General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2015

May 2015

Apr 24, 2021

Goa's Five Municipal Councils Go to Polls

Amid a severe spike in Covid-19 cases in the state, voting is underway for elections to five municipal councils in Goa.
According to the State Election Commission, 1.85 lakh voters are eligible to cast ballot for elections to five municipal councils in Mapusa, Margao, Quepem, Sanguem and Mormugao towns.
Elections to six other municipal councils and one municipal corporation were conducted on March 20. The second phase of municipal polls were necessitated after the Bombay High Court, last month, faulted the state government and the State Election Commission for erroneous procedures adopted while reserving municipal constituencies for women, ST, SC and OBCs.

GC Murmu is External Auditor for Hague-Based OPCW

G C Murmu, who is India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), has been appointed as external auditor of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at The Hague. He will be the auditor of the OPCW for a three-year term starting in 2021. The appointment was made through an election process at the OPCW Conference on Wednesday where India received support ahead of others to be appointed as the External Auditor. Murmu, who was aide to then chief minister Narendra Modi, was handpicked to become the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir after the revocation of Article 370. As CAG, he has earlier been named as the auditor of UN's panel of external auditors and is also auditor to the Inter-parliamentary union.

Apr 23, 2021

EC Bans Roadshows, Vehicle Rallies in West Bengal

Noting that COVID safety norms were being flouted in West Bengal during campaigning, the Election Commission banned roadshows and vehicle rallies in the state with immediate effect and said no public meeting having more than 500 people would be allowed.
The order said the commission has noted "with anguish" that many political parties and candidates are still not adhering to the prescribed safety norms during the public gatherings.
The orders will came into force from Thursday.

Apr 22, 2021

Delhi Government Puts off DSGMC Elections

Following a Covid surge, the April 25 elections to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) have been postponed. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal took the decision and sent the proposal to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.

India Ranks 87th in Global Energy Transition Index

India has been ranked at the 87th position among 115 countries in the Energy Transition Index (ETI) that tracks nations on the current performance of their energy systems across various aspects.
The report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) released and prepared in collaboration with Accenture also draws on insights from ETI.
The top 10 countries in the index are Western and Northern European countries, and Sweden is in the first position followed by Norway (2nd) and Denmark (3rd).
Other countries in the top 10 are Switzerland (4), Austria (5), Finland (6), the United Kingdom (7), New Zealand (8), France (9) and Iceland (10).
China (68) and India (87), which collectively account for a third of global energy demand, have both made strong improvements over the past decade, despite coal continuing to play a significant role in their energy mix.

Apr 21, 2021

India Elected to 3 Bodies of UN Economic and Social Council

India has been elected by acclamation to three bodies of the UN Economic and Social Council.
India was elected by acclamation to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2022.
Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Ghana, Libya, Pakistan, Qatar, Thailand, Togo and the US were also elected by acclamation while Brazil, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Chile, Cuba were elected by secret ballot.
India was elected by acclamation to the Executive Board of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2022.
Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Gambia, Guyana, Kenya, Monaco, Poland, South Africa, Thailand, Turkmenistan and Ukraine were also elected by acclamation to the UN body.
India was elected to the Executive Board of the World Food Programme, along with France, Ghana, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Sweden by acclamation for a three-year term beginning 1 January 2022.

India-EU Summit to be Held in Virtual Format on May 8

The India-European Union (EU) Summit next month will be a virtual affair with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling off his visit to the Portuguese city of Porto because of the Covid-19 situation.
The India-EU leaders meeting in the EU+27 format, the first time that such a meeting is being held, reflects the shared ambition of both sides to further deepen the strategic partnership.
The prime minister had also been expected to travel to France for a bilateral visit after the planned summit in Porto.

IAF Chief RKS Bhadauria Holds Talks with French Air Force Chief

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria held talks with Gen Philippe Lavigne, Chief of Staff of French Air and Space Force (FASF), on ways to further expand cooperation between the two sides.
Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria is on a five-day visit to France. The Indian Air Force said that Gen Lavigne and Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria in their talks noted the steady growth of operational exchanges between the two forces and explored ways to expand the cooperation further.
Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria on Tuesday held talks with Gen Philippe Lavigne, Chief of Staff of French Air and Space Force (FASF), on ways to further expand cooperation between the two sides.
Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria is on a five-day visit to France from Monday. The Indian Air Force said Gen Lavigne and Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria in their talks noted the steady growth of operational exchanges between the two forces and explored ways to expand the cooperation further.

Bangalore Metro Rail Project phases 2A, 2B Get Approval

The Centre approved the Bangalore Metro Rail Project phases 2A and 2B.
While the rail project phase 2A is between Central Silk Board Junction to K R Puram, phase 2B is between K. R. Puram to the airport via Hebbal Junction. The total length of the project is 58.19 km.
The approval was given at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The total cost of completion of the project is Rs. 14,788.101 crore.

Apr 20, 2021

Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative: Australia Grants Rs 8.12 crore under its Partnership with India

As India and Australia increase engagement under the Indo-Pacific vision, Canberra announced a Rs. 8.12 crore grant under the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI).
The IPOI was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the East-Asia Summit in November 2019 and Australia is co-leading New Delhi in the marine ecology pillar of the initiative.

Boris Johnson Cancels Trip to India

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancelled a planned trip to India, scheduled to take place next week, due to the current coronavirus situation in India.
Johnson had already postponed the trip once from January, when COVID-19 infections were high in Britain. Infections in India are currently surging as the country endures a second wave of the virus.

Jaishankar Discusses Bilateral Ties, Economic Recovery with UAE Counterpart

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held another round of productive interaction with his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan here where the two leaders discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, especially the strong focus on economic recovery post COVID-19.
Jaishankar arrived was in Abu Dhabi with a focus on boosting bilateral economic cooperation. His visit to the United Arab Emirates comes amid evolving geo-political developments in the region, particularly in Afghanistan.
As per reports, the two leaders discussed ways to develop and enhance bilateral cooperation in all domains, in a way that will fulfil the aspirations of the leadership of India and the UAE and benefit their peoples.

West Bengal: BJP Stops Big Rallies, Events with Immediate Effect

Amid the rising COVID-crisis, the BJP has decided to stop with immediate effect big rallies, public meetings, and poll-related events in West Bengal. It is very important to break the chain of COVID.
However, small election meetings with a gathering of not more than 500 persons will continue in the state where the BJP is engaged in a bitter fight with the ruling TMC.
Assembly elections are going on in West Bengal and the completion of the Constitutional and democratic process is also very important.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

September GK, August GK, July GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services And Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26