General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2015

Sep 2015

Sep 03, 2021

Dr. Balasubramanian Venkatraman is New Director of IGCAR

Dr. Balasubramanian Venkatraman, a veteran scientist with a research career spanning 37 years has taken over as Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. A pioneer in the field of nuclear research, the spinoffs of his scientific work has been used in diverse domains such as space, defence, medicine, art, archaeology among others.
IGCAR was established in the year 1971, under the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India. The centre is engaged in broad based multidisciplinary programme of scientific research and advanced engineering directed towards the development of Fast Breeder Reactor technology.

Ladakh Adopts State Animal and Bird

Ladakh adopted two endangered species, snow leopard and black-necked crane, as state animal and state bird, two years after it was carved out as a separate Union Territory (UT) from the erstwhile state of J&K.
As per an order issued by the Lieutenant Administration (LG) of Ladakh, the snow leopard (Panther unica) and black-necked crane (Grus nicricollis) shall be the state animal and state bird respectively of the UT of Ladakh from the date of issue of the notification.
Black-necked crane, only found in Ladakh region, was the State bird of J&K before August 5, 2019.
Black-necked crane and snow leopard are two endangered species and the pride of Ladakh.

Assam to Drop 'Rajiv Gandhi' from National Park's Name

The Assam cabinet decided to remove the name of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from the Orang National Park.
During an interaction between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and prominent members of the Adivasi and tea-tribe community, they had demanded removal of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's name from the Orang National Park.
Since the name Orang is associated with the sentiments of the Adivasi and tea-tribe community, the cabinet has decided to rename the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park as Orang National Park.
Located on the North Bank of Brahmaputra River in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam, Orang National Park spread over 78.80 sq km is the oldest forest reserve in the state. It was named a wildlife sanctuary in 1985 and declared a national park in 1999.
In August 2005, the Congress government headed by Tarun Gogoi had decided to rename Orang National Park after the late Prime Minister despite resistance from local groups.

Sep 02, 2021

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit Gets Additional Charge of Punjab, Chandigarh

Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit has been given the additional charge of Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Earlier, V P Singh Badnore was the Governor of Punjab and the Administrator of Chandigarh. The President has also appointed Purohit as the Administrator of Chandigarh, in addition to his duties as the Governor of Punjab. Traditionally, Punjab Governor has functioned as the Administrator of Chandigarh.

LS Speaker Inaugurates Parliamentary Outreach Programme

Lok Sabha speaker, Om Birla, inaugurated a parliamentary outreach programme to empower Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Programme was inaugurated at Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre in Srinagar.
Now, arrangements will be by Lok Sabha secretariat to conduct capacity-building programmes for representatives of PRIs in the UT.
Empowered panchayats under the programme will help in making democracy stronger and increase confidence of people.
Parliamentary Outreach Programme for Empowerment of PRIs is a unique initiative of Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla. This is a first of its kind Programme that seeks to strengthen the institution of governance and planning at the grass-root level.

PM Narendra Modi Releases Commemorative Rs. 125 Coin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a special commemorative coin of Rs. 125 to mark the 125th birth anniversary of the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, through a video conference. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy was also present on the occasion. Swami Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) commonly known as the 'Hare Krishna movement'.
Swami Prabhupada or Srila Prabhupada, was born in Kolkata. Abhay Charan De was the name of his birth. He initially ran a pharmacy business before leaving India in 1959 to make people aware about the teaching of Krishna. He went to New York in 1965 and set up the first ISKCON centre, which now has temples and cultural centres across the globe.

Govt. Appoints J. B. Mohapatra as Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes

Senior bureaucrat J. B. Mohapatra was appointed the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
Mohapatra, a 1985-batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer, is currently the member in the board that frames the policy for the Income Tax department.
He has been holding the additional charge of CBDT chairman since May 31, after the extended tenure of incumbent P. C. Mody had ended.

Ramacharyulu is Rajya Sabha Secretary General

Rajya Sabha chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu appointed Dr. Parasaram Pattabhi Kesava Ramacharyulu as the new secretary general of the Upper House of Parliament.
Ramacharyulu has been working as secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat since 2018 and succeeded Desh Dipak Verma, who demitted office after serving for four years.
As per the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, Ramacharyulu is the first ever Upper House employee to have risen to the secretary general's post. Nine employees have become the secretary general of Lok Sabha so far.

Sep 01, 2021

Tripura CM Biplab Deb Expands Cabinet

Biplab Kumar Deb, heading the first BJP government in Tripura, expanded his cabinet with the induction of three ministers, including two from the rival camp, as the saffron party braced itself for the assembly polls due in 2023.
Two of the three new faces, Ramprasad Paul and Sushanta Chowdhury, belonged to the dissident camp led by former Health Minister Sudip Roy Burman.
Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Paul, Chowdhury and Bhagban Das at the Raj Bhavan. They are yet to be allocated portfolios.
With the expansion of the cabinet, the first in over three years, the government has 11 ministers. Under the norms based on the strength of the legislative assembly, Tripura can have 11 ministers.

CJI N. V. Ramana Administers Oath of Office to 9 Judge Designates

The Chief Justice of India (CJI) N. V. Ramana administered the Oath of Office to the nine Supreme Court Judges.
The nine Judge Designates are Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari, Justice Hima Kohli, Justice B. V. Nagarathna, Justice Chudalayil Thevan Ravikumar, Justice M. M. Sundresh, Justice Bela Madhurya Trivedi and Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha.
This is for the first time in the history of the Supreme Court of India when nine judges had taken the Oath of Office in one go.

Amit Shah Inaugurates Web Portal for Registrations of Units under New Central Sector Scheme 2021 ...

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has launched a web portal for the registration of units for industrial development in Jammu and Kashmir. The Home Minister unveiled the web portal to register units under the New Central Sector Scheme 2021 in the presence of Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh. The inauguration of the web portal was done via video conferencing. The Minister said that the new industrial policy is an accomplishment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to the comprehensive development of the Union Territory following revocation of Article 370 and 35A by creating employment opportunities and promotion of tourism in the region.

Indian Envoy in Doha Meets Taliban Leader

In signs that the Government of India has softened its stance on the Taliban, Indian ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal met with the head of the Taliban's political office, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai.
While Indian security officials and diplomats are understood to have engaged with Taliban representatives for several months, this is the first time the government has publicly acknowledged such a meeting, which came at the request of the Taliban.
Discussions focused on safety, security and early return of Indian nationals stranded in Afghanistan. The travel of Afghan nationals, especially minorities, who wish to visit India also came up. Mr. Mittal said India's concern was that Afghanistan's soil should not be used for anti-Indian activities and terrorism in any manner.

India Ends UNSC Presidency with Resolution on Afghanistan

A divided UN Security Council adopted a Resolution asking the Taliban to allow safe passage for those seeking to leave Afghanistan and demanding that it should not harbour groups that threaten or attack any country or to shelter and train terrorists.
With abstentions by China and Russia, the other 13 members, including India and the US, voted in favour of UNSC Resolution 2593 which specifically mentioned Lashkr-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, etc., that are still listed as terrorists by the UNSC.
The Resolution did not mention the proposal backed by France for the creation of a safe zone in Kabul. It was tabled by Permanent Members the US, France and the UK. Russia and China objected to the exclusion of groups like ISIL and East Turkestan Islamic Movement.

Aug 31, 2021

Govt. Introduces "Bharat series (BH-series)" Registration

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has introduced a new registration mark for new vehicles, i.e. "Bharat series (BH-series)". The vehicles bearing the BH-series mark will not have to require the assignment of a new registration mark when the owner of the vehicle shifts from one state to another.
Earlier, under section 47 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, if a person moves from one state to another, a person is allowed to keep the vehicle for not more than 12 months in any state other than the state where the vehicle is registered, but a new registration with the new state- registering authority has to be made within the stipulated time of 12 months.
This facility is available on a voluntary basis to Defense personnel, employees of Central Government/ State Government/ Central/ State Public Sector Undertakings and private sector companies/organizations, which have their offices in four or more States/Union territories.

IBBI Proposes Amendments in Liquidation Process

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has proposed amendments in the liquidation process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) in order to bring transparency.
According to IBBI, regulatory framework of liquidation process has been improvised on various occasions in last five years in a bid to address the difficulties faced by stakeholders, meet evolving requirements and to achieve the objectives of the Code.
New amendments were proposed to further strengthen the regulatory framework of the liquidation process with respect to accountability of liquidator towards stakeholders.
IBBI is the regulator to look after the insolvency proceedings and entities such as Insolvency Professional Agencies (IPA), Information Utilities in India and Insolvency Professionals (IP). It was established in October 2016. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code provides IBBI statutory powers. The code was passed by Lok Sabha in May 2016. Present whole-time members of the IBBI include Dr. Navrang Saini, Dr. Ms. Mukulita Vijayawargiya and Sh. Sudhakar Shukla.

Aug 30, 2021

M. K. Bhardwaj is President of Jammu Chapter of J&K HC Bar Association

The Jammu chapter of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association got a new body with advocate M. K. Bhardwaj elected as president following an election that took place after a delay of two years.
Mohinder Pal Singh (Palli) was elected as the vice president, Surjeet Singh Andotra as general secretary, Aditya Sharma as joint secretary and Amandeep Singh as treasurer.

President Unveils Statue of Former CM Sampurnanand

President Ram Nath Kovind unveiled the statue of Sampurnanand, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and likewise inaugurated an auditorium named after him on the U.P. Sainik School in Lucknow.
Addressing the concluding ceremony of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Sainik School named after Param Vir Chakra awardee Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey, Mr. Kovind mentioned Sampurnanand and Pandey shared the widespread thought of dedicating all the pieces to nationwide delight.
Sampooranand was CM of Uttar Pradesh from 1954 to 1960.

Prime Minister Inaugurates Renovated Complex of Jallianwala Bagh Memorial

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the renovated complex of Jallianwala Bagh memorial.
A wreath-laying ceremony was held and a two-minute silence observed in the memory of martyrs of the Jallianwala massacre.
Museum galleries have been developed at the memorial and the event showcased multiple development initiatives taken by the government to upgrade the complex.
A sound and light show has been set up to display the events that happened on April 13, 1919 when the British forces fired indiscriminately on a large and peaceful gathering of protesters, killing over 1,000 people and wounding hundreds of them.
Four museum galleries have been created through adaptive reuse of redundant and underutilised buildings.

India Elected to CA and POC of Universal Postal Union

India has won the elections for membership of two key bodies of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), during the 27th UPU Congress in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. India got elected to the Council of Administration (CA) with 134 votes, out of 156 countries. The country received the highest votes in CA elections from South Asia and the Oceania region.
Apart from this, India has also been elected to the Postal Operations Council (POC) with 106 votes. India will now work with all to strengthen cooperation in the Universal Postal Union.
The Universal Postal Union, established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration (CA), the Postal Operations Council (POC) and the International Bureau (IB). It also oversees the Telematics and Express Mail Service (EMS) cooperatives. Each member agrees to the same terms for conducting international postal duties. The UPU's headquarters are located in Bern, Switzerland.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Inaugurates Eastern India's Largest ECMO Facility

Odisha got eastern India's largest ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation) unit at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack. While inaugurating the service, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announces free ECMO treatment to all.
As per Naveen Patnaik, the service with nine ECMO units will be very helpful to treat the critical patients affected by Covid.
Stating ECMO services in the premier health institute a historical decision, Panchayati Raj Minister Pratap Jena thanked CM Naveen Patnaik and suggested people take the advantage of service in the state itself.

Justice Kothari is Acting Gujarat High Court Chief Justice

Justice Vineet Kothari was appointed the acting Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court by President Ram Nath Kovind.
Justice Kothari, the senior-most judge of the Gujarat HC, was appointed to the top post in the state judiciary following the elevation of incumbent Chief Justice Vikram Nath to the Supreme Court a few days back.
Justice Kothari is expected to take over as the acting CJ on September 1.

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