Top 5 Current Affairs: 16 November 2018

NITI Aayog constitutes 'Himalayan State Regional Council'

NITI Aayog on November 15, 2018 constituted the ‘Himalayan State Regional Council’ to ensure sustainable development of the Indian Himalayan region. The Council was constituted with an aim to review and implement identified action points based on the Reports of five Working Groups, which were established along thematic areas to prepare a roadmap for action.

The Himalayan State Regional Council will be chaired by the Dr VK Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog. It will consist of the Chief Secretaries of the Himalayan States as well as the Secretaries of key Central Ministries, senior officers of NITI Aayog as well as special invitees.

Open Defecation in India: Rural Jharkhand declared ODF

The rural Jharkhand was declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) on November 15, 2018 during a regional review meeting of the eastern states held in Kolkata, West Bengal.

The workshop comprised discussions on sustaining Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM), and rural water supply. It saw participation from teams belonging to West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha.

CBI-Alok Verma Dispute: SC orders CVC to hand over probe report to Alok Verma for his response

The Supreme Court on November 16, 2018 ruled that the vigilance probe report of the CVC against ousted CBI Director Alok Verma gives out “mixed” findings and indicated that some charges need to be investigated further.

The court directed the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to hand over the copy of the probe report to CBI Director Alok Kumar in a sealed cover and asked Verma to file his response by November 19, 2018. The matter will now be heard on November 20. The court stated that the report should also be handed over to Attorney General K K Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

SC issues directions to 8 High Courts, State Governments on appointment of Judges

The Supreme Court on November 15, 2018 issued a series of directions to eight High Courts and State Governments on the appointment of judges to the vacant positions in the subordinate judiciary. The directions were issued to Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Goa, NCT Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Manipur, and Meghalaya.

The bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Krishan Kaul and Justice K. M. Joseph also pulled up these state governments for their laid-back attitude in providing infrastructure and manpower for the functioning of the subordinate courts.

Government to refund employers for seven weeks of maternity leave given to employees

The Union Women and Child Development Ministry announced on November 15, 2018 that the government will refund the employers the salaries for the first seven of the 26 weeks of maternity leave for women earning more than Rs 15,000 a month.

The Ministry’s decision came in the wake of complaints that many companies were reluctant to hire pregnant women after maternity leave was extended from 12 to 26 weeks and some were even firing women employees.