1. Rajya Sabha passed Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015
i. Rajya Sabha on 22 December 2015 passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015. With this passage, the bill awaits the President’s nod to be qualified as an act as it was already passed by the Lok Sabha on 7 May 2015.
ii. Most importantly, the Bill permits juveniles between the ages of 16-18 years to be tried as adults for heinous offences. Also, any 16-18 year old, who commits a lesser (serious) offence, may be tried as an adult only if he is apprehended after the age of 21 years.
iii. The Bill replaces the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. It addresses children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection.
iv. Juvenile Justice Boards (JJB) and Child Welfare Committees (CWC) will be constituted in each district. The JJB will conduct a preliminary inquiry to determine whether a juvenile offender is to be sent for rehabilitation or be tried as an adult. The trial of the case will take place accordingly by the board which will consist of psychologists and social experts.
v. During the passage of the bill, inside and outside the parliament differing views were expressed on the provisions of the bill especially on whether juveniles should be tried as adults.
vi. The provision of trying a juvenile committing a serious or heinous offence as an adult based on date of apprehension could violate the Article 14 (right to equality) and Article 21 (requiring that laws and procedures are fair and reasonable).
vii. The Standing Committee, which examined the bill, observed that it was based on misleading data regarding juvenile crimes and violated certain provisions of the Constitution.
2. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar approved Patna Metro Rail project
i. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on 22 December 2015 approved much anticipated Patna Metro Rail project's proposal. The state government will now send the proposal for the union government's clearance.
ii. The proposal for the metro rail project was approved at a meeting, which was called to review the performance of the state urban development department at Patna. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Patna Metro Rail project will be presented to the state cabinet for approval soon.
iii. In 2014, the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) submitted the DPR on the project to the Bihar government, reducing the project estimates to 14000 crore rupees from 17000 crore rupees earlier.
iv. The Metro proposal aims at two corridors in the first phase covering a total distance of 31km. The first corridor will run east to west over 14.5 Kilometres from Mithapur bus stand to Saguna Mor via Bailey Road and Patna Junction.
v. The second north-south corridor will run from Patna Junction to the proposed bus stand at Bairiya on Patna-Gaya road via Ashok Rajpath, Gandhi Maidan and Rajendra Nagar Terminal over 16.5km. A corporation on the lines of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will be formed for monitoring the construction of the project in Patna.
3. Union Cabinet approved Lucknow Metro Rail Project Phase-1A
i. Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 December 2015 approved the Lucknow Metro Rail Project Phase-1 A. To be developed at an expenditure of 6928 crore rupees, the project will cover a length of 22.878 km with 22 stations.
ii. Out of the total route length of 22.878 km, elevated route will be 19.438 km while underground route length will be 3.440 km with total 19 elevated and three underground metro stations. The metro train will ply between Chowdhary Charan Singh Airport and Munshi Pulia.
iii. The project will cost 6928 crore rupees of which the Union Government will give 1300 crore rupees in form of equity and subordinate debt.
iv. The project will be implemented by the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC), which will be reconstituted into a 50:50 jointly owned company of Union Government and Government of Uttar Pradesh.
4. Philippines became first Asian country to approve world's first-ever dengue vaccine
i. The Philippines on 22 December 2015 became the first Asian country to approve the sale of the world's first-ever dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.
ii. The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration approved the dengue vaccine for the prevention of disease caused by all four dengue types in individuals from 9 to 45 years old living in endemic areas. Earlier on 9 December 2015, Dengvaxia, manufactured by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi, secured its first regulatory approval in Mexico.
iii. The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) approved Dengvaxia for the prevention of disease caused by all four dengue virus serotypes in preadolescents, adolescents and adults, 9 to 45 years of age living in endemic areas.
iv. The COFEPRIS approval of Dengvaxia is based on results from an extensive clinical development program involving over 40000 people of different ages, geographic and epidemiological settings, and ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds living in 15 countries.
v. Sanofi is a French multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Paris, France. It was founded in 1973 as subsidiary of Elf Aquitaine. The company engages in the research and development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical drugs principally in the prescription market.
5. CCEA approved 3000-crore rupees scheme for integrated development and management of fisheries
i. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22 December 2015 gave its approval for implementation of an umbrella scheme for integrated development and management of fisheries. The scheme will be implemented at an outlay of 3000 crore rupees, for a period of five years.
ii. It will cover development and management of inland fisheries, aquaculture, marine fisheries and all activities undertaken by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) towards realizing Blue Revolution.
iii. The scheme aims development and management of fisheries and aquaculture sector to ensure a sustained annual growth rate of 6 to 8 percent. It will be implemented in all the States including North East States and Union Territories.
6. Zimbabwe announced to adopt Chinese currency Yuan
i. Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa on 21 December 2015 announced that the country has planned to adopt the Chinese Yuan as legal tender. It will be done in return for debt cancellation worth 40 million dollars in the second week of December 2015.
ii. As per the decision, Yuan will be a function of trade between China and Zimbabwe and acceptability with customers in Zimbabwe.
iii. China has become the largest investor in Zimbabwe, which has been shunned by the West over its human rights record and is struggling to emerge from a deep 1999-2008 recession that forced the government to ditch its own currency in 2009.
iv. In the last five years, Zimbabwe has received more than one billion dollars in low interest loans from China, which is Harare's second largest trading partner after South Africa. China has been accused of exploiting the continent's vast mineral and energy resources at the expense of local people.
v. Earlier also to stabilize its hyperinflation crisis, the nations has adopted foreign currencies, mostly the US Dollar and South African Rand, as legal tender. This adoption helped the country to boost its economy.
7. RBI created Dedicated Helpline for guiding Start-ups in India on Forex Matters
i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 22 December 2015 created a dedicated helpline (Email) for start-ups in India in order to offer assistance on Forex matters to them for undertaking cross-border transactions within the ambit of the regulatory framework.
ii. While seeking guidance on the helpline, the enterprises will be asked to provide complete information to the Reserve Bank and mention the specific issues on which they need guidance from the Bank in relation to the Foreign Exchange Management regulations.
iii. This will enable the personnel attending the helpline to offer timely and effective information. Generally, Start-up enterprises undertake a wide range of cross-border transactions including those related to investment.
iv. Cross-border transactions of resident Indians are subject to the regulatory regime provided by the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.
8. CCEA approved investment of 5000 crore rupees into ONGC Videsh
i. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22 December 2015 gave its approval for investment of 5000 crore rupees by Oil and Natural Gas Company Limited (ONGC) into the equity share capital of ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) by conversion of existing loan of equivalent amount into equity.
ii. The approved investment will strengthen the capital base of ONGC Videsh. It will enhance the ability of ONGC to undertake overseas Exploration and Production (E&P) business, thereby improving the energy security of the country.
iii. With this investment, the equity base of OVL will rise to 15000 crore rupees. All the loan ONGC had given to OVL was at zero interest.
iv. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) is a multinational oil and gas company. It was founded on 14 August 1956 by Government of India (GoI). It is a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) of the GoI, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
v. ONGC Videsh is a Miniratna Schedule A Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) of the Government of India. It is the wholly owned subsidiary and overseas arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited. It was incorporated as Hydrocarbons India Pvt. Ltd. on 5 March 1965 to carry out exploration and development of the Rostam and Raksh oil fields in Iran and undertaking a service contract in Iraq.
9. Pawan Kumar Agarwal appointed as CEO of FSSAI
i. Senior IAS officer Pawan Kumar Agarwal was on 22 December 2015 appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
ii. He succeeded Yudhvir Singh Malik, who was shifted as Additional Secretary in Niti Aayog in September 2015. Malik is believed to be the man behind the ban on global giant Nestles popular noodle brand Maggi, which has now been removed.
iii. Prior to Pawan Kumar Agarwal's appointment, FSSAI Chairman Ashish Bahuguna was holding the additional charge of FSSAI CEO.
iv. Pawan Kumar Agarwal is a 1985 batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre. He is presently serving as the Joint Secretary in Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
10. Winners for the 2015 ICC Awards announced
i. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on 23 December 2015 announced the winners for the 2015 ICC Awards in Dubai, the UAE. The awards were based on performance of individuals and teams, both men and women, between 18 September 2014 and 13 September 2015.
ii. Among the 10 awards announced, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year were conferred on Australian captain Steve Smith. With this announcement, Smith became the fourth Australian and 11th overall to win the prestigious award named after former West Indies cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers.
iii. During the voting period, the 26-year-old from New South Wales finished as the leading run-scorer in Tests with 1734 runs in 25 innings of 13 matches at an average of 82.57. This included seven centuries and six half-centuries.
- Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year - Steven Smith (Australia)
- ICC Test Cricketer of the Year - Steven Smith (Australia)
- ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year - AB de Villiers (South Africa)
- ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year - Meg Lanning (Australia)
- ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year - Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
- ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year - Khurram Khan (UAE)
- ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year - Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
- ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year - Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)
- David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year - Richard Kettleborough
- ICC Spirit of Cricket Award - Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)
11. FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee banned Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini from football for 8 years
i. The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee on 21 December 2015 banned FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee of FIFA and President of UEFA Michel Platini.
ii. They were banned for eight years from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) on a national and international level.
iii. The ban came into force immediately. Blatter and Platini have also been fined 40000 US dollar and 80000
US dollar respectively.
iv. The Ethics Committee of football's global governing body that suspended the duo was chaired by Hans-Joachim Eckert. The decision was made in the wake of payment of 20 lakh Swiss Francs (CHF) which was transferred to Platini by Blatter in February 2011.
12. International Tennis Federation announced winners of 2015 World Champions
i. International Tennis Federation (ITF) on 22 December 2015 announced winners of 2015 World Champions. The awards were conferred on the basis of players’ performance in the 2015 season. They will receive their awards at the 2016 ITF World Champions Dinner on 31 May 2015, in Paris, during Roland Garros.
Men’s World Champion - Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Women’s World Champion - Serena Williams (the USA)
Men’s Doubles World Champions - Jean-Julien Rojer (Netherlands) & Horia Tecau (Romania)
Women’s Doubles World Champions - Martina Hingis (Switzerland) & Sania Mirza (India)
ITF Junior World Champions - Dalma Galfi (Hungary) & Taylor Fritz (the USA)
ITF Wheelchair World Champions - Jiske Griffioen (Netherlands) & Shingo Kunieda (Japan)
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