Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 comes into force

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 came into force on 1 May 2016.

•  In this regard, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) had notified 69 of the total 92 sections of the Act to bring it into force from 1 May 2016.

About the Act :

•  Sets up in motion the process of making necessary operational rules and creation of institutional infrastructure for protecting the interests of consumers.
•  Promotes the growth of real estate sector in an environment of trust, confidence, credible transactions and efficient and time bound execution of projects. 
• Real Estate Regulatory Authority will be formulated within one year as per the mandate of Act.
•  Regulatory Authorities will have to dispose of complaints in 60 days and Appellate Tribunals will be required to adjudicate cases in 60 days.

UJALA will be implemented across country by 2019

 The Centre’s ambitious National LED programme – Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) – will be implemented across the country by 2019.

•  A total of 9 crore LED bulbs were sold in the country since the scheme was launched a year ago on May 1, which means people will get the benefit of Rs 5,500 crore in their electricity bills.
•  It will be implemented across the country by 2019. Nearly 77 crore incandescent bulbs will be replaced till 2019 in the country which will ensure an annual benefit of Rs 40,000 crore to the people in their electricity bills and this will lead the country to fulfil its need of energy security, which is very vital for the nation as it will reduce dependability on coal.

Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) :

• The Scheme was launched as part of Union Government’s efforts to spread the message of energy efficiency in the country.
•  LED bulbs have a very long life, almost 50 times more than ordinary bulbs, and 8-10 times that of CFLs, and therefore provide both energy and cost savings in the medium term.
•  It will help in saving of energy around 24 crore units every year.

BSF to put tallest ‘Tiranga’ at Wagah border by January 2017

 The Border Security Force (BSF) is planning to install the tallest national flag near the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post, famously known as the Wagah border.

•  The flag at 350 feet is part of BSF’s expansion plans for the visitors’ gallery at the site of the iconic Retreat ceremony. 
• The tallest tricolour can be seen both from Lahore as well as Amritsar. 
• Currently, Jharkhand holds the record of hoisting the largest tricolour – a massive 99X66 feet – on the country’s tallest flag post at 293 feet in Ranchi.

Wagah border :

• Wagah is a village situated near a road border crossing, goods transit terminal and a railway station between Pakistan and India, and lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Amritsar, Punjab, India, and Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

India, Papua New Guinea sign four agreements

 India and Papua New Guinea have signed four Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) in various sectors to boost bilateral cooperation.

•  The MoUs were signed in the presence of the visiting President Pranab Mukherjee and the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’ Neil in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea. 
• MoU regarding $100 Million Credit Line: India will provide a Line of Credit of 100 million dollars for specific projects in Transport and infrastructure sectors. 
• MoU in the field of Health Care and Medical Science MoU in the field of Agriculture MoU in the field of IT

Papua New Guinea  :

• Capital- Port Moresby
• Currency-  Papua New Guinean kina (PGK)

Swat activist Tabassum Adnan wins 2016 Nelson Mandela Award

 Pakistani women’s rights activist from Swat valley Tabassum Adnan has won prestigious 2016 Nelson Mandela Graça Machel Innovation Award. 

• She won the award for the individual activist category on the concluding day of the International Civil Society Week (ICSW) held from April 25-28, 2016 in Bogota, Colombia.
•  With this Tabassum Adnan becomes the second woman from Pakistan’s Swat valley to win this international recognition after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai.

 About Tabassum Adnan Tabassum :

•  Adnan was a victim of child marriage and was married at the age of 13.
•  The marriage was marked by frequent domestic abuse and ended after 20 years when she gathered the courage to divorce her abusive husband. 
• Later she launched NGO Khwendo Jirga (Sister’s Council), a women-only Jirga where women meet weekly to discuss issues such as honour killings, swara and acid attacks the practice of giving women as compensation for crimes.

J&K Govt approves 5% interest subsidy for flood-hit traders

 Jammu and Kashmir government on 27 April 2016 approved five percent interest subvention to flood-hit traders with effect from 1 April 2016.

•  The decision will bring a major relief to September 2014 flood hit traders and business units. 
• The interest subsidy will have a cap of five lakh rupees per unit for a period of four years, that is, up to 31 December 2020. 
• The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Jammu.

Jammu and Kashmir :

Capital -Jammu (October–March) ,Srinagar (March–October)

Districts-  22

Government-

 • Governor- Narinder Nath Vohra

 • Chief Minister-  Mehbooba Mufti (PDP)

 • Deputy Chief Minister -  Nirmal Kumar Singh (BJP)

 • Legislature -  Bicameral (87 + 36 seats)

 • Parliamentary constituency- Rajya Sabha 4,  Lok Sabha 6

Area rank-  5th

Population  Rank -  19th

UN Chief Appoints Indian Academician To University Council

Indian academician, Radha Kumar, is among 12 people appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to the global body’s University Council to formulate its principles and policies, consider and approve biennial budget and work programme.

• The 12 appointees, who will take office next month, will serve for terms of either three or six years.

About the UN University Council:

• The main functions of the UN University Council are to formulate the principles and policies of the University, govern its operations, and consider and approve its biennial budget and work programme.
• Appointed members of the Council serve in their individual capacity and not as representatives of their country’s government.
• They are selected with the aim of achieving a geographic and gender balance, with due regard for major academic, scientific, educational and cultural trends, as well as each member’s fields of expertise.