1. Tamil Nadu requests for Supreme Court bench in Chennai
Tags: National National News
Chief Minister MK Stalin has again requested for the establishment of a regional bench of the Supreme Court in Chennai and allowed Tamil to be used as one of the official languages in the Madras High Court.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The outgoing Vice President, M Venkaiah Naidu had suggested bifurcation of the Supreme Court into four regional benches for speedy disposal of cases.
He also emphasized on representation of all sections in the appointment of judges.
However, the Supreme Court has said on this demand that there is no need for such benches outside Delhi.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Why is the Supreme Court located in New Delhi ?
Article 130 of the Constitution of India says the Supreme Court shall sit in Delhi or in such other place or places, as the Chief Justice of India may, with the approval of the President, from time to time, appoint.
This means that the law allows the establishment of benches of the Supreme Court at several places with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of India and the President.
The Law Commission in its 229th report had suggested the establishment of a Constitution Bench of the Court at New Delhi and four other Benches in different regions of India.
2. Preventive detentions in 2021 up by 23.7% compared to year before
Tags: National National News
With over 1.1 lakh people in preventive detention, 2021 saw an increase of over 23.7% in preventive detention compared to a year ago, according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Of these, 483 were in custody under the National Security Act.
A total of more than 24,500 people placed in preventive custody were either in custody or were still in custody till the end of last year.
According to the 2017 NCRB report, a total of 67,084 people were detained in the year 2017 as a preventive measure.
The number of persons placed under detention has been increasing steadily since 2017.
The number is more than 98,700 in 2018 and more than 1.06 lakh in 2019 and 89,405 in 2020.
According to data related to 2021, last year 1,10,683 people were placed under preventive detention.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Preventive Detention :
It is a statutory power under the state, under which the state can detain any person to prevent him from committing any possible offence.
Article 22 of the Indian Constitution provides protection to persons arrested or taken into custody.
There are two types of detention - punitive and preventive.
Under punitive detention, a person is punished after trial and conviction in court for the offence committed by him.
Under preventive detention, a person is detained without trial and without conviction by the court.
3. Preventive detentions in 2021 up by 23.7% compared to year before
Tags: National National News
With over 1.1 lakh people in preventive detention, 2021 saw an increase of over 23.7% in preventive detention compared to a year ago, according to the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Of these, 483 were in custody under the National Security Act.
A total of more than 24,500 people placed in preventive custody were either in custody or were still in custody till the end of last year.
According to the 2017 NCRB report, a total of 67,084 people were detained in the year 2017 as a preventive measure.
The number of persons placed under detention has been increasing steadily since 2017.
The number is more than 98,700 in 2018 and more than 1.06 lakh in 2019 and 89,405 in 2020.
According to data related to 2021, last year 1,10,683 people were placed under preventive detention.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Preventive Detention :
It is a statutory power under the state, under which the state can detain any person to prevent him from committing any possible offence.
Article 22 of the Indian Constitution provides protection to persons arrested or taken into custody.
There are two types of detention - punitive and preventive.
Under punitive detention, a person is punished after trial and conviction in court for the offence committed by him.
Under preventive detention, a person is detained without trial and without conviction by the court.
4. New Delhi's historic Rajpath and Central Vista lawns to be renamed as ‘Kartavya Path’
Tags: National State News
The Government of India has decided to rename New Delhi’s Rajpath and Central Vista Lawns as ‘Kartavya Path’.
A special meeting of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) will be convened on 7 September 2022, to consider the proposal to rename Rajpath as Kartavya Path.
According to initial reports, the stretch of road between Netaji Statue and the Rashtrapati Bhavan will be named as Kartavya Path.
Rajpath was initially named as ‘Kingsway’ in honour of the Emperor of India and British monarch George V.
He visited India in 1911 when the Capital of British India was shifted from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Delhi by the British.
After Independence the name was changed to Rajpath which is a translation of Kingsway.
5. UGC launches new research fellowship and research grants schemes on Teachers Day
Tags: National
The University Grant Commission (UGC) has launched new research fellowship and research grants schemes on the occasion of Teachers Day on 5 September 2022.
Savitribai Jyotirao Phule Fellowship for Single Girl Child
Its aim is to promote the education of single girl child and encourage them to pursue research work. This allows for the award of a PhD degree. There is no fixed limit of slots in the fellowship programme. This fellowship will be for 5 years.
Fellowship for Superannuated Faculty Members
The 'Fellowship for Superannuated Faculty Members' is being launched with an aim to provide research opportunities to retired teachers. There are 100 slots available for this fellowship and selected candidates will be given ₹50,000 per month as part of the fellowship and ₹50,000 per annum as contingency.
Research Grant for In-Service Faculty Members'
The 'Research Grant for In-Service Faculty Members' seeks to provide research opportunities to regularly appointed faculty members. The quantum of support under the scheme is ₹10 lakh which will be provided to 200 selected candidates for a tenure of two years.
Dr DS Kothari Research Grant for Newly Recruited Faculty Members
The 'Dr DS Kothari Research Grant for Newly Recruited Faculty Members' will provide research opportunities to regularly appointed faculty members. The quantum of support under the scheme is ₹10 lakh which will be provided to 132 selected candidates for a tenure of two years.
Dr Radhakrishnan UGC Post-Doctoral Fellowship
The 'Dr Radhakrishnan UGC Post-Doctoral Fellowship' will offer an opportunity to carry out advanced studies and research in Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences including languages in Indian universities and institutions.
This fellowship has 900 seats and 30 percent of them are reserved for women candidates. The selected candidates will be given ₹50,000 per month as part of the fellowship and ₹50,000 per annum as contingency.
UGC chairman: Professor M. Jagadesh Kumar
6. China became the first country to approve a needle-free, inhaled version of a Covid 19 vaccine. The vaccine has been developed by CanSino Biologics Inc.
Tags: Science and Technology International News
China became the first country to approve a needle-free, inhaled version of a Covid 19 vaccine. The vaccine has been developed by CanSino Biologics Inc.
This is a developing new.
7. PM Modi announces PM-SHRI Scheme for upgrading 14500 school across country on Teachers Day
Tags: National Government Schemes
On the occasion of Teacher's Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a new initiative, Pradhan Mantri Schools For Rising India (PM-SHRI) Yojana on 5 September 2022.
Under the Yojana, the development and upgradation of 14 thousand 500 schools across the country will be undertaken.
In a series of tweets, Mr Modi said, these PM-SHRI schools will become model schools which will encapsulate the full spirit of National Education Policy.
He said, emphasis will be given on a discovery oriented, learning centric way of teaching.
The Prime Minister said, the focus will also be on modern infrastructure including latest technology, smart classrooms, sports and more.
Teacher’s day is observed on 5 September every year to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dr S. Radhakrishnan.
8. India’s External debt grew by 8.2% year on year ending March 2022
Tags: National Economy/Finance
Releasing the 28th edition of the Status Report on India’s External Debt 2021-22 the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, said that India’s external debt is being managed prudently and is sustainable. There is no fear of any Sri Lanka type situation.
According to the report, from a cross-country perspective, India’s external debt is modest, occupying 23th position globally.
Total External Debt of the country
The total external debt of the country at the end of March 2022 was USD 620.7 billion as compared to USD 573.7 billion in the same time period.
It grew by 8.2% as compared to the same time period last year.
Long and short term debt share in total external debt
The long-term debt was estimated at USD 499.1 billion. Long term debt means loans which have a duration of one years or more.
The share of the long term debt in the total external debt was 80.4 per cent. Higher the ratio of the long term debt in the total debt is a good sign for a country.
The short-term debt was at USD 121.7 billion. The share of the short term debt in the total external debt was 19.6 percent of the total debt. The short-term trade credit was predominantly in the form of trade credit (96 per cent) financing imports.
Short term debt means it has a maturity period of less than one year.
Favourable debt indicators
External Debt as a ratio to GDP fell to 19.9 per cent as at end-March 2022 from 21.2 percent a year ago.
Foreign currency reserves as a ratio to external debt stood slightly lower at 97.8 per cent as at end-March 2022 than 100.6 per cent a year ago. It means that India has enough foreign exchange to pay off its entire debt.
The share of the sovereign borrowing (money borrowed by the Government of India) was USD 130.7 billion. It increased by 17.1 percent over the same period last year mainly due to additional allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) during 2021-22.
The non-sovereign debt (borrowed by companies), on the other hand, grew 6.1 per cent to USD 490.0 billion over the level as of end-March 2021.
Commercial borrowings, NRI deposits and short-term trade credit are the three biggest constituents of the non-sovereign debt, accounting for as much as 95.2 per cent.
While NRI deposits declined by 2 per cent to USD 139.0 billion, commercial borrowings at USD 209.71 billion and short-term trade credit at USD 117.4 billion rose by 5.7 per cent and 20.5 per cent, respectively,
While 53.2 percent of the total external debt is denominated in US dollar, Indian rupee denominated debt, estimated at 31.2 per cent, was the second largest.
The debt service ratio fell to 5.2 per cent during 2021-22 from 8.2 per cent during 2020-21 due to buoyancy in current receipts and a decline in debt service payments.
9. Mary Elizabeth Truss to be the new Prime Minister of United Kingdom
Tags: Person in news International News
Mary Elizabeth Truss or Liz Truss has been chosen as the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) by her Conservative party on 5 September 2022. She is the third women Prime minister of the UK after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. She will be the 56th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The ruling conservative party also known as Tories voted to elect their leader after the current Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation in July after months of scandal.
Liz Truss who was serving as the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs since 2021 defeated Rishi Sunak by getting 57% of the valid votes cast. She got 81,326 votes while Sunak got 60,399.
Rishi Sunak, former finance minister in the Boris Johnson government, is a person of Indian origin and married to the daughter of Infosys founder N. R. Narayana Murthy.
Boris Johnson will travel to Scotland to meet Queen Elizabeth on 6 September to officially tender his resignation. Truss will follow him and be asked to form a government by the monarch Queen Elizabeth II.
Truss will become the Conservatives' fourth prime minister since a 2015 election.
Truss takes over as the country faces a cost of living crisis, industrial unrest, a recession and war in Europe, where Britain has been a leading backer of Ukraine.
10. Centre Grants ‘in-Principle’ Approval of three Bulk Drug Parks to Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh
Tags: National National News
The Pharmaceutical Department under Ministry of Chemical & Fertilizershas given 'in-principle' approval to the proposals of three states- Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh under the scheme of "Promotion of Bulk Drug Parks".
Objective of Bulk Drug Parks
Reducing the cost of manufacturing bulk drugs by creating world class common infrastructure supported by the central government.
To enhance the competitiveness of the domestic bulk pharmaceutical industry.
Bulk Drug Parks Scheme
The scheme was notified in the 2020 with a financial outlay of Rs 3,000 crore.
The Department of Pharmaceuticals is implementing so many schemes to make the country self-reliant in API and Drug Intermediates.
One of the major initiatives under this is also the scheme of Bulk Drug Park.
The bulk drug parks to be developed under this scheme will provide common infrastructure facilities at one place.
This will create a strong ecosystem for bulk drug manufacturing in the country and will also bring down the manufacturing cost significantly.
Under this scheme, financial assistance will be provided to three states for setting up bulk drug parks.
The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the third largest in the world by size.
Financial Assistance to States for Bulk Drug Parks
The financial assistance for the proposed bulk drug parks in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh will be 70 per cent of the project cost of common infrastructure.
The financial assistance to Himachal Pradesh being a hill state would be 90 percent of the total project cost.
The maximum assistance under the scheme for a bulk drug park would be limited to Rs 1,000 crore.
Bulk Drugs Park to be constructed on 1402.44 acres of land in Tehsil Haroli of Una district in Himachal Pradesh
Bulk Drugs Parks to be constructed on 2015.02 acres of land in Jambusar Tehsil of Bharuch district of Gujarat
Bulk Drugs Parks will be constructed on 2000.45 acres of land in KP Puram and Kodhaha of Thondagi mandal of East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
Other Initiatives of Pharmaceutical Department
Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Domestic Manufacturing of KSM/Drug Intermediates (DI) and API
