3rd August, 2024 Current Affairs

NATIONAL
Supreme Court’s Landmark Verdict on Sub-classification of SCs and STs

• A seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court of India delivered a landmarkjudgement that reframed the operation of the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) quota for the first time since reservations were introduced in the Constitution in 1950. This historic verdict saw six separate opinions, with five in favor of sub-classification and a lone dissent by Justice Bela Trivedi.
• The court held that any attempts to differentiate within the SC list would essentially amount to altering it, for which the Constitution does not empower states. Article 341 only empowers the President to issue such notifications and Parliament to make additions or deletions to the list. The court also noted that sub-classifying SCs violates the right to equality under Article 14.
• In 2020, the Justice Arun Mishra-headed Constitution Bench in Davinder Singh v State of Punjab held that the E V Chinnaiah decision required reconsideration. The ruling noted that the court and the state “cannot be a silent spectator and shut its eyes to stark realities”. Crucially, it disagreed with the premise that SCs are a homogeneous group, acknowledging the existence of “unequals within the list of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and socially and educationally backward classes”.

INTERNATIONAL
14th India-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue Held in New Delhi

• The 14th India-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue took place in New Delhi, focusing on strengthening bilateral defence cooperation. Key discussions included new cooperation areas such as cyber security and military medicine, culminating in the signing of a Letter of Intent to enhance training exchanges.
• Vietnam proposed five key areas for enhanced defence cooperation:
• Delegation Exchanges and Dialogue
• Staff Talks
• Service-to-Service Cooperation
• Education and Training
• Defence Industry Cooperation

5th meeting of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement Joint Committee held in Jakarta

• The 5th AITIGA Joint Committee and related meetings for review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) were held in ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia from 29th July to 1st August 2024, marking a significant milestone in enhancing economic cooperation between ASEAN and India.
• AITIGA Joint Committee had initiated discussions for review of AITIGA in May 2023 and after finalising its Terms of Reference and Negotiating Structure, AITIGA JC and its Sub-Committees started negotiations in February 2024.
• During the 3rd round of negotiations in Jakarta, Indonesia, all 8 Sub-Committees dealing with ‘National Treatment and Market Access’, ‘Rules of Origin’, ‘Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures’, ‘Sanitary and Phytosanitary’, ‘Legal and Institutional Issues’, ‘Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation’, ‘Trade Remedies’ and ‘Economic and Technical Cooperation’ met alongside 5th AITIGA JC and held substantive discussions making significant progress during this round.

Also Read: Union Budget 2024-25: Practice Top Quiz Questions Here!

                         >> Download Current Affairs PDFs Here

                              Download Sakshi Education Mobile APP

SPORTS
Lt Col Kabilan Sai Ashok, India’s Youngest Boxing Referee At Olympics

• Lieutenant Colonel Kabilan Sai Ashok, a serving Indian Army Officer, has become the youngest Olympic referee in boxing from India at the Paris Olympics 2024. This milestone reflects his exceptional dedication, professionalism, and integrity, embodying the high standards of the Indian Army.
• The Amy officials said technical officials and referees like Lieutenant Colonel Ashok are the “unsung heroes” behind the Olympics’ success. Their dedication to maintaining the highest standards of fairness and adherence to ethical principles is crucial to the games’ integrity. Over all 24 armed forces personnel are part of the Indian contingent of 117 athletes taking part in the Paris Olympics, that began on July 26.

APPOINTMENTS
Indian Armed Forces Gets The First Woman Director General Of Medical Service (ARMY)

• Lieutenant General Sadhna Saxena Nair has become the first woman to be appointed the Director General of Medical Services. She was also the first woman to serve as the Director of General Hospital Services (Armed Forces) as well as the first woman to be the Principal Medical Officer of the Western Air Command.
• Three generations of her family have served in the Armed Forces over the last seven decades. She is married to Air Marshal KP (Retired). She has undergone a two-year training Programme at Medical Informatics at AIIMS, New Delhi. She trained in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Warfare with the Israeli Defence Forces and Military Medical Ethics with the Swiss Armed Forces in Spiez, Switzerland.