ANGLO-INDIANS PROTEST AT JANTAR MANTAR
Focus: GS-II Governance, GS-I Art and Culture Why in news? Action Council, a collective of Anglo-Indian associations, staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on 5th March 2020, in protest against the 126th Constitutional Amendment that ended reservation for Anglo-Indians in Parliament and State Assemblies. Details They Requested the government to reconsider its decision saying the […]
LOK SABHA SUSPENDS 7 MPS FOR REST OF BUDGET SESSION
Focus: GS-II Governance Why in news? The Lok Sabha on 5th March 2020 suspended seven MPs for the remaining period of the Budget session for ‘gross misconduct and utter disregard’ for House rules after papers from the Speaker’s table were snatched by the MPs. What can be the reason for suspending an MP? The general […]
NOD FOR CHANGES TO COMPANIES ACT FOR DECRIMINALISING OFFENCES
Focus: GS-III Indian Economy, GS-II Governance Why in news? On 4th March, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal to amend 65 sections of the Companies Act, in a bid to decriminalise a number of offences and ease corporate social responsibility (CSR) requirements, especially for smaller companies. The amendment bill will also enable the listing of […]
IBC BILL DISCRIMINATES AGAINST HOMEBUYERS
Focus: GS-II Governance Why in news? The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill, 2019, has introduced a new clause that sets a threshold of a minimum 100 homebuyers or 10% of total homebuyers in a project, whichever is less, as a requirement to jointly take the developer to an insolvency court. This means that […]
LOK SABHA APPROVES TAX RESOLUTION BILL AS DISRUPTIONS CONTINUE
Focus: GS-II Governance Why in news? The Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Bill that seeks to expedite resolution of pending tax disputes was passed by the Lok Sabha on 4th March 2020, even as normal proceedings in both houses of Parliament remain paralysed for the third day in a row over the Opposition’s demand for […]
GOVERNMENT YET TO NOTIFY CVC, CIC APPOINTMENTS
Focus: GS-II Governance, Prelims Why in news? Two weeks after a high-power committee (HPC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, selected the new Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), the Centre is yet to officially notify the appointments. Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) — the nodal Ministry that handles government […]
APEX BODY ON RIVER LINKING IN PIPELINE
Focus: GS-II Governance, Prelims Why in news? The Central government is working on the establishment of an exclusive body, called the National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA), to implement projects for linking rivers. NIRA is expected to take up both inter-State and intra-State projects. It will also make arrangements for generating up funds, internally and […]
UN RIGHTS BODY TO MOVE SC ON CAA
Focus: GS-II Governance, International Relations, Prelims Why in news? In an unprecedented and rare move, the Geneva-based Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has announced that it plans to file an application in the Supreme Court, asking to be impleaded in petitions challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). And the Ministry of […]
SAFEGUARD UNDERMINED
Focus: GS-II Governance Why in news? The law on granting sanction for prosecution imposes a duty on the government concerned to apply its mind to the facts of each case and render a decision based on its assessment whether, prime facie, a case has been made out The sanction requirement has seen criticism only in […]
SOLID PROOF NOT MUST FOR ESTABLISHING CITIZENSHIP
Focus: GS-II Governance Why in news? Proof beyond all reasonable doubts is not required in a Foreigners Tribunal (FT) for establishing one’s citizenship, the Gauhati High Court has observed. The Gauhati High Court observed that strict rules of evidence were not applicable to the tribunals “established for quick disposal of the matters sent to it”. […]