Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: October 8, 2016

Hello readers,

Here are today's important headlines with key details for UPSC, SSC, IBPS and other competitive examinations. 

Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung dissolves Delhi Waqf Board

• Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung, dissolved the Delhi Waqf Board, on October 7, 2016. Jung referred the Board’s constitution to a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe for alleged corruption and procedural irregularities in functioning.
• Jung declared the reconstitution of the Board and announced the appointment of its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and members as illegal and void ab-initio.
• In view of the deliberate and persistent acts of illegality, violation of rules, allegations of corruption, possibility of malafide, etc., the entire matter related to the Delhi Waqf Board is referred to the CBI for investigation.
• The L-G has further directed Divisional Commissioner A. Anbarasu to set up a committee to review the legality and propriety of all decisions and action taken by the Board after its constitution in March 2015, and submit a report within a month.

About Waqf

• Waqf is a permanent dedication of movable or immovable properties for religious, pious or charitable purposes as recognized by Muslim Law, given by philanthropists. The grant is known as mushrut-ul-khidmat, while a person making such dedication is known as Waqf.
• The State Wakf Boards are established by the State Governments in view of the provisions of section 13 & 14 of the Waqf Act, 1995. However, the Waqf Act 1995 is not applicable to Jammu & Kashmir.
• At present, there are 30 Wakf Boards across the country in twenty-nine states/Union territories. The States like Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim and the UT Daman & Dieu have no Waqf Board at present.

India to host Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

• India will host the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) from November 3 to 5, 2016. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the conference that will be held in New Delhi in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
• The Conference will focus on partnership with governments and stakeholders to imbibe the practices in the region’s development narrative.
• It will be the first AMCDRR after the introduction of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRRR), adopted at the third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan in March 2015. It will set the direction of Sendai Framework implementation in the region.

Previous Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

• First AMCDRR was held in China in 2005.
• Second AMCDRR was held in India in 2007.
• Third AMCDRR was held in Malaysia in 2008. 
• Fourth AMCDRR was held in Republic of Korea in 2010. 
• Fifth Asia Ministerial conference was held in Indonesia in 2012.

ASI protected historical monuments and archaeological sites declared polythene free zones

• All Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protected historical monuments and archaeological sites were declared Polythene Free Zones on October 6, 2016
• An advisory has been issued to all State Governments/UTs to support ASI in keeping Monuments Polythene Free up to 300 meters from the protected boundaries of the monuments.
• The ASI has ranked top 25 Adarsh Monuments on the basis of cleanliness parameters such as amenities like toilets, green lawns, Polythene Free Zone, signage for awareness, disabilities access, drinking water and provision for garbage bins and more. A World Heritage site Rani ki Vav in Gujarat has been declared as the cleanest iconic place in India.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos wins 2016 Nobel Peace Prize

• The 2016 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on October 7, 2016, for his resolute efforts to bring the country's 50-year-long civil war to an end, a war that took away the lives of at least 220000 Colombians and displaced nearly six million people. 
• The civil war in Colombia is one of the longest civil wars in modern times and the sole remaining armed conflict in the Americas.

Indo-Pak border to be completely sealed in next 2 yrs: Home Minister

• Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in a Press meeting, that the Indo-Pak border will be completely sealed by December 2018. The action was taken amid the rising tensions between the two nations mainly after the army strike on militant bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
• Singh informed about the decision after holding a meeting of states sharing border with Pakistan in Jaisalmer. This sealing will be monitored at MHA level, BSF level and chief secretary level.

Indo-Pak Border

• The India and Pakistan Border is an international border running between India and Pakistan that demarcates the Indian states and the four provinces of Pakistan. The border's total length is 2900 km. It is known as Line of Control (LoC).

Theatre legend Heisnam Kanhailal passes away

Manipur-based theatre legend Heisnam Kanhailal passed away at the age of 75, on October 6, 2016 following a brief illness in Imphal.

About Heisnam Kanhailal

•  Born in Imphal, initially he worked with the noted theatre director and playwright Badal Sirkar, but continued to experiment with alternative art-theatre. Later, he founded the Kalakshetra, the theatre laboratory in Manipur.
•  Kanhailal was most famous for his production Tamnalai (The Hunting Spirit), Kabui-Keioiba (Half Man, Half Tiger) and Draupadi.
•  He had also undertaken a research project on actor-training methodology with assistance from the Ford Foundation Grant, Nehru Memorial Fellowship and an Emeritus Fellowship. 
•  He had bagged several awards including Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1985, Natya Ratna in 1997 from the Manipuri Sahitya Parishad and the Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowship in 2011. 
• He was also awarded the Padma Shri civilian award in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan civilian award in 2016 by the Union Government.