27 NOVEMBER 2014: Defence of Gujarat exercise in memory of 26/11

Ø  Ahead of the appointment of a new CBI Director early next month, the Lok Sabha passed the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2014, which, among its provisions, includes the leader of the single largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha on the three-member committee that selects the chief of the investigation agency. The Bill was passed by voice vote, but not before a division of votes on its consideration as well as the rejection of an amendment moved by BJD MP Tathagata Satpathy. Earlier, the committee included the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of the Opposition. Since the Congress does not have the numbers to get the post of Leader of the Opposition, the largest Opposition party in the present Lok Sabha would not have been able to be a part of the committee without this amendment.

Ø  Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai during his SAARC speech, calling on all countries in the region to keep their pledge to “combat terrorism.” Mr. Modi made no reference to the slow pace of the trial in Pakistan, which India has raised bilaterally. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani made a strong reference to terrorism, criticising “state actors who use non-state actors as a terror tool.”

Ø  Anoop Mishra, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary, will be the new Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha.

Ø  A Bill seeking to remove imprisonment as punishment for violating the provisions of the Apprentices Act, 1961 and allowing employers to fix the hours of work and leave as per their discretion or policy was passed by the Rajya Sabha. The Apprentices (Amendment) Bill, 2014 was passed by voice vote with a majority of speakers favouring the legislation, saying it is aimed at enhancing the skills of youth and make them employable.

Ø  Australia will offer technical support and assistance to India’s mammoth undertaking of cleaning up the Ganga, Australian High Commissioner Patrick Suckling says. We have agreed to work with India. We have spent $350 million to develop river basin modelling technology to save one of our biggest rivers, the Murray-Darling river basin. We are sharing this technology with India.

Ø  The Navy, along with the Coast Guard and Air Force, is conducting the annual “Defence of Gujarat” exercise for five days in a bid to close the gaps in coastal security and beef up preparedness and surveillance to prevent 26/11-type terror attacks. Six years ago this day terrorists from Karachi had travelled to Porbandar in Gujarat, hijacked ‘Kuber’, a fishing trawler, and landed in South Mumbai, launching serial attacks in the city.