Current Affairs: 19 September 2023
Parliament moves into its new building, the women's reservation bill is introduced in the Lok Sabha, Aditya-L1 leaves Earth's orbit for L1, and India expels a senior Canadian diplomat.
- Polity
- Science & Technology
- International Relations
- UPSC CSE
- SSC CGL
- UPSC GS2
At a glance
- Parliament's special session moves to the new building
- Constitution (128th Amendment) Bill reserves one-third of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats for women
- Aditya-L1 completes the Trans-Lagrangian Point 1 Insertion
01Parliament moves into its new building
Why in news
Proceedings of the special session shifted from the old Parliament House to the new building on 19 September 2023.
Key points
- Members gathered in the Central Hall of the old building before moving to the new complex.
- The new building, inaugurated on 28 May 2023, has a Lok Sabha chamber designed for 888 members and a Rajya Sabha chamber for 384.
- The Prime Minister proposed that the old building be known as Samvidhan Sadan.
Background
The old Parliament House, designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, was completed in 1927 and hosted the Constituent Assembly.
02Women's reservation bill introduced in the Lok Sabha
Why in news
The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 was introduced on the first day of proceedings in the new building.
Key points
- Reserves one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and the Delhi Legislative Assembly for women.
- The reservation also applies within seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
- It takes effect after the delimitation that follows the next census and lasts 15 years, which Parliament can extend.
- The law is called the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
Background
Earlier attempts, including the 2008 bill passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010, lapsed without Lok Sabha approval.
03Aditya-L1 heads for the Sun-Earth L1 point
Why in news
ISRO performed the Trans-Lagrangian Point 1 Insertion (TL1I) manoeuvre in the early hours of 19 September 2023.
Key points
- The burn sent the spacecraft out of Earth's orbit on a roughly 110-day trajectory to the L1 point.
- L1 lies about 1.5 million km from Earth, where a spacecraft can watch the Sun without eclipses.
- Aditya-L1, launched on 2 September 2023 by PSLV-C57, is India's first space-based solar observatory and carries seven payloads.
04India expels a senior Canadian diplomat
Why in news
The Ministry of External Affairs asked a senior Canadian diplomat to leave India within five days, a day after Canada expelled an Indian diplomat.
Key points
- The step followed the Canadian Prime Minister's remarks in Parliament linking India to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which India rejected as absurd and motivated.
- India summoned the Canadian High Commissioner to convey the decision.
- The MEA cited concern over interference in internal matters and involvement in anti-India activities.
Daily quiz: 19 September 2023
4 questions - no login needed
1.Which constitutional amendment bill seeks to reserve one-third of Lok Sabha seats for women?
2.What name did the Prime Minister propose for the old Parliament building?
3.The TL1I manoeuvre performed on 19 September 2023 belongs to which mission?
4.About how far from Earth is the Sun-Earth L1 point?