GK Update | bankeradda | 7th May
2015
1. Lok Sabha passes Juvenile
Justice Bill
i. The central government on Thursday moved the Juvenile Justice Bill
in the Lok Sabha which will allow children in the 16-18 age group to be tried
as adults if they commit heinous crimes.
ii. According to data from National Crime Records Bureau, crimes by
juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years have increased, especially in certain
categories of heinous crimes.
iii. The bill states that in case a heinous crime has been committed by
a person in the age group of 16-18 years it will be examined by a Juvenile
Justice Board to assess if the crime was committed as a 'child' or as an
'adult'.
iv. The legislation, which would replace the existing Juvenile Justice
Act, 2000, was proposed in view of increasing number of serious offences being
committed by persons in the age group of 16-18 years.
2. Election 2015: Party leaders
cast votes in general election
i. A total of 650 Westminster MPs will be elected, with about 50
million people registered to vote.
ii. There are more than 9,000 council seats being contested across 279
English local authorities.
iii. Britain's ruling Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party
were tied with support at 33 per cent.
iv. There are a total of 59 Indian-origin candidates in the fray from
the Tories (17), Labour (14), Liberal Democrats (14), Green Party (4), United
Kingdom Independence Party- UKIP (3), Independents (2) and one each from the
smaller parties like All People’s Party, Christian Movement for Great Britain,
National Liberal Party, Socialist Labour Party and Young People’s Party.
3. Indian Cabinet Approves
Amendments to Whistleblowers Act
i. The union cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the
Whistlebowers Protection Act, 2011 aimed at strengthening safeguards against
disclosures.
ii. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in December, 2011 and by Rajya
Sabha in February last year. The bill has received the assent of the president
in May last year.
iii. The amendments would address concerns relating to national
security and the amendment bill will be moved during the budget session of
parliament.
4. Rajya Sabha unanimously
passes Bangladesh land deal
i. In a historic step, the Rajya Sabha passed the bill to operationalise the
Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh, and the entailing exchange of enclaves
between the two countries.
ii. The Constitution (One Hundred and Nineteenth Amendment) Bill, 2013, was
unanimously passed by the upper house, with 180 votes in favour and none
against it.
iii. Moving the bill for passage, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj
clarified that no movement of population was necessitated by the exchange of
enclaves.
iv. In 2011, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bangladeshi Premier Sheikh
Hasina had signed the land swap deal known as the Land Boundary Agreement
(LBA).
5. India home to 56 of the world’s 2000
powerful companies
i. India is home to 56 of the world’s 2000 largest and most powerful
public companies, according to the Forbes’s annual list which is topped by the
US with its share of 579 companies.
ii. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries leads the pack of 56 Indian
companies in the 2015 Forbes ‘Global 2000’ list.
iii. Forbes said that for the first time, China’s four biggest banks
own the top four spots and the South Asian giant is home to 232 of the world’s
largest companies, adding more spots than any other country in the world and
surpassing Japan for the first time.
iv. The other Indian companies on the list are Oil and Natural Gas
ranked 183, Tata Motors (263), ICICI Bank (283), Indian Oil (349), HDFC Bank
(376), NTPC (431), Tata Consultancy Services (485), Bharti Airtel (506), Axis
Bank (558), Infosys (672), Bharat Petroleum (757), Wipro (811), Tata Steel
(903) and Adani Enterprises (944).
6. Cabinet gives nod to revise
DTAA with South Korea
i. The Union Cabinet gave its nod for revising the existing double taxation
avoidance agreement (DTAA) with South Korea.
ii. The new agreement will among other things provide for effective exchange of
information for tax administration purposes. It will also have limitation of
benefit clause so that the benefits of the DTAA are availed of by genuine
residents of both the countries.
iii. This Cabinet nod assumes significance as it came days before the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to South Korea. The existing double
taxation avoidance convention between the two countries was signed in 1985 for
the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with
respect to taxes on income for the citizens of both the countries.
.
7. Geeta Phogat wins bronze in
Asian championship
i. Geeta Phogat won a bronze medal in the Women's Freestyle 58kg category in
the Senior Asian Wrestling championship in Doha.
ii. She defeated Vietnam's Thi Loan Nyguen by Fall verdict in the
bronze medal play-off.
iii. En-route to the bronze medal play off, Geeta lost in pool bout only to
Kaori Icho of Japan, the Olympic gold medallist.
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