Current Affairs 20th July 2017

Current Affairs 20th July 2017 - Important Points

• SBI Realty portal for home buyers launched by - SBI
• Nine-judge bench to decide whether privacy is a fundamental right on - 18th July 2017
•  Union Government to replace MCI oversight committee is allowed by - Supreme Court
• Revised policy of scheme to improve girl child ratio approved by - Maharashtra government
• New sanctions on Iran over missile tests imposed by - US
• Flame-proof, rust-resistant material developed by - Researchers from IISER Kolkata
• UK’s first woman Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill elected in - Home Affairs Select Committee
• World’s first Laser Weapons System tested by - US Navy
•  First state to have eco-friendly bridges for movement of tigers? - Telangana
• 14th President of India - Ram Nath Kovind

Current Affairs 20th July 2017 - Details

SBI Realty portal for home buyers launched by - SBI

SBI has launched a dedicated portal ‘SBI Realty’ on 18th July 2017 with an aim to help home buyers to choose flats from its 3000 approved projects across the country. ‘SBI Realty’ is a one-stop integrated website for home buyers.

Key Highlights

• Customers can choose their dream home from 3000 SBI-approved projects with the help
  of SBI Reality , which are spread across 13 states and union territories covering 30 cities.
• There are 9.5 lakh homes are available on the website currently where customers can compare current and past trends of prices for the properties in various localities in the city.
• Customers will be getting the help in calculating appropriate loan amount he/she should borrow based on income and credit profile through this portal.
• SBICAP Securities developed this portal in association with PropEquity in terms of data support, project information, etc.
• It is the biggest commercial bank of India in terms of deposits, profits,assets, branches, customers and employees with an extensive network with over 24000 branches in India and 194 offices in 35 other countries.

Nine-judge bench to decide whether privacy is a fundamental right on - 18th July 2017

Supreme Court of India decided to set up a nine-judge bench to decide whether the right to privacy in the world’s largest democracy can be defined as a fundamental right under the Constitution or not on 18th July 2017. The nine-judge bench will be starting hearing the issue and decided whether the fundamental rights, described under Part III of the Constitution, also include the right to privacy from 19th July 2017.

The decision to form a nine-judge bench was taken by a five-judge Constitution bench while hearing a bunch of petitions pertaining that the Aadhaar Scheme, which requires the mandatory parting of biometric details, is a violation of citizens right to privacy. Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar led the five-judge Constitution bench. Rest of the members of this bench were Justice J Chelameswar, Justice S Abdul Nazeer,Justice SA Bobde, and Justice DY Chandrachud.

Before this, a three-judge Bench led by Justice Chelameswar that on 7th October 2015 referred the petitions to the larger bench after the attorney-general Mukul Rohatgi referred to the inconsistencies in the past apex court decisions and said that the issue whether the right to privacy was a fundamental right or not, needed to be settled first. However, the cases remain hanging despite several reminders from the petitioners.

On 12th July 2017, the court decided to refer the Aadhaar petitions to a five-judge Bench so that they can deal with the Aadhaar-related matters.

 Union Government to replace MCI oversight committee is allowed by - Supreme Court

The Supreme Court allowed the Union Government to replace the Oversight Committee set up to supervise the functioning of the Medical Coucil of India (MCI) with a new committee of five eminent doctors on 18th July 2017.

Chief Justice J S Khehar headed the five-judge Constitution bench which made this ruling. The bench also ruled that the government can replace any doctor in the list with another if in any case he does not wish to be a part of the oversight committee. The term of the previous MCI oversight committee, headed by former Chief Justice R M Lodha, expired recently.

Revised policy of scheme to improve girl child ratio approved by - Maharashtra government

The Maharashtra government approved a revised policy of the 'Majhi Kanya Bhagyashree' scheme in an attempt to improve girl child ratio in the state on 18th July 2017. The revised scheme will be benefitting families that have a yearly income of up to Rs 7.5 lakh. This decision was taken during the cabinet meeting held in Mumbai.
More about the Scheme

• The 'Majhi Kanya Bhagyashree' scheme was launched by the Maharashtra government on 1st April 2016 in place of ‘Sukanya’ scheme.
• It is aimed at improving skewed girl child ratio, preventing sex determination, female foeticide and supporting female education.
• According to the earlier provisions, the scheme catered Below Poverty Line (BPL) families girls and those whose annual income was up to Rs 1 lakh.
• The revised provisions will be allowing families having an income up to Rs 7.5 lakh to also get the benefit from the scheme.
• According to the scheme’s revised policy, if the mother or the father undergoes a family planning operation after the birth of their first girl child, a sum of Rs 50,000 shall be deposited in a bank in the name of their girl child.
• In addition to that, if any of the parents undergo a family planning operation after bearing the second girl child, an amount of Rs 25,000 will be deposited in the name of both children.
• The girl child will be able to withdraw the interest money twice, at the age of 6 years and then when she turns 12.
• The girl can withdraw the total amount along with interest at the time when she turns 18, with a condition that she has completed her education up to 10 Standard and is unmarried.

New sanctions on Iran over missile tests imposed by - US

The United States imposed fresh sanctions against 18 individuals and entities over their support for Iran's ballistic missile program and other military-related activities in July 2017. In a statement issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on 18th July 2017, it is stated that it was targeting 16 entities and individuals for "engaging in support of illegal Iranian actors or transnational criminal activity."

The State Department also said it was designating two Iranian organizations which were involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program.
Those sanctioned have supported Iran's military or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps by developing military equipment, producing and maintaining fast-attack boats, and procuring electronic components, as per the treasury statement.
The sanctions came a day after the US certified that Iran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal and will be continuing to receive nuclear-related sanctions relief.
On the other side, Iran condemned the new sanctions and responded with its own sanctions against Americans. The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and other world powers eased sanctions against Tehran in return of curbs on Tehran's nuclear program.

More on 2015 Nuclear Deal

• The Iran nuclear deal framework or 2015 Nuclear Deal was a preliminary framework agreement reached in 2015 between the a group of other world powers: Germany, Russia, France,the United States, the United Kingdom, China and the European Union and Islamic Republic of Iran.
• Negotiations for a framework deal over the nuclear program of Iran took place between the foreign ministers of the countries at a series of meetings held from 26th March to 2nd April 2015 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Flame-proof, rust-resistant material developed by - Researchers from IISER Kolkata

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata have recently developed an organic-inorganic hybrid material which is rust and fire resistant.
This achievement was published in a journal called ACS Omega.
This hybrid material was synthesised by combining polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) and diphenylalanine. The POSS molecule by itself has unique properties like fire retarding ability and high thermal stability. While both POSS and diphenylalanine are water repellent by nature and this hydrophobic nature gets increased once they are combined together.
Important Highlights

• Materials coated with the hydrophobic hybrid molecular material can behave similar to the lotus leaf and keep the surface clean and completely water-proof.
• The molecular material also enhances the mechanical strength of the coated paper by 1.5 times.
  Other than this, it can also inhibit bacterial growth and make coated material such as wood or paper fire and flame proof.
• This hybrid material is colorless and does not react with metal.
• Nails coated with the material were able to resist corrosion even when treated with an aqueous solution of potassium chloride, sodium bromide, sodium chloride and hydrochloric acid.
• Silver artifacts coated with the material were able to resist the black color (silver sulphide) formation on its surface when treated with hydrogen sulphide for 10 minutes approximately.
• Matchsticks coated with the hybrid material were able to extinguish the flame the time fire reached the coated portion.

UK’s first woman Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill elected in - Home Affairs Select Committee

Britain’s first woman Sikh Member of Parliament was elected to an influential cross-party panel in the UK Parliament that examines the workings of the Home Office in July 2017. Preet Kaur Gill after winning the Edgbaston seat for the Labor party on 8th June 2017 during snap general election, elected to the Home Affairs Select Committee in the UK Parliament.
She will be one of the 11 MPs on the cross-party home affairs committee. She has also been chosen to lead the APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group) for British Sikhs, responsible to promote the interests of Sikhs in Britain.

More about Home Affairs Select Committee

• It is a Committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
• It is an influential cross-party panel in the UK Parliament responsible to examine the working of the Home Office.
• It investigates the policies, spending, and administration of the ministerial department.
• It also chooses its own subjects of inquiry, within the overall terms of reference.

World’s first Laser Weapons System tested by - US Navy

The United States Navy has tested the world’s first-ever active Laser Weapons System (LaWS) successfully, which is now deployed, and is all ready for any sort of attack on the Persian Gulf.
The USS Ponce amphibious transport ship deployed The LaWS.
During the test, the system was able to destroy a drone in flight and other moving targets in the Persian Gulf. After this testing, USS Ponce becomes the first ship in the world to be deployed with such an advanced weapons system.
Important Details of LaWS

• The weapon is capable of moving at the light speed which is expected to be around 50,000 times faster than an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
• It operates in an invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum resulting in invisible beam.
• The weapon is also completely silent and remarkably precise, which could help in limiting collateral damage during wartime.
• The total cost involved to build the weapon is about $40 million.
• In order to operate, it requires electricity supply, which is derived from its own small generator and a three-member crew.
• One of the biggest strengths of this weapon is its versatility. It can be used against a variety of targets, regardless of whether they are either airborne or surface or ground-based.
• It is mainly intended to take on drones, aircraft and small vessels that could be used in case of an attack from countries such as Iran and North Korea.

 First state to have eco-friendly bridges for movement of tigers? - Telangana

In a first of its kind, the Indian state of Telangana will soon be having eco-friendly bridges for easy movement of tigers.
The state will be having the bridges over a canal cutting across the tiger corridor linking the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra with the forests in Telangana's Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.
The intervention needs the fertile soil laying in order to grow grass and plants over the structure, so that fragmentation of the reserve forest can be camouflaged.
The Telangana Irrigation Department has already given green signal to construct the eco-bridges. However, recommendations on the size and locations of the bridges are awaiting for the final approval
from the National Board of Wildlife. The concept of building eco-bridges came up after experts visit from the Wildlife Board of India and the Wildlife Institute of India. They were concerned about the large-scale forest destruction along with the corridor, which would result in cutting off tiger movement between Bejjur and TATR.
Important highlights

• These bridges will going to be constructed at key places along the 72 kilometer long right flank canal of the Pranahita barrage in the Bejjur and Dahegaon mandals.
• One of the locations tentatively assigned for the eco-bridge is a place close to Sulgupalli in the Bejjur forest range.
• In this area, the canal is over a kilometer wide, which urgently is a facilitation for the movement of wild animals.

14th President of India - Ram Nath Kovind

NDA Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind won the Presidential elections on 20th July 2017.
After these elections, he becomes the 14th President of India. He won the presidential election by defeating with 1086 to the opposition candidate Meira Kumari.
Ram Nath Kovind secured 2930 votes valued 2930 votes valued 702044, while, Meira Kumari managed to get only 1844 votes valued 367340.
Lok Sabha Secretary General and Returning officer Anoop Mishra announced his victory.
The counting of the votes for the Presidential election was done at the Parliament House complex did the votes counting and the results were declared after 8-round counting of the votes.

More about 14th President Ram Nath Kovind

• Ram Nath Kovind was serving Bihar as its Governor at the time of his nomination for the presidential candidature.
• Born on October 1st, 1945 at Parokh village in Kanpur in the house of farmer’s family.
• He completed his education in the village but keenly felt the lack of proper educational facilities.
• Lack of educational facilities in his village determined him to work for the spread of education into India's rural areas.
• The Jhalkari Bai Inter College in his native village is an example of his tireless efforts
• He did his LLB degree from Kanpur University and after completion of the course, Ramnath decided to go to Delhi in 1971 to practice law.
• His legal career also saw him serving as standing counsel of the Central Government for manny years.
• Kovind is best known for his honesty in his public and political life.
• He became a Rajya Sabha member in 1994 and there he was appointed the National Spokesperson of the BJP.
• He became a member of the party's National Executive in 1997 and represented the country in the UN General Assembly in 2002.
• On 8th August 2015, Kovind became the governor of Bihar, a responsibility that earned him a lot of respect for his efficiency.