13th May 2015 Daily Current Affairs

1) Supreme Court issued guidelines for Govt advertisements:

--> Supreme Court has restricted the use of photographs of political leaders and government functionaries in government advertisements.

--> Apex court issued guidelines on central government advertisements and said that only photos of the President, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India can be published.

--> It further added that images of departed national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi can also be used in such ads.

--> The court directed the government to form a three-member committee to regulate government ads.

2) Budget session of Parliament concluded:

--> Parliament's Budget session concluded on 13 May 2015.

--> The extension of Lok Sabha session by three working days has enabled the government to complete some of its crucial agenda including a bill against black money stashed abroad and another to amend the Whistleblowers Protection Act.

--> The second half of Budget session of Lok Sabha was extended from May 8 to May 13.

3) Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved 10% stake sale in Indian Oil Corp, 5% in NTPC:

--> The government on 13 May 2015 approved a 10% stake sale in the country's biggest refiner and fuel retailer, Indian Oil Corp., (IOC) and 5% in power producer NTPC.

--> At current valuations, the government is expected to generate around Rs 14,000 crore from the proposed sale. 

4) Hyderabad to become the first Indian City to offer Google Street View:

--> Hyderabad will be the first city in India to get Google Street View, Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao said.

--> A delegation led by the minister met the Google Street View team of Manik Gupta, Director of Product Management and Narayana Tummala, Ground Truth Engineering Lead for Google.

--> Google has in the past attempted to offer Street View in India, but ran into regulatory hurdles.

5) Harbhajan Kaur Dheer becomes first Asian elected mayor in UK:

--> Indian-origin councillor woman has became the first Asian woman elected mayor of Ealing Council in London.

--> Harbhajan Kaur Dheer, 62, at a ceremony at the Victoria Hall at Ealing Council yesterday became the Mayor of Ealing Council after succeeding councillor Tej Ram Bagha.

6) Noted Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away:

--> Celebrated Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya died on 13 May 2015 at south Kolkata.

--> Known for her sensitive portrayal of urban, social and feminist issues through her novels, many of her works have been adapted into films, including Dahan.

7) Lok Sabha passed Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill:

--> Lok Sabha on 13 May 2015 passed The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 by a voice vote.

--> The Bills amends the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 in order to make cheque-bounce filing of cases more convenient for check payees (person who receives the cheque).

8) Achal K Jyoti took over as new Election Commissioner:

--> Achal Kumar Jyoti, a former chief secretary of Gujarat during Narendra Modi's tenure as chief minister, on 13 May 2015 took over as the new Election Commissioner.

--> Jyoti (62) had also served as the state Vigilance Commissioner and worked in various capacities in his cadre including as chairman of the Kandla Port Trust between 1999 and 2004 and managing director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL).