Current Affairs 6th-8th August 2019

Important Current Affairs

Current Affairs 6th-8th August 2019

National Handloom Day is observed on 7th August

The National Handloom Day is observed on 7th August every year. To mark the occasion, the nation holds a function at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The function will be presided by the Union Minister of Textiles and Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani. The Day is observed at Weavers’ Service Centres in different States.
Odisha's rich tradition:
The main events are to be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Bhubaneswar has been chosen for its rich tradition of Handlooms.

Aim:
The Day aims to honour the Indian handloom weavers and also highlight India's handloom industry. It also aims to empower women and girls as they are the majority total weavers population of India. The day focuses on the contribution of handloom to the socio economic development of the country. It seeks to increase the income of weavers.

Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj passed away

Former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, 67 years old, passed away on 6th August. She suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away at AIIMS. She underwent a kidney transplant in 2016. 

Sushma Swaraj Career:
Sushma Swaraj was educated at Sanatan Dharma College in Ambala Cantonment. She earned a bachelor's degree with majors in Sanskrit and Political Science. She studied law at Punjab University, Chandigarh.
Political Career:
Swaraj's political career started at her age of 25 in 1977. She became the youngest cabinet minister in Haryana in 1977. She served as the 5th Chief Minister of Delhi from 13th October to 3rd December 1998. She was a seven-time Member of Parliament. She served as MLA for three terms. 
Sushma Swaraj won from Vidisha constituency in Madhya Pradesh for a second term in 2014. Swaraj took charge as Foreign Minister on 26th May, 2014. After Indira Gandhi, she was the second woman to hold the External Affairs Ministry. She was popularly known as the People’s Minister. She introduced a new sensitivity and sensibility in the functioning of the External Affairs Ministry.

Kosi-Mechi Interlinking project 

Context: Union Government has approved Rs 4,900 crore Kosi-Mechi Interlinking project for interlinking of Kosi and Mechi rivers of Bihar. This is the second major river interlinking project in the country to be approved by Central Government after the Ken-Betwa project in Madhya Pradesh.

Need and significance:

• The river Kosi is an international river originating from Tibet and flowing through Nepal in Himalayan Mountains and the lower portion through plains of North Bihar.
• To overcome the acute problem of shifting of course of Kosi river, heavy sediment load, flooding etc. and to alleviate the severe suffering of the people of Bihar, the then His Majesty’s Government of Nepal and The Government of India signed an agreement on 25th April 1954 for implementation of Kosi project. The present proposal is an extension of Eastern Kosi Main Canal (EKMC) system upto river Mechi, a tributary of river Mahananda.
• The aim of extension of EKMC upto Mechi river is mainly to provide irrigation benefits to the water scarce Mahananda basin command in the districts of Araria, Kishanganj, Purnea and Katihar during kharif season depending upon the pondage available in Hanuman Nagar barrage.
• This intrastate link scheme will thus transfer part of surplus water of Kosi basin to Mahananda basin. In view of irrigation benefit from the link canal, the project is fully justified.

Rajasthan passed a bill against anti-lynching

The Rajasthan State Legislative Assembly passed the Rajasthan Protection from Lynching Bill, 2019. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal introduced the Bill in the State Assembly. The Bill aims to provide stricter punishment to curb such Lynching incidents.
Rajasthan is now the second State to have a dedicated law criminalising mob lynching as a special offence. The first state to have such law in addition to other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is Manipur.

SC's recommendation:
The Bill was introduced after the recommendation by the Supreme Court in authorising the setting up of special courts, appointment of a dedicated nodal officer, and stipulating enhanced punishments.
The bill not only criminalises the acts of lynching but also provides legal aid, relief, compensation and rehabilitation. 

Definition of Lynching as per the Bill:
Any act or series of acts of violence whether spontaneous or planned, by a mob on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth, language, dietary practices, sexual orientation, political affiliation and ethnicity falls under the category Lynching.

Provisions of the Bill:
♦ Bill makes the Mob Lynching offence cognizable, non-bailable and non-compoundable offences.
♦ It gives a punishment of life imprisonment and a penalty from Rs.1 lakh to Rs.5 lakh to those convicted in cases of mob lynching leading to victim's death.
♦ After 2014, 86% of mob lynching cases that were reported in the country are from Rajasthan. The Bill was proposed after considering peace in the state.

Lok Sabha gives nod to legislation that bans commercial surrogacy

Lok Sabha passed the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, which seeks to ban commercial surrogacy and allows only close relatives of infertile couples to volunteer for “ethical altruistic"reasons.
The bill and it is unfortunate that the country had emerged as a hub of commercial surrogacy in recent years. During the discussion on the bill.There are 2,000-3000 surrogacy clinics running illegally in India and a few thousand foreign couples resort to surrogacy practice within India, and the whole issue is thoroughly unregulated.
The concerning unethical practices, abandonment of children born out of surrogacy and exploitation of surrogate mothers.The minister cited the 228th report of the Law Commission recommended that the government enact a legislation to ensure that commercial surrogacy is banned in this country and there is only restrictive surrogacy.

Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019, 
The bill also aims to constitute surrogacy boards at the national and state levels. The bill aims to allow ethical altruistic surrogacy for infertile Indian married couples, within the age group of 23-50 and 26-55 years for females and males, respectively. The bill, which was passed by a voice vote, also prohibits the sale and purchase of human embryos and gametes. The government has claimed that it will also prevent exploitation of surrogate mothers and children born through surrogacy.India emerged as a commercial destination for foreigners seeking surrogate mothers. There have been reports on unethical practices, exploitation of surrogate mothers, abandonment of children born out of surrogacy, and rackets involving intermediaries importing human embryos and gametes.Women’s rights activists have supported the passage of the bill.

RS passed Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill

The Rajya Sabha cleared the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019 on 6 August. Union Home Minister Amit Shah presented the Bill after abrogation of the special status granted to J&K. The upper house also adopted resolutions to repeal Article 370 and Article 35A in J&K.
The Bill has been moved for consideration and passage in Lok Sabha on August 6, 2019. The lower house will also take up the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Bill 2019.

Provisions of the Bill:
♦ The Bill proposed the bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories namely Ladakh and Jammu-Kashmir.
♦ The bill has a  provision of 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) among the general category (the upper caste).

Key changes:

1. The President had used his powers under Article 370 to fundamentally alter the provision, extending all Central laws, instruments and treaties to Kashmir. However, the drastically altered Article 370 will remain on the statute books.
2. While the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will have a legislature, the one in Ladakh will not.
3. The notification by the president has effectively allowed the entire provisions of the Constitution, with all its amendments, exceptions and modifications, to apply to the area of Jammu and Kashmir.
4. The Bill proposes wide powers to the Lieutenant Governor of the proposed Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and makes it the “duty” of the Chief Minister of the Union Territory to “communicate” all administrative decisions and proposals of legislation with the LG.
5. All Central laws and State laws of J&K would apply to the new Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
6. Assets and liabilities of J&K and Ladakh would be apportioned on the recommendation of a Central Committee within a year.
7. Employees of State public sector undertakings and autonomous bodies would continue in their posts for another year until their allocations are determined.
8. The police and public order is to be with the Centre.
9. The notification amends the expression “Constituent Assembly”, contained in the proviso to clause (3) of Article 370, to mean “Legislative Assembly”.

Legislative powers of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir:

1. The Legislative Assembly may make laws for the whole or any part of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir with respect to any of the matters enumerated in the state list except on subjects “public order” and “police” which will remain in the domain of the Centre vis-a-vis the LG.
2. In case of inconsistencies between laws made by Parliament and laws made by the Legislative Assembly, earlier law shall prevail and law made by the Legislative Assembly shall be void.
3. The role of the Chief Minister will be to communicate to the L-G all decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration of affairs of the Union Territory and proposals for legislation and to furnish such information relating to the administration of affairs as the L-G may call for.

Role and powers of the Lieutenant Governor:

1. The Bill specifies that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh will have a common Lieutenant Governor.
2. Appointment of L-G in Ladakh: The President shall appoint the L-G under article 239. The L-G will be assisted by advisors appointed by the Centre since the Union Territory will not have a Legislative Assembly.
3. In the case of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the L-G shall “act in his discretion” on issues which fall outside the purview of powers conferred on the Legislative Assembly, in which he is required to exercise any judicial functions, and/or matters related to All India services and the Anti-Corruption Bureau
4. The Chief Minister shall be appointed by the L-G who will also appoint other ministers with the aid of the CM. The L-G shall also administer the oath of office and of secrecy to ministers and the CM.
5. The L-G will have the power to promulgate ordinances which shall have the same force and effect as an act of the Legislative Assembly assented by the L-G.

Impact:

1. The tabling of the proposed Reorganisation Bill is also proof that the long reign of the 1954 Order has ended. The 1954 Order had introduced a proviso to Article 3, namely that “no Bill providing for increasing or diminishing the area of the State of Jammu and Kashmir or altering the name or boundary of that State shall be introduced in Parliament without the consent of the Legislature of that State“. That power of the State Legislature to give prior consent does not exist anymore. This has provided a free hand to the Centre to table the Reorganisation Bill.
2. With the removal of the 1954 Order, the power of the State Legislature ceases to exist and Parliamentary laws, including that of reservation, would apply to Jammu and Kashmir as it does in other parts of the country.
3. The government called this the end of “positive discrimination” and the closing of the “chasm” between residents of J&K and citizens of other parts of the country.
4. The removal of the 1954 Order further also negates a clause which was added to Article 352. The Order had mandated that no proclamation of Emergency on grounds “only of internal disturbance or imminent danger shall have effect” in the State unless with the concurrence of the State government.