TNPSC Current Affairs March 27, 2018

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs March 27, 2018 (27/03/2018)

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Topic : Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors

Enemy properties

The government has initiated the process of sale of more than 9,400 enemy properties by issuing guidelines and directing the office of the custodian to submit the list of all such movable and immovable assets within three months.

The sale of enemy properties is expected to fetch around Rs 1 lakh crore for the government exchequer.

The move comes after the amendment of the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act 2017 and the Enemy Property (Amendment) Rules, 2018, which ensured that the heirs of those who migrated to Pakistan and China during partition and afterwards will have no claim over the properties left behind in India.

Background:

There are 9,280 properties left behind by Pakistani nationals and 126 properties which belonged to Chinese nationals.

What are enemy properties?

When wars broke out between India and China in 1962, and India and Pakistan in 1965 and 1971, the central government took over properties of citizens of China and Pakistan in India under the Defence of India Acts.

These Acts defined an ‘enemy’ as a country that committed an act of aggression against India, and its citizens.

The properties of enemies in India were classified as enemy property. The properties included land, buildings, shares held in companies, gold and jewellery of the citizens of enemy countries.

The responsibility of the administration of enemy properties was handed over to the Custodian of Enemy Property, an office under the central government.

Enemy properties Act:

After the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, the Enemy Property Act was enacted in 1968, which regulates such properties and lists the custodian’s powers.

The government amended the Act in the wake of a claim laid by the heirs of Raja Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan, known as Raja of Mahmudabad, on his properties spread across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The government has vested these properties in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India, an office instituted under the Central government.

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Topic : Latest Diary of Events

Basmati GI tag

Madhya Pradesh has filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court challenging an order passed by Assistant Registrar of Geographical Indications (GI) on March 15 excluding the State from being granted the GI tag for basmati rice.

What’s the issue?

In May 2010, GI status was given to basmati grown only in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and parts of western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

Madhya Pradesh moved a statutory opposition demanding that its 13 districts be recognised as traditional Basmati growing regions.

However, GI registry had rejected Madhya Pradesh’s claim as being the original and unique basmati growing region.

It had observed that the documents and evidence filed by Madhya Pradesh show the importance, special characters of rice cultivated in Madhya Pradesh but not the basmati cultivation in the traditional growing area.

What’s the concern now?

Madhya Pradesh says non-inclusion of the state in the basmati growing areas would have an adverse effect on the lives of farmers who mainly depend upon basmati cultivation and it will also affect the export potential, which will indirectly reduce the country’s turnover from the export of basmati.

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Topic : Latest Diary of Events, Profile of States

Smart India Hackathon 2018

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) is organizing Smart India Hackathon 2018.

Key facts:

Smart India Hackathon 2018 is a non-stop digital product development competition, where problems are posed to technology students for innovative solutions.

It will harnesses creativity & expertise of students and sparks institute-level hackathons.

Smart India Hackathon 2018 would be the second massive scale hackathon initiative in India following Smart India Hackathon 2017.

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Topic : Latest Diary of Events, Profile of States

Surat becomes first district to have 100% solar powered health centres

Surat has become the first district in the country to have 100% solar powered Primary Health Centers (PHC).

There are a total of 52 PHCs in the district and all of them are now powered by solar system.