Current Affairs: 20 September 2019

Chinmayanand arrested by SIT, sent to 14-day custody


An SIT formed to probe sexual abuse allegations against Swami Chinmayanand arrested him early on Friday morning, a little less than a month after allegations by a 23-year-old law student that the former Union minister had sexually abused her and several other girls had surfaced in a viral Facebook video. The girl had gone missing for days soon after the video became public. Later in the day a local court remanded Chinmayanand in judicial custody for 14 days.

The BJP leader was arrested by sleuths of the SIT, which was formed by UP Police on the directions of the Supreme Court after the case made national headlines, from his ashram at around 8.50am. He was then produced in the court of the chief judicial magistrate.

SC to get permanent Constitution bench
For the first time in its nearly 70-year-long history, the Supreme Court is set to realise the dream of the Constitution framers by creating a permanent five-judge Constitution bench, to be available round the year to adjudicate complex constitutional questions and interpret laws.

Starting with a strength of eight judges in 1950, including the Chief Justice of India, the judges’ strength is now 34, with a recent amendment by Parliament after CJI Ranjan Gogoi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi outlining the urgent need for an increase in SC judges’ strength in proportion to the increase in litigation.

Amit Panghal becomes first Indian boxer to enter Worlds final
Amit Panghal created history on Friday, becoming the first Indian boxer to enter the summit clash of the men's World Championships, defeating Kazakhstan's Saken Bibbisinov by split decision (3-2) in the semi-final of the flyweight (48kg-52kg) division in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Manish Kaushik (63kg) won bronze. In Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan, wrestler Bajrang Punia staged an incredible comeback in the repechage to win bronze in the World Wrestling Championships by defeating Mongolia’s Tulga Tumur Ochir 8-7 in the 65kg category.

Wrestler Ravi Dahiya (57kg) was the other big performer of the day. He won bronze, that too on debut at the World Championships, stunning Asian champion Reza Atri Nagarchi of Iran.

SC allows TNCA to hold polls
The Supreme Court allowed the Tamil Nadu State Cricket Association and other bodies to hold elections for their office-bearers. However, it said results will be set aside if the polls are not conducted in compliance with its orders and the new BCCI constitution.

India cuts corporate taxes to boost manufacturing and revive growth
India cut corporate tax rates on Friday in a surprise move designed to woo manufacturers, revive private investment and lift growth from a six-year low that has led to major job losses and fueled discontent in the countryside. The new corporate tax rate for domestic companies, excluding surcharges, makes India more competitive than neighbouring Bangladesh and puts it almost on par with Vietnam and Thailand, countries that have wooed businesses affected by the U.S.-China trade dispute.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's effective corporate tax rate would be lowered to about 25%. She said that would put India on a par with Asian peers and the rate would be as low as 22% if companies did not seek any other special tax incentives.

In its 2nd biggest rise ever, sensex rockets 1,921 pts
Since August 23, Dalal Street investors were used to getting some announcement by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman every Friday evening aimed at boosting a slowing economy. Throughout this week, too, there were messages and posts on various social media platforms speculating about what the FM would do on the evening of Friday the 20th. This time, Sitharaman surprised D Street investors by announcing some radical changes to taxation rules in the morning itself.

Following the announcement, as investors, traders and speculators rushed to buy, sensex rallied 1,921 points — its second-biggest single-day gain ever — to close at 38,015 points. Investors grew richer by Rs 7.1 lakh crore, the biggest-ever daily gain, with BSE’s market capitalisation now near Rs 145 lakh crore. In other words, the market cap has crossed the $2-trillion mark again.

New civilian award in Sardar Patel’s name
In keeping with an announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the annual meeting of police chiefs in Kevadia (Gujarat) last year, the home ministry on Friday notified the regulations for a new category of civilian award, to be named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, in recognition of notable contributions towards national unity.

According to a notification, the award will recognise inspiring contributions to promote national unity and integrity and to reinforce the value of a strong and united India. Any person without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex shall be eligible for the Sardar Patel National Unity Award and it may be given posthumously in very rare and only highly deserving cases.

1st pvt train Tejas begins commercial run on Oct 5
The country’s first “private train”, Tejas Express will start its commercial run between Delhi and Lucknow from October 5. The train will cover the distance in six hours and 30 minutes and while the one way chair car ticket will cost Rs 1,280, the fare for executive chair car will be Rs 2,450. The train is likely to be flagged off by UP CM Yogi Adityanath on October 4, sources said.The tickets can be booked through IRCTC website or the mobile app.

IAF ‘technically accepts’ its 1st Rafale ‘RB-001’ from France
Ahead of the formal handing over of the first Rafale fighter to India on October 8, the IAF has “technically accepted” the jet at the Bordeaux manufacturing facility of Dassault Aviation in France. The twin-seat jet has the tail number “RB-001” to mark the role played by IAF chief-designate Air Marshal R K S Bhadauria in finalising the Rs 59,000 crore deal in September 2016.

The multi-role fighter was accepted by a team led by IAF Deputy Chief Air Marshal V R Chaudhari, who also flew in the plane for about an hour. Defence minister Rajnath Singh will be in France for the official induction ceremony on October 8, which will also include his French counterpart.

Electric hat may help reverse baldness
Reversing baldness in the future may be as simple as wearing a hat, thanks to a new noninvasive, low-cost hair-growth-stimulating technology tested successfully on mice, scientists say. Based on devices that gather energy from a body’s dayto-day motion, the hair-growth technology, described in ‘ACS Nano’, stimulates the skin with gentle, low-frequency electric pulses, which coax dormant follicles to reactivate hair production. “I think this will be a very practical solution to hair regeneration,” said Xudong Wang of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US.

This battery may lead to faster-charging phones
Scientists, including those of Indian origin, have developed a novel design for lithium ion batteries which could double the capacity of smartphones or personal computers and increase their charging speed.

The battery consists of a net-like structure, called a “nanochain” that could significantly enhance lithium ion charge capacity in batteries, cutting down the charging time. The battery, described in ‘ACS Nano Materials’, uses the semi-metal antimony, and has an increased capacity to store lithium ions.

NYC mayor quits race for White House
Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City who entered the Democratic presidential race on the premise that his brand of urban progressive leadership could appeal on a national scale, said on Friday that he was ending his candidacy. De Blasio’s announcement came as it became clear he was unlikely to qualify for the fourth Democratic debate next month.

-- With inputs from agencies