1. Indian Army recovered wreckage of a World War II vintage US Air Force aircraft in Roing district of ________________________, buried under five feet of snow. The patrol moved cross country for 30 kilometers in thick jungles and snow covered areas for 8 days to trace out wreckage.
2. NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) released a report on opportunities for automobile sector and government under Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles II (FAME II) scheme, titled ‘India’s Electric Mobility Transformation: Progress to Date and Future Opportunities’.
- As per the report, If FAME II and other measures – in public and private space - are successful, India could realize EV sales penetration of 30% of private cars, 70% of commercial cars, 40% of buses and 80% of two and three-wheelers by _______________. Achieving these levels of market share by _________________ could generate cumulative savings of 846million tonnes of CO2 over the total deployedvehicles’ lifetime.
- FAME II scheme was notified by Cabinet in February 2019, to accelerate government’s commitment to a clean mobility future .
- Vehicles eligible under FAME II scheme can cumulatively save 5.4 million tonnes of oil equivalent over their lifetime worth Rs 17.2 thousand crores.
- Niti Aayog also approved proposal of Dental Council of India to allow dentists to practice as general physicians after a 3 bridge course post BDS. Syllabus curriculum, scheme of examination etc will be same as recommended for MBBS.
3. ___________________ High Court Ordered not to mention caste of accused, victims or witnesses in proceedings before court. HC stated that mentioning caste separately in criminal proceedings is a colonial legacy and requires to be stopped henceforth, as the Constitution guarantees a casteless and classless society.
4. __________________ ranked at top In eLearning training, by reaching to 20,000 field staff during 2018-19, as 2nd year in succession that State got the distinction under Department of Personal and Training (DoPT).
5. ____________ and Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) signed MOU to set up integrated customer services and optimize value for customers, also covering common safeguard activities of underground assets (pipes and cables).
6. Supreme Court dismissed Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed against a ___________ HC Judgment setting aside Employee's Pension (Amendment) Scheme 2014.
- ______________ HC had asked Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to give pension to all employees on basis of their full salary rather than capping figure on which contribution is calculated at a maximum of Rs 15,000 per month.
- The case -
- EPFO amended act on September 1, 2014 to increase contribution to 8.33% of a maximum of Rs 15,000. It reduced pension of many employees.
- HC set aside the amendment and reinstated old system of calculating the pensionable salary as average of the last one year's monthly salary.
- In October 2016, SC directed EPFO to accept requests of employees to contribute to pension scheme on basis of full salary.
- Despite SC judgement EPFO refused to accept contributions, stated EPFs are managed by trusts, while they were ready to contribute due amount.
- About Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) 1995 -
- Government introduced EPS in 1995, under which an employer was supposed to contribute 8.33% of employee's salary in a pension scheme. But contribution was capped at 8.33% of Rs 6,500 (or Rs 541 per month).
- In March 1996, government amended the act and allowed contribution to be a percentage of the actual salary.
- Members of EPFO gets pension benefits when retires at age of 58. Minimum service period is 10 years.
- Form 10D gives facility to apply for a monthly pension after retirement.
- Form 10C is used to withdraw EPS amount.
7. Home Affairs Ministry extended "disturbed area" tag under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) for three districts of _________________ for another six months - Tirap, Changlang and Longding.
8. Kandhamal Haldi (a variety of turmeric indigenous to southern _________________) earned Geographical indication (GI) tag. Kandhamal Haldi has more oleoresin and volatile oil contents compared to other turmeric varieties.
9. Indian Army constructed longest suspension bridge built over Indus River at Choglamsar village in Leh (260-feet long), in just 40 days, named ________________. It will provide connectivity to remote areas of Ladakh and help residents of largest villages in Ladakh.
10. 19th edition of the bird survey in Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary in __________________, 2 new birds species were spotted, among total 152 species that were spotted. New species spotted were Woolly-necked stork and White-bellied drongo, both dry-land species.
11. __________________ launched India-focused fact-checking feature to combat fake news and rumours, enabling Users to check authenticity of information received on platform by reporting forward to number +91-9643-000-888. Response will indicate if information is classified as ‘true’, ‘false’, ‘misleading’, ‘disputed’ or ‘out of scope’.
12. Indian Oil Corporation started Supply of ultra-clean BS-VI grade petrol and diesel in cities adjoining national capital and Agra (UP). Rest of country will Begin using BS-VI grade Fuel from ___________________________ 2020. New Delhi was first city in India to switch from BS-IV to BS-VI fuels.
- Bharat stage IV fuels contain 50 parts per million (ppm) sulphur whereas Bharat Stage-VI grade fuel only has 10 ppm sulphur.
- It will -
- Bring PM in diesel cars down by 80 % when compared to Bharat stage IV.
- Bring down nitrogen oxides from diesel cars by 70 per cent and in petrol cars by 25 per cent.
13. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and IIT _______________ signed MoU to collaborate in field of standardisation and conformity assessment -
- It will enable setting up a Centre of Excellence in the field of Standardisation, Testing and Conformity Assessment with BIS branding at IIT ______________, also appointing a Chair in field of standardisation and conformity assessment.
14. Phayeng, a village of Chakpa community in Imphal West district of ___________________________has been named as India’s first carbon-positive settlement. It has been revived from dry village through determination of its residents and funding under National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC), a central scheme launched in 2015-16 to support adaptation for climate change impact in states.
15. _______________________ received licence from Department of Telecommunications to provide Internet and mobile services on flights.
16. Chennai Central railway station has been renamed by _____________________ Government as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station, after its late Chief Minister and founder of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
17. April 6 - 7, 2019 Marks Platinum Jubilee (75 Years) anniversary of Battle of Kangla Tongbi, one of the fiercest battles of World War II.
- It was fought by Ordnance personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot (AOD) on the night of 6/7 April 1944, against intruding Japanese forces that planned to capture Imphal (______________________).
- Kangla Tongbi War Memorial is a mute testimony to this battle and unflinching devotion to duty of Ordnance personnel of 221 AOD, 19 of whom made the supreme sacrifice.
18. Amazon India launched its seller-funding programme–___________________--in partnership with crowd-funding platform Ketto. Through this, Amazon looks at enabling sellers on its platform, to raise funds for their business expansion. Amazon India sellers can use Ketto’s platform for a subsidised fee of around 50 % to initiate fundraisers.
19. National Green Tribunal has put an interim penalty of Rs ___________________ crore on Andhra Pradesh government for inaction to prevent illegal sand mining in state.
20. _______________ celebrated Sajibu Nongma Panba Cheiraoba, the New Year of the ___________ on April 6. It is celebrated on the first day of the State month, Sajibu, which falls in the month of March or April.
21. According to Fitch Solutions Macro Research report, India willl be able to install 54.7 GW of wind capacity by 2022 against 60 GW target.
- Its part of India’s ambitious target of installing _______________________ GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022, which includes 100 GW from solar, 60 GW from wind, 10GW from bio-power and 5 GW from small hydro-power.
22. _________________ launched video streaming app Wynk Tube, as an extension of Wynk Music, allowing users to stream audio and video of popular tracks within same interface ?
23. Aoleang Monyu festival held in Mon (______________________), with around 5000 Konyak Naga women in their traditional attire setting a Guinness World Record for the ‘Largest Traditional Konyak Dance’. Theme of Aoleang Monyu festival (also called Mini Hornbill is ‘Empowering women for cultural heritage.‘
24.________________’s Rongali Bihu Festival has began, also known as ‘Bohag Bihu’. It marks beginning of new Assamese calendar year.
- This festival is observed at almost same time as Baisakhi in Punjab, Poila Baisakh in Bengal, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Vishu in Kerala this year.
- In Assam, three Bihu festivals are celebrated in a year called as Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu, Bhogali (Magh Bihu) and Kangali (Kati Bihu) for marking the distinctive phase in the farming calendar.
25. Bamboo rice shown up in _________________, after last witnessing it in 1979. Forest Authorities of Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary in Cuttack district have opened up the gates for the forest dwellers to collect Bamboo rice.
- Whenever bamboo rice shows up, it would be accompanied by the increase in the rat population which starts running over bamboo rice. To avoid this menace, forest authorities allowed forest dwellers to harvest Bamboo rice.
- Bamboo rice grows out of a dying bamboo shoot. Bamboo rice looks like paddy rice and tastes more like wheat. Bamboo rice is not commonly available as it takes many years for a bamboo tree to flower. Bamboo rice is believed to contain a low glycaemic index compared to other varieties and it is good for diabetics. It’s rich in proteins and does not contain any fat.
26. _________________ received licence from Department of Telecommunications to provide Internet and mobile services on flights.
27. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and IIT ______________________ signed MoU to collaborate in field of standardisation and conformity assessment -
- It will enable setting up a Centre of Excellence in the field of Standardisation, Testing and Conformity Assessment with BIS branding at IIT _________, also appointing a Chair in field of standardisation and conformity assessment.
28. Cabinet Approvals (Apr 16, 2019) -
- General Approvals -
- Approved creation of one post of Deputy Comptroller & Auditor General (Coordination, Communication and Information System) in Pay Level-17 (by abolishing one STS level post) in Office of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India.
- Approved ongoing GSLV continuation programme Phase-4 consisting of five GSLV flights during the period 2021-2024 GSLV Programme - Phase 4 will enable launch of 2 tonne class of satellites for Geo-imaging, Navigation, Data Relay Communication and Space Sciences.
- Fund requirement is Rs. 2729.13 Crores.
- It will meet launch requirement of satellites for providing critical Satellite Navigation Services, Data Relay Communication for supporting Indian Human spaceflight programme and next interplanetary mission to Mars.
- MOUs -
- Brazil - Strengthen ties to work out future agenda for collaboration for innovation in Science & Technology diplomacy to evolve a concrete strategic plan in area of biotechnology education, training and research.
- South Korea - Joint issue os Postage Stamps on the theme "Queen Hur Hwang-ok of Korea".
- Denmark - Sector cooperation in the field of Renewable Energy with a focus on Offshore Wind Energy and a Letter of Intent to establish an Indo-Danish Centreof Excellence for renewable energy in India.
- Bolivia - Cooperation in Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy, Geology and Mineral Resources.
- Cambodia - Cooperation in field of Communications.
- CCEA Approvals -
- Approved proposal of Department of fertilisers to extend duration of New Urea Policy __________________ from April 1, 2019 till further orders. It would facilitate in continuation of operations of urea plants and ensure regular supply of urea to the farmers.
29. Chennai Central railway station has been renamed by _________________ Government as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station, after its late Chief Minister and founder of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
30. Commerce and Industry Ministry presented Vision document Startup India Vision 2024, aiming to facilitate setting up of ____________________ new start-ups in India by 2024 and creating 20 lakh employment opportunities.
- It has been prepared by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under Commerce and Industry Ministry.
- It Notifies -
- Setting up of 500 new incubators and accelerators by 2024.
- Deployment of entire amount of Rs 10,000 crore Fund of Funds (FOF) expanding CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funding to incubators.
- Setting up of Rs 1,000 crore ‘India startup fund’ to support high technology start-ups.
- Providing Rs 1,000 crore of seed funding by 2024
- Bringing 7 research parks into operation.
- Set up regulatory sandbox for testing of financial products.
31. ____________ HC Updates -
- It ruled that Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) prevails over Bankruptcy Act and insolvency code when it comes to attachment of properties obtained as ‘proceeds of crime’.
- Enforcement Directorate (ED) had challenged orders of PMLA appellate tribunal on pleas of various banks. PMLA Tribunal held that third parties (banks in this case) have a superior claim over such properties.
- It stated that PMLA, Recovery of Debt and Bankruptcy Act (RDBA), Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest (SARFAESI) Act and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) must co-exist and be enforced in harmony.
- It sought response from Cabinet Committee on Security on a plea seeking directions to remove dual control of Assam Rifles and bring it under Ministry of Defence.
- Assam Rifles which is oldest paramilitary force of India. Its administrative control lies with Home Ministry, while operational control is with Defence Ministry. Plea filed by alleges dual control as violation of rights of troopers of Assam Rifles.
- Plea filled by All India Assam Rifles Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association challenges Government (Allocation of Business) Rules 1961 saying that it places Assam Rifles under the head ‘Police’, which is arbitrary and unreasonable.
32. Delhi Metro Started Operaing trains on Solar Power, on Commencement of supply of 27 MW power from _______________-based Rewa Solar Power Project. DMRC aims to become world's first 100 % Solar Power Run Metro System.
33. Election Commission of India prohibited display in electronic media including cinematograph of any biopic or publicity material in nature of biography/hagiography sub-serving purposes of any political entity or any individual entity connected to it. It was done by EC using powers under Article ______________________. It has direct reference to deferring release of a Bollywood Movie which is biopic of PM Narendra Modi.
34. GeneraLL Conferences (Apr 2019) -
- Apr 1 - 10, 2019 -
- A National Seminar on “Greenery and Landscaping” organized by Central Public Works Department (CPWD) in New Delhi.
- 7th Foreign Office consultations between India and Italy held in New Delhi.
- National Cardiology Conference 2019 held at Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of medical sciences in Lucknow (___________________________________________).
- International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) organized NuGen Mobility Summit 2019, at Manesar (Haryana), to share new ideas and innovations for faster adoption of advanced automotive technologies for a smarter and greener future. ICAT Manesar is a division of NATRIP Implementation Society (NATIS) under Department of Heavy Industries, Government of India.
- 4th Meeting of India-Ukraine Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation (IU-WGTEC) held in New Delhi. Ukrainian Side was led by Oleksiy Rozhkov (Director of Directorate for International Trade and Economic Cooperation and European Integration of Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine).
- Music and poetry festival titled ‘Jashne-Ittihad’ held at Jamia Millia Islamia central university in New Delhi to spread awareness about unity amongst the youth.
- Biannual Army Commanders’ Conference held in New Delhi.
- Government organizes Prevention of Blindness Week annually from 1st to 7th April to raise awareness regarding precautions to be taken to prevent blindness.
- Apr 11 - 20, 2019 -
- India's first-of-its-kind 'Voter Park' inaugurated in Gurugram (Haryana), aimed at increasing voter awareness and educating people about electoral process.
- 8th edition of Home Expo India 2019 opened at India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida (UP).
- Project Kannamma initiative launched by Rotary Club of Madras North to provide biodegradable sanitary napkins under the brand name, “Aavaram” to the girl students in government schools of Tamil Nadu.
- 4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific Congress 2019 organised by International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) in New Delhi. It aims to find innovative solutions to build resilience to climate change at sub-national level.
- India and Netherlands held Joint foreign office consultations held in New Delhi. India welcomed participation of Netherlands as partner country for 25th edition of CII-DST Tech Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi in October 2019.
- World Allergy Week observed worldwide between 7th to 13th of April, 2019, with theme The Global Problem of Food Allergy.
- 21st ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) held at New Delhi to improve cooperation in maritime sector.
- Nationla Fire Service Week observed between 14th - 20th April, observed Since 1968. 2019 theme is Fire Prevention is better than Fire Fighting.
- Apr 21 - 30, 2019 -
- Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un began their first-ever talks in Vladivostok (Russia).
- 1st edition of Naval Commanders’ Conference held in New Delhi.
- Facebook announced ban on personality quiz apps on its platform, after recent Cambridge Analytica Scandal, which helped researcher’s to access personal information of about 87 million facebooks users by using quiz app “thisisyourdigitallife”.
35. Google and Apple blocked access to popular ______________________ video app 'TikTok' on their app stores following refusal of Madras High Court to lift ban imposed on it in early April 2019.
- Court appointed Arvind P Datar as amicus curiae to assist Court in upcoming proceedings related to concerned ban.
- Earlier on April 3, 2019, Madras HC asked Government to ban TikTok, claiming it encouraged pornography and made child users vulnerable to sexual offenders. It came after an individual filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) calling for a ban.
36. ______________________________Railway Station became first ever Indian railway station to get an ISO certification from National Green Tribunal (NGT) for providing passenger amenities in a clean and green environment. ISO Certificate received by __________Railway Station is ISO-14001, which is for Environment Management System as per international norms which were upgraded in 2015.
37. _________ Ministry Updates -
- Distributed over 3,100 special kits SAECKs (Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits ) for collecting blood and semen samples, besides other evidence, to carry out immediate investigations into sexual assault cases among states and Union Territories.
- Extended "disturbed area" tag under Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) for three districts of Arunachal Pradesh for another six months - Tirap, Changlang and Longding.
- Suspended LoC trade in Jammu & Kashmir, Between Indian Kashmir and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, amid reports that Cross LoC trade routes are being misused by the Pakistan based elements for funnelling illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency etc.
- LoC trade is meant to facilitate exchange of goods of common use between local populations across the LoC in Jammu & Kashmir. It is based on Barter system and zero duty basis.
38. India Post collaborated with IT Firm ________________ for digitizing of 1.5 lakh post offices in India, creating World’s Biggest EPostal Network and largest SAP implementations worldwide.
39. _______________ Updates -
- Constructed longest suspension bridge built over Indus River at Choglamsar village in Leh (260-feet long), in just 40 days, named Maitri. It will provide connectivity to remote areas of Ladakh and help residents of largest villages in Ladakh.
- Recovered wreckage of a World War II vintage US Air Force aircraft in Roing district of Arunachal Pradesh, buried under five feet of snow. The patrol moved cross country for 30 kilometers in thick jungles and snow covered areas for 8 days to trace out wreckage.
- Signed MOU with National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), to build four underground tunnels - 3 along Chinese border and 1 tunnel along Pakistan border.
40. ICMR (___________________) Updates -
- Issued guidelines for Candida auris, multi-drug resistant yeast that causes fatal invasive infections. C. auris is an uncommon fungus that can cause serious bloodstream, wound and ear infections. As per ICMR guidelines, There is no method for entire curability due to variation of vulnerability from patient to patient.
- Launched ‘Malaria Elimination Research Alliance (MERA) India, as a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control in order to eliminate it from India by 2030.
- It aims to prioritise, plan, conduct, scale up and translate relevant research in a coordinated and combinatorial way in order to have a tangible impact of this research on the population at risk for malaria.
41. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) partnered with the __________________________ (CMFRI) to map, validate and protect smaller wetlands in the coastal region and preserve them through coastal livelihood programmes.
- Smaller wetlands in India cover a total area of more than 5 lakh hectares, with Kerala alone having 2,592 smaller wetlands. Concerned MOU between CMFRI and ISRO will identify and separate various wetlands and conserve degraded wetlands through suitable livelihood options.
- A mobile app and a centralised web portal with a complete database of wetlands in country which were smaller than 2.25 hectares will be developed.
- Collaboration is part of the national framework for fisheries and wetlands recently developed under the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA).
42. India’s first exotic Bird Park ‘EsselWorld Bird Park’ launched by EsselWorld Leisure Pvt. Ltd. in _____________________. It is home to over 500 exotic birds from more than 60 species of flying, terrestrial and aquatic birds and has 200 species of special plants and trees for the birds.
43. MOU signed between Ministry of AYUSH and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), for cooperation in research and education in areas of traditional systems of medicine and its integration with modern science.
- CSIR jointly with Department of AYUSH (now Ministry) had earlier developed _________________________ (TKDL), a proprietary database on Indian systems of medicine for preventing bio-piracy and misappropriation of our traditional knowledge.
- Under the new MoU, both organizations shall jointly endeavor to pursue : R&D covering fundamental research; AYUSH specific diagnostic tools; linking microbiome, gene expression and prakriti; multi-ingredient herbal formulations, including their standardization; exploring modern scientific methods for integration with traditional Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM); linking disease signatures; etc.
44. ________________ Cabinet approved creation of a new Directorate of Dairy Development to boost milk production.
45. Ministry of _____________________ has set up an Indo-Pacific division in the foreign office, to give a coherent architecture to Indo-Pacific policy, which was articulated by PM Narendra Modi at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2018. Indo-Pacific Wing is currently headed by joint secretary Vikram Doraiswami. The division will integrate the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Asean region and the Quad to the Indo-Pacific table.
46. MoU signed by Tata Trusts and Microsoft India for jointly rejuvenating handloom clusters in the eastern and north-eastern parts of India in order to build a digitally-inclusive society. Under Project ‘______________’, Microsoft will help to preserve traditional weaving forms by upskilling workers, designing and marketing products, and creating sustainable livelihood options.
47. _____________________ App was launched by Bharti Airtel in collaboration with FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO). It enables women to send SOS alerts to any five of their family or friends in 13 languages, as they face any problem or panic situation. SOS alert will send user’s location over SMS to five contacts.
48. _______________ Updates -
- Formed a Central Monitoring Committee to prepare and enforce a national plan to make over 350 river stretches pollution free across country. It will also coordinate with River Rejuvenation Committees of states and oversee execution of action plans.
- Formed a committee to look into the alleged erosion of Yamuna floodplain due to movement of heavy vehicles in Haryana's Sonipat district.
- Has put an interim penalty of Rs 100 crore on Andhra Pradesh government for inaction to prevent illegal sand mining in state.
49. National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2019 -
- Top 5 (Overall) -
- IIT ___________________
- IISC Bengaluru
- IIT Delhi
- IIT Bombay
- IIT Kharagpur
- Top 5 (Universities) -
- IISC Bengaluru
- JNU Delhi
- BHU Varanasi
- University of Hyderabd
- Calcutta University
- Top 3 (Engineering) -
- IIT Madras
- IIT Delhi
- IIT Bombay
- Top 3 (Management) -
- IIM Bengaluru
- IIM Ahmedabad
- IIM Calcutta
- Top 3 (Medical)
- AIIMS Delhi
- PGIMER Chandigarh
- CMC Vellore
- Top 5 Colleges
- Miranda House Delhi
- Hindu College Delhi
- Presidency College Chennai
50. On ___________________, 2019 - CRPF observed their 54th Valour Day (Shaurya Diwas). On this occasion, President Ram Nath Kovind launched ‘Veer Parivar App’, a mobile application for families of CRPF personnel killed in the line of duty. It will act as an interface between CRPF authorities and next of kin of the slain personnel. It will be installed securely on the phones of the slain personnel families and will not be available in app stores.
51. _________________ Updates -
- Judge K.M. Joseph stated that Right to Information Act confers on ordinary citizens the ‘priceless right’ to demand information even in matters affecting national security and relations with a foreign state.
- This judgment countered claim made by government for privilege over Rafale purchase documents under Official Secrets Act (OSA), saying it affected national security and relations with France. Justice Joseph said Right to Information (RTI) Act overawes the OSA.
- Under Section 8(2) of RTI Act, government cannot refuse information if disclosure in public interest overshadows certain ‘protected interests.’
- Admitted for consideration a plea by a couple to lift the ban on Muslim women’s entry into mosques across country, after a plea by Pune-based Muslim couple. SC issued notice to Central Government, Waqf Board and All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB).
- As per Petition, it violates Articles 14 (Equality), 15 (Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth), 21 (Protection of life and personal liberty), 25 (Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion) and 29 (Protection of interests of minorities) of Constitution.
- Banned all mining activities along the Kaziranga National Park and catchment area of rivers originating in Karbi Anglong Hills in Assam.
- Dismissed Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed against a Kerala HC Judgment setting aside Employee's Pension (Amendment) Scheme 2014.
- Kerala HC had asked Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to give pension to all employees on basis of their full salary rather than capping figure on which contribution is calculated at a maximum of Rs 15,000 per month.
- The case -
- EPFO amended act on September 1, 2014 to increase contribution to 8.33% of a maximum of Rs 15,000. It reduced pension of many employees.
- Kerala HC set aside the amendment and reinstated old system of calculating the pensionable salary as average of the last one year's monthly salary.
- In October 2016, SC directed EPFO to accept requests of employees to contribute to pension scheme on basis of full salary.
- Despite SC judgement EPFO refused to accept contributions, stated EPFs are managed by trusts, while they were ready to contribute due amount.
- About Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) 1995 -
- Government introduced EPS in 1995, under which an employer was supposed to contribute 8.33% of employee's salary in a pension scheme. But contribution was capped at 8.33% of Rs 6,500 (or Rs 541 per month).
- In March 1996, government amended the act and allowed contribution to be a percentage of the actual salary.
- Members of EPFO gets pension benefits when retires at age of 58. Minimum service period is 10 years.
- Form 10D gives facility to apply for a monthly pension after retirement.
- Form 10C is used to withdraw EPS amount.
52. _______________________ partnered with Google Cloud to build industry-specific cloud solutions. It will help enterprises build secure, cloud-native analytics platforms that enable high levels of personalization, and are cost-effective, easy to maintain, and future ready.
