CURRENT AFFAIRS DATED ON 19.09.2016

Guided Missile Destroyer Ship Mormugao launched in Mumbai

The Guided Missile Destroyer, Mormugao, second ship of Project 15B, was launched on September 17, 2016, at Mazagaon Dock Ship Builders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.

This marks a significant milestone in the annals of the Indigenous Warship design and construction programme of India.

Project 15B ships feature cutting edge advanced technology and are comparable to the best ships of similar class anywhere in the world.

• These ships have been designed indigenously by the Directorate of Naval Design, New Delhi.
• Each ship spans 163 metres in length and 17.4 metres at beam and displaces 7300 tonnes.
• These ships will be propelled by four gas turbines to achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots.
• The P15B destroyers incorporate new design concepts for improved survivability, sea keeping, stealth and ship manoeuvrability.
• P 15B ships will be equipped to carry and operate two multiple role helicopters.

These ships are packed with an array of state of the art weapons and sensors, including vertically launched missile system for long distance engagement of shore, sea-based and air targets.

Indian-origin Ravi Reddy appointed as Head of International Society for Blood Transfusion

An Indian-origin South African Ravi Reddy has been appointed as Head of International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT), on September 18, 2016. With this, Reddy became the first person from Africa to head the ISBT, a global organisation of medicine professionals working for the safety of blood transfusion worldwide.

Virat Kohli appointed as brand ambassador for Punjab National Bank

Indian test skipper Virat Kohli was appointed as Brand Ambassador of state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB), on September 17, 2016.

Since its inception in 1895, PNB has been people's bank serving millions of customers throughout India. Over the years, the Bank has established itself as a major player in Indian banking space.

Priyesha Deshmukh wins bronze in World Deaf Shooting Championships

Hearing-impaired Indian shooter Priyesha Deshmukh won the bronze medal in her first-ever international competition on September 14, 2016, at the first World Deaf Shooting Championships.

• The Championships was held in Kazan, Russia from 7 September to 15 September 2016.
• Deshmukh won the bronze in the 10m air rifle category.
• The shooter won the medal after scoring 180.4 points.

SC moves away from death penalty

The Supreme Court has commuted the death sentence of a youth for raping and killing a seven-year-old girl but awarded him 25 year jail term, saying that judicial innovation was required in awarding appropriate punishment between death sentence and life imprisonment in heinous crimes.

What has the court said?

• The court has said that the offence did not come within the ambit of rarest of rare case but also held that life imprisonment of 14 years would not be sufficient punishment for the crime committed.
• Holding that innovative approach is needed to award sentence in such cases, the court directed that the convict must spent 25 years behind the jail.
• The court has also held that judicial innovation for bridging the gap between death sentence on the one extreme and only 14 years of actual imprisonment in the name of life imprisonment on the other, serves a laudable purpose and does not violate any law in the Indian Penal Code or in the Code of Criminal Procedure.

 Significance of this judgment:

The innovative approach reflected in this case, on the one hand helps the convict in getting rid of death penalty in appropriate cases, on the other it takes care of genuine concerns of the victim including the society by ensuring that life imprisonment shall actually mean imprisonment for whole of the natural life or to a lesser extent as indicated by the court in the light of facts of a particular case.

Background:

A judicial innovation was formalised by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the Rajiv Gandhi killers’ case in December 2015, instead of the death penalty.

This judicial innovation helps get rid of death penalty and addresses the genuine concerns of the society to see justice done.

• This innovative approach veering away from capital punishment was formalised after the Supreme Court gave itself the authority to tweak the sentencing laws and evolve a special category of sentence in its judgment in Union of India versus Sriharan alias Murugan last year.
• The innovation is an endeavour by the apex court to make “no party (convict or the society) a loser”.

What is special category?

The innovation involves substituting death penalty with a “special category” of life imprisonment without the benefit of release on remission for prolonged periods ranging from 25 to 30 years, if not more.

The special category is to be limited to a “very few cases”. This special category finds its first mention in the Swami Shraddananda versus State of Karnataka judgment of the Supreme Court in 2008.

Cambodia emerges as surrogacy hub

With India toughening its stand on surrogacy, evident in the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 which the Cabinet cleared last month, Cambodia has emerged as a surrogacy hub.

• Surrogacy service seekers and even doctors have started moving to destinations that still allow this service including Cambodia.
• Besides Cambodia, countries such as Ukraine and Kenya are also attracting doctors from India.

Why Cambodia has emerged as an attractive destination?

As in the early days of surrogacy in India, the lack of proper laws or guidelines in Cambodia has proved a big attraction.

Why India is becoming unattractive for surrogacy?

Surrogacy laws in India are becoming tougher. India banned commercial surrogacy in November, 2015. The Cabinet also recently cleared the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016. The bill has made the government’s intent to ban commercial surrogacy clear.