NATIONAL:
1. Karnataka passed Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2017
2. Union Minister launches new service to provide employment to unemployed youth in rural areas
3. About 3.5 lakh cases settled in National Lok Adalats across country
INTERNATIONAL:
4. World Radio Day
5. North Korea test fires ballistic missile
BUSSINESS & ECONOMY:
6. Niti Aayog readies model contract farming law
NATIONAL:
1. Karnataka passed Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2017
Legislative Assembly of Karnataka on 13 February 2017 passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2017. The bill seeks to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, in its application to Karnataka.
The bill presented in the assembly by Minister for Animal Husbandry and Sericulture, A Manju was passed to facilitate the conduct of traditional buffalo race “Kambala” and bullock cart races in South Kanara and Udupi districts.
About Kambala :
Kambala is a traditional annual buffalo race that is held in the marshy fields of the coastal districts of Karnataka. It is traditionally held under the sponsorship of local landlords and households or Patel of the village. The season for the race generally starts in November and lasts until March. At present, some 45 races are held annually in the Coastal Karnataka, including smaller remote villages.
The amendment to the Act of 1960 was needed to exempt the conduct of bullock cart racing from the ambit of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960. Earlier, the High Court of the state had banned the sports following a petition of PETA.
This ban by the high court led to protests by Kambala committees and other Kannada organizations in the coastal districts of the state.
The protests caught momentum after the success of stir in support of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu. The protests in the Tamil Nadu forced the state government to bring a similar amendment to the central act.
2. Union Minister launches new service to provide employment to unemployed youth in rural areas
Bandaru Dattatreya, the Union Labour and Employment Minister launched the National Career Service (NCS) and JeevanPraman facility to the EPFO pensioners on 12 February 2017 through Post Offices in DakSadan, Hyderabad.
With the launch, India Post that has a large postal network comprising around 155000 post offices will now be doubling up as employment registration centres for the unemployed youth living in the rural areas through the NCS portal.
Highlights :
The NCS portal will help the rural unemployed youth to register for employment at their doorstep without much hassle and at a very nominal fee. It will also give them access to a rich storehouse of career content covering almost 3000 occupations across 52 sectors, updated on its database.
The portal mainly aims to bridge the gap between the net connected urban areas and non-connected rural areas by creating equal opportunities for the rural unemployed youth.
The facility was launched for 95 Head Post offices and will soon be extended to other post offices across India.
The EPFO pensioners would also now be able to submit their digital life certificates (JeevanPramaan) through Head Post Offices.
Besides this, the Centre has planned to provide employment to 5 Cr people over the next five years. The number of youth in the country is estimated to be around 80 Cr by the year 2020.
According to the officials of the Labour and Employment department, around 14 lakh employers and about 4 Cr job seekers have already registered themselves in the NCS portal.
3. About 3.5 lakh cases settled in National Lok Adalats across country
National Legal Services Authority, NALSA, said that as per the figures received till 5 in the evening, more than 3.5 lakh cases, including 1.9 lakh pending and 1.6 lakh pre-litigation cases, have been settled. The total value of the settlement amount reached today is Rs 1,185 crores.
The National Lok Adalat, organised by the NALSA along with the respective State Legal Services Authorities.
Lok Adalats:
NALSA along with other Legal Services Institutions conducts Lok Adalats. Lok Adalat is one of the alternative dispute redressal mechanisms, it is a forum where disputes/cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage are settled/ compromised amicably. Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.
Under the said Act, the award (decision) made by the Lok Adalats is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties and no appeal against such an award lies before any court of law. If the parties are not satisfied with the award of the Lok Adalat though there is no provision for an appeal against such an award, but they are free to initiate litigation by approaching the court of appropriate jurisdiction by filing a case by following the required procedure, in exercise of their right to litigate.
INTERNATIONAL:
4. World Radio Day
World Radio Day is celebrated on February 13 every year, to celebrate radio as a medium of entertainment and information and the mode of communication.
The theme for World Radio Day is ‘ Radio is you’. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is inviting all radio stations and supporting organisations to join hands and celebrate radio and how it helps shape our lives.
The World Radio Day is now in its 6th year. Adapting to 21st century changes and offering new ways to interact and participate, Radio is still the most dynamic, reactive and engaging medium.
Radio in India:
- Radio broadcasting started in India in the early 1920’s
- In 1923, the first programme was aired by the Radio Club of Bombay
- Lord Irwin, then Viceroy of India, inaugurated Indian Broadcast Company (IBC) in Bombay (now Mumbai)
- All India Radio (AIR), one of the largest radio networks in the world, was founded in 1956
- FM broadcasting began in July 23, 1977 in Chennai
- Until 1993, AIR was the only radio broadcaster in India
- Radio City Banglore was the first private FM radio station that started on July 3, 2001
- In India, private FM is not allowed to broadcast news.
5. North Korea test fires ballistic missile
- Japan calls it ‘absolutely intolerable’; U.S. President Donald Trump assures Tokyo of full support.
- North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the sea early on Sunday, the first such test since U.S. President Donald Trump was elected, and his administration indicated that Washington would have a calibrated response to avoid escalating tensions.
- The launch marks the first test of Mr. Trump’s vow to get tough on an isolated North Korean regime that last year tested nuclear devices and ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate in violation of United Nations resolutions.
- Once fully developed, a North Korean ICBM could threaten the continental United States, which is about 9,000 km from North Korea.
- The Trump administration is also likely to step up pressure on China to rein in North Korea, reflecting Mr. Trump’s previously stated view that Beijing has not done enough on this front, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Chinese Angle:
- China is North Korea’s main ally but has been frustrated by Pyongyang’s repeated provocations, although it bristles at pressure from Washington and Seoul to curb the North and its young leader, Kim Jong Un.
US’ Response:
- Mr. Trump and his aides are likely to weigh a series of possible responses, including new U.S. sanctions to tighten financial controls, an increase in naval and air assets in and around the Korean peninsula and accelerated installation of new missile defence systems in South Korea, the administration official said.
- But the official said that given that the missile was believed not to have been an ICBM and that Pyongyang had not carried out a new nuclear explosion, any response will seek to avoid ratcheting up tensions.
- Mr. Trump has pledged a more assertive approach to North Korea but given no clear sign of how his policy would differ from Mr. Obama’s so-called strategic patience.
BUSSINESS & ECONOMY:
6. Niti Aayog readies model contract farming law
- Government’s premier think-tank Niti Aayog is preparing a model contract farming law to connect farmers with the food processing industry. “Niti Aayog is preparing a model contract farming law.
- That would connect farmers to the food processing industry,” Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya said in a Q&A on Budget 2017-18 on Facebook.
- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget speech had said: “We also propose to integrate farmers who grow fruits and vegetables with agro processing units for better price realisation and reduction of post-harvest losses.
- A model law on contract farming would, therefore, be prepared and circulated among the states for adoption.”
- To a separate query, Panagariya pointed out that part of the 15-year vision document shares sets of issues that “concern us immediately, i.e. what we should be doing in 2017-18 and 2018-19”.
