DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 12TH APR 2017

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS: 12TH APR 2017
(DAILY NEWS INDIA)
SHARED BY: WWW.DAILYGK.IN

1. LOK SABHA PASSES 123RD CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT BILL 2017
i. Lok Sabha passed 123rd Constitution Amendment Bill, 2017 with 360 members voting in favour and 2 members voting against it. This amendment bill seeks to grant constitutional status to National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.
ii. The amendment bill was introduced in Lok Sabha by Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister.
iii. The amendment bill seeks to insert Article 338B in the Indian Constitution. This article will list out the structure and functions of the proposed National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.

2. GOVERNMENT SETS UP INTER-MINISTERIAL PANEL TO MONITOR UDAN
i. The Government has set up an inter-ministerial committee to monitor the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN which seeks to make flying affordable by connecting unserved and under-served airports.
ii. UDAN- Ude DeshKa Aam Nagrik. The Inter-Ministerial Monitoring-cum-coordination Committee would be responsible for Regional Connectivity Scheme overall monitoring of the schemes.
iii. The panel would be responsible for coordination among the stakeholders including state government. The panel members include Bureau of Civil aviation security, Airport Authority of India chairman and Representatives from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation,
iv. In the flights operated under RCS around 50% of the seats would have afire cap Rs2500 per seat/hour. Other benefits include zero airport charges for the operators and 3 years restricted on the routes.


3. PARLIAMENT PASSES CONSTITUTION (SC) ORDER (AMENDMENT) BILL 2017
i. The Parliament has passed the Constitution (Schedule Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill 2017. It was already passed by LokSabha in March 2017.
ii. The Bill seeks to amends the constitution (Schedule Castes) order, 1950 and the constitution (Pondicherry) Scheduled Castes Order, 1964.
iii. The Bill seeks to modify the list of SCs for the state of Odisha. The castes Sualgiri, Swalgiri will be introduced to the Sabakhia caste in the list of the SCs for the state of Odisha.
iv. The name of the Union territory of Pondicherry was modified to Puducherry by the central act in 2006.

4. GOVERNMENT REDUCES NUMBER OF CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEMES TO 28
i. The Government has reduced the number of Centrally Sponsored Schemes from 66 to 28 and effective from the financial year 2016-2017.
ii. The Govt. of India has rationalized Centrally Sponsored Schemes based on the recommendation of the sub group of chief ministers.
ii. The minister has mentioned that 6 Schemes have been categorized as Core of the Core 20 Schemes as Core Schemes and remaining 2 as Optional Schemes.
iii. The related Schemes could be merged and implemented as “Umbrella Schemes” to administer the satisfactory component in the line with state specific requirements.

5. G-7 FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING HELD IN LUCCA, ITALY
i. Foreign Ministers from the G-7 countries gathered for the annual meeting in Lucca, Italy.
ii. United States and its allies believed that Syrian Govt. headed by Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons to attack a rebel-controlled town last week in which 87 civilians were killed.
iii. G-7 countries have insisted that Russia should stop giving support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Imposing further sanctions on Russia is also being considered as an option.

6. 100 YEARS OF GANDHI’S SABARMATI ASHRAM CELEBRATED IN LONDON
i. The 100th Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram was celebrated in London to retell Gandhi’s story with some interesting visual elements to the Internet generation.
ii. Sabarmati Ashram: The Home of Gandhi’s Experiments with Truth was screened at Nehru centre.
iii. It is written and produced by senior NRI journalist Vijay Rana. The film was about how Gandhi set up this ashram in 1917 on the banks of Sabarmati River.
iv. Many revolutionary ideas were evolved in this ashram like economic liberation through spinning wheel and the home spun khadi fight social evils like a boycott of foreign goods, untouchability, non-cooperation, and Salt law.

7. ESAF SMALL FINANCE BANK LAUNCHES SOCIAL DEPOSIT SCHEME HRUDAYA DEPOSIT
i. ESAF Small Finance Bank has launched a social deposit scheme called Hrudaya Deposit.
ii. The deposit scheme is related with social cause through which ESAF bank provides the customers an opportunity to be a part in social welfare projects.
iii. Their deposits are used for the welfare and infrastructure developments of the underdeveloped sections of the society.
iv. An individual or a legal entity can join the Hrudaya deposit scheme with a minimum deposit amount of Rs 15 lakh and for a minimum period of 2 years.
v. The customer will also get an opportunity to gain first-hand experience of how their money is used to improve the lives of the ordinary people in the country.

8. COLSON WHITEHEAD WINS PULITZER PRIZE FOR THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
i. The prestigious Pulitzer Prizes for achievements in journalism, literature and musical composition were announced on April 10. This is the 101st edition of Pulitzer Prizes.
ii. A speculative history novel “The Underground Railroad” written by Colson Whitehead has won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
iii. The Novel was also won the 2016 National Book Award for Fiction (US) in November 2016.

9. NATIONAL HINDI SEVI SAMMAN AWARDS ANNOUNCED
i. Professors from Japan and USA to be honoured for promoting Hindi. 26 writers including 2 Japanese and American Professors will be honoured with Hindi Sevi Samman by President Pranab Mukherjee for their efforts to promote the language.
ii. Gabriela Nik IIieva(USA) and Fujii Takeshi (Japan) will be presented George Grearson award in the foreign Hindi writers category.
iii. In the NRI category Padmesh Gupta (London) and Pushpitaavasthi (Netherland) will be presented the award.
iv. Writers from non-Hindi speaking states who have been chosen for the award are M Govind Rajan (Chennai), S Shesharatnam (Vishakhapatnam), Harmahendra Singh Bedi (Amristar) and H Subadani Devi (Imphal).
v. Baldev Bhaisharma and Rahul Dev will be presented the Ganesh Shankar Vidhyrthi for their contribution to Hindi journalism.

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS BASED ON TODAY’S NEWS

Q1. 123RD CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT BILL 2017, WHICH WAS PASSED BY LOK SABHA ON APRIL 10 SEEKS TO GRANT CONSTITUTIONAL STATUS TO?
a)  National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes
b)  National Commission for Women
c)  National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
d)  National Commission for Scheduled Castes
Q2. THE GOVERNMENT HAS SET UP AN INTER-MINISTERIAL COMMITTEE TO MONITOR THE REGIONAL AIR CONNECTIVITY SCHEME UDAN WHICH SEEKS TO MAKE FLYING AFFORDABLE BY CONNECTING UNSERVED AND UNDER-SERVED AIRPORTS. THIS COMMITTEE WILL BE CHAIRED BY?
a)  Prime Minister of India
b)  Chairperson of Airports Authority of India
c)  Union Minister of Civil Aviation
d)  Civil Aviation Secretary
Q3. THE GOVERNMENT HAS REDUCED THE NUMBER OF CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEMES TO ____ UMBRELLA SCHEMES FROM 66?
a)  20 umbrella schemes
b)  A.16 umbrella schemes
c)  D.28 umbrella schemes
d)  C.24 umbrella schemes
Q4. FOREIGN MINISTERS FROM THE G-7 COUNTRIES GATHERED FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING IN?
a)  Rome, Italy
b)  Lucca, Italy
c)  Milan, Italy
d)  Venice, Italy
Q5. WHICH AMONG THE FOLLOWING SMALL FINANCE BANKS HAS LAUNCHED A SOCIAL DEPOSIT SCHEME CALLED HRUDAYA DEPOSIT?
a)  Equitas Small Finance Bank
b)  Capital Small Finance Bank
c)  Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
d)  ESAF Small Finance Bank

ANSWERS: 

1 - A    2 - D    3 - C    4 - B    5 - D