Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 20 JULY 2019

::NATIONAL::

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Attorney-General of India to be served a copy of a writ petition filed by advocate AshwiniUpadhyay, who is seeking directions to the government to either frame guidelines for identification of minorities at States’ level or, in the alternative, to “declare Hindus as ‘Minority’ for States where they are real minority”.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India RanjanGogoi was hearing the petitioner, represented by senior advocate MukulRohatgi, challenging a notification issued on October 23, 1993 under the “unbridled powers” of Section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act of 1992.
The petition said the October 1993 notification declared Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis as ‘Minority’ community without conducting any study, research or homework.

The Protection of Human Rights(Amendment) Bill 2019 has been passed by voice vote in LokSabha today.
In his reply in the House, the minister of State for Home Affairs NityanandRai said that the Government is sensitive to the rights of humanity and is committed to strengthen Human Rights Commission in the country.
Saying that it was Prime Minister NarendraModi who suggested to increase the presence of civil Society in the Commission, the minister emphasised that every section of the society has now received representation.

Prime Minister NarendraModi'sUjjwala scheme for providing free cooking gas connection to poor came in for praise from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Agency said it is a major achievement in improving the environment and health of women.
Launched by Modi on May 1, 2016, in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, PradhanMantriUjjwalaYojana (PMUY) aims to safeguard the health of women and children by providing free cooking gas (LPG) connection to poor families.

The government has sought a response from IndiGo on allegations of corporate misgovernance levelled by its co-promoter RakeshGangwal, the airline informed the stock exchanges on Friday.
“The company has received a communication from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Office of Registrar of Companies requiring the company to furnish certain information/explanations pursuant to Section 206 (4) of the Companies Act, 2013, in relation to complaint dated July 8, 2019 received from Mr.Gangwal, co-founder and director of the company. The company will respond to MCA within the prescribed period,” IndiGo said.
He had also raised an issue with the businesses conducted between IndiGo and Mr. Bhatia’s InterGlobe Enterprises.

Sri Lanka has signed an agreement with India to upgrade tracks in a key railway segment connecting the north and south at a cost of $ 91.26 million.
This is the first time in 100 years that the 130 km-long-tracks, running from Maho town in the North Western Province to Omanthai in the Northern Province, are being upgraded.
The contract agreement for concessional financing was signed in Colombo on July 18 between the Government of Sri Lanka and IRCON International Ltd., represented respectively by ArjunaRanatunga, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, and Sunil Kumar Choudhury, Chairman & Managing Director, IRCON.
The terms of the agreement, as in earlier Lines of Credit extended by India to Sri Lanka, include an interest rate of 1.75 %, with a grant element of 31.37 %, and a repayment period of 20 years, with a five-year moratorium, according to official sources.
The agreement comes as part of India’s ongoing support to further develop Sri Lankan railways. New Delhi has so far committed Lines of Credit worth $1.3 billion for development of the sector in the island, including restoration of an arterial railway line that was destroyed during civil war, and the island’s southern railway line that was hit by the 2004 tsunami.

Kaziranga National Park (KNP)’s man-made highlands have turned into islands of relative safety for the park’s animals as large parts of Assam remain inundated by flood waters.
Among the handful of species that have taken refuge in these patches of higher ground are the one-horned rhino and the water buffalo, while most other animals have moved to the hills of KarbiAnglong district just beyond a highway that runs along the southern fringe of the park.
Two decades ago, the Assam Forest Department constructed 111 highlands as an experiment. It helped keep a few animals above the water level but served little purpose when 75% or more of the park was flooded.
In 2017, the park authorities started work on 33 more highlands that were bigger in dimension. “The older ones were 100x40 metres in area and 4 metres high,” said Rohini B. Saikia, KNP’s Divisional Forest Officer. “The newer ones are 100x50 metres and 5 metres high,” Mr.Saikia added.

In Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship held in Cuttack today, India made a record by winning gold in both men’s and women’s category.
The Indian men won the final match defeating England 3-2. The Indian women team defeated England 3-0 in final match. The Indian women team won the gold for the first time in the history in the commonwealth games.