March 10, 2010
Ø The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday voted to amend the Constitution to reserve one-third of seats in Parliament and the State Assemblies for women.
· The House recorded its vote of 191 for and 1 against at 7.25 p.m.
· Sharad Joshi of the Swatanatra Bharat Paksh was the lone naysayer.
· The Bill, formally known as the 108th constitutional amendment, must now be passed by the Lok Sabha and ratified by at least half the States for becoming effective.
· But do you know how a bill becomes an act?
o A Bill is the draft of a legislative proposal.
o The legislative process starts with the introduction of a Bill in either House of Parliament—Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha and can be introduced by a Minister or by a private member. In the former case it is known as a Government Bill and in the latter case it is known as a Private Member’s Bill.
o It is necessary for a member-in-charge of the Bill to ask for leave to introduce the Bill.
o This stage is known as the First Reading of the Bill.
o After a Bill has been introduced, it is published in the Official Gazette..
o After a Bill has been introduced, Presiding Officer of the concerned House can refer the Bill to the concerned Standing Committee for examination and make report thereon.
o The Second Reading consists of consideration of the Bill which is in two stages.
o The first stage consists of general discussion on the Bill as a whole when the principle underlying the Bill is discussed.
o The second stage of the Second Reading consists of clause-by-clause consideration of the Bill as introduced or as reported by Select/Joint Committee.
o Thereafter, the member-in-charge can move that the Bill be passed. This stage is known as the Third Reading of the Bill.
o In passing an ordinary Bill, a simple majority of members present and voting is necessary. But in the case of a Bill to amend the Constitution, a majority of the total membership of the House and a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting is required in each House of Parliament.
o After the Bill is passed by one House, it is sent to the other House for concurrence with a message to that effect, and there also it goes through the stages described above except the introduction stage.
o Money Bills can be introduced only in Lok Sabha. Rajya Sabha cannot make amendments in a Money Bill passed by Lok Sabha and transmitted to it. It can, however, recommend amendments in a Money Bill, but must return all Money Bills to Lok Sabha within fourteen days from the date of their receipt.
Ø The United States will start accepting applications for H-1B visas, most sought after by Indians, from April 1 for the fiscal year 2011.
· In a statement, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it would accept petitions for 65,000 H-1B visas as mandated by Congress.
· The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on behalf of individuals who have earned a U.S. master's degree or higher are exempt from this 65,000 cap.
· U.S. businesses use the H-1B programme to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialised fields — such as scientists, engineers, or computer programmers.
· Official figures reveal that because of stringent monitoring provisions and the recession, there has been a sharp drop in the number of Indians receiving H-1B visas in the last few years.
Ø Irom Sharmila, who has been on a fast-unto-death since November 4, 2000 demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in Manipur, was rearrested on Tuesday, as she continued her fast despite being released by the court.
· The Act, under which she was arrested (for attempt to commit suicide), does not permit the authorities to detain her for more than one year at one go.
· She was released on Monday after she completed one year of detention. As her condition without medication and nose-feeding became precarious, the police rearrested her.
· Who is Irom Sharmila?
o Menghaobi" Irom Sharmila Chanu (born March 14, 1972), also known as the Iron Lady of Manipur, is a civil rights activist, political activist, journalist and poet from Manipur.
o Irom Sharmila Chanu was born to Irom Nanda Singh and Irom Ongbi Sakhi Devi at Kongpal Kongkham Leikai in Imphal East district.
o On November 1, 2000, in Malom, a town in the Imphal Valley of Manipur, ten innocent people who were waiting for their buses at a bus station were gunned down by the Assam Rifles, one of the Indian Paramilitary forces operating in the state.
o On November 1, 2000, in Malom, a town in the Imphal Valley of Manipur, ten innocent people who were waiting for their buses at a bus station were gunned down by the Assam Rifles, one of the Indian Paramilitary forces operating in the state.
o Soon afterwards, that very day, the people of Manipur, including major civil society organisations and other state institutions, agitated and demanded a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
o The army, using the unperturbed authority given to them by AFSPA, however, disallowed any such inquiry, leaving the people of Manipur frustrated and helpless yet again.
o This convinced Sharmila, then only 28, that she must take a decision and act. On the evening of November 4, after taking blessings from her mother, she launched her hunger strike against the widespread repression unleashed against the people of Manipur by the Indian state.
o On 6 November 2000, three days after she launched the strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with "attempt to commit suicide", which is unlawful under section 309 of the Indian Penal Code.
o She has been kept alive on the constant painful nasogastric intubation.
Ø Do you know which country leads in the women representation in parliament? Click here to find out.
Ø Impressed by the emergence of a ‘new Assam,' top industry captains on Tuesday pledged their commitment towards industrial and overall development of State at the first meeting of the Assam Investment Advisory Board.
Not attractive ! focus is given on political news mainly but other aspect of GK not at all upto the mark !!
ReplyDeleteHope to see the changes.....