21.December.2015

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MHA sends back anti-conversion Bills  –   (Indian Polity)

  • Even as the BJP-led NDA government has favoured an anti-conversion law — it has put the onus on the Opposition — the Ministry of Home Affairs has sent the pending anti-conversion Bills of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh back to these States.
  • The MHA, the go-between the State and the President for Bills that are repugnant to the Central government laws, has asked the two States for further clarifications, a senior official told The Hindu

 

Leisure drone-flying takes aLeisure drone-flying takes a hit in Hyderabad hit in Hyderabad  –   (Security)

  • A cause of great concern for the police departments across the country is the possible usage of drones as flying bombs by militants — something that has never occurred till now.
  • During Ganesh Chathurthi this year, the Cyberabad and Hyderabad Police, which have policing jurisdiction covering the entire Greater Hyderabad region, banned drones and made it mandatory to obtain permission for its usage.

 

‘A.P. design out of step with ancient art’  –   (Indian Culture)

  • The Andhra Pradesh government’s proposed ‘Kuchipudi Natyaramam’, an international dance academy to be built at a cost of Rs. 100 crore at the eponymous village has sparked a debate on preserving tradition and reviving a dying art.
  • The Natyaramam is seen as the government’s effort to revive the Kuchipudi dance form. The project envisages the transformation of the village with the construction of a cultural complex housing a museum on the dance form, a hall of fame for its maestros and a café that would offer authentic local dishes.

Modi for a media-savvy police force  –    (Security)

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday told top policemen of the country that every police station should appoint a yoga teacher and police should brand themselves by promoting their work on Twitter and television.
  • He asked policemen to flood the social media with the digital version of their work.

 

Misfiring quest for a reliable rifle for soldiers  –    (Defence)

  • In grand conference halls, discussions may be all about manufacturing complex military systems such as fighter planes and submarines in India, but for the soldier on the ground, the question continues to be very basic: when will he get a reliable sophisticated personal weapon?

 

Sri Lanka eager to share ‘Make in India’ avenues  –   (International Relation)

  • Sri Lanka is eager to share the opportunities created by major government plans such as Make in India and Digital India.
  • Sri Lankan sources told The Hindu on Sunday that finding space for Sri Lankan entrepreneurs in major Indian industrial schemes will be a key issue during the fourth round of the Commerce Secretary-level talks planned on December 21.

 

Gadgil takes green crusade to Wikipedia  –    (Environment)

  • With the Centre and successive State governments in Maharashtra dumping his crucial report on the conservation of Western Ghats, ecologist Madhav Gadgil has now turned to Wikipedia to record his findings and present his solutions.
  • Prof Gadgil was feted with the prestigious 2015 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement in March for authoring the landmark report on the preservation of the unique ecosystem of the Western Ghats and the inclusion of local committees.

 

Government to respond to WTO’s ‘Nairobi package’ in Parliament  –    (Economics)

  • In the backdrop of a political intrigue surrounding the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) final Ministerial Declaration at the recently-concluded meet in the Kenyan capital, Commerce Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, is likely to make a statement in Parliament tomorrow on what the ‘Nairobi package’ means for India.

 

India return empty-handed from WTO meet: Anand Sharma  –    (Economics)

  • The Congress and other opposition parties will start an agitation within and outside Parliament on the issue of what they call the failure of the government to protect India’s interests at the recently concluded Nairobi meet of the WTO.