ASSAM
- Delhi HC sought response on the dual control of Assam rifles
- TheDelhi High Court sought the response from the Cabinet Committee on Security on a plea seeking directions to remove the dual control of Assam Rifles and bring it under the Ministry of Defence.
- Assam Rifles are the oldest paramilitary force of India. The administrative control of Assam Rifles lies with the Home Ministry, while the operational control is with the Defence Ministry. The plea filed by theAll India Assam Rifles Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association alleges the dual control as the violation of the rights of the troopers of Assam Rifles.
- The plea challenges the Government of India(Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961 saying that it places Assam Rifles under the head ‘Police’, which is arbitrary, unreasonable and violates the rights of Assam Rifles ex-servicemen guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution of India. The petition argues since the objective and functions of Assam Rifles were that of military and paramilitary force and its categorisation as a police force was arbitrary, unreasonable and in violation of the rights of its personnel. The petition seeks a grant of pay, allowances, pension (including arrears) and ex-servicemen facilities to Assam Rifles personnel at par with the Indian Army. The Home Ministry stated that a note had been sent to the Cabinet Committee on Security on the issue.
INTERNATIONAL
- India-Singapore Joint Military Exercise Bold Kurukshetra2019
- Military forces of India and Singapore to participate in a joint exercise in Babina Cantonment in Jhansi.
- The three-day exercise, ‘Bold Kurukshetra–2019’, conducted to develop military technology, boost maritime security and bolster the nations’ fight against terrorism.
- The two countries signed a cooperation agreement to strengthen the defence ties between Indian Military and Singapore Armed Forces in November.
- Emirates Islamic became world’s first Islamic bank to launch banking via WhatsApp
- Dubai based Emirates Islamic has announced the launch of Chat Banking services for customers via WhatsApp, marking a global first in the Islamic banking sector.
- The Chat Banking solution allows customers to use features such as checking account balances and temporarily blocking or unblocking of an existing card.
- All messages on Emirates Islamic’s verified WhatsApp Business account are encrypted, ensuring confidentiality and security.
NATIONAL
- PM Modi awarded with Russia’s highest state honour
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred on the Order of St Andrew the Apostle highest state decoration of Russia.
- He was decorated with the award for his exceptional services in promoting a special and privileged strategic partnership between Russian and India.
- In 2017, Chinese president Xi Jinping was awarded the Order of St Andrew the Apostle.
- Recently, PM Modi has been awarded the United Arab Emirates’s top honour as well as of countries including South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Afghanistan.
- Pink booth to attract women friends for their right to vote
- Pink polling booth at Jamui parliamentary constituency in Bihar.
- All polling party including security personnel are women discharging their election duty.
- Women in this constituency are happy and turning in a large number to vote for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019.
- The decision was taken to make women feel special and come in large number in order to cast their vote.
- The 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, will vote in the first of the seven-phase polls.
- Varanasi ranked third on the WHOs list of 15 most polluted cities
- According to the ‘Political Leaders Position and Action on Air Quality in India 2014-2019’ report, released by Climate Trends, the air quality in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2014 Lok Sabha constituency, is ranked third on the WHO’s (World Health Organisation) list of 15 most polluted cities in the world.
- Fourteen of the 15 most polluted cities in the world, listed by World Health Organisation (WHO) are in India, of which four are in Uttar Pradesh.
- Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh is the most polluted city in the world and is ranked oneon the list.
- Faridabad in Haryana has been ranked second.
- Delhi is ranked sixth on the list.
- Gaya and Patna in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow, Cities of Agra, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurugram, Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur are also on the WHO list of most polluted cities.
- The air quality index (AQI) in Varanasi reached an alarming 490in 2017 and 384 (very poor category) in December 2018.
Gk bit :Air Quality Index (AQI) in India:
As per pollution control authorities, An AQI between
♦ 0 and 50 is considered “good”,
♦ 51 and 100 “satisfactory”,
♦ 101 and 200 “moderate”,
♦ 201 and 300 “poor”,
♦ 301 and 400 “very poor”, and
♦ 401 and 500 “severe”.
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