31st March 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

sponsored links

National Affairs

• The Gujarat Assembly today passed the controversial Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime (GCTOC) Bill 2015, a modified version of a 2003 legislation that was rejected by two presidents earlier for violating basic principles of justice.
• The law, once pursued aggressively by Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat Chief Minister and passed for the fourth time in the last 12 years, gives the police far-reaching powers, including making arbitrary arrests, present confessions made in custody as evidence before courts and intercept phone calls.
• The Supreme Court today issued notice to senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani and 19 others on a petition challenging the 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict discharging them of criminal conspiracy in the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 06, 1992.
• Besides Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Union Minister Uma Bharti and Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh also have been issued notice.
• The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea of Jat students seeking benefits of reservation under Other Backward Class (OBC) in the ongoing process of admission in post-graduate (PG) medical and dental courses.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Air Quality Index on 6th April 2015 to inform public about air quality in simple understandable form.
  
• Available on the ministry's website after the launch, the colour-coded index indicating air quality will provide a real-time data detailing the level of pollution in a given city.
• Launched in phases, the initial phase would cover only 10 cities with plans of expansion to other cities in subsequent phases.
• Environment Minister : Prakash Javadekar
• The Kerala High Court today upheld the liquor policy of the state government and dismissed a petition filed by the Kerala Bar Hotel Owners Association, allowing only 24 five-star hotels in the state to serve liquor.
• PM Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Rs. 12,000 crore modernisation project of Rourkela Steel Plant in Odisha tomorrow

MOUs

• Andhra Pradesh government, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have inked an MoU in Singapore to work on 'Ease of Doing Business' in the state.
• Effective from 1st April 2015 to March 31, 2018, the MoU is for cooperation in relation to 'Masterplan on Ease of Doing Business in Andhra Pradesh (MEDBAP): Vision 2020.
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister : N Chandrababu Naidu

Science & Technology

• Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), the corporate entity of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, crossed another milestone today with the launching of a novel project to generate a completely pollution-free 120 MW captive power generation by using 100 per cent blast furnace and coke oven gas.
• This is the first of its kind in the Indian steel Industry. 
• RINL CMD : P. Madhusudan
• Himachal Pradesh Assembly Becomes First In India To Launch E-Vidhan Mobile apps
• The Apps were launched by Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh
• The apps could be accessed by all the members 45 minutes before the question hours on android and tablets having information about day business.
• This move saves 8 crore Rupees per annum, which is being spent on the paper.

Sports

• New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori announces retirement from international cricket.
• Malaysia Open Badminton tournament begins in Kuala Lumpur.

Read more Daily Current Affairs updates from here

sponsored links