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All India Radio News Summary: 13 APRIL 2018

All India Radio News Summary: 13 APRIL 2018

  1. Government tells Supreme Court that its verdict on SC/ST Act has diluted the law resulting in great damage to the country.

Centre’s argument against recent SC verdict on SC/ST Act:

  • The Centre informed the Supreme Court that its recent judgement on the SC/ST Act has diluted the provisions of the law, resulting in great damage to the country. 
  • Attorney General said in a written statement that this judgment has diluted the provisions of the Atrocities Act read with the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and resulted in great damage to the country. 
  • He said that the confusion created by the verdict on 20th of March may have to be corrected by reviewing the judgment. The verdict has caused commotion, anger, unease and a sense of disharmony in the country.
  • He said that through its judgement on the 1989 Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the court has not filled the gaps in the SC/ST Act but rather amended it through judicial legislation, thus defeating the salutary provisions of this law.
  • The Centre stressed that separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary was inviolable.

 

  1. Rural Development Minister says the target of constructing one crore houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin to be achieved in the current fiscal. 
  • Rural Development Minister said the Centre will achieve the target of constructing one crore houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin by 31st of March next year.
  • The Minister said, 21 thousand villages have been identified which will be covered under seven schemes like Ujjwala, Ujala and Soubhagya under the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. The programme will start on 14th April and continue till the 5th of May.

 

  1. Union Minister says her ministry will bring an amendment in POCSO Act to include death penalty for rape of children below 12 years of age.

Women and Child Development Minister said, her ministry intends to bring an amendment to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act asking for death penalty for rape of children below 12 years of age.

Minister said she is deeply disturbed by the rape incident of a minor in Kathua.

 

  1. Prime Minister to launch first of the 1.5 lakh health centres under the Ayushman Bharat Yojnaa in backward district of Bijapur in Chhattisgarh tomorrow.

Prime Minister will launch a scheme for the transformation of ‘Aspirational Districts’ at Jangala village in Maoist affected Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.

  • PM would also launch the first of 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres planned under the Ayushman Bharat Yojna.
  • Bijapur is among the 115 poorest districts in the country which have been selected on the basis of their poor indicators in the field of education, health, basic infrastructure and financial inclusion.
  • Ayushman Bharat scheme aims to take health care to the next level by setting up health and wellness centres and then cover the primary, secondary healthcare and the tertiary care.
  • Under this scheme, 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres will bring health care system closer to the homes of people.  
  • Another component of Ayushman Bharat scheme is health insurance cover of Rs five lakh to almost 10 crore poor families.

 

  1. India and Russia sign seven agreements for manufacture and maintenance of defence equipment and systems.
  • India and Russia signed seven MoUs for defence hardware production at the Defence Expo at Thiruvidanthai.
  • These MoUs were signed between Indian Private Defence sector manufacturing companies and Russian Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for manufacture, development of spares, sub-assemblies and assemblies of identified Russian origin platforms in use by the Indian Armed Forces.
  • The MoUs were signed during third India-Russia Military Industrial Conference held on the side-lines of DefExpo 2018.
  • The signing of agreements between the two countries was the highlight of the defence expo today.
  • The Government had taken several initiatives to boost trade relationship in the defence sector.
  • It has also opted for state of the art technology transfer.
  • The Government is in the process of finalising a new defence production policy for further strengthening defence production.