Today CA : 22/01/2014

1. PM launches 'Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao' campaign

• Prime Minister of India launched today launched "Beti Bachao - Beti Padhao(BBBP)" campaign which aims to save and empower the girl child.

• Prime Minister launched the campaign in Panipat, Haryana the state with the lowest sex ratio in the country and appealed to people to change their mindset towards girl child.

Know More About BBBP : Click Here

2. Govt launches HRIDAY campaign to preserve, rejuvenate rich cultural heritage of India

• The government has launched a Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) to preserve and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country.

• The cities include Ajmer, Amrawati, Varanasi, Mathura, Gaya, Puri and Dwaraka. Mr Naidu said, it will be a hundred percent centrally funded scheme which also intends to create infrastructure and provide facilities around the heritage sites to attract more tourists.

• Launching the scheme at a function in New Delhi yesterday, Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said that in the initial phase, 12 heritage cities have been identified which will be rejuvenated and developed. 

3. Shanta Kumar Committee on restructuring of food Corporation of India submitted its report

• Shanta Kumar committee on restructuring of Food Corporation of India has recommended reduction in coverage of population form 67 per cent to 40 per cent under the National Food Security Act.

• The panel headed by former Food Minister Shanta Kumar has suggested gradual introduction of direct cash transfer regime for food subsidy. He said the initiative will help the government to save around 3000 crore rupees per year.

• In its report the committee recommended the procurement operations be streamlined to bring back private sector in grain markets. It has also suggested that FCI should be provided a free hand to dispose off the excess food grain stock above the buffer limits.

4. Neither a Hawk nor a Dove book authored by Khurshid Mahmood

• Book titled "Neither a Hawk nor a Dove" is authored by Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri.

• The book is based upon the relations between India and Pakistan.

• Kasuri in his book writes that the two countries have no option but to go for a just and peaceful solution to Jammu and Kashmir and other contentious issues between them.

5. SC Court bars N Srinivasan from contesting BCCI elections

• The Supreme Court of India ban N Srinivasan to contest Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) elections as long as he is involved in a "conflict of interest" situation as an owner of IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

• The apex court bench, headed by Justice TS Thakur, held Srinivasan's son-in-law and CSK "official" Gurunath Meiyappan, and IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals' co-owner Raj Kundra guilty of betting and said the punishment will not only be confined to them but also extend to the franchises they represent.

• The court set up a three-member committee headed by former Chief Justice RM Lodha to decide, besides other issues, the quantum of punishment to be given to Meiyappan and Kundra.

6. Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki sworn-in as governor of Punjab

• Haryana governor Prof Kaptan Singh Solanki took over the additional charge of Governor of Punjab. He will be 34th governor of Punjab.

• He was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Shiavax Jal Vazifdar at Punjab Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.

• He was given the additional charge of Punjab after the tenure of then governor Shivraj V Patil retired on 21 January 2015 after his tenure came to an end.

Union Government launches Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign

Union Government has launched ambitious Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao(BBBP) campaign to save and empower girl child.

The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Panipat in Haryana.

Why Haryana was chosen to launch Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign?

• Haryana was chosen to launch the nation-wide Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao initiative because of the skewed sex ratio in the state.

• It has one of the lowest Child Sex Ratio in country which stands at 879 girls per 1,000 boys as against the national child sex ratio of 918 girls per 1000 boys.

Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao (BBBP)campaign:

• It aims to spread awareness about the declining trend of Child Sex Ratio in the country.

• Objective: To prevent gender biased sex selective elimination by strict enforcement of laws with stringent punishment to violators.

• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD), is the nodal agency for the implementation of the scheme. While, Centre has provided initial corpus of 100 crore rupees for it.

• It will be implemented in 100 districts of the country, including 12 districts of Haryana

• In this regard, union government will try to ensure access and availability of essential requirements related to nutrition, health-care, education, protection and elimination of discrimination of girl child.

• This scheme will also generate awareness and improve the efficiency of delivery of welfare services meant for women.

Thus, by launching this scheme government is aiming to eliminate gender inequality by creating favourable environment including employable opportunities, safety and security, mobility and speedy justice for women.