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Registration for CLAT 2023 will begin on August 8
CLAT 2023 will be held offline on December 18. Applicants can complete the online application form at consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
CLAT 2023: The registration process for the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2023 will begin on August 8. In the official notification issued by the Consortium of National Law Universities (NLU Consortium), it was stated that the application process will start on August 8, 2022. Applicants can complete the online application form at consortiumofnlus.ac.in.
The exam will be held in offline mode on December 18, 2022. Candidates who have passed Class 12 or will appear in the board exam are eligible to apply for UG-CLAT 2022, while candidates who have completed the LLB or are in their final year of the LLB program can apply for CLAT LLM.
In a first, the consortium had planned two tests in 2022. The first session was held in May. The consortium has also reduced the consultancy fee from Rs 50,000 to Rs 30,000 for applicants in the non-reserved category. For students in the reserved category, the fee will be Rs 20,000.
There are 120 questions in total for the PG exam and 150 questions for the UG. There are 5 sections in CLAT which are: Quantitative Techniques, English, Current Affairs and General Knowledge, Legal Reasoning and Logical Reasoning. One point is awarded for a correct answer and a mark of 0.25 is deducted for an incorrect answer.
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Recent Labour Law Reforms
On September 19, the government withdrew three bills related to labor laws and replaced them with new ones. These bills introduce significant changes to labor regulations and the employer-employee relationship in several ways.
- India has a complex system of labor laws and several committees have recommended simplifying and simplifying them. Last year, the government introduced four labor codes in the form of bills to replace 29 existing laws.
- These codes deal with the regulation of wages, occupational health and safety, social security and labor relations. The Wage Code was approved by Parliament last year.
- In recent months, the Permanent Labor Commission has presented its reports on the other three bills. These are the three bills that the government replaced and introduced into the Lok Sabha.
Major Changes
Several aspects of these bills differ significantly from previous bills. Let’s call the bills new bills of 2020 to distinguish them from the bills of 2019 that have been considered by the Standing Committee and then withdrawn.
- First, the 2020 bills raise various thresholds. The Factories Act of 1948 defines any manufacturing unit as a factory if it employs 10 workers (and uses electricity) or 20 workers (without using electricity). These thresholds will be raised to 20 and 40 workers respectively. The Industrial Conflict Act of 1947 requires any establishment employing more than 100 workers to seek government authorization before making a reduction; the threshold has been raised to 300 and the government has the power to raise it by notification. These changes have been debated for more than two decades, but were not proposed in the 2019 bill. The Industrial Employment (Regulation) Act of 1946 requires employers to formally define conditions of employment under these if they have at least less 100 workers. Bill 2020 raised this threshold to 300 workers.
- Second, they give the government the power to exempt institutions from some or all of its provisions. The Labor Relations Code regulates working conditions, unions, reductions and dismissals, the resolution of conflicts and creates labor courts. The government may, in the public interest, exempt any new industrial establishment from the provisions of this code. The Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code specifies licenses and maximum working hours, requires health and safety standards that include adequate lighting and ventilation, and welfare measures. It includes 13 laws, including the Factories Act. Bill 2020 allows the state government to exempt any new plant from its provisions in the interest of increased economic activity and job creation. Since each new factory would result in an increase in employment, this gives the state government the discretion to exempt new factories from basic safety and welfare standards. Note that the Factories Act allowed such an exemption for a limited period of three months only in the event of a “public emergency.”
- Third, there are some changes related to contract work. The 2019 bill was applicable to establishments employing at least 20 contract workers and contractors providing at least 20 workers; these thresholds were raised to 50 workers. The 2020 Code prohibits the employment of contract workers in any major activity and specifically allows employment in a specific list of secondary activities, including canteen, security and sanitation services.
- Fourth, the 2019 workplace safety bill allowed the government to ban the employment of women in operations that could be dangerous to their health and safety. Bill 2020 removes this power to ban employment and instead allows the government to require employers to provide adequate safeguards.
A change of direction
The three bills (the 2019 and 2020 versions) also show a major shift in focus from previous laws. Many essential features of the law are no longer specified in codes, but have been delegated to be prescribed by the government through rules.
- Examples of delegated elements include establishing thresholds for the application of various social security schemes, specifying safety standards and working conditions, and the power to increase the threshold for establishments that must apply for a authorization before downsizing. An important question is whether these characteristics should be hard-coded into laws.
- Another important question to consider is whether there should be any flexibilities for small businesses to reduce their compliance burden. Arguably, some issues, such as safety standards, should apply to everyone, while others that ensure job security might be based on the size of the company.
- The Occupational Safety Bill (which prescribes safety standards and maximum working hours) exempts small establishments from its scope, while the Labor Relations Bill applies to all .
- These three new bills were introduced on Saturday and Lok Sabha’s business advisory committee has allotted three hours for them to be discussed and approved this week.
- Together, these bills contain 411 clauses and 13 schedules and total 350 pages. The provisions of the bill affect all people working in India and all employers and deal with complex issues.
- It is hard to believe that Members of Parliament, who attend Parliament every day, including weekends, have had the time to read and understand the implications of the various provisions of the bill.
- As mentioned above, the bills also feature several key changes from the 2019 bills that were considered by the Standing Committee.
- Therefore, it is important that there be further scrutiny and public debate on these bills. They should go to the Standing Committee. After all, a comprehensive reform of labor law should only come after due deliberation.
RBI’s Consumer Confidence Survey
The Reserve Bank of India has released the results of the May 2020 cycle of its Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS). In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the investigation was conducted through telephonic interviews on May 5 and 17, 2020 in thirteen major cities, namely Ahmedabad; Bangalore Bhopal; Chennai Delhi; Guwahati Hyderabad Jaipur Kolkata Lucknow Mumbai Patna and Thiruvananthapuram.
Perceptions and expectations were obtained regarding the general economic situation, the employment scenario, the general situation of prices and the income and expenses of 5,300 households in these cities.
Highlights
Consumer confidence collapsed in May 2020, the Current Situation Index (CSI) hit record lows and the Future Expectations Index (FEI) for next year also fell sharply, entering the area of pessimism.
The consumer’s perception of general economic conditions, the employment scenario and household income is sinking deeper into the contraction zone; while expectations regarding the general economic situation and the employment scenario for next year were also pessimistic.
General consumption spending has remained afloat, mainly due to the relative lack of elasticity of essential spending; However, consumers have reported large reductions in discretionary spending and also don’t expect a noticeable improvement in the coming year.
Other Points
- The Current Situation Index (CCI) fell into 89.4 in September from 95.7 recorded in the July round of survey, the data showed, in September 2013, it had touched 88.
- The survey also revealed that sentiment for the overall economy and employment also declined and people were less optimistic about their income over the year ahead. For instance, perception and expectation of employment have continued to decline, touching -24.5 in September from -13.1 seen in the July round of survey. However, sentiments around income have turned negative for the first time since March 2018.
- While sentiment for overall spending, primarily on essentials remains strong, sentiment for discretionary spending weakened in the September round of the survey, it said.
- India’s economy grew at its slowest pace in over six years in April-June, expanding 5%, largely because of a slowdown in consumption demand.
- RBI cut interest rates for the fifth time in a row in an attempt to give a renewed push to a slowing economy, and said it will maintain an accommodative policy stance until growth revives.
- RBI lowered its repo rate—the rate at which banks borrow from it—by 25 basis points to 5.15%. With this cut, the policy rates have come off by as much as 135 basis points so far this year to a nine-year low.
- The RBI has not yet released the Industrial Outlook Survey, which had showed “stark pessimism” among manufacturing companies, which were expecting a deterioration in sentiment across sectors for the just concluded fourth quarter of the previous fiscal year, and the current first quarter of 2020-21.
- The RBI said the current situation index (CSI) had touched a historic low and the future expectations index (FEI) for the year ahead also recorded a sharp fall, “entering the zone of pessimism”.
- Consumer spending remained intact, mostly due to relative inelasticity in essential spending. “Consumers, however, reported sharp cuts in discretionary spending and also do not expect much improvement in the coming year”.
- Households also expect a sharp rise in prices in the next three months as well as the next year to come, notwithstanding the RBI’s own expectation that inflation would taper off in the second half, which it used as a justification to cut rates on May 22.
- The Households’ Inflation Expectations Survey, conducted in 18 major cities, and based on responses from 5,761 urban households, shows that people expect a sharp rise in inflation.
- “Households’ median inflation perception and expectations increased sharply in May 2020 as compared with the March 2020 round of the survey,” the RBI said, adding three months and one year ahead median inflation expectations rose by 190 and 120 basis points, respectively, over the previous round.
- The households are now expecting increasing price pressure on food products; more households expect general prices and inflation to rise over three months as compared to previous round.
- However, the households expect prices of all product groups, especially the cost of housing, to ease over a year ahead.
- Even as the RBI did not give its own projections on inflation and growth, even as it said the economy will contract in the current fiscal year, a group of 22 professional forecasters indicated the real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate could be a negative 1.5 per cent in 2020-21, but could rise to a positive 7.2 per cent in 2021-22.
- Real gross value added (GVA) growth could fall to a negative 1.7 per cent in 2020-21 and rise to 6.8 per cent in 2021-22.
- Real private final consumption expenditure (PFCE) is expected to decline by 0.5 per cent during 2020-21 but likely to record 6.9 per cent growth during 2021-22. Real gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) is likely to register negative growth of 6.4 per cent in 2020-21 but likely to grow by 5.6 per cent in 2021-22.
- “Forecasters have assigned the highest probability (86 per cent) to real GDP growth lying below 2.0 per cent in 2020-21,” adding, for 2021-22, highest probability (19 per cent) has been assigned to GDP growth lying between 6.0 and 6.4 per cent.
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RBI reiterated its determination to reactivate growth
India’s central bank on Friday reiterated its determination to reactivate growth impulses in the economy and mitigate the worst effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, extending its accommodative policy for the remainder of this year and 2021-2022, even when that was the key rates unchanged in the face of high inflation.
- Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said growth could “come out of contraction” for the January-March 2021 quarter, as September’s economic indicators and the COVID -19 load curve show “silver lights”. However, real GDP (gross domestic product) for the full year is expected to decline by 9.5%, “with downside risks”.
- As headline inflation has persisted above the tolerance band, Das said the central bank expects consumer prices to remain high in the September print, but gradually come down towards the 6% target in the third year. This is the first time the RBI has shared its growth and inflation projections this year.
- Calling the coming months a “decisive phase” for the Indian economy in the fight against the pandemic, the governor said; “Obviously, the deep contractions in the first quarter of 2020-2021 (when GDP contracted by 23.9%) have been left behind … With less than a second wave, India is poised to ignore the deadly claws of the virus and renew its appointment with its pre-COVID growth trajectory from confinement to reactivation “.
- Newly appointed Monetary Policy Committee members Ashima Goyal, Jayanth R. Varma and Shashanka Bhide voted unanimously in sync with the three RBI members to leave the policy buyout rate unchanged at 4% and maintain a moderate position. for “as long as it takes – at least in the current financial year and in the following year”.
- Although the RBI expects private investment and exports to be subdued in light of anemic demand conditions, Das said the agriculture sector could drive the resumption of growth through surging rural demand.
“Manufacturing companies expect a rebound in capacity utilization in the third quarter … However, if the current recovery momentum gains momentum, a faster and stronger recovery is very achievable,”
said the governor.
- Diving into the debate over the possible form of the alphabet for India’s recovery, Das delved into cricket terminology to defend his own expectation of a three-speed recovery.
- Besides agriculture, sectors such as fast-moving consumer goods, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and energy would “open their accounts” first, he said.
“The second category of sectors in the form of a strike would include sectors in which activity is gradually normalizing. The third category of sectors would include those which are confronted with “slog overs”, but can save entries. These are the sectors that are most severely affected by social distancing and require a lot of contact, ”
said Das.
- In addition to reducing a layer of bureaucracy to speed up exports, the central bank also announced a rationalization of the risk weights assigned by banks for all new mortgages sanctioned until March 31, 2022.
- This would give the government a boost. employment intensive real estate sector that has been reeling from the pandemic, the RBI said. Stock markets reacted favorably to the RBI policy statement, with BSE Sensex closing the day at 40,509 points, up 0.81%.
RBI Press conference: 21.05.2020
In his third speech since the start of the coronavirus-induced lockdown on March 25, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Shaktikanta Das today reduced the Repo rate by 40 basis points to 4% and also also extended the moratorium on all term loans for another 3 months. After the blockade began, Das reduced the benchmark interest rate to 75 massive basis points and also announced a three-month moratorium that banks were granting to ease borrowers whose income was awarded due to the blockade. The loan moratorium lasted until August 31 for 6 months.
Highlights
Repo rate cut by 40 basis points, RBI MPC cuts repo rate cut by 40 basis points from 4.4 % to 4%. Government 10-year bond yields slumped 15 basis points after the repo rate cut. Reverse repo rate stands reduced to 3.35%. MPC, which met off-cycle, voted in the ratio of 5:1 in favour of the repo rate cut.
A ray of hope comes from the forecast of normal monsoons. Inflation to remain firm in the first half of 2020 but ease later on. RBI maintains accommodative stance. GDP growth expected to remain in negative category.
Impact of coronavirus turning out to be more than expected, Govt revenues have been impacted severely due to slowdown in economic activity amid COVID-19 outbreak.
India seeing collapse of demand; electricity, dip in petroleum product consumption; fall in private consumption. India’s foreign exchange reserves have increased by 9.2 billion during 2020-21 from 1st April onwards.
So far, up to 15th May, foreign exchange reserves stand at 487 billion USD. RBI will extend Rs 15,000 crore line of credit to EXIM Bank. RBI will continue to be vigilant and will take whatever measures are needed to be taken due to the Covid pandemic.
Monetary policy transmission has continued to improve. RBI has increased export credit period to 15 months from 1 year. Group exposure limit for lenders to corporates raised to 30% from 25%.
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AatmNirbhar Bharat (4) AIBE (7) AIBE17 (4) CACP (3) CBSE (3) CLAT (7) CLAT 2025 (5) CORONA VACCINE (3) Coronavirus (18) COVID 19 (14) COVID19 (3) CUET PG (4) CUET UG (12) CUET UG 2023 (14) DU Admission (4) Facebook (5) Fiscal deficit (4) fiscal stimulus (4) FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES (3) GDP (3) GI Tag (5) GI TAGS In iNDIA (3) GST (5) GST COMPENSATION (4) indian economy (20) INDO-CHINA BORDER DISPUTE (3) INDO-CHINA CONFLICT (6) INFLATION (3) INSTAGRAM (3) JIO (5) lockdown (6) MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE (4) MPC (5) MSP (3) NIRF (3) nobel prize 2020 (5) PMI (3) RAFALE FIGHTER JET (3) RBI (12) RBI GOVERNOR (3) RELIANCE INDUSTRIES LIMITED (4) REPO Rate (4) RIL (8) twitter (3) UNIVERSITY OF DELHI (5)
RBI Annual Report 2019-20
“The upticks that became visible in May and June after the lockdown was eased in several parts of the country, appear to have lost strength in July and August, mainly due to reimposition or stricter imposition of lockdowns, suggesting that contraction in economic activity will likely prolong into the second quarter,”
the RBI said.
According to the RBI, private consumption should drive the recovery when it takes hold, and government consumption should remain pandemic-proof of demand.
“Private consumption has lost its discretionary elements in all areas, especially transportation services, hospitality, recreation and culture,”
RBI
- The RBI said the recovery will come when non-discretionary spending – expenses people can’t live without, like food and rent – lead the way, with a lasting increase in disposable income that allows for discretionary spending like vacations and entertainment.
- The central bank has warned that high-frequency indicators so far point to an unprecedented reduction in activity in history.
- Rating agencies and analysts predict a contraction of up to 20% of GDP in the first quarter of 2020-2021 due to the blockage induced by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The RBI has injected nearly Rs 10 lakh crore since March into the markets and reduced the repurchase rate, the key rate, by 115 basis points to 4% to revive growth and stabilize the financial system.
- The Reserve Bank’s survey in July indicated that consumer confidence had fallen to an all-time low, with the majority of respondents reporting pessimism about the overall economic situation, employment, inflation and to income. However, respondents indicated recovery expectations for next year, the RBI said.
According to the central bank, the pandemic has also revealed new inequalities
Administrative workers can work from home, while essential workers must work on site, exposed to the risk of infection. In some fields of work such as hospitality, hospitality and catering, airlines and tourism, job losses are more severe than in other fields. “The poorest were the most affected,” The RBI said.
- Urban consumer demand has been hit hard; passenger car sales and the supply of durable consumer goods in the first quarter of 2020-2021 fell to one-fifth and one-third, respectively, from their previous level of one year, Air passenger traffic has stopped. On the contrary, rural demand has performed better.
- Citing examples of a slowing recovery, the RBI said total e-ticketing, an indicator of domestic business activity, increased 70.3% in June 2020 on a monthly basis.
- In July, however, it rose only 11.4% and remained 7.3% lower than a year ago.
- In June 2020, interstate electronic highway bills had increased by 91.3%, but in July they only increased by 15.3%.
- Likewise, intra-state e-transport bills, which had risen 60.1% (month-over-month) in June, only rose 9.1% in July.
- Google’s mobility trend, which tracks the movement of people as a reflection of underlying economic activity, rebounded in June 2020 from its April and May levels.
- Mobility around grocery stores and pharmacies reached pre-Covid levels, while mobility related to retail and entertainment was around 60% and transit activity was 40% lower than that of February 2020, said the RBI.
- In July, however, moderation prevailed, with stagnant commercial and recreational mobility and some decline in the movement of people in supermarkets and pharmacies, RBI said.
- The RBI report said headline inflation may remain high in Q2: 2020-2021, but may moderate in H2: 2020-2021, thanks to large favorable base effects. Retail inflation was 6.93% in July, above the upper tolerance limit of 6% (target of 4% plus 2%).
- Noting that rural demand, on the other hand, had performed better, the RBI report states that among the underlying indicators, tractor sales rose 38.5% in July, due to the high planting rate kharif, while the contraction in motorcycle sales eased in July.
- However, the central bank said a fuller recovery in rural demand was being held back by modest wage growth, which was still held hostage by the migration crisis and associated job losses.
- The RBI said the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) expected headline inflation to remain high in the second quarter of the current fiscal year, but likely to decline in the second.
RBI Report highlights
- Currency notes of Rs. 2,000 denomination were not printed in 2019-20 and the circulation of these notes have declined over the years, according to RBI’s annual report.
- The number of Rs. 2,000 currency notes in circulation has come down from 33,632 lakh pieces at end-March 2018 to 32,910 lakh pieces at end-March 2019 and further to 27,398 lakh pieces at end-March 2020, the RBI Annual Report said.
- The number of pieces of Rs. 2,000 denomination notes constituted 2.4 per cent of the total volume of notes at end-March 2020, down from 3 per cent at end-March 2019 and 3.3 per cent at end-March 2018.
- In value terms also, the share has came down to 22.6 per cent at end-March 2020, from 31.2 per at end-March 2019 and 37.3 per cent at the end-March 2018.
- On the other hand, the circulation of currency notes of denomination of Rs. 500 and Rs. 200 has gone up substantially, both in terms of volume and value over the three years beginning 2018.
- The RBI report further revealed that no indent for printing of Rs. 2,000 currency notes was made during 2019-20 and no fresh supplies were made by BRBNMPL (Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited) and SPMCIL (Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited).
- “The indent of banknotes for 2019-20 was lower by 13.1 per cent than that of a year ago.
- The supply of banknotes during 2019-20 was also lower by 23.3 per cent than in the previous year mainly due to the disruptions caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdown,” it said.
- On Rs. 500 denomination notes, the RBI said indent for printing of 1,463 crore pieces were issued and 1,200 crore pieces were supplied during 2019-20. This compares with indent of 1,169 crore pieces and 1,147 crore supply during 2018-19.
- The order was also given to BRBNMPL and SPMCIL for printing currency notes of Rs. 100 (330 crore pieces), Rs. 50 (240 crore pieces), Rs. 200 (205 crore pieces), Rs. 10 (147 crore pieces) and Rs. 20 (125 crore pieces) during 2019-20. A large number of them were also supplied during the fiscal for circulation.
- The report also said that during 2019-20, out of the total Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) detected in the banking sector, 4.6 per cent were detected at the Reserve Bank and 95.4 per cent by other banks. A total of 2,96,695 pieces of counterfeit notes were detected.
- Compared to the previous year, there was an increase of 144.6 per cent, 28.7 per cent, 151.2 per cent and 37.5 per cent in counterfeit notes detected in the denominations of Rs. 10, Rs. 50, Rs. 200 and Rs. 500 [Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series], respectively.
- Counterfeit notes detected in the denominations of Rs. 20, Rs. 100 and Rs. 2,000 declined by 37.7 per cent, 23.7 per cent and 22.1 per cent, respectively, the report said.
- The number of counterfeit notes of Rs. 2,000 detected was 17,020 pieces during the last fiscal, down from 21,847 in 2018-19.
- The Reserve Bank also said it has undertaken several initiatives to introduce varnished banknotes in Rs.100 denomination on a field trial basis.
- However, the process of printing of these notes has been delayed due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and certain other developments.
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2020
Indian cricket team vice-captain and opener Rohit Sharma is one of 4 athletes who have been recommended for India’s top sporting honor – the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. Along with Rohit Sharma, Asian Games Gold Medalist Vinesh Phogat, Table Tennis Champion Manika Batra and Paralympic Gold Medalist Mariappan Thangavelu were recommended for the Khel Ratna Award.
- The move comes after the National Sports Awards selection committee met on Tuesday to decide on awards for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna and other national sports.
- The committee, which includes Virender Sehwag and Sardar Singh, met at the Sports Authority of India headquarters in New Delhi. This is only the first time since 2016 that the names of 4 athletes have been recommended for the award. Rio Olympic medalists PV Sindhu, Dipa Karmakar and Sakshi Malik as well as marksman Jitu Rai collectively received the award in 2016.
- Rohit Sharma will become the fourth cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli to receive the Khel Ratna award.
- Tendulkar was the first Indian cricketer to win the Khel Ratna Award when he did so in 1998. Dhoni received the sporting honor after leading India to the T20 World Cup in 2007, while Virat Kohli won the award with weightlifter Mirabai Chanu in 2018.
- Vinesh Phogat became the first female fighter to win a gold medal at the Asian Games in 2018, while star paddler Manika Batra had an extraordinary year in 2018 in which she won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and bronze at the Asian Games in women’s singles.
- Meanwhile, Mariappan Thangavelu made history at the Paralympic Games in Rio by winning the gold medal in the high jump (T42).
- The Khel Ratna Prize was won by Paralympic athlete Deepa Malik and wrestler Bajrang Punia in 2019.
- The Ministry of Sports of the Indian government announces many sports awards such as Arjuna Prize, Eklavya Prize, Major Dhyana Chand Prize, Dronacharya Prize and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Prize.
- The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Prize is the highest sporting honor of the Republic of India. The winner of the Khel Ratna prize receives a prize of 7.5 lac rupees. This prize is awarded each year to the athletes who are the pride of the country at international events.
List of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award winners 2020
| Player Name | Sport | Year |
| 1. Viswanathan Anand | Chess | 1992 |
| 2. Geet Sethi | Billiards | 1993 |
| 3. Homi de Motivala and PK Garg | Yachting | 1995 |
| 4. Karnam Malleswari | Weightlifting | 1996 |
| 5. Kunjurani Devi and Leander Paes | Weightlifting, Lawn Tennis | 1997 |
| 6. Sachin Tendulkar | Cricket | 1998 |
| 7. Jyotirmoyee Sikandar | Athletics | 1999 |
| 8. Dhanraj Pillai | Hockey | 2000 |
| 9. Pullela Gopichand | Badminton | 2001 |
| 10. Abhinav Bindra | Shooting | 2002 |
| 11. Anjali Bhagwat and K. M. Binamol | Shooting, Athletics | 2003 |
| 12. Anju Bobby George | Athletics | 2004 |
| 13. Rajya Vardhan ,Singh Rathore | Shooting | 2005 |
| 14. Pankaj Advani | Billiards and Snooker | 2006 |
| 15. Manavjit Singh Sandhu | Shooting | 2007 |
| 16. Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Cricket | 2008 |
| 17. M.C. Marikom, Vijender Singh, Sushil Kumar | Boxing, Boxing, Wrestling | 2009 |
| 18. Saina Nehwal | Badminton | 2010 |
| 19. Gagan Narang | Shooting | 2011 |
| 20. Vijay Kumar, Yogeshwar Dutt | Shooting, Wrestling | 2012 |
| 21. Ranjan Sodhi | Shooting | 2013 |
| 22. Sania Mirza | Lawn Tennis | 2015 |
| 23. P. V. Sindhu, Deepa Kamikar, Sakshi Bhai and Jitu Rai | Badminton, Gymnastics, Wrestling, Shooting | 2016 |
| 24. Devendra Jhajaria, Sardar Singh | Javelin throw, Hockey | 2017 |
| 25. Virat Kohli, Mirabai Chanu | Cricket, Weightlifting | 2018 |
| 26. Bajrang Punia Deepa Malik | wrestling Athletics | 2019 |
| 27. Rohit Sharma (nominated) | Cricket | 2020 |
Some interesting facts about Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award are
- It is the highest sporting honour of the Republic of India.
- It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
- This award was instituted in 1991-92.
- Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand was the first recipient of this award.
- From 1992 to 2019, 36 sportsmen got this award.
- The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award can be given a maximum of three persons in a year.
- Rohit Sharma will only be the fourth cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, just retired M.S. Dhoni, and Virat Kohli, ato be conferred with Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
Rajesh Ranjan’s Picks: Christian Medical College
IMPOSITION OF NEET ON MINORITY COLLEGES IS CONSTITUTIONAL: Christian Medical College Vellore Association v. Union of India (April 2020)
- The rights to administer an institution under Article 30 of the Constitution are not above the law and other Constitutional provisions. Reasonable regulatory measures can be provided without violating such rights available under Article 30 of the Constitution to administer an institution.
- Regulatory measures cannot be said to be exceeding the concept of limited governance. The regulatory measures in question are for the improvement of the public health and are a step forward.
- A uniform entrance test qualifies the test of proportionality and is reasonable. It is intended to check several maladies which crept into medical education, to prevent capitation fee by admitting students which are lower in merit and to prevent exploitation, profiteering, and commercialization of education.
- Thus National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) will apply to private unaided minority professional institutes for admission into MBBS, MD, BDS and MDS courses.
Rainfall in August of this year were the highest since
However, the season as a whole is expected to see “normal” monsoon as expected in June; rainfall in August of this year were the highest since 1926 at 32.7cm, about 27% more than normal for the month, according to data from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday.
- In August 1926, precipitation recorded was 34.8 cm, above normal by 33%.
- IMD officials said that although the August rains were excessive, this year’s monsoon figure as a whole would likely be within the department’s June forecast for normal precipitation (96-104% of the long-term average.
“There has been a decrease in rainfall across India since the start of September. However, we expect a new recovery around September 17th, ”
Mrutunjay Mahapatra, IMD director general, said at a press conference on Monday.
- From June to September 6, India recorded 7% more precipitation than normal for this period.
- In the normal course, the monsoon begins to withdraw from September 15th and this can last almost a month.
Low pressure systems
The heavy rains in August were due to several long lasting low pressure systems, or rainy winds, which formed in the Bay of Bengal and were vigorous enough to move from the southeast coast in northwest India.
“In a typical monsoon season, there are 12-13 LPA. There were fewer this year, but there were six in August and they lasted for several days. Together this led to several days of rain in August, ”
Mrutunjay Mahapatra, IMD director general,
- The excess rains mainly occurred in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
Climate change
- Prolonged periods of heavy rains followed by prolonged periods of drought are a hallmark of climate change and part of a global shift in monsoon patterns in India, IMD previously said.
- Mahapatra admitted that the agency’s monthly forecast for July and August was grossly misplaced, but said this was due to “intra-seasonal” variations and that IMD’s short-term forecast models had anticipated periods of heavy rains and suitably warned to the authorities.
- This year, IMD launched urban flood forecasting services for Mumbai and Chennai and will extend them to Bengaluru and Kolkata.
- “We can provide these forecasts for other cities as well, but we need detailed city maps. The [four cities] we served were extremely cooperative and communicative with this data, ”said Madhavan Rajeevan, secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Northwestern India saw 10% less rain than normal; Central India had a surplus of 17%; South India has a 20% surplus and North East India has received exactly what it normally gets.
- Cooler than normal conditions in the central equatorial Pacific have contributed to the increase in precipitation.
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