GK and Current Affairs Updates

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval for implementation of an umbrella scheme for integrated development and management of fisheries, for a period of five years. The scheme provides for suitable linkages and convergence with the "Sagarmala Project" of the Ministry of Shipping, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNAREGA), Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) etc. 

Focusing Areas:
development and management of inland fisheries, aquaculture, marine fisheries including deep sea fishing, mariculture and all activities undertaken by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) towards realizing “Blue Revolution”.

Components:
(a) National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) and its activities, 
(b) Development of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture, 
(c) Development of Marine Fisheries, Infrastructure and Post Harvest Operations, 
(d) Strengthening of Database & Geographical Information System of the Fisheries Sector, 
(e) Institutional Arrangement for Fisheries Sector and 
(f) Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) and other need-based Interventions

Aim:
focused and integrated approach for development and management of fisheries and aquaculture sector to ensure a sustained annual growth rate of 6% - 8% as against an overall annual growth rate of about 4% during the 11th Five Year Plan period. 

Objectives:
1. increasing production and productivity from aquaculture and fisheries resources, both inland and marine.
2. to utilise most of the unutilised fisheries resources keeping in view the overall sustainability, bio-security and environmental concerns. 
3. to encourage economically weaker sections such as Scheduled Castes(SCs), Scheduled Tribes(STs), Women and their co-operatives to take up fishing and fisheries related activities. 
4. encourage increasing private investment, entrepreneurship development, more Public Private Partnership (PPP) and better leveraging of institutional finance.
5. skill development and capacity building in fisheries and allied activities; and creation of post-harvest and cold chain infrastructure facilities. 

Beneficiaries:
fish farmers, fisheries entrepreneurs, fish retailers, wholesalers, fish processors, fish exports and women groups

Implementation: 
Implemented in all the States including North Eastern States and Union Territories.

The Rajya Sabha passed the landmark Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill 2015.Motive: will help to arrest the rise in Juvenile crime, which according to reports is the fastest rising segment of crime.

Highlights of the Bill
1.The Bill replaces the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000.  It addresses children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection. 
2.The Bill permits juveniles between the ages of 16-18 years to be tried as adults for heinous offences.  Also, any 16-18 years old, who commits a lesser, i.e., serious offence, may be tried as an adult only if he is apprehended after the age of 21 years.
3.Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) and Child Welfare Committees (CWC) will be constituted in each district.  The JJB will conduct a preliminary inquiry to determine whether a juvenile offender is to be sent for rehabilitation or be tried as an adult.  The CWC will determine institutional care for children in need of care and protection.
4.Eligibility of adoptive parents and the procedure for adoption have been included in the Bill. 
5.Penalties for cruelty against a child, offering a narcotic substance to a child, and abduction or selling a child have been prescribed.
 
Key Issues and Analysis
1.There are differing views on whether juveniles should be tried as adults.  Some argue that the current law does not act as a deterrent for juveniles committing heinous crimes. Another view is that a reformative approach will reduce likelihood of repeating offences.
2.The provision of trying a juvenile committing a serious or heinous offence as an adult based on date of apprehension could violate the Article 14 (right to equality) and Article 21 (requiring that laws and procedures are fair and reasonable).  The provision also counters the spirit of Article 20(1) by according a higher penalty for the same offence, if the person is apprehended after 21 years of age. 
3.The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires all signatory countries to treat every child under the age of 18 years as equal.  The provision of trying a juvenile as an adult contravenes the Convention.
4.Some penalties provided in the Bill are not in proportion to the gravity of the offence.  For example, the penalty for selling a child is lower than that for offering intoxicating or psychotropic substances to a child.
5.The Standing Committee examining the Bill observed that the Bill was based on misleading data regarding juvenile crimes and violated certain provisions of the Constitution.

Cochin Shipyard has received certification to build LNG-transporting ships for any client world-wide, making it the first shipyard in India to get the nod, joining the league of South Korea, Japan and China.
It is a big success in Make in India campaign.GTT will provide designs, engineering and supervision for building of the cryogenic carriers that transport natural gas frozen in its liquid form (LNG).It is a leader of this field and a holder of patented technology for LNG ships.
Advantages of LNG Ships:
LNG offers the ability to reduce sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions significantly. Potentially, carbon emissions could be cut by 20 percent.

The Prime Minister’s Office has set an ambitious target to shift at least 90% of all government transactions that involve payments or receipts from citizens and businesses to electronic or paperless mode by the end of 2016, replacing the use of cash, demand drafts, cheques and challans in government offices. All government departments and ministries have been asked to provide electronic options for all payments and receipts by March 31, 2016
Advantages of Paperless work:
1. Easy storage
2. Efficient management of records for many years.
3. Time saving
4. Simplicity
5. Accessibility
6. Better customer service
7. Email efficiency

Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Shri Lov Verma, formally launched the ‘Eyeway National Helpdesk’ for the blind and visually impaired at the Department Headquarters in Paryavaran Bhawan. Eyeway National Helpdesk is an initiative of Score Foundation with support from the Department and other organizations like Essel Foundation, Tech Mahindra Foundation and the Hans Foundation.Now visually impaired citizens of India will be able to call the Eyeway Helpdesk on a toll free number, 1800-30020469, and get queries addressed. Here in, trained counselors will share information, guide and connect the caller with relevant professional solutions.The toll-free “Help Desk/Help Centre” is being developed by the Department in association with NICSI through Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) for dissemination of Information relating to Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), tracking and handling grievances, facilitating the  aspirations and needs for PwDs such as skilling/employment, etc.  The Secretary expressed hope that in future this Helpdesk will also cater to the noble cause of ‘Eye Donation’ for the needy.

Eyeway is a single stop knowledge resource centre on life with blindness. It has been empowering virtually impaired people in the country by sharing information and advocating for change where required.  In this National Helpdesk Toll free number, anyone across India can call in for information and get their queries addressed in their regional languages - be it regarding living life with blindness, counselling, advocacy, personal or legal matters, government schemes and programs, employment or education, about making an accessible environment etc.

The Judge Advocate General (JAG) Department, celebrated its 32nd Corps Day on 21st Dec. It was on this day in 1949 wherein the Bill for the Army Act was introduced in the Parliament.The Corps Day celebration commenced with wreath laying by the Adjutant General, Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma and Judge Advocate General Maj Gen Rajinder Kumar at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, India Gate.

About The Judge Advocate General

The JAG Departmen is the judicial and legal wing of the Army. It is responsible for dispensation of justice to all ranks which deal with disciplinary and litigation cases, also handling varied legal issues of the Army. This Dept is actively involved in assisting all ranks in observing Human Rights and the rule of law. Pertinently, the origin and evolution of JAG Department is closely linked with the evolution of Military Law in England and traces its history to British “Article of War-1385”. Its origin in India goes back to 1841. Brig (Justice) DM Sen (Retd) was the first Indian JAG after independence.

The Scheme “National Mission on Libraries – Upgradation of Libraries – providing services to the public” has been approved with a total outlay of Rs.400 Crores for the 12th Plan period.

The components of the National Mission on Libraries (NML) are :

(i) Creation of National Virtual Library of India (NVLI)

(ii) Setting up of NML model libraries

(iii) Quantitative and Qualitative Survey of Libraries and

(iv) Capacity Building.

Under the Scheme, the Mission will upgrade infrastructure of selected libraries and upgrade technology in 35 State Central Libraries and 35 District Libraries (to be identified by State Governments) and 6 Libraries under the Ministry of Culture. So far, 11 State Central Libraries and 11 District Libraries have been identified. Six Libraries under the Ministry of Culture are : (i) Delhi Public Library, Delhi (ii) Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna (iii) National Library, Kolkata (iv) Central Secretariat Library(v) Rampur Raza Library, Uttar Pradesh (vi) Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji’s Saraswati Mahal Library,

The creation of a National Virtual Library of India is one of the major component schemes of the National Mission on Libraries. This truly is a step in the right direction. With the aim of equitable and universal access to knowledge resources, the National Virtual Library of India would provide digital resources by digitizing the relevant reading material in different languages, which would be shared at all levels. NML was set up in pursuance of a report of the National Knowledge Commission, which recommended a total revamp of the Library and Information Service sector to serve the changing needs and expectations of the users and give a fillip to the library movement in the country. Nine important constituents of the NML include upgradation of infrastructure, digitization and modernisation, census of libraries and their development as knowledge centres and transformation of libraries into empowering and inclusive institutions.

The Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution, Government of India is celebrating the National Consumer Day 2015 with the theme “Safe & Healthy Food: Combating Food Adulteration” on 21^st December, 2015 in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi.

About National Consumer Right Day

The National Consumer Rights Day is an annual occasion for celebration and solidarity within the national consumer movement and is an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers.

Miss Spain won the famous beauty pageant, Miss World for the year 2015. Mireia Lalaguna, a 23-year-old Spanish Model comes from the city of Barcelona, located in the North West of Spain. Currently studying Pharmacy, her dream is to further her studies with Nutrition, before setting up a business in nutrition and dietics to find alternative health solutions to orthodox medicines.

Top 3 winners are:

1. Spain

2. Russia

3. Indonesia

Place : Miss World 2015 took place in Sanya, China.

About Miss World Contest

The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951.] Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Alongside with its rival, the Miss Universe, Miss World pageant is one of the most publicized beauty contests in the world.In 1951, Eric Morley organised a bikini contest as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations which he called the Festival Bikini Contest. The event was popular with the press, and was dubbed "Miss World" by the media.

Shaima Qassem got the title of Miss Iraq. This event was organised in Iraq after 4 decades due to the war conditions.The first internationally recognized Miss Iraq beauty pageant took place in a hotel in Baghdad. The event held an importance for the country as a significant number of both Sunnis and Shiites hold conservative religious views.Iraq only held one pageant as part of Miss Universe – in 1972, when the country was ruled by the predecessor and cousin of Saddam Hussein, President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. Now Iraq is impoverished, torn by sectarian violence and at war with the brutal jihadist group, Islamic State, which has occupied Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul.

Security concerns prompted the relocation of the pageant's final from Basra to Baghdad. Two contestants dropped out of the competition after receiving death threats. The organizers reportedly said they were accused of “supporting Zionism” by the country's Sunni community.