18th May, 2022 Current Affairs

Archana Lakkavajula

National
SC orders release of Perarivalan, convict in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case

The Supreme Court ordered release of Perarivalan, a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, invoking powers under Article 142 of the Constitution.
The Apex Court was of the view that the inordinate delay in deciding Perarivalan's early release plea by the Governor under Article 161 warranted his release.
A bench comprising Justices L. Nageswara Rao and B. R. Gavai observed that the Tamil Nadu State Cabinet took the decision to grant remission to Perarivalan on relevant considerations. The Bench reckoned that the State Government is well within its authority to aid and advice the Governor in pardon/remission pleas pertaining to cases of murder.
Perarivalan, having served over 30 years in prison, approached the Court aggrieved by the delay in his release despite a recommendation given by the Tamil Nadu Government in 2018 to remit his sentence.
Perarivalan was arrested in 1991 at the age of 19. He was accused of purchasing the battery that was used to trigger the belt bomb used to kill former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and 43 others. In 1999, he was sentenced to death for his role in the case. In 2014, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. In March this year, the SC had granted him bail.

Immense scope for cooperation between India and Jamaica: Prez Kovind

President Ram Nath Kovind addressed the joint sitting of both houses of Jamaican parliament.
He was accorded a ceremonial welcome by President of Senate of Jamaica Thomas Tavares- Finson and speaker of the house Marisa Dalrymple. Delivering a welcome address, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the help provided by India has deepened the relationship between the two nations.
President Kovind appraised the parliament of the technological developments where India is taking the lead. He made special reference to how the education sector of India is progressing.
President Kovind said, India shares Jamaica's ‘Vision 2030’ goals of empowering its people and ensuring a secure, cohesive, and just society while becoming a prosperous and sustainable economy. He said, there is immense scope for cooperation and mutual learning between the two nations including business, railways, agriculture, hospitality, and tourism.
On completion of the speech, the visit ended with President Kovind signing the Visitor's book in the presence of the president of the Senate and the speaker of the house of Jamaica.

Centre announces formation of Cotton Council of India under Chairmanship of Suresh Bhai Kotak

The Union Government has announced the formation of the Cotton Council of India under the Chairmanship of renowned veteran cotton man Suresh Bhai Kotak.
It will have representation from Textiles, Agriculture, Commerce, and Finance Ministries along with Cotton Corporation of India and Cotton Research Institute.
The first meeting of the proposed council has been scheduled for 28th of this month. The council will discuss, deliberate, and prepare a robust action plan for bringing out a tangible improvement in this field.
In this meeting, a cross-section of views and suggestions were deliberated for softening cotton and yarn prices on an urgent basis to address unprecedented price rise witnessed in the current season.
It was pointed out that cotton productivity is the biggest challenge in the country, resulting in less cotton production despite the largest area under cotton cultivation. The Minister emphasized the need for making available better quality seeds to improve the productivity of cotton farmers.
Mr. Goyal also gave a clear message to all stakeholders to resolve the cotton and yarn price issue. He emphasized the need of holding hands of cotton farmers who are the weakest part of the cotton value chain besides extending all possible support to stakeholders.

I&B Minister Anurag Thakur to inaugurate India Pavilion at Cannes Film Festival in France

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur will inaugurate India Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival in France. He said, India Pavilion will focus on positioning India as the 'Content Hub of the World'.
In a newspaper article, the Minister wrote that India's presence at Cannes this year holds significance in many ways. He said it will be for the first time that India's red carpet lineup captures the diversity of country's cinematic excellence.
He said the celebration of India at Cannes and the recognition of its cinematic excellence the world over is set to manifest the country into the 'content hub of the world'.
The Union Minister reached Cannes and took a tour of the India Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. He also met Charles H. Rivkin, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Motion Pictures Association of America.

Economy
Government collects Rs. 14 lakh 10 thousand crore in the form of direct taxes in 2022

The Union Government has collected fourteen lakh ten thousand crore rupees in the form of direct taxes this year.
Addressing a seminar on Tax Deduction at Source, TDS, organized by ASSOCHAM in New Delhi, Joint Secretary of Central Board of Direct Taxes Kamlesh C. Varshney said, this shows that people are becoming more responsible for the development of the nation by paying taxes.
Mr. Varshney said, the tax is used in creating jobs, infrastructure, and holistic development of the country.

Science and Technology
Indian Navy carries out successful maiden firing of first indigenously developed Naval Anti-Ship Missile

Indian Navy successfully undertook maiden firing of the first indigenously developed Naval Anti-Ship Missile from Seeking 42B helicopter at Integrated Test Range, Balasore.
The missile followed the desired sea-skimming trajectory and reached the designated target with a high degree of accuracy, validating the control, guidance, and mission algorithms. In a tweet, Indian Navy said, this firing is a significant step towards achieving self-reliance in niche missile technology and reaffirms the Indian Navy's commitment to indigenization.
The Naval Anti-Ship Missile has been developed in association with Defence Research and Development Organization, DRDO.
The missile employed many new technologies, including an indigenously developed launcher for the helicopter. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has congratulated DRDO, Indian Navy, and associated teams for the maiden developmental flight test. He said, India attained a high level of capability in the indigenous design and development of Missile systems.

International
Nordic countries Sweden and Finland to jointly submit applications to join NATO

Nordic countries Sweden and Finland will jointly submit their applications to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
During a joint press conference, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto announced their decision to submit their NATO bids together.
Finland's parliament approved the country's bid for NATO membership, with 188 out of 200 lawmakers supporting the decision and eight voting against it. President Niinisto will now have to sign the application and hand it to NATO's headquarters in Brussels.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said US President Joe Biden will host his Finnish counterpart and the Swedish prime minister at the White House for talks on the two nations' NATO applications. The leaders will discuss Finland's and Sweden's NATO applications and European security, as well as strengthening our close partnerships across a range of global issues and support for Ukraine, she added.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said Germany will increase military cooperation with Sweden and Finland during the application process. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned NATO’s expansion may trigger a response from Moscow.

Sports
Women's World Boxing Championships: Three Indian pugilists ensure medals as they enter semi-finals in Istanbul

IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, Indian boxers Nikhat Zareen, Manisha and Parveen continued their brilliant run to confirm three medals for the country by entering the semi-finals in Istanbul.
Nikhat Zareen beat England's Charley Davidson 5-0 in the Quarterfinals. She will now take on Caroline De Almeida of Brazil in the semi-finals. Manisha defeated Monkhor of Mongolia 4-1. She will take on Italy's Irma Testa, who defeated Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova in another quarter-final.
Parveen also made her way into the 63kg semi-finals by thrashing Shoira Zulkaynarova of Tajikistan 5-0. Parveen will be up against Ireland's Amy Broadhurst in the semi-final.
However, it was heartbreak for the country's four pugilists Nitu in 48kg, Pooja Rani in 81kg, Anamika in 50kg, and Jasmine in 60kg, who suffered defeats in their respective Last-8 bouts. Semi-final matches will take place while the finals will be played on Thursday and Friday.

Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya selected for Indian men’s wrestling team for Commonwealth Games

Tokyo Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Ravi Kumar Dahiya made it into the Indian men’s wrestling team for the Commonwealth Games. They are among six wrestlers who were selected at the trials for the senior freestyle wrestling held in New Delhi.
Ravi Dahiya in 57-kilogram category, Bajrang Punia in 65 kg, Naveen in 74 kg, Deepak Punia in 86 kg, Deepak in 97 kg, and Mohit Dahiya in 125 kg were selected during the trials to represent the country at the event.
The trials for the Indian women’s wrestling team were held. Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat made the cut for the Commonwealth Games.
The Commonwealth Games 2022 will be held in Birmingham, UK from 28th July to 8th August, this year.

Published date : 20 May 2022 05:07PM