Daily Current Affairs, 06th September 2018

1) PM Jan Dhan Yojana To Be Open-Ended Scheme With More Incentives

•The Government has decided to make the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) an open-ended scheme and added more incentives to encourage people to open bank accounts. The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated that the overdraft facility has been doubled from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 under the Yojana. 

•The age limit for availing overdraft facility under it has also been revised to 18 to 65 years from the earlier 18 to 60 years. The accidental insurance cover for new RuPay Cardholders has been raised from Rs. one lakh to Rs. two lakh.

•According to the Minister, Jan Dhan Yojana is the world’s biggest financial inclusion scheme and 32.41 crore accounts have been opened under it with more than 81 thousand 200 crore rupees of deposit balance. 

2) Homosexuality Not A Crime In India Anymore: SC Abolishes Section 377

•The Supreme Court abolished Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the 1862 law which criminalised homosexuality. The Delhi High Court had decriminalised homosexuality in 2009, but the decision was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2013. According to Section 377, consensual sexual acts are also considered unnatural and are punishable. 

What is Section 377, the 1862 law that criminalises homosexuality?

•Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which came into force in 1862, states, "Whoever voluntarily has carnal inter¬course against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished". Under the section, consensual sexual acts of adults are also considered "unnatural" and are punishable. 

3) Home Minister Inaugurates Defence & Homeland Security Expo And Conference

•The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 3-day Defence & Homeland Security Expo and Conference – 2018, organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in New Delhi. 

•He has called upon the law enforcement agencies to adopt new technologies to enhance their capacities to contain terror and to counter the emerging challenges to homeland security. The expo is being organised for the first time to make leading policy makers and luminaries from diverse defence segments take part with special focus on MSMEs in defence production and procurement. 

4) President 3-Nation Visit: India & Bulgaria Sign 5 MoUs

•India and Bulgaria sign four pacts on Investment, Tourism, Civil Nuclear Cooperation, science and technology cooperation and Establishment of Hindi Chair at Sofia University, after delegation-level talks between President Ramnath Kovind and his counterpart Rumen Radev. 

•The President also invited Bulgaria to become key partner in Defence and IT sectors under Make in India programme. A Programme of Cooperation is also signed to enhance scientific cooperation. Mr Kovind was in Bulgaria on the second leg of his 3-nation visit to Cyprus, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic. 

5) India-US Hold Maiden 2+2 Talks In New Delhi

•India and the US held the first edition of the two-plus-two talks in New Delhi. The meeting was aimed at further strengthening bilateral defence and security collaboration as well as boosting their global strategic partnership, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held talks with US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis.

Military Ties: 

•According to US Secretary of State Michael R Pompeo, both sides should continue to ensure freedom of the seas and work towards peaceful resolutions of territorial and maritime disputes, seen as an oblique reference to China’s expansionist behaviour in the South China Sea. He also stressed on promoting market-based economics and good governance. 

Nuclear Deal: 

•A raft of other important issues like US sanctions on import of Iranian crude oil and India’s plan to buy a batch of S-400 air defence missile systems from Russia were discussed. In May, the US withdrew from the landmark Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed the sanctions that had been suspended in return for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Iran is India’s third-largest oil supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia. 

6) India-US 2+2 Dialogue: India-US Sign COMCASA

•India and US have signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) that will facilitate India to obtain critical defence technologies from the US, and access critical communication network to ensure interoperability among the US and the Indian armed forces. 

•After the 2+2 dialogue, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Defence Secretary James Mattis stated that the two countries are committed to work towards strengthening Indo-US relationship. 

7) Dr Poonam Singh Nominated For 2nd Term As Regional Director WHO South-East Asia

•India retained the top WHO position in South-East Asia Region with Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh unanimously re-elected as Regional Director for another five-year term beginning February 2019. The elections were held at the ongoing regional committee meeting of WHO South-East Asia. 

•Dr Singh is the first woman to have been elected to the position of Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia Region after an illustrious career in the Indian civil service, World Bank and WHO. 

8) Indian Boxer Mary Kom Signed As Brand Ambassador By BSNL

•State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) roped in Indian boxer MC Mary Kom as its brand ambassador for two years. BSNL will run television commercials, print advertisements and tariff plan endorsement with Kom.