General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2014

Dec 2014

Jun 03, 2024

Ruchira Kamboj, India's First Woman Permanent Representative to UN, Retires

India's first woman Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj retired after 35 years of service, during which she served as Indian envoy in Bhutan, South Africa and the UNESCO.
She became Permanent Representative/Ambassador of India to New York, on August 2, 2022. Fluent in three languages, Hindi, English and French, Kamboj began her diplomatic career in Paris as the Third Secretary in the Indian Embassy to France from 1989-91. Kamboj was Counsellor at India's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York from 2002-05, where she dealt with a wide range of political issues, including UN Peacekeeping, UN Security Council Reform, the Middle East crisis etc, according to the Indian Mission's website.

Assembly Polls 2024: Sikkim's Ruling SKM Registers Landslide Victory

As per the data released by the Election Commission, the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) registered a landslide victory in the Himalayan state by securing 31 of the 32 seats in the assembly polls.
The opposition Sikkim Democratic Front only won one seat.
Incumbent Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang thank the people of Sikkim and and party workers.

Assembly Polls 2024: BJP Storms Back to Power in Arunachal Pradesh

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in Arunachal Pradesh for the third straight time in a row as the saffron party secured 46 seats in the 60-member assembly and won the majority.
The counting of votes concluded in the 50 seats for which the polling was held in the northeastern state of India on April 19. The remaining 10 seats were secured by the BJP uncontested.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu is one of the 10 candidates who won unopposed.

Hyderabad No Longer Joint Capital of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana

Hyderabad officially ceased to be the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. According to Section 5(1) of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, Hyderabad was designated as the common capital for both states for a period not exceeding ten years from June 2, 2014.
Section 5(2) of the Act stipulates that after this period, Hyderabad would become the sole capital of Telangana, and a new capital would be established for Andhra Pradesh.
Currently, Andhra Pradesh has not yet established a permanent capital, with ongoing disputes over Amaravati and Visakhapatnam still pending in courts.

Justice M. S. Sonak of Bombay High Court Becomes First Person in Goa to Register 'Living Will'

Justice M. S. Sonak, the senior most presiding judge of Bombay High Court at Goa, registered his 'living will' at an Indian Medical Association event, and became the first person to register such a will in the coastal State.
A living will/advance directive is a document that persons with deteriorating health or the terminally ill can execute in advance, through which they can choose not to remain in a vegetative state with life support system if they enter into a state when it will not be possible for them to express their wishes
This document could then be presented to a hospital for appropriate action in the event the executant's health worsens.

Jun 02, 2024

India Reiterates Support for Palestinian Statehood

India reaffirmed its backing for the statehood of Palestine. Norway, Spain, and Ireland recently recognized Palestine. Following these European nations' recognition of Palestine, India reiterated its long-standing stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Spokesman for the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal discussed India's longstanding support for the two-state solution and Palestinian statehood.

Jun 01, 2024

MEA, Meity and CSC sign MoU to Provide E-migration Services through Common Service Centres

Considering major issues faced by migrant workers in emigration process, Ministry External Affairs (MEA), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and CSC eGovernance Services India Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a synergy between CSC SPV and MEA to provide the eMigrate services through CSCs across the country.
The MoU was signed with the intention of broadening safe and legal migration pathways, specifically to guard against unscrupulous individuals taking advantage of Indian nationals seeking work abroad.

May 31, 2024

IIM Jammu, J&K Sign MoU to Establish CITaG for Innovative Governance Practices

The Jammu and Kashmir Planning, Development, and Monitoring Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Jammu to establish the Centre for Innovation and Transformation in Governance (CITaG). This initiative aims to drive positive change and foster innovation in governance through research, education, and collaborative efforts.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo described the MoU as a significant step towards inclusive development across all departments in the Union Territory (UT).
An IIM Jammu official explained that the MoU's goal is to empower government institutions, policymakers, and public servants to address complex challenges, promote sustainable development, and enhance the well-being of the UT. The MoU was signed by IIM Jammu Director Professor B. S. Sahay and Administrative Secretary of the Planning, Development, and Monitoring Department, Mohammad Aijaz, in the presence of Dulloo at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar.

May 30, 2024

Government Starts Granting Citizenship under CAA in West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand

The Union government started granting citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in West Bengal, Haryana and Uttarakhand.
The CAA was enacted in December 2019 for granting Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.
The applicants in West Bengal, Haryana and Uttarakhand were granted citizenship by the respective State Empowered Committee.
The first set of citizenship certificates after the notification of the Citizenship (Amendment) Rules, 2024, granted by the Empowered Committee, Delhi, were handed over to the applicants in New Delhi by the Union Home Secretary on May 15.
Even though the CAA was enactment in 2019, the rules to grant citizenship under it were issued on March 11, 2024, after a delay of more than four years.

In One Go, 11 ED Officers Made Joint Director

The Centre promoted 11 Enforcement Directorate-cadre officers to the rank of Joint Director in the federal anti-money laundering agency.
This is the first time that so many cadre officers were promoted in one go to the Joint Director level, an important position vis-a-vis investigations.
The Department of Revenue under the Union Finance Ministry issued an order for promoting 11 officers from the Joint Director rank.
A Joint Director position in the ED envisages supervising investigations related to money laundering and foreign exchange contravention.
The ED is tasked with investigating financial crimes under three laws — the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Foreign Exchange Management Act and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act.

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