Current Affairs 9th,10th &11th jan 2016

• Sailesh appointed as Registrar General and Census Commissioner

Senior IAS officer Sailesh has been appointed as Registrar General and Census Commissioner  (RGCC) of India.

His appointment was confirmed by Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He has been appointed for a period till July 28, 2017 and shall succeed C Chandramouli after he completed his tenure.

Sailesh is a 1985 batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre. Prior to this appointment he was serving as Additional Secretary in the Union Home Ministry.

About Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India

• The post of the RGCC of India is usually held by a civil servant holding the rank of Joint Secretary to Government of India. It is responsible for conducting the decennial Census
• He heads the Census organisation (mentioned in entry 69 of seventh schedule of Constitution) which functions under the aegis of Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

• Poet Balkrishna Garg conferred with 2015 Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award

Veteran poet Balkrishna Garg was honoured with the second edition of Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award 2015 for his collection of poems for children titled ‘Baal Geet’.

He was conferred with the award by Sahitya Akademi President Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari and National Book Trust Chairman Baldeo Bhai Sharm.

Apart from Mr. Garg, Yogendra Kumar and Hem Bhatnagar were also felicitated for their contributions to childrens literature.

Harikrishna Devsare Baalsahitya Award

• The award was instituted in 2014 in the memory of Harikrishna Devsare, a renowned Hindi writer known for his work in the field of children’s literature. The award comprised cash prize of Rs 75,000, a shawl and a citation.
• Harikrishna Devsare was one of the foremost writers of Hindi children’s literature and had devoted his entire life in creating children’s literature in Hindi. He passed away in 2013.

• Milos Raonic wins 2016 WTA Brisbane International Tennis trophy

World No. 14 Milos Raonic from Canada has won the 2016 WTA Brisbane International Tennis trophy in the men’s single category.

In the final match played at Brisbane (Australia), he defeated Roger Federer (world No. 3) from Switzerlandby 6–4, 6–4 score. It is Milos Raonic overall 8th career title and 1st of the 2016 season.

Men’s Double category

Henri Kontinen (Finland) and John Peers (Australia) have won the 2016 WTA Brisbane International Tennis trophy in the men’s double category. In the final match, they defeated Australian team of James Duckworth and Chris Guccione by 7–6, 7–4, 6–1 score.

• Noted Hindi writer and journalist Ravindra Kalia passes away

Noted Hindi writer and journalist Ravindra Kalia passed away in New Delhi after suffering from liver cirrhosis. He was 78.

He was known for his works like Ghalib Chutti Sharab and Nau Saal Chotti Patni. He had served as Director of Bharatiya Jnanpith.

About Ravindra Kalia

• Ravindra Kalia was born on November 11, 1938 in Jalandhar, Punjab.
• He was mainly famous for writing stories, novels, memoirs and sarcasm.
• Story Collection: Nau Saal Chotti Patni, Ghalib Chutti Sharab, Kala Register, Garibhi Hataoo, Banke Laal, Gally Kuche, Ckaya neem.
• Fiction: Khuda Sahi Salamat hay, A B C D, 17 Ranade Road
• Awards and Honours: Uttar Pradesh (UP) Premchand Memorail Award, Pdumlal Bakshi Award of Madhya Pradesh Government, UP Sahitya Bhushan Award, UP Lohia Award, Punjab Government’s Shiromani award.

• NASA’s Kepler spacecraft finds 100 new alien planets orbiting other stars

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA’s) revamped planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft has discovered more than 100 planets orbiting other stars.

The Kepler spacecraft discovered these alien planets during its second-chance K2 mission by using the transit method.

Transit method

The Kepler spacecraft finds the planets by using the transit method. It is detection of the tiny brightness dips caused by the planet after it crosses its host star’s face from spacecraft’s perspective. Transit method technique requires extremely precise pointing of spacecraft.

Kepler spacecraft

Kepler was launched in March 2009 and was tasked with determining how commonly, Earth-like planets occur throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

Since its launch, the mission has been incredibly successful and has led to finding of more than 1,000 alien planets of which half are exoplanets to be ever discovered.

• Stan Wawrinka wins 2016 Chennai Open title

World No. 4 Stanislas Wawrinka from Switzerland has won the 2016 Chennai Open title of tennis.

In the summit clash at Nungambakkam tennis stadium in Chennai, he defeated the Aljaz Bedene from Slovenia by 6-3, 6-4 score.

This was his third consecutive ATP Chennai Open title for Wawrinka (won in 2014, 2015 and 2016) and overall fourth, first won it in 2011. With this win, Wawrinka pocketed US $ 75,700 and won 250 ranking points.

About Chennai Open title

The Chennai Open is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour.

It is held annually in the month of January at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is owned by IMG and organized by IMG Reliance.

• President promulgates Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016

President Pranab Mukherjee has promulgated the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Ordinance, 2016to make amendments to the Enemy Property Act, 1968.

The Ordinance was promulgated by President as per provisions of Article 123 of Constitution of India that gives him legislative powers in consultation with Council of Union Ministers.

The proposed amendments in the parent Act seeks to deal with the loopholes in the existing law.

Proposed Amendments are

• Once an enemy property is vested to the Custodian it shall continue to be vested in him. It shall not revert back to enemy subject or enemy firm due to reasons such as death of subject or firm ceased to function.
• The law of succession does not apply to enemy property. Henceforth there cannot be transfer of any property vested in the custodian by an enemy till it is disposed of in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

Enemy properties

• In the wake of the two India-Pakistan wars in 1965 and 1971, there was migration of people from India to Pakistan.
• The properties and companies of such migrated persons (acquired Pakistani nationality) were confiscated by Union Government under the Defence of India Rules framed under Defence of India Act.
• These enemy properties were vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India by the Union Government.
• In the Tashkent Declaration (signed in 1966), a clause was included to discuss the return of the assets and property taken over by either side in connection with the conflict. However, Pakistan Government had disposed of all such enemy properties in their country in 1971.

Enemy Property Act, 1968

The act provided for the continuous vesting of enemy property in the custodian. The possession of enemy properties spread across many states in the country vest with the Union Government through the Custodian of Enemy Property for India.