Same-sex marriages not recognised by our law, society and our values: Centre to HC
• The centre told the Delhi High Court on September 14, 2020 that marriages between same-sex couples are "not permissible" as it is not recognised by "our laws, legal system, society and our values".
• The submission was made by Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta during the hearing of a PIL seeking a declaration that same sex marriages be recognised under the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA) and Special Marriage Act. The case was being heard by a two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court comprising Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jala.
• The Solicitor General opposed the relief sought in the petition stating that "our laws, our legal system, our society and our values do not recognise a marriage, which is a sacrament, between same-sex couples". He said that the plea to grant recognition or permit registration of such marriages was "not permissible" due to two reasons, first being that the petition was asking the court to legislate and second was that any relief granted would run contrary to various statutory provisions.
• Mehta clarified that unless the court does violence to various laws, this cannot be done. He also added saying that under the Hindu Marriage Act, the various provisions regulating marriages or prohibited relationships talk of husband and wife and therefore, who would be assigned these roles where a same sex couple was concerned.
• Responding to this, the Delhi High Court bench observed while the world over things are changing, but it may or may not apply to India. The bench, however, questioned the need for a PIL in the instant case, saying the people who claim to be affected are well educated and can themselves approach the court.
25 MPs across Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha test positive for COVID-19
• At least 25 MPs, including 17 Lok Sabha MPs and 8 Rajya MPs tested positive for Coronavirus ahead of the first day of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session on September 14, 2020.
• The MPs were tested positive during a routine COVID test, which was mandated under the safety measures prescribed for parliamentarians attending the sessions.
• As per the protocol, the MPs had to get themselves tested 48 to 72 hours before the session. The Health Ministry had made a negative COVID report mandatory for the member to attend Parliament.
• Among those who tested positive in the Lok Sabha, 12 belong to BJP, 2 to YSR Congress and one each from DMK, Shiv Sena and RLP. In the Rajya Sabha, two MPs each from BJP and Congress and one each from TRS, AAP, Trinamool Congress and AIADMK tested positive. The tests were conducted over Sunday and Monday.
• Some of the ministers who tested positive include Meenakshi Lekhi, Anant Kumar Hegde, Sukanta Majumdar and Parvesh Sahib Singh.
RBI asks banks to fully automate NPA recognition process
• The Reserve Bank of India has mandated banks to fully automate NPA classification and provisioning calculation process. Under this, all borrower accounts will be covered and lenders will have time till June 30, 2021 to complete this process.
• The official statement by the regulator read that banks have been advised to put in place or upgrade their systems to conform to the guidelines latest by June 30, 2021 to ensure the completeness and integrity of the automated Asset Classification (classification of advances, investments as NPA and their upgradation), Provisioning calculation and Income Recognition processes.
• The new guidelines will include all borrower accounts, including temporary overdrafts, irrespective of size or sector. It would also cover Banks’ investments.
• Under the new guidelines, the calculation of the provisioning requirement will also be system-based and will rely on pre-set rules for various categories of assets and value of security and regulatory stipulations.
• The income recognition or derecognition of impaired assets will also be system driven. The system will also handle the upgrades and downgrade of accounts through the automated process.
Bill to reduce MPs' salaries by 30 percent to meet COVID exigencies tabled in Lok Sabha
• Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi introduced the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Lok Sabha on September 14, 2020. The bill seeks to reduce the salaries of Members of Parliament by 30 percent for a period of one year to meet the exigencies arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The bill seeks to replace the Salary, Allowances And Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, which was cleared by the Cabinet on April 6 and promulgated on April 7.
• The ordinance had stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of expeditious relief and assistance and therefore, it was necessary to take "certain emergency measures to prevent and contain the spread of this pandemic".
Google commits to tap only renewable power by 2030
• Alphabet Inc's Google has set an unprecedented goal to power its data centers and offices solely with renewable energy by 2030. With this, Google has become the biggest company in the world to commit to ditching coal and natural gas power.
• The new goal was announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai who described it as a ‘stretch goal’. The goal will force Google to move beyond the tech industry norms of offsetting carbon emissions from electricity use and require technological and political breakthroughs to achieve.
• Pichai stated that the wildfires burning a record area in the western United States have increased public awareness of climate change and Google wants to bring further attention through its new goal as well as product features. He stated that the problem is so immense that many of us need to lead the way and show solutions.
• As per data, wind, solar and other renewable sources accounted for 61% of Google's global hourly electricity usage in 2019. Though the proportion varied with respect to its various facilities.
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