General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2015

Oct 2015

Feb 18, 2021

Opposition in Puducherry Calls for a Floor Test

A day after the Congress government in Puducherry slipped below the majority mark, the Opposition led by former Chief Minister N. Rangasamy submitted a petition seeking a floor test to the Lieutenant Governor's office, just months ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the Union Territory.
In Puducherry, both the ruling and opposition sides claim the support of 14 legislators each. The assembly has 30 elected and three nominated members. With Congress legislator A John Kumar's resignation on Tuesday, the Congress's tally in the House dropped to 10, including speaker V P Sivakolunthu.
Three more Congress MLAs have resigned since January. It also has the support of three MLAs from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and an independent MLA.

Feb 17, 2021

Jal Jeevan Mission-Urban

Launching a new project to install water connections to every urban household, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has selected 10 pilot cities to survey for the Jal Jeevan Mission-Urban by March 2021.
A Pey Jal Survekshan will determine the distribution of water, wastewater, and water bodies in 10 cities: Patiala, Rohtak, Churu, Agra, Surat, Badlapur, Bhubaneswar, Tumkur, Kochi and Madurai. Five of these cities are water-scarce and five are water abundant.
The Jal Jeevan Mission-Urban aims to create universal coverage of water supply in all 4,378 statutory towns as well as sewage management in 500 AMRUT cities.

Siddharth Chatterjee of India Takes over as Top UN Diplomat in China

Senior UN official Siddharth Chatterjee of India has formally taken over as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in China, a key posting of overseeing the work of 27 agencies, funds and programmes of the global organisation in the world's most populous country.
He will be UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's senior-most UN Representative in China as the UN Resident Coordinator.
Chatterjee, whose early career was in the Indian Army, was decorated for gallantry by the President of India in 1995.

Kiran Bedi Removed as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry

Kiran Bedi was removed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has been given additional charge of Puducherry.
Earlier senior Congress legislator Malladi Krishna Rao had urged President Ram Nath Kovind to replace Bedi for her alleged interference in administration in the union territory.
Kandaswamy said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Puducherry L-G Kiran Bedi have been harassing the Congress government for four and a half years. They are trying to dissolve the regime. We are working to dissolve the cabinet headed by CM Narayanasamy and win the assembly elections again."

Naidu Accords Mallikarjun Kharge Recognition as Leader of Opposition in RS

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has accorded recognition to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha with effect from February 16.
Kharge was named Congress leader in the House to succeed Ghulam Nabi Azad whose term has ended.
Kharge, a former union minister, had earlier been Congress leader in the Lok Sabha.

Feb 16, 2021

BJP cannot Form Political Entity in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Election Commission Chairman Nimal Punchihewa shot down reports of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) planning to set up a political unit in the island nation, saying the country's electoral law does not permit such an arrangement.
Punchihewa said that any Sri Lankan political party or group is permitted to have external links with any party or group overseas. But, our electoral laws do not permit overseas political parties to work here.
Punchihewa's comments came after media reports quoted Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb as saying that the BJP was planning to extend its footprint in Sri Lanka and Nepal.

India and Japan Pitch for Assam to be Hub of Connectivity with Southeast Asia

India and Japan made a strong pitch for Assam to be a hub for connectivity and economic activities with Southeast Asia, with Japanese funding playing a key role in taking forward infrastructure and development projects.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Japanese ambassador Satoshi Suzuki visited the north-eastern state to review projects being implemented with Japanese support, and outlined a vision of Assam playing a crucial role in India's efforts to link up with and benefit from new markets in Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar and Vietnam.

Centre Deregulates Geospatial Data and Map-making in India

India liberalised its regulations on geospatial data, allowing private companies to conduct surveying and mapping without prior government approvals and sharing the data for various everyday applications, from logistics and transport to road safety and e-commerce.
Under the new policy, geospatial data from government agencies such as the Survey of India and the Indian Space Research Organisation will also be made available to public and private companies.
The new guidelines will allow to increase the scale, speed, and accuracy of mapping. Indian entities will require no prior approvals, security clearances, licences for acquisition and production of geospatial data and geospatial data services, including maps.

Feb 15, 2021

BJP fields 22 Muslim Candidates for Vadodara Municipalities, District and Taluka Panchayats

The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) has fielded 22 candidates from Muslim community for the elections to district and taluka panchayats, and municipalities in Vadodara.
The BJP announced names of candidates for 34 seats of Vadodara district panchayat, 167 seats of taluka panchayat and 88 seats of municipalities of Karjan, Dabhoi, Savli and Padra.
The party has given tickets to a total of 22 Muslim candidates –14 tickets in the district panchayat and municipalities and seven seats in various taluka panchayats. Of these, five Muslim candidates have been fielded from Savli Municipality alone.

Kerala NCP on Verge of Split

The Kerala unit of the NCP, a long-time ally of the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, is all set for a split ahead of the assembly elections with a faction led by party legislator Mani C Kappan deciding to join the Congress-led UDF.
The move is a fallout of the CPI (M) decision to hand over Kappan's seat Pala to the Kerala Congress (M), a new entrant in the LDF.
Ever since the CPI(M) decided to give the Kerala Congress (M) the Pala seat, which Kappan had won for the LDF in a 2019 bypoll, a group led by him has been pulling apart from the ruling alliance. Contending that denial of the seat as unfair, Kappan had tried to convince the NCP's national leadership to quit the LDF. With the national leadership delaying a final decision in his favour, Kappan said that he would join the UDF.

Bill to Modify List of SCs in Tamil Nadu Introduced in House

In a move that gathers significance in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, the Union government introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to group seven Scheduled Caste groups in the state under a common nomenclature as Devendrakula Vellalars.
Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar introduced the Bill to recognize Devendrakulathan, Kudumban, Pannadi, Kaalaadi, Kadayan, Pallan and Patharian, predominantly agrarian castes, collectively as Devendrakula Vellalars.
Despite the common nomenclature, the seven caste groups will continue to be accorded the same reservation in education and jobs as SCs.

Govt. Introduces J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha

A bill to replace an ordinance to merge the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) cadre of civil services officers with the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre was introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Introducing 'The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill, 2021', Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said the government was working to take Jammu and Kashmir on the path to development.
He said around 170 central laws are being implemented in Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution that gave a special status to the erstwhile state.

PM Dedicates Kochi Petrochemical Complex to Country

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation Rs. 6000 crore petrochemical complex of oil major Bharat Petroleum and Ro-Ro vessels of Inland Waterways at Willingdon Islands in Kochi, asserting that these projects will fuel the country's growth.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the International Cruise Terminal "Sagarika" at Cochin Port; Marine Engineering Training Institute, Vigyana Sagar, Cochin Shipyard Limited and laid the foundation stone of Reconstruction of South Coal Berth at Cochin Port.

Feb 14, 2021

President Kovind to Open 'Udyanotsav'

President Ram Nath Kovind will open Rashtrapati Bhavan's annual 'Udyanotsav' and the Mughal Gardens will be thrown open for public from February 13, but only with prior online booking.
Besides the Mughal Gardens, visitors will also be allowed in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum. Visitors will also be able to witness the Change of Guard Ceremony.

Nitin Gadkari Launches India's First CNG Tractor

India's first-ever diesel tractor, converted to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), was formally launched by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari.
The conversion, carried out jointly by Rawmatt Techno Solutions and Tomasetto Achille India, will help farmers increase their income, by lowering the costs and help to create job opportunities in rural India.
CNG is a clean fuel as it has the lowest content of carbon and other pollutants. It is economical as it has zero lead and is non-corrosive, non-dilutive and non-contaminating which helps in increasing the life of the engine, and it requires less regular maintenance. Also, it is the future as at present around 12 million vehicles are already powered by natural gas throughout the world and more companies and municipalities are joining the CNG movement every day.

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