General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2014

Nov 2014

Mar 14, 2022

Pradeep Kumar Rawat, India's New Envoy to China, Takes Charge

India's new ambassador to China Pradeep Kumar Rawat assumed charge.
Mr. Rawat arrived in China earlier this month and underwent mandatory quarantine as per China's COVID-19 protocols.
Mr. Rawat succeeded Ambassador Vikram Misri, who was appointed as the Deputy National Security Advisor.
An Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1990 batch, Rawat was previously India's ambassador to the Netherlands.
Mr Rawat's appointment came in the midst of the lingering eastern Ladakh border standoff. He has earlier served in Hong Kong and Beijing. He served as the ambassador of India to Indonesia and Timor-Leste from September 2017-December 2020.

Indian Embassy in Ukraine shifted to Poland as situation deteriorates

In view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Ukraine, including attacks in the western parts of the country, the Indian Embassy in Ukraine was temporarily relocated in Poland.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a CCS meeting to review India`s security preparedness, and the prevailing global scenario in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
During the meeting, he was briefed on the latest developments in Ukraine, including the details of Operation Ganga to evacuate Indian nationals, along with some citizens of India`s neighbouring countries, from the war-torn nation.

Justice Vipin Sanghi is Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court

Justice Vipin Sanghi, the senior-most judge of the Delhi High Court, was appointed as its acting Chief Justice as incumbent Justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel retired.
Justice Patel was appointed as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court in June 2019.
Justice Sanghi was appointed as an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in May 2006, and was confirmed as a permanent judge in February 2008.

Indian Railways' First Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal

The first 'Gati Shakti' cargo terminal of Indian Railways' was inaugurated in the Eastern Railway's Asansol division. The cargo facility is expected to boost railway earnings by roughly Rs. 11 crore per month.
The Asansol division of Indian Railways successfully commissioned a private siding of Maithan Power in Thaparnagar, Jharkhand, in accordance with the Prime Minister's vision of Gati Shakti and the Ministry of Railways' policy on the 'Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal' (GCT).
Since the establishment of the GCT policy in December 2021, this is the first such terminal to be commissioned by Indian Railways.
In 2009 the Maithan Power Project was initiated and in 2011 power generation was started.
Rail transportation is beneficial to the economy because it is the most energy-efficient and cost-effective mode of transportation. The commissioning of this terminal, as well as others like it, will have a significant positive impact on the nation's economy.

Pramod Sawant Resigns as Goa CM; Asked to Continue as Caretaker CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant resigned from the post to pave the way for the formation of a new government in the state, two days after his party - BJP - emerged as the single largest force by winning 20 seats in the 40-member assembly.
Sawant met Governor P. S. Sreedharan Pillai at the Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation.
Sawant said that he was asked to continue as a caretaker Chief Minister till the new government is formed.

Bypolls in Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Maharashtra

The Election Commission announced that by-elections in the states of West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Maharashtra will be held on April 12.
According to the EC, the date of issuing gazette notification is March 17 and the last date of nominations is March 24. The last date of scrutiny of nomination is March 25 and the candidature can be withdrawn till March 28.
The Commission said it has decided to use EVMs and VVPATs in the by-elections in all the polling stations.

Mar 13, 2022

Union Minister of Power Launches Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Center

As part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Program, Union Minister for Power R.K. Singh launched the Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Center (SGKC) and Innovation Park.
POWERGRID established the Smart Grid Knowledge Center (SGKC) to demonstrate and advance cutting-edge smart grid technologies.
SGKC aspires to be one of the world's top centres of excellence for smart grid technology innovation, entrepreneurship, and research, as well as building capacity in the power distribution industry.
The Virtual SGKC, which was introduced, allows for a digital footprint of the real SGKC, which was needed during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Mar 12, 2022

Why Congress May Lose 'Leader of Opposition Status' in Rajya Sabha

Congress Party might lose the leader of the opposition status in Rajya Sabha owing to its poor performance in the five assembly elections 2022.
The possibility arises as the number of Congress MPs in the upper house is expected to be at its historic low and likely to be close to the minimum strength required to maintain the Leader of the Opposition status.
The party's only hope to maintain its leader of opposition status in Congress is to do well in the upcoming Gujarat and Karnataka Assembly Polls or it could lose this status in the subsequent biennial elections to the Upper House next year.
Congress currently sits as the leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha with 34 members but is on course to lose at least seven seats this year to hit a record low.

SC Appoints Sikri as Chairperson of Committee on Chardham Project

The Supreme Court appointed its ex-judge A.K. Sikri as chairperson of the High Powered Committee (HPC), which would consider the cumulative and independent impact of the Chardham project on the entire Himalayan valley.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant accepted the resignation of Professor Ravi Chopra as chairperson of the committee.
Chopra was appointed as chairperson of the HPC by the top court in August 2019.

Govt. Appoints Ajay Bhushan Pandey as NFRA Chief

The government appointed former finance secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey as chairman of the National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) for a period of three years. Pandey, a 1984-batch Maharashtra cadre IAS officer, retired as revenue secretary in February 2021.
Prior to becoming revenue secretary, he was chief executive of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
The NFRA acts as an independent regulator for the auditing profession. The body has powers to review financial statement of companies, can seek explanations and probe irregularities with respect to accounting and auditing issues. The setting up of the NFRA, envisaged under the Companies Act, 2013, was approved by the Cabinet in May 2018.

Mar 11, 2022

Channi Steps Down as Punjab CM

A day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept the assembly elections in Punjab, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi met governor Banwarilal Purohit and tendered his resignation. He also recommended the dissolution of the 15th assembly following a virtual meeting of the state cabinet.
The governor asked Chani and the cabinet ministers to continue till the new government is formed.
Meanwhile, newly elected AAP MLAs are scheduled to meet in Mohali to elect Mann as the leader of the legislature party.
The AAP had on January 18 declared Mann as the chief ministerial face of the party for the assembly elections.

AAP Storms to Power in Punjab

The Aam Aadmi Party stormed Punjab, winning 92 of the 117 Assembly seats, decimating the Congress and the SAD-BSP combine and making leaders like CM Charanjit Singh Channi, Parkash Singh Badal and Amarinder Singh bite the dust.
While AAP bagged three-fourth of the seats, the Congress won 18, SAD 3, BJP 2 and BSP 1. An Independent also emerged victorious.
AAP will now form its second government in the country after the one led by Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi.

Election Results Show a Tighter Race in Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur

The results of the Assembly elections in five states saw the BJP securing power in three states, falling one short of the majority in Goa, and the Aam Aadmi Party winning Punjab. An analysis of seats across these states showed that the race was won on tighter margins than five years ago, except for Punjab and Uttarakhand.

Mar 10, 2022

Andhra Pradesh Retains Top Rank in Skoch State of Governance Ranking in 2021

The Andhra Pradesh government once again bagged the top rank in the Skoch State of Governance rankings.
The second rank was bagged by West Bengal and Odisha was ranked 3, Gujarat was ranked 4 and Maharashtra was ranked 5. Neighbouring Telangana was ranked 6.
In the ranking assessment by Skoch, a New Delhi-based think tank, Andhra Pradesh also bagged the top position in police and safety, agriculture, district administration and rural development.

Cabinet Approves Amendment in MMDR Act to Fix Royalty of Certain Minerals

The Union Cabinet approved a proposal to amend the Second Schedule to the MMDR Act to specify the royalty rates of certain minerals, including potash, emerald and platinum group of metals.
The approval would ensure auction of mineral blocks in respect of glauconite, potash, emerald, platinum group of metals, andalusite and molybdenum thereby reducing imports of these minerals.
The approval will help generating empowerment opportunity in the mining sector as well as the manufacturing sector which will further help in ensuring inclusive growth of a large section of the society.

Congress Veteran A.K. Antony to Hang Boots

Former Defence Minister and Congress veteran A.K. Antony is all set to hang his boots after 52 years in active politics. Antony said that he would not seek reelection once his Rajya Sabha term ends in April.
The former Kerala CM, Antony currently heads the Congress' disciplinary committee and is also part of the party's core committee.
Antony was Defence Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government between 2004 and 2014. He started out as an MLA in Kerala in 1970 and remained CM of the state thrice in 1977, 1995 and 2001.

Cabinet Approves National Land Monetisation Corporation

The Union Cabinet approved the formation of National Land Monetisation Corporation (NLMC) as a wholly owned government of India company to fast track the monetisation of land and non-core assets of public sector entities. For setting up NLMC, the Centre allocated an initial authorised share capital of Rs. 5,000 crore and paid-up share capital of Rs. 150 crore.
National Land Monetisation Corporation will undertake monetisation of surplus land and building assets of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and other Government agencies. So far, the CPSEs have referred 3,400 acres of land and other non-core assets for monetisation from CPSEs comprising Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), B&R, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), BEML Limited, HMT Ltd among others, the Eco Survey mentioned.

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