Current Affairs
Morning Brief: NHAI To Auction 1,720 Km Of Highways; Three-Judge SC Bench Overrules Another Of Same Strength; Woman Fighter Pilot Goes Solo
Pune-Katraj National Highway (MoRTH)
Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news and views brief for today.
NHAI To Auction 1,720 Km Of Highways
Encouraged by the response to its toll-operate-transfer model from investors, the National Highways Authority of India may soon auction toll collection for road length totalling around 1,720 km. The auction, aimed at monetising highways, might fetch the government up to Rs 15,000 crore. Under this model, the government gives an investor the right to collect toll on selected stretches of highways for a period of 30-year against an upfront payment of a lump-sum amount. This development comes even as the state-run body is preparing to auction roads totalling 648 km for around $1 billion, tender for which is expected to open on 23 February.
Three-Judge SC Bench Stays Order By Another Of Same Strength
On Wednesday, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Madan B Lokur stayed the decision of another three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra in a case related to land acquisition. The bench headed by Arun Mishra had overturned another three-judge bench’s 2014 judgment on the same issue. The case involves the acquisition of land and payment of compensation to land-owners.
This seems to have reactivated the fault lines in the apex court which first appeared at a press conference by four senior-most judges on 12 January. The presser by Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Lokur and Kurian Joseph was organised after Chief Justice Dipak Misra assigned public interest litigations seeking a probe into the alleged suspicious death of judge B H Loya to a bench headed by Arun Mishra. In this case, the judgement stayed by the three-judge bench of Justices Lokur, Joseph and Deepak Gupta was given by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra.
Indian Woman Fighter Pilot Goes Solo For The First Time
Creating history, Flying Officer Avani Chaturvedi of Indian Air Force (IAF) has become the first Indian woman to fly to a fighter aircraft solo. Chaturvedi flew her first solo sortie in a MiG-21 fighter jet on Monday. She achieved the feat at the Jamnagar Air Force Station in Gujarat. Chaturvedi is one of the three in the first batch of female pilots who were inducted into the IAF in June 2016. The IAF decided to open the fighter stream for women in 2015. Women in the IAF have been serving in ground roles, and flying transport aircraft and helicopters for a number of years.
Former Gujarat Cop Off Hook In Ishrat Jahan Case
Former Director General of Gujarat Police P P Pandey was on Wednesday discharged by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in the Ishrat Jahan encounter case. The court discharged Pandey on the ground that there was no evidence to conclude that he was involved in the alleged kidnapping and murder of Jahan and three others in 2004. The CBI had accused Pandey, who headed the Ahmedabad crime branch in 2004, of being involved in the alleged fake encounter.
Rs 20,000 Crore Defence Industrial Corridor To Come Up In UP
Speaking at the Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit in Lucknow on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the setting up of a defence industrial corridor in the state. The corridor, which will link Agra, Aligarh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi and Chitrakoot, will have the capacity to attract investment worth Rs 20,000 crore and provide jobs to 2.5 lakh people. The Centre had proposed the development of two such corridors in the Union Budget. The first defence industrial corridor will come up between Chennai and Bengaluru - connecting Kattupalli port, Chennai, Tiruchi, Coimbatore and Hosur.
The Supreme Court-appointed special public prosecutor (SPP) in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case may soon quit citing continuing “uncertainty” and “discomfiture” with the manner in which the case is being handled. Grover is possibly uncomfortable with the appointment of Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta as the SPP. On 16 February, the government amended a 20 November 2014 notification to make sure that Mehta and not Grover would spearhead the appeals in the 2G case, if and when required. Following Mehta’s appointment, it is unclear if the government wants Grover to work with him on the case.
Mobile Number To Have 13 Digits?
Media is abuzz with rumours that the government has issued instructions to all operators to start using 13 digit mobile numbers, which is untrue. A section of the media seems to have misinterpreted an order issued by Department of Telecommunication (DoT) for machine to machine numbers (M2M), asking them to start using 13 digit mobile numbers. M2M numbers are the ones that are used for Subscriber Identity Modules in devices connected to the internet.
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We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!
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