General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2015

Sep 2015

Sep 13, 2018

Indo-Kazakhstan Joint Military Exercise

A joint military training exercise between Indian Army and Kazakhstan Army commenced in Otar Military Area, Kazakhstan.

The exercise, KAZIND-2018, is the third edition of a joint military training exercise between the two countries. It is a 14-day-long joint exercise.

The aim of the joint training is to build and promote army to army relations and exchange skills and experiences between Indian Army and the Kazakhstan Army.

Chairman of Lok Sabha Ethics Panel

L. K. Advani has been renominated as the chairman of the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

The Committee examines complaints relating to unethical conduct by members of parliament.

P. Karunakaran has also been renominated as chairman of the Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank will head the Committee on Government Assurances.

Policy on Extraction of Himalayan Aphrodisiac

The Uttarakhand cabinet approved a policy for yarsa gumba, the Himalayan aphrodisiac, in which all those who will extract the medicine from the wild will have to be registered with the government.

The policy focuses on checking trafficking of the miracle fungus which is formed by a symbiotic association of a caterpillar and mushroom specie. Yarsa is found at an altitude of over 14,000 ft in Himalayan ranges. In Uttarakhand, Pithoragarh and Chamoli are two of its potential sites.

Professional Education of Labourers' Children

The Rajasthan labour department took a decision that the state will bear the total education expenses of children of registered labourers who pursue any professional course, such as medical and engineering courses, in any government college in the state.

Centre Bans 328 Drugs

The government prohibited the manufacture, sale and distribution of 328 Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) drugs for human use with immediate effect. Several popular drugs including painkillers combinations such as Saridon.

It has also restricted the manufacture, sale or distribution of six FDCs subject to certain conditions.

Handing Sittwe Port in Rakhine to Myanmar

Nearly two decades after the launch of the Kaladan multi-modal link project, President Ram Nath Kovind will hand over the India-developed Sittwe Port in Rakhine to a state-designated operator in Myanmar in December, a move that opens India's landlocked north-east to the Bay of Bengal through Mizoram as well as provide alternative connectivity to Kolkata without goods taking the circuitous route through the Siliguri corridor.

Sep 12, 2018

Mumbai to Get Two more Metro Rail Lines

The Maharashtra cabinet cleared two new Metro rail lines - Dahisar-Mira-Bhayander and Andheri East- International Airport - that will be integrated with other Metro corridors to improve the connectivity in Mumbai.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will now float bids for construction of the 10.5-km Dahisar-Mira-Bhayander (Metro 9) corridor and 3.2-km Andheri-International airport (Terminal T2) (Metro 7A).

Over 50% Pay Hike for Asha, Anganwadi Workers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a substantial increase in the honorarium for Anganwadi and Asha (Accredited social health activists) workers from October in a move that is expected to help millions of women from relatively poor households.

All Asha workers will also get free coverage under the two flagship insurance schemes of the government.

India's Oldest Research Reactor Recommissioned

The country's oldest research reactor "Apsara", which was shut down permanently in 2009 for revamp, has been recommissioned as "Apsara-Upgraded" with a higher capacity. It was recommissioned after upgrade on September 10.

The reactor came into existence in August 1956 and was utilised for various experiments, including neutron activation analysis, radiation damage studies, forensic research, neutron radiography and shielding experiments.

Congress, TDP and CPI Form Alliance

In a major development, opposition Congress, TDP and CPI joined hands to form a grand alliance to take on the ruling TRS in Telangana in the ensuing Assembly elections.

This is the first time in Telugu Desam Party's 35-year-old history that it is joining hands with the Congress in a state.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao last week dissolved the Assembly to go for early elections. The polls are likely in November.

PGI Introduces New Cancer Treatment

The department of radiodiagnosis at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has bought a state-of-the-art machine to treat tumours for the patients who are not suitable to be treated with surgery.

Cryoablation is a treatment to kill cancer cells with extreme cold.

As per an official statement of PGIMER, this machine is the first of its kind installed anywhere in the country.

With the installation of this machine, the institution will now be part of the elite group of hospitals in the world, including the likes of MD Anderson Cancer Centre in the United States.

Sep 11, 2018

Illegal Immigrants a Challenge

Terming illegal immigrants a "challenge" for the nation, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal pitched for the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) across all states of the country.

NRC is a register containing names of Indian citizens, which was prepared for the only time in 1951 and is being updated for only Assam to weed out the illegal immigrants.

First Ever Mid-air Refuelling of Tejas

The first ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft Tejas was successfully carried.

The milestone was achieved when 1,900 kg of fuel was transferred from the mid-air refuelling tanker of IAF's IL78 to the Tejas LSP8 at an altitude of 20,000 feet.

With this, India joins an elite group of countries who have developed the Air-to-Air (AAR) (refuelling) system for military class of aircraft.

India Has World's Biggest Reserves of Potash

Despite having the world's biggest reserves of potash in Rajasthan, India has failed to explore the huge deposit even 45 years after its discovery, costing US$1,400 million every year to import the mineral.

Rajasthan sits over nearly 20,397 million tonnes (MT) of probable potash deposits, mostly concentrated in Nagaur-Ganganagar basin of the north-west Rajasthan, almost three times the world reserve.

Sep 10, 2018

Doorstep Delivery of 40 Services

Delhiites will be able to avail 40 government services, including obtaining a marriage certificate, driving licence and new water connection , at their doorsteps with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government all set to launch its flagship 'doorstep delivery of services.

Certificates such as caste, new water connection, income, driving licence, ration card, domicile, marriage registration, duplicate RC and change of address in registration certificates, among others, will be covered under the scheme.

UP Bill for Restoring Anticipatory Bail Provision

A key bill that will pave the way for the re-introduction of the provision of anticipatory bail, which was revoked in the state during the Emergency in 1976, has been referred for presidential assent.

Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik has referred the Code of Criminal Procedure (Uttar Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2018, to the President.

The UP Assembly had on August 30 approved the bill that aims at restoring the provision of anticipatory bail in the state.

Indo-Bhutan Border to Undergo Aerial Mapping

The 267-km stretch of the Indo-Bhutan border along Assam would undergo a laser-based aerial mapping which could help the security agencies to pinpoint hideouts of the militants through remote sensing.

Stamp Fee as Per Original Flat Delivery Date

In a major relief to aggrieved homebuyers, an 11-member high-level committee headed by D. S. Mishra, secretary, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has recommended that the Uttar Pradesh government allow registry of a flat at the circle rate prevalent when possession of the dwelling unit was promised by the builder.

The UP government will soon take a decision on the recommendations made by the high-level committee formed on June 18, 2018.

The committee's recommendations include waiving off stamp fee for homebuyers, the formation of a 'zero period policy', additional funding to builders to finish stuck projects, legal assistance to aggrieved homebuyers and a separate real estate regulatory authority (RERA) for Noida and Greater Noida, among others.

Sep 09, 2018

Aero India Expo

The 12th edition of Aero India will be held in Bengaluru from February 20-24, 2019, the Defence Ministry announced, ending confusion over a possible change of date and venue.

This five-day event will combine a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries with public air shows.The show will also see participation by think-tanks from across the world.

Earlier there was much deliberation within the Ministry on shifting the biennial air show to Bakshi Ka Talab near Lucknow and to hold it in November.

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