Fox, who died of ovarian cancer caused due to the use of the company's talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower for several decades.
•    Circuit court of St. Louis awarded 10 million dollars as actual damages and 62 million dollars as punitive damages to the family of victim.
•    This verdict is the first of its kind by a U.S. jury to award damages over the claims.
•    Johnson & Johnson faces several hundred lawsuits claiming it failed to alert the consumers about the hazardous effects of its products.
•    In October 2013, a federal jury in Sioux Falls, South Dakota found that plaintiff Deane Berg's use of Johnson & Johnson's body powder products was a factor in her developing ovarian cancer. 
•    Then federal jury in Sioux Falls, South Dakota did not award any damages.