17 June 2017 Current Affairs
Former CJI PN Bhagwati Passes Away
Former Chief Justice of India PN Bhagwati, considered a pioneer of judicial activism in the country for introducing the concept of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) was passed away in New Delhi after the brief illness. Justice Bhagwati, 95, is survived by his wife Prabhavati Bhagwati and three daughters. The 17th Chief Justice of India, Justice Bhagwati remained on the highest judicial post between July 1985 and December 1986. He was a former Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court and was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court in July 1973. As a Supreme Court judge, Bhagwati introduced the concepts of public interest litigation (PIL) and absolute liability to the Indian judicial system.
External Affairs Minister inaugurates KIP for Young Overseas Indians
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated Know India Programme (KIP) for NRI and PIO youth with a view to provide them with an exposure to the country of their origin so that they can understand India better and more closely. External Affairs Minister has also launched a portal for the Know India Programme (KIP). Know India Programme is an initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs for the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) between the age group of 18 to 30 years. The Know India Programme is a three-week orientation programme which is aimed at promoting awareness on different facets of life in India as well as the progress made by the country in fields such as economic and education.
Prime Minister Modi Inaugurates Kochi Metro
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Kochi Metro & dedicated the first phase of Kochi Metro to the nation. He took a ride on the Metro from Palarivattom station to Pathadippalam station. Kerala Governor P Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan also travelled with Mr Modi. Kochi Metro is the first public transport system to reserve jobs for members of the third sex and it will be manned mainly by women a self-help group. Modi also launched the PN Panicker National Reading Day – Reading Month Celebrations. Kochi Metro Rail Limited is a 50-50 Joint Venture of Centre and the Kerala government. The estimated completed cost of the metro touched Rs 5, 181.79 crore.
Katy Perry Becomes First to Hit 100 Million Twitter Followers
Katy Perry just keeps soaring in popularity. The Witness singer and pop culture lightning rod became the first person to reach 100 million followers on Twitter, making her the most-followed person on the platform, Twitter reports. Perry joined Twitter back in 2009, making her something of an early adopter as a celebrity. Since then, she’s been an active user, sending out over 8,500 tweets in her time on the service; that’s about a thousand each year. She’s also been at the center of many memorable conversations and pop culture moments on the platform, from the 2015 Super Bowl’s viral “Left Shark” debacle during her performance to her participation in the 2016 election.
CCI slaps Rs 87 Crore fine on Hyundai Motor for unfair business ways
The country’s competition watchdog has imposed a penalty of Rs 87 crore on Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor India for anticompetitive conduct. According to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the carmaker imposed arrangements upon its dealers that resulted in resale price maintenance – a deal not to sell a product below a specified price – in the sale of passenger cars manufactured by it. Such arrangements also included monitoring of the maximum permissible discount levels through a Discount Control Mechanism, in contravention of the provisions of Section 3(4)(e) read with Section 3(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
German reunification architect Helmut Kohl dies at 87
Former German Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, the architect of German reunification, died at his house in Ludwigshafen, in the western state of Germany. He was 87. Mr. Kohl, who led the centre-right Christian Democrats, was the longest-serving German chancellor of the 20th Century. As Germany’s leader for 16 years, Kohl was remembered for reuniting the country and for making a huge political and economic contribution to Europe’s integration. Kohl was credited with bringing East and West Germany together after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Together with his French ally President Francois Mitterrand, he was responsible for the introduction of the Euro.
Aadhaar must for bank accounts, transactions over Rs 50,000
Stepping up its fight against tax evasion, the Centre has made it mandatory to quote the Aadhaar number for opening bank accounts and for transactions exceeding Rs.50,000. With the amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005 notified earlier this month, banks will have to demand both Aadhaar and the Permanent Account Number (PAN) for verification of identity, starting June 1. By the Finance Act, 2017, the Government had made it mandatory to seed PAN with Aadhaar and quote it in income-tax returns. However, the Supreme Court had held that only those individuals who possess an Aadhaar card need to link it with PAN. The new rules mandate existing bank account-holders to provide their Aadhaar details by December 31, while new applicants will be expected to quote either the 12-digit number or offer proof that they have applied for Aadhaar enrolment.