01.09.2017 (RPSC) Rajasthan Current Affairs

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RAJASTHAN

 

  • IT unearths benami property, accounts worth Rs 1,200 crore.

 

  • The state director general of income tax(investigation) has unearthed 24 benamiproperties and bank accounts worth over Rs 1,200 crore in the month of August, which is the highest discovered by the department in the state.
  • The benami propertyof Aditya Lodha groupin Jodhpur tops the list of illegal property unearthed by the department.

 

Gk bit – Benami Transaction Bill

  • The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016, designed to curb black money was passed by parliament in August 2016.

 

  • An amendment of the 1988 Benami Transactions Act, the new law provides for up to seven years’ imprisonment and fine for those indulging in such transactions, whereas the earlier law provided for up to three years of imprisonment or fine or both.

 

  • The rules and all the provisions of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, shall come into force on November 1, 2016. After coming into effect, the existing Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988, shall be renamed as the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions (PBPT) Act, 1988.

 

  • The amendments aim to strengthen the Act in terms of legal and administrative procedure.

 

  • The benami (without a name) property refers to property purchased by a person in the name of some other person.

 

  • The person on whose name the property has been purchased is called the benamdar and the property so purchased is called the benami property. The person who finances the deal is the real owner.

 

  • The PBPT Act prohibits recovery of the property held benami from benamdar by the real owner.

 

  • As per the Act, properties held benami are liable for confiscation by the government, without payment of compensation.

 

  • An appellate mechanism has been provided under the act, in the form of an adjudicating authority and appellate tribunal.

 

  • According to the government, the four authorities who will conduct inquiries or investigations are the Initiating Officer, Approving Authority, Administrator and Adjudicating Authority.

 

        PP – Previous paper (IAS 2017) 

  1. With reference to the ‘Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988 (PBPT Act)’, consider the following statements:
  2. A property transaction is not treated as a benami transaction if the owner of the property is not aware of the transaction.
  3. Properties held benami are liable for confiscation by the Government.
  4. The Act provides for three authorities for investigations but does not provide for any appellate mechanism.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 2 and 3 only

Answer (b)

 

INTERNATIONAL

  • CSIR ranked 9th Public Research Institution of the World

 

  • India’s largest autonomous public organization Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) ranked ninth in the world.
  • The institute has been ranked ninth amongst a total of 1,207 government institutions, according to the Scimago Institutions ranking World Report 2017.
  • It is the only Indian organization which has found a place amongst the Top 100 Global Institutions.
  • The ranking was topped by theChinese Academy of Sciences.

 

Gk bit – CSIR

 

  • The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR) was established by the Government of Indiain 1942 is an autonomous body that has emerged as the largest research and development organisation in India. It runs thirty-seven laboratories and thirty-nine field stations or extension centres throughout the nation, with a collective staff of over 17,000 workers. Its Chairman is Prime minister of India.

 

 

NATIONAL

  • National Nutrition Week :1st to 7th September
  • The National Nutrition Week will be observed throughout the country from 1st to 7th September. The theme of the National Nutrition Week for 2017 is “Optimal Infant & Young Child Feeding Practices: Better Child Health”. The basic objective of this annual event is to intensify awareness generation on the importance of nutrition for health which has an impact on development, productivity, economic growth and ultimately National development.

 

  • As, improving the nutritional status of the population is imperative for National Development. Under nutrition in young children continues to be a major public health problem in India. The NFHS4 has not shown an encouraging improvement in the nutritional status, especially among women and children. As per NFHS-4 the level of underweight has decreased by 6.8% and is stunting by 9.6%. Level of anaemia has decreased by 11% as compared to NNHS-3 figures.

 

  • ISRO’s IRNSS-1H Launch has failed

 

  • ISRO launched the IRNSS-1H into orbit using the PSLV C39 rocket, but failed. IRNSS-1H is India’s 8th navigation satellite in the IRNSS series.

 

  • This happened after the heat shield failed to separate in the fourth stage. The satellite had blasted off in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The launch took place from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR.

 

  • IRNSS is a part of NavIC or Navigation Indian Constellation. NavIC is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in India as well as a region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary.

 

 

  • Rajiv Mehrishi appointed as Comptroller and Auditor General of India

 

  • Senior IAS officer Rajiv Mehrishi appointed as the next Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)of India.He succeeds Shashi Kant Sharma.
  • Mehrishi is IAS Officer of 1978 batch and belonged to Rajasthan cadre.
  • He has a degree in business administration from Strathclyde Business School, Glasgow. He also did BA (History) and MA (History) from St Stephen’s College, Delhi.

 

Gk bit– CAG

 

  • The CAG is mentioned in the Constitution of India under Article 148 – 151.
  • The CAG is ranked 9th and enjoys the same status as a judge of Supreme Court of India in Indian order of precedence.
  • His tenure period is 6 years or up to age of 65 years, whichever earlier.
  • Removal of CAG is as difficult and similar to removal of a Supreme Court Judge. CAG is not be eligible for any office under GOI post-retirement.
  • CAG suggests the account keeping of union and state with the approval of president.
  • The CAG is also the head of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department, the affairs of which are managed by officers of Indian Audit and Accounts Service, and has over 58,000 employees across the country.
  • 1st CAG of India was V. Narahari Rao
  • Rajiv Mehrishi is 13th CAG of India

 

  • Sunil Arora appointed as Election Commissioner of India
  • The Union Government appointed former Information and Broadcasting secretary Sunil Arora (61) as Election Commissioner.
  • He will have a tenure of four years in the Election Commission.
  • His appointment comes after former CEC Nasim Zaidi’s retirement in July 2017.

 

Gk bit– Election Commission of India (ECI)

 

  • The Election Commission operates under the authority of Constitution per Article 324, and subsequently enacted Representation of the People Act.

 

  • The Chief Election Commissioner of India can be removed from his office by the Parliament with a two-thirds majority in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the grounds of proven misbehavior or incapacity.

 

  • Monitor and Control of all elections to the local government bodies(panchayat, municipality etc) vest with the State Election Commissions as envisaged in Article 243K and Article 243ZAof the Constitution of India.

 

  • Election commission of india comprises 3 members, One Chief Election Commissioner and two additional Commissioners.

Sunil Arora is 22nd Election commissioner of india.

1st Election commissioner of India was Sukumar Sen.

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