23rd February, 2024 Current Affairs

NATIONAL
Supreme Court recently stayed the proceedings of the Lok Sabha Privilege committee against the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and three other officials of the State of West Bengal
What is the meaning of Parliamentary Privileges?

• Each House of Parliament and its Committees collectively and members of each House individually enjoy certain rights, privileges, and immunities without which they cannot perform their functions efficiently and effectively.
• The object of parliamentary privilege is to safeguard the freedom, authority and dignity of Parliament.
• They are enjoyed by individual members, because the House cannot perform its functions without unimpeded use of the services of its members and by each House collectively for the protection of its members and the vindication of its own authority and dignity.
• But they are available to individual members only insofar as they are necessary for the House to perform its functions freely without any let or hindrance.
• They do not exempt the members from the obligations to the society which apply to other citizens.
• When any of these rights and immunities, both of the members, individually, and of the assembly in its collective capacity, are disregarded or denied by any individual or authority, the offence is called a breach of privilege, and is punishable under the law of Parliament.
• Articles 105 and 194 of the Constitution deal with the powers, privileges, and immunities of Members of Parliament/State Legislatures, and their House, Members, and Committees.
• Each House also claims the right to punish actions which, while not breaches of any specific privilege, are offences against its authority or dignity, such as disobedience to its legitimate commands or libels upon itself, its officers, or its members. Such actions, though called ‘breaches of privilege’, are aptly distinguished as ‘contempts’.

Malta Becomes 119th Country to Join International Solar Alliance

• India has welcomed Malta as the 119th country to join International Solar Alliance.
• Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ministry, Malta, Christopher Cutajar signed the ISA Framework Agreement in the presence of Head of Depository and Joint Secretary (Economic Diplomacy), Abhishek Singh in New Delhi.
• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an action-oriented, member-driven, collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies.
• Its basic motive is to facilitate energy access, ensure energy security, and drive energy transition in its member countries.
• The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against climate change through deployment of solar energy solutions.

Also Read: Economy: Weekly Current Affairs Bitbank (January 29 to February 4, 2024): Which automaker retained its position as the world's top-selling automaker in 2023?

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INTERNATIONAL
India and Netherlands reaffirm their commitment to expand their bilateral defence cooperation

• India and Netherlands have reaffirmed their commitment to expand their bilateral defence cooperation particularly in maritime and industrial domains. Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh today held a bilateral meeting with the Netherlands Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren in New Delhi. During the meeting, both the leaders expressed keenness to work together to enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.
• Mr Singh suggested that Dutch Original Equipment Manufacturers could be encouraged to integrate Indian vendors into their supply chain ecosystem. According to the Defence Ministry, both sides were in agreement to encourage more interactions between the defence industries, and in high-tech sectors of semiconductors and clean energy.

ANDHRA PRADESH
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is making efforts to secure UNESCO recognition for the annual 'Paruveta' festival

• The festival, also known as the ‘mock hunting festival’, is celebrated at the Sri Narasimha Swamy temple in the town of Ahobilam, Andhra Pradesh.
• It is celebrated by all sections of people, irrespective of their caste.
• It is a festival of communal hormony, as devotees from other religious communities like muslims also offer prayers to the Lord.

Origin:

• According to folklore, Lord Vishnu, upon his incarnation as a man-lion (Narasimha) in Ahobilam, married Maha Lakshmi, born as a tribal girl Chenchulakshmi.
• The Kurnool District Gazetteers, published by Government Press in 1881, record several beliefs of the Chenchu tribes, including their reverence for Ahobila Narasimha as their brother-in-law and inviting him home for Makara Sankranti.

AWARDS
Alex Dawson Captures the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 Award

• Swedish photographer Alex Dawson has clinched the prestigious title of Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024. His winning entry, ‘Whale Bones’, is a mesmerizing image that transports viewers beneath the icy expanse of the Greenland ice sheet, where a diver is seen exploring the skeletal remains of a minke whale.
• This striking composition not only showcases Dawson’s exceptional photographic skills but also highlights the haunting beauty of the underwater world.

Published date : 23 Feb 2024 04:26PM