General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2015

Oct 2015

Dec 31, 2021

Anupam Ray India's New Permanent Representative at UN Conference on Disarmament

Senior diplomat Anupam Ray was appointed as India's next permanent representative to the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
Mr. Ray, a 1994-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently serving as a joint secretary in the MEA's headquarters in Delhi.
Mr. Ray will succeed Pankaj Sharma.
Mr. Sharma, a 1991-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, has been appointed as India's next ambassador to Mexico.

Tamil Nadu Appoints Sivarajah Ramanathan as Tansim CEO

The government of Tamil Nadu has appointed Sivarajah Ramanathan, an IT and social entrepreneur, as the new chief executive officer of Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission (Tansim)
Tansim, also known as Startup TN, works towards making Tamil Nadu an innovation-driven economy. Tansim's mission is to be the driving force for startups and to build a strong, viable and vibrant start-up ecosystem that creates employment and develops economic growth.

Samajwadi Party Leader Shatarudra Prakash Joins BJP

In a setback to the Samajwadi Party (SP), its MLC and former Uttar Pradesh minister Shatarudra Prakash joined the BJP at the saffron party's state headquarters.
A socialist since his student days, Mr. Prakash joined the BJP in the presence of the party's state unit chief Swatantra Dev Singh.
Mr. Prakash, who joined politics while studying in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1974 from Varanasi Cantonment as a Socialist Party nominee. Three years later, he was again elected from the same constituency as a Janata Party candidate.
Mr. Praksh won the polls as a Lok Dal candidate in 1985 and as a Janata Dal nominee in 1989. He was a cabinet minister in the Uttar Pradesh government headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Dec 30, 2021

IAS Officer Durga Shankar Mishra Next UP Chief Secretary

The government issued an order to repatriate senior IAS officer and Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra to his parent cadre Uttar Pradesh, as he has been proposed to be appointed as the Chief Secretary of the state. Mishra, a 1984-batch IAS officer, was due to superannuate on December 31.
At present, Rajendra Kumar Tiwari, 1985-batch IAS officer, is the UP Chief Secretary. Tiwari is due to retire in February 2023. The DoPT had in an order on December 27 named Manoj Joshi as Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary in place of Mishra. Joshi, a 1989-batch Kerala-cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Jhansi Railway Station to be Renamed as Veerangana Lakshmibai Railway Station

Jhansi Railway Station to be Renamed as Veerangana Lakshmibai Railway Station
Jhansi Railway Station will be known as Veerangana Laxmibai Railway Station in the coming days.
The Uttar Pradesh government issued a notification to rename Jhansi Railway Station as Veerangana Lakshmibai Railway Station. Earlier, the Centre had accepted the proposal to change the name of Jhansi Railway Station.
Several local public representatives, including BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Prabhat Jha, had demanded that Jhansi station be named after Rani Laxmibai in a railway meeting held in the city a few years ago.

Extension of AFSPA in Nagaland

The Central government declared entire Nagaland as a "disturbed area" for six more months, under the AFSPA Act.
This declaration will be in effect, starting from December 30, 2021.
Government has also termed the state's condition as "disturbed and dangerous".
This decision was taken days after the central government constituted a high-level committee for examining the possibility of withdrawal of controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from Nagaland.
AFSPA has been operational in Nagaland for decades.
Central government exercised the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 to declare entire Nagaland as 'disturbed area'.

Sikkim Governor Ganga Prasad Inaugurates Road Named after Prime Minister Modi

A second road linking Tsomgo Lake and Nathula border pass with Gangtok -- christened as 'Narendra Modi Marg' -- was officially inaugurated by Sikkim Governor Ganga Prasad. The older route is called Jawaharlal Nehru Road.
The alternative double-lane road at 51 Kyongasala gram panchayat unit (GPU) -- spanning 19.51 km -- has been operational for almost a year now.

Praveen Kumar is DG & CEO of Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs

Govt. of India approved the appointment of Praveen Kumar, IAS, Former Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to the post of Director General & Chief Executive Officer, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA). The proposal for setting up IICA was approved by Planning Commission in the year 2007. It was established in 2008 at Manesar, Haryana.
Praveen Kumar is a 1987 batch retired IAS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, and a former Secretary, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.

Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin to Attend Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Russian minister for Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic Alexei Chekunkov and governors of Russian Far East will participate in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit that will take place in Gandhinagar next month. Four governors of Far East Provinces of Russia will participate in the summit that will take place from January 10 to 12.

Dec 29, 2021

Khattar Government Inducts Two Ministers in Haryana

The Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana's council of ministers was expanded with the induction of BJP's Kamal Gupta and Jannayak Janata Party's (JJP) Devendra Babli as Cabinet ministers.
The induction took the strength of Khattar's council of ministers to 14, comprising the Chief Minister and his deputy Dushyant Chautala.
Governor Bandaru Dattatraya administered the oath of office and secrecy to them at the swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan.

Manipur Govt. Likely to Propose to Lift AFSPA from State

In view of the persistent demand from various parties, including the ruling allies, the BJP government in Manipur is likely to propose to the Centre to withdraw the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) from the entire state.
Ruling BJP's two vital allies -- Naga People's Front (NPF) and National People's Party (NPP) -- and the main opposition Congress in Manipur have been demanding to withdraw AFSPA from entire Manipur.

SEBI Names Aarati Krishnan as a Member of MF Advisory Panel

Aarati Krishnan, Editorial Consultant with BusinessLine, was inducted as a member of the Securities & Exchange Board of India's Advisory Committee on Mutual Funds. The committee, chaired by Usha Thorat, former Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India, advises SEBI on matters related to mutual fund regulation to ensure investor protection, development of the industry and disclosure requirements. It suggests measures required to be taken to render the legal framework for mutual funds transparent and simple for investors and constituents.
The committee has 24 members comprising CEOs of leading mutual fund houses as well as representatives from academia, exchanges, consumer interest groups, fund trustees, rating agencies, distribution firms and media.

Punjab Cabinet Nod to Amend Coop Audit Service Rules

Keeping in view the larger interest of employees and the administrative need of the Cooperation Department to ensure efficiency in its functioning, the Punjab Cabinet today approved amendment to the Punjab Cooperative Audit (Group-B) Service Rules, 2016.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by CM Charanjit Singh Channi.
The amendment to the provisions due to the restructuring of the department would provide for direct/promotional avenues to the posts of audit officer, superintendent grade 2, senior auditor, inspector audit and senior assistant. After the approval of the officer committee, the restructuring of the department was approved during a Cabinet meeting on December 30, 2020, in which the posts of inspector were reduced from 774 to 654, while those of senior auditor were increased from 32 to 107.

Dec 28, 2021

Vikram Misri Appointed Deputy NSA

Vikram Misri, a 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, who served as envoy in China amid the border dispute, was appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor in the National Security Council secretariat.
Misri, a seasoned diplomat, will report to national security adviser Ajit Doval. Vikram has served in various capacities at the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as well as in the Prime Minister's Office.

Himachal Pradesh's Renukaji Dam Project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of Renukaji Dam Project in Himachal Pradesh.
It is a Rs. 6,700-crore project on the Giri River in Sirmaur district.
The project, once completed, is likely to generate 200 million units of energy in a surface power house which have the installed capacity of 40 MW.
Storage capacity of the dam will be 498 million cubic meters.
It will fulfil around 40 per cent of the drinking water requirement of Delhi.
Construction of the dam was pending since the last three decades. It will finally took shape following cooperation on behalf of six states namely, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

Former Mohali Mayor Kulwant Singh Joins AAP

Former Mohali mayor and realtor Kulwant Singh joined the Aam Aadmi Party ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls next year.
AAP's leader Raghav Chadha and state party chief Bhagwant Mann inducted him to the party fold.
Mann said that Kulwant Singh's familiarity with Mohali's issues and voters will help AAP a great deal.

Sanjay Kumar Singh Appointed Steel Secretary, V. Srinivas DARPG Secretary

Senior bureaucrat Sanjay Kumar Singh was appointed as Steel Secretary as part of a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre.
Singh, a 1987 batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, is currently Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) and Department of Pensions & Pensioners Welfare (DoPPW).
V. Srinivas, a 1989 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, will be Secretary, DARPG and DoPPW in place of Singh. He is currently Special Secretary in the DARPG.
Manoj Joshi, Special Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries was appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.

Dinesh Mongia, Former India Cricketer, Joins BJP

Former India cricketer Dinesh Mongia joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.
Mongia joined the ruling party at the Centre at a function in Delhi in the presence of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
This is noteworthy that former left-hand batsman was a part of the 2003 World Cup team that managed to reach the final of the marquee event under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly.
Besides him, sitting Congress MLAs Fateh Singh Bajwa and Balwinder Singh Laddi also joined the BJP.

Dec 27, 2021

Kamlesh Gandhi is New Co-Chairman of FIDC

Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC) announced fresh appointments to its board of directors. Kamlesh Gandhi, CMD of MAS Financial Services was appointed as Co-Chairman, FIDC in addition to Umesh Revankar, CEO and MD of Shriram Transport Finance Group. Sanjay Chamria resigned as the Co-Chairman and Director, FIDC.
Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC), which is a representative body of asset and loan financing NBFCs, announced fresh appointments to its board of directors. Dinanath Dubhashi, MD and CEO, L&T Finance Holdings was appointed as an additional Director of FIDC. The appointments were approved at a board meeting of FIDC.

India and Russia Exchange 'Non-Paper' on Engagement in Central Asia

India and Russia have exchanged "Non-Paper" on how to increase engagement in central Asia, which has 5 countries--Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The 5 countries once formed part of the Soviet Union, have huge Russian influence.
The non-paper or white paper is basically a document that doesn't carry a governmental seal but aims to highlight key features of discussions.
The non-paper has pointed at several areas of engagement, one of which is defense as India aims to become a supplier of arms in that part of the world. These central Asian countries use Russian defense equipment and India can provide parts that are made in the country.

Tamil Nadu Government Launches CM Dashboard

The Tamil Nadu government launched the 'CM Dashboard 360' monitoring system that would enable Chief Minister M K Stalin to get real-time information on important matters including rainfall patterns, water storage levels in reservoirs and health-related among others.
M. K. Stalin launched the dashboard in Chennai

Gujarat Tops Good Governance Index 2021

Gujarat topped the composite ranking in the Good Governance Index (GGI), followed by Maharashtra and Goa while Uttar Pradesh showed an incremental growth of 8.9 per cent in the indicators launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the occasion of the Good Governance Day 2021.
As many as 20 states improved their composite GGI scores in 2021, according to the index.
The GGI 2021 was prepared by the Department of Administration Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).

Panel Formed to Decide Withdrawal of AFSPA

The Union Home Ministry has decided to constitute a committee for taking a decision regarding withdrawal of disturbed area tag and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, (AFSPA), 1958 from Nagaland amid growing anger against killings of 14 civilians.
This was decided in a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister, Amit Shah in New Delhi, which was convened to discuss the current situation in Nagaland following the killings in Oting village in Mon district. The meeting was attended by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nagaland deputy Chief Minister Y. Patton and former Chief Minister TR Zeliang.
The five-member committee will be headed by Additional Secretary (Northeast) in the MHA, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, Nagaland, Inspector General of Assam Rifles (Northeast) and representatives of CRPF.

Twenty-two Farm Bodies in Punjab Announce Political Front

Twenty-two farm organisations in Punjab that were part of the protest against three central farm laws formed a political front and announced they would contest the upcoming state assembly polls to give a "political change".
The decision in this regard was taken by representatives of these organisations.

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