Current Affairs 17th January 2019

Updated : 17-Jan-2019

Current Affairs 17th January 2019 - Important Points

• Supreme Court issues notice to Centre on PIL against notice under  - IT Act
• The Hindu Literary Prize 2018 Announced   during The  - Hindu Lit for Life 2019
• Army Day celebrated on - 15th  January 2019
• World Dynamic City 2019  launched by - The City Momentum Index of JLL 
• DD Science & India Science launched by - The Minister of Science & Technology
• Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019 on  - 18th January 2019
• UK Parliament rejects Brexit Deal, May to face no-confidence vote on - 15th January 2019
• DBT, ICAR sign MoU for cooperation in agricultural biotechnology research & education on - 14th January 2019

Current Affairs 17th January 2019 - Details

Supreme Court issues notice to Centre on PIL against notice under  - IT Act

The Supreme Court has released a notice to the Central government on PIL which asked the notice authorising Ten central agencies to intercept, monitor & decrypt any computer system.
Reason behind notice

Under the notice, the central government had authorized 10 agencies, IB, Narcotics Control Bureau-NCB, Enforcement Directorate- ED, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (for Income Tax Department), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, CBI, National Investigation Agency, the Research & Analysis Wing, Directorate of Signal Intelligence (in service areas of J-K, North East &  Assam) & Delhi Police commissioner to intercept, monitor & decrypt any computer system.
PIL challenges the Notice

• The notice was unlawful, unconstitutional &  ultra vires to the law.
• The notice issues State the right to contact every communication, computer & mobile & to utilise it to safeguard the political interest & object of the current executive political party.
• The notice was an effort to form a surveillance state.

The Hindu Literary Prize 2018 Announced   during The  - Hindu Lit for Life 2019

The Hindu Literary Prize-2018 was bestowed during The Hindu Lit for Life 2019. The winners under
various categories are mentioned as-

• English writer Neelum Saran Gour, author of Requiem in Raga Jankibagged The Hindu Prize 2018 for Fiction.
• Futuristic Manoranjan Byapari, author of ‘Interrogating my Chandal Life: An Autobiography of a Dalit’, captured The Hindu Prize 2018 for non-fiction.
• The Hindu Young World- ‘Goodbooks Award’ for Best Book Fiction was presented to Venita Coelho
  for ‘Boy No: 32’.
• ‘A Brush with Indian Art’ by Mamta Nainy got The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Award for Best Book Non-Fiction.
• Vinayak Varma’s Angry Akku got The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Award for Best Picture Book:
  Story.
• Rajiv Eipe’s Ammachi’s Amazing Machines got The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Award for Best
  Picture Book: Illustration.
• The Hindu Literary Prize was introduced to honour writers who have spent their whole life mining the human spirit via their words & ideas.

Army Day celebrated on - 15th  January 2019

India rejoices Army India on January 15th. Army Day is observed to salute the brave soldiers who
sacrificed their lives to safeguard the nation & its inhabitants. It is in gratitude of Field Marshal Kodandera M. Cariappa taking over as the 1st Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on 15th January 1949.

Rise of Women Power

• For the 1st time in the history of Indian Army, Lt. Bhavana Kasturi will head the Indian Army’s Service Corps contingent.
• Female officer, Captain Shikha Surabhi, will be leading the Army’s Daredevils Motorcycle Display team containing 33 men riding 9 bikes in a pyramid formation.
  Indian Army
• Indian Army hints its origin to the Military Department which was formed within the Government of the East India Company at Kolkata in the year 1776.
• With the aim of “service before self”, Indian Army is on the assignment to ensure national security, national unity, defend the country from external aggression & internal threats, & maintain peace & security within its borders.

World Dynamic City 2019  launched by - The City Momentum Index of JLL 

The City Momentum Index of JLL which finds World Dynamic Cities has been published by the property
consultant JLL.
More about the Index
The City Momentum Index of JLL calculates momentum for 131 of the world’s most commercially active cities by following a range of socio-economic & commercial real estate indicators over a 3-year period to identify the urban economies & real estate markets experiencing the most rapid expansion.
The Index calculates short-term momentum over a 3-year horizon & locates urban economies & real
estate markets which are presently undergoing significant rapid growth.
World Dynamic Cities 2019

• Silicon Valley of India, Bengaluru has come out as the world’s most dynamic city among 131 major
  recognized & emerging business hubs globally.
• The 2nd place is occupied by Hyderabad.
• Other Indian cities which included in the top 20 list are Delhi at 4th, Pune at 5th, Chennai at 7th &
  Kolkata at 20th.
• 19 of the top 20 cities from are from the Asia Pacific. This demonstrates the region’s rapid urbanisation & robust economic growth.
• The Index specifies that implementation of reforms such as RERA & GST with a focus on improving
  infrastructure & improving ease of doing business has brought in extra transparency in the real estate sector & has given a strong impetus to the sector.

DD Science & India Science launched by - The Minister of Science & Technology

The Minister of Science & Technology Harsh Vardhan released the initiatives DD Science & India Science to feminise science in India. The initiatives goals to develop the scientific temper in India.
DD Science DD Science is a 1-hour slot on Doordarshan National channel which will be broadcast Monday-Saturday from 5-6 pm. DD Science may be scaled-up to a fully-fledged channel in the future.
India Science
India Science is an Internet-based channel which will be accessible on any internet-capable device & will
give live, programmed play & video-on-demand services. India Science will have a 24×7 occurrence
via  www.indiascience.in .
Implementation of DD Science & India Science
DD Science & India Science have been considered & supported by the Department of Science &
Technology & are being executed & managed by Vigyan Prasar. A contract has been inked between
Vigyan Prasar & Doordarshan for this.
Vigyan Prasar
Vigyan Prasar is an independent organisation under the Department of Science & Technology. Vigyan
Prasar goals to faminise science in India via various strategically important approaches.

UK Parliament rejects Brexit Deal, May to face no-confidence vote on - 15th January 2019

British PM Theresa May suffered a devastating defeat in the Parliament on January 15th, 2019 when more than 100 lawmakers of May's Conservative party including both Brexiteers & Remainers, voted against the Brexit pact.

Impact
Theresa May’s downfall is the biggest-ever downfall felt by a British premier in modern history. The only other analogous party split & parliamentary defeat occurred in 1886, when PM William Gladstone's support for Irish home rule dividing the Liberal Party in 2.
The devastating defeat marks the collapse of May’s 2-year strategy of forging a friendly exit with close relations to the European Union. The refusal has also complicated & increased doubts about how or whether Britain will leave the EU on March 29th.
Motion of No-Confidence

• Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn named May’s loss ‘the greatest defeat’ for a British government since the 1920.
• After the vote, Labour listed a no-confidence motion against May's minority government, which will be discussed on January 16th, 2019.
• However, following the vote, the leaders of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, which favours May's minority government, declared that they would favour the PM.
• The declaration makes it unlikely for May to miss the confidence vote.

DBT, ICAR sign MoU for cooperation in agricultural biotechnology research & education on - 14th January 2019

The Department of Biotechnology- DBT & the Indian Council of Agricultural Research- ICAR inked a MoU on January 14th, 2019 to raise pressure on multi-disciplinary research & development activities & developing innovations in agricultural biotechnology research & education.
The Department of Biotechnology has undertaken various activities & programmes to encourage Biotechnology Research & Development in the areas of agriculture biotechnology.
Objective

• To plan & execute mutually the joint agreed major National programs via joint funding & sharing of resources in the priority areas of agricultural biotechnology.
• To design a common think-tank of experts from Indian Council of Agricultural Research & Department of Biotechnology & others to make policies related to:
• Transgenic crops, animals, fish & biological agents along with attribute prioritisation of traits.
  Plans to employ the emerging areas of biotechnology tools, including genome editing, synthetic biology & Nano-biotechnology in agriculture.
• Harmonise the laws overriding bio-diversity, bio-safety, patents protection & food safety.
  Modalities of PP partnerships.
• To develop national platform & centres for services concerned to genomics, genotyping, data banking, agriculture bioinformatics, Genetically Modified food detection, validation of technologies including vaccines, diagnostics of veterinary & fisheries usage, molecular markers in crop & animal breeding.
• To design &introduce courses & training programs in the area of biosafety, biodiversity conservation & germplasm interchange, genomic selection & breeding for faculty & students via suitable mechanisms.

Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019 on  - 18th January 2019

PM Narendra Modi will initiate the 9th edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019 on January 18th, 2019.The event will be organised at the Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The Event will see participation of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrashekhran, Chairman of Aditya Birla Group Kumar Mangalam Birla, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej, among others. The subject of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2019 will be ‘Youth Connect 2019: Shaping A New India– The Story of Billion Dreams’.
Key Highlights

• Heads of 5 nations including Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Rwanda President Paul Kagame, PM Denmark Lars Lokke Rasmussen, PM of the Czech Republic Andrej Babis & PM of Malta Joseph Muscat would taking part in the event.
• Besides, 21 ministers from various nations will be attending the event.
• 15 nations including Australia, Canada, France & Japan have decided to be ‘partner nations’ this year. 
• Unlike last events, the USA & UK will not be connecting themselves with the Event as `Partner Countries’ this year.
• More than 20000 national & international delegates are predictable to attend the ninth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.
• Few of the major events that will be organised during the 3-day event are include roundtable interaction, ‘Africa Day’ & an MSME Convention.