PM Narendra Modi to address US Congress on June 8

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to address a joint meeting of the United States (US) Congress on June 8, 2016 during his visit to the US.

 He was invited by President Barack Obama for a bilateral visit during the fourth nuclear summit. 

It was announced by the Speaker of the US House of Representative Paul Ryan. 

PM Narendra Modi will be the fifth Indian Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of Congress, and the first since 2005.

 Earlier, Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi (July 13, 1985), P V Narasimha Rao (May 18, 1994), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (September 14, 2000) and Manmohan Singh (July 19, 2005) had addressed the joint meeting of the US Congress.

United States Congress  :

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States consisting of two houses:

1.  the Senate and
2.  the House of Representatives. 

• The Congress meets in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election, though vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a gubernatorial appointment. 

Lobsang Sangay re-elected Tibetan PM

Tibetan legal scholar and politician Lobsang Sangay has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamsala.

• Darjeeling-born Dr. Sangay, who had first become the Sikyong (equivalent to the Prime Minister) of the Tibetan government-in-exile in August 2011.
• The result was formally declared by Chief Election Commissioner Sonam Chhoplae. Forty-five new members from across the world have also been declared elected along with Mr. Sangay.
• This was the second election after the Dalai Lama stepped down as the head of the government in 2011, preferring to remain only as the religious-spiritual head.

Tibet :

• Tibet is a region on the Tibetan Plateau in Asia. 
• It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Qiang and Lhoba peoples and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han Chinese and Hui people.

Heart of Asia conference begins today in New Delhi

The Heart of Asia (HoA) conference has begun in New Delhi with the objective of bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan and speeding up its reconstruction with a focus on enhancing investment and connectivity to the country.

• The conference is with the objective of bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan and speeding up its reconstruction with a focus on enhancing investment and connectivity to the country.
• The key elements of HoA process have been to devise a sustained, incremental approach to implementation of the confidence building measures (CBM) in Afghanistan and the officials are set to deliberate on them during the conference.

Heart of Asia conference :

• HoA conference is a part of the Istanbul Process established 2011 which provides a platform to discuss an agenda of regional cooperation with Afghanistan at its centre. 

Parliament passes Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2016

    The Parliament has passed the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

• The Bill amends the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, that regulates administration of Sikh Gurdwaras in Chandigarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
• The Bill proposes removing an exception made for Sahajdharis in 1944 that allowed them to vote in elections for the Board and committees instituted under the Act.

Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 :

• The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 was a piece of legislation in British India, which legally defined Sikh identity and brought Sikh gurdwaras (houses of worship) under the control of an elected body of orthodox Sikhs. 
• Under the 1925 Act, every Sikh who is above 21 years of age and is registered as a voter is entitled to vote in the SGPC elections.
•  This Act had created an exception for Sehjdhari Sikhs who trim or shave their beard or hair, and allowed them to vote.

SGPC poll controversy :

The SGPC elections were last held in 2011, which were challenged by the Sehajdhari Federation after the Sehajdharis’ right to vote in the gurdwara elections was withdrawn by the Centre, reportedly on the advice of the ruling SAD.

President nominated six members to Rajya Sabha

The President of India has nominated Shri Swapan Das Gupta, Shri Navjot Singh Sidhu, Dr. Subramanian Swamy, Shri Narendra Jadhav, Sh. Suresh Gopi and Ms. Mary Kom to the Rajya Sabha.

12 people can be recommended to the Upper House. As of now, there are seven vacancies among these 12, for which six names have been announced, and one kept in abeyance.

Nominations to the Upper House:

• The government recommends names of people having “special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art and social service”.
• As per Article 80 of the Indian constitution, members are nominated by the President to the Upper House on the recommendation of the government.
• The government recommends members in this category at anytime and it is not bound to an electoral cycle like the other seats.