Current Affairs 20 March 2015

Fourth National Photography Awards conferred on 13 eminent photojournalists

The fourth National Photography Awards were conferred on 13 eminent photojournalists in New Delhi on 20 March 2015. The award were conferred by Secretary (Information & Broadcasting) Bimal Julka.

The awards were given in 5 categories including Life-Time Achievement Award, Amateur Photographer of the Year, Special Mention Category for both Amateur and Professional segments.

The theme for 4th edition Professional Photographer category was “Hamara Bharat Swachh Bharat” and for the Amateur Category was “Mother and Child”. The jury for this edition of awards was headed by well-known photographer Anil Risal Singh.

Following are the recipients of awards in various categories

• Life-Time Achievement Award- Surendra R. Patel.
• Professional Photographer of the Year- Swarup Duta.
• Amateur Photographer of the Year- Sasikumar.
• Special Mention Award in Professional Category- Jayesh Navinchandra Shah, Atul Vasant Ghag, Pravin Rawat, Arvind Kumar Jain, Umesh Nikam.
• Special Mention Award in Amateur Category- Joydeep Mukherjee, Akhil Hardia, Nimai Chandra Ghosh, Mukesh J. Thakkar, Tabeenah Anjum Qureshi.

Union Cabinet approves 33% reservation for women in police forces of UTs, Delhi

Union Cabinet on 20 March 2015 approved 33 percent reservation for women in police forces of all seven Union Territories (UTs) including Delhi Police.

This decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

The reservation in this regard will be

• Applicable in each category of SC, ST, OBC and others in direct recruitment in non-gazetted posts from constables to sub-inspector.
• Available to women against all prior vacancies that existed on the date of issue of this order after Cabinet approval and vacancies arising henceforth.

Union Government has taken this decision to augment the representation of the women in the police forces in order to make police more gender sensitive.

This decision will also instill confidence among women to enable them to approach the police without hesitation for seeking protection and assistance as and when required.

Parliament passes Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015

Parliament has passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015. The bill was first passed in Rajya Sabha and later in Lok Sabha on 20 March 2015.

The Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha after the Union government had accepted the recommendations of the Select Committee. The amendments in the bill were made in the bill passed by Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015.

The bill amends the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 in order to regulate the mining sector in the country.

Key highlights of Bill

• Addition of new schedule- The bill adds a new 4th schedule in the parent Act to include mining of bauxite, iron ore, limestone and manganese ore as notified minerals.
• Lease period- Bill has changed it for 50 years, as against present 30 years for all minerals other than coal, lignite and atomic minerals. While, there is no provision for renewal of mining concessions, unlike the parent Act.
• Auction of notified and other minerals- State governments will grant mining leases and prospecting licence-cum-mining leases along with approval of Union government. In this case, Union government will prescribe the terms and conditions for selection of bidders as also the procedure for auctions.
• Maximum area for mining- Union government is permitted to increase the area allowed for mining, instead of granting additional leases as per parent Act. Union government may reserve some mines exclusively for some specific purposes.
• Institutions- District Mineral Foundation (DMF) to be set up in mining areas affected by mining operations to address local area grievances. National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) to be set up for regional and pan-India planning and detailed mine exploration.

Parliament passes Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015

Parliament has passed Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2015. It was first passed in Lok Sabha on 4 March 2015 and later in Rajya Sabha on 20 March 2015.

This bill will replace the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) second ordinance, 2014.

Key highlights of Bill

• The bill has provisions for allocation of coal mines through a transparent bidding process i.e e-auction.
• The e-auction of coal blocks will ensure the continuity in coal mining operations and promoting optimum utilization of coal resources.
• The bill also facilitate e-auction of coal blocks for private companies for captive use and allot mines directly to state and central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
• It has provisions that propose strong measures for rehabilitation and compensation for displaced persons.
• The bill also provides for vesting of the right, title and interest over the land and mine infrastructure together with mining leases to successful bidders