Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 20 January 2017
:: National ::
PM said he would support Tamil Nadu government on the jallikattu
In a mixed message on the possible resumption of jallikattu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would be supportive of steps taken by the Tamil Nadu government on the issue, while stressing that the matter was sub judice.
Soon after a meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam in the national capital, Mr. Modi tweeted, “While appreciating the cultural significance of jallikattu, the Prime Minister observed that the matter is presently sub judice.”
In another tweet, the Prime Minister added, “The Centre would be supportive of steps taken by the State government.”
Debt Recovery Tribunal allowed banks to recover its dues from kingfisher
Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) said dues of Rs. 6,203.35 crore should be paid “jointly and severally” by KAL and its guarantors United Breweries (Holdings) Ltd and liquor baron Vijay Mallya, and Kingfisher Finvest (India) Ltd.
Also, they will have to pay an interest at the rate of 11.5 % per annum on the dues with yearly rests from the date of the application till the date of completion of realisation.
DRT’s presiding officer delivered the verdict while allowing the banks’ application filed in 2013 seeking issuance of recovery certificate from the tribunal. \
In the event of failure of KAL and its guarantors to pay the due amount with interest, the DRT said, the applicant banks are at liberty to sell the hypothecated/mortgaged/movable/immovable properties.
Also the SBI-led consortium is permitted to proceed against the persons and other properties of KAL and its guarantors as per law if the banks fail to fully realise the dues, despite sale of the schedule properties.
The banks have been directed to submit a memo of calculation comprising due amount with interest, costs etc., after deducting any amount realised through sale of assets.
Pointing out that Siddarth Mallya, son of Mr. Vijay Mallya, is not made as a party to the proceedings, the DRT clarified that “this order will not in anyway affect the rights of Siddarth Mallya.
DRT said if both the SCB and Diageo “knowingly were dealing with a wilful defaulter...they cannot be held to be bona fide purchasers and for such acts of such persons this tribunal cannot have sympathy.”
Alok Kumar Verma appointed as Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (Register and Login to read Full News)
:: Science and Technology ::
Gorillas, monkeys, lemurs and other primates are in danger of becoming extinct
Gorillas, monkeys, lemurs and other primates are in danger of becoming extinct, and scientists say it’s the fault of the human race that its closest living relatives are in trouble, a new international study warns.
About 60 per cent of the more than 500 primate species are “now threatened with extinction” and three out of four primate species have shrinking populations.
While scientists had tracked dwindling numbers of individuals and groups of primates in forests around the world, this is the first big-picture look. The result was “a bigger wake-up call” than previously thought.
The decline has been blamed on human activities including hunting, mining and oil drilling. Logging, ranching and farming have also destroyed precious habitat in Africa, Asia and South America.
Primates, which include apes, monkeys and humans, have forward-facing eyes and grasping ability that set them apart from other mammals. Scientists study them to learn about human behaviour and evolution.
Much of the problems faced by primates are recent. For example, the Grauer’s gorilla dropped from a population of 17,000 in 1995 to just about 3,800 now, mostly from bushmeat hunting and mineral mining, the study found.
About 94 per cent of the lemur species in the world are endangered, especially in Madagascar, which is one of hardest-hit places for primate population loss.