Current Affairs 19th July 2018

Current Affairs 19th July 2018 - Important Points

• Nelson Mandela International Day observed on - 18th July 2018
• Name of Indian javelin thrower who clinched Gold at Sotteville Athletics meet in France - Neeraj Chopra
• Union Cabinet approved proposal to grant special remission to prisoners on - 18th July 2018
• LS Speaker accepted no-confidence motion against ruling government on - 18th July 2018
• Rajya Sabha passed Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill on - 18th July 2018

Current Affairs 19th July 2018 - Details

Nelson Mandela International Day observed on - 18th July 2018

On 18th July 2018, Nelson Mandela International Day was observed across the globe. This year this day was special as it marked 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela. He fought throughtout his life to make world better place to live with equality. Aim to observe this day it is to awake everyone to their ability and responsibility to change the world for the better.

Theme of Nelson Mandela International Day 2018 was - Take Action! Inspire Change!

More about Nelson Mandela :

Nelson Mandela was anti-apartheid revolutionary from South Africa. He was a political leader who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. From University of Fort Hare and University of the Witwatersrand he studied law. He then in 1943 joined African National Congress and co founded Youth League in 1944.

In November 2009, July 18 was declared as Nelson Mandela International Day by United Nations.

Name of Indian javelin thrower who clinched Gold at Sotteville Athletics meet in France - Neeraj Chopra

On 17th July 2018, Javelin thrower of India, Neeraj Chopra won the gold medal at the Sotteville Athletics meet (France). He won the gold with a throw of 85.17m. Silver medal went to Andrian Mardare (81.48m) of Moldova, while Bronze medal went to Edis Matusevicius (79.31m) of Lithuania.

Neeraj Chopra is twenty years oldand hails from Panipat (Haryana). He had also won gold in 2016 World Junior Championship where he covered distance of 86.48m. He is also first to win Gold from India in CWG in the sport of javelin throw.

Union Cabinet approved proposal to grant special remission to prisoners on - 18th July 2018

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval to the proposal to grant special remission to prisoners as part of  commemoration of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

With this scheme, certain categories of prisoners including women, transgenders and physically disabled, will be set free after satisfying the given criteria.

The prisoners will be released in three phases:

Phase I: October 2nd, 2018 (Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi)

Phase II: April 10th, 2019 (Anniversary of Champaran Satyagraha)

Phase III: Octobe 2nd, 2019 (Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi)

Below are the categories of prisoners eligible for special remission

• Women convicts of 55 years of age and above and have completed 50 percent of their actual sentence period
• Transgender convicts of 55 years of age and above and have completed 50 percent of their actual sentence period.
• Male convicts of 60 years of age and above and have completed 50 percent of their actual sentence period.
• Physically challenged or disabled convicts with 70 percent disability and more, who have completed 50 percent of their actual sentence period.
• Terminally ill convicts.
• Convicted prisoners who have completed two-thirds (66 percent) of their actual sentence period.

 LS Speaker accepted no-confidence motion against ruling government on - 18th July 2018

The Speaker of Lok Sabha, Sumitra Mahajan admitted a no-confidence motion moved by the opposition against the ruling government on July 18th, 2018, on the opening day of the Monsoon session of Parliament.

This no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government brought by the TDP and opposition parties will be taken up for debate on July 20th, 2018.

Key  Objective

The opposition parties have brought in the no-confidence motion against the ruling government on issues including grant of special status to Andhra Pradesh, atrocities,lynchings against women and the dalits and the dilution of a law meant for Scheduled Caste.

Important Highlights

• The discussion will going to be held for the full day, followed by voting on the issue.
• The Speaker announced that there will be no question hour on that day of the debate.
• The House will also not be having any other business on the day except for the discussion on the no-confidence motion.
• During that Zero Hour, the Speaker named all the opposition members who had moved similar no-confidence motion notices and said that TDP’s Kesineni Srinivas  would also be moving his motion as his party was the first to bring up that matter.
  
  

Rajya Sabha passed Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill on - 18th July 2018

The Parliament passed the Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill, 2017 on July 18th, 2018. Seeking to amend the Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act, 1952, was adopted by a voice vote in Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the parliament. The Lok Sabha had passed the bill in December 2017.

Important Highlights

• Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill was moved by Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri moved the Requisitioning and Acquisition of this bill.
• It seeks to amend the regulations governing the compensation payable for the acquisition of immovable property by the Centre for security and defence purposes.
• It seeks to amend a provision to allow the Centre to re-issue the notice of acquisition to ensure that the property owner gets an opportunity to be heard.
• The bill will be helping to bring justice to those whose land was taken without proper notice.
• This is the 12th amendment that is being introduced to the bill and so far bill has been amended 11 times before.

Major Critics of the bill

• The major concern of theis bill’s critics is that it should should not breach the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, ensuring double compensation for land, if acquired for a public purpose in the urban area, and four times in the rural area.
• According to the 2013 law, compensation for land acquisition for even national security and defence was not tampered and entitled for the enhanced compensation.
• The critics hope that the newly amended bill does not lower the compensation that a landowner was entitled to under the 2013 law or act against the farmers interest.

The Bill stated that enhanced compensation will be awarded only when:

I. The acquisition notice is already re-issued

II. The land is being acquired for national security and defence purposes in the nation.