Maharashtra becomes first state to draft law for internal security
Maharashtra became the first state in the country to draft its own internal security legislation The Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act (MPISA), 2016.
The bill has been kept public responses for suggestions and objections. Later it will be presented to the legislature for approval.
Key Features of Bill
- It gives special emphasis on maintaining law and order and combating terrorism, insurgency, caste-related violence & communalism in the state.
- Definition of internal security: The situation posing threat to state within its borders, either caused or prompted, provoked or proxied by a hostile foreign power.
- Special Security Zones (SSZ): Proposes setting up of SSZ where movement of arms, explosives and inflow of unaccounted funds will be prohibited. SSZs will have separate police infrastructure. They will also have a command and control system, and separate Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) to be followed by SSZ police.
- Critical Infrastructure Sectors (CIS): It includes nuclear reactors, dams, major projects, coastal areas under its ambit.
- Powers of police chief: He can ban or regulate the production, storage, possession, sale, or entry of (i) any devices or equipment (ii) poisonous chemical, biological or radioactive substances (iii) electronic content of potentially explosive nature (iv) any inflow of funds.
- Punishment: Jail term of up to three years and fine for those threatening the State’s security.
Hindi author Sunita Jain conferred with Vyas Samman award 2015
Hindi scholar and writer Sunita Jain was conferred with the prestigious 25th Vyas Samman 2015. She was presented with the award by West Bengal Governor K N Tripathi. She was bestowed with this prestigious literary award for her poetry collection Kshama (published in 2008). Through her poetry collection, she portrays the fine emotions between poet Tulsidas and his wife Ratnavalli. Using very fine language in the poetry, she has managed to aptly convey the sentiment of forgiveness between Tulsidas and his wife.
VP Singh Badnore sworn in as Punjab Governor
VP Singh Badnore (69) has sworn in as the new Governor Punjab and also as Administrator of Chandigarh. He was administered the oath of office by Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice SJ Vazifdar at oath taking ceremony held in Punjab Raj Bhawan Chandigarh. He succeeds Kaptan Singh Solanki, who is the Governor of Haryana and was holding additional charge of Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh since January 2015.
Manjula Chellur sworn in as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court
Justice Manjula Chellur has sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court. She succeeded CJ Dhirendra Hiralal Waghela who has retired. She was administered the oath of office by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at the swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. She is the second woman Chief Justice of the Bombay HC, after Sujata Manohar in 1994. Prior to this posting, she was serving as the Chief Justice of the Calcutta HIgh Court.
SR Nathan: former longest-serving Singapore President of Indian-origin passes away
The Indian-origin former Singapore President S.R. Nathan passed away days after suffering a stroke. He was 92. He was the sixth and longest-serving President of Singapore. He was closely associated with the country’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew.
Awards and honours:
Government of India had conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Overseas Indian Award) upon him in 2012 in recognition of his contribution in building closer links between India and Singapore.
