Current Affairs 20th May 2018 - Important Points

 SC approves Centre’s draft Cauvery management scheme on - 18th May 2018

 Gina Haspel confirmed as first female director of CIA on - 17th May 2018
Current Affairs 20th May 2018 - Details
SC approves Centre’s draft Cauvery management scheme
on - 18th May 2018
The Indian Supreme Court sanctioned the Centre's draft Cauvery Management Scheme,
on May 18th , 2018 for the even distribution of Cauvery river water among the southern
states. The ruling was approved by a 3-judge bench consisting Chief Justice Dipak Misra
and Justices A.M.Khanwilkar and D.Y.Chandrachud. The bench refused the
recommendations of Karnataka and Kerala governments over the scheme, terming them
as devoid of merits. The court also refused Tamil Nadu's plea seeking initiation of
disapproval against the Centre for non-finalisation of Cauvery scheme.
Supreme Court’s February 16 verdict
 The Supreme Court of India on February 16 th , 2018 decreased Tamil Nadu’s share of
Cauvery water by 14.75 tmcft water yearly, relaxing the same to Karnataka.
 The judgement was made by a bench consisting Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices
Amitava Roy and A.M. Khanwilkar.
 The court informed that the provision to upsurge the water share of Karnataka was
taken due to the ten tmcft groundwater and 4.75 tmcft drinking water needed for
Bengaluru inhabitants.
 With the decision, while Tamil Nadu’s share was reduced to 177 tmcft, Karnataka’s share
was upsurged to 284.75 tmcft and Kerala’s whereas, the Puducherry’s share remained
the same.
 The court, offered recompense by permitting Tamil Nadu to draw an extra ten tmcft
ground-water from a sum of twenty tmcft beneath the Cauvery basin.
 The court in its decision had also instructed the Centre to frame the Cauvery
management scheme, including the setting up of the Cauvery Management Board, for
the issue of the River’s water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.
Gina Haspel confirmed as first female director of CIA on -
17th May 2018
The United States Senate assured Gina Haspel as the 1st female director of Central
Intelligence Agency- CIA on May 17th , 2018. Gina Haspel’s appointment was assured in
a 54-45 vote, succeeding a difficult nomination procedure that reopened an emotional
discussion about brutal interrogation techniques in one of the darkest chapters of
 Central Intelligence Agency’s history. The vote divided both parties, with 6 Democrats
linking most Republicans in the Central Intelligence Agency veteran’s support.
More about Gina Haspel
 Gina Haspel joined the Central Intelligence Agency in January 1985 as a reports officer.
She apprehended various undercover foreign posts, most of them as station chief.
 Previously, she was working as Deputy Director under former Central Intelligence
Agency Director Mike Pompeo in the starting of Trump’s administration.
 Gina Haspel became Acting Director succeeding Pompeo's resignation to become US
Secretary of State and was appointed by President Donald Trump to turn out to be the
official Central Intelligence Agency Director.
 On May 17th , 2018, she was assured as the Central Intelligence Agency Director,
making her the 1st woman to grab the post on a full-time basis.
 Gian Haspel was the 2nd female Deputy Director in history. From 2004-2005, Haspel
was Deputy Chief of the National Resources Division.
More about CIA
 Central Intelligence Agency is a foreign intelligence service of the US government, which
is tasked with collecting, processing, and analysing national security data from
worldwide, mainly through the utilisation of human intelligence.
 The Central Intelligence Agency has no law enforcement function, Unlike the domestic
security service FBI and is chiefly focused on foreign intelligence assembly, with only
limited domestic intelligence gathering.
 The Central Intelligence Agency is also the only agency approved by the law to carry out
and oversee covert action at the behest of the President.
 The Central Intelligence Agency has gradually expanded its role in the present scenario,
including conducting covert revolutionary operations.