January 2017:  Supreme Court: Re-promulgation of ordinances without being placed before the legislature was constitutionally impermissible as it amounted to bypassing the legislative body which was the primary source of law making authority in a parliamentary democracy.  A seven-judge constitution bench held that government's decision to bring ordinance can be reviewed by judiciary and said that it was obligatory on the government to place the ordinance before the legislative body for its approval.  Failure of governments, at the Centre as well as states, to place ordinances before Parliament and state legislatures would itself constitute a fraud on the Constitution.  The majority verdict, by Justices AK Goel, UU Lalit, DY Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, held that "re-promulgation defeats the constitutional scheme under which a limited power to frame ordinances has been conferred upon the President and governors  The danger of re-promulgation lies in the threat which it poses to the sovereignty of Parliament and the state legislatures which have been constituted as primary law-givers under the Constitution. Open legislative debate and discussion provides sunshine which separates secrecy of ordinance-making from transparent and accountable governance through lawmaking," – Supreme Court

 Chief Justice TS Thakur, who was heading the bench, also agreed with majority verdict on the issue but differed on one aspect. "I am in complete agreement with the view expressed by my esteemed brother Chandrachud, that repeated re-promulgation of the ordinances was a fraud on the Constitution especially when the government of the time appears to have persistently avoided the placement of the ordinances before the legislature."

 The Chief Justice, however, questioned whether it is mandatory for the government to place the ordinance before legislative body saying that the matter should be examined in a separate proceeding.

 Justice Madan B Lokur , also differed stating, "There could be situations, though very rare, when re-promulgation is necessary."

Elections:  Election commission announced poll schedule for the Assembly elections in five states  UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Punjab  The elections conducted by Election Commission  1 phase in Goa (40 Constituencies)  1 phase in Punjab (117 Constituencies)  I phase in Uttarakhand (70 Constituencies)  2 phases in Manipur (60 Constituencies)  Note: People’s Resurgence Justice Alliance is the name of the party of Irom Sharmila  7 phases in UP (403 Constituencies)  The model code of conduct came into effect  What is model code of conduct?  A set of guidelines issued by the election commission  Current Chief Election Commissioner – Syed Nasim Ahmed Zaidi  First CEC was – Sukumar Sen  V S RamaDevi was the first and only woman CEC of India so far  She served from November 26, 1990 to December 11, 1990

1. The term of the state legislative Assembly a. 4 years b. 5 years c. 6 years d. 7 years

Answer: B

2. The term of the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies can be extended by not more than 1 year at a time by the Parliament by an act during a. Financial Emergency b. State Emergency c. National Emergency

d. Cannot be extended under any circumstances

Answer: C

3. Guru Gobind Singh is the a. 7th Sikh guru b. 8th Sikh Guru c. 9th Sikh Guru d. 10th Sikh Guru

Answer: D

Note:  In the year 1699 He founded Sikh warrior community called ‘Khalsa’  He introduced 5 Ks. These are the articles of faith that Khalsa wear at all times  ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ is the religious scripture of Sikhism

CEC to Cabinet Secretary:  CEC – Nasim Zaidi  Cabinet Secretary – P K Sinha  EC sought a response from the government for deferring the presentation of the Union budget in the view of 5 state assembly elections The Parliament:  The President has summoned the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha  The session begins on January 31, 2017  The Union Budget will be presented on February 1, 2017 by the Finance Minister if the decks are cleared by the Election Commission

Sakshi Maharaj:  Member of Parliament fron Unnao  Known for controversial statements  He said that a particular community which spoke of 4 wives and 40 children was responsible for population related problems  He demanded for a common and fine maw to codify the number of children one should be allowed to have Puducherry:  Tussle between the Lt Governor and the government  Lt Governor – Kiran Bedi  Chief Minister – V Narayana Swamy

India – Myanmar:  The border trade started in the year 1995  The trade came to a standstill because of the continuous blockades hit the trade apart from highways robberies and rampant extortion by militant outfits.  This is happening mainly in Manipur  The year 2015 witnessed 250 days of blockade  The ongoing economic blockade imposed by the United Naga Council since November 1.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:  This was started in the year 2003  This is sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs  Every year January 9 is celebrated as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas  This is the day on which Gandhiji came back to India from South Africa in the year 1915  In the year 2017 it is held in Bengaluru

Chief Guest for Republic Day 2017:

 Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi is the chief guest

Q: Which of the following country in South Asia is fighting against Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu)? a. Afghanistan b. Pakistan c. Bangladesh d. Sri Lanka Answer: D Note: In the year 2016 the ‘WHO’ declared ‘Sri Lanka’ as Malaria free nation

Q: Which of the following State in South Indian reported with Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu)? a. Tamil Nadu b. Andhra Pradesh c. Telengana d. Karnataka Answer: B Note: This is seen mostly in farmers

Q: Which of the following states in India is organising a human chain of 11, 000 kms on January 21, 2017 to raise awareness of prohibition? a. Kerala b. Gujarat c. Manipur d. Bihar

Answer: D

VVPAT:  It is now again in the news as the Supreme Court insisted on the implementation of VVPAT in EVMs.  What is Vote Verifier Paper Audit Trail?  When a voter presses the button for a candidate of his choice in the EVM, a paper ballot containing the serial number, name of the candidate and poll symbol would be printed for the voter  Nagaland is the first state to use the high-tech voter recording system 'Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail' (VVPAT) with Electronic Voting Machines for the by-elections to Noksen Assembly constituency in the year 2013  Goa will be the first state to use VVPAT in all the constituencies in state legislative assembly in the year 2017 ATAGS:  Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System  This is being developed by DRDO in collaboration with the private sector  User trails will be initiated by the first half of 2017

IUD:  Intrauterine Device  China introduced one child policy in the year 1980  It was scrapped last year by the President of China Xi Jinping because of aging population  IUD was the most important device for limiting couples to one child  And all new mothers need to get one  Now the government wants the women to remove them for free

 But the offer was made without any apology from the government

SC backed HC:  TNSPC – Appointment of 11 members to TNSPC was completed in one day on January 31, 2016.  On December 22, 2016 the Madras High Court quashed their appointment  The Supreme Court said that the manner in which the state used the prerogative to make the appointments was nothing but arbitrary with no due deliberations

Q: Which of the following day is celebrated as Army day? a. January 4 b. January 15 c. October 8 d. December 4

Answer: B

Q: Which of the following Indian states conducts ‘Jallikattu’? a. Kerala b. Karnataka c. Tamil Nadu d. Andhra Pradesh

Answer: C

GST:  Good and Services Tax  GST rollout deferred to July 1, 2017  Since it is a transactional tax it can be introduced at any time  The issue of cross empowerment and dual control has been resolved  The Union government agreed for horizontal split with regard to tax payers based on annual turnover  Tax Payer less than 1.5 cr turnover: States will have powers to assess and administer 90 percent of them and rest 10 percent by the central government  Tax Payer more than 1.5 cr turnover: 50:50 ratio  States will also have the power to levy tax on economic activity within 12 nautical miles of territorial waters. (This right is vested with the central government)

ATM:  Automated Teller Machine  RBI raised the withdrawal limit from Rs 4500/- to Rs 10000/- per day. (With a weekly cap of RS 24000/-)

AP Bifurcation  Petitioners demanded for the ‘federal index’ for state formation

MTPA  Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act  The act permits termination of pregnancy on medical grounds, including foetal abnormalities and health risks for the mother up to 20 weeks

Q: Which of the following international financial institutions said that the demonetisation has hit India’s growth? a. World Bank b. International Monetary Fund c. Asian Development Bank d. New Development Bank

Answer: B

Note: IMF projected India’s growth at7.6% for the current and next fiscal year. But it expects it as 6.6% for the current year and 7.2% for the next year

National Party:  The party wins 2% of seats in the Lok Sabha (11 seats) from at least 3 different States. OR  At a General Election to Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly, the party polls 6% of votes in four States and in addition it wins 4 Lok Sabha seats. OR  A party gets recognition as State Party in four or more States. (Ex: TMC is recognised as a state party in 4 states West Bengal, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh) At present 7 parties have this status?

1. INC 2. BJP 3. CPI 4. CPI (M) 5. NCP 6. BSP 7. TMC

State Party:  A party should win minimum three percent of the total number of seats or a minimum of three seats in the Legislative Assembly. OR  A party should win at least one seat in the Lok Sabha for every 25 seats or any fraction thereof allotted to that State. OR  A political party should secure at least six percent of the total valid votes polled during general election to a Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assembly and should, in addition, win at least one Lok Sabha, and two Legislative Assembly seats in that election, OR  Under the liberalized criteria, one more clause has been added to provide that even if a Party fails to win any seat in a State in a general election to the Lok Sabha or Legislative Assembly of the State, the party will still be eligible for recognition as State Party if it secures 8% or more of the total valid votes polled in the State Please Note: At present 48 political parties got the status of state party Advantages for Recognised political parties:  Reserved party symbol  Free broadcast time on state run television and radio  Consultation in setting of election dates  Giving inputs in setting electoral rules and regulations.

Note: Recognition as a national or a State party ensures that the election symbol of that party is not used by any other political entity in polls across India. Other registered but unrecognised political parties have to choose from a pool of “free symbols” announced by the commission from time to time. USA:  Donald Trump sworn in as the 45th President of USA.  The oath of office is administered by the Chief Justice of USA  Note: Current CJ of USA John G. Robert (Since September 29, 2005). He is the 17th CJ  Also Note: First CJ of USA was John Jay  Trump was born on June 14, 1946  Mike Pence sworn in as the 48th Vice President of USA Please Note  The first President of USA was George Washington  The first Vice President was John Adams  Whitehouse is the official residence of the President  Oval office is the official office of the President.

CBI CHIEF  Alok Kumar Verma is the new chief  He is the 27th chief of CBI  His selection was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.  The committee included Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader in Lok Sabha; and JS Khehar, the Chief Justice of India.  He was set to retire recently but this appointment means that he will serve for the next two years.  He handled vigilance work as a special commissioner for the Delhi police force from 2011 to 2012.  He is 1979 batch IPS officer, he has also served as the Director General for Tihar prisons and has been the police chief of Mizoram too.

Q: Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) is headed by 1. President 2. Prime Minister 3. Home Minister 4. Finance Minister

Answer: 2 Note:  PM – Chairman  Home Minister and concerned Minister are the members  The ACC gave the go ahead to compulsory retire two IPS officers for no performance  Mayank Sheel Chohan of 1998 batch of AGMUT cadre (Arunachal Pradesh-GoaMizoram and Union Territory)  Rajkumar Dewangan of 1992 batch from Chattisgarh cadre  Orders have been issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs after ACCs approval

Q: On which of the following dates the Constitution of India was adopted? a. December 9, 1946 b. January 26, 1949 c. November 26, 29149 d. January 26, 1950 Answer: C Note: In the Preamble date of adoption was mentioned

Q: On which of the following dates the Constitution of India came into force? a. December 9, 1946 b. January 26, 1949 c. November 26, 1949 d. January 26, 1950 Answer: D Note: 394. Commencement This article and Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 60, 324, 366, 367, 379, 380, 388, 391, 392 and 393 shall come into force at once, and the remaining provisions of this Constitution shall come into force on the twenty sixth day of January, 1950, which day is referred to in this Constitution as the commencement of this Constitution 393. Short title This Constitution may be called the Constitution of India

Constitution was framed by the Constituent Assembly

Originally, the Constitution of India was a handwritten document by Prem Behari Narain Raizada in a flowing italic style with beautiful calligraphy. Each page was beautified and decorated by artists from Shantiniketan.

A total of 283 members of the constituent assembly signed the constitution. Two years, 11 months and 18 days, was the time that constitution committee had taken to prepare the entire document. The Constitution of India is the longest constitution in the world because of its handwritten uniqueness with 25 parts containing 448 articles and 12 schedules. Popularly known as “Father of Indian Constitution”, Dr BR Ambedakar or Baba Saheb was the first law minister of independent India. He was also an economist and can be dignified as the biggest social reformer of the country. The day constitution was signed, it was raining cats and dogs outside the parliament, which was considered to be a good omen by the assembly members. Only a few people know that the date 26th January was specially chosen to announce the India as the republic because it is the anniversary day of “Purna Swaraj Diwas” (26th January 1930). This was the day when congress seeded the fight for complete Independence and hoisted the Indian flag. The original hand-written copies of the Constitution are still kept in helium-filled cases in the Library of Parliament House. The Indian national flag, with tri-color and the chakra in the middle, was conceptualised by Pingali Venkayya, a farmer from Machilipatnam (a city in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh). ‘Ashok Chakra’ in the present tri-colour has 24 spokes and 12 represent 12 casual links taught by Gautama Buddha and other 12 in reverse represent a total of 24 spokes of ‘dharma

Jallikattu:

 The Supreme Court on January 25, 2017 agreed to hear a plea by the Animal Welfare Board of India, Compassion Unlimited Plus Action and animal rights activists to stay the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Bill, 2017 passed by the State Assembly.  The challenge termed the amendment a “fraud” on the Constitution and a violation of a 2014 Supreme Court judgment, which had declared jallikattu as an “inherently cruel” event practised on bulls.  It described jallikattu as an “extremely violent” event where untrained persons either volunteer or are “coerced” into taming or fighting terrified bulls agitated by the organisers and the crowd.  The challenge said every year many individuals get seriously injured or are killed by the bulls while participating or watching the event.  The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), which is the main petitioner in the 2016 challenge against the earlier January 7 central notification, contended in its 14-page application, filed on January 24, 2017 through advocate Anjali Sharma, that the Tamil Nadu amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 was ultra vires of the 1960 Act and the Constitution.`

Australian Open:  It’s a part of Grand slam  Grand Slam: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open  It was first held in the year 1905  It’s conducted in Melbourne in the month of January every year  2017:  Serena Williams defeated Venus Williams  This is Serena Williams 7th Australian Open title  Roger Federer (Switzerland) defeated Rafael Nadal (Spain)  This is his 5th Australian open title

Bombay High Court:  A promise to marry cannot be considered an inducement in every rape case - HC.

 The court while granting pre-arrest bail to a 21-year-old youth after his former girlfriend lodged a case of rape following their break-up.  Justice Mridula Bhatkar held that an educated girl who has consented to have premarital sex should take responsibility for her decision.  "In the event of consent obtained by fraud, inducement is a necessary ingredient. There should be some material on record to believe prima facie that the girl was induced to such an extent that she was ready to have sexual intercourse.  Promise to marry cannot be said to be an inducement in these types of cases  Since generations, there is a moral taboo that it is the responsibility of a woman to be a virgin at the time of marriage. However, today, the young generation is exposed to different interactions with each other and is well informed about sexual activities.  Society is trying to be liberated but carries baggage of different notions of morality wherein sex before marriage is a matter of censure. Under such circumstances, a woman who is in love with a boy forgets that to have sex is her option like her counterpart's but refuses to take responsibility for her decision.

ECONOMIC SURVEY: This is prepared by the Chief Economic advisor to the government The current Chief Economic Advisor - Arvind Subramanian The Finance Minister of India presents the Economic Survey in the parliament every year, just before the Union Budget. It is the ministry's view on the annual economic development of the country. The Economic Survey reviews the developments in the Indian economy over the previous 12 months, summarizes the performance on major development programs, and highlights the policy initiatives of the government and the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term. This document is presented to both houses of Parliament during the Budget Session. On January 31, 2017 the Parliament session began with the President’s address

Economic Survey highlights

 Economic Survey provides a detailed insight on the economic performance of various sectors of country's economy.  The document also helps in estimating the economic growth rate.  Economic Survey lists reasons behind the current state of economy. It also presents the roadmap ahead for struggling sectors of the economy.  It will also present reasons behind the success or failure behind various government schemes or policies.  Apart from reforms, the Economic Survey also suggests the government to make policy changes towards particular sectors in order to rejuvenate the economy

India’s economic growth has been pegged at 6.5 per cent for the current fiscal, down from 7.6 per cent recorded in the last financial year, but is expected to rebound in the range of 6.75-7.5 per cent in 2017-18. The Survey’s GDP growth figure for the current fiscal is lower than 7.1 per cent the Central Statistics Office had forecast earlier this month.

Highlights of the Economic Survey 2016-17:

GDP growth for next fiscal pegged at 6.75-7.5 per cent Growth this fiscal to be 6.5 per cent Prescribes cut in individual I-T rates, real estate stamp duties Income Tax net could be widened gradually by encompassing all high income earners Time table for cutting corporate tax should be accelerated Tax administration could be improved to reduce discretion and improve accountability Growth to return to normal as new currency comes in circulation Demonetisation to affect growth rate by 0.25-0.5 per cent, but to have longterm benefits

GST, other structural reforms should take the trend growth rate to 8-10 per cent Fiscal windfall likely from Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, low oil price Farm sector to grow at 4.1 per cent this fiscal, up from 1.2 per cent last year Fiscal gains from GST will take time to realise Demonetisation may affect supplies of certain agricultural products like sugar, milk, potatoes and onions Growth rate of industrial sector to moderate to 5.2 per cent this fiscal, from 7.4 per cent last fiscal Efforts to collect taxes on disclosed and undisclosed wealth should not lead to tax harassment Universal Basic Income Scheme is an alternative to plethora of state subsidies for poverty alleviation.