By: D.K. Choudhary
Chandrababu Naidu Launches Arogya Raksha Scheme to cover APL Families
i. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh launched a new health scheme, Arogya Raksha Scheme on January 1, 2017 at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram in Vijayawada to provide the medical treatment to the people of the Above Poverty Line at Rs. 1200 premium per annum.
ii. The Arogya Raksha Scheme would provide health insurance coverage to about 35 Lakh Above Poverty Line families in the state.
iii. Under the scheme, an end-to-end cashless service would be rendered to a total of 1044 diseases covered under the scheme. Unlike other insurance schemes pre existing disease will not be considered.
iv. To avail the Arogya Raksha scheme benefits, every individual of the family would be required to pay Rs. 100 per month or Rs. 1200 per annum as policy premium.
11- Days Gala Festival Bargarh Dhanua Jatra Begins in Odisha
i. The World famous 11-day gala festival Bargarh Dhanua Jatra began on 2 January 2017 in western Odisha. All rituals were performed before Goddess Samaleswari, the presiding deity of the event.
ii. Dhanu Jatra is an annual drama-based open air theatrical performance celebrated in and around Bargarh city spanning over an area of 6 km radius. It is considered to be the world’s largest open air theatrical festival.
iii. The 11-day gala event showcases all mythological places related to Lord Krishna by arranging a huge stage in the city. Bargarh stages Mathuranagari and Ambapalli area is staged as Gopapur, the parenting place of Krishna. Jeera River is considered as river Yamuna and Hatapada mandap is taken as the Raj darbar of king Kansa.
India and Pakistan signs agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities
i. India and Pakistan exchanged the list of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations between India and Pakistan on January 1, 2017.
ii. The bilateral agreement which is signed between the two countries every year on January Indo-Pakistan Nuclear Facilities List Exchange1 prohibits the two countries to carry out any surprise attack and pledged not to assist foreign powers to attack each other’s atomic facilities.
iii. The agreement was signed on December 31, 1988 between the Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her Indian counterparts Rajiv Gandhi and came into force on January 27, 1991. This is the 26th consecutive exchange of such lists between the two countries with the first one signed on January 1, 1992.
iv. Besides, the two countries also exchanged lists of prisoners (including civil prisoners and fishermen) of each country captured in their respective jails as per provisions of the Agreement on Consular Access.
Pakistan
♦ Capital: Islamabad ♦ Currency: Pakistani rupee
♦ Prime minister: Nawaz Sharif ♦ President: Mamnoon Hussain
Maharashtra Government Bans use of Purse Seine Nets for Fishing
i. Maharashtra Government has declared to ban the use of Purse Seine Nets for fishing across Maharashtra from January 1, 2017 to safeguard the Fingerlings, a fish species.
ii. The move is aimed at curbing the exploitation of fish by safeguarding the fingerlings and its eggs to increase their population.
iii. The decision is expected to benefit the traditional fisherman community that use much smaller nets in shallow waters. It will increase fish catch and protect the fish population as larger pores will allow fishlings and eggs to slip out during the daily catch.
iv. Purse seine nets are large fishing nets used to catch fish in bulk. It can stretch from 500 metres up to 1 kilometres and sometimes fishermen attach two or three such nets and cover an area of 3 kilometres to catch large proportion of fish population. The nets have mesh spanning from 25 mm to 35mm that blocks small fish, fishlings and fish eggs from falling back into the ocean, thereby stopping them from multiplying.
Seeking Votes in the name of caste, language or religion is Corrupt and not Permissible: SC
i. The Supreme Court on January 1, 2017 ruled out that no politician can seek votes in the name of caste, language or religion and seeking votes in this manner would be considered as a corrupt practice and not permissible.
ii. A 7-judge constitution bench passed the judgment in the 20 year old Hindutva case which questions whether a religious leader’s appeal to his followers to vote for a particular political party amount to electoral malpractice under Section 123 of the Representation of People Act.
iii. The court’s bench agreed by a 4:3 majority and stated that elections are a secular exercise and religion has no role in it and that the relationship between people and whom they worship is an individual choice.
iv. The bench was headed by outgoing Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, and Justice Sharad Bobde, Justice Madan Lokur and Justice Rao agreed with the decision while three judges, Justice UU Lalit, Justice Adarsh Goel and Justice DY Chandrachud, went against the judgement.
