LAW AND AMENDMENT
Supreme Court said judges should not order accused persons to surrender their right to be politically active in return for bail.
• In a recent order, a three-judge bench led by Justice BR Gavai said that forcing a person to stay away from politics by making his bail conditional is a clear violation of fundamental rights.
• This was made clear by the apex court in a petition filed by a former mayor of Berhampur Municipal Corporation.
• In 2022, Siba Shankar Das was granted bail in a criminal case.
• According to one of the grounds established by the Orissa High Court was that he should not "create any unpleasant situation in public or indulge in any political activities directly or indirectly".
• In early 2024, the High Court was approached by Mr Das to modify this bail condition, saying he wanted to participate in political activities ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
• In January, the High Court rejected his petition. Subsequently, he moved to the apex court.
• The Supreme Court said imposing such a condition would violate the fundamental rights of the appellant and no such condition could have been imposed.
• Therefore, quash and set aside the condition imposed by the High Court.
Hansa Mishra (IA&AS) selected for appointment to the post of director in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
• She has been chosen for an appointment under the Central Staffing Scheme, as per the Department of Personnel and Training's (DoPT) directive.
• She has been elected for a term of five years from the date he assumes charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
• Mishra is a 2010 batch Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) officer.
• She was recommended for central deputation by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
• Central staffing program is a government implemented structure that ensures effective administration and allows transfer of officers between national and state governments.
• This system provides for deputation of qualified officers to other central government agencies, promoting exchange of ideas and experiences.
• Union Public Service Commission is a Constitutional Body under Articles 315-323 of the Indian Constitution. It was formed on 1 October 1926. Dr. Manoj Soni is the Chairman of UPSC.
Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi sworn in as a judicial member of the Lokpal of India.
• Justice AM Khanwilkar, Chairman of the Lokpal of India, administered him the oath.
• Shri Pankaj Kumar and Shri Ajay Tirkey took oath as Lokpal members.
• On 27 March, the oath ceremony was organized at the Indian Lokpal Office in New Delhi.
• On 26th March 2024, two existing Judicial Members, namely Justice PK Mohanty and Justice Abhilasha Kumari and three Members, namely Shri DK Jain, Archana Ramasundaram and Shri Mahender Singh, have completed their tenure in Lokpal.
• Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi served as the Chairperson of the 22nd Law Commission of India before joining as Judicial Member of the Lokpal of India. Earlier, he was the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court.
• Shri Pankaj Kumar is a 1986 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre. Before joining as a member of the Lokpal of India, he was the Chief Secretary of Gujarat.
• Shri Ajay Tirkey is a 1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre. Before joining as a member of the Lokpal of India, he was the Secretary, Department of Land Resources, Government of India.
Sadanand Vasant Date has been appointed as Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA).
• He is presently serving as Chief of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad.
• His appointment has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) for a tenure up to his superannuation on 31 December 2026.
• The appointment of Rajeev Kumar Sharma as Director General of Bureau of Police Research and Development has also been approved by ACC.
• Rajeev Kumar Sharma is 1990 batch IPS officer of Rajasthan Cadre.
• Piyush Anand has been appointed as Director General (DG) of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
• He is an Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer. He is currently working as Special DG of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Vinay won Gold at para powerlifting World Cup in Egypt
• Vinay, hailing from Gorakhpur, UP, clinched gold at the Para Powerlifting World Cup in Egypt.
• The 18-year-old athlete dominated the 59kg youth category, lifting a remarkable 120kg weight to secure victory.
• Vinay's achievement marks a significant milestone as he becomes the first para powerlifter from Uttar Pradesh to attain such success on the global stage.
AWARDS
Michel Talagrand has won the 2024 Abel prize
• Michel Talagrand has been awarded the 2024 Abel Prize for his groundbreaking work in probability theory and understanding randomness.
• Talagrand, based at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), has focused on characterizing extremes in stochastic systems throughout his four-decade career.
• The Abel Prize is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of mathematics and recognizes exceptional contributions to the field.
INDEX AND RANKING
Elon Musk Tops Hurun Rich List Again, Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page Enter Top 10
• The Hurun Research Institute has unveiled its highly anticipated "Hurun Global Rich List 2024," showcasing the world's wealthiest individuals
• Once again, Tesla's visionary CEO, Elon Musk, claims the top spot, boasting a staggering net worth of $231 billion.
• This marks his third ascension to the pinnacle of wealth in the last four years, solidifying his status as the preeminent billionaire globally.
• Notably, Mark Zuckerberg, representing Meta, surges into the top 10 billionaires list with a formidable wealth of $158 billion, signifying a remarkable leap in fortunes for 2024.
• Additionally, Larry Page, the former helm of Google, makes a notable entry into this elite cohort with a formidable fortune of $123 billion, attributed to his astute strategic investments and ventures.
Mumbai becomes Asia's billionaire capital for the first time
• Mumbai surpasses Beijing as Asia's billionaire capital with 92 billionaires, driven by a 47% increase in total billionaire wealth to $445 billion.
• Growth sectors like energy and pharmaceuticals contribute to Mumbai's rise, with notable gains seen by industry leaders like Mukesh Ambani.
• Indian billionaires witness diverse movements in global rankings, with Mukesh Ambani maintaining 10th place and Gautam Adani climbing to 15th place.
• Mumbai's billionaire elite sees significant wealth increases, with real estate magnate Mangal Prabhat Lodha experiencing a 116% surge, showcasing the city's evolving economic landscape.
Union Health Ministry released India TB report 2024
• According to the report, India has achieved a decrease of 16% in TB incidence and an 18% decline in mortality caused by TB since 2015.
• As per the report, incidence (new cases emerging each year) rate had declined from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 199 per lakh population in 2022.
• As stated by the report, the mortality rate had fallen from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 23 per lakh population in 2022.
• India has fixed 2025 as the target for eliminating the TB.
• In 2023, the private health care sector accounted for roughly 32% of all TB cases that were notified. This is a 17% rise over the last year.
• The report states that during the last nine years, there has been an annual improvement of more than 50% in the overall notification of tuberculosis cases.
• The state with the biggest increase in notifications was Uttar Pradesh (increase of 21% from the previous year). Bihar came in second place (15%).
• According to the report, in 2023, the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) performed roughly 68.3 lakh nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) and 1.89 crore sputum smear tests.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Chandrayaan-3 landing site name 'Shiva Shakti' has been approved by IAU.
• Chandrayaan-3 landing site name 'Shiva Shakti' has got approval from the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
• The IAU’s working group for Planetary System Nomenclature has approved the name 'Shiv Shakti' for the landing site of Chandrayaan-3.
• The word “Shiv” stands for the welfare of humanity” and Shakti means strength to achieve the welfare of humanity.
• Shiv Shakti point will be a symbol of unity from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari.
• ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 was launched on July 14, 2023 and landed successfully on the Moon’s South Pole on August 23, 2023.
• On 26 March 2023, PM Modi announced that the place where Chandrayaan-3's Moon lander touched down would be known as 'Shiv Shakti'.
• The Chandrayaan-2 landing failure spot will be known as “Tiranga Point".
• The day on which Vikram Lander reached the moon's surface will be celebrated as “National Space Day”.
