Blog

Clat Possible > Blog > Current Affairs Capsule > CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE – 20 AUGUST 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS CAPSULE – 20 AUGUST 2019

August 20, 2019
Posted by: Team CP
Category: Current Affairs Capsule

No Comments

As part of the year-long celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) organized a one day National Workshop Cum Exhibition on Sustainable Sanitation at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 19th August, 2019. The aim of the workshop was to bring together relevant stakeholders to strategize on mitigating risks associated with manual entry into sewers or septic tanks in a systematic manner.
As per the analysis of NASA data released by the environmental NGO Greenpeace on 19th August 2019, India is the largest emitter of anthropogenic sulphur dioxide (SO2) in the world. SO2 is produced from burning of coal and it is known to largely contribute to air pollution. India has over 15 percent of all the SO2 hotspots in the world, which were detected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite. The NASA data also revealed that Norilsk smelter complex in Russia is the largest SO2 emission hotspot in the world.
The Madras High Court ruled that religious organizations have no power to dissolve a marriage or even allow a marriage. The court stated that utilization of such power by a religious organization is condemnable and the matter should be dealt with some severity. The Madras High Court also condemned the religious organizations for encouraging second marriages before the dissolution of the first marriage.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has added 20 more cities from eight states to the list of polluted cities, which do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and, therefore, require focused attention on multiple fronts to deal with the hazards of dirty air. These additions, including eight from Andhra Pradesh and six from West Bengal, have expanded the list of non-attainment cities (NACs) from 102 to 122. Under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), the Centre had set a national target of reducing key air pollutants PM10 and PM2.5 (particulate matters) by 20-30% by 2024, taking 2017 as the base year.
The 28th Ministerial Meeting of BASIC countries on Climate Change was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In this meeting, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar represented India. They jointly urged developed countries to fulfil their climate finance commitments of mobilizing $100 billion annually by 2020 for developing countries. Established by an agreement in 2009, the BASIC is geopolitical alliance of four advanced developing countries – Brazil, South Africa, India and China.
The Convenor of the Task force Akhilesh Ranjan submitted the Task Force’s report to the Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 19th August, 2019. The Task Force was constituted by the Government in November 2017 to review the existing Income Tax Act, 1961 and to draft a new direct tax law in consonance with the economic needs of the country.
The Returning Officer and Assembly Secretary Pramil Kumar Mathur announced that Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan on 19th August. In Uttar Pradesh, BJP candidate Neeraj Shekhar was also declared elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha. In Rajasthan, the by-poll was necessitated due to the death of Rajya Sabha MP Madan Lal Saini whereas, in UP, the by-poll was necessitated due to Shekhar’s resignation from the Rajya Sabha, after resigning from the Samajwadi Party.