General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2015

Sep 2015

Sep 03, 2019

India To Join Developed Nations In Ocean Studies With 'Samudrayaan' Project

India's ambition to send men to the deep sea in a submersible vehicle is likely to be a reality in 2021-22 with the 'Samudrayaan' project.
The project proposes to send a submersible vehicle with three persons to a depth of about 6000 metres to carry out deep underwater studies.
The indigenously developed vehicle is capable of crawling on the sea bed at a depth of six kilometres for 72 hours.

Country's Longest Electrified Rail Tunnel Opens in AP

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the longest electrified railway tunnel in the country, in Andhra Pradesh.
The 112-km long railway line project between Krishnapatnam port and Obulavaripalli was constructed to ensure smooth transportation of minerals and industrial goods to and from the port.
As part of the project, two tunnels were constructed; one which is 6.7 km long and another, which is 1 km long.

Haryana Govt Announces Interest, Penalty Waiver On Crop Loans

The BJP-led Haryana Government has announced a 4,750 crore rupees waiver on interest and penalty on crop loans. This will benefit around 10 lakh farmers of the state.
The farmers who have borrowed from Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies (PACS), District Cooperative Central Banks, Land Mortgage Bank and Haryana Land Reforms and Development Bank will benefit from this decision.
According to the announcement, the farmers whose bank accounts were declared Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) by these banks and were unable to renew their loans will now be able to do so.
Out of 13 lakh farmers who borrowed from PACS, the accounts of over eight lakh had turned into NPAs. The five per cent penalty imposed on farmers who failed to repay loans taken from PACS will now be completely waived.

Sep 02, 2019

In a First, Nine Private Sector Specialists Selected As Joint Secretaries In Govt Departments

In a first, nine private sector specialists have been selected for appointment as joint secretaries in central government departments. Usually, the posts of joint secretaries are manned by the officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Forest Service (IFoS)) and Indian Revenue Service (IRS) among others who are selected through a three-phased rigorous selection process undertaken by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The Personnel Ministry had in June 2018 invited applications for the joint secretary-rank posts through "lateral entry" mode.
The lateral entry mode, which relates to the appointment of specialists from private sector in government organisations, is considered as an ambitious step of the Modi government to bring in fresh talent in bureaucracy.
These posts are in revenue, financial services, economic affairs, agriculture and farmers welfare, road transport and highways, shipping, environment, forest and climate change, new and renewable energy, civil aviation and commerce departments.

Tinsukia Junction Becomes 4000th Railway Station To Get Free Public WiFi

Tinsukia Junction in northeast region has become the 4000th railway station in the country to have free public WiFi. According to the Indian Railway, on average they have been rolling out WiFi in 83 stations everyday. RailTel CMD Puneet Chawla said that the journey started from Mumbai Central in January 2016 and in the coming few weeks all railway stations over Indian Railway (except the halt stations) will have fast and free Railwire WiFi.
Designed to offer rail passengers the Internet experience, RailWire WiFi will be available to any user who has a smartphone with a working mobile connection.
Indian Railway is the largest public transport of the country, while free WiFi is a pro-passenger initiative of the Ministry which is in line with the Prime Minister's 'Digital India' programme.

Jeans, t-Shirts Banned In Bihar Secretariat

The Bihar government has ordered employees who work in the state secretariat, not to wear casual jeans and t-shirts to the office.The order said the employees should wear decent clothes and come to work in formal attire.The order mentioned that many employees come to the office wearing clothes which are not appropriate.
The order was issued by Mahadev Prasad, the upper secretary of the state government.The order said, "It has been noticed that employees are coming to the office in clothes which are inappropriate for the office culture. This is against the office decorum."

Amit Shah Flags Off Battery Operated Eco-Friendly Buses In Gujarat's Ahmedabad

Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off eco-friendly vehicle event in Gujarat's Ahmedabad on August 29, 2019. He also took part in plantation drive.
Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani was also present there. Hundreds of people participated in the drive.
Amit Shah is an MLA from Gujarat's Gandhinagar.

Maharashtra Set To Be First To Map Out Vertical Property Rules

The state Cabinet gave the ambitious project a go-ahead and sanctioned the draft rules in this regard. Following the Cabinet nod, the state's Revenue Department will now put the draft rules – the Maharashtra Land Revenue Record of Rights and Registers for Apartments and Building Rules (2019) – in public domain for suggestions and objections.
Maharashtra will become India's first state to formulate vertical property rules. At present, there is no firm register establishing the ownership right of vertical properties like flats, residential or commercial buildings.
While the state Revenue Department maintains a record of land rights, it does not capture firm records of ownerships of apartments or units that stand on it. The proof of ownership has to be established through a chain of documents establishing how the ownership has changed hands.

Nitish Kumar Govt Bans 12 Brands Of Pan Masala In Bihar

The Nitish Kumar-helmed government in Bihar has banned 12 brands of pan masala containing magnesium carbonate. The state government mentioned that the manufacture, storage, distribution, transportation or sale of pan masala containing magnesium carbonate has been banned in Bihar.
The ban was announced after the food and safety department of the statement raised its concerns over the pan masalas. Earlier the department had examined a few pan masala brands and found that they contain magnesium carbonate that can cause heart disease.
The brands which were examined by the food and safety department were Rajnigandha Pan Masala, Raj Niwas Pan Masala, Supreme Pan Parag Pan Masala, Pan Parag Pan Masala, Bahar Pan Masala, Bahubali Pan Masala, Rajshree Pan Masala, Raunak Pan Masala, Signature Pan Masala, Kamala likes include Pan Masala, Madhu Pan Masala.
The Nitish Kumar government had earlier imposed a ban on the manufacture, sale, distribution and storage of gutka and all its variants.

5 States Get New Governers

Five states got new governors.
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari has been appointed as the new Governor of Maharashtra while former Union Minister Arif Mohammed Khan will take the responsibility of Kerala governor.
Former Union Minister and BJP leader, Bandaru Dattatraya will be the new Governor of Himachal Pradesh in place of Kalraj Mishra who has been given the charge of Governor of Rajasthan.
Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan is the new Governor of Telangana.
President Ram Nath Kovind approved these appointments.

Sep 01, 2019

COP14 To UN Convention To Combat Desertification to Begin In Greater Noida

The 14th Conference of Parties, COP14, to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification will get underway in Greater Noida.
The Conference will focus on desertification and degradation of land and will go on till 13th September.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar highlighted India's resolve to combat desertification. Mr Javadekar asserted that India will lead from the front to combat desertification and move the world in a positive direction.
The main objective of the convention is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought or desertification.
India will host over 3000 participants and take the responsibility of leading 196 nations towards Sustainable Development for the next two years in COP14.
This Conference will provide framework for countries to restore the land and protect human health.
It will present sustainable solutions for better land management. The Conference is expected to agree on about 30 decisions to ramp up and elaborate further actions needed on the ground.
Different industries will showcase their latest products, and innovations associated with reduction of land degradation.
Land is the lifeline for all living beings, and the impact of land degradation is ultimately on human health and well-being.

19 Lakh People Left Out Of Assam's NRC Final List

The National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published on August 31, 2019.
The NRC is a Supreme Court-monitored exercise. It took five years and Rs. 1,220 crore. All residents of Assam had to produce documents proving that they or their families lived in India before March 24, 1971.
When the final draft of the list was released on July 30, 2018, out of 3.29 crore applicants, the names of over 40 lakh people were left out of the list.
Over 19 lakh people found themselves excluded from the final list on August 31, 2019.
Excluded persons will have 120 days to file an appeal at any of the existing 100 Foreigners' Tribunals.
At least 200 additional Foreigners' Tribunals are expected to be set up by September, 2019.
The Tribunals are required to dispose of the cases within six months. Appellants can then approach the High Court and Supreme Court.
They will get a window of 10 months to prove their citizenship before being sent to detention centres.

EC Scheduled To Host 4th General Assembly Of Association Of World Election Bodies (a-Web) At Beng...

Election Commission of India is scheduled to host the 4th General Assembly of Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) at Bengaluru.
India will take over as A-WEB's Chair for the 2019- 2021 term. According to an official release, over 50 countries across the globe will join the meeting at Bengaluru from 2nd to 4th of September.
An International Conference on Initiatives and Challenges of Social Media and Information Technology in Elections will also be held on 04th September.
A-WEB is the largest association of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) worldwide.

Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock Calls On Home Minister Amit Shah

International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) Secretary General Jurgen Stock called on Home Minister Amit Shah.
During the meeting, Shah proposed hosting of Interpol General Assembly in the national capital in 2022, as a part of celebrations of the 75th anniversary of India's independence.
The Union Minister also expressed India's willingness to be a Regional Hub of INTERPOL Global Academy by extending assistance as well as infrastructural support.
Emphasising the zero-tolerance approach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards drug trafficking, international terrorism, dirty money, and money laundering, Shah called upon the Interpol to accord the topmost priority in fighting these menaces.
He also underlined the urgent need for a long term strategic action plan in fighting these menaces, not just in the Asian region but across the world.
Mentioning the recent amendments in Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the senior BJP leader said that over the years, Indian intelligence and investigation agencies have acquired rich and varied experiences in their decades-old fight against terrorism.
Union Home Minister Shah said Interpol is welcome to actively collaborate with Indian law enforcement agencies to make the best use of this expertise.

Aug 31, 2019

India Open to Discuss Outstanding Issues with Pakistan

According to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, India is willing to discuss outstanding issues with Pakistan bilaterally in an atmosphere free of terror and violence.
The remark was made during the minister's meeting with European Union Commissioner Christos Stylianides after the latter reiterated the EU's stance that New Delhi and Islamabad need to re-open dialogue through diplomatic channels for the de-escalation of tensions in the Kashmir region.
Ever since Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its special status, Islamabad has downgraded bilateral relations with New Delhi by suspending trade, partially closing its airspace, banning of screening Indian cinemas and halting Samjhauta and Thar Express train services.

Ready to Hand Over Land for Ram Temple

Claiming the right over the disputed site at Ayodhya, the Shia Wakf Board is ready to hand it over to Hindus for construction of a temple at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
On behalf of the Shia Wakf Board, advocate MC Dhingra told a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi that the Allahabad High Court in its September 30, 2010 verdict ruled that it was not a Sunni Wakf.
However, the High Court had said that one-third of the disputed land should be given to Muslims.
By implication, it meant that the High Court wanted one-third of the disputed land to be given to Shias. The Shias were ready to give their share of the land to Hindus for construction of Ram Temple.
The SC is hearing cross-appeals challenging the High Court's verdict dividing the disputed site between Ram Lalla, Nirmohi Akhara and Muslims.

Nine Pvt. Sector Experts Join as Joint Secretaries

In a first, the Central Government appointed nine private sector specialists in various fields as Joint Secretaries in various ministries under its lateral recruitment policy.
The appointments were cleared by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The nine Joint Secretaries from among the private sector experts have been appointed for a period of three years or till further orders, whichever is earlier.
The new Joint Secretaries are: Kakoli Ghosh (Ministry of Agriculture), Amber Dubey (Civil Aviation), Arun Goel (Commerce), Rajeev Saksena (Economic Affairs), Sujit Kumar Bajpayee (Environment, Forests), Saurabh Mishra (Financial Services), Dinesh Dayanand Jagdale (New and Renewable Energy), Suman Prasad Singh (Road Transport and Highways) and Bhushan Kumar (Shipping).

After Liquor, Bihar Bans Pan Masala

The Bihar Government put in place a ban on 'pan masala', which, however, will be applicable for one year.
The state Food Safety Commissioner said: "Twelve companies in the state have been totally barred from production, storage, transportation, exhibition and sale of 'pan masala' either in packed or loose form for next one year from August 30, 2019." Bihar banned liquor on April 1, 2016.

SC Collegium Clears 8 Names for HC CJs

The Supreme Court collegium led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi recommended new Chief Justices for eight High Courts, including the Punjab and Haryana High Court and Himachal Pradesh High Court.
According to the decision taken by the collegium, Justice Ravi Shankar Jha has been recommended to be the new Chief Justice in Punjab and Haryana High Court. He will replace Justice Krishna Murari who has been recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court.
Justice L Narayana Swamy has been recommended to be the new Chief Justice in Himachal Pradesh High Court in place of Justice V Ramasubramanian whose name was cleared for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court.
According to a resolution adopted by the collegium, Justice Indrajit Mahanty has been recommended to be the new Chief Justice in Rajasthan High Court, replacing Justice S Ravindra Bhat who has been proposed for elevation to the top court as a judge.
Justice S Manikumar's name has been cleared as Chief Justice in Kerala High Court in place of Justice Hrishikesh Roy whose name has been recommended for elevation to the SC as a judge.

Aug 30, 2019

DoT Allocates Two Additional Frequencies For Community Radio

The Department of Telecommunications has allocated two additional dedicated frequencies for running Community Radio - 89.6 and 90.0 MHz.
Information and Broadcasting Secretary, Amit Khare said this while delivering the Valedictory Address of 7th National Community Radio Sammelan in New Delhi.
He also announced that on the lines of recent hike in advertisement rates for print and electronic media, the advertisement rates for Community Radio will be revised by the Bureau of Outreach and Communication within two months.
Mr Khare also announced that a Community Radio Cell will be set up in the Ministry for grievance redressal and collating actionable suggestions received from stakeholders.
Information and Broadcasting Ministry will establish Community Radio Stations in every district of the Country.

ADB President Meets Prime Minister Modi and Pledges $12 Billion in Support of New Flagship Initia...

Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Mr. Takehiko Nakao met with India's Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi for the third time since Mr. Modi became Prime Minister and pledged to support the government's new flagship initiatives led by the Prime Minister.
He also met with Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Mr. Nitin Gadkari, and Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry Mr. Piyush Goyal.
At his meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. Nakao commended the government's vision to make India a $5 trillion economy during Mr. Modi's second term, and reaffirmed ADB's commitment to helping bolster the country's inclusive growth and rapid economic transformation to achieve this vision.

Mumbai Ranked 45th, Delhi 52nd on world's safe cities list

Mumbai has been ranked as the 45th safest city on the Safe Cities Index (SCI), while Delhi stood at the 52nd position, a report by Economist Intelligence Unit said.
Cities in the Asia-Pacific (Apac) region made up six of the top-10 safest cities with Tokyo taking the top spot.
Along with Tokyo, APAC cities dominated the SCI 2019. Singapore and Osaka came second and third, while Sydney and Melbourne also made it to the top-10 cities list.
Though Hong Kong dropped out of this group since 2017, Seoul has joined the top-10 cities' league taking eighth place with Copenhagen.
The Safe Cities Index (SCI) 2019 ranks 60 countries worldwide across five continents and measures the multi-faceted nature of urban safety, with indicators categorised as digital, infrastructure, health and personal security.

IIT Guwahati Signs MoU With RD Grow Green India

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RD Grow Green India Pvt. Ltd. for safe drinking water.
The Technology Transfer Signing Ceremony was held at the IIT Guwahati campus between T G Sitharam, Director IIT Guwahati and Rajeev Saikia, MD, RD Grow Green India Pvt. Ltd.
Drinking water contamination is a major problem in most of the states including Assam. This "chemical-free" treatment technique might be useful to the citizens in rural and urban areas as well.
The initiative made by the team from IIT Guwahati has resulted in one of the successful incubation of a company within IIT Guwahati (RD Grow Green India Pvt Ltd) who have taken the challenge to supply contaminant-free drinking water in the Assam state, presently using the technology developed by Prof. M. K. Purkait.
The technology is based on the 'Apparatus and Method for Removal of Fluoride, Iron, Arsenic and Microorganisms from Contaminated Drinking Water' by Prof. Mihir Kumar Purkait, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati.
The technology is patented by Prof. Mihir Kumar Purkait under the Indian patent Number: 286481.

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