General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2015

Sep 2015

Feb 21, 2020

Centre Changes Pension Rules of Government Employees Recruited Before January 1, 2004 But Joined ...

The Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare under Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has notified that all Central Government employees whose selection for appointment was finalized before January 1, 2004 but who joined service on or after 01.01.2004, for administrative reasons, can now opt to be covered under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 instead of the NPS (National Pension System). This decision followed the demand of Central Government employees whose recruitment was finalized before January 1, 2004 but who had, joined the services on or after January 1, 2004.
The pensioner, who was recruited before 2004 has been provided with the option of either switch over to the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 or continue to be covered under the National Pension System.
The last date to exercise this option is May 31, 2020 and who failed to do so would continue to be covered by the National Pension System.
The employees who exercise option to switch over to the pension scheme under CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972, will be required to subscribe to the General Provident Fund (GPF).

Union Cabinet Gives Nod for Empowered Technology Group to Fix Tech Woes

The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of an empowered technology group to help address issues such as sub-optimal industrial development.
Among the key issues the 12-member panel headed by the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) will address is "dual-use technologies not being optimally commercialised". Dual-use technologies have civilian and military applications.
The group is expected to develop in-house expertise in aspects of policy and use of emerging technologies, and ensure sustainability of technology being developed at public sector organisations.
The government said that the group would also work to ensure that India had an updated map of technology and technology products available and being developed; develop an indigenisation road map for selected key technologies; encourage Union Ministries and departments and State governments to develop in-house expertise in policy; and use aspects of emerging technologies.

Article 371 Will Not be Touched, Amit Shah Assures Arunachal Pradesh

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Centre will not scrap Article 371 of the Constitution, which accords special provision to most states in northeast to preserve their tribal culture.
Following revocation of Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir in August last year, some people spread rumours that Article 371 would also be scrapped. He assured the entire northeast on the statehood day of Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram that no one can remove Article 371 and there's no such thought on it.
Shah had given the same assurance during his visit to Guwahati in September last year where he took part in a meeting of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the BJP-led anti-Congress front in the region.

Feb 20, 2020

Army HQ to be Shifted to Delhi Cantonment

As per reports, the Army headquarters will be moved from the iconic South Block at Raisina Hill to the Delhi Cantonment area.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is slated to "perform the 'bhoomipujan' (ground-breaking) ceremony" for the construction of the new 'Sena Bhawan'.
The 'Sena Bhawan' spread over 39 acres would come up in five years time near the Manekshaw Centre in the Delhi Cantonment area.
South Block is part of the historic Raisina Hill complex built during the colonial era as part of the "new imperial capital" of the British Raj.

Union Cabinet Approves Creation of 22nd Law Commission

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the setting up of the 22nd Law Commission.
The commission, constituted for a period of three years from the date of publication of the order in the official gazette, will consist of a full-time Chairperson, four full-time Members (including the Member-Secretary) and the Secretaries, Legal Affairs and the Legislative Departments as ex-officio Members, and not more than five part-time Members.
The Law Commission is a non-statutory body constituted by the government from time to time. Originally constituted in 1955, it is re-constituted every three years. The tenure of the 21st Law Commission was up to August 31, 2018.
The various Law Commissions have been able to make an important contribution towards the progressive development and codification of law of the country and have so far submitted 277 reports.

Centre Renames IDSA

The Central government renamed Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), a government think tank, as Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in order to honour the commitment and legacy of the late Defence Minister.
Parrikar, who was Defence Minister from 9th November, 2014 to 14th March, 2017, died on 17th March 2019.
He steered the defence ministry "through the tough challenges of attacks like Pathankot and Uri and responded to these with exemplary boldness.
When Parrikar was the defence minister, India witnessed a series of decisions that "enhanced its security capacities, boosted indigenous defence production and bettered the lives of ex-servicemen", it said. His "biggest" contribution was towards the implementation of long-standing One Rank One Pension (OROP) demand for the armed forces.

Foundation Stone Laid for Lighthouse at Dhanushkodi

Minister of State (independent charge) for shipping Mansukh Laxman Mandaviya laid the foundation stone for a 50-metre-high lighthouse at Dhanushkodi near Rameswaram in Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu.
The new lighthouse at Dhanushkodi will be the 5th lighthouse in the district after Pasipattinam, Olakuda, Pamban, and Keelakarai.
A visitors' gallery will be established at a height of 42 m and it will have a lift facility.
Light equipment has been fixed with a range of 18 to 20 nautical miles (33 to 37 km) to facilitate navigation.
The Coast Guard will monitor the data round-the-clock.
The lighthouse will be fully operated using solar energy.

Feb 19, 2020

PM Sets 10 Million Enrolment Target for Kisan Cards

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the agriculture ministry to enrol at least 10 million farmers for Kisan Credit Cards by February 23, expressing concern over the slow progress of a programme aimed at increasing access of cultivators to formal sources of lending.
As per reports, Modi was open to attend an event to distribute cards to farmers, but after US President Donald Trump's visit to India.
PM-KISAN is a flagship income support scheme of the government for all landholding farmers, under which registered cultivators get cash transfers of ~6,000 a year in three instalments.

Won't Block NPR in Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray assured the people that there is nothing to worry about Citizenship (Amendment) Act, saying CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are two different issues.
On the National Population Register, Uddhav Thackeray said that he will personally check the columns in the NPR and that there shouldn't be any problem with the exercise. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, however, said that he will not allow NRC to be implemented in the state.
As per Uddhav Thackeray, if NRC is implemented then it will affect not only Hindus or Muslims but also Adivasis. Centre has not discussed NRC as of now. NPR is a census, and I don't find that anyone will be affected as it happens every ten years.

J&K Local Body Polls Deferred

Bypolls to over 12,500 panchayat seats in Jammu & Kashmir that were scheduled to be held in eight phases from March 5 have been postponed for three weeks due to security concerns, chief electoral officer Shailendra Kumar said, almost a week after he announced the schedule for the elections.
The announcement came hours after former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti-led People's Democratic Party (PDP) walked out of an all-party meeting called for the polls after Kumar expressed his helplessness in addressing the issues it had raised.

Feb 18, 2020

Women Army Officers Eligible for Permanent Commission, Rules SC

The Supreme Court dismissed the Union government's submissions that women are physiologically weaker than men as a "sex stereotype" and declared that Short Service Commission (SSC) women officers are eligible for permanent commission and command posts in the Army irrespective of their years of service. The verdict came on a nearly 10-year-old appeal filed by the government against a March 12, 2010 decision of the Delhi High Court to grant SSC women officers' permanent commission. The Supreme Court ordered the government to implement its judgment in three months.

Haryana Govt. to Give Rs. 6 Cr to Olympics Gold Medal Winners

Haryana Government announced that the state government will give Rs. 6 crore prize money to players that bag gold medals at the Olympic Games.
Apart from that, the Haryana government will also give Rs. 3 crore to those winning Gold Medal at Asian Games. Similarly, the state government will give Rs. 1.5 crore to those winning Gold Medal at Commonwealth Games.
Haryana Government also decided to give Rs. 15 lakh to each player participating in the Olympic Games. The Haryana Government believes that this will make state and country proud as well as encourage players.
Earlier, winners were given Rs. 5 crore. Apart from Gold Medalist, the silver medalist will get Rs. 1 crore more, while the bronze medalist will be given Rs. 50 lakh more.
The prize money for Asiad and Commonwealth Games winners has also been increased. The gold medalist in the Asian Games will now get Rs. 3 crore instead of two, while the gold medalist in the Commonwealth Games will get Rs. 50 lakh more.
The cash prize money will be given only to players representing Haryana.
According to the new sports policy of Haryana, a new provision has been added to honor the coaches of the players.
Apart from this, the player's stadium will also be given 10 percent of the amount he gets to improve the facilities.

New Ministers in AAP Cabinet

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Monday kick-started its third term in Delhi with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal making just three changes to his cabinet of ministers.
The water department, which Kejriwal headed in his previous term, will now be administered by Shakur Basti MLA Satyendar Jain. The environment department will be under Babarpur lawmaker Gopal Rai, who has taken over the post from Kailash Gahlot. These two departments hold significance as they will be working on two key poll promises of the AAP — providing clean, regular water supply and curbing air pollution in the Capital.
Another change is that to the women and child development department, which will now be under Seemapuri MLA Rajendra Pal Gautam, who will also continue as the Social Welfare and SC/ST Minister.

Shaheen Bagh Row: Supreme Court Appoints Mediators to Convince Protestors

The Supreme Court appointed mediators to talk to the protestors at Shaheen Bagh. The Supreme Court said that it is important to talk to them (protesters). Supreme Court also said that whatever is the reason for the protest, it is not good to block a public road.
Supreme Court's bench comprising Justice S. K. Kaul and K. M. Joseph passed the order on February 17, 2020, in the petitions seeking removal of agitators from Shaheen Bagh and clearance of road. Protesters have been sitting on this road for over two months.
The Supreme Court has appointed a team of mediators to talk to Shaheen Bagh's protestors. According to the apex court's orders, Senior Counsel Sanjay Hegde and Advocate Sadhna Ramchandran will talk to the protestors as interlocutors. The Supreme Court said that these mediators will try to convince protestors to shift their demonstration site at an alternative place. The Supreme Court also said that both the lawyers have been given liberty to pick a third person to act as an interlocutor if required. The court has given them a week to submit their report.

Panel for 67% Quota for Native People in House

A home ministry-appointed committee has recommended that two-third seats in the Assam Assembly should be reserved for the indigenous people of the state and 1951 should be the cut-off year to define the local population.
The committee has also suggested creation of a legislative council (Upper House) for Assam and introduction of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) to control the movement of people from outside the state, they said.
For the reservation of seats for indigenous people in Assam Assembly, the 13-member panel has recommended two formulas, including a quota of two-third seats (67%) for them.
In case of reservation of seats in the Assam Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies from the state, all members, except three, have suggested that 67% seats should be reserved for the indigenous people. The remaining three members suggested that the reservation in legislative bodies should be 100%.

Babulal Marandi's JVM Merges with BJP

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi has merged his Jharkhand Vikas Morcha with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at an event in Ranchi in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief J. P. Nadda.
Marandi went back to his parent party BJP 14 years after he quit the party and formed the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM).
Amit Shah had been trying to bring Babulal Marandi into BJP since I was made BJP chief in 2014.
In 2000, Babulal Marandi became the first Jharkhand chief minister and also the first BJP CM. Marandi had formed JVM later after splitting with BJP.

British MP Denied Entry into India

A British MP who chairs a parliamentary group on Kashmir was denied entry into India on arrival at the New Delhi airport, with officials saying she had been informed in advance of her e-visa's cancellation.
She intended to make a personal visit to New Delhi to meet Indian relatives before travelling to Pakistan for a three-day official visit as a member of the all party parliamentary group for Kashmir. Abrahams told the UK media she "wouldn't be surprised" if the denial of entry was linked with her work with the group.

Centre Lets Ladakh Appoint Non-gazetted Personnel

Following a shortage of personnel, the Union government empowered the Union Territory of Ladakh to formulate its own rules to appoint non-gazetted officials.
As per a senior official, the day-to-day work in Ladakh was getting hampered as the process to reallocate government officials had not been completed, and not many officials were willing to move to the Union Territory.
The erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh by Parliament on August 6, 2019. Thereafter, the Union government appointed a panel to find out officials' preference for posting.

Feb 17, 2020

PM Unveils Statue of Deendayal Upadhyaya in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a 63-feet tall statue of former Bhartiya Jana Sangh leader Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya.
The 'Pancha Loha' statue is the tallest statue of the leader in the country. Over 200 artisans have worked for almost a year in order to complete the structure. He also inaugurated the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Memorial Centre.
The Memorial Centre has the engravings of the life and times of Deendayal Upadhyaya. About 30 Odisha craftsmen and artists have worked on the project during 2019.

India Rejects UN Chief's Mediation Offer on Kashmir

India rejected any scope for third party mediation to resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said that Jammu and Kashmir has been is and will continue to be an integral part of India. The issue that needs to be addressed is that of vacation of the territories illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan. Further issues, if any, would be discussed bilaterally. There is no role or scope for third party mediation.
The comments come against the backdrop of some remarks made by the UN Secretary General António Guterres who is on a visit to Pakistan.
In his remarks, Guterres had expressed concern over increasing tensions between India and Pakistan as well as over alleged human rights violations in Kashmir.

Fifteenth Finance Commission Forms Panel on Defence & Internal Security Fund

The 15^th Finance Commission set up a five-member group led by 15th Finance Commission Chairman, Nand Kishore (NK) Singh to investigate the need for separate arrangements for funding defense and internal security.
The panel will comprise the following members: A. N. Jha, member of the 15th Finance Commission, Ajay Bhalla, Secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ajay Kumar, Secretary of Ministry of Defence, T. V. Somanathan, Expenditure Secretary.
This group will test whether a separate mechanism for financing defense and internal security should be put in place, and if so, how this fund would be operationalised.

AAP Leaders Discuss Three-point Plan to Widen National Footprint

Hours after Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet ministers took oath of office and secrecy in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) held a meeting with state executives to discuss the party's expansion plans across the country.
The agenda of the meeting was to discuss two things primarily.
First, the message of the historic win in the Delhi elections, which came purely based on development works, should be disseminated across the country loud and clear. This is the right time to channelise the energy and enthusiasm of the volunteers to expand the party across the nation. Secondly, how this victory can be used as a springboard for expanding the party nationally.

India Inks MoUs with Russia

In a step forward towards addressing the issue of regular spares and support for Russian military equipment with the armed forces, 14 MoUs were signed between Indian and Russian companies for setting up joint ventures covering a range of equipment from modern T-90 tanks to legacy Pechora air defence systems.
The MoUs were signed during the 5th India Russia military industry conference held during the Defexpo 2020 in Lucknow. They come under the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on joint manufacturing of spares in India signed in September 2019 for mutual cooperation in manufacturing of spares, components, aggregates and other material related to Russian or Soviet-origin arms and defence equipment.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

October GK, September GK, August 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