General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2014

Nov 2014

Feb 20, 2023

Shiv Pratap Shukla Takes Oath as 29th Governor of Himachal Pradesh

Former Union Minister of State for Finance Shiv PratapShukla took oath as the 29th Governor of Himachal Pradesh at Raj Bhawan. Shukla was administered the oath of office and secrecy by acting Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Justice Sabina. He took oath in Sanskrit.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was also present at the swearing-in ceremony. Himachal Chief Secretary PrabodhSaxena read out the warrant of appointment.
A resident of Rudrapur in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Shukla started his political journey from RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. He joined the BJP in 1983 and was elected as MLA in 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1996. He was elected to Rajya Sabha in 2016.

Northern India's First Nuclear Plant to Come up in Haryana's Gorakhpur

Haryana may soon become home to Northern India's first nuclear plant as a 1,400 MW nuclear power plant is under construction near Gorakhpur village, Haryana.
As per Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy, Jitendra Singh, during Prime Minister NarendraModi's regime, one of the major achievements would be the installation of Nuclear Energy plants in other parts of the country, which were earlier confined mostly to the Southern and Western parts of India.
Gorakhpur Haryana AnuVidyutPariyojana's(GHAVP) having two units of 700 MWe capacity each of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) indigenous design is under implementation near Gorakhpur village in Fatehabad district in Haryana. Till date, an amount of Rs. 4,906 crore has been spent out of total allocated funds 20,594 crore (Total Financial progress is 23.8% as on date).

MPassport Police App: Police Verification for Passport in just 5 Days

The "mPassport Police App, developed by the consular, passport and visa division of the External Affairs Ministry for law enforcement agencies, was rolled out along with 350 tablets to personnel of the Special Branch of Delhi Police. These personnel are responsible for carrying out verification of antecedents of passport applicants. A new app developed by the external affairs ministry and rolled out in New Delhi is expected to cut the time for police verification of passport applicants to five days and reduce the scope for misuse of the process. The new digital services were launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the 76th Raising Day Parade of Delhi Police.
The passport application will be given a label by the police as per the status of passport and verification. There are 3 status types that a passport may receive, which are clear, adverse and incomplete.

Shinde Faction Gets Shiv Sena Name, Bow and Arrow Symbol

The Election Commission of India (ECI) said that the party name 'Shiv Sena' and the party symbol of bow and arrow will be retained by the Eknath Shinde faction. As per the ECI, the Eknath Shinde faction was supported by MLAs with 76 per cent of the party's winning votes in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls. This was in contrast to the support for Uddhav Thakeray which amounted to just 23.5 per cent.
The two sides have been at loggerheads with each other about being recognised as the 'real Shiv Sena'. They had approached the Election Commission of India to stake claim over the party's name and symbol.
In October 2022, the Election Commission froze the unified Shiv Sena's bow and arrow symbol and gave different names and symbols to the two factions. The Shinde faction was given the name Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (Balasaheb's Shiv Sena) with two swords and shields as the party symbol. Meanwhile, the Uddhav faction was given the name Shiv Sena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and the mashaal as its symbol.

Manipur Hosts B20 Conference for Delegates from 23 Nations in Imphal

In Manipur, a B20 Conference for the delegates from G20 countries and other invited countries was held n Imphal. The exchange of ideas took place for economic growth.
Delegates from 23 nations consisting of 26 overseas business delegates and 24 diplomats participated in the conference. Interaction in medical tourism, ICT and other sectors were discussed during the conference.
The inaugural function was attended by Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Union MoS of Commerce and Industries Som Prakash, Union MoS of External Affairs R. K. Ranjan and other senior government officials.
While welcoming the delegates, the Chief Minister highlighted the investment potential in different sectors of the state. He said the law and order situation has improved in the state while the connectivity has expanded.
It may be mentioned that the conference was a part of the official G20 Dialogue Forum for the global business community.
The Business 20 or B20 is a group that represents the private sector within the Group of 20 (G20) Forum. This organization was created to provide a platform for the business community to engage with the G20 and to offer recommendations on policies that can support global economic growth and development.

Feb 19, 2023

Ramesh Bais is Governor of Maharashtra

Ramesh Bais took oath as Maharashtra Governor at the Raj Bhavan.
Bais was the Governor of Jharkhand and was transferred to Maharashtra by President Draupadi Murmu, in a major gubernatorial reshuffle.
The President had accepted the resignation of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who had opted for a life of retirement.

Feb 18, 2023

Former Andhra BJP Minister Kanna Lakshminarayana Quits Party

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Andhra Pradesh minister Kanna Lakshminarayana resigned from the primary membership of the party in protest against the alleged witch-hunt by state BJP president Somu Veerraju.
Lakshminarayana quit the party on personal grounds and compulsions.
The BJP leader said that he had all respect and admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the other top BJP leaders, but he was disgusted with the way Veerraju was running the Andhra unit of the BJP like his personal fiefdom.

PM Modi Virtually Inaugurates Jal Jan Abhiyan in Rajasthan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed that the Jal-Jan Abhiyan was launched at a time when water scarcity is being seen as a future crisis all over the world. Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the Jal Jan Abhiyan in Sirohi district of Rajasthan. He noted that the 21st-century world is realising the seriousness of limited water resources on earth and pointed out that water security is a huge question for India due to its large population.

PM Modi Addresses Global Business Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the global business summit 'Economic Times Global Business Summit 2023, hosted annually by The Times Group.
The theme of the summit was "Resilience. Influence. Dominance". It was a two-day summit.
It brought together thought leaders, policymakers, academicians and corporate heads on a common platform, seeking to provide solutions to key economic challenges.

Feb 17, 2023

Cabinet Approves MoU between India, Chile in Agricultural Sector

The Union Cabinet approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between India and Chile for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.
Under the MoU, a Chile-India Agricultural Working Group will be constituted which will be responsible for the supervision, review and assessment of the implementation of the MoU as well as for establishing frequent communication and coordination.
The meetings of the Agricultural Working Group will be held once a year alternatively in Chile and India.
The main areas of cooperation envisaged are agricultural policies for the development of modern agriculture, organic agriculture to facilitate the bilateral trade of organic products, promoting exchange of policies aimed to develop organic production in both countries, science and innovation to explore partnerships to promote innovation in the agricultural sector among Indian Institutes and Chilean institutes as well as collaborate to confront common challenges.
The MoU shall enter into force upon its signature and shall remain in force for a period of five years from the date of execution after which it shall be automatically renewed for a further period of five years.

Cabinet Approves MoU for Cooperation in Disability Sector

The Union Cabinet approved signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and South Africa for cooperation in the Disability Sector. The decision was taken in the Cabinet meeting headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The bilateral Memorandum of Understanding will encourage cooperation between the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities of India and Government of South Africa through joint initiatives in the disability sector. Specific proposals for cooperation between the two countries, as mutually agreed upon, will be taken up for implementation during the period of validity of the Memorandum of Understanding. As per the statement, the Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and ageing population in both countries who especially require modern, cost-effective aids and assistive devices will be benefited from this MoU.

Union Cabinet Approves 'Vibrant Villages Programme' in Areas Bordering China

The Union Cabinet approved a centrally-sponsored scheme called "Vibrant Villages Programme" for financial years 2022-23 to 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs. 4,800 crore.
The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the scheme is aimed at developing infrastructure and livelihood opportunity in four states and one Union Territory along the northern borders, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
The programme will help encourage people to stay in their native locations in border areas and reverse the out-migration from these villages, thus adding to improved security of the border.
Under the scheme efforts will be made to identify and develop economic drivers based on local, natural, human and other resources of the villages on the northern border and development of growth centres on "Hub and Spoke Model" through promotion of social entrepreneurship, empowerment of youth and women through skill development and entrepreneurship.

Feb 16, 2023

Former West Bengal DGP Virendra Appointed as State Information Commissioner

Former West Bengal DGP Virendra was appointed as the State Information Commissioner (SIC).
The meeting to select the new SIC was held at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's chamber at the state assembly. Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP skipped the meeting citing violation of the advertising guidelines for inviting applications.

Lakshman Prasad Acharya Takes Oath as New Sikkim Governor

Lakshman Prasad Acharya took oath as the new governor of Sikkim.
The BJP leader from Uttar Pradesh succeeded Ganga Prasad whose tenure as the governor of Sikkim ended on February 7.
Lakshman Acharya is an Indian politician and is the member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Acharya is a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council from the Varanasi Division Graduates Constituency in Varanasi district.

Union Cabinet Approves Construction of Shinkun La tunnel in Ladakh

The Union Cabinet gave its nod for the construction of the 4.1-km Shinkun La tunnel on the Nimu-Padam-Darcha road link to provide all-weather connectivity to the border areas of Ladakh.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that the tunnel will be completed by December 2025 at a cost of Rs. 1,681 crore.

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