Current Affairs 29th April 2016

Current Affairs 29th April 2016 - Important Points

• Which senior IPS officer has been appointed as DG of Railways Protection Force - Surender Kumar Bhagat
• Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by - Rajya Sabha
• Mobile app e-voter for Kerala assembly polls was launched by – Election Commission
• Which two Indian Naval Ships decommissioned – Veer, Nipat
• Who passed the Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015 - Rajya Sabha
• Which player is confirmed as New Zealand test cricket captain - Kane Williamson
• Which Chief Minister inaugurated 100 rural drinking water projects - Naveen Patnaik

Details - 

Which senior IPS officer has been appointed as DG of Railways Protection Force - Surender Kumar Bhagat

On 28 April 2016, Senior IPS officer Surender Kumar Bhagat was appointed as the Director General (DG) of Railways Protection Force (RPF). Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Surender Kumar Bhagat. 

Bhagat, as a DG of Railways Protection Force, is entrusted with responsibility of protecting railway property and passengers.

He is all set to serve the Railway Board till the date of his superannuation that is on 30 June 2017.

Do You Know – 

• Currently, Bhagat is working as Special Director General in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Western Sector, Jammu & Kashmir.

• Bhagat is a 1982 batch IPS officer of Uttarakhand cadre.

Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed by - Rajya Sabha

On 28 April 2016, Rajya Sabha passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2016 to include certain communities in the list of Scheduled Castes (SC) from 4 states.

This bill seeks to amend Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 to include certain communities from Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala and West Bengal in the list. 

The bill also includes provisions for exclusion of certain communities from Odisha and removal of area restriction in respect of certain communities.

Know About Rajya Sabha – 

• The Rajya Sabha which is also known as Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. 

• Rajya Sabha membership is limited by the Constitution to a maximum of 250 members, and current laws have provision for 245 members.

• The Rajya Sabha meets in continuous sessions, and unlike the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, is not subject to dissolution.

Mobile app e-voter for Kerala assembly polls was launched by – Election Commission

For the coming May 16 Assembly Polls in Kerala, The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched an innovative mobile application titled e-voter with comprehensive details.

This new app is envisaged for voters’ facilitation for search in electoral roll, information regarding candidates, location of polling station, affidavit filed by them, filing of complaint and so on.

Do You Know - 

• This new e-voter app was developed by the state IT Mission. 

• Main aim of this app is to ensuring great transparency and conduct of free and fair elections. 

• This advanced app has ‘know your candidate’ option that would provide constituency wise details of candidates.

Which two Indian Naval Ships decommissioned – Veer, Nipat

Two Indian Naval Ships (INS) Veer and Nipat were decommissioned at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 

In the presence of Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Flag officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command the decommissioning ceremony of these ships was held. 

According to an official release, the ceremony involved traditional last lowering of the ensign and commissioning pendents with playing of 'last post'.

Know About INS Veer and INS Nipat:

• On 26 March 1987, INS Veer (K40) was commissioned at Poti, Soviet Union (now in Georgia). Lieutenant Commander Anup Singh was the commissioning Commanding Officer of the ship. This ship was manned by a crew of about 100 officers and sailors

• On 5 December 1988, INS Nipat was commissioned at Poti, Soviet Union (now in Georgia). Lieutenant Commander GV Babu was the commissioning Commanding Officer of the ship. This ship was manned by a crew of about 100 officers and sailors.

Who passed the Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015 - Rajya Sabha

On 28 April 2016, The Rajya Sabha passed the Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2015. The bill seeks to amend the Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951.

However, both the houses of parliament passed the bill. On 10 December 2015, Lok Sabha passed the bill after it was introduced by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman.

This bill aims to bring industries engaged in the manufacture of potable alcohol under the exclusive control of States in all respects.

Which player is confirmed as New Zealand test cricket captain - Kane Williamson

On 28 April 2016, New Zealand ace batsman Kane Williamson was confirmed as 29th test cricket captain of New Zealand cricket Team.

Kane Williamson will succeed Brendon McCullum as captain in all three formats. This year in February only McCullum retired from test cricket. 

Know About Kane Williamson – 

• Kane Stuart Williamson, who is a professional cricketer and currently the captain of New Zealand.

• K. Williamson is a right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner.

Which Chief Minister inaugurated 100 rural drinking water projects - Naveen Patnaik

On 28 April 2016, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated 100 piped water supply projects for rural areas. By 2017, The CM also pledged to make piped water provision in all gram panchayats.

On the occasion of Utkal Gaurab Madhusudan Das’ anniversary, the project was inaugurated.  Das was the first graduate and advocate of Odisha.

Know About Naveen Patnaik – 

• CM Naveen Patnaik is the 14th and longest serving Chief Minister of Odisha, who first assumed the chair on 5 March 2000. He is also the president of Biju Janata Dal since the inception of the party on 26 December 1997.

• Naveen Patnaik is continuously hard for the development of Odisha to get the state out of the “backward” category with innovative development schemes.