Daily Current Affairs : 20-Mar-2020
Major Topics Covered :
PM MODI’s ADDRESS ON COVID – 19
FLOOR TEST IN MADHYA PRADESH
NIRBHAYA CONVICTS HANGED
COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE FISCAL CONSOLIDATION ROADMAP OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT
DRAFT NATIONAL WATER POLICY
PM MODI’s ADDRESS ON COVID – 19
Why in news?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged Indians across the country to face the coronavirus pandemic with collective determination and patience to make sure that “humanity and India prevails”.
Highlights :
There were nine calls of actions in the PM’s speech –
Self-imposed Janta Curfew on March 22.
People should not resort to panic buying.
Senior citizens should stay indoor
Social Distancing
Avoiding elective surgery or routine health check-ups not to overburden health services,
Asking employers to pay employees in full when they have to stay home and to
Stay away from rumours.
On Sunday at 5 PM, people should step out of their balconies, verandas or doorways and clap or beat thalis to express their appreciation for the work of workers at hospitals, airports, railways etc.
Source : Hindu
FLOOR TEST IN MADHYA PRADESH
Why in news?
The Supreme Court ordered a floor test in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on March 20, agreeing that uncertainty over whether the Kamal Nath-led Congress government enjoys the confidence of the House cannot go on for even another day.
Highlights:
The bench overrode a decision by Speaker N.P. Prajapati to adjourn the session to March 26. Justice Chandrachud remarked that a floor test was best before the politics got any murkier.
It agreed with Governor Lalji Tandon that every day of delay in conducting the floor test would be a win for horse-trading.
Source : Hindu
NIRBHAYA CONVICTS HANGED
Why in news?
Seven years after a young medical student was gang-raped and tortured on a moving bus in Delhi, a crime that shocked India, four of her killers were hanged at 5.30 am on Friday.
Highlights:
Akshay Thakur, 31, Pawan Gupta, 25, Vinay Sharma, 26, and Mukesh Singh, 32, were hanged at Delhi's Tihar Jail, where they spent the last few hours in isolation in separate cells, barely eating.
The lawyer of Pawan Gupta had raised his juvenility four hours before the hanging and SC in its late night hearing rejected it.
It is being hailed as justice by notable people including Indian PM and DCW chief.
Source : Hindu
COMMITTEE TO REVIEW THE FISCAL CONSOLIDATION ROADMAP OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Why in news?
The Chairman of the Fifteenth Finance Commission, has constituted a Committee to review the fiscal consolidation roadmap of the general government.
Highlights:
The terms of the reference of the committee are as follows –
The Committee shall make recommendations on the definition of deficit and debt for the Central government, overall states, the General Government and public sector enterprises by considering all explicit and measurable liabilities of the sovereign and by bringing in consistency between the definition of debt (stock) and deficit (flow).
The Committee shall also lay down the principles for arriving at the debt of the general government debt and consolidated public sector with appropriate netting to avoid double-counting.
The Committee shall define contingent liabilities, provide quantifiable measures of such liabilities, wherever possible, and specify conditions under which “contingent” liabilities become “explicit” liabilities of the public sector.
Based on the above definition, the Committee shall review the current status of deficit and debt at different levels.
Based on the above, the Committee shall recommend a debt and fiscal consolidation roadmap for FY21-FY25 for the Central Government, overall States and General Government and attempt building up scenarios for public sector enterprises.
Source : PIB
DRAFT NATIONAL WATER POLICY
Why in news?
With a goal to address the present challenges in water sector, revision of National Water Policy 2012 has been envisaged by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti and a drafting committee has been constituted on 5th November, 2019 to revise the National Water Policy.
Highlights :
Some of the actions taken by the Central Government in accordance with the principles indicated in the third National Water Policy (2012) are as follows:
The Inter-State River Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 25.07.2019 and was subsequently passed by Lok Sabha.
Ministry of Jal Shakti has prepared a draft National Water Framework Bill and draft River Basin Management Bill, 2018, which have been circulated to States / UTs for comments.
Dam Safety Bill, 2019 was prepared and introduced in Lok Sabha on 29th July, 2019. The bill was subsequently passed by Lok Sabha.
National Water Informatics Centre has been established under National Hydrology Project.
Central Water Commission has completed a study titled “Reassessment of Water Availability in India using Space Inputs”.
Central Ground Water Board has prepared a conceptual document titled “Master Plan for Artificial Recharge to Ground Water in India” during the year 2013, which envisages construction of different types of artificial recharge and rainwater harvesting structures in the country.
A web based Water Resources Information System (India WRIS) has been set up and all unclassified data of Central Water Commission and Central Ground Water Board have been uploaded on the website.
Source : PIB