GK and Current Affairs Updates

The Supreme Court appointed Lodha committee for reforms in the BCCI and the Indian cricket administration.Former Chief Justice of India, R.M. Lodha, revealed that the theme of the report is the purity of the game.
Focus areas of investigation:
- how the game is run in the country and 
- what could be done to ensure that transparency and accountability is the rule and not the exception in the administration of cricket in India.
About Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
- The Board of Control for Cricket in India is the national governing body for cricket in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act.
- President: Shashank Manohar
- Headquarter: Mumbai

India signed Financing Agreement with World Bank for US$50 Million for Nai Manzil Education and Skills Training for Minorities.
Features of the Project
1. The project takes an integrated and holistic approach towards education and skill development of the minority youth, to address the high dropout and unemployment rate among them.
2. Minority BPL (below poverty line) youth in the age group of 17-35 years will be the main beneficiaries of the project.
3. Improvement in the education attainment of the minority youth in the project area and improvement in their employability skills are among the expected outcomes of the project. 
4. The project will follow result based financing modality, and project funds will be disbursed on achievement of specific results such as number of student enrolled, number of students successfully completing education and skill components etc.
Pradhan Mantri Nai Manzil Scheme Yojana
Nai Manzil Scheme has been launched by the central government to enable students of madrasas to cope up with the contemporary education system and provide them skill training so that they could earn their leaving once they move out of the madrasas.English and Science will be included in the education. Thus, this initiative from the governmentwould serve to help these students adjust with the contemporary education.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Dr. Gyanendra D. Bandgaiyan, Ex-Chief Economist, UNDP as Director General, National Centre for Good Governance under the Department of Personnel & Training for a period of three years which is extendable by another two years or upto 60 years of age, whichever is earlier.
About National Centre for Good Governance
-The Centre for Good Governance is the official Knowledge Partner and National Resource Centre' (KP & NRC) for the 'Department of Personnel and Training' (DoPT), Government of India (GoI).
-Key functions:
1. Creating a Gateway to various resources on RTI; managing the Portal management and providing Technical Inputs
2. Research, documentation and knowledge management
3. Providing technical support and advisory services to DoPT and Information Commissions
4. Facilitating stakeholder interactions

The Union Cabinet has approved the construction of 69 Bridges including Approach Roads on the Tamu-Kyigone-Kalewa (TKK) road section of the Trilateral Highway in Myanmar.The project will be implemented in Engineering Procuring and Construction (EPC) mode through Project Management Consultant (PMC).
Benefits:
1. This will impart all weather usability to the TKK road section, which is also part of the route for the proposed Imphal-Mandalay bus service. 
2. It will improve connectivity between India and Myanmar and facilitate movement of goods and traffic. 
Trilateral Highway in Myanmar
- India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway is a proposed strategic road that will connect Moreh, India to Mae Sot, Thailand.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, has approved the introduction of "Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS)" in place of the existing Revised  Restructured   Technology   Upgradation   Fund   Scheme   (RR-TUFS),for technology upgradation of the textiles industry.
The new scheme specifically targets:
a.Employment generation and export by encouraging apparel and garment industry, which will provide employment to women in particular and increase India’s share in global exports.
b.Promotion of Technical Textiles, a sunrise sector, for export and employment
c.Promoting conversion of existing looms to better technology looms for improvement in quality and productivity
d.Encouraging better quality in processing industry and checking need for import of fabrics by the garment sector.
Under the new scheme, there will be two broad categories:
i.Apparel, Garment and Technical Textiles, where 15 percent subsidy would be provided on capital investment, subject to a ceiling of 30 crore rupees for entrepreneurs over a period of five years.
ii.Remaining sub-sectors would be eligible for subsidy at a rate of 10 percent, subject to a ceiling of Rs.20 crore on similar lines. 
Motive of the New Scheme:
a.Boost to “Make in India” in the textiles sector; 
b.To attract investment to the tune of one lakh crore rupees, and 
c.Create over 30 lakh jobs.
Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme
-Launched by the Government in 1999.
-Aim: to facilitate new and appropriate technology for making the textile industry globally competitive and to reduce the capital cost for the textile industry.

 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, has approved the scaling up of budget from Rs, 600 crore to Rs. 5,000 crore for implementation of Grid Connected Rooftops systems over a period of five years upto 2019-20 under National Solar Mission (NSM). This will support Installation of 4200 MW Solar Rooftop systems in the country in next five years.
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission
The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission was launched on the 11th January, 2010 by the Prime Minister. The Mission has set the ambitious target of deploying 20,000 MW of grid connected solar power by 2022 is aimed at reducing the cost of solar power generation in the country through (i) long term policy; (ii) large scale deployment goals; (iii) aggressive R&D; and (iv) domestic production of critical raw materials, components and products, as a result to achieve grid tariff parity by 2022. Mission will create an enabling policy framework to achieve this objective and make India a global leader in solar energy.

Himachal Pradesh has given a landmark decision by directing central government to provide full medical benefits, including reimbursements of medical emergencies, to employees post-retirement. The court ruled that right to health is a human right and questioned as how could the government, a principal employer, abdicate the responsibility of taking care of the health of its retired employees. And if not taken care then it will be the violation of Article 14,16 and 21.
All Fundamental Rights
Right to Equality
Article-14: Equality before Law
Article-15: Prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
Article-16: Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment.
Article-17: Abolition of untouchability
Article-18: Aboliton of titles
Right to Freedom
Article 19. Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc.
Article 20. protection in respect of conviction for offences.
Article 21. Protection of life and personal liberty.
Article 22. Protection against arrest and detention in certain cases.
Right against Exploitation
Article 23. Prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour.
Article 24. Prohibition of employment of children in factories, etc.
Right to Freedom of Religion
Article 25. Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.
Article 26. Freedom to manage religious affairs.
Article 27. Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion.
Article 28. Freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in certain education institutions.
Cultural and Educational Rights
Article 29. Protection of interests of minorities.
Article 30. Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions. Saving of Certain Laws
Article 31A. Savings of laws providing for acquisition of estates,etc.
31B. Validation of certain Acts and Regulations
Article 31C. Saving of laws giving effect to certain directive principles
Right to Constitutional Remedies
Article 32. Remedies for enforcement of rights conferred by this Part.

The Union Cabinet, has given its approval to sign Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia, also called the 'Raptor MOU' with the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS). With the signing of this MOU, India will become the 54^th signatory to the MOU.
About Raptor MOU
- concluded on 22nd October 2008 and came into effect on 1st November 2008.
- It is not legally binding.
- It is an agreement for conservation of the raptor species and their habitats.This MoU extends its coverage to 76 species of birds of prey out of which 46 species including vultures, falcons, eagles, owls, hawks, kites, harriers, etc. also occur in India. 
- Benefits for India:  India would gain domain knowledge which would be helpful in effectively managing the habitats of these Raptors, including concerted trans-boundary efforts for conservation through interaction with other range countries.
- Pakistan and Nepal are the other neighbours who are signatories to this MOU. 

Nuclear Power Plants was signed. A minimum of 12 reactor units will be built with Russian collaboration. 
- The signing of a contract for long-term supply of uranium with Canada.
- A long term contract for purchase of uranium was also signed Kazakhstan.
- Setting up of Nuclear Insurance Pools.
About Nuclear Insurance Pool
A Pool is essentially a mechanism whereby a number of insurers agree to appoint a common agent to underwrite jointly a particular risk or class of business.Nuclear insurance Pools were established by the major insurance markets of the world during the mid to late 1950’s in response to pressure from both Governments and the nuclear industry and have continued to develop in new markets since then.
The reasons for their establishment may be summarised as follows:

1. The risk was unknown and potentially catastrophic and, therefore, would have discouraged most individual insurers from insuring it on their own.
2. The risks were few in number and neither allowed a sufficient spread to provide a balanced portfolio nor warranted the establishment of individual underwriting departments by each insurance entity wishing to operate in this sphere of business.
3. The catastrophe nature of the business would have rendered individual insurers vulnerable to unknown accumulations had the business been placed in a conventional manner using normal reinsurance and retrocession treaties.
4. However unlikely a nuclear catastrophe, should such an event occur, claims handling and settlement procedures would require the support of the whole national insurance market - or, indeed, international markets.
5. The exchange of common account reinsurance between national pools provides access to the worldwide insurance capacity to those national markets which wish to participate.

This missile comes under the  Long Range Surface to Air Missile (LR-SAM) project.
- LRSAM project consists of missiles, weapon control system, MFSTAR (radar), vertical launcher unit and two-way data link.
- LR-SAM, also known as Barak NG (next generation).
- co-developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
- LR-SAM can intercept incoming targets at a range of 80 km.
- Other features of the missile:
1. It includes a Multi-Functional Surveillance and Threat Alert Radar (MF STAR) for detection, tracking and guidance of the missile.
2. Flexible command and control system that enables it to simultaneously engage multiple targets day and night and in all-weather conditions.