General Awareness

NATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Jan 08, 2021

A Michael Jackson Concert in India That's Now Tax-free

In 1996, Michael Jackson played to a packed audience in Mumbai in what was to be his only performance in India.
Some 35,000 fans attended the show in a sports arena on the first day of November. Jackson's 17-song concert in Mumbai (then called Bombay) was part of his 83-show History World Tour from September 1996 to October 1997.
At the time, Maharashtra, the state where Mumbai is located, was governed by the right wing Shiv Sena party. It had waived entertainment tax on the show on the grounds that it was meant for a "philanthropic and charitable" purpose.
But the show soon became embroiled in a prolonged legal battle involving the government, the concert organiser and a feisty consumer protection group. At stake were issues like whether the show was eligible for a tax waiver and even how Jackson's music could be defined.
Jackson had "for reasons known to only a few, waived his performance fee", India Today magazine reported in November 1996.
The pop superstar had promised to donate profits from the concert — which eventually ran to more than $1m — to a Shiv Sena-run youth employment project, wrote author Suketu Mehta in his award-winning book, Maximum City.

PM Flags Off World's 1st Double-Stack Container Train

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the world's first double-stack long-haul container train from New Ateli in Haryana to New Kishanganj in Rajasthan.
He also launched the 306-km Rewari-Madar section of the Western dedicated freight corridor (DFC).
Modi said that since the launch of the New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of the DFC, the average speed of freight trains has tripled in that section.
One train carries 360 10-feet container equivalent units (TEU), which is equivalent to 270 high capacity trailer trucks, a rail ministry statement said.
The corridor is expected to boost farming and allied businesses in Haryana and Rajasthan and impart new energy into cities like Mahendragarh, Jaipur, Ajmer and Sikar.

ITBP Orders Over Rs 8 Crore Worth Of Khadi Mats From KVIC For CAPFs

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police placed an order worth over Rs 8 crore with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission for procurement of 'khadi durries' or mats for various central paramilitary forces.
A memorandum of understanding procuring 1,71,520 mats was signed between the two organisations as part of a Union government directive to only use and sell 'swadeshi' or indigenously made goods in these forces functioning under the command of the Union Home Ministry.
The central armed police forces (CAPFs) like the BSF, CRPF, ITBP, SSB and CISF, render a variety of duties in the internal security domain of the country.
The ITBP, a mountain-warfare trained force deployed to guard the 3,488-km long Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, is the nodal agency for purchase of certain goods for the paramilitary forces.

Jan 07, 2021

India and France to Hold Annual Strategic Dialogue

India and France will hold their annual strategic dialogue in Delhi. National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval will lead the Indian delegation while the French side would be led by Emmanuel Bonne, who is the diplomatic advisor to President Emmanuel Macron.
The two sides will hold discussions on wide-ranging bilateral and global issues. Emmanuel Bonne will also call on other Indian dignitaries. The last edition of the Strategic Dialogue was held in February 2020 in Paris.
The announcement of the meet comes after France had welcomed India's fresh stint at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a period of two years. French ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain said that France was eager to work side by side to uphold international law, fight terror and defend multilateralism.

India Welcomes Restoration of Ties between Qatar and Four other Arab States

India welcomed the restoration of diplomatic ties between Qatar and four other Arab countries that had imposed an embargo on it in 2017, saying such a move would give a boost to peace and stability in the region.
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhad said that Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had agreed to fully set the differences aside with Qatar at a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit at Al-Ula.

India Welcomes Evolution and Rise of Africa

India's foreign secretary Harsh Shringla has made a pitch for New Delhi's support to Africa at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), not only backing an African seat at the council but also how India's partnership for the continent.
Shringla said that India will continue to support Africa's aspirations and work towards empowering Africa for a future that is found on the principles of inclusivity, sustainability, transparency, and socio-economic development with dignity and respect.
India has executed 189 developmental projects in 37 African countries and around 77 projects are currently under execution.
New Delhi has also committed US$ 1.7 billion as soft loans for solar projects in the continent and has offered 50,000 scholarships to African students.

Jan 06, 2021

Congress Loses Leader of Opposition Post in Assam Assembly

The Congress in Assam suffered a setback after its legislature party leader Debabrata Saikia lost the position of the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, following defeats in by-elections, deaths of two MLAs and two recent defections to the BJP.
The present strength of the Indian National Congress Legislature Party, Assam Legislative Assembly is not equal to the quorum fixed to constitute a sitting of the House, that is one-sixth of the total number of Members of the House as required under the aforementioned provisions and therefore, the Hon'ble Speaker, Assam Legislative Assembly, has been pleased to withdraw the recognition of Shri Debabrata Saikia, MLA, as Leader of the Opposition, Assam Legislative Assembly.

Parliament to Hold Budget Session from January 29 to February 15

The first part of the Budget Session of Parliament will be held from January 29 to February 15, during which the government will present Union Budget 2021-22 on February 1.
Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) has recommended the Budget session of Parliament from January 29. The CCPA has recommended Part 1 of the Budget session from Jan 29-Feb 15, while Part 2 will be held from March 8 to April 8.
President Kovind will address the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament on January 29, while the Union Budget will be presented on February 1.
Both the Houses of Parliament will function for four hours each day during the session.

PM Boris Johnson Cancels Republic Day Visit to India

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancelled a planned trip to India later this month, citing the need to oversee the COVID-19 pandemic response at home.
It may be noted that Johnson was scheduled to visit India on 26 January for the Republic Day celebrations. The UK Prime Minister was invited as the chief guest for the Republic Day Parade.

Jan 05, 2021

Supreme Court approves Central Vista project

The Supreme Court, in a majority of judgment, gave the green signal for the multi-crore Central Vista redevelopment project.
The project envisages refurbishing the nation's power corridor, which includes a new Parliament building, a common Central Secretariat and a renovated Rajpath stretching from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate.

Planning Commission like Body to be Formed in Bengal

Hitting out at the BJP-led central government for abolishing the Planning Commission conceptualized by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee said that her government would come up with a similar body to take ahead the national hero's ideas and vision.
She urged Nobel laureate economists Amartya Sen and Abhijit Banerjee and Bose's grandnephew Sugata Bose, a historian, to advise the state government on this.
The Planning Commission, a government institution which formulated India's Five-Year Plans besides performing other functions, was set up in March 1950. The Narendra Modi government disbanded it in 2014 and formed Niti Aayog.

Jan 04, 2021

Rift Erupts in Maha Vikas Aghadi over Renaming of Aurangabad

The Congress has reiterated its objection to renaming Aurangabad even as its ally Shiv Sena said that the name change would happen soon but the issue would not rock the coalition government in Maharashtra.
Maharashtra minister and state Congress Chief Balasaheb Thorat had said two days ago that he would strongly oppose renaming the Aurangabad city in central Maharashtra as Sambhajinagar.
It was the Shiv Sena, which had first made the demand to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar over two decades ago.

Delhi Govt. Sets up and Notifies Academy to Promote Tamil Language and Culture

The Department of Art, Culture and Language of the Delhi government, under the leadership of Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, set up and notified Tamil academy to promote Tamil language and culture.
The Delhi government has appointed Ex-MCD councillor and current member of Delhi Tamil Sangam N. Raja as the Vice-Chairman of the academy.
According to Sisodia, Delhi is a culturally rich city where people from all parts of the country live and work. It is this diversity that forms Delhi's vibrant and cosmopolitan culture.
Delhi has a large population of people from Tamil Nadu and we want to present a platform to the people of Delhi to get the taste of the art and culture of Tamil Nadu.

Prasar Bharati's Digital Channels Record 100% Growth in 2020

Digital channels of Prasar Bharati have registered more than 100 per cent growth in 2020.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that the channels across Doordarshan and Akashvani clocked over a billion digital views and over six billion digital watch minutes in the year.
Interestingly during 2020, Pakistan accounted for the second-highest digital audience for DD and AIR content after domestic audience from within India, with the United States close behind.

Two Scindia Loyalists Back as Ministers in MP Cabinet

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Madhya Pradesh Cabinet was expanded with the induction of two loyalists of BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia, whose exit from the Congress in March last year triggered the fall of the 15-month-old Kamal Nath-led dispensation in the state.
Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office to Tulsiram Silawat and Govind Rajput, who returned to the Cabinet after a gap of more than two months.
With their induction, the current strength of the state Cabinet has gone up to 31. The number of members in the council of ministers in MP cannot exceed 35.

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