Current Affairs: 28 July
- Lok Sabha passed the Lokpal and Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2016
- The bill seeks to amend the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013
- In the absence of a recognized Leader of Opposition, the amendment will now allow the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha to be a member of the selection committee.
- It also amends section 44 of parent Act that deals with provision of furnishing of details of assets and liabilities of public servants within 30 days of joining the government service. The amendment has removed this period of 30 days.
- Leader of Opposition:
- Why required: Provides constructive criticism to government policies
- In 1977: Leader of Opposition of Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha were given Statutory recognition and hence, salaries & allowances on par with cabinet ministers.
- Leader of Opposition is defined as that member of the Lok Sabha (or the Rajya Sabha )who, is the Leader of that House of the Party in Opposition to the Government having the greatest numerical strength and
- Now, for a party to be recognized it has to have minimum 10% seats.
- In 2014 Union election, Lok Sabha 543 seats, so 10% = 55 Seats. But Congress got only 44 seats and AIDMK 37 seats, hence no recognized party of opposition and no leader of opposition.
- But appointment committee and other places, leader of opposition plays integral part. Hence, government changed rule in many places from leader of opposition to leader of single largest opposition party.
- Indians – Bezwada Wilson and TM Krishna, won the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016.
- Bezwada Wilson (India):
- He is the National Convener of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA) and has done remarkable work in liberating scores of people engaged in manual scavenging across the country.
- He has been recognized for asserting the inalienable right to a life of human dignity.
- Thodur Madabusi Krishna (India):
- He is a Carnatic music vocalist and been recognized for ensuring social inclusiveness in culture.
- Ramon Magsaysay Award
- Asia’s highest honour and is often regarded as the region’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
- Established in 1957 in the memory of Philippines’ 3rd President Ramon Magsaysay who had died in air disaster in March 1957.
- Funded by Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Philippine government.
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially declared Brazil free of measles, after no case of the disease was registered in the year 2015.
- Hillary Clinton sealed the Democratic Party nomination for the President of the U.S. on Tuesday night.
- South Africa will open a regional office that would channel funding drawn from the New Development Bank (NDB) of the Brazil-Russia-China-India-South Africa (BRICS) group.
- The Africa Regional Office (ARO) is expected to open in Johannesburg by the end of this year,
- Earth bid a final farewell to robot lab Philae on Wednesday
- Philae: 1st craft to land on Comet.
- Philae’s mothership Rosetta will remain in orbit around comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko for another two months and then will join Philae in their final resting place.
- Union Government has approved nearly 1,600 crore rupees for Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under skill development initiative ‘Himayat’ programme’.
- ‘Himayat’ is an Urdu word which means support.
- Seeks to empower 1 Lac youth of J&K through vocational training programs and employment opportunities.
- Scheme is part of the Skill Empowerment and Employment scheme of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
