CURRENT AFFAIRS DECEMBER:-

1. of CBI and Guahati High Court?

Earlier, the Gauhati High Court set aside the Union Home Ministry resolution by which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was formed in 1963. As per the court, the CBI was neither an organ nor part of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DPSE) and thus could not be treated as a “police force” constituted under the DSPE Act.

While the court did not declare the DSPE Act, 1946 an invalid legislation, it held that the CBI was neither an organ nor part of the DSPE and the CBI couldn’t be treated as a police force constituted under the DSPE Act, 1946.

As per the HC, the Resolution, dated April 1, 1963, was neither produced before the President, nor did it ever receive the assent of the President, therefore, the Resolution cannot even be termed the decision of the Government of India and the records show that the CBI is a newly constituted body and not same as DSPE.

What is Delhi Special Police Establishment (DPSE) Act, 1946?

DSPE Act, 1946 is a legislation which provides for the constitution of aspecial police force in Delhi for the investigation of certain offences in the Union territories, for the superintendence and administration of the said force and for the extension to other areas of the power and jurisdiction of the members of the said force in regards to the investigation of specific offences as mentioned in this law.

Origin of CBI:

The Central Bureau of Investigation was initially established as the Special Police Establishment (SPE) which was set up in 1941 by the Government of India. The functions of the SPE then were to investigate cases of bribery and corruption in transactions with the War & Supply Deptt. of India during World War II. Even after the end of the War, the need for a Central Government agency to investigate cases of bribery and corruption by Central Government employees was felt. The Delhi Special Police Establishment Act was therefore brought into force in 1946. The CBI’s power to investigate cases is derived from this Act.

In 1963, SPE acquired its current name Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by a Home Ministry resolution dated April1, 1963, and the bureau was consolidated.

2 The UK Government has launched a new VIP visa system for international business leaders with the objective to make it expeditious and easier for them to organise entry to the UK.

The new VIP visa system, announced as the “Great” club, will be invitation-only and is designed to benefit around 100 of the wealthiest magnates with the strongest links to the UK.

3. What is Cod Start Doctrine of India?

Cod Start Doctrine is a military strategy developed by the Indian Armed Forces for use in a possible war with Pakistan.  It involves the various branches of India’s military conducting offensive operations as part of unified battle groups. The Cold Start doctrine is intended to

allow India’s conventional forces to perform holding attacks in order to prevent a nuclear retaliation from Pakistan in case of a conflict. The doctrine is intended to allow India’s conventional forces to perform swift and sudden attacks on Pakistan before international pressure could come to bear on India and before the Pakistani military could react within the first 72 hours of a conflict.

4. Giving effect to the Indian Medical Council(Amendment) Second Ordinance, 2013, the  Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reconstituted the Medical Council of India (MCI) with 68 new members. With this, the autonomy of the Council has been reinstated after a gap of over 3 years when the Board of Governors (BoG) took over the running of the Medical Council of India. As per provisions contained in section 3AA of the Indian Medical Council (Amendment) second ordinance, 2013, the powers and functions of the board of governors (BoG) of MCI stand withdrawn and the BoG of MCI dissolved with immediate effect.

What went wrong with the  Medical Council of India (MCI)?

In 2010, the MCI was dissolved after its president was arrested by the CBI for accepting a bribe to grant recognition to a private college. Subsequently government superseded the MCI by issuing an ordinance in May 2010 and the running of the Council was taken over by the BoG. Since then the health ministry has been seeking extension of the tenure of BoG governing MCI.

Who are the new members in the  Medical Council of India (MCI)?

New members include representatives from the central government, universities, and registered medical graduates. Among the 68 members of the Council, 29 members will represent the Universities/ Health Sciences Universities, 23 members will be nominated by the Central Government in consultation with the States, 8 members will be nominated by the Centre, 7 members will representing the Registered Medical Graduates of the states, and 1 member will be nominated by the Central Government representing the UT Administration of Daman and Diu. As per health ministry, elections for the office-bearers would be held soon. The new president and vice-president will hold office for not more than 2 years. The other members whether nominated or elected shall hold office for a term of 4 years only.

What is the role of Medical Council of India (MCI)?

The Medical Council of India (MCI) is a statutory body with the responsibility of establishing and maintaining high standards of medical education and recognition of medical qualifications in India. It registers doctors to practice in India, in order to protect and promote the health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the practice of medicine.

MCI was established in 1934 under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1933, now repealed, with the main function of establishing uniform standards of higher qualifications in medicine and recognition of medical qualifications in India and abroad. The number of medical colleges had increased steadily during the years after Independence. It was felt that the provisions of Indian Medical Council Act were not adequate to meet with the challenges posed by the very fast development and the progress of medical education in the country. As a result, in 1956, the old Act was repealed and a new one was enacted. This was further modified in 1964, 1993 and 2001.

The objectives of the  Medical Council of India (MCI) are as follows:-

1. Maintenance of uniform standards of medical education, both undergraduate and postgraduate.

2. Recommendation for recognition/de-recognition of medical qualifications of medical institutions of India or foreign countries.

3. Permanent registration/provisional registration of doctors with recognised medical qualifications,

4. Reciprocity with foreign countries in the matter of mutual recognition of medical qualifications.

5. Passport Seva Project, implemented in Public-Private-Partnership mode with IT services major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).mPassport Seva provides an array of services such as status tracking, locating a passport office and other general information.

6. Brazil is celebrating a decade of a social programme Bolsa Familia (Family Grant) that has lifted 50 million people out of poverty and inspired policies in more than 20 nations including India.  On this occasion, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has pledged to continue the direct cash transfer scheme until poverty is eradicated from Brazil.

7. Bolsa Familia (Family Grant or Family Allowance)

It is a social welfare program of the Brazilian government, part of the Fome Zero network of federal assistance programs. The program provides financial assistance to poor Brazilian families; if they have children, families must ensure that the infants attend school and are vaccinated.

Objective of Bolsa Familia:

The program aims to both reduce short-term poverty by direct cash transfers and fight long-term poverty by increasing human capital among the poor through conditional cash transfers. It also works to give free education to children who cannot afford to go to school to show the importance of education.

Scheme of Bolsa Familia:

Through this scheme, the government gives families with per-capita monthly income below poverty line ($56) a monthly stipend of $13 per vaccinated child (< 16 years old) attending school (up to 5), and $15 per youth (16 or 17 years old) attending school (up to 2). In addition to these, to families whose per-capita monthly income below extreme poverty line $28, the program provides the Basic Benefit $ 30 per month. This money is given preferentially to a female head of household, through so-called Citizen Cards which are mailed to the family. This card operates like a debit card. The program spends $12 billion on 14 million families.

The central islands of Philippines were slammed by category-five typhoon Haiyan. The typhoon has been recorded as the strongest recorded typhoon to make landfall. It forced millions of people to flee to safer places or take refuge in storm shelters.

The category-five super typhoon with 275 kph (170 mph) wind gusts and 5-6 metre (15-19 ft) waves smashed the islands of Leyte and Samar.

As per meteorological forecast, Haiyan is likely to pass close to the Philippines’ second-largest city Cebu, home to around 2.5 million people, and also strike the capital Manila. According to experts, super typhoons and cyclones with winds around 300 kph are so powerful they can blow apart storm-proof shelters due to the huge pressures they create, which can suck walls out and blow roofs off buildings.

Typhoons in Philippines

Philippines are frequently hit by typhoons. An average of 20 typhoons slam into the island nation every year. In 2011, typhoon Washi took lives of 1,200 people, displaced 300,000 and destroyed more than 10,000 homes. Typhoon Bopha last year shattered three coastal towns on the southern island of Mindanao, killing 1,100 people and inflicting damages estimated at $1.04 billion.

8. Before Haiyan, the world’s strongest recorded typhoon, cyclone or hurricane to make landfall was Hurricane Camille in 1969, which hit Mississippi with 190 mph winds.

9. India’s Strategic Forces Command successfully test-fired nuclear weapons-capable, surface-to-surface Agni-1 missile for its full range of 700 km from Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast. The single-stage, solid-fuelled missile was launched from a road mobile launcher as part of a regular training exercise.

Agni-1 Missile:

Developed by DRDO Strike Range: 700 km Surface-to-Surface Nuclear-weapon capable Single-staged Powered by solid propellants Weighs 12 tons, 15-metre long Carrying capacity: Upto 1000 kg (1 Ton)

9. Indian Navy inducted the first fully indigenous Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT) manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at INS Dega in Vishakhapatnam.

About Hawk AJT

Hawk AJT is a dual seat multi-purpose aircraft powered by a single Rolls Royce Adour Mk.871 engine. The AJT is primarily used for basic, advanced and weapons training of the pilots. The aircraft can be used as a ground attack aircraft or for air defence. It has superb

flying characteristics with good stability, and has the capability to be flown at night and can perform a wide range of aerobatic manoeuvres.

10. The Government of Bangladesh has given nod to the commercial cultivation of transgenic Bt brinjal, making it the first South Asian country to cultivate the genetically modified food crop.

As per Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), the government has approved four Bt brinjal varieties (Bt begun-1, 2, 3 and 4) for limited scale cultivation with some caveats. These varieties had been developed by BARI using Indian firm Mahyco’s proprietary gene construct technology. Mahyco had transferred its Bt brinjal technology to BARI in 2005-06 through a USAID-funded and Cornell University-managed ‘Agricultural Biotechnology Support Project’.

What is Bt brinjal?

Bt brinjal is a genetically modified transgenic variety of brinjal. It contains a foreign ‘Cry1Ac’ gene derived from a soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This gene synthesises a protein toxic to the fruit and shoot borer (FSB), a damaging pest. The gene endows the crop a “built-in” resistance to FSB, reducing dependence on spraying pesticides.

India’s concerns over Bt Brinjal

There are apprehensions among the environmentalists in India who fear that, given the porosity of Indo-Bangladesh border, the transgenic crop could leak into India’s environment. They have requested the Government to take all measures to safeguard food and seed supply, apart from bio-diversity. Requests have also been sent to Environment Ministry to take all steps to prohibit any illegal or unintentional transfer of Bt brinjal or seeds through the border with Bangladesh. Environmentalists have written to the Ministry urging THE Indian government to explore all options under the Cartagena Protocol to ensure that Bangladesh takes all measures to ensure that our diversity here is safeguarded from any trans-boundary movement of this GM food crop

11. India and the US to start their next round of “Malabar” naval war-games in the Bay of Bengal on November 5, 2013. The exercise will be held from November 5, 2013 till November 11, 2013.

The US Navy will deploy Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS McCampbell and P3C maritime patrol aircraft, etc. While, the Indian Navy will deploy its stealth frigate INS Shivalik, guided missile destroyer INS Ranvijay and TU-142M maritime reconnaissance aircraft, etc.

“Malabar” is on a regular basis planned bilateral naval field training exercise between Indian and US Navy. The exercise has grown in both scope and complexity over the years and it will feature both ashore and at-sea training.

12. Armies of India and China are all set to hold their 3rd joint military exercise in China. 150-member Indian contingent arrived in Chengdu city (China) to take part in anti-terrorism

drills. The 10-day exercise has been code named “hand in hand” and will be inaugurated on November 6, 2013.

Indian and Chinese armies are holding their 3rd joint military exercises after a gap of 5 years.The yearly exercises began in 2007, with the first such exercise held in China’s Kunming city followed by the second round at Belgaum in Karnataka in 2008. The next round was called off by India following the denial of visa to a top General heading troops in Jammu and Kashmir on the grounds that the region formed part of disputed territory.

13. Shashi Kant Sharma, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India wonthe election to the UN Board of Auditors. Shashi Kant Sharma won 124 out of 186 votes at the UN General Assembly’s 5th Committee on Administrative and Budgetary questions. India won by 62 votes against its closest contender the Philippines. India had last sat on the board in 1993 for 6 years.

The United Nations Board of Auditors (the ‘Board’) was established in 1946 by the General Assembly. The Auditors-Generals of UN member states are elected to the Board.

Tenure of Office:

Non-consecutive term of 6 years duration. Appointments are staggered in such a way that the term of office of one of the members expires every two years. The General Assembly therefore appoints a new Board member every two years.

Function:

Audit of the accounts of the UN organisation and its funds and programmes Report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly via the Advisory

Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) The Board of Auditors is responsible for the audit of 24 United Nations organisations. The following is the distribution of the board’s assignments as of 1 July 2012:-

14. The world’s first Bitcoin ATM machine which can transact digital currency – Bitcoins -for any official currency has been unveiled in Vancouver, Canada.

The ATM named Robocoin allows users to buy or sell the digital currency known as bitcoins. The ATM in Vancouver is operated by Las Vegas-based Robocoin and Vancouver-based Bitcoiniacs.

What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a virtual currency that is unregulated by any central bank or government, but still works for purchasing goods and services from retailers willing to accept it. It can also be traded on an open market that fluctuates much like a stock market. Bitcoin is a distributed peer-to-peer digital currency that functions without the inter-mediation of any central authority. Bitcoin is also called a ”cryptocurrency” since it is decentralized and uses cryptography to prevent double-spending, a significant challenge inherent to digital currencies.

William C Lowe (72), who pioneered the conception and manufacturing of IBM’s first personal computer, passed away in Lake Forest, Illinois.

16. Kirit Parikh committee on Pricing Methodology for Diesel, Domestic LPG and PDS Kerosene has recommended a price increase of Rs 5 / litre in diesel, Rs 4/ litre in kerosene, and Rs 250 in LPG cylinder with immediate effect.

What are the key recommendations of Kirit Parikh panel?

The Panel recommended:

Number of subsidised LPG cylinders should be decreased from the present 9 to 6 cylinders per annum to each household.

Subsidy on diesel sales should be capped at Rs 6/litre. Do away with the subsidy on diesel within one year, which could save the exchequer

Rs 72000 crore in fuel subsidy. Government should take measures to pass on the impact of rise in price of diesel to

consumers, and move speedily towards making the price of diesel market-determined. Continuation of existing pricing principles for controlled petroleum products.

At present, oil marketing firms sell diesel at a discount of Rs 10.52 per litre, kerosene at Rs 38.32 Rupees and LPG at Rs 532.86 rupees per cylinder.

Kirit Parikh Committee

Kirit Parikh panel was set up by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in June 2013 assigning it with the task to advice on Pricing Methodology for Diesel, Domestic LPG and PDS Kerosene. The panel was chaired by Planning Commission member Dr. Kirit S. Parikh.