CURRENT AFAIRS

 1. "LATERAL ENTRY’S INTO BUREAUCRACY: REASON PROCESS AND THE CONTROVERSY 

Earlier this month, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) issued an advertisement seeking applications ‘from talented and motivated Indian nationals willing to contribute towards nation building” for 3 posts of joint secretary e and 27 of director in Central Government departments. 

These individuals, who would make a “lateral entry” in to the government secretariat, would be contracted for 3 to 5 years. “These posts were “unreserved”, meaning were no quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs. 

WHAT IS 'LATERAL ENTRY’ INTO GOVERNMENT? 

NITI Aayog, in its three year action agenda, and the Sectoral group of Secretaries (SGoS) on Governance in its report submitted in February 2017, recommended the induction of personnel at middle and senior management levels in the central government. These ‘lateral entrants’ would be part of the central secretariat which in the normal course has only career bureaucrats From the all India services/Central civil services. 

‘The term latéfal entry relates to the appointment of specialists, mainly those from the private sector, in government organisations. 

Government is looking for outstanding individuals, with expertise in revenue, financial Services, economic affairs, agriculture, cooperation and farmers’ welfare, road transport and highway, shipping, environment, forest and climate change, and new and renewable energy, civil aviation and commerce. 

ADVANTAGES OF LATERAL ENTRY: 

People with expertise and specialist domain knowledge required to navigate the complex needs of present day administrative challenges. 

2. BY IMPROVING TIES WITH INDIA AND SHUNNING CHINA IS SRILANKA ON A COURSE CORRECTION PATH? 

Sri Lanka has_put Chinese Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine on hold and will use India manufactured Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to inoculate 14 million people, a government spokesperson has said. 

According to cabinet co-spokesman, Dr Ramesh Pathirana, ‘ the Chinese Vaccine Sinopharm has not yet completed phase III clinical trials. The complete dossier pertaining to the registration of the Chinese Vaccine has also not yet been received.” 

The Sri Lankan cabinet approved the purchase of 10 million doses of 'Made in India’ Astrazeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine from the SII (Serum Institute of India) for USD 52.5 million, local media reported. 

3. WHATSAPP’S NEW POLICY BEIN EXAMINED: GOVERNMENT 

The central government on Monday inform the Delhi High Court that it was examine in Whatsapp’s controversial new privacy policy, which is scheduled to come into effect from May 15, at the highest level. 

4. VINESH PHOGAT BEATS VANESA KALADZINSKAYA TO WIN GOLD IN UKRAINE WRESTLING EVENT 

India’s Star wrestler Vinesh Phogat defeated 2017 World champion V Kaladzinskaya to win the gold medal at the Outstanding Ukrainian Wrestlers and Coaches Memorial tournament. 

5. WHAT IS THE SUBSCRIPTION-BASED PORN APP RACKET BUSTED BY MUMBAI POLICE? 

The Mumbai Police has busted a racket where p*** movies were being shot at bungalows in and around Mumbai on shoestring Budgets. These half-an-hour films were then uploaded on apps that charged a certain amount per month on the lines of OTT platforms. So far, the Mumbai police has found around 12 such apps involved in streaming pornographic content. 

A total of nine persons have been arrested in the case, including small time actor Gehna Vasisth, for allegedly producing p*** films and selling it to various apps. 

As per police, after pornographic websites were taken down by the Government by India, these app based porn platforms became popular especially proliferating during the lockdown. An officer said that some of these apps charged rupees 199 per month and had around a lakh followers bringing the total amount made by the app per month to around rupees 2 crore.  

The accused insured that they spent as little as possible on shooting the p*** films by using mobile phones instead of video cameras for shooting and editing it themselves using free softwares on their laptops. In all, it took a crew of only five to seven persons to shoot two to three films a week. 

A bunglow on the outskirts of Mumbai can be hired for Rs 10,000 per day for a shoot. The actors were paid Rs 10,000. As there is barely a plot or much dialogue, investment in storytelling is zero.The cops found a two-page script with dialogues when they raided a house in Madh where a shooting was taking place. 

Content from these apps were pushed on social Media platforms like Facebook Twitter Tele. am and Instagram with links to full shows. The apps worked like OTT platforms that offered users various shows that had weekly episodes uploaded.