Parliamentary panel suggests BSNL-MTNL merger for long-term

Parliamentary panel suggests BSNL-MTNL merger for long-term survival A Parliamentary panel in its report has suggested a merger of state-run telecom firms Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for their long-term survival. The Committee on Petitions, chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Bhagat Singh Koshyari, in its report tabled in Lok Sabha on 16 March 2017, said that for the long-term survival and success, the merger of the MTNL and BSNL would be a good proposition. The panel opined that their merger would give both the entities a chance to compete against private sector players. Madhukar Gupta Committee report submitted to Union Government In addition to this, the panel also suggested that the synergies and advantages inherent in an integrated national telecom infrastructure would pave the way for the lower cost of investment and greater combined ability to face competition. As per reports, the panel was informed that both the public sector firms are in financial losses and are facing declining revenues from the loss of market share and increasing expenditure. The information was provided by the Department of Telecom (DoT). UN launches Women in Politics Map 2017; India placed at 148th number Highlights of the DoT’s information to the panel
• The two PSUs were not successful in investing adequately in the expansion and modernisation of their network, which leads to coverage issues.
• Now, these firms are taking steps to modernise their wireline and wireless networks.
• The panel was informed about phase 7 and 8 network expansion plan for BSNL.
• In the case of MTNL, the DoT informed that due to financial crunch, the firm was not able to upgrade its GSM and landline network for the last three-four years. But at present, it is exploring Managed Service Model with BSNL for its mobile services. Mercer released 2017 Quality of Living Survey Besides, urging the government to consider its findings in relation to the merger of BSNL and MTNL, the panel also requested it to constitute an expert committee. The committee was formed to look into representation received by BJP MP Arvind Sawant regarding improvement in services provided by BSNL and MTNL.

Indian-American teen Indrani Das wins 2017 Regeneron Science Talent

Indian-American teen Indrani Das wins 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search Indrani Das, an Indian-American high school student, in second week of March 2017 won the 2017 Regeneron Science Talent Search bagging the top award of USD 250000. Das won the prestigious high school science and mathematics competition for her new approach to neurological damage. The Indian-American teen is a student at the Academy for Medical Science Technology in Hackensack. Aaron Yeiser, a senior at Perkiomen Valley High School, Pennsylvania, won the second place award of USD 175000. He grabbed the prize for his development of a new mathematical method to solve partial differential equations on complicated geometries. The third place was clinched by another Indian-American student, Arjun Srinivasan Ramani. He was awarded USD 150000 for blending the mathematical field of graph theory with computer programming to answer questions about networks. About Regeneron Science Talent Search
• The Regeneron Science Talent Search is a research-based science competition in the United States for high school seniors.
• For its first 57 years, the competition was known as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. From 1988 to 2015, it was known as the Intel Science Talent Search.
• The competition has been referred to as "the nation's oldest and most prestigious" science competition.
• Former US President George H. W. Bush, in his speech at the dinner honouring the 1991 winners, called the competition as the "Super Bowl of science."

World Bank Board approves USD 175 million National Hydrology Project of India

World Bank Board approves USD 175 million National Hydrology Project of India The World Bank Board on 16 March 2017 approved the USD 175 million National Hydrology Project to strengthen capacity of institutions to assess water situation in their regions. This loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) of World Bank will have a 6-year grace period and a maturity of 23 years. The project is aimed at assisting the institutions in reducing the vulnerability to recurring flood and droughts. Highlights of the National Hydrology Project
• The National Hydrology Project will scale up the successes achieved under Hydrology Project-I and Hydrology Project-II to cover the entire country including the states of Ganga and Brahmaputra-Barak basins.
• For the first time, under HP-I and HP-II, real-time flood forecast systems integrated with weather forecast in Krishna and Satluj-Beas river systems will give reservoir managers an accurate picture of the water situation in their region.
• Apart from benefitting the states in further upgrading and completing their monitoring networks, it will also help new states to better manage water flows from the reservoirs.
• National Flood Forecasting Systems with an advance warning system and reservoir operation systems as well as water resources accounting in river basins will be included under the project.
• It will have the potential to help communities to build resilience against possible uncertainties of climate change.
• It will also help the states to monitor all the important aspects of the hydro-meteorological cycle and adopt the procedures to measure how much rain or snow has fallen right in the catchments of rivers, how much silt has built up, and how much water will reach the reservoir.
• Sensors in the field will instantly transmit this information to data centres through satellite or mobile phone technology to form a clear picture of the water situation unfolding in the region.

Current Affairs Quiz: 14 March 2017

These quizzes will help you in answering questions which can/may be asked in the next exam that will be faced by you. The day’s updated quizzes cover the topics like India’s largest Floating Solar PV Plant, KCR Kit Scheme and National Elephant Day among others.
1. Which institute won the 2017 IEEE Spectrum Technology in the Service of Society Award?
a) IIT-Madras
b) IIT-Delhi
c) IIT-Kanpur
d) IIT-Hyderabad

2. It is in this State the NTPC has recently installed India’s largest Floating Solar PV Plant at RGCCPP Kayamkulam.
a) Maharashtra
b) Kerala
c) Gujarat
d) Karnataka

3. Which State Government announced KCR Kit Scheme to distribute 16 essential things needed for a new born baby?
a) Karnataka
b) Telangana
c) Andhra Pradesh
d) Kerala

4. Who was appointed as the chairman of the Central Water Commission?
a) Narendra Kumar
b) Seema Verma
c) K Srinath Reddy
d) P K Purwar

5. Which country is planning to send its largest warship on a 3-month tour through the South China Sea, in its biggest show of naval forces since World War II?
a) Japan
b) China
c) Russia
d) The United States of America

6. Which country celebrates National Elephant Day on 13 March?
a) India
b) Indonesia
c) Thailand
d) Malaysia

7. Which popular cab service has launched ‘realtime ID check’ in India to ensure rider safety?
a) Meru Cabs
b) Ola
c) Easy Cabs
d) Uber

8. Which state will be hosting the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship to be held in July 2017?
a) Madhya Pradesh
b) Odisha
c) Maharashtra
d) Karnataka

9. Who of the following was given the additional charge of defence ministry after Manohar Parrikar resigned from the post?
a) Kalraj Mishra
b) Subramanian Swamy
c) Arun Jaitley
d) Yogi Adityanath

10. Name the person whose name was confirmed by the US Senate as administrator of the 1 trillion dollars Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) with 55-43 votes.
a) Seema Verma
b) Nikki Haley
c) Harmeet Kaur Dhillon
d) Ashok Mago

11. Mission Fingerling was launched by which Ministry to achieve Blue Revolution?
a) Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
b) Ministry of Power
c) Ministry of Food Processing Industries
d) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

12. George A. Olah, the Nobel laureate who passed away, won the Nobel Prize in which field?
a) Physics
b) Chemistry
c) Economics
d) Medicine

13. Noted film director Diphan, who died recently, was well known for making films in which language?
a) Hindi
b) Bengali
c) Malayalam
d) Marathi

14. Identify the former Chief of the Russian Athletics Federation's Medical Commission who was recently banned for lifetime by CAS in a doping case.
a) Alexander Dyachenko
b) Sergei Portugalov
c) Anastasia Karabelshikova
d) Ivan Podshivalov

15. Who won the All England Open Men's Singles title?
a) Lee Chong Wei
b) Shi Yuqi
c) Lin Dan
d) Rashid Sidek
Answer 1. (a) IIT-Madras
2. (b) Kerala
3. (b) Telangana
4. (a) Narendra Kumar
5. (a) Japan
6. (c) Thailand
7. (d) Uber
8. (b) Odisha
9. (c) Arun Jaitley
10. (a) Seema Verma
11. (a) Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
12. (b) Chemistry
13. (c) Malayalam
14. (b) Sergei Portugalov
15. (a) Lee Chong Wei

First fluorescent frog found in Argentina

First fluorescent frog found in Argentina A group of scientists discovered the world’s first fluorescent frog (Hypsiboas punctatus) near Santa Fe in Argentina. The frog sports a muted palette of greens, yellows and reds under normal light, but emits a bright blue and green glow in the dark. The scientists found that the South American polka dot tree frog uses fluorescent molecules totally unlike those found in other animals. The findings were published on 13 March 2017 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Key highlights
• When the researchers trained an ultraviolet A flashlight on polka dot tree frogs, they were surprised to find that the animals gave off an intense greenish-blue glow instead of a faint red.
• The researchers expected to find red fluorescence in these frogs from a pigment called biliverdin.
• Three molecules namely, hyloin-L1, hyloin-L2 and hyloin-G1, found in lymph tissue, skin and glandular secretions of animals, are responsible for the green fluorescence.
• The molecules contain a ring structure and a chain of hydrocarbons. The closest similar molecules are found in plants. Fluorescence in animals
• The ability to absorb light at short wavelengths and re-emit it at longer wavelengths is called fluorescence, a quality that is rare in terrestrial animals. Until now, fluorescence was unheard of in amphibians.
• It is still unclear why animals have the ability of fluorescence, although explanations include communication, camouflage and mate attraction.

on reservation and comments

Sashastra Seema Bal signed MoU with NSDC & NSDF

Sashastra Seema Bal signed MoU with NSDC & NSDF for skill development The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) for execution of skill development programmes. The MoU was signed on 10 March 2017 in the presence of Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju in New Delhi. During the event, Kiren Rijiju launched an an android based and in-house developed mobile application “MySSB”.Features of the MoU
• Under the MoU, the SSB will be able to provide gainful employment to the retiring and retired personnel of SSB.
• It will help the personnel in resettlement through the generation of second career option. • The MoU will establish a framework under which the dependents of SSB personnel as well as locals, school dropouts, victims and potential victims of human trafficking will also be benefited directly in the area or the region where SSB is deployed.
• Under the MoU, skill development training programmes will be organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• Sectors like apparel, food processing, beauty and wellness, automotive, security and sports will be given emphasis for the said programme. Features of MySSB app
• The mobile application will cater to the general requirements and information of force personnel.
• It facilitates accessibility to details of salary and allowance, general provident fund (GPF) subscription, service particulars including posting profiles and annual performance assessment report (APAR). About Sashastra Seema Bal
• The Special Service Bureau (now Sashastra Seema Bal) was conceived in November 1962 and eventually created in March 1963.
• It was established with the sole objective of achieving ‘total security preparedness’ in the remote border areas for performing a ‘stay-behind’ role in the event of a war.
• Presently, SSB has been deployed with its mandate to guard 1751 kilometers of Indo-Nepal and 699 kilometers of Indo-Bhutan borders. • The force is also active in Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh for anti-Naxal operations (ANO) duties.

Lee Chong Wei wins All England Open Men's Singles

Lee Chong Wei wins All England Open Men's Singles title Top-ranked Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia on 12 March 2017 won his fourth All England Open crown. Lee defeated first-time finalist Shi Yuqi of China 21-12, 21-10, to grab the Men’s Singles title at the tournament. About Lee Chong Wei • Born on 21 October 1982, Lee Chong Wei is a Malaysian professional badminton player.
• From 21 August 2008 to 14 June 2012, he was ranked first worldwide for 199 consecutive weeks as a singles player.
• He is the fourth Malaysian player after Rashid Sidek, Roslin Hashim and Wong Choong Hann to achieve such a ranking.
• He is the only Malaysian badminton player to hold the number one ranking for more than a year.
• He is triple silver medallist at the Olympic Games. He is also the sixth Malaysian to win an Olympic medal. About All England Open
• The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament.
• It is held annually in England.
• The tournament was given Superseries status in 2007. It upgraded to Superseries Premier status in 2011.
• The world's first open tournament was held in the English town of Guildford in 1898.
• The tournament halted for two instances: from 1915 to 1919 (due to World War I) and from 1940 to 1946 (due to World War II).
• The 2017 All England Open Badminton Championships had a total purse of USD 600000.
• In 2016, the Men’s Singles title was won by China’s Lin Dan.

Seema Verma to be chief of Centres for Medicare and Medicaid

Seema Verma to be chief of Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services The US Senate on 13 March 2017 confirmed healthcare consultant Seema Verma as administrator of the 1 trillion dollars Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The Senate voted 55-43 to approve Seema Verma to run the US health program. Seema Verma was a nominee of President Donald Trump. The Indian-American woman will be running the US government’s health program for the elderly, poor and disabled. Donald Tusk re-elected as President of European Council The CMS is an agency that oversees health insurance programmes that cover more than 130 million Americans. Seema Verma
• Verma is the owner of SVC Inc, a healthcare consulting firm
• She has helped redesign Medicaid programs in several States, including Indiana when Vice President Mike Pence was Governor.
• Verma will report to US Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.
• Verma is a first-generation American, whose parents emigrated from India to the US.
• In 1993, she received her bachelor’s degree in life sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park.
• In 1996, she earned a master’s degree in public health with a concentration in health policy and management from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Cultural festival 'India by the Nile' starts in Egypt She was nominated to serve as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on 29 November 2016, by Donald Trump, who was the President-elect at that time. Earlier, the House Republicans released the text of a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The health care bill backed by Trump will roll back the key elements of Obama’s health care law and will limit the overall federal financing for Medicaid in the future.

Malayalam filmmaker Diphan passes away

Malayalam filmmaker Diphan passes away Malayalam film director Diphan also known as Deepan passed away on 13 March 2017 following liver cirrhosis and kidney failure in a private hospital at Kochi. He was 47. He is survived by his wife and two children. Diphan is known for his films namely Puthiya Mukham, Hero and SIM. About Diphan
• A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Diphan was the son of dubbing artist Anandavally.
• Diphan worked as an assistant director for several years in the Malayalam film industry before venturing out on his own.
• Diphan, in his brief career, directed six films after turning an independent director in 2003 when he directed the political thriller The King Maker: Leader.
• After a gap of six years in 2009, he returned with Puthiya Mukham movie starring Prithviraj.
• In a career spanning about 14 years as a director, he helmed seven films including Hero, SIM and D Company.
• His last directorial venture was Dolphin Bar in 2014 which featured actor and BJP Rajya Sabha member Suresh Gopi.
• His upcoming movie Sathya, which has Jayaram in the lead, was in the post production stage.

Japan to send its largest warship to South China Sea

Japan to send its largest warship to South China Sea in its biggest show of military power In its biggest show of naval force since World War II, Japan is planning to send its largest warship, JS Izumo on a 3-month tour through the South China Sea, starting from May 2017.   The main aim is to test the capability of the warship by sending it out on an extended mission. Key Highlights
• The warship, which was commissioned two years ago, is an Izumo helicopter carrier.
• It will be stopping over in Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka before joining the Indian and US naval vessels for a joint naval exercise in the Indian Ocean in July 2017.
• The carrier will return to Japan by August 2017. According to sources, Japan is looking to invite Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to visit the carrier when it reaches the Subic Bay, about 100 km west of Manila, the capital of Philippines. The water of the South China Sea is disputed with China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Brunei all claiming parts of it. While China claims almost all of the disputed water, the other countries claim parts that have rich fishing grounds, oil and gas deposits and through which around $5 trillion of global sea-borne trade passes each year. Though Japan does not have any claim to the waters of the South China Sea, it does have a separate maritime dispute with China in the East China Sea. India successfully test-fired BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile INS Tillanchang commissioned at Karwar Besides this, Japan’s move comes at a time when China’s growing military presence in the sea has fuelled concern in both Japan and the West. About JS Izumo
• Based in Yokosuka, near to Tokyo, the warship’s primary mission is anti-submarine warfare.
• The 249m long carrier is as large as Japan’s World War II-era carriers and can operate up to 9 helicopters.
• While it resembles the assault carriers used by US Marines, it lacks their well deck for launching and landing craft and other vessels. • The carrier has been designated as a destroyer.

CAS bans Sergei Portugalov for lifetime

CAS bans Sergei Portugalov for lifetime in doping case The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 13 March 2017 upheld a lifetime ban levied against Sergei Portugalov for his role in providing illicit substances to Russian athletes. Portugalov is former Chief of the Russian Athletics Federation's Medical Commission. The CAS upheld the ban as part of an arbitration involving the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) and the Russian Athletics Federation. In a statement, the CAS stated that there is a "clear evidence" that Portugalov violated IAAF doping rules governing possession and trafficking of prohibited substances. In a 2015 report, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has stated that Portugalov supplied performance enhancing drugs to athletes and coaches, administered doping programmes and "even injected athletes himself". About Court of Arbitration for Sport
• The Court of Arbitration for Sport is an international quasi-judicial body.
• It was established to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration.
• Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• Its courts are located in New York City, Sydney and Lausanne.
• The CAS was originally conceived by International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch to deal with disputes arising during the Olympics.
• In 1984, the body was established as a part of the International Olympic Committee in 1984.

Narendra Kumar appointed as Chairman of Central Water Commission

Narendra Kumar appointed as Chairman of Central Water Commission Narendra Kumar was on 9 March 2017 appointed as the new chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC). He succeeded GS Jha, who retired on superannuation on the same day. Who is Narendra Kumar?
• He is a Central Water Engineering Service (CWES) officer of 1979 batch.
• He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from IIT-Roorkee.
• He also completed his M.Tech with structural engineering as a specialization from the IIT-Delhi.
• He worked in the Central Water Commission in various capacities such as an assistant director, deputy director and director.
• He also had served as the senior joint commissioner in the Union Ministry of Water Resources between 2002 and 2005.
• He worked as the commissioner, Brahmaputra and Barak wing of the ministry between 2011 and 2014. About Central Water Commission
• It is a premier technical organization of India in the field of water resources.
• At present, it is functioning as an attached office of the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
• The commission is headed by a chairman, with the status of Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India.
• The work of the commission is divided among 3 wings, namely, Designs and Research (D&R) Wing, River Management (RM) Wing and Water Planning and Projects (WP&P) Wing.
• Each wing is placed under the charge of a full-time member with the status of Ex-Officio Additional Secretary to the Government of India and comprising of a number of organizations responsible for the disposal of tasks and duties falling within their assigned scope of functions.

Arun Jaitley gets charge of defence ministry after Manohar Parrikar resigns

Arun Jaitley gets charge of defence ministry after Manohar Parrikar resigns Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was given the additional charge of the defence ministry on 13 March 2017. He was given the charge after Manohar Parrikar resigned from the post to take on the role of Chief Minister of Goa. A Rashtrapati Bhawan communiqué said that “Shri Arun Jaitley shall be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Defence, in addition to his existing portfolios”. Jaitley was given the additional charge of the defence ministry in addition to his existing portfolios on the recommendation of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is the second time that Jaitley is holding the additional portfolio of Defence Ministry during the present NDA government. Earlier, he was the in charge of the ministry from 26 May to 9 November 2014. Congress emerged as the largest party in 2017 Assembly Elections of Goa A different communiqué said that “President Mukherjee has accepted the resignation of Shri Manohar Parrikar from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect”.   Earlier, Parrikar submitted his resignation from the office of defence ministry after BJP staked claim to form an alliance government in Goa. As per reports, Parrikar will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Goa on 14 March 2017. As a chief minister, he will be heading the BJP-led ministry which has the support of regional outfits and Independents.

Union Government launches Mission Fingerling

Union Government launches Mission Fingerling to achieve Blue Revolution The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer's Welfare on 11 March 2017 launched Mission Fingerling, a programme aimed at achieving the Blue Revolution by enabling holistic development and management of fisheries. The main motive behind this programme is to enhance the fisheries production from 10.79 mmt (2014-15) to 15 mmt by 2020-21. Key Highlights
• In order to recognize the potential and possibilities in the fisheries sector, the Union Government envisaged a program named Blue Revolution.
• The Blue Revolution focuses on creating an enabling environment for an integrated and holistic development and management of fisheries for the socio economic development of fish farmers.
• This program with a total expenditure of around Rs 52000 lakh will facilitate the establishment of hatcheries and Fingerling rearing pond to ensure the fish production of 426 crores fish fingerling, 25.50 crores Post Larvae of shrimp and crab in the country.
• This will converge in the production of 20 lakh tonnes of fish annually and will benefit about 4 million families.
• It lays greater emphasis on infrastructure with an equally strong focus on management and conservation of the resources through technology transfer.
• Productivity enhancement will also be targeted through integration of various production oriented activities such as production of quality fish seeds, cost effective feed and adoption of technology etc. Background
• Fish Fingerling production is the single most important critical input visualised to achieve fish production targets under the Blue Revolution.
• Use of high yielding verities of brooders is another significant aspect to be addressed on priority. • The Union Agricultural Ministry identified 20 States based on their potential and other relevant factors to strengthen the Fish Seed infrastructure in the country.
• The implementation of this programme will supplement the requirement of stocking material up to a large extent to achieve the enhanced fish production.

Sri Lanka seeks two-year extension from UNHRC

Sri Lanka seeks two-year extension from UNHRC to deliver war probe Sri Lanka has sought an extension of two more years from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to probe into the alleged war crimes that were committed during the three-decade long civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In October 2015, the UNHRC had given Sri Lanka 18 months to launch a proper probe into the crimes committed during the war with LTTE. The foreign ministry of Sri Lanka however, is seeking an extension in the timeline for the fulfilment of its commitment at the International body’s 34th session. Key Highlights
• According to the data collected by the United Nations, around 40000 civilians were killed by Sri Lankan security forces during former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's regime, which brought an end to the long conflict after defeating LTTE in 2009.
• Sri Lanka’s proposition for an extension follows UNHRC’s criticism of the country’s slow progress in addressing its wartime past.
• In fact, earlier this month, the international body repeated its call for a hybrid court of international and local judges to investigate the allegations of human rights violations during the civil conflict.
• The demand was rejected by Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe who called it impractical. South Korean President Park Geun-hye removed from office India, Belgium signed Protocol amending Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and Protocol While Sri Lanka’s main party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has demanded for more time from the UN to meet all obligations, the party’s rival groups oppose the demand saying that the TNA has excluded the opinion of the majority of Tamils and even after one and half years, the government has not made any progress in its investigation.

Lok Sabha passed Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill,

Lok Sabha passed Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016 The Lok Sabha on 10 March 2017 passed the Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016. The Bill seeks to establish a legal framework to consolidate the existing laws relating to admiralty jurisdiction of courts, admiralty proceedings on maritime claims, arrest of vessels and related issues. The intended legislation also repeals the following five obsolete British statues on admiralty jurisdiction in civil matters. i. The Admiralty Court Act, 1840 ii. The Admiralty Court Act, 1861 iii. The Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act, 1890 iv. The Colonial Courts of Admiralty (India) Act, 1891 v. The provisions of the Letters Patent, 1865 The repealing of five admiralty statutes is in line with the government's commitment to do away with archaic laws which are hindering efficient governance. Highlights of Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill, 2016
• The bill confers admiralty jurisdiction on High Courts located in coastal States of India and this jurisdiction extends up to territorial waters.
• The jurisdiction is extendable, by a Central Government notification, up to exclusive economic zone or any other maritime zone of India or islands constituting part of the territory of India.
• It applies to every vessel irrespective of place of residence or domicile of the owner.
• Inland vessels and vessels under construction are excluded from its application, but the Central Government is empowered to make it applicable to these vessels also by a notification if necessary.
• It does not apply to warships and naval auxiliary and vessels used for non-commercial purposes.
• The jurisdiction is for adjudicating on a set of maritime claims listed in the bill.
• In order to ensure security against a maritime claim, a vessel can be arrested in certain circumstances.
• The liability in respect of selected maritime claims on a vessel passes on to its new owners by way of maritime liens subject to a stipulated time limit.
• In respect of aspects on which provisions are not laid down in the bill, the Civil Procedure Code, 1908 is applicable.