CURRENT AFFAIRS : 09-11-2020

Table of Content :

1. Sichuan-Tibet Railway

2.World Science Day for Peace and Development 

3. Social Reforms for UAE

4. Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana (ABVKY)

5. US President Election

6. UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ)

7. HP law against forced religious conversions

8. Stanford University list of top 2 Scientist

9.Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

1. SICHUAN-TIBET RAILWAY

Chinese President Xi Jinping instructed officials to expedite the construction of the new USD 47.8 billion railway project connecting the country’s southwest Sichuan province to Linzhi in Tibet close to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh, saying it would play a key role in safeguarding stability in the border areas.

About:

• The Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be the second railway line into Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway project. It will go through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the world’s most geologically active areas.
• The Sichuan-Tibet Railway starts from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province and travels through Ya’an and enters Tibet via Qamdo, shortening the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa from 48 hours to 13 hours.
• Linzhi, also known as Nyingchi, is located close to the Arunachal Pradesh border.
• The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control, the de-facto border between the two countries. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of south Tibet which is firmly rejected by India.

Source: Indian Express

2. WORLD SCIENCE DAY FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT

World Science Day for Peace and Development will be observed on 10 November.

About:

• Celebrated every 10 November, World Science Day for Peace and Development highlights the significant role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues.
• 2020 Theme: This year, at a time when the world is struggling with the global COVID-19 pandemic, the focus of World Science Day is on “Science for and with Society in dealing with the global pandemic.”

Background:

• The organization of a focused event related to the commitment to science and society was one of the positive outcomes of the 1999 World Conference on Science in Budapest.
• It was considered an opportunity to reaffirm each year the commitment to attaining the goals proclaimed in the Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Knowledge and to follow up the recommendations of the Science Agenda: Framework for Action.
• It was proclaimed by UNESCO in 2001 and was first celebrated worldwide on 10 November 2002.

Source: India Today

3. SOCIAL REFORMS IN U.A.E

The United Arab Emirates announced a slew of legal reforms relating to personal freedoms that seek to move the country away from its hardline interpretation of Islamic law.

About:

• The overhaul includes changes in laws related to honour killings, alcohol restrictions, cohabitation of unmarried couples, divorce and succession.
• Honour killings: Previously, under “honour crimes”, male relatives could evade prosecution or get lighter sentences for assaulting women who purportedly brought “dishonour” to the family by acts such as disobeying religious scriptures or promiscuity. Such incidents would now be treated as similar to any other assault.
• Harassment of Women: There would be stricter punishments for men who subject women to harassment, including stalking and street harassment. The rape of a minor or someone “with limited mental capacity” will be punished with execution.
• Consumption of alcohol: Drinking alcohol has been decriminalised for those above 21 years of age, and penalties for possessing or selling alcoholic beverages without an alcohol licence in authorised areas have been removed.
• Unmarried couples living together: Cohabitation of unmarried couples” has been made legal for the first time. Previously, it was illegal for an unmarried couple, or even unrelated flatmates, to share a home in the UAE.
• Divorce: For couples who were married in their home country but want to get a divorce in the UAE, laws of the country where the marriage took place would apply.
• Suicide: The reforms decriminalise suicide and attempted suicide. Previously, a person who survived a suicide attempt could be prosecuted. However, this offence has now been removed and the courts and police are supposed to provide mental health support to vulnerable people.

Source : Indian Express

4.ATAL BEEMIT VYAKTI KALYAN YOJANA (ABVKY)

Ministry of Labour and Employment said that submitting claims through Affidavit Form is now no longer required under Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana (ABVKY) of Employees' State Insurance Corporation- ESIC.

About:

• Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana is a welfare measure being implemented by the Employee's State Insurance (ESI) Corporation.
• It offers cash compensation to insured persons when they are rendered unemployed.
• The scheme provides relief to the extent of 50% of the average per day earning during the previous four contribution periods (total earning during the four contribution period/730) to be paid up to maximum 90 days of unemployment once in lifetime of the Insured Person.
• The Scheme was introduced w.e.f. 01-07-2018. The ESI Corporation in its meeting held in August this year had extended the Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana’ from 1st of July, 2020 to 30th June,2021.

Source:

5.U.S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Democrat Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the 2020 US presidential election, defeating Donald Trump, to become the 46th President of the United States.

About:

• With the declaration of Joe Biden as the President-Elect based on the projections of the electoral votes, Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris has also secured her position as the first woman to be the Vice President of the USA.
• Harris, is also credited to be the first woman of Indian-American and African-American origin to be a member of the United States Senate.
• The electoral college representatives elected by the popular votes will cast their votes to officially elect the new president on the 14th of next month. The new president will thereafter assume office on the 20th of January next year after the inauguration ceremony.

View of Donald Trump:

• Amidst the ongoing electoral process, Republican Candidate Donald Trump has challenged the lengthy process of counting mail ballots across many key states.
• Raising serious allegations, the Trump campaign team has also filed legal suits against the process in the States of Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona among others.

Source : All India Radio

6. UN ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON ADMINISTRATIVE AND BUDGETARY QUESTIONS (ACABQ)

In a significant victory for India at the United Nations, Indian diplomat Vidisha Maitra was elected to the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly.

About:

• The 193-member General Assembly appoints members of the Advisory Committee. Members are selected on the basis of broad geographical representation, personal qualifications and experience.
• The Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, which deals with administrative and budgetary issues, recommended Maitra to the Assembly for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2021.
• The victory comes as India gets ready to sit in the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for a two-year term beginning January 2021.

Additional Facts :

• ACABQ consists of 16 members appointed by the Assembly in their individual capacity.
• ACABQ ensures that fund contributions to the UN system are put to good effect and that mandates are properly funded.
• The major functions of the Advisory Committee are to examine and report on the budget submitted by the Secretary-General to the General Assembly and to advise the General Assembly concerning any administrative and budgetary matters referred to it.

Source: The Hindu

7. HIMACHAL PRADESH’S LAW AGAINST RELIGIOUS CONVERSION

Haryana Home Minister said that his government is considering a law against forced religious conversions and has sought information about such a law already in force in Himachal Pradesh.

Salient features of the law:

• Last year, the Himachal Pradesh assembly passed the Freedom of Religion Bill, 2019.
• According to it, no person shall convert any other person from one religion to another by use of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, inducement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage; nor shall any person abet or conspire such conversion.
• The Act does not cover a person re-converting to his “parent religion”.
• Any marriage done for the sole purpose of religion conversion may be declared null and void by a court on a petition by either party.
• Anyone who wishes to convert to any other religion will give a declaration to the district authorities at least one month in advance, specifying that one is doing so as per his/her “own volition or free consent”.
• The burden of proof as to whether a religious conversion was not effected through force or fraud lies on the person so converted, or the person who has facilitated the conversion.
• All offences under the Act are cognizable and non-bailable. The violator can be punished with a prison term ranging from one to five years, along with a fine.

Source : Indian Express

8. STANFORD UNIVERSITY’S LIST OF TOP 2 PER CENT SCIENTISTS

Stanford University has recently released a list that represents the top 2 per cent of the most-cited scientists in various disciplines. The exhaustive list has 1,59,683 persons with nearly 1,500 Indians in it.

About:

• This database includes the top 2 percent of scientists of the world from different fields on the basis of standardized citation indications. These include information on the number of citations, H -Index, co-authorship and a composite indicator.
• In the exhaustive list of 1,59,683 persons, 1,492 Indians have found a place, with a majority of them being from IITs and IISc and other top institutes.
• There were 16 Indian scientists who are ranked 30 or higher in the world, in their respective fields.
• In the field of Nuclear & Particle Physics, there are two Indians: Ashoke Sen (ranked 13) and T. Padmanabhan (ranked 24).
• There are two Indian in the field of Inorganic and Nuclear Chemistry: Prof Gautam Desiraju, (ranked 2) and CNR Rao (ranked 3) close to the top.
• Biotechnology also has two names: Dr Ashok Pandey, (ranked 8) and Dr S Venkata Mohan, (rank 29).

Source : Indian Express

9. MINISTRY OF PORTS, SHIPPING AND WATERWAYS

The Prime Minister Modi said that the Government of India is changing the name of the Ministry of Shipping and it will be known as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

About:

• In most of the developed economies, the Shipping Ministry is also responsible for Ports and Waterways. In India, the Shipping Ministry has been doing a lot of work related to Ports and Waterways.
• Now, with more clarity in name, there will be more clarity in the work, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Source : LiveMint

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